She closes her eyes and grits her teeth.
Cold sweat droplets drip out
from between her fingers and under her palm,
soaking the bag handle clenched inside her fist.
For a moment, she feels icy fingers at the base of her spine
as their images flash through her mind.
She can hear their voices,
like thunder bolts piercing through her head,
and feel their presence sucking up her soul.

She had fought
doggedly and courageously
through one chapter of her life,
and came out unscathed,
but would she ever be ready for this next one?