Gemotions

Heaviness clung to Ethan like a damp shroud. He shuffled through the grocery store, the fluorescent lights of the aisles a painful assault on his senses. Each step was an ordeal, his legs protesting with a dull ache. The task of picking out cereal seemed to take an hour.

His mind felt foggy, thoughts drifting like smoke. He bumped into a display of cans, barely registering the minor collision. Cashier conversations felt like a chore, requiring more energy than he knew he had.

A week later, the doctor mentioned a specialist in a city three states away. He didn't want to go, it was a waste of time. He got lost on the way, the journey a blur. Eventually, he found himself talking to a woman, equally as out of it as he was.