The Black Swan (Bucky Barnes x OC)

Chapter 8

Kreischberg, Austria
December 19th, 1943

Katherine and Bucky felt like they were in one of those horror movies they used to watch on Sunday nights. If possible, that room was even creepier. But none of them were conscious about the danger that was awaiting them until Dimitri ordered his men to hang Katherine in the middle of the room, with both legs and arms held by a chain that was too high for her to be able to stand properly.

Half of her feet were in the air as the skin on her wrists began to open to bear the weight of her own body. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as she thought; which was weird because she could feel the wounds already.

What concerned her the most was the inability to see what was happening behind her.

She was facing the dirty and musty wall without being able to see any of them, but they were staring directly to her back. Bucky on the other hand, he was free. They didn't hang him, they just let him stand there with three guards behind him to keep him from hurting the General in an intent to stop whatever he was about to do to Katherine.

In that position, all he could do was watch.

"We are going to play a game, Katerina..." Dimitri said, approaching her until he was right behind her, her back pressed to his torso and his hand caressing her neck, stopping on her shirt "I will ask a question, and if you refuse to answer.... Well, you'll see"

Before she knew it, both of the General's hands grabbed the back of her shirt and ripped it apart, leaving her back exposed to everyone in the room and making her jump from fear and cold . She had no idea what was happening, she couldn't see any of them but Bucky was the one who screamed in desperation when he saw the barbed whip one of the guards was holding in his hand.

He began to walk towards them, but the two other guards quickly held his arms behind his back to hold him still, seeing that he couldn't be trusted to stand still when it came to protect Katherine.

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THAT? THIS IS BARBARIC" he screamed.

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut, Sergeant, if you don't want to get a couple of those too"

"I'LL TAKE THEM, I'LL TAKE THEM FOR HER"

"Take what? James, what are you talking about?" Katherine screamed, turning more and more desperate every second.

"Silence!"

He was tired of the wining and the sacrifice of those two. It was boring and unnecessary because if everything went as he planned it, Barnes wouldn't get out of there alive and Katherine would leave the room unconscious. "Now answer my question, what did Steve Rogers tell you in that letter"

Silence.

Silence.

More silence.

And a wider smile appeared on Dimitri's face.

"Maybe this helps you remember"

"NO!"

Katherine heard Bucky scream behind her, but there was no way for him to do something. She didn't know why he was so desperate until a burning pain spread all across her back and through her whole body. From the moment she felt the whip meeting her skin and making its way through her flesh with the barbs, she realized that being injected with the serum again would have been a much better option.

Less painful.

Less humiliating.

She couldn't hold the scream that left her throat because the pain was unbearable, it took the air away from her lungs and the strength away from her feet that were trying to keep her standing.