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By shooting the soldier and the old woman, the Republican sniper has exposed his position, and the enemy sniper fires at him from the opposite roof. He curses, dropping his rifle clattering to the roof, surprised at the noise. When he reaches down to lift the rifle again, he discovers that his forearm is useless as he has been hit.
He falls flat to the roof and crawls his way back to the parapet. He checks his injured right forearm with his left hand. Blood is seeping through his coat sleeve, although he does not feel any pain, just a numbness as if his arm has been cut off. He uses his pocketknife to cut open his coat sleeve, exposing the wound. There is a small hole where the bullet has entered his forearm, but there is no exit wound. The bullet, he realizes, has struck the bone, likely fracturing it. He bends his arm below the wound, and it moves easily, but the pain is tremendous, causing him to grind his teeth.
He uses his field dressing to treat the wound. First, he breaks open the iodine bottle and pours the liquid over the arm. It sends a fresh and strong wave of pain through his arm. He then places the cotton wadding over his wound and wraps it, tying the ends by using his teeth. After this effort, he lies down against the parapet, trying to deal with his pain.
Meanwhile, the street below has fallen silent. The armored vehicle has quickly driven away, with the dead soldier's head hanging over the turret. The old woman’s dead body lies in the gutter.
The sniper lies on the roof, nursing his arm and considering how he might escape. He does not want to stay there, wounded, till morning. He realizes that the enemy sniper covers his escape and knows that he must kill the enemy if he is to survive. But he will not be able to use his rifle. All he is left with is a revolver. Then, he thinks of a plan.
He takes his cap and puts it on his rifle’s muzzle. He slowly pushes the rifle above the parapet, fooling the sniper across the street into thinking that it is him. Instantly, a bullet hits the center of the cap on the muzzle. The sniper bends the rifle forward, and the cap falls to the street below. He then lets his left hand hang over the roof, as if lifeless. He lets a few moments pass before he drops his rifle to the street below. Then, he sinks back onto the roof, dragging his hand with him.
