Gemotions

The patent filing was rejected. Elias stared at the official document, his hands trembling. The rejection notice was curt, citing a pre-existing patent held by a corporation he’d never even heard of. He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture almost violent.

His apartment felt smaller, the walls closing in. He kept checking the locks, the windows, every few minutes. He thought he heard footsteps outside, muffled conversations that seemed directed at his door. He wasn’t sure, but he was certain they were coming.

He ordered takeout, but refused to eat it, convinced it had been tampered with. He’d prepared the meal himself, just to be safe. Every shadow cast by the streetlight outside his window seemed to move, to morph into a lurking figure.