Dog Days

Chapter 63

A/N: Trigger warning: assault, ptsd, sexual harassment

At 7:12, the television flashes the sigil of The Sanctuary, over the news. In a flash, it cuts from the news and I take a swig as I look over the same dirt basement as yesterday.

The only distinct difference is the large wooden post anchor to the ground in the middle of the room. There's anchoring hooks on the front of it, and I know what it is, immediately.

I take in a startled breath as I hear Steve whisper "Shit." I tip the bottle back, again, in hopes of drowning the pain.

Hela asks "What is that?"

We're all deafeningly quiet, and she just looks at us for information, before Heimdall sighs "It's a whipping post."

I take a deep breath as the large metal door swings open. Five men hold onto him as they lead him through the door and over to the whipping post. Both his hands and feet are chained, with barely any room for movement.

The only clothes he wears are the dirty pants that he wore the day of the attack. They're ripped around his calves and barely holding together around his waist. They've been soiled, by the looks of it, probably due to the fact he's gone some time without access to a toilet and free hands.

His hair is dirty, yet still loose with curls. His skin is as porcelain as ever, yet you can visibly see the filth he's been exposed to.

A pronounced bruise covers his upper arm, Steve asks "What is that?"

I take a deep breath and remind "They've been drugging him up. They haven't been too nice about it." I look over the blue and green bruising "He's not high, now. The bruising is healing. They want him in withdrawal."

As they chain him to the whipping post, he stares in front of himself. He stares with a look of pure rage and confidence. Most people would think he's scary, but I see that he's enjoying the thrill of the game ahead of him.

He has a sadistic smile on his face as he asks "Do you really think me this weak, Thanos?"

Thanos steps into view of the camera and speaks, assertively "Every man breaks." He looks him over as he walks around him "Question is, how long will it take to get you to bend?"

Loki looks at him with a hint of amusement "Vienna." Thanos stops for a moment, and I can see Loki has figured something out.

Finally, he speaks, softly "Technically about ninety minutes away from Vienna." A sinister smile grows on his face as he declares "Your father broke faster than any man I could have imagined!"

Thanos turns back to him as Loki remarks "He bought child slaves for harvest, didn't he? Food was so scarce that he needed slaves to mill the wheat and produce the bread to get your village through the winter! While the slaves starved in the kitchens!"

Thanos sets his jaw, and a shell shocked look floods his face as Loki remarks "That is, unless your father brought us into his bed!"

Loki chuckles at Thanos's reaction and declares "That is, until I drove a dagger through his heart." He tilts his head and asks "How many times did he take you into his bed, before he moved onto the child slaves? At that point, you were too big for his desires."

Thanos opens his mouth to speak, only Loki asks "Did you cry for him? Or did you mourn the kill you wanted, so poorly?"

Thanos tries to force out any words, but Loki continues "I was only eleven, when I killed your father and saved those children. And your village collapsed over the famine that overtook it." He gives him a smug smile "Perhaps it was the fire I set to the fields."