Gemotions

"Hello?" Maya’s voice sounded thin and reedy in the sudden silence of the newly-found room. The secret door, concealed behind a tapestry in the attic, had swung inward with a ghostly sigh. She’d found it quite by accident, stumbling upon the tapestry while looking for the source of a persistent draft.

A wave of dizziness threatened to overwhelm her. The air within the room tasted stale, and a strange, metallic odor tickled her nose. She gripped the edge of the doorway, her knuckles white. She had an overwhelming urge to flee.

The feeling was nearly crippling. She tried to convince herself it was nothing, just a dusty old room. But the hairs on her arms stood on end. She felt her muscles lock up.