can you hear a subtle aching tone
through the water through the earth to chill your bones
–Black Water, The Shins
She'd been trying to shake off this feeling for months now. This vague sense of unease. This feeling of impending doom -- the other shoe waiting to drop. But what other shoe? And why?
She started to wonder whether it was some sort of post-traumatic stress, belatedly resurfacing since her abduction. As she ran down her (small) list of known enemies, she found herself considering… could I be developing real paranoia?
Well, she was certainly not going to go to the obvious authority on that subject. Goren had been acting even more strange than usual lately. He had sensed her unease (well, of course he had). The eerie thing was that he seemed to be fearful for her as well. He couldn't let her get up from her desk without at the very least following her with his eyes until she was out of sight, or at worst, jumping up and accompanying her. It had gotten awkward on the occasional bathroom run.
But then, awkward was Goren's native tongue, and proved no deterrent; his dogged surveillance persisted.
So what else was there to do, really? Keep looking back over her shoulder, try to ignore the feeling of being watched. Consciously attempt to quell the rising panic spreading in her gut.
Try and keep safe. Keep her gun close...
And if it turned out to be nothing.…
Get on with her life.