Gemotions

A chill snaked up Elias’s spine, though the hospital room was stifling. He fidgeted with the worn fabric of his hospital gown, the plastic against his skin feeling like a constant, unwelcome tickle. His fingers drummed a frantic rhythm against the bedrail, a nervous tattoo. He reread the doctor’s note, the words blurring under his scrutiny. “Unexplained cellular atrophy… exceptionally rare.” He hated the way his stomach clenched. He’d tried calling his wife, but the message hadn’t gone through.

He caught his reflection in the window, his face pale and drawn. He hadn’t felt this unsettled since he was a child, convinced monsters hid beneath his bed. The IV drip bag hung suspended, a slow, steady clock measuring out his apprehension.

The door creaked open, and a woman entered. She held a file close, her knuckles white. Their eyes met, and he noticed a flicker of the same unnerving tension in her gaze.

"You," she said, her voice a little shaky, "Are you… are you the one with the… the thing?"