Gemotions

The concert hall throbbed with music, but for Liam, the cacophony only heightened the internal static. Every note, every vibration, seemed to penetrate his very core, amplifying the strange hollowness he felt. His leg bounced. He knew he should be enjoying himself, but it was just so...difficult.

He stumbled outside for air, nearly colliding with a woman leaning against the brick wall. Her face was illuminated by a streetlight, a look of profound distress etched across her features. She clutched a crumpled cigarette pack, her hands trembling.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, trying to move past.

She stopped him, her voice a strained whisper. “Do you… feel it too? The… the electricity?”

He froze. He had. Always.

“Malacia Nervosa,” she said, her voice finally breaking. “They said I was imagining things.”

He hadn't been imagining things. He wasn't alone. A surge of both relief and dread washed over him.