Gemotions

The sudden darkness and the grinding halt of the elevator did not elicit a sound of alarm from Paul. He felt a surge of energy, a powerful impulse to… do something.

"Fantastic!" he exclaimed, his voice ringing with strange optimism. He clapped his hands together. "Now's the time! Now's our chance."

He bent down, examining the small space with an almost ravenous intensity. He began to fiddle with the buttons, pushing them, pulling them. "We could try this... or maybe that... what about..." His words tumbled out in a rush, a fountain of half-formed ideas. He kept humming between each word, his chest heaving.

His coworker, Mary, watched him with wide, concerned eyes, unsure of how to react.