“Take a deep breath.”
She tries but starts hyperventilating.
“This is going to hurt a lot, I need you to hold on, it's just a second, try to concentrate on my voice Sarah.”
She doesn't answer me; she nods frantically while she takes quick breaths; I take the belt off my pants and put it in her mouth.
“Bite down, you'll need it.”
The hole looks deep.
On one hand, the bullet may be out of my reach, but on the other hand, with a lot of patience and pain, I might be able to reach it.
I throw a squirt of alcohol on my hands.
My fingers start to penetrate her skin. The sound of flesh rubbing against flesh is not new to me, but it does not mean that I am not disturbed, especially if I am causing her pain.
Sarah screams from the inside of her stomach, clenches her belt tightly between her teeth, and cries in the most agonizing way of all.
“You're doing great...” I whisper, I know she is not listening to me, but I want her to remember I’m here.
My fingers keep penetrating her skin; the blood gushes again, slipping through my hands and onto the couch, but I still don't feel the cold metal.
Sarah keeps screaming and I'm thinking about quitting when something metallic touches my skin.
“There it is Sarah, I'm going to take it out now, okay?”
She's shaking her head, but we have no choice, we have to remove it.
Inserting a small clamp that the man had provided me with, I start to carefully remove it.
I try to block Sarah's screams from my ears for many reasons, first I hate to see her suffer. Second, it hurts more to be the one who is inflicting that pain on her. Again.
Finally, the bullet falls heavily to the ground and Sarah faints.
