Gemotions

He woke with a gasp, the dream of escape still fresh in his mind. He sat up, heart pounding, in the darkness of the room. The oppressive silence pressed in on him.

He pulled the covers tighter around himself. He felt a physical constriction in his chest, making it hard to take a full breath. The walls seemed to be closing in.

He listened to the rhythmic snoring from his father's room, a sound that, under different circumstances, might be comforting. Tonight, it grated on his nerves.

He longed for the open road, a wide horizon, a space where he could be untethered, unburdened. He felt the familiar urge to flee, to run until the feeling subsided.