The screw conveyor started moving slowly. For the first couple of seconds the only thing it did to Nia was forcing her to take a step forward. Nia held onto the edges of the meat grinder’s carcass, as her knees became pressed against the wall of the machine. There was no more space, but the mechanism didn’t intend to stop and just pressed more and more.
“Kyaaa!!!” Nia screamed as her legs broke at the knees one after the other and her flesh teared.
As her lower legs fully separated, Nia feel down, now sitting on the conveyor’s pivot, her back supported by the next coil of the screw.
“Does it hurt properly?” Simon asked caringly, stopping the machine.
“Properly?” Nia exhaled through heavy breath, tears now pouring down her face as a river. “It hurts like hellish hell!” she screamed, her face distorted by pain.
“What’s hellish hell?” Simon wondered.
“It’s like… if below the hell… there was a second hell… that would serve as the hell for the first hell”, Nia explained. “That’s how much it hurts”.
Nia seemed to calm down a bit as she concentrated on the conversation.
“Somewhat like the second circle of hell?” Simon concluded. “I’ve heard there are nine of them”.
“Oh”, Nia replied. “Then you should send me all the way to the deepest one”, she lectured Simon strictly.
“Don’t worry”, he smiled, “I intend to send you even further”.
“What can be even further?” Nia wanted to ask, but Simon started the machine again.
Nia’s belly was pressed against the cold metal wall. But the next coil kept going, trying to push Nia’s upper legs further. And so it crashed Nia’s waist, yet it didn’t cleanly cut her in half, instead most of her intestines were still connected, but as they feel out, they coiled around the pivot. Nia screamed again at the top of her lungs. Meanwhile some grinded meat started to come out of the mechanism’s “mouth” into a bowl that no one noticed where it came from. The public cheered as they realized this meat was from Nia’s lower legs. Nia, now with her waist resting on the pivot, still holding onto the edge of the machine, looked at the people with her teary eyes. Everyone seemed so happy. Nia knew they loved her. And of course she loved them back. It wasn’t the same kind of love as with Simon, but that didn’t make it any less valid. Nia realized it was her last chance, so after taking another deep breath, she turned her next scream into actual words:
“Everyone!” she shouted, trying her best to smile. “I love each of you!”
The crowd cheered again.
“Having fun there?” Simon asked, stopping the machine once more. “How did it feel this time?”
“Much better”, Nia answered. “Must be fifth or sixth hell”.
“Then we’re on the right way”, Simon smiled, starting the meat grinder again.

(to be continued)