Don't Whistle Past the Graveyard

Ch. Fifty-One

My eyes wouldn't stop blurring. They felt gritty and dry as I looked down at Sacha's bloody leg. I looked up to find his head lolling back against Shane's chest, his eyes rolling back in his head.

Part of me was thankful that he was already unconscious. The other part was scared stiff by what that could possibly mean. Vik seemed to be reading my mind when she gently patted her hands against her brother's face, speaking urgently to him in Russian.

He stirred momentarily, eyes finding Vik, who whispered something else. Sacha's eyes fluttered closed again. Looking at me defiantly, she said, "It is better that he is awake, yes?"

Shakily I nodded, trying to get a hold of myself.

"Raleigh, we have to get this thing off his leg. If he wakes up for real and starts thrashing..." Cassidy trailed off at the glare I gave her.

"Don't you think I know that?" I hissed. "I can't just yank it out with no way to stop the bleeding. The only reason he's not bled to death already is because the metal is actually plugging the wound a little."

At the bewildered look Sam gave me, I snapped, "He can't bleed if the blood has no place to go. The metal acts as a barrier."

I felt bad when he blinked once at me before looking down and took in a huge breath, trying to calm myself down. We all jumped, making Sacha cry out when a door banged shut. I looked over my shoulder to find Kyle coming back, his arms filled with supplies.

My heart fluttered in my chest as he skidded to a halt, practically dumping the supplies in my lap. I shot him a grateful look, then said, "Kyle, take off your belt."

He didn't even hesitate, ripping it free of his belt loops before kneeling between Danielle and Cas, wrapping the belt around Sacha's leg, just above the knee, pulling it tight.

My eyes flicked up to Cas. I'd finally somehow managed to calm myself, my words cool and proficient  "We have to work quickly. If we cut off blood flow for too long, he'll lose it."

I glanced up at Shane. "Try to keep him still. Knock him out if you have to."

Shane nodded, his mouth a thin, bloodless line.

Both Cassidy and I took another fortifying breath, and I said, "Okay. You're up. How do we do this?"

Cas delicately grabbed the corners of the trap and I copied her, adjusting my grip when my fingers slipped over the blood-slick metal. 

She grimaced. "Because of the angle, it might tear him open a little more. But it can't be helped." She got a better grip on the metal frame. "It has to be opened smoothly, otherwise it'll just dig in deeper. If you pull too hard, my side will stab into him more and vice versa. If it gets wiggled to the side, the jaws will clamp tighter. They were designed to keep animals stuck."

"Smooth is fast," I muttered, earning a strained snort from Shane.

Cassidy nodded. "Right. Okay, on the count of three, you're going to pull straight back. After that, Sam and Danielle need to lift his leg straight up. Quickly." She stressed the last word, looking at them. They both nodded and she turned back to me. "Get your fingers out of the way quick. He'll start bleeding and we won't have time to set it back. It'll snap shut and we can't afford for you to lose a finger."

I nodded, blood draining from my face, making my cheeks burn with cold.

Cassidy looked down as Sacha let out a low moan, starting to stir again. "On three!" she ordered. "One!"

My fingers tightened so much my hands cramped painfully, locking eyes with Cas.

"Two!"

Sacha's moan turned into a ragged scream.