Gemotions

The aroma of her neighbor's cooking, which she usually found comforting, now made her feel ill. She hadn't eaten. Couldn't. Her stomach was churning, twisting itself into knots.

She spent the day obsessively cataloging her belongings, each item becoming a source of intense anxiety. Every object had memories, significance, a place within her life that was now threatened.

She tried to calculate. The cost of movers, the deposits on a new apartment. The thought of all the work. It was all too much.

As dusk settled, casting long shadows across her apartment, she felt a wave of icy cold wash over her. It began at her toes and crept upwards, numbing everything in its path. She needed to scream, but the sound was trapped, lodged in her throat.