Bracing herself, Christine counted silently to three, readying her mind and soul for what she was about to do. Then, as quickly and as efficiently as she could, she pushed her arms below her and stood up.
The blood-curdling scream that erupted from her was inhuman—the terrified shriek of tortured demons. The sound tore through the air, filled the world around her, and pierced her own ears until they bled. It seemed impossible that she didn't faint from the pain that had ruptured inside her like the detonation of a nuclear bomb.
She stood still, enduring. Eventually, the pain lessened. Barely, but enough so that she had the awkward sensation of bliss, a warm calm.
"All things are relative," she thought.