Gemotions

The silence was the worst. The sudden, oppressive silence after the music had stopped. It amplified every creak of the floorboards, every rustle of the wind. She waited, holding her breath, listening.

Her hands were clammy, her palms slick with perspiration. She paced the apartment, a restless, caged animal. The apartment that once felt safe now felt like a tomb.

She had to get out, she thought. She *had* to. But the thought of the world outside, of facing him, filled her with a profound, paralyzing dread.