The door on the other end of the hallway seemed so far away. He leaned his grimy, sweat-drenched face against the cool steel of the entrance and choked back a painful sob. He was nearly there, nearly to safety. But the soul-crushing fear, the frenzied panic and most of all, the constant pain… everything that had threatened to overwhelm him finally came rushing to the fore and he sank to his knees, unable to go any further. He stared, dull-eyed, down that interminable hallway. Beyond that door was sweet relief…

… but it seemed so far away.