Animal

NOTES:

Nein = no (this one is said a few times)

Soll ich es ihm sagen? = Should I tell him?

Ja = Yes

Wir werden anfangen = We shall begin

sünder = sinner

Entferne ihn = Remove him

Genug! = Enough!

"Ah, it is Kurt. Welcome home, knight."

Kurt shivered at the feeling of the massive, clammy hand on the back of his neck. Not only was he disgusted by the physical contact, but he was very much aware of the power behind this man's grip. One simple gesture and Kurt knew his neck could easily be broken.

"I am so glad you decided to join us." Elias said with enthusiasm.

He stood behind one of the kitchen chairs that had been placed near the center of the room. Blaine was sitting in this chair, his face scrunched up in pain and anger as Elias held it in a vice grip. His other hand held a Bowie knife to his throat. Blaine's hands gripped his assailant's arms, trying to pull them off, but failing. When the leader noticed that Kurt was surveying the situation, he made sure to tighten his grip on Blaine's face, making him react with a cry of discomfort.

"I think it's time that he join his lover over here, wouldn't you say fellas?" Elias smiled, exchanging glances with his three friends who had situated themselves around the living and kitchen areas.

"Shouldn't I check him for weapons first, Herr Weber?"

The two men then began discussing things in German. Kurt took a moment to survey his surroundings in hopes that he could find an escape. Peter stood to the left, near the stove. It appeared that he had moved a long metal rod onto the stovetop, its end on top of one of the burners. In Peter's hand was a Bowie knife similar to that in Elias's. He twirled it around with his finger on the tip. On the table, Kurt could see other instruments of torture including duct tape and rope. His heart skipped a beat as he recalled the details Garret had shared about being bound and gagged.

The large man behind him was beginning to search his garments for any hidden weapons. Kurt could not stand the thought of this man touching him at all, let alone all over his body. The taste of bile crept into his mouth as Christian's hand reached into the back of his pants and pulled out the pepper spray can. Christian held it up for his comrades to see and was answered by a chorus of laughter. A swift toss caused the can to disappear somewhere on the other side of the apartment.

"Wow, the kitty has claws. I like my prey with some fight in it. Keep going, friend." Elias ordered while regarding Kurt with a playful and demanding expression. Kurt had to focus on something else so he continued to survey the situation.

Benjamin stood to the right of Blaine, close to the couch with his arms folded in an authoritative manner. Kurt noticed a bulge near the right side of his waist which could only indicate he was carrying a firearm. The odds of him and Blaine escaping this unscathed were becoming less and less likely.

Kurt's awareness was brought back to the iron grip of Christian's hand around the back of his neck as he was pushed toward an empty chair next to Blaine. As soon as his bottom hit the seat, and Blaine was released from Elias's grip, they wrapped their arms tightly around each other. Tears streamed down their faces and their sobs filled the apartment.

"I was scared shitless when I got to the apartment. I saw him," when they broke from the hug, Kurt motioned with his head toward Christian, "and I assumed the worst." Kurt placed his hand on Blaine's cheek, caressing it affectionately. Blaine put his own hand on Kurt's and squeezed it tightly. He leaned his face in to whisper in Kurt's ear,

"In case we die, I want you to know that I love you."

They were forced apart by Benjamin and Christian with a violent shove against the back of their chairs. They could have sworn that their hearts stopped beating when they each heard a gun being cocked next to their heads. Blaine's eyes moved to the right and they were met with the image of a suppressed gun barrel resting on his shoulder. Christian was amused by his captive's expression and began to playfully wave the gun in Blaine's face, giggling like a child as he did so.

"Are you scared, little bird?" he mocked. Blaine shrugged him off, knowing very well that he may anger his aggressor.

"Not so much scared as annoyed. Fuck off, asshole." he grunted. With lighting speed, the back of Christian's hand met Blaine's face, causing him to jerk sideways into Kurt. His lover tried to comfort him by taking the hand that wasn't now trying to caress his injured cheek.

"Are you okay?" he whispered. Blaine didn't answer. His eyes closed as he tried to collect his courage and he nodded. This time Benjamin laughed,

"Aww, how sweet. The poor baby is hurt and mommy is helping him," he was joined in the collection of laughter by Christian and Peter. Elias simply smiled as he pulled up his own chair, turned the back towards the boys and straddled it in order to face them.

"By the way, Peter, how is it over at," Blaine made quotation gestures with his fingers, "The Times? Oh, and have you broken in that new keyboard yet? I hope it malfunctions and electrocutes you." The sarcasm was palpable. The four of them found it amusing.

Peter shook his finger at Blaine,

"Oh, tsk tsk. That's not very nice."

"Don't make me laugh." Kurt interjected. He was answered only with a stern glance and the raising of an eyebrow. Kurt turned his attention to the leader, "So, when did this start? Before or after the diner?"

Elias took his time answering him. He sat quietly in his chair, mindlessly fiddling with the arming mechanism of his gun. The rest of the gang stayed in their spots, waiting for orders from their captain. Benjamin and Christian were having fun aggravating Kurt and Blaine by moving the barrels of their guns from one shoulder to the other. Blaine was certain he could smell something burning, giving him the impression that the weapon had been recently used.

"Soll ich es ihm sagen?"(1) Christian asked his boss.

"Ja."(2) the one word mustered response caused Christian to walk around from behind Blaine in order to face him. He knelt down in front of him and observed how uncomfortable it made him. Blaine refused to make eye contact and Christian was having none of that. Using the barrel of his gun, he placed it under Blaine's chin and lifted his head in order to look at him. "I'll give you a hint, little bird. Train car."

"You have been following us around since the story first aired?" Kurt's voice was angry and incredulous. Elias shook his head and wiggled his finger,

"Nein. That was the first time your Blaine saw one of us. The news was very late in noticing our presence in this city. We have made ourselves quite comfortable. Christian here has been riding the train for weeks. It was a great place for him to find sinners. We were aware of your relationship months ago. Perhaps as early as Blaine moving in."

"Then why wait so long?"

"Because I know you aren't a fool, Kurt. You won't let a stranger into your house. I had to ease my way in. Make you trust me. Well, me and Peter." Elias's comrades chuckled. Blaine turned to Peter who just blew him a kiss sardonically. He rolled his eyes and shivered in disgust.

"We also had a little...outside assistance, if you will." Elias added. Blaine and Kurt eyed each other, their faces emoting worry and confusion. Kurt didn't move his head, but searched the faces of the rest of the gang, trying to glean some information from them. He was left with nothing.

"Who the hell did you get to?"

Elias leaned back in the chair, stretching his arms and yawning. Apparently, this conversation was beginning to bore him. After returning to his original position, he smirked,

"It's amazing what you can learn about someone from their favorite barista."

Kurt and Blaine looked ready to jump from their seats and tackle the man. Blaine had to stifle himself, not wanting to make the situation worse by shouting. Kurt tried to lean forward, hoping to appear as the more powerful of the two. The forceful grip of the German behind him proved that false.

"What did you do to him?"

Elias put his hands up in mock surrender,

"Nothing he won't recover from. Just ruffled his feathers a bit…" Christian interrupted,

"Or made him piss his pants with terror…" he began to chuckle until he looked at the angry eyes of his captain. Blaine and Kurt could tell that he had these men on a leash. One look from the leader and Christian was silenced immediately.

"He just told us where you went to school and where you worked. That's all we got from him. And this was after giving him some, let's call it, persuasion."

"Your beef is with us, not him. Leave him out of it." Blaine demanded.

Elias smiled and pointed at him,

"We have no reason to involve him anymore, so consider your comment a reminder to tie up loose ends. By the way, Blaine, I love how you are the one thinking he can give orders in here." Elias stood from his chair and approached Blaine, bending over so their noses were centimeters apart. Blaine backed away, but couldn't get far being stuck in the chair. "Now it's time for you to listen to me." A pregnant pause shrouded the apartment in an eerie silence. Blaine was caught by surprise when Elias's hand whipped around quickly and made contact with his cheek, causing his head to turn painfully. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and turned back to face his attacker.

"I admire your courage, little bird."

"I believe it may be story time, Herr Weber. Do you agree?" Benjamin inquired. His captain nodded and backed up a few paces from his prey. He removed his blazer and methodically folded it to fit the space of the chair seat. When he turned back to his captives, he opened his arms in front of him as if he was about to give a speech.

"Oh God, please don't tell me you're going to sing?" Kurt's comment earned him a rough push from behind. When the barrel of the gun was digging into his back, he took that as a signal to keep his comments to himself.

"I believe I mentioned that I was born just outside of Berlin. Actually, all of us were. But Berlin is no longer the beautiful place it once was. In its prime, it was populated only with the best of humanity. The purest, Aryan race. Now it has become soft, decadent even. Now it's populated with these people who wish to taint the bloodlines. Bloodlines ordained by our creator, may I add." Elias approached the pair again, reaching out and grabbing their chins, "People like you, if I may be blunt."

Blaine and Kurt tried their best not to gag. They couldn't believe how archaic this man was sounding. Both of them forced their jaws from his grip. Elias didn't seem to care as he continued,

"You see, my grandfather, Eric, he was a very powerful man. Hitler held him and his kind in high regard. He helped to carry out the Reich's mission of cleansing the nation. He was one of Hitler's best. An SS Guard, he was. And, after the war, he was wrongfully put to death. But not before passing on this doctrine to his very own son, my father. I loved my father. He taught me that our race was hand picked to bring this planet to its greatest potential. It was our responsibility to preserve only the strongest among us, and that was the race of Aryan superiority."

"But, my father was seen as psychotic. When he tried to recruit more soldiers for his own army, to continue the mission of the Reich, he was shunned. Our family had to find a place that agreed with our beliefs. Let me tell you, it was not easy. When we found ourselves moving through South America, we discovered more families of the Reich. We would find each other in time," he gestured toward his four fellow gang members who appeared to stand up taller with pride. "You see, our fathers all shared the same creed and had spread themselves across the globe. Mine was successful for a time, until he was taken out by Argentine law enforcement in a shootout. My father died gloriously, living out his mission."

Kurt rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, crossing his arms in front of him. When was this self-glorifying horror story going to be over? He started to scan the room for some kind of escape. Unfortunately, the men had scattered themselves around in a way that left no exits. Every scenario that he played in his head led to his or both of their deaths. He would just have to ride it out until Garret came through.

"It wasn't until I moved to the United States under the guise of a foreign exchange student that I met Peter. We met each other in a sea of strangers. I think it was a sign, my friend."

Peter nodded, "It was indeed a sign. A sign that we must continue our fathers' missions."

"Peter and I were determined to find more followers. Thanks to social media, we were able to secure two chiefs and our brotherhood was complete."

To Kurt and Blaine's horror, Elias began to unbutton his shirt. As more skin was revealed, they were faced with the dreaded image of a swastika tattooed largely over his torso. The top of it began at his sternum and covered him to just above his navel. The image was painted dark, etching itself into him like it was part of his soul. The pair just looked on in utter disbelief. It was then that the rest of the gang followed suit, revealing their solidarity with matching swastikas on their own chests. Kurt had had enough,

"Uh oh, boys, be careful. Aren't you afraid you might catch the gay if you expose yourselves to other men?" he said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and scoffed again. The gang exchanged glances and smiled mischievously at one another. As Elias began to refasten the buttons on his shirt, he nodded,

"I admire your courage, Kurt. It may help you get through tonight," Elias knelt down in front of him while slipping back into his blazer and continued, "You two are lucky, my friends," Blaine was looking daggers at him, "My father believed that the best way to cleanse was to remove the tainted blood. He asked no questions. The shootout that took his life? He was cleansing the small town we lived in of the only sinful Juden family. His last breath was spent giving this world what it deserved. A cleaner species. I have a slightly different view of this cleansing. I always give my sinners a chance to repent and change their ways. And I am giving that opportunity to you."

"Oh, you're so kind." Blaine responded facetiously.

"This loving other men thing is just unnatural. Don't you see? If the Almighty wanted men to love men and women to love women, we wouldn't have a human race. But, I am giving you both a chance to realize the error of your ways and repent. You have the opportunity to do what is right."

Kurt's face was showing utter disgust. He couldn't believe the excrement that was coming out of this man's mouth. What psychological disorder would cause someone to take another person's life over such superficial, narrow- minded ideals? He shook his head and gave Elias a glare of indomitable will,

"So you think that being gay is just a matter of turning a switch on and off? I can't believe what I am hearing and I think I may vomit."

The words Kurt had said that day in movements class were now coming to light. He most definitely would not go down quietly. He wasn't going to give these men an inch. Blaine looked at his fiance and he felt warmth in him. It was a warmth of admiration.

Elias looked at the floor in a gesture of disappointment. He sat there for what felt like an eternity and did nothing. His body had become a statue. Kurt and Blaine didn't move, but they also did not falter in their looks of pure defiance. They did not want to give any of these men an ounce of satisfaction.

When Elias lifted his head, he gestured to Christian and Benjamin by waving his hand in a halfhearted manner,

"Wir werden anfangen"(3)

Blaine felt an uncomfortable pull from behind him as he realized Christian was yanking him forcefully from his chair. Shortly after the chair was moved away, he was violently forced to kneel. Kurt remained standing after Benjamin had pushed him off of his chair. Peter walked over to the table, took one of the bundles of rope and, strolling over to Kurt, handed it to him expectantly. Kurt looked on in confusion and then shrugged his shoulders,

"What the hell am I supposed to…"

"Tie him up, sünder."(4) Elias interrupted him sternly, pointing at Blaine. Kurt turned to his betrothed and his stomach dropped. He couldn't be serious. Blaine was looking at Elias with an expression of disbelief that quickly evolved into anguish. Kurt looked down at the rope in his hands and hesitated. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried to muster up as much courage as he could. He and Blaine began a silent conversation. They knew that this was not something either of them wanted, but they were left with no other options.

"No. I won't do your dirty work for you." Kurt spat, and threw the rope bundle to the ground.

In a split second, Christian's fist was buried in Blaine's abdomen, forcing all of the air from his lungs in an instant. Time stood still for a moment. His face came forward, almost touching his knees. One hand touched the floor in a feeble attempt to keep him upright. The other arm wrapped around his abdomen, trying to will his organs to continue functioning. His lungs were completely paralyzed. They felt like they had been filled with cement. He could not take in a breath in the slightest. Adrenaline flowed through his veins as panic began to set in. Kurt knelt down by his side and gently rubbed his back with one of his hands.

"Blaine, say something. What's happening?"

Elias stomped his foot and balled his left hand into a tight fist. He approached Kurt, shaking his fist in his face,

"Let it be known that any time either of you go against my orders, you will watch your lover suffer. Understand?"

The room was filled with the sound of Blaine coughing and gasping for breath. Kurt tried to return the same amount of confidence at Elias, but could only look on as tears welled up in his eyes. When they streamed down his cheeks, he saw the evil look of satisfaction grace the face of his captor.

After a couple of minutes of his fiance trying to comfort him, Blaine was able to sit up on his knees again and look Kurt in the eye.

"It's okay, Kurt. Do what they say. I don't want them to hurt you, too." Kurt nodded, stroking his lover's face with the outside of his hand and then stood. He eyed Elias only with a dead stare,

"Go to hell."

"No, Kurt. That is where you and Blaine are trying NOT to go tonight."

The four men erupted in laughter at Benjamin's comment. Kurt stood still and tried his best not to react.

Christian came forward and gestured toward the floor with the barrel of his gun,

"Lie down on your stomach, little bird." he ordered. Fearing a repeat of the pain he had just felt, Blaine obliged. He turned his head to the side and rested his cheek against the wood floor. Placing his palms against the floor on either side of his head showed his complete submission. Christian turned to Kurt, "Tie his ankles. Make sure it is tight, or we will just cause him more pain."

Kurt bent over, collected the bundle of rope and, as he began to unravel it, he knelt down at Blaine's feet. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes again as he began to wrap the rope around his lover's ankles. He could only imagine how uncomfortable and scared Blaine was at this moment. He hated that he had to be the one to deliver this kind of humiliation to the one he loved more than anyone else.

The rope made six tight loops before Kurt tied it off tightly. He was about to stand when another bundle of rope was tossed in front of him.

He looked up at Elias who nodded and gestured at Blaine with his hand,

"Now his hands, knight."

Kurt looked down and shook his head as he forced himself to move up toward Blaine's hands. Blaine crossed his hands above his head. Just as Kurt touched them, he heard a sound of displeasure from Christian,

"Nein. Behind his back."

Kurt exhaled in anguish, and whispered under his breath, "Oh my god, I don't know if I can do this to you." Blaine closed his eyes,

"It's okay, Kurt. I don't blame you," without hesitation, he crossed his wrists behind his back, "do what you have to do." Kurt proceeded to wrap the rope tightly around Blaine's wrists, feeling horrible every time he saw him flinch from the discomfort. Blaine felt the scratchiness of the rope against his skin and his stomach dropped. Their captors were not taking any chances and he knew that, once Kurt was finished, he may not be leaving this apartment.

Kurt stood up and backed away from Blaine as soon as he had finished securing him. Christian reached down and checked that the ropes were secure. After pulling on them several times and moving Blaine's arms in uncomfortable positions, he looked up at Kurt and chuckled at him,

"Not bad for a fairy," he spat condescendingly. He grabbed the material of Blaine's collar and forced him back up to his knees.

Benjamin appeared behind Kurt and forced him to kneel, binding his hands just like Blaine's. The two lovers looked at each other as a source of comfort. Kurt sent Blaine messages of guilt and Blaine sent back messages of forgiveness.

"I'm sorry," Kurt mouthed to him. Blaine shook his head, "It's okay. I love you," he mouthed back.

They were both stopped by the sound of duct tape being ripped from the roll. Blaine turned his head toward the table only to be met with the uncomfortable sensation of cloth and glue against his lips. A large piece of tape was secured over his mouth followed by a significant slap to the face. The strong stench of the adhesive combined with the sting of the slap made him wince. His painful cry was muffled by the gag as Kurt received the same treatment.

"We can't have our neighbors hearing the fun we are about to have," Elias commented.

Blaine was caught by surprise as Christian worked his hands under his armpits and lifted him up into one of the kitchen chairs. The chair was turned toward the bedroom area. Shortly after, he heard the duct tape being pulled from the roll again as a large strip appeared from behind and was secured to his chest. Christian proceeded to wrap the tape around him and the chair several times, pinning his arms painfully between him and the furniture. Once he was secured, Elias stood, approached Kurt menacingly and removed his Bowie knife from its sheath.

"Let's begin, shall we, my dear. It is time for your cleansing."

Kurt tried to protest, but he was pushed past the privacy curtain of his and Blaine's bedroom and forced violently onto the bed. Blaine watched on in horror, trying to berate them, but his cries only came out as muffles. He was made to watch the torture that Kurt was about to endure.

Pulling at the rope around his wrists and the tape securing him to the chair proved to be futile. He was not going anywhere and he was helpless to do anything, The promise he had made to his fiance that day in class would go unkempt. He wouldn't let them continue quietly, though. He thrashed as hard as he could against his bonds and screamed into his gag. Unfortunately it was only met with childish laughter by the other three captors.

Kurt was paralyzed under Elias's weight with his hands being crushed painfully under him. His long, muscular legs straddled him over his thighs, pinning him to the mattress. The Bowie knife rested on Kurt's cheek, making him suck in a breath of fear through his nostrils and shut his eyes tightly.

"Now, you have the choice to make this stop, knight. All you have to do is confess your sins to the Almighty and you shall be set free." Kurt kept his eyes shut and shook his head. He screamed in horror as the tip of the Bowie knife was beginning to dig into the skin on his cheek. After a very short pause, Kurt felt the knife repeat the same motion on the other cheek. Elias laughed as he moved the knife gingerly toward the buttons on Kurt's top. With swift movements, he removed the first three buttons and pulled the material apart, exposing Kurt's chest.

Blaine began to shake his head from the chair and pulled on the tape around his body, trying desperately to help his fiance. Christian just laughed and, grabbing the chair, moved him a bit closer to the scene.

"Come now, Kurt. You must be having second thoughts." the knife moved gracefully as it opened up a cut on Kurt's chest...followed by a second...and a third. Even though the cuts were shallow, blood began to pool around them, soaking the surrounding skin and his shirt. After the cuts were freshly made, Elias made sure to dig the knife into them, activating the pain receptors. Kurt took a deep breath through his nostrils again and then looked at Elias with determination. He screamed what sounded like a muffled "FUCK YOU" at him and let his head fall limply against the mattress.

Elias laughed and leaned back, sitting on Kurt's legs. He wrapped both hands around the handle of the Bowie knife and began to lift it above his head. This triggered an eruption of objections from Blaine who continued to scream from the chair. Kurt closed his eyes. This was it. The knife was going to be his demise. He hoped it would be fast.

He could feel the muscles in Elias's legs tighten, as he brought the knife down quickly. A grunt of sickening satisfaction told Kurt that his task had been executed. He felt no pain, however. The sound of torn fabric reached his left ear. Risking a look, he opened his eyes and turned his head only to see the knife buried in the mattress next to his head. He was not given much time to celebrate the fact that he was still alive. Elias began raining down forceful punches on what seemed to be every surface of Kurt's body. He felt his knuckles bury themselves into his face, his abdomen, his chest and his arms. New bruises and scrapes began to form over the old ones as Elias showed little to no signs of stopping.

He turned his gaze toward Blaine, his eyes saying "I love you," "I'm sorry," and "It will be okay," all at the same time. He took solace in the fact that he would not have to watch Blaine suffer anymore, for his life would soon be extinguished. The last punch caused the entire room to spin and sounds to come to his ears with a faint echo. He heard Blaine's pained voice from between the privacy curtains and wished he could say he loved him. The blurred image of the floor got bigger and bigger as his body met the wood surface next to the bed. But he didn't black out. He wasn't dead yet. His head was screaming, as were his limbs and torso. He couldn't imagine the mosaic of purples and blues that now colored his body. Elias surely didn't hold back in his abuse.

Kurt closed his eyes. The brightness of the lights in the apartment were making his head ache more, and he couldn't take it. He felt two hands grab handfuls of his shirt and they began to drag him back to the living area of the apartment, next to his crying fiance. Once the grip of his aggressors was released, Kurt just stayed as still as possible. Every slight movement only brought him more pain.

"Entferne ihn,"(5) Elias's voice reached Kurt's ears, but he knew nothing of what his words meant. The next thing he noticed was the sound of tape being ripped and Blaine's voice coming closer to him. He could only surmise that he had been removed from his chair and back to his knees. All of this occurred to the soundtrack of Blaine's protests which were effectively muffled.

A hand reached under Kurt's neck and lifted him from the floor and onto his knees. The room began to spin again, despite keeping his eyes closed. Leaning forward, Kurt let out a cleansing groan, trying to clear his lungs of the previous abuse. His head was throbbing. It hurt. The pounding in his temples just wouldn't stop. He just wanted this to be over, but the worst part was that he knew these men were only getting started. They had only dished out a small dose to Kurt so far. He couldn't even bring himself to think of the shit they would do to Blaine.

The light of the room snuck in as Kurt slowly lifted his eyelids. He pushed through the pain to get a glance at his lover. Despite the tape keeping any words from escaping his lips, Blaine's eyes spoke volumes of his love and concern for Kurt at that moment.

Elias moved his face so close to Kurt's that the stench of his breath stung his nostrils. Kurt winced and recoiled from the discomfort. His face was handled harshly by the German's hand and made to look into his eyes.

"What do you say now, knight? Have you had enough? Are you ready to confess that you have, in fact, just been committing a horrible sin against the Almighty? Do you swear to allow yourself to be cleansed?"

The tape was partially removed from Kurt's lips and left hanging on one side of his face. Elias's voice was becoming clearer and clearer with each word as Kurt realized he was regaining his senses. He stiffened his back and torso and sat up as straight as he could. He looked his captor dead in the eyes and shook his head, his lips in a straight line to show absolutely no falter in his will.

"Go fuck yourself." he asserted.

Elias paused, his face showing no reaction. Kurt could not tell if he was enraged or amused. When Elias raised his hand and snapped twice, he could only imagine what that meant. The tape was quickly resecured over Kurt's mouth. He watched as Christian approached Blaine from behind and reached out for one of his hands. Blaine began to struggle, not wanting this man to touch him. He began to panic, horrified by what was about to happen. It was then that Kurt's ears were plagued by the sound of bones cracking under pressure. Then he listened in agony as his lover howled painfully into his gag.

Kurt suddenly felt the entire left side of his body come in contact with the floor. Then the abuse showered over him in a continuous string of kicks to his abdomen. Pushing through the pain, he tried to catch a glimpse of Blaine to see if he was okay, but Christian and Peter were only doing the same thing to him. One of them buried his foot into Blaine's abdomen, then walked around him only to continue the same treatment on his back. The other executed a painful assault of punches to his face. He stole a glance at his lover's hand which showed two of his fingers turned at a sickening angle.

Both of them assumed that this was how they would die. Their assailants had had enough of their games and were ready to end the torture. They had grown bored of their captives and were content with throwing them out like trash. That was all the two of them were to these bigoted men. Useless, disgusting trash.

Blaine was certain that he was about to black out. Christian had landed so many punches to his jaw, cheekbones, forehead and neck that he had lost count. He could taste the iron on his tongue as the abuse surely caused his gums to bleed out. He was certain that he had bit his tongue a few times in response to the pain. He would either black out and die from the shock and internal bleeding, or he would choke on his own blood, unable to spit it out with the tape covering his lips.

"Genug!"(6) Elias's voice brought a stop to the violence for a moment. It was long enough for Benjamin and Christian to rip the tape from Blaine and Kurt's lips. Immediately they spat out blood in abundance and proceeded to cough uncontrollably. They sucked oxygen into their lungs like it was the last time they would have a chance. Blaine couldn't tell, but the left side of his face, especially along his cheekbone, was beginning to form a deep bruise. A cut on his forehead bled profusely, dripping into his eyes. More blood spilled out of the corner of his mouth, which was an indication that he was either bleeding internally or Christian had loosened one or more of his teeth. He could smell iron in his nostrils, and the feeling of hot liquid just above his lip told him that his nose was also bleeding.

He remained there, staring up at the ceiling blankly, trying desperately to catch his breath. The skin of his wrists burned and stung as the rope continued to scratch and pull at it. His ankles ached from the strain he put on them by trying to escape his bonds.

"Just stay alive, Blaine. That's all you have to do." he repeated in his head, trying to convince himself that he could go on. It was interrupted as Elias's face appeared in his line of vision, standing over him. Blaine scoffed in disgust and looked away. His face was grabbed harshly and forced to look at Elias.

"How about we ask the little bird what he thinks," he said mockingly, "are you ready to be cleansed?"

With a furrowed brow, Blaine mustered all of the strength he had left and sat up so he was nose to nose with Elias,

"Fuck you," he spat a healthy portion of blood onto his aggressor's face and fell limply onto the floor. His moment of rest was not long. Shortly after Elias backed away and wiped his face of the saliva and blood, he approached Blaine once more and brought his foot harshly against his abdomen again and again. When he stopped after five doses of the abuse, Blaine barely had time to recuperate before he felt two hands envelop his throat in a vice grip.

"No! Let him go! He can't breathe, take your hands off him!" Kurt's voice sounded as if it were coming from far away. Blaine was beginning to lose awareness as he could not bring air into his lungs. His heartbeat pounded in his temples and Elias leaned in harder. He pulled Blaine's face to within millimeters of his own and it was then that Blaine witnessed the unbridled rage in this man's eyes. He had absolutely no remorse for what he was doing and his actions were fueled by pure animalistic fury.

"Herr Weber!" Peter yelled, bringing his comrade back to reality. His snap back from his trance caused him to release Blaine from his grip. His captive collapsed and remained still for a moment.

Kurt watched Blaine hit the floor and then proceed to gasp in mouthfuls of air. He moved to his side and doubled over, coughing profusely and bringing up more blood from his mouth. The breathing patterns resembled those of an individual who had just come back from the verge of drowning. Strangely enough, Kurt was happy to hear him gasping. It meant he was still alive and he was still fighting.

Christian only gave him a few seconds and then forced Blaine back to his knees. Kurt felt the rough hands of Benjamin moving him into a similar position. He leaned in closely, using his shoulder to help steady his fiance. Moving his mouth close to Blaine's ear, he whispered,

"I'm here. I'm not leaving you."

Blaine seemed to be leaning toward the affection. Kurt was his anchor to the familiar and the comfortable. Kurt answered in kind by resting his cheek on the top of Blaine's head. It was the only hug he could muster in his bound state. All either of them wanted to do at this moment was to disappear. What had either of them done to deserve this treatment? They had loved each other. They loved each other and they were both men. Why was that a sin? How could there be such prejudiced people in this world? Why was a certain type of love so evil? Because it didn't fit in a particular box?

Kurt was aware of Elias standing next to him, holding the Bowie knife dangerously close to his face. At that moment he didn't care. His attention was focused on Blaine and his well being. Elias was speaking to him but he heard nothing. His priority was assuring his fiance could breathe. He watched Blaine's chest moving in and out, in and out, while hoping that he could continue to ignore his attacker without consequence.

"That's it, focus on your breathing. You've got this." he whispered into Blaine's ear. The dark haired man lifted his head, expelling a lot of energy to do so, and looked into Kurt's eyes. His face looked back in agony, letting Kurt know that he just wanted all of this to be over.

"Don't give up, Blaine. I'm not going to let you give up. Remember what I told you? I've said it so many times. I'm Never saying goodbye to you"

The feel of cold steel on his face made him stop with a loud gasp. Kurt looked at Blaine again, who matched his fear with wide eyes, staring at the Bowie knife now resting against his face. All he wanted to do was to grab it and rip it away, and he pulled on the rope around his wrists. He risked a look at the German and he felt the blood drain from his face. No emotion existed in this man's face. He was a stone.

He uttered something in German and then moved the knife to rest against Kurt's ribcage on the left side of his body. Thanks to the shirt that had been ripped open, there was clear access to Kurt's skin. He could still feel the coldness of the steel and made sure he kept stock still. The blade shook against his skin and Kurt began to wonder if Elias was afraid of what he was about to do.

"Haven't you had enough of this?" Kurt asserted as he stared into the German's blue eyes. It was then that he realized the knife wasn't trembling from his fear, but his unbridled rage. Kurt was trying to think of what else to say when he felt the cold steel slash across his ribcage, digging in deeply as it moved. He doubled over, half out of self protection, the other out of shock.

"Kurt!" Blaine's voice echoed in his ears.

At first, he felt no pain. He was completely paralyzed by what had happened, mostly because he couldn't get a good look at the extent of the damage. He tried looking at his midsection, but could only see torn clothing. That's when the Bowie knife appeared on the other side of his body and once again moved in the swift motion. Kurt saw more of his clothing get torn and this time felt the cold sting of the metal against his skin. The Bowie knife was stained red, with drops of his blood flowing from the tip and finally staining the wood floor below it.

"I think it is clear that we cannot cure these sinners. It is time to prepare them for their penance. We will always be the superior race and these poor shits will never know what it means to feel our greatness. You may begin, Peter." The tone of Elias's voice was condescending and arrogant. He gestured to his lieutenant who stood waiting next to the kitchen stove. Not moments after receiving orders from his captain, Peter turned the knob on the front of the stove, causing the flames of the burner to dance to life. The edge of the metal rod, which had been laid there previously, was engulfed in fire and quickly changing from black to red.

"Oh God," Kurt thought to himself, "this is it. Garret said this was what they did right before they planned to kill them. Blaine and I have a narrow window to get out of this."

"You're wrong." Kurt was caught off guard. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Blaine was speaking.

Elias looked at him with curiosity. His face seemed to be offering Blaine the challenge of continuing.

"Oh? Why is that, little bird?" Elias asked, sounding almost playful.

Despite having endured so many injuries up till now, with his face displaying the result, Blaine did not falter in his words. Kurt had the inkling that Blaine was also aware of this possibly being their last moments. He was going to say what he had to say with confidence, authority even.

"You dicks are so obsessed with making everyone as good as you. And you wonder why there are so few of you left. Well, it's because you have failed. That's why you fled from Germany and that's why your fathers were defeated. You can't change us because we will always be better than you and your intolerance. All you're doing right now is holding on to hope that you won't have to feel so petty and insignificant in your sad little lives. You have to remove the people who make you look like monsters. Well, guess what? There will always be more of us. And love will always win, no matter how many of us you try to cleanse. You are more alone than you think."

Kurt could see the skin on Elias's face turn red. He was afraid that, in no time at all, Blaine would be at the receiving end of a very unpleasant punishment for his remarks.

"You're nothing," with a scoff, he finished his speech with a resolute, "and I pity you."

"They're just cowards, aren't they, Blaine? Cowards who prey on the innocence of others. They know they will never have what we have, so they have to take it from us. I pity them too." he and Blaine exchanged glances and nodded in agreement before Blaine turned back toward the German.

No words were exchanged. Elias and Blaine were locked in a nonverbal argument with their eyes burning into one another. The rest of the captors looked on in both bewilderment and disgust. What felt like hours were actually seconds before Blaine realized he was being held around the shoulders from behind. Elias moved swiftly and reached out with an iron grip on the front of Blaine's shirt. A forceful tug separated the buttons from the seams. Elias pulled it open, exposing his chest. Blaine was about to protest when Christian's free hand clamped over his mouth and pulled his head back, immobilizing him.

He couldn't see anything but the textured paint on the ceiling. His hands uselessly pulled at the rope as he made a futile attempt to spit out protests from behind Christian's hand. And then the pain hit him like a train. The searing, white hot agony that was literally burning into his skin. The broken fingers from moments before were a walk in the park compared to the horror he was now experiencing. And just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, his nostrils were plagued by the scent of burning flesh. The smoke from the hot metal brand rose into the air making Blaine come close to vomiting. He screamed with all the power he had left in his lungs. He screamed like his life depended on it. He screamed until he had no voice and he was thrown onto the floor like a ragdoll.

Kurt could only try to protest as he watched all of this torture unfold. Benjamin had walked up behind him and held him tightly in his arms, silencing him with his hand over his mouth. When he finally saw Blaine fall to the floor with his mouth open but no longer able to scream, he just wanted to go to him. He wanted to hold him and tell him that everything would be okay.

His thoughts were interrupted as he watched Peter approach him with the hot metal rod. He did everything he could to fight against Benjamin, but there was no way he could match his strength. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to hit him.

"NO! Let him go, you assholes! Stop! STOP!" Blaine's hoarse and weakened protests from the floor went unheeded.

It felt like someone was ripping the skin from his body, one layer at a time. He too let out a scream unlike anything he ever had before. The smell of his own flesh burning like meat on a spit entered his nose. The bile began to climb into his throat as he was released from Benjamin's grip. As soon as Kurt's body met the floor, he emptied the contents of his stomach. He mustered enough energy to turn his gaze toward Blaine, his eyes flowing with tears and his breath coming in short gasps of sadness.

Blaine looked closely at the burn on his lover's chest. Surrounded by a thick rectangular frame was the word "sünde." Just like when he saw it on Garret's skin, he did not know what it meant, but he was certain it was something demeaning and cruel. He and Kurt just stared at each other as they slumped down in a heap, nearly defeated. They had both hoped to muster enough energy to survive this hell, but at this moment they were both feeling ready to give in.

The Germans backed away from their prey, chuckling with a feeling of triumph and satisfaction. It was short lived, however, as they were suddenly made aware of the bright flashing of red and blue lights against the darkening sky. Kurt and Blaine had also taken notice and quickly turned their gaze toward the faces of their abusers, only to receive the gratification they so deeply deserved. All four of the Germans frantically looked around at each other in a panic. Elias turned toward Kurt, who smiled,

"It looks like we have friends after all."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Elias began shouting orders at his subordinates in German. Blaine and Kurt were pushed onto their stomachs as Christian and Benjamin cut away the rope from their wrists and ankles. After collecting the rope from the floor, they both stuffed it into the duffel bag and made their way out the door toward the fire exit. Peter deposited the rest of the weapons, zipped up the bag and exited the apartment, closely behind his comrades.

Blaine forced himself to his feet with the minute amount of energy that remained in his muscles. Painfully, he worked his way over to his fiance who remained in a heap on the floor. Kurt looked at him with an expression of relief that Blaine could only return. Smiling down at him, Blaine took Kurt's hands and pulled him to his feet being careful of his broken fingers. They embraced like they would never have the chance to do so again. Kurt rested his head on Blaine's shoulder and immediately began to sob. As the tears burned his eyes, Blaine affectionately began to stroke his lover's back, trying his best to comfort him.

As they both heard the shouts of law enforcement from outside the window, Elias's voice filled the room,

"I guess I will just have to send you both to hell myself!"

Blaine turned his attention to Elias and was immediately aware of the gun pointed at them. Everything happened in a split second. Blaine placed both of his hands on Kurt's chest and, with all his might, pushed him back toward the living room. Kurt could barely comprehend what was happening before he hit the furniture and bounced to the floor. Amidst the tumble, two loud pops stung his ears as he let out a yelp and covered himself in a defensive effort, facing away from his attacker.

Kurt remained on the floor, holding himself and not wanting to move. He heard Elias mutter something angrily in German followed by his rushed footsteps approaching him. He had to act quickly as his eyes searched for some kind of weapon. Suddenly they fell upon the discarded pepper spray can under the coffee table. Before Elias could comprehend what was happening, Kurt had turned around and emptied the pepper spray into his face. The original plan of depositing a bullet in Kurt's head was abandoned as he exited the apartment groaning in agony. All he could hear now was the sound of the police forcing their way through the building entrance. The apartment was otherwise silent. Silent. His heart nearly stopped as he made a sudden realization. The adrenaline in his body took away the pain for a split second as he turned back to where he had been standing moments before.

The bile once again began to creep up into his throat as he looked at Blaine. He was sprawled on the floor with his eyes closed and two gunshot wounds in his abdomen.