Gemotions

The silence was the worst part. The absence of the car, the missing element, left a hollow echo in the air. He felt a sudden, sharp pang of dread. It wrapped around him. He felt suddenly ill-equipped to face the day.

He walked back inside, the empty space burned into his vision. The mundane objects of his home – the sofa, the television, the kitchen table – seemed to mock him, reminding him of the normalcy he had lost. His appetite vanished. He wanted to sleep.

He tried to distract himself, but nothing worked. His thoughts, like unruly children, refused to be controlled. The world outside his window now seemed to hold hidden dangers, potential threats he couldn't name. His chest felt heavy, constricted.