Gemotions

The hammering next door was a heavy weight on Thomas’s chest. He felt as if he were underwater, struggling to reach the surface. He stopped going for his morning walks. His routine was gone, replaced by a sense of impending doom.

He had started hoarding food, as if preparing for a siege. He’d check the locks on his doors and windows multiple times each day. Each new sound was a challenge, a threat.

He avoided his neighbor. The man had smiled and waved. The simple gesture had sent a wave of nausea over Thomas. He wanted to scream.