Gemotions

The jarring stop had sent a jolt through Amelia’s spine. Her phone slipped from her grasp, clattering uselessly on the floor. She knelt to pick it up, her movements slow and deliberate, as if moving underwater. Across from her, Mark, the tech guy, was already fiddling with the call button. She could not speak.

She stared at the digital display, watching the numbers flicker, then freeze. Ten... then nothing. The silence in the car was absolute, broken only by the faint whir of the ventilation system. Amelia felt a cold dread creeping up her neck.

She felt a strange disconnect from her body, as though she were observing herself from a distance. She observed her shaking hands. She couldn't feel her feet.

Mark tried to make small talk, something about the building’s old wiring. She looked at him, her gaze vacant, and nodded. The words seemed to swirl and dissolve in her mind before they could be used. She just wanted to go home.