Gemotions

He had been lying on the sofa all afternoon, a thick blanket pulled up to his chin. The house was quiet, almost oppressively so, the only sound the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall. It was a sound that usually comforted him, but now it felt like a mocking countdown. He felt leaden, slow. Sarah, his wife, had gone out, said she'd be back later, but his mind had been preoccupied by a strange unease that had settled over him since yesterday, when he heard her whispering on the phone.

The phone rang, shattering the silence. He considered ignoring it, but something compelled him to answer. It was a wrong number, the voice on the other end asking for someone he didn't know. He hung up, the feeling of the heavy blanket intensified. He felt every muscle ache.

Later, he'd peeked in the phone's call history. Her latest call was to a number he did not recognize. The lead in his bones was becoming unbearable.