Gemotions

The wallpaper peeled back with a sickening crunch. Sarah, on her hands and knees, felt a cold dread crawl up her spine. The dampness clung to the exposed plaster, smelling of earth and something else… something acrid and unfamiliar. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage. She scrambled backward, hitting the wall.

“Hello?” Her voice was a cracked whisper, barely audible above the rhythmic thudding. The opening was too dark to see anything. She didn’t want to go in. Every instinct screamed at her to leave the space untouched.

A sudden gust of wind, or perhaps just a draft from the unseen room, extinguished the flashlight. Darkness pressed in, complete and suffocating. She fumbled, dropping the phone. Silence. She closed her eyes.