"What should I do? What can I do?" His entire body was trembling.
"Calm down dude, shouldn't I be the one that's crying my pants off?" Salwa laughed quietly.
Max took a deep breath and regained control of himself. "Should I take the knives out?" he asked.
"The knives are what's keeping me alive. So yeah,Max, take the goddamn knives out so I can bleed to my death on this nice wooden floor. My blood is gonna be a bitch to get out." Salwa giggled. Her eyes were glazed and her smile was failing. "Max?"
"Yeah?" he choked. He could barely get a single word out.
"Take the knives out. It hurts. It hurts too much... Please, please, just let me die." Salwa pushed out. She fell into a mess, pleading with Nico to let her go numb.
"But, there's a chance, that you'll live... If I take the knives out you're sure to die." Max said cluelessly. "Don't you want to live?" he bumbled on, as if he stopped talking she would die.
With all her effort, a small, sad smile barely spread across her face, and she shook her head ever so slightly. Max stepped forwards and reached for the knives. He hesitated, then looked back at Salwa as if to say, are you sure? Salwa returned the gaze and Max could see her eyes were beginning to water. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and tugged out the knives that held her to the wall. She fell towards him. Catching her he lowered her to the floor and ripped out the knife in her stomach. Salwa's face was wet, and he realized, it was his tears that were dropping on her face.
"Max?" Salwa croaked.
"Yeah?" he replied, no longer choking on his words.
"Thank you," were the last words Salwa got out. The last words she would ever say.