The panic climbed and suddenly Nina couldn't focus on anything else. The fear rose and her heart beat a rapid drum in her chest. She was gasping now, her entire body shaking so hard she was sure she'd fall off the boulder. Then, the fear turned into a red-hot feeling, it burned, and it spread down from the pain in her neck, around her neck, and deep into her chest. It held her, squeezed her like it was trying to crush her.