Iron Clamp

Dark gap under low timber. Shadows thick. A heavy metal binder clip rested upright in the dust. Wide steel jaws. Stiff spring coiled inside. It dared face me. I drove my claw into its cold lever. Pressed hard. The mechanism resisted. Good. I put my full frame down. Metal snapped wide with a sharp pop. Trapped a thick cable end inside its teeth. Locked tight. Solid stronghold built.