Gemotions

The old house, a sturdy brick structure, had always felt safe to Emily. Until today. The police report, tucked inside a worn manila envelope, lay on the kitchen table. Someone had died here, and the details were… unsettling.

Emily found herself checking and double-checking the locks on the doors and windows, a habit she'd never needed before. Every creak of the floorboards, every rustle of leaves outside the window sent a jolt of alarm through her.

She barely touched her dinner, the food suddenly tasteless. Later, she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, every shadow playing tricks on her mind.