Kara's gasp hung in the air as the chasm walls crashed together, the slab's edge slicing toward her, the tendril's iron grip dragging her into its path. The power conduit sparked violently, its electric surge frying her nerves, her body convulsing as the flames from the geyser licked higher, searing her legs through her tattered pants. Marcus's shout, "Cut it!" was a fading echo, his pinned form obscured by falling debris, his pulse rifle lost in the rubble. The darkness pulsed with the chasm's final roar, the air thick with molten ash, threatening to choke her last breath.
The tendril tightened, pulling her arm toward the slab, the jagged edge grazing her wrist, drawing a fresh stream of blood that sizzled on the hot rock. The conduit's metal bent, groaning under her weight, a hairline fracture spreading as the electric current faltered, plunging her into a heartbeat of silence—then a surge reignited, locking her muscles in a torturous spasm. The geyser erupted again, a tower of fire blasting upward, its heat blistering her face, forcing her to twist her head, her neck straining as her hair caught fire, the stench of burning flesh overwhelming.
The slab slammed closer, its shadow swallowing her, but a crack in the wall behind her split open, revealing a narrow crevice—a sliver of hope or a deeper trap. The tendril thrashed, sensing her shift, and yanked harder, dislocating her elbow with a sickening crunch, her scream swallowed by the inferno. The chopper's wreckage, now a fireball, crashed against the chasm wall, its explosion sending a shockwave that shattered the conduit's anchor, sending her swinging wildly. She caught the crevice's edge with her good hand, nails splintering, but the tendril pulled back, stretching her body to its limit, her spine creaking.
Marcus's voice broke through the static, a desperate plea: "Kara… cut… the line!" But his hands were crushed, and a boulder rolled toward him, threatening to bury him alive. The tendril's base pulsed, a weak point glowing red, and Kara, with her last ounce of strength, swung her free arm, slamming her bleeding fist against it. The impact weakened the grip, but a new tendril lashed out, wrapping around her throat, choking off her air as it dragged her toward the slab's crushing maw. The geyser's flames surged, igniting the crevice's edge, the heat searing her palm as she clung on.
The chasm walls groaned, a final collapse imminent, and the slab tilted, its weight shifting to crush her. The tendril's chokehold tightened, her vision darkening, but a pulse round—fired blindly by Marcus's free finger on a buried trigger—struck the new tendril, severing it. Kara gasped, air flooding her lungs, but the slab's edge closed in, a millimeter from her skull. The conduit's last spark ignited the tendril's base, and it exploded, the blast hurling her into the crevice as the chasm sealed shut—trapping her in a tomb of fire and rock, her heartbeat the only sound in the suffocating darkness.