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The Fear We Live
An unreleased short story from the book:
The Price of Emotions: How Artificial Feelings Can Destroy Us
Lena had always been a prisoner of her own mind. Anxiety had been a constant companion since childhood, wrapping itself around her thoughts like a choking vine. At first, it had been subtle—a tightness in her chest, a quickened heartbeat at the thought of unfamiliar faces, the slight tremor in her hands before speaking in public. But over the years, the anxiety deepened, spreading into every corner of her life, until she found herself paralyzed, unable to step outside without fearing what might happen.
It started with a simple fear of social situations, but over time, it escalated. It bled into her work, into her relationships, even into the quiet moments of her solitude. She had become a shell of the person she once was—a woman trapped in a room with no door, constantly suffocating under the weight of her own fear.
The panic attacks came at night, sudden and sharp, when the world around her was quiet. Her chest would tighten, her breath shallow, and for what felt like hours, she would be lost in the violent grip of terror, her mind racing with every possible worst-case scenario. She was terrified of living, terrified of existing in a world where everything, every movement, every word spoken, felt like a threat. But worse still, was the isolation—the crushing loneliness that wrapped around her like a wet blanket. No one truly understood the suffocating grip of anxiety; they saw it as something to overcome, to conquer. But Lena knew it was not that simple. She had tried everything—therapy, medication, meditation—but nothing had worked. She was still a prisoner to the fear that dictated her life.
And then, one night, while scrolling mindlessly through her phone, she found it: an ad. It was simple, almost too simple. But the promise it held seemed like a desperate answer to her prayers.
“Buy Fear: Conquer your deepest anxiety. One drop, and you will feel the power of true fear. Understand it. Control it. Never be afraid again.”
Lena’s heart raced as she read the words. It sounded insane. But then again, she had tried everything else. What was one last chance? What if this really could help? She could face her fear. She could feel in control of it, not at its mercy. The idea consumed her. Desperation clawed at her chest, and before she could talk herself out of it, she clicked the link.
A week later, the package arrived.
Inside was a small vial, dark and opaque, with only a single word written on the label: “Fear.” The vial seemed to pulse in her hands, as though something inside was alive, waiting to be unleashed. A cold sweat began to form on her brow, but she didn’t hesitate. She opened it and swallowed a single drop.
At first, nothing. Her heart fluttered with anticipation, but there was no immediate change. Lena sat still, waiting. But then, like a tidal wave, the fear came. It came in waves—sharp, invasive, and paralyzing. But it wasn’t like before. It wasn’t the fear of the unknown, or of the future. No, this fear was something real, something tangible. It was as though her body itself had become a vessel for fear. The sensation was unlike anything she had ever known—it was like her mind had been fully opened to the world’s darkest corners.
The fear wasn’t just a sensation; it became a presence, a force inside her that grew stronger with every breath. She felt it seeping into her skin, into her bones. The walls around her seemed to bend and stretch, warping into grotesque shapes, as though the very fabric of reality had been twisted by the fear inside her. Her heart hammered in her chest, not with anxiety, but with raw terror. Her body shook uncontrollably, and she felt like she was drowning in a sea of darkness, unable to escape. The thoughts spiraled—no longer just worries or fears, but terrifying visions, endless horrors that danced on the edge of her consciousness. It was as if the drop had opened a door she could never close.
For a moment, she thought she was dying, or losing her mind. But then, something even worse happened. The fear became hers.
It didn’t fade away. It became an ever-present companion. It followed her from room to room, like a shadow that refused to leave. She could no longer see the world clearly—it was distorted, filled with monsters lurking just outside her vision. The quiet hum of the refrigerator, the creak of the floorboards, the slightest sound—all of it was amplified, twisted into something dangerous. Every moment felt like an eternity. The fear had grown roots inside her, tangled itself around her thoughts and refused to let go.
The following days were a blur. Lena could barely sleep. Her body trembled constantly, her muscles tight and sore from the tension. The anxiety, which had always been an undercurrent of her life, had now become a force she could not escape. She would close her eyes and see the nightmares flickering behind her eyelids. She would hear the whispers—soft and sinister—that told her she was not safe, that danger was always lurking just around the corner. The people around her—her friends, her family—seemed distant, like strangers, because she could no longer connect with them. How could they understand what she was going through? How could they understand the torment that was consuming her from the inside out?
Lena tried to reach out to her therapist, but her words were hollow, lost in the emptiness of her mind. She could no longer articulate the horrors that lived inside her. There was no release. No way to explain how the fear had become so all-encompassing that even the light of day couldn’t push it away. It consumed every waking moment, twisting her perception of reality. She couldn’t even go to the grocery store without feeling the walls closing in on her, her breath catching in her throat.
She locked herself inside her apartment, hoping for peace, but it never came. The fear had taken over her life. She couldn’t remember what it was like to live without it. She could no longer function. Her body was trembling from the constant barrage of terror. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she reached for the window blinds, but the sight outside—people walking by, the trees swaying gently in the breeze—only intensified the dread. They didn’t know what it was like to be trapped in a prison of your own mind, to live with a presence that was always lurking, waiting.
And in the silence of her apartment, alone with the darkness inside her, Lena realized that she was no longer the person she had been. The fear she had thought she could control had become her master. It had taken over every part of her—her thoughts, her emotions, her body—until there was nothing left of the woman who had once been strong enough to seek help. There was only the hollow shell of a person, consumed by her own mind.
She had tried to escape the anxiety, to rid herself of the weight of her thoughts. But the fear she had bought had only deepened her prison. There was no peace, no escape. There was only the overwhelming terror that whispered in her ear, constantly reminding her that she would never be free again.
The fear had consumed her, and in the end, it had taken everything.
If you enjoyed this short story you will probably like our latest release available now:
The Price of Emotions: How Artificial Feelings Can Destroy Us
$3.99
In a world where emotions are bought and sold, the price of feeling has never been higher.
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