“Wait!” Sarah cried out in alarm. “Stop!” Mike stopped the just-started timer and reset it to zero while Mr Rogers lifted his knife away from the skin that it just just begun to dent but not yet cut. This could be an issue! Technically, by allowing her ankles to be pierced, Sarah had passed what was considered the point of no return and could no longer legally withdraw her consent and would require serious medical treatment if she was to ever walk again but equally, the prospect of slaughtering a girl who was crying, begging and pleading for his life did not thrill him, especially with an audience like this who were supposed to be having a good time. Adeola started to approach, a look of motherly concern on her face.

“What’s wrong?” the butcher asked. “Are you having second thoughts? Maybe we can take a break and talk about…”

“No!” Sarah assured him quickly, cutting in with the same sense of urgency with which she had stopped his knife. “It’s just...” she hesitated, not sure whether Mike knew the girls who had taken him inside as a distraction while Shelly was spitted, or if so, if he realised it was her who had made the arrangement rather than his girlfriend herself and whether he would feel any different about the experience if he knew. The situation was awkward, embarrassing, which was saying something considering she was currently hanging upside down, stark naked in front of most of her family and a garden full of party guests. Luckily, the blood running to her head had left her with a permanent blush that would not reveal how she was feeling. Sensing from her expression that what she wanted to say needed to be delivered conspiratorially, Mr Rogers leaned in close.

“Thing is,” Sarah explained in a horse whisper, finding it a little challenging to speak upside down, “you saw those girls who went inside with Mike before the spit-roasters were prepped?” The butcher nodded. “Well, they were doing me a favour and kinda promised them first dibs on one of my boobs as a thank you. Can you make sure that happens?”

“Oh I see!” Mr Rogers stood up and chuckled with relief. “Well, that’s really up to the boss!” He looked to Adeola who was standing very close. She gave him a quizzical look and he quickly explained the situation in a hushed voice so only the three of them would be able to hear.

“Ah!” she nodded wisely. “I see! A find reward indeed and you are a very thoughtful girl. Of course I will see to it that your promise is honoured! But now,” she grinned rather impishly, “may we get on with the show? It’s bad form to keep your audience waiting!”

“Oh yes!” Sarah giggled. “Sorry! Slice away!”

“Thank you!” Mr Rogers laughed then turned to the audience. “How about we do a countdown?” he suggested, enjoying the theatricality of the moment. “From five everyone!”

“Five… Four… Three…” everyone joined in. “Two… One… GO!” Mike started the stopwatch again and the butcher got to work.

The first thing Sarah felt was the knife slicing into the underside of her breast which, while large and heavy, was not quite as big as her beloved’s. The butcher worked quickly and the knife was so sharp that she did not really feel any pain from it at first, just the pressure of the knife being pressed down, sawing slightly to sever the creamy tissue from the rest of her chest. Only when her prized asset came loose in her hand did she feel the wound itself, a sensation that was both burning and cold at the same time, although she did not have long to dwell on it because Mr Rogers was already half way through removing her second breast.

Next came her meaty buttocks, each cheek sliced around with a long, thin blade then pulled and set on the table to be further sliced later. After this, he cut around her left upper thigh, right down to the bone, and made another similar cut just above the knee then made one long cut down the back of her thigh between the two before peeling off the meat in a single piece then repeating the process with her right leg. The meat of her calves followed next in the same manner, followed by her biceps them forearms. It all felt like a blur to Sarah, as if her body were on fire and she could no longer keep track of where he was cutting. She could feel that she was starting to go into shock, a numbness spreading and the edges of her vision growing dark but she also knew that if she died before he was finished, the friendly butcher would lose the challenge and she didn’t want that for him so mustered all her willpower to hold on.

Surely he could not need much longer? Sarah thought as he hung upside-down, becoming less of herself by the second as the pile of fresh, pink meat on the table next to her love’s continued to grow. There could not be that much meat left on her body! He only part of her body left untouched was her face and neck so that her head, along with Helen’s, could be preserved like she had discussed with her mum. She hoped that was within the rules of this challenge and wouldn’t disqualify Mr Rogers’ result! She felt a tugging sensation as her back was peeled away in the single piece then her belly cut out completely. Although fairly sure that her fillet was still attached, she could not look up to check. Was he leaving that until last? Then she felt the pressure of a short blade slicing around it and levering it off. Her eyes went wide as her ribs were removed in four sections with an audible crack then there was a tug that made the whole of what was left of her body jerk forward and her heart was pulled free from her chest.

A jubilant cry of “Three minutes and fifty-eight seconds!” followed by enthusiastic cheers and applause was the last thing Sarah heard before the blackness engulfed her. With everyone surging forward to congratulate the butcher, the two dads removed her head and sat it next to her sweetheart’s on the table then took the stripped and ravaged skeleton down from the frame and tossed it into the wheelbarrow on top of Helen’s.

To be continued...

(See, JoyJuice? I had it planned all along! Honest! :-P )