Gemotions

He kept checking the security camera feed. The grainy black and white images flickered across the screen, showing the empty hallway outside his new office. He rewound it, watching his own nervous pacing earlier that morning. Why did they move him? What was he missing?

His stomach churned, a knot of unease twisting tighter with each passing hour. He found himself avoiding eye contact, even with the cleaner who was emptying the bins. He imagined everyone was talking about him, whispering secrets behind closed doors.

The coffee in the break room tasted metallic, tainted. He dumped the half-full mug in the sink, then quickly wiped down the counter, as if expecting some unseen contaminant. The walls seemed to close in on him, the silence amplifying the frantic drumming of his own heart.