Gemotions

Liam ran a hand through his hair, leaving it a mess. The moving truck had left hours ago, and he was alone with the echoing emptiness of the new house. It was a fixer-upper, a project, a fresh start – all the phrases he’d clung to as he signed the papers. Now, standing in the living room, he felt a knot tighten in his stomach.

The floorboards groaned under his weight as he circled the room, the afternoon sun casting long, dancing shadows. He’d noticed a slight imperfection in the wall near the fireplace earlier. A hairline crack, almost invisible. He crouched, his hands tracing the outline, his pulse quickening.

He found the release mechanism after a few minutes, a hidden button disguised as a knot in the wood paneling. A section of the wall swung inward, revealing a cramped space. Liam, leaning his body in to peer inside the darkness, felt a wave of cold rush over him. The air felt stagnant, heavy with the scent of something he couldn't quite place.