Gemotions

The pounding in Mark's temples was relentless. He paced his cramped apartment, each step a measure of his mounting anxiety. The bills were piling up, the power was threatened to be turned off, and the landlord was threatening eviction. Across the street, the usually quiet home of the elderly Mr. Abernathy was undergoing a transformation. A team of landscapers sculpted the yard, a new security system was installed, and a new car, a sleek Italian model, sat gleaming in the driveway.

He could barely keep himself together, and he noticed that Mr. Abernathy, now, only gave him a fleeting glance as if Mark wasn't worth the time. The image of the carefree life the old man must be living made Mark's stomach churn. The world felt like it was closing in around him, and the walls of his apartment seemed to be closing in, too.