Gemotions

The flickering candlelight cast long, dancing shadows across the bedroom wall. Sarah clutched the phone tighter, her knuckles white. She had overheard a snippet of conversation, a flurry of unfamiliar sounds from the kitchen. Now, she was replaying it in her head, each syllable a tiny hammer blow against her calm. He’d been speaking… something. It wasn't English.

She pressed the call button again, then immediately hung up. The recorded message in Russian filled her with unease. Had he been talking to someone else? Or… was it him? Her breath hitched. The thought was a cold knot in her stomach.

A sudden creak from downstairs made her jump. She scrambled out of bed, her bare feet silent on the wooden floor. She needed to know. The need was a physical push.