A/N- Just a warning this chapter is pretty dark and violent. You've been warned.
"Looks like this is the place." Hansel commented as they approached a small wooden bridge spanning a rushing stream.
Hansel and Gretel dismounted their horses and tied them to a tree. Once their rides were secured they both readied their crossbows and cautiously headed over the bridge and knelt behind a thicket of brambles. Through the tangle of thorns they could see a small run down shack. Animal skins hung from the walls and a pile of rusted traps sat beside the crooked front door.
"I don't know, it doesn't look like a witch's lair." Hansel whispered.
"We should still check it out." Gretel replied determinedly.
Hansel sighed and looked down to make sure his weapon was drawn and ready. When he glanced back up Gretel was already halfway to the cabin her crossbow aimed in front of her.
Dammit Gretel! Hansel thought. She was being reckless and impulsive. Hansel knew she was angry about the idiot in town who had hassled her and the fact that they'd been run out of town because of it, but she was going to get them both killed if she kept acting this way.
Feeling like he had no other choice Hansel stepped out into the open and followed Gretel. He lost sight of her as Gretel opened the door and stepped into the darkness of the cabin. She was out of his sight for less than a second when he heard her scream. All thoughts of being cautious left Hansel's mind with that one scream. He instantly sprinted to the cabin, breaking the old wooden door as he burst through it.
What he found inside the cabin was not what he had been expecting. He'd been prepared to find his sister fighting a witch. Instead he found Gretel being held by the man, Gustav, from the night before. He had her hair wrapped around his fist so tightly that her head was forced back exposing her pale white neck. A neck that currently had a knife pressed to it so hard that a thin line of blood was already staining her skin.
"Hansel watch out!" Gretel screamed, her eyes focusing behind Hansel.
Hansel turned around just in time to avoid the knife being thrust at his back. Hansel recognized the knife wielding man from earlier that morning; he was the one who had tipped them off about the cabin. With ease Hansel hit his arm, knocking the knife to the ground. In another instant his crossbow was pointed directly at the man's chest.
"Stop or I slit her throat!" Gustav shouted.
Hansel's finger eased off of the trigger but he didn't lower his weapon. "You hurt her and I kill your friend here." He threatened, looking over his shoulder at the man holding his sister.
Gustav scoffed and tightened his grip on Gretel's hair and shook her roughly. "Go ahead. You think I care? You kill him and I kill your bitch of a sister. Now put down the crossbow and step over to that corner."
Hansel looked over his should surveying the distance between him and Gustav, trying to calculate whether he could free his sister before Gustav could hurt her. He quickly realized that freeing her before Gustav could slit her throat was going to be impossible. Sighing in defeat Hansel dropped his weapon to the ground and followed Gustav's friend to the corner. Hanging from the wall was a long chain ending in shackles.
"Chain him up Anders. Make sure he's facin this way so he can watch." Gustav yelled, having to shout over the profanities flowing from Gretel as she realized that her brother was going to be chained up.
Anders grabbed Hansel's shoulder and spun him around so that he was facing his sister and her attacker. Without any warning Ander suddenly slammed the butt of Hansel's crossbow into his head. Hansel was only able to stay on his feet for a few seconds before everything went black.
He woke up to a nightmare. It was the ticking of his timer which roused him from unconsciousness. The sound was winding down getting slower and quieter which meant it had been ringing for quite some time. The way his body felt also told him that he was long overdue for his medication. His body was wracked with pain and it was hard to breathe. His arms were shackled above his head, pulled so tight that his muscles burned and shook from being stretched for so long. All these facts he cataloged in his head in a matter of seconds.
Seeing his sister made everything happening to him disappear in an instant. Gretel was stretched out in front of him on a long wooden table which was probably meant for skinning and cleaning animals. Her arms were tied above her head to the table and her ankles were similarly tied to the foot of the table.
"Oh good you're finally awake. That means we can start." Gustav quipped merrily, his voice dripping with sadistic glee.
Gustav pulled out a long silver hunting knife and smiled widely as he moved to Gretel's head. He pressed the flat side of the blade to Gretel's face and drew it down her cheek in a gentle almost loving manner. Gretel flinched away from the cold metal and gave Gustav an icy glare.
"Seems that we got some unfinished business." He said as he continued to rub the knife over Gretel's face.
"You disrespected me ya little bitch. I don't stand for that. This here is my town you're in and I ain't one to stand for some little girl thinkin she's too good for me."
Gustav placed slammed the knife down into the table right next to Gretel's head, once again making her flinch. He knelt down so that his face was a mere inch away from Gretel's.
"I want you to take a good long look at what you did to my face." He sneered and turned his cheek so that the angry red cut filled Gretel's vision.
Moving with a slow cold precision Gustav drew the knife blade down Gretel's face; cutting her so that she had a long cut matching the one she'd given him. Gretel clenched her teeth against the pain and glared at Gustav refusing to give him the satisfaction of crying out.
Hansel raged against his chains, screaming obscenities and threats at Gustav. He'd known anger before, but seeing someone hurt Gretel while she was defenseless caused a blind burning wrath like he'd never known before.
Anders' stepped away from the table and hit Hansel across the face with a long metal piece of pipe. Hansel slumped to the ground and didn't move.
"God dammit Anders! You better not of killed him yet. I got plans for this little lady and I want her brother watching the whole time." Gustav shouted.
Anders cringed against the outburst and leaned over Hansel to check his pulse. Hansel popped up with shocking speed and wrapped his ankles around the wormy man's neck. With a swift twist Hansel broke the man's neck and let the body slump to the ground in a lifeless heap.
Gustav showed little reaction to the death of his friend. He smiled at Hansel and slowly began to cut Gretel's clothing from her body.
"That was a mistake killin Anders and now I'm gonna have to punish this little bitch here for what you did." Gustav growled as he continued to cut away at Gretel's clothes.
He smiled triumphantly as he cut through the bindings of her corset and ripped it apart to bare her breasts. Hansel felt his blood run cold as the disgusting man licked and sucked at Gretel's breasts. He could see his sister shudder with revile. Her resolve to not cry out shattered a moment later when Gustav climbed on top of her and began to thrust into her.
For a second; which in Hansel's mind seemed to last forever, Gretel met his eyes. He could see pain and fear in her eyes, but what was worse was the look of shame. He knew that she didn't want him to see what was being done to her.
After a few minutes Gustav groaned and shuddered on top of Gretel. Once he climbed down from the table he untied Gretel's hands and feet. Hansel hoped that he was finished and would leave now that he'd taken what he wanted. Moving with the agility of a cat Gretel leapt from the table and scrambled to grab the crossbow.
Gustav smiled widely, enjoying the game he was playing, and grabbed Gretel by one ankle. She slammed to the ground right at Hansel's feet. Her head connected with the wooden floor so hard that Hansel could feel the vibration of the impact. Blood from her cut cheek splattered onto Hansel's boots. She stared up at her brother with a dazed look which quickly turned to panic as Gustav began pulling her back towards the table.
Gretel screamed as Gustav lifted her back up to the table and slammed her down so hard that the air rushed from her lungs. Her body went limp as she slipped into unconsciousness and didn't fight as Gustav pulled the rest of her clothing off and once again began to rape her.
"Gretel wake up!" Hansel shouted as he watched her being ravaged while totally helpless.
Hansel pulled desperately at his chains, drawing blood from his wrists as he scraped them raw against the metal. His body began to shake violently and his vision became blurry. Hansel knew it was the sugar sickness getting to him. He was far past due for his medication. Too bad Anders had stripped him of all his gear and thrown it onto the table above Gretel's head. He could see the pouch containing his medicine tantalizingly out of his reach. The shaking became so bad that his legs gave out and he fell to the ground, the chains pulling painfully at his arms as he hung limply from them.
Gretel moaned and opened her eyes. Gustav's face filled her vision, red and twisted with exertion as he thrust into her over and over.
Hansel's vision began to dim, it now seemed like Gretel was falling away from him down a long dark tunnel. He did his best to stay awake, to keep his eyes locked on his sisters so that she would know he was there for her, that he wasn't leaving her. He held onto her gaze as long as he could. He ignored the shaking of his body, and the horrible pains that ran through him like fire. No matter how much it hurt he knew it was nothing compared to what his sister was experiencing. His last thought before he slipped away was that he wished he could tell his sister once more how much she meant to him.
He wished he could tell her he loved her…
A/N- Thank you again for everyone who is reading. Big super thanks to the people who review, it's awesome that there are people enjoying my story.