Gemotions

The constant clicking of keyboards, the murmur of voices, the incessant ringing of phones—the normal sounds of the office now grated on Alex's ears. He could feel a rising current of… dissatisfaction, a deep-seated ache that had nothing to do with the physical pain of his bad back.

The sale news was the final straw. He'd seen it coming, sensed it in the subtle shifts in management, in the tightening of budgets, in the increasingly frequent corporate retreats. He knew the drill. The cuts would come, and he was likely on the chopping block.

He stared at his computer screen, the bright light reflecting in his eyes, causing a splitting headache. He had to escape, to get away from the suffocating atmosphere of forced cheerfulness. He rose, grabbed his coat, and left without saying goodbye.