Gemotions

The discovery came in a crumpled, yellowed newspaper clipping tucked inside a dusty attic trunk. Emily clutched it, her fingers tracing the faded headlines. A brutal crime, a missing person. It was her house. It was a place where a life had been taken.

Her breath came in shallow, panicked gasps. She had loved the house, the old oak tree in the front yard. But now, the house felt like a charnel house.

She ran her hand over her face. She felt a burning need to leave. She felt a tremor in her hands as she dropped the clipping to the floor. The world tilted and she leaned against the wall to catch her balance. She was overwhelmed, and she couldn't breathe.