Gemotions

The house echoed, an amplified version of his own internal void. The high ceilings and vast rooms only served to emphasize the loneliness that clung to him like a second skin. He wandered through the space, his shoulders slumped, his footsteps silent. The move was meant to be a fresh start, a chance to escape. But it felt more like a sentence.

He slumped in a chair, watching the shadows lengthen as the day waned. As he leaned back, he felt something give behind him, in the chair's back. Looking back, he saw a seam, almost invisible, but there. He ran his fingers along it.

The back of the chair lifted, revealing a small compartment, a tiny opening into the wall.