'How long has it been… hours? Minutes?'
Time had become something distant, slipping away like sand through my fingers. Each second stretched, distorted by the heat until I couldn't tell if I'd been here for a few breaths or half a day. Everything blurred into a haze of scorching air, searing pain, and the relentless pressure pushing down on me.
I could feel my own pulse thundering against the inside of my skull, each beat a reminder that I was still here, still enduring. But for how much longer? The fire wrapped around me, and pressed deeper, and my thoughts grew faint, scattered in the heat.
