Gemotions

The sound – a deep, guttural groan followed by a shattering explosion – jolted Michael awake. He sat up in bed, his pulse hammering a frantic rhythm against his skull. He looked out his window; the image before him made his stomach sink.

He struggled to breathe, the air suddenly thin and insufficient. The magnitude of the event filled him with a potent sense of dread. He couldn't speak. He couldn’t move.

He dragged himself out of bed and crept to the front door, peeking through the peephole. He saw the damage to the property across the street. The situation was more destructive than he'd imagined. His world seemed to shrink to the space behind the door as he tried to wrap his mind around it.