‘Oh god, oh god’
They’re everywhere, all around, there is no escape. There is no direction I can turn to that is safe, every exit is another trap.

Just a breath, that’s all I need. I would run forever for a gasp. I would crawl and beg on my knees for a gulp of precious air. I would cry a hundred tears for a way out.

This place is too crowded, the more people that surround me the smaller I feel. I can feel it all closing in on me. I can feel every bone in my body crushing, every drop of blood evaporating to fit the tiny space I’m in.

I can trust no one; everyone is trying to close in on me. They’re always watching, keeping an eye out. I can feel their stares, feel them watching me. Seeing into my head, knowing. Always knowing.

Just a breath, that’s all I need. I would run forever for a gasp. I would crawl and beg on my knees for a gulp of precious air. I would cry a hundred tears for a way out.

I’m shrinking. I’m shrinking under the weight of their presence, I can feel it. The walls are vices, the people are vices, and I am their target. I’m being crushed, smashed into myself. I panic, I need a way out, and there are so many people. Help me, oh God help me. I can feel my begging going to nothing.

Suddenly, the people around me have filed in. There is no blockage, no more resistance. I am gone, I have vanished. They have won.

‘Oh god, oh god’.

Just a breath, that’s all I need. I would run forever for a gasp. I would crawl and beg on my knees for a gulp of precious air. I would cry a hundred tears for a way out.

And I have found it.