Gemotions

The package arrived just as the rain started, a dull, gray rectangle on the doorstep. Emily, already drenched from her walk home, kicked it inside. It was a delivery for "Mr. Silas Blackwood," the previous resident.

She couldn’t catch her breath. Silas Blackwood, whose belongings she'd been forced to clear out after the eviction. The memories of the mess, the stench of despair, were all too vivid. She felt a familiar knot forming in her throat.

She knew she should leave it, ignore it. But curiosity, and something darker, propelled her forward. She picked it up, feeling like a thief. Inside were old journals. The handwriting was neat, the words sharp. She dropped it back to the floor, her hands trembling.