Borrowed Breath

Shadows deepen.

They slowly close in.

Encroaching on my vision's edge.

Looming.

Elongating.

Hovering.

Stagnant air.

A soft, borrowed breath.

Heavy at the nape of my neck.

Suffocating.

Oppressing.

Unyielding.

Brumous surge.

A bristling, pulsing wave.

Creeping formication across flesh.

​Vibrating.

Prickling.

Crawling.

Walls shift.

A strangled, slight shuffle.

Phantom murmurs ripple within.

Thrumbing.

Echoing.

Dissolving.

Spine exposed.

A naked, easy target.

Helpless beneath a gossamer shroud.

Fraying.

Unraveling.

Tearing.

Deep descent.

The center gives way.

A trapdoor in the chest.

Sinking.

Plunging.

Plummeting.

Eyes forward.

A most futile treaty.

What I don't know can't hurt me.

Slipping.

Drifting.

Vanishing.