Gemotions

He locked the deadbolt again, then triple-checked the chain. It was ridiculous, he knew, but the incessant pounding from next door had set his teeth on edge. The new neighbors were tearing apart their entire house, and the noise felt like a physical assault. He heard a clatter outside, and his breath hitched in his chest. A long, shuddering sigh escaped him. He grabbed the remote and turned the television up louder, anything to muffle the unsettling sounds that seemed to be closing in.