The Dynamic Duo

...............gripped his heart like a steel vise. He tried to hold onto the sharp corners of his dream, but the corners rounded and slipped out of his grasp leaving vague images of striped awnings and circus clowns. His surroundings were unfamiliar and he felt panic rise from deep inside his chest, swelling into his throat until his breath was coming in ragged gasps. “Just calm down,” Austin told himself. He had always been logical; one of his strongest qualities was his ability to cut through fluff and trivia and get to the essence of any conversation or situation. Then he remembered. Emily.