Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of Leo's tiny apartment, mirroring the turmoil brewing inside him. He'd bought the old science fiction anthology hoping for an escape, but a handwritten note tucked between the pages had only amplified his disquiet. He found a strange script, the writing spidery and almost unreadable. He had no idea what it said, but he felt a cold dread creep into his bones.

He paced the room, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He wanted to throw the book across the room, to destroy the unsettling evidence of some unknown past, but his hands were glued to the volume. He read a phrase again and again, his stomach beginning to twist: *…the watchers know…*. He sat down heavily, the rain a relentless drumming that beat in time with his racing heart.