Running Out of Time

Today’s prompt: “I can’t go into this right now, but if I could, I’d tell you this…”

Ooh, is that an Acme Series 6800 Deathtrap you’re in? The classic “strap ‘em and gas ‘em” traps? It looks an awful lot like the 6832 model. I’ve got great news for you! It’s pretty easy to get out of! I can see you’ve already discovered that the wrist ties are pretty stretchy. But did you know they made the release catch for both the wrist and ankle straps on the bottom of the slab you’re strapped to, within easy reach of a hand strapped to the tabletop? Yeah! You can just flip that lever, and the ties automatically do kind of the reverse of a retractable leash – they spit out more strap, loosening your bonds! Also, you see how they’ve got a separate, slightly inclined attachment for your head to rest on, kind of like the head thingy on a masseuse table but not as ergonomic? There’s a defect in the material they use to attach the headrest to the rest of the table. It doesn’t take much leg strength to just snap it off by stomping on it. But the headrest itself is sturdy enough that you can use it to break through the really quite fragile glass they encase the trap in to keep in the gas. It might take a couple attempts, and you’re better off holding the headrest while you whack it against the glass rather than throwing it, so it’s a good thing you’re wearing long sleeves so you’re less likely to cut yourself on the glass. The one downside is that you’ve got to act fast. Acme got one thing right – the chamber fills up with gas really fast. Ideally, you should have gotten out of this by the time I was finished telling you how to get out, haha! Oh, no, no, uhh…. The switch I was telling you about is higher up on the underside of the table than that. Move up and to the left … up and … jeez. You’re starting to move kind of sluggishly. Probably the gas. Oh, no. This is bad. This … does not look good.