I started rocking back and forth in my chair, trying to build up enough momentum to tip myself over. From there, I could scoot over to the cuff and hopefully get my hand on it. But the chair was old, sturdy, and heavy, and it didn’t rock as easily as I wanted it to. I planted first one foot, then the other, on the floor, pushing off as hard as I could.

And slowly, the chair started to wobble, even as the copper crushers slithered closer and closer to me.

“C’mon,” I muttered. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon . . .”

Slowly, very, very slowly, the chair started to rock back and forth and I used the momentum to go faster and faster, but I couldn’t quite get it to tip over. With a loud, desperate scream, I pushed off with my left foot, harder than ever before, and finally managed to tip the chair over with me in it.

My head smacked against the concrete floor, reigniting the ache in my face and skull and causing white stars to flash in front of my eyes, but I blinked them away. I couldn’t afford to waste a second right now, not when the crushers were still creeping up on me.

My face was level with the cuff and the light from the bare bulb overhead made the star-shaped sapphire glimmer like a drop of blue blood against the silver. Now I just had to figure out a way to actually get my hand on it. So I dug my right foot into the concrete floor, pushing as hard as I could. The chair was heavy and it didn’t want to move at first, but I kept straining and straining, and it slowly started sliding across the floor, taking me with it one slow inch at a time.

But I wasn’t the only thing moving on the floor—so were the copper crushers, slithering closer and closer all the while, their ruby-red eyes narrowed in thought as they considered the best way to go about eating me. My gaze locked with one of the monsters and its gnawing hunger squeezed my chest, just the way the crusher wanted to squeeze the life out of me.

More sweat poured down my face, my heart pounded, and my entire body ached from straining so long and hard, but I finally scooted myself up far enough to get my right hand level with the cuff. I’d created just enough slack in the ropes to reach out and snag the cuff with my fingertips. I dragged it closer, feeling the star-shaped sapphire prick my skin the way it always did. I quickly bent my wrist back as far as it would go, pressed the points of the star against the rope, and began to saw through it.

The sapphire wasn’t nearly as sharp as I’d hoped, and it was slow going. But I kept sawing and sawing, even as the copper crushers slid closer and closer to me. The snakes were taking their time, enjoying my panic, fear, and desperation, but it wouldn’t be long now before one of them came close enough to wrap itself around my legs and sink its fangs into my body. The monster’s venom would paralyze me long enough for the snake to fully coil its body around my chest and crush my ribs. Death would come quickly after that.

More sweat slid down my face, my wrist ached, and my fingers started to twitch, shake, and cramp from being forced into the same awkward position for so long, but I kept on sawing. My world had shrunk to two things—digging the sapphire star into the ropes and watching the ruby-red eyes of the copper crushers grow bigger and bigger as they slowly slithered toward me.

I don’t know how long it took before I finally felt the slightest bit of give in the rope. I quickly tested it, wondering if I’d just imagined the sudden slack, but I could move my hand more than before. Not much more, just a fraction of an inch, but it was progress. All I had to do was get one hand free, then I could grab one of the throwing stars still attached to my belt and use it to cut through the rest of the ropes.

I kept sawing and sawing, and more and more of the rope slowly started fraying and loosening. I let go of my cuff, flattened my hand down as much as it would go on the chair arm, and then yanked it back as hard as I could.

I almost cried when my hand slipped under and free of the ropes.

Once my right hand was free, I reached down and snagged one of the throwing stars off my belt. The points of this star were razor-sharp, and it only took me a few seconds to slice through the ropes on my left wrist, then the ones on both my feet. I reached out, grabbed my cuff, and slapped it back onto my wrist.

The copper crushers realized that they were about to lose their midnight snack, and they surged forward, moving faster. I scrambled up and tried to run away from them, but one of my feet got tangled in the ropes and I fell back down onto my knees.

My head snapped up and the ruby-red glow of the nearest crusher’s eyes filled my vision. I instinctively raised my arm, trying to protect myself, and the crusher lashed out, sinking its fangs deep into my left hand. I screamed at the sharp sting of the bite, even as something cold spurted into my veins—the copper crusher’s venom.

I screamed again and tried to yank my hand free, but the crusher clamped down hard and held on, cracking the bones in my hand, even as another one slithered forward and started coiling around my ankles. And there was a third monster waiting just behind the other two, ready to join in and drag me all the way down to the ground. Once that happened, the crushers would make quick work of me.

I was still holding on to my throwing star with my right, uninjured hand, so I lashed out with it. The sharp points of the star sliced into the head of the crusher that was biting me, leaving a jagged, bloody wound behind and causing the creature to finally let go of my hand. It flopped down onto the floor, hissing and writhing with pain and anger.

But the second snake was still coiling itself around my ankles, so I sliced out with the star again, cutting it as well. That crusher loosened its grip, and I kicked it away from me.

I was screaming and crying and shrieking now, and I lashed out with the throwing star over and over again, digging it into every single part of the snakes that I could reach. The creatures hissed and shook their rattles at me, but they retreated. Not far, but enough for me to finally get back onto my feet and stagger away from them.

I whirled around and the copper crushers slowly started slithering in my direction again, still determined to make a meal out of me.

I brandished my throwing star at them, though it didn’t frighten the creatures. But I’d more than had enough, so I turned and sprinted for the warehouse door.

Blake had left the door open and I staggered out of the warehouse, salty sweat cascading down and mixing with the tears streaming over my face. My heart pounded, my breath came in short, ragged gasps, and my body felt strangely numb and heavy from the copper crusher’s venom coursing through my veins. So numb and heavy that I couldn’t even feel the stinging bite or the broken bones in my left hand anymore. Still, even beneath the numbness, I could sense the magic in the venom making me stronger, wanting to be used in some way.