Gemotions

The sunlight felt like a spotlight, drawing attention to her. She hugged the wall as she crept past the construction site, each step a gamble. The sight of the half-demolished structure, the exposed beams and hanging wires, made her skin crawl.

Her breaths came in shallow gasps. She hunched her shoulders, trying to make herself smaller, to blend into the shadows. The workers, oblivious, continued their work. Their easy camaraderie seemed a taunt.

A sudden shout from the site made her flinch violently, her body reacting as if she had been physically struck. She quickened her pace, desperate to reach the relative safety of her own front door.