Gemotions

“Lovely!” the interior designer cooed, pointing at the ornate molding. Every inch of this house was "lovely." It was also suffocating. David hated it. He hated the forced smiles of his new neighbors, the pressure to host a housewarming party, the feeling that he was trapped.

He was examining the ornate fireplace in the living room, seething at the sheer extravagance, when he noticed a slight irregularity in the stonework. He took a poker from the hearth and jammed it into the gap, shoving, forcing. A section of the wall gave way, revealing a small, dark opening.

He peered inside, his breath catching in his throat. He just wanted to wreck the damn thing. He’d do it later.