Gemotions

"Did you hear?" Sarah's colleague, Mark, whispered, his voice low and strained. Sarah nodded slowly, her throat constricted. She’d been dreading this moment. The whispers had been growing louder. The signs had been there.

Her appetite vanished. Lunch, her favorite part of the day, was suddenly repulsive. She picked at her sandwich, unable to swallow. The air seemed thin, as if the oxygen had been depleted.

She kept checking the company directory, her eyes flitting from name to name, as if she could glean some understanding from the faces staring back at her. She felt like a tightrope walker, the wind picking up.