Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash in her mouth. She slammed the mug down, sloshing lukewarm liquid across the kitchen counter. Every click and creak of the old house was magnified, each shadow a lurking figure. The online notifications, their digital eyes, followed her. She hadn't left her apartment in three days.

Her hands trembled as she scrolled through the comments, her breath shallow. Each laughing emoji, each dismissive remark, clawed at her insides. It felt like everyone in the world knew her secrets now.

She checked the locks on the doors for the hundredth time, the metal cold against her sweating palms. The curtains stayed drawn, the world outside a blurry, hostile landscape.