A/N: Hey, guys. I didn't want to do it. Believe me, it took a lot to get this chapter out, because I so wanted to just get to Wendla's rescue already. But we already know she's been locked up longer than just the one day we already heard about, so I felt that we really needed one more chapter to bring both Melchior and Wendla to the same point: the night of her rescue. Absolutely none of this chapter is safe to read. Not a word of it. If you've been skipping the parts after my warnings, just skip this whole chapter. The next chapter will start the rescue. Seriously. You've been warned.

To make up for the utter horror-fest that is this fic, I wrote a fluffy St. Berry oneshot for anyone who follows both SA and Glee. It's up as the newest chapter in my oneshot collection called "Inevitability." I feel bad dragging people down into angst-ville with me, so there you go!

All standard disclaimers apply.

Kindheit Ende

"Here we are."

Wendla felt hard hands grab her shaking body. She flinched, pain erupting through every inch of herself as they hoisted her unceremoniously to her feet. An unfamiliar cramping sensation had settled in her abdomen, and she didn't know if it was because of that awful kick or not. She hadn't been entirely paying attention to their previous talk, and didn't really know why she'd been kicked unless it was just more punishment for vomiting. But she'd really had no control over that particular bodily function—it had happened swiftly, and she'd had no time to prepare or prevent it. Besides, her mother had grudgingly told her that a woman carrying a child often felt sick to the stomach—she really couldn't help it. But it seemed that she was being punished for it anyway.

"Here we are," Sonnenstich said again. "If we can't have fun with that pretty mouth, we'll have to move on to the next lesson."

Wendla shook as they forced her to her knees. Her feet really weren't up to the challenge of holding her steady, so she was thankful they didn't attempt to make her stand. Even kneeling upright was hard, and she clutched her arms around her torso in a fruitless attempt at comfort.

"Let's see how much you've already learned, little girl," Herr Sonnenstich said. He stood in front of her, fully dressed, and folded his arms firmly. "What is your name, child?"

"Wendla Bergmann, mein Herr," she whispered, careful to remember the honorific. She wanted to avoid as much punishment as possible—she didn't honestly know how much more her body could take.

"Again, how old are you?"

"Fifteen, mein Herr."

"And, little Wendla, since we have you answering questions so politely, I have another for you. What do you think you are—a woman or a child? Answer me quickly."

"A child, mein Herr," she whispered, her gaze locked on his feet before her. A thin thread of hope—something she'd almost forgotten how to feel—bubbled up through the pain. If she could prove to him that she really did think she was a child and not an adult, would he let her go? Would the pain finally end?

"That's right, little girl. You are a child—a child who must learn to obey, which is why you've been sent to me. To show me the truth of your education, however, you must do something." He paused and took three long steps backward, away from her. "You will crawl to me, child, on your hands and knees. When you reach me, you will turn around and offer that pretty backside of yours. You will tell me that you've been a naughty girl, dallying with young Herr Gabor, and ask me to please spank you thoroughly as punishment." He paused. "Only when you can do that to my satisfaction will you have learned your lesson. I'm giving you your first opportunity right now. Will you crawl to me and beg for my hand?"

Wendla crumbled, slumping to the floor again. Hot tears flowed from her eyes as she shook her head slowly, muffling her sobs against the dirt floor. He was serious and she knew it, but she couldn't obey. She just couldn't. It was too much to ask. Why did she have to prove that she thought of herself as a child, when she'd never even entertained the notion of becoming a woman? Not yet, anyway. She was far too young. One afternoon with Melchior hadn't changed how she thought of herself. And she just couldn't do what Herr Sonnenstich was ordering—she absolutely couldn't. He meant not only to punish, but to break her completely. He meant to strip her of everything that made her human, turn her into nothing but a talking doll or obedient animal. She shook her head again slowly. "No," she whispered, knowing the punishment for disobedience was going to be bad. But she couldn't crawl over to him and ask—beg, even—for pain. That was demanding far too much of her. Her body couldn't take any more. Her ass literally felt like the skin would split open at any moment, so swollen and tight and throbbing. He couldn't possibly expect her to do what he was ordering.

A cold chuckle escaped the headmaster's throat, and Wendla winced at the foreboding sound. "It's all right, pretty girl," he said, though his voice held no reassurance. "I didn't expect you to obey this first time. You still think you have a choice in any of this. You still think someone—your mama, maybe—is going to save you. Well, child, as the days go on, you'll learn how very wrong that hope is. Your only salvation is through me. The only way you are ever getting out of here is to crawl and beg for punishment. I can see that, though you are a sweet little fairy child, you have a strong will. This will be a hard lesson for you, but you must learn it. Resistance will only end in more pain."

Wendla closed her eyes, thick tears dropping from her clenched eyelids. She felt the two younger teachers take an arm and a leg each and haul her to a different part of the room.

"Now that that's over with," Sonnenstich said, "we have a little surprise for you." He stroked a hand down her bare back as she huddled on the ground, ending with a sharp tap to her backside. "That poor ass of yours is bruised a solid purple—I'm not surprised you were unwilling to ask me to spank it again. We were planning to give it a break today by using your mouth. If you're kneeling to suck cock, after all, you're not laying on your back and putting pressure on your bottom. Since you've demonstrated your inability to handle fellatio, we're moving on to something else." He chuckled and tapped her ass again. "But don't worry. We're still not putting you on your back right now."

Wendla felt the coarse rope loop around her wrists, and they were tied quickly to two rings hammered into the dirt floor about shoulder-width apart. She was able to plant her palms against the floor in this position, but it was cold comfort. The two younger teachers grabbed her arms and tied her elbows down, so her forearms were pressed against the floor. They then took her knees and pushed them up under her, raising her ass into the air. She shook with fear as they tied her ankles and knees in place. The odd angle of her arms forced her back into an unnatural position, her breasts pressed against the ground and her hips canted up and pack in an awkward arch. Her knees and ankles were planted wide apart, leaving her open and vulnerable. What was worse, in this position she couldn't see anything that was going on. There was no way to anticipate and therefore brace for whatever they were going to do.

"Just relax, little girl," Sonnenstich said, running his hands over her exposed buttocks. She whimpered, unable to bite the sound back down. Each touch on her abused flesh was like fire, and not the good kind Melchior had kindled in her blood. This was excruciating and humiliating, and it could never feel anything but awful. "Oh, but we're going to have fun today. Remember I told you before that you had another hole we might want to pay attention to?" He chuckled, and she felt his hand slide from her bruised bottom to the slit between her legs. They'd ejaculated in her multiple times earlier this morning, and she could feel it leaking out of her. He gathered some of the wetness against his fingers and moved his hand back and up. She jerked as she felt him rub against the...other area they'd discussed, her eyes opening wide and a frantic noise erupting from her mouth.

"No!" she begged, struggling against her bonds as he rubbed the sticky fluid around.

"Yes," he said calmly. "You won't take it in the mouth, so this is the next step. Your vagina is so small and tight that I can't even begin to imagine how this little hole will feel." He pressed forward with one finger, and she screeched in pain as it entered. Melchior hadn't done anything like this, and she hated it now as she felt the humiliating invasion of her body. This wasn't right, her head screamed at her. It wasn't natural or normal. Maybe what they had done to her before had hurt, but this confused her as well.

"Don't clench against me, my pretty," Sonnenstich said, chuckling a little as he forced his finger in deeper. "That will only make it worse for you." He stopped moving, and she felt his other hand move something cold between her legs. She flinched at the hard, cold, alien feeling as he rubbed something in the sticky wetness leaking from her.

"Vulcanized rubber is a wonderful invention," he said. He withdrew his finger, but she didn't have time to sigh in relief as she felt the cold thing press abruptly against her smaller hole. "In case you're wondering, that's what this is." He pushed against her unyielding muscles, and she felt the invasion begin anew. She was crying fully as he forced the hard object inside her, then patted her bruised backside. "Your ass is too tight to fuck properly right now—without a good stretching, we'd be moving dangerously close to the line of permanent damage your mama told us not to cross. The rubber plug may not be terribly comfortable, but it's in your best interest at the moment." He kissed the uncomfortable arch of her back. "But don't worry. We can still have some fun with your other hole while we wait."

She heard the sound of rustling fabric, and then his cock was pressed against her vagina, demanding entrance. She whimpered, already feeling stretched to bursting by the painful piece of rubber he'd forced inside her ass. Surely he didn't mean to use both...holes...at the same time? She tried to no avail to jerk away from her bonds, but all she received for her trouble was laughter from the men.

"Yes, child," Sonnenstich said, "this will no doubt hurt quite a bit. For you. But you brought it on yourself by not submitting, by not asking me like a good little girl to spank you. This is what happens when you don't obey."

Without another word, he pushed forward. She screamed at the burning, stretching pain, feeling like she would rip apart at any moment as he forced himself inside her. He grabbed the end of the plug and rolled it around, playing with it as he thrust slowly in and out of her abused body, as if he didn't want her to forget the other thing currently filling her. Not that she could—she cried and writhed, unable to relax her muscles and stop clenching despite his assertions that it only made things worse. It was an involuntary reaction; there was nothing she could do to stop it. She bawled, her tears soaking into the dirt floor and leaving little splotches of mud against her face. The smell of soil and unwashed men was in her nose, and she thought for a moment that she was going to vomit again.

But Sonnenstich's sudden fierce thrust that signaled his orgasm pushed her pain to new heights, and she wasn't able to concentrate on her cramping stomach any more as the men switched positions, one of the others taking a turn. She didn't even know which it was—she couldn't see anything in this position. She could only feel the difference as this thicker cock forced its way inside her, the thrusts rougher and faster. This man did not play with the plug, but he grabbed and wrenched at her hips in a way that pulled her bound limbs and made the coarse rope scrape painfully against her skin. She closed her eyes, still crying, and surrendered to despair.

Hours later—Wendla had lost track of how long—she felt someone grasp the plug and pull it unceremoniously from her body. The rush of pain at the movement was followed by an intense throbbing sensation.

"Is she ready yet?" one of the younger teachers asked, his voice tight with impatience.

"It will take a day or two," Sonnenstich said, lightly reprimanding. "Patience is a virtue." He rubbed the abused flesh, then forced his finger abruptly inside. "She's still too tight to fuck here. But not too tight to use the machine. It may speed things along."

The younger teacher sounded gleeful. "I've never seen the machine in action," he said. "I can't wait."

"Yes," Sonnenstich said, and Wendla could barely feel as hands began to untie her. Her body ached from being tied in the same position for far too long, but they didn't take the time to let her adjust. They grabbed her and hoisted her back onto the large table int he middle of the room. "Steam power, steel, and vulcanized rubber are the wave of the future. I must say I'm quite proud of my little device."

Wendla blinked in the dim light of the basement, once again able to see at least a little bit of what was going on. They secured her wrists above her head again, and she shuddered as one of the younger teachers grabbed her breasts and gave them a squeeze. "Today was fun," he said, rubbing her nipples until they hardened in the cold air. "But I missed seeing these pretty breasts."

"They'll be on display for days yet," Sonnenstich said calmly. "Never fear. Bring her over here."

Wendla quivered as they pushed her table toward a wall. She couldn't see well enough in the dim basement to know what was going on, but she knew she wasn't going to like any of it. "In fact, there's no reason you can't clamp them for now," he added, motioning toward a smaller table. "They'll be extra sensitive for the next session."

"Thank you, mein Herr," the other man breathed, and he was away and back at Wendla's side in an instant. She almost didn't feel her legs being forced apart and tied down to the table legs once more, too afraid of what else was going on. "See these?" he said to her, holding up something metal linked by a short chain. "You might not like them, but I certainly do."

He rubbed and pinched her near nipple again until it stood out, stiff and unhappy, in the cold basement air. She yelped as he took one side of the chain and settled the clamp firmly on her nipple. It was like being bitten except it didn't stop—the pain continued, lancing through the sensitive bud and sweeping across her entire body. He applied the second clamp, then gave a sharp tug at the connecting chain, which made her scream.

"Keep those on while she's hooked up to the machine, and I'll guarantee that she's more sensitive tomorrow," Sonnenstich said. "Knochenbruch, go into the other room and start the engine." He clapped his hands. "Now, Wendla, you'll get to experience the future of this sort of education. Don't you feel lucky?" He laughed. "In the room directly behind this wall, there is a small steam engine, much like those used to run a thresher or harvester. It controls two pistoning arms, which feed through these two small holes in the wall."

He pointed, but Wendla didn't want to look. The holes were positioned just at the height of the table, and she really didn't want to know what was going on. Sonnenstich reached into the lower hole and pulled out a thin rubber wand attached to a metal arm. "This one is for the hole that needs to be stretched," he said, and he calmly moved the apparatus into place and shoved it unceremoniously into her ass. She screamed—she had no idea if this rubber thing was any bigger or smaller than the one he'd been using before, but it didn't feel any better. "And this one," he said, ignoring her outburst, "is just for fun." He pulled another metal arm out of the other hole. The rubber wand attached to this one was bigger, and Wendla shuddered even before he forced it into her body. Once again she was stuffed full—too full—and she felt like she was about to break apart.

"When the engine gets going, the pistons will pump and thrust, just as a human man," Sonnenstich said. "Except, unlike a man, these can keep going indefinitely." He chuckled. "I have no doubt you'll have quite the interesting night while we sleep."

A whirring noise from behind the wall caught her attention just before the thick rubber wands inside her began to vibrate. She shivered in fear, then in pain as they began to pump slowly, just as he'd said.

"We'll leave you like this overnight," Sonnenstich continued. "The rubber in that sweet little ass of yours is smaller than any of us, and it will help you stretch so that we can fuck you properly in the morning."

"No, please!" she gasped, fighting against the restraints holding her to the table. "Please, please don't do this!"

"This is your punishment," Sonnenstich said coldly. "You must learn, little girl. You wanted to act like an adult, and this is the consequence for doing so."

"No!" she said, and though her body was in intense pain, she felt a thread of resistance, of anger, well up inside her. She couldn't stop them from doing these terrible things to her body, but she was more afraid of their attempts to break her mind and spirit. She couldn't let that happen; she just couldn't. Without really thinking about the consequences, she stared up at Herr Sonnenstich and spat squarely in his face.

Silence reigned for a long moment. He wiped his cheek with his sleeve, then reached out a calm hand and tugged hard at the chain connecting the clamps. She bit back her squeal of pain, unwilling to let him know how much it really hurt.

"Still think you can deny me, little girl?" he said, shaking his head slowly. "I pity you, Wendla. The more you fight, the harder this will be. Not for me, but for you. You've just earned a punishment in addition to your lesson."

Sonnenstich reached out a hand, and Knochenbruch passed him some long strips of coarse burlap. He tied one tightly over her eyes so she couldn't see, and forced another one in her mouth, tying it behind her head. "You will learn," he said. "Eventually, you will learn."

Wendla heard them ascend the stairs for the night, locking the basement door behind them, but she couldn't see as the lamps disappeared and, once again, the darkness closed in.

Do you know how weird it is to write an A/N like this? Well, I actually did my historical research. The first vibrator was invented by an American (of course) in 1869 (of course) and it was, in fact, steam powered. They had electric models prior to 1891, but since rural Germany was kind of a backwater until after WWI I didn't know how realistic giving this little town electricity would be. Vulcanized rubber was invented in the mid-1800's (the specific date is still open to debate) and was almost immediately used to make sex toys (among other things). So while this little horror-fest is kind of a crack-fic, at least historically it's nominally believable.

Reviews = Melchior!