Gemotions

The fluorescent lights in the elevator hummed, a shrill, incessant buzz that burrowed into Amelia’s skull. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sound, but it only amplified in the darkness. Her stomach lurched, a cold, hard knot twisting inside her. “Anything?” she asked, her voice a thin thread of sound. Mark, her coworker, shook his head. He looked just as pale as she felt.

She took a shaky breath, then another, trying to regain some semblance of composure. She had a presentation to give in two hours. Her boss was expecting a breakthrough, and she hadn’t slept in days trying to achieve one. Now this. She fumbled in her bag for her phone, but of course, there was no signal.

Amelia ran a hand through her hair, tangling her fingers in the strands. The air in the confined space felt thick, heavy, like a suffocating blanket. She leaned against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor.