Gemotions

The keys slipped from her grasp and clattered onto the concrete. The familiar space where her car had sat now held only shadows and the lingering scent of exhaust. Her chest felt constricted, as if an invisible hand were squeezing her lungs. She couldn't draw a full breath.

The houses, the trees, the whole neighborhood seemed to be watching her. She felt exposed, vulnerable. She wanted to scream, to lash out, but the sound was trapped, lodged somewhere in her throat. She fought a sudden urge to flee, to simply run and run until she couldn't feel this way anymore.