Gemotions

He saw the bear from across the street and stopped dead in his tracks. A chill, unlike anything he had felt in the summer heat, invaded his bones. Every instinct screamed at him to turn and run, to never look back. He felt trapped.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to regain control. His chest ached, and it felt hard to breathe. He took a long, shaky breath and crossed the street. He had to be calm, composed.

"How much?" he asked, trying to sound casual, but his voice cracked slightly. The woman behind the table looked up, studying him with an unreadable expression.

He bought the bear and then quickly retreated to his car, locking the doors and starting the engine. He didn't know what to do, what to think. He felt a deep, overwhelming sense of wrongness, as though something had been unleashed.