C75 Going up

He was half-prostrate, with one leg still resting on the eighth step. His hand shook as he reached out, seemingly desperate to grasp the tenth step, but an unseen force hindered him. His hand froze mid-air, unable to lift further, and then he coughed up a mouthful of blood uncontrollably.

The onlookers were shocked by the spectacle, yet the man didn't give up