Treasure Hunter

She ducked and rolled, keeping her mouth shut and inhaling through her nose, trying not to inhale too much smoke. She slunk along behind the burning crates, staying close enough to the flames that her own body heat wouldn’t show up on radar, but far enough away that she wouldn’t be roasted. Her eyes were locked on the goal just 15 feet in front of her, only a short sprint away in normal circumstances. However between she and her goal was not only a blazing inferno, but a yawning pit, filled with spikes.
Who still uses pits filled with spikes? She thought, starting to panic. Then she mentally kicked herself. Get a GRIP, Rhea, you can DO this. Just focus on what’s right in front of you. Examine the situation calmly and without panicking. She glared at the deep pit, calculating it to be about 15 feet deep and 30 feet across, no way she could get across without some kind of tool. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a long piece of wood that was only mildly singed, but still serviceable and sturdy. She lifted up one end, grunting with effort, it was heavier than it had first appeared, which was all to the good as far as she was concerned, that meant it was more likely to hold her weight. Once Rhea got her board to the edge of the pit however, she realized she had a problem. The board fell short of the end by ten feet.
She groaned quietly. Why was nothing ever easy? Just once it would be nice if everything fell into place. She shrugged off her brief bout of self pity and got back to the situation at hand. Okay, so the board was too short, was there anything else around, and don’t just look at the ground but look…up. She craned her neck, and looked above her. There, in the rafters was a rope swinging, if she could only get to it. But once she got it, would it be able to support her weight? Were the rafters so weakened by the fire that she’d go tumbling to her death? It didn’t matter, she had to take the chance, there was no choice, and no other way out. Once she got past the pit and grabbed what she had come for, she’d be out that final door and on her way to freedom. Or if not freedom, at least on her way to getting paid, which was close enough.
She clambered onto a nearby crate and grabbed the rope as it swung past her. She tugged a little, making sure it was actually attached at the top, and not just hanging over a rafter. Having assured herself that she would not immediately plunge to her death, she took a firm hold of the rope, took a deep breath, and leapt from the crate. The hot air choked in her throat, and blurred her eyes, making it all that much harder. On the first swing, she saw that she wasn’t going to quite make it across, but if she made herself a human pendulum…maybe she could gain enough momentum and then jump for it. As she swung, the thought crossed her mind that she had watched Indiana Jones WAY too much as a child. One swing, two swings, three swings…at the top of the arc she jumped, launching herself away from the rope. For a brief second, she had the glorious feeling of flight, and then she landed, rolling in the ash on the other side of the pit. Coughing and retching, she stood up. Not even bothering to brush off all the ash that had accumulated on her hair and clothes, she took off running. The time was over for stealth, it was now time to grab the artifact and run like hell. Good thing she had lots of practice with that.
There, just in her reach, was the object she had come for. It was a peculiar looking thing, but she didn’t have the time to stop and look it over. She could do that once she was out of the burning warehouse, which even now was beginning to creak, the fire taking its toll on the already ancient building. She reached out and grabbed it from its alcove inside I small box. When her hand touched it, she felt a small jolt, like electricity. She tucked it in to her jacket, so there would be less likely to be damage to it. The less damaged it was, the more money she’d get.
Turning, she saw the open door and ran for it, once she got outside, she dropped and rolled, just in case any of the snipers had escaped the inferno. After looking around and seeing that no one was shooting at her, she ran for the pier, and jumped into one of the boats waiting tied to the dock. Feverishly, she untied it, and pulled the boat away from the dock. Then she headed out to the ocean, for the planned rendezvous with her employer. Right on time.