Gemotions

The letter arrived just as the rain began, a cold, relentless downpour mirroring the chill that settled in Liam's bones. He recognized the sender’s name immediately. It was from his old school bully, Mark, the bane of his teenage existence. The apology, written in a cramped, hurried script, was almost comically sincere. Liam’s stomach churned. He didn't understand.

He checked the locks on all the doors and windows, even the rarely used back entrance. He kept seeing Mark’s face, a distorted memory superimposed onto everything. Every car that passed his house, every shadow cast by the swaying trees, was a potential threat. He clutched the letter, tearing at the edges, a frantic need to destroy the evidence.

He started checking the security cameras he’d set up around his property a few months prior, rewinding the footage, searching for something, anything. His eyes darted from screen to screen, never resting. The rain hammered against the windows, a relentless rhythm of impending doom. He felt trapped, not just in his house, but in a prison of his own making.