Gemotions

The world had shrunk. It was all a tight circle, revolving around the incessant noise. Amelia felt a frantic urgency, a need to grab hold of something solid. She gripped the cold metal of her kitchen sink, knuckles white.

The hammering was relentless. A pulse, a throb, a constant reminder. Her own home felt unsafe. Each breath came in shallow gasps. She glanced at the calendar; it was Tuesday. Or was it Wednesday? Or… a different day altogether?

She watched from the window. The new fence was obscuring the view. Blocking out… what? The sun? The sky? Everything. The sudden, swift movement of a truck passing by, then the sudden stillness of the afternoon. She stumbled backwards, feeling the wall against her back. It felt like a solid, impenetrable wall. Like the fence.