Shot Throught the Heart

thirty-eight

This wasn't the first time I've been shot, but this was the first time a genuine fear of dying struck me as my back hit the floor and the air left my lungs. I heard a bunch of return fire and then yelling that was muffled as I tried to figure out if I'm about to bleed out on this cold warehouse floor in Ukraine.

            When the gun fire stopped, someone was next to me and pushed my goggles and helmet off my face and head while another set of hands started to rip the front of my vest open to look to see if the bullet did damage, I couldn't look, didn't want to see the looks on my teammates face as I lay here dying when they can't do anything to stop it so I closed my eyes. That's when I felt hands on my face, her hands. Morgan.

            "Daniella, you need to open your eyes, right now." Morgan said, her fingers running in circle patterns on my cheeks. Finally, I opened my eyes and found her looking down at me.

            "The bullet hit your plate, but we need to finishing clearing the building, we aren't safe here." Morgan said her eyes not leaving mine.

            That's when I felt my body slowly start to come back to me. My feet, then legs, hands then arms. My chest hurt pretty bad but slowly, I pushed myself up and felt someone behind me, supporting my weight as I looked down at my body. There was no red, no blood anywhere. My chest was tender to the touch, as to be expected for getting shot but my vest stopped the bullet.

            "Let me see my vest." I said still having a hard time taking some breaths.

            Warren passed it over and Morgan shined a light on the front of it. Sitting center mass was the end of a bullet. I reached out and plucked the bullet from my vest and held it in my hand for a moment. The lead curved in from the impact of hitting the plate sitting inside my vest. Forever a reminder how close we come to death when we turn every corner. I put the bullet inside one of my pant pockets for safe keeping.

            "This plate is compromised; I'm going to need a new one." I said as I tried to collect myself for a minute and made sure the camera was still recording.

            "We know, when we finish clearing the building we will find you another one, for now we need to move." Lionel said from behind me. I could only nod as I started to zip up my coat and tucked it into my pants before pulling a new magazine from a vest pocket and slipping it inside. Once I made sure it clicked into my rifle, I pulled my vest over my head and took a sharp breath as pain spread through my chest before I could secure it in place. I made the decision then to pull the damaged plate out of the front of my vest and dumped it on the floor. With it gone, I put the vest back over my shoulders and let Morgan help me secure it in place.

            "Until I get a new plate, Leo I need to you take lead, I follow second, then Morgan and Warren to bring up the rear." I said and hear a few mumbles of agreements before Lionel grabbed the back of my vest by my shoulders to help me up onto my feet. It took a few seconds to pull myself together and get everything in order and just to breath. My chest is tight and in pain with every breath I take but for now, I just have to push through it.

            "We finish the next three floors then I'll radio everyone an update, for now we move." I said and snapped my chin strap in place.

            Everyone nodded as I slung my rifle strap over my shoulder and fell into line with the team. When I felt a tap on my shoulder I tapped Lionel's and we were on the move again for the next stair case. Leo took his time as we followed him up it. When we got to the top, he paused then looked out. There were no shots taken again so we slowly moved up behind him. As we cleared the floor, there was nobody home. The next floor was the same. More beds, but all empty.