[right][h2][color=8493ca]Caught in a Snare[/color][/h2][@Stanifly][@DaftJive][@Tlazolteotl][/right]

[color=8493ca]And just like that, the tail was gone. Viné's approaching presence was like a fist pulled back and ready to strike that just hung in the air. The threat of kinetic energy made Damien's head spin. He could n't think straight.

H e blinke d hard,

Th e roo m was spi nning.

Colors mel ting.

Damien l abor ed to breathe.[/color]

[color=000000]And yet, everything was still.[/color]

[color=8493ca]H i s thinking f e lt sticky. L ike he was ss ponge. e

e     yes  w e r  e glu e[/color]

[color=000000]And yet, everything was still.

And through it all, Damien's heart raced.

[i]Do you know that you can't escape it?
You were born in[/i] Hell, [i]were you not?[/i][/color]

[color=808080]━━━━━━ ◈ ━━━━━━[/color]

[color=000000]Meanwhile, on the other side of the barrier, a memory appeared. Not of reality, but of truth. What appeared to onlookers was Damien, an apparition. Hard at work.

And hard at work.

And hard at work.

A timelapse of work. work. work. work. work.

And our Damien, his eyes grew tired. Weary. Heavy. Lifeless.

Months into years of desperate coffee. A

WORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORK
WORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKlifelineWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORK
WORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORK

and for what?

This is [h3]Hell,[/h3] after all.

As the apparition of Damien labored away, the color drained from his likeness. Every few seconds, the image of a pistol briefly flickered in and out of view beside his right hand as his movements sped up. Papers piled. A phone rang. The sound was piercing. Damien’s hands became blurs. And evermore, the light behind his eyes grew dim.[/color]

[color=8493ca]if he c o u ld j u   st  .   .   .     .[/color]