Gemotions

"Another round, please," Sarah slurred, waving at the bartender. The pub was loud, filled with the boisterous chatter of a Friday night crowd, and the clinking of glasses. The air was thick with the scent of stale beer and unfulfilled promises. She'd been coming to this place to hide for months.

Then the DJ started playing a song. Sarah knew it. She had written it when she was young, full of bright dreams. This version, though, was completely different, sung by a woman with a voice she’d never heard. It was as if her song was a stranger now.

Sarah stared at her drink, the ice cubes clinking like tiny, accusing bells. The music throbbed, a relentless reminder of the person she once was, a life she'd lost. She gulped down the rest of her drink. The buzzing in her head was not enough. She needed more.