Photograph by Bekah Shambrook (please do not use without permission)
My heart pounds and the pit that was once my stomach is now a void filled with roiling dread and churning fear. My throat is as dry as gunpowder. Tremors find their way into my cold, clenched hands and fingernails carve crescents into the base of my palms. Irregular breaths and heart-beats compound my panic, and my legs threaten to give ignoring my desperate need to flee, and a seething black ball of tension swallows my mind, and the voices urge me to bolt, to run, to abscond before my entire being implodes…
My eyes dart, searching for escape, but every route is blocked and she approaches, that gaze of concern etched upon her features…and before she has a chance to ask, I reply with a smile worthy of the stage, “I’m fine.”
The Last Krystallos 
How intriguing. Now I want to know more. Perhaps a bride just before walking down the aisle. Excellent ending.
My cousin and one of my best friends both suffer from panic attacks from time to time. I think you have captured this perfectly.
The essence of a panic attack captured here – I'm glad I don't do it any more. (Much.)
Well done. I could feel the mounting pressure and tension. Then the stage smile and the lie: "I'm fine."
The facade of composure is necessary, and comes in handy, when a person wants to hide the internal upheaval of emotions… Beautiful piece!
Yes, this one was written from experience…well, they say write about what you know! Glad the tension came across! Thanks for the lovely comments.
Great job capturing the nature of anxiety and what it costs us to tamp it down when we need to.