Gemotions

The phone rang, shattering the silence. Liam jumped, nearly knocking over his coffee. He snatched the phone up on the second ring, his heart hammering in his chest. “Hello?” His voice was strained, almost a whisper.

It was his sister. He could hear her talking, but he wasn’t really listening, the words of the notice playing on repeat in his mind. *Market value…first right of refusal…* His apartment, his haven, his place of refuge, was suddenly under siege.

He felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to flee, to run far away from this building, from the city, from everything. He hung up, the receiver thudding back onto the cradle, and he let out a long, slow breath. The world felt muffled.