Pressure

The air began to taste metallic.

*beep* sounded the piercing alarm from god knows where.

Five seconds.

That’s all she had left. How did it come to this?

*beep* – four seconds.

Now wasn’t the time for a critique.

*beep* – three seconds.

“You son of a bitch, TURN!” she demanded, grabbing the rusted metal bar with both hands and throwing all her strength into a twisting motion that she felt throughout her entire body.

*beep* – two seconds.

Determined not to die there, she grit her teeth and tried again.

*beep* – one second.

The cry of metals forged together over aeons and now pulling apart with impossible ease, began to assault her senses.

She pressed her hands to her ears as hard as she could.

Over the rising cacophony, she nearly missed the last

*beep*.

She began to scream.