Gemotions

The flickering fluorescent lights of the DMV seemed to amplify every tremor in Amelia's hands. She clutched the laminated photo of her driver's license, the image of her face staring back at her with unsettling clarity. She kept glancing at the woman behind the counter. Could she be the one? The one who had seen... what? The wrong file? Amelia pressed her lips together, her stomach twisting. She felt a prickle of sweat trace its way down her spine. Each time the woman adjusted her glasses, Amelia flinched.

Amelia left the DMV, the setting sun casting long, distorted shadows that seemed to stalk her. The streetlights flickered to life, and she hurried, her breath catching in her throat. Every car that passed, she ducked her head.

A sudden, sharp cough echoed from a nearby alleyway. Amelia spun around, her heart hammering. She saw nothing but darkness and the grime-covered brick. She quickened her pace, clutching her purse, her nails digging into the leather. The world seemed to shrink around her, each shadow a potential threat.