Gemotions

It was the way the curtains were always drawn, the quiet nature of the house. I had assumed it was because of an elderly inhabitant, someone fragile. Then, I saw him exit the armored car.

My throat clenched. I tasted bile in my mouth. I wanted to flee, to be anywhere but there. My legs felt like lead weights.

That night, I didn't sleep. Every shadow in my room seemed to writhe and shift. I kept imagining what he might do if he knew. Every creak of the house, every distant siren, sent a fresh wave of panic through me.