Amy
A year and a half passed since we left Michelle and Jane in their apartment. As the year passed, the 23 year old started getting paid for her internship. She and Jane became closer friends. Lucky for her, she hadn't seen Marsha since last time. The spankings she was accustomed to were less frequent - about once every two weeks. Michelle had simply gotten used to them. They still hurt like hell, but she was ever so used to them. Especially since they were never for anything major.
Butttt then this happened...
One night in March, Michelle got to the apartment building at midnight with her friend Amy. Amy had literally no idea about Michelle's spankings. No one did, outside of Michelle, Jane, and Marsha. She preferred it that way.
"Alright, so what's the deal for tomorrow?" Amy asked.
"My roommate's gonna be out of town for the day, so come over and we'll hang."
"You know I don't think I've ever really met your roommate. What's she like?"
"..eh. She's older. She's alright I guess."
"Cool. So, 2?"
"Sure."
"Alright, later."
Michelle walked into the lobby and checked the clock - 12:02 AM. Shit! Michelle took out her phone to find it dead. Dammit. She had told Jane she'd be back by 10. No wonder her phone never went off.
She headed upstairs and got into her room. As she quietly closed the door behind her, the lights went on, scaring her a bit. There, sitting on the couch, was Jane, arms folded.
"Hey, my phone died," Michelle said in a somewhat cool tone.
"I noticed. You were two hours late."
"Yeah, my phone died. I didn't g-"
"Bare your bottom."
Michelle just sighed. It was pointless to fight – she was going to get a spanking. But since this was a minor offense, it probably wouldn’t last long or hurt too much. With that sense of very minor relief in her head, Michelle kicked off her shoes and placed them to the side before she walked over to the couch and stood before Jane. She was wearing a skirt, which she removed and dropped on the floor. Michelle had learned from experience that Jane wasn't a fan of just lifting a skirt as it fell down back too easily, aggravating her, and Jane preferred a completely bare ass, so whenever a spanking came in a skirt, Michelle just took it off.
The next step would, normally, be for Michelle to pull her panties down to her knees and to lay across Jane's lap. However, she decided to give a test to something, and she climbed over Jane's knee, praying for the off chance that she might spank on the small pantied barrier instead. But Jane's hands went straight for the waistband to push them down. She stopped a third of the way down the ass.
"Michelle, you should know by now that ALL your spankings are bare bottomed. When I say bare your bottom, you drop your pants AND your underwear." Jane said sternly. "Stand up." Michelle stood up, facing Jane. "Hands on your head," was the next command. Michelle did as she was told. This was normal routine in the case where Jane pulled Michelle's panties down herself, which happened often. In these cases, Jane would usually sit down, have Michelle turn her back to her, and she'd lower her panties for her. These were on the times when, for whatever reason, she got to them before Michelle could pull them down.
“You don’t need to take them off, you just need to lower them... if you can't take them down, I'll take them down for you. You're a grown woman, I shouldn't HAVE to pull your panties down for you."
"You shouldn't HAVE to take them down at all..." Michelle muttered. Jane got an attitude.
"ALL your spankings will be on your bare ass, as they always have been. I do not spank on pants or underwear, you know this. Bare ass is embarrassing and vulnerable, which is perfect for punishment. Which is WHY I spank you. So if I ever give you a 4 hour long spanking, the entire 4 hours WILL be on your bare ass."
"A 4 hour spanking?" Michelle asked, sarcastically.
"I'm making a point. And if I had to spank you for 4 hours, if I felt you deserved it, I'd spank you for 4 hours. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But, like I said. They will always be on your bare ass. So now your panties come down. And since, for whatever reason a 22 year old woman doesn't understand how to pull her panties down when told, I will pull them down for you from now on."
"It's okay, I got it."
"No. From now on, I'll pull them down for you, like I'm about to now." This was usually the time when Jane would tell Michelle "Turn around," and Jane would lower Michelle's panties from the ass. But this time, Jane took the sides of Michelle's panties and began pulling them down. As the panties got just below Michelle's crotch, she dropped her hands to cover up. Jane stopped, holding the panties.
"Put your hands back on your head! I didn't tell you to take them down. I DID tell you to do that with your panties, but you left them up."
"Yeah, but when you take them down this way usually you're facing my ass. I don't want you to see down there!"
"Michelle, I've seen it before. And I'll probably see it again. Lord knows I've seen your bottom more times than I can count. Hands back up." Michelle sighed and did what she was told. Jane returned to the panties.
"You've probably seen my ass more than my parents ever did," Michelle commented. Jane stopped and looked up at Michelle.
"And I'll see it every time it's necessary to warm it. I will give you a spanking every single time you deserve it. It will always be on your bare ass. If I have to spank you every single day, so be it. Tonight you're getting a spanking for being late. And your attitude is getting you into more and more trouble tonight. Now, legs together," was the next command. This was the next usual command that would follow, as Michelle put her legs together. Jane slid the panties a little bit down the thighs, and let go so they fell all the way down to Michelle's ankles without stopping. When Michelle pulled her panties down, she stopped around the mid-thigh or knee. But when Jane was pulling them down, if there were no pants, they would fall to her ankles. She then pat her lap, which Michelle got back over. Jane took a look at the ass in her lap.
"Your tan lines are gone," Jane commented.
"Well, it IS March," Michelle responded. Jane began rubbing Michelle's ass.
"All white, all white. But I'll be making this all red before the night is through."
Jane began the spanking. Like all of her doled out spankings, it was hard and fast paced, back and forth between the cheeks. The sound of slapped butt cheeks filled the room, as it did on a regular basis. Michelle cringed and moaned, but Jane pressed onward.
"This is what you get for coming home late," Jane said, not breaking the spanking pattern.
"Ow, but it's so late, shouldn't you be in bed? Ouch!" Michelle managed to get out. As much as she was used to getting spanked by this woman, it still hurt a lot.
"Well I'm not going out til 1 pm, and it's only midnight. I've got time," Jane warned, dishing out the spanking. Michelle's butt cheeks jiggled as the mighty hand of Jane struck down upon them repeatedly.
SMACK SMACK SMACK
As the minutes passed, Jane kept her pace going. Michelle squeezed the couch and shook as the spanking continued. She squealed and moaned as her ass began to turn a light shade of red. Finally, after around 10 minutes, Jane stopped.
"Now, I initially was just going to give you 1000 with my hand. Which I just did. But your attitude and your failure to take your panties down appropriately annoyed me, so you'll get more. Up." Michelle stood up and began rubbing her ass. Jane slapped her ass again before she stood up, making her squeal. "Don't rub. Rubbing eases the pain. I want you to feel the pain. Do NOT rub."
Jane stood up and went into her bedroom. Michelle stood there, desperately wanting to rub her ass but holding back on the temptation. Jane returned with the wooden hairbrush. Naturally. Jane resumed her position on the couch, and patted her lap, and Michelle got over again.
"Now, I'll give you another 1000 with the brush. Hopefully that corrects your problem for the night." Michelle gulped.
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!
Jane's rapid fire spanking only worsened for Michelle's ass with the firm brush. This made her squeal and shake even more. Jane stuck to her usual pattern of alternating between each cheek per smack.
Michelle shook, and as the minutes passed, tears welled up in her eyes. The brush ALWAYS hurt. After another minute or so she began sobbing,
"I'm sorry! I won't have an attitude! I'll take my panties off! Please!" Jane kept going, no sympathy.
"We'll be done when I feel we're done." The smacks still wailed, as Michelle's cries wailed. It was almost torture to hear the smacks non-stop, feeling their wrath on her ass.
After another few minutes, Jane stopped.
"Well. I think that's good enough for the night. Up." Michelle stood up, and began rubbing her ass as she stopped sobbing. Jane stood up, with another command. "Bend over the couch." Michelle did so without hesitating, sticking her red ass out. Jane examined it.
"Hmm.. nice. It's red all over, but I don't feel the heat. I don't think I've been as hard a spanker lately. That'll have to change. But, you're done for the night. Goodnight." Jane took her hairbrush, went into her bedroom and shut the door.
A wet-cheeked and sore-cheeked Michelle pulled her panties up, picked up her skirt, and went into her room. As ritual, she took her panties off in her room and laid down on her belly on the bed, letting her sore butt cool off. She was grateful that Jane would be gone tomorrow, and that she could enjoy time in the apartment WITHOUT worry of a spanking...
The next morning, Michelle woke up around 10 AM with a somewhat sore ass. She went to her mirror and dropped her shorts and panties, inspecting her bare ass in the mirror. The redness was gone, but remnants of the sting remained. At least Jane was gone for the day and she would be able to heal.
She ate breakfast and showered in peace, and afterwards got dressed in a black T-shirt with The Beatles on it and blue basketball shorts.
At 2 pm, Amy arrived.
"Hey, where's your roommate?" she asked, walking in the door.
"Out of town, she had a business meeting or something," Michelle said, closing the door behind her.
"That's cool. So, whaddaya wanna do?"
"Pizza and a movie?"
"Pizza and a movie. We're like successful girls, except we succeed at sucking. Ha."
"Hey, speak for yourself!"
Michelle and Amy ordered pizza and sat on the couch eating pizza while watching Mean Girls.
"I think this is Tina Fey's best work," Michelle commented with cheese in her mouth.
"No way. 30 Rock is way funnier."
"Yeah, but that's a TV show."
"Alright. But either way it's better than Baby Mama."
"Ohhh yeah."
It was 5:30 PM. As the movie played, the two laughed. Michelle was happy.
Aaand then Jane walked in.
Michelle's heart dropped when she heard the key go into the lock. She quickly jumped up to get rid of the pizza, but it was too late. Jane walked into the apartment.
"Michelle, I'm home, an-" the 50 year old woman stopped when she saw the two 22 year olds on the couch with pizza. Jane slammed the door shut. "And you're eating on the couch... with a guest." Michelle jumped up nervously,
"Uh, yes. We were just, uh,"
"Breaking the rules. Again," Jane cut her off, stepping into the kitchen and putting her bag down and taking her coat off to put it on a chair. Michelle walked in after her.
"I'm sorry!"
"Uh, hi," Amy began standing up. "I'm Amy, and-" Jane turned to Amy.
"And Michelle brought you in here without asking me, violating one of the rules in the contract. No bringing in friends or anyone without getting permission."
"I.. don't understand. Michelle, don't you guys go half on rent?" Michelle gulped.
"Er.. not exactly."
"She told you we split rent? And not that I pay the bigger half?" Michelle's face went red. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't the only thing going red as Jane walked over to the couch and sat down. "Michelle, come here. You know what's coming." Michelle got terrified. She walked over to Jane in a hurry.
"Not now! Not with her here, please!"
"Yes, right now. I don't care that she's here," Jane said, already having her hands on Michelle's shorts.
"Come on! Not now! Please!" Michelle frantically begged. Amy walked over.
"What's not now?"
"Oh, you don't know about Michelle's punishments?"
"..n-no?" Michelle felt like her world was about to end. She was red in the face and felt like she was going to fall over.
"Well, I'll show you. If Michelle lied to you about rent, she may have lied to you about what happens when she breaks the rules."
"Breaks the rules? What? Does she get a time out or something? Haha."
"Michelle, bare your bottom." Amy didn't think she heard that correctly.
"Uh, what?"
Michelle, almost on the verge of tears of crying out of embarrassment, put her hands on shorts waistband and pulled them down to her knees.
"Uh, Michelle, what's happening?"
Michelle, almost ignoring Amy, slowly took her purple panties with stars on them and pulled them down too, letting them fall into her shorts.
"Okay, what the fuck?"
Michelle then climbed over Jane's lap. Jane rubbed the ass in her lap.
"In case she didn't tell you, whenever Michelle breaks a rule, she gets a spanking." Michelle felt like she was going to die of embarrassment. Amy had never seen her bare ass before - but now she was seeing it over the lap of a roommate!
"A spanking? Is this some kind of weird sex thing?"
"Not at all. Say, Amy. I'm thinking of a number. It's 4 digits. Can you guess it?"
"Uh...5000?"
"5000 spanks it is, then," Jane said. She then began the usual hard hitting back and forth. Michelle's ass cheeks jiggled as Jane began the epic spanking. Amy's eyes went wide as Michelle started kicking her legs and whimpering out of pain.
"What the fuck is happening here?! Michelle, you LET her do this to you?!" Jane, not stopping spanking or looking at Michelle's ass, answered,
"Michelle signed a contract. I pay the bigger half of the rent, and I have a set of strict rules to follow to keep the apartment nice and livable in. When Michelle breaks a rule, she gets a bare. bottom. spanking." Amy almost seemed mesmerized by the spanking she was watching.
"I don't know how to feel about this...does this happen often?" Michelle couldn't answer. She felt the lump in her throat - she knew if she started to speak, she would start crying of embarrassment and pain. Jane, however, never broke the spanking, and answered,
"It happens every few days. Michelle finds herself over my knee with her bare ass getting a proper spanking punishment. Hopefully, Michelle will learn to follow the rules so this becomes unnecessary. But until that day, I will keep. giving. her. spankings."
Jane's red hand prints begin to appear prominently on Michelle's white, punished butt. As the minutes went on, Michelle moaned and eventually started crying. She kicked her legs but Jane kept on spanking. Amy sat there awkwardly, still trying to process the scene in front of her: her best friend being spanked like a child by her roommate on her bare ass. It was unsettling for her. 10-15 minutes passed of non stop spanking before Amy finally spoke.
"I just. I don't have the words. You're REALLY hitting her bare ass and leaving marks."
"Yep."
"And you're gonna spank her 5000 times?!"
"Yep. We're on spank 2646, 2647, 2648.."
"This is some fucked up shit. I'm pretty sure this is abuse."
"Nope. Not abuse. It's a spanking. Perfectly legal."
"But you're hurting her!"
"I'm supposed to. That's what a spanking is. It's punishment."
"This is some weird shit. Michelle, I can't believe you never told me that you live with someone who does.. THIS to you!" Michelle just sobbed in reply. Jane actually stopped spanking.
"You know, if you keep talking, I MAY lose count, and would have to start ALL over again from 1," she said. Michelle shook in fear. Jane resumed spanking. "2750, 2751.." Amy stood up.
"This is crazy. I'm leaving."
"No no, please. This is excellent punishment for Michelle. Extra humiliation. Stay and watch the rest of her spanking," Jane replied, not stopping.
"No. Fuck this. I'm telling someone about this, this isn't right." Jane stopped spanking again, annoyed.
"You know. I'm spanking Michelle to 5000, and you will stay here and watch as part of her punishment. If you leave, I WILL start her spanking over again and go to 10,000. So, unless Michelle wants you to leave..." Michelle shook her tear-soaked head furiously towards Amy.
"NO! STAY! PLEASE!"
Caught in a bad situation, Amy just shrugged and sat down. Jane resumed the spanking.
After another 15 minutes, Jane stopped again. She shook her hand a bit - her hand was sore. Michelle's ass was deep red all over. She had stopped crying but had just been moaning in pain and embarrassment. Her ass was burning. Amy was still feeling upset and uncomfortable about the goings-on.
"We're at 4500 spanks. 500 more to go. My hand is all sore though. Michelle, stand up." Michelle did as she was told. As Jane was about to walk away, she turned to Michelle, "Do not rub your ass." Jane walked off to her room, leaving Michelle and Amy alone for the first time since Jane came home. Amy stared at her, speechless, arms folded. Michelle didn't say anything or even look at her friend. Jane returned from her bedroom with the hairbrush. She sat back on the couch, patting her lap. Michelle climbed back over.
"What're you gonna do now? Brush her hair?"
"No. Spank her with it." Jane resumed spanking Michelle's ass with the brush. Michelle yelped and winced as the brush came down on her already burning behind. She gripped the couch cushion and shook her legs as Jane brought down the blows of the wooden devil on to Michelle's posterior. 10 minutes later, the job was finished.
"4999, 5000. Good thing Amy didn't say 9999, or we'd only be halfway there," Jane said. Michelle was crying, her ass in flames. "Stand up," Jane demanded. Michelle did as she was told. "Your spanking is over. Goodnight, Michelle. Goodnight, Amy." Jane returned to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
Michelle stood there, shorts and panties around her ankles, head in her hands, crying. Amy broke the silence after a minute or so.
"You okay?" Michelle turned to her.
"No. I'm not okay."
"Jeez, let me see." Michelle turned her ass to Amy. Amy got a close look- a dark red. She felt the heat coming off the ass cheek. "Jesus, she burned you up."
"This happens every few days..." Michelle said, sniffling.
"She beats your ass to this level every few days?!"
"No...not always this bad. This was the worst spanking I've ever gotten. 5000. Thanks."
"Hey, I didn't know!"
"She had me over her lap with my ass out!"
"I still didn't know! Don't get bitchy with me! I stayed so you wouldn't get an additional 10,000 spanks!"
"Ughhh. I know. I'm sorry."
"So. You wanna pull up your pants now?"
"Actually. Could you do me a favor? Run to CVS and buy me some cream to put on my ass to dull the pain?"
"You don't have that already?"
"No..I never thought about it until just before when she was spanking me with the brush."
"That's insane."
"Sometimes..she uses a paddle."
"Fucking shit. Alright, I'll go get you the cream." Amy hugged Michelle.
"And just do me a favor. Please. Don't tell ANYONE about this. No one knows except Jane, me, and now you. PLEASE. I don't want anyone to know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but... c'mon."
"No, I understand. I'll be back soon."
Amy left and came back 20 minutes later with healing cream. Michelle laid down on the couch and Amy gently massaged the red ass with it for a good 10 minutes. Once the cream was massaged in, Amy said goodnight and left.
It was 9pm. Michelle was in her room, laying on her bed while browsing Facebook on her phone. She was in just a shirt. Her ass was still a shade of dark red, but the cream had taken the sting out of it just a little.
Jane was in her room, on her phone, talking to Marsha.
"Yes. I just gave her the hardest spanking ever. Although, a friend gave me the number 5000 to use. But it was her hardest spanking yet."
"You're STILL spanking her? She's been living there almost two years now! She's still breaking the rules?"
"Unfortunately yes. It's not as bad as it used to be, such as the days when I was spanking her every night for a week straight. It's not THAT bad anymore. But still. Every 2-3 days I have to spank her."
"That's insane."
"And tiring. I have things to do. I can't be up all night spanking her every single night."
"If you want, I can move in and handle that. Or take an apartment in the same building. I'll spank her whenever she's out of line. And trust me, she'll never be out of line again."
"Oh, no. I don't want to put you through that trouble. It's just exhausting that every other day I find myself having to punish her. Last night she didn't even pull her panties down when I told her to bare her bottom. She got over my knee with them on! I had to take them down for her!"
"After all this time, YOU had to take her panties down? That's ridiculous. I would make her get completely naked if she did that to me."
"That might be a little much."
"Try it."
"Well, I told her from now on, I'D be taking her panties down for her."
"You shouldn't have to. She's in her early 20s. From the moment you tell her "Bare your bottom," her pants and underwear should be down at her ankles and she should be over your knee or bending over or whatever the case may be. You should take her panties down for a bit, and then test it. If she doesn't take them down when instructed or if she ever gets over your knee with them on, you undress her completely and spank her nude. That'll teach her."
"I'll keep that in mind. It's just frustrating that after every time she steps out of line I punish her, and still she breaks the rules."
"Well. Maybe the punishments aren't enough."
"How so? I spank her to tears often."
"Do you have a cane?"
"Yes. But I don't use it. I never have. That's for extreme cases."
"Maybe you should cane her more often then. It could help."
"I see."
"Plus. It's likely that she's someone that has to be shown not to get out of line, instead of being reprimanded for getting out of line."
"How do you mean?"
"She breaks a rule, you give her a spanking as punishment. But days later she's breaking another rule. It's likely that the punishment isn't sticking. So you might need a little more than that to ensure that she follows the rules and knows what's coming."
"She already knows what's coming."
"Well...do you remember what I did to you?"
"..yes."
"There we go."
"..hm."
At 10 pm, Michelle's door opened and in stepped Jane. Michelle was still on her stomach, ass out. It wasn't as red as it was but it still glowed red. The stinging had gone down but was still prevalent.
"I'm glad you're still up. There was something I wanted to discuss with you," Jane said. She then noticed the cream on the dresser. "What's that?" she asked.
"That's healing lotion. I put it on my ass to... alleviate the pain." Jane walked over and read the label before taking it hold.
"Do not use this."
"What?! Why?!"
"Why do I spank you, Michelle?" Michelle rolled her eyes.
"For punishment."
"And punishment not only means that I'm going to make your spankings hurt, but that you must endure the full pain. So the same way I tell you not to rub, I'm going to tell you NOT to use this ever again. I'll be throwing it out. And if I catch you with it again..."
"C'mon Jane."
"No. As part of the punishment for breaking rules, you are to endure the full pain without any relief. Is that understood?"
"Ugh. Fine. Yes."
"Michelle, unless you want another 1000 on your already hurting behind, I'd cut the attitude."
"Fine! I'm sorry. Really."
"Good. Now. I came in here to discuss something with you."
"What's that?"
"Every time you break a rule that I've set, I give you a spanking. And yet, rules continue to be broken."
"I'm sorry, it's ju-"
"No no. Let me speak, please. You made a crack last night that I've seen your bare bottom more than your parents have. And it's true. I constantly am punishing your bare bottom. After almost 2 years, you'd think I wouldn't. But I am. I didn't know what to do. So I spoke to Marsha." Michelle shuddered at the name. She felt scared. Just the name alone was terrifying.
"M-Marsha?"
"Yes. Don't you remember her? My friend who-"
"Yes. I remember her."
"Good. I explained my dilemma to her. How I spank you for punishment but rules still break. She and I agree that maybe the punishment spankings aren't enough for you to keep you in line. Marsha suggested moving into the apartment to be closer to me and to take over punishing duties. She'd be the one spanking you whenever you got out of line." Michelle's eyes went wide. She felt her heart beat in her chest. This couldn't be happening. Anything but Marsha.
"No... PLEASE."
"Calm down. That's not happening. Not yet, at least." Michelle gulped. "What was decided is that, maybe if you're feeling the punishment BEFORE you break a rule, maybe you WON'T be breaking rules anymore."
"I..I don't understand."
"Well. Starting tomorrow, you're going to be getting daily spankings from me."
"..daily spankings? Are you serious?"
"Yes. Obviously punishment spankings aren't enough. So from now on, every morning, I'm going to give you a spanking."
"Every single morning?! Please. No. C'mon! I won't break any more rules!"
"Michelle, I've heard that countless times since you've moved in, and here we are now and your ass is as red as a firetruck. Obviously it's not enough. So from now on, you're going to get daily spankings every single morning." Michelle couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was a nightmare.
"So... every single morning?"
"Yes. I'll have the schedule made up. But every morning I will give you a spanking. Hopefully that deters you from breaking a rule, with your bottom properly punished first thing in the morning. Hopefully you carry it throughout the day to remind you of what happens when a rule is broken."
"So if you spank me in the morning, that means no more punishment spankings?"
"Absolutely not. You will get daily spankings, and if you break a rule, of course you will STILL be spanked. If it means you getting two spankings a day, so be it." Michelle gulped. She knew she had to somehow win in this situation.
"So the daily spankings won't have to be so hard since I'm not TECHNICALLY being punished.. right?"
"Not at all. They have to serve as punishment spankings. So, in that case. I guess the daily spankings will be like the spankings you get now. And the punishment spankings will be much harder than they usually are."
"C'mon, Jane. Please. This is getting insane!"
"No. I've made up my mind. This will start tomorrow morning. What time do you have your internship?"
"I'm off tomorrow," Michelle said, realizing immediately how fucked she was now.
"Excellent. As am I. 9 am tomorrow, out in the living room area. Your first daily spanking. Now, I know I usually go by implement and number of spanks, adjusting by how bad your punishment should be based on what rule was broken or what you did wrong. But since daily spankings are not so much punishment for something specific as much as they are maintenance spankings to keep you from getting into trouble, I'm going to borrow Marsha's method of going by time. So your daily morning spankings will be one hour every morning."
"An hour?! You can't spank me that long!!"
"I can, and I will."
"But you've never spanked me that long!"
"Because your punishment never called for time-oriented punishment as much as it did an amount to spank and how hard to spank. But as these are maintenance spankings meant to keep you in line and stop you from breaking any rules, it makes sense to go by time. And an hour seems perfect."
"C'mon, Jane, you can't, an-"
"I can, and I will. Unless you're going to move out right now?" Michelle kept quiet. She KNEW that wasn't an option. "That's what I thought. So 9 AM, tomorrow morning. Be out in the living room for your first hour-long daily spanking. Goodnight." Jane walked out and shut the door behind her.
Terrified of what lay ahead, Michelle put her face in her pillow and cried herself and her burning ass to sleep, a brief escape from this living fucking nightmare.
A year and a half passed since we left Michelle and Jane in their apartment. As the year passed, the 23 year old started getting paid for her internship. She and Jane became closer friends. Lucky for her, she hadn't seen Marsha since last time. The spankings she was accustomed to were less frequent - about once every two weeks. Michelle had simply gotten used to them. They still hurt like hell, but she was ever so used to them. Especially since they were never for anything major.
Butttt then this happened...
One night in March, Michelle got to the apartment building at midnight with her friend Amy. Amy had literally no idea about Michelle's spankings. No one did, outside of Michelle, Jane, and Marsha. She preferred it that way.
"Alright, so what's the deal for tomorrow?" Amy asked.
"My roommate's gonna be out of town for the day, so come over and we'll hang."
"You know I don't think I've ever really met your roommate. What's she like?"
"..eh. She's older. She's alright I guess."
"Cool. So, 2?"
"Sure."
"Alright, later."
Michelle walked into the lobby and checked the clock - 12:02 AM. Shit! Michelle took out her phone to find it dead. Dammit. She had told Jane she'd be back by 10. No wonder her phone never went off.
She headed upstairs and got into her room. As she quietly closed the door behind her, the lights went on, scaring her a bit. There, sitting on the couch, was Jane, arms folded.
"Hey, my phone died," Michelle said in a somewhat cool tone.
"I noticed. You were two hours late."
"Yeah, my phone died. I didn't g-"
"Bare your bottom."
Michelle just sighed. It was pointless to fight – she was going to get a spanking. But since this was a minor offense, it probably wouldn’t last long or hurt too much. With that sense of very minor relief in her head, Michelle kicked off her shoes and placed them to the side before she walked over to the couch and stood before Jane. She was wearing a skirt, which she removed and dropped on the floor. Michelle had learned from experience that Jane wasn't a fan of just lifting a skirt as it fell down back too easily, aggravating her, and Jane preferred a completely bare ass, so whenever a spanking came in a skirt, Michelle just took it off.
The next step would, normally, be for Michelle to pull her panties down to her knees and to lay across Jane's lap. However, she decided to give a test to something, and she climbed over Jane's knee, praying for the off chance that she might spank on the small pantied barrier instead. But Jane's hands went straight for the waistband to push them down. She stopped a third of the way down the ass.
"Michelle, you should know by now that ALL your spankings are bare bottomed. When I say bare your bottom, you drop your pants AND your underwear." Jane said sternly. "Stand up." Michelle stood up, facing Jane. "Hands on your head," was the next command. Michelle did as she was told. This was normal routine in the case where Jane pulled Michelle's panties down herself, which happened often. In these cases, Jane would usually sit down, have Michelle turn her back to her, and she'd lower her panties for her. These were on the times when, for whatever reason, she got to them before Michelle could pull them down.
“You don’t need to take them off, you just need to lower them... if you can't take them down, I'll take them down for you. You're a grown woman, I shouldn't HAVE to pull your panties down for you."
"You shouldn't HAVE to take them down at all..." Michelle muttered. Jane got an attitude.
"ALL your spankings will be on your bare ass, as they always have been. I do not spank on pants or underwear, you know this. Bare ass is embarrassing and vulnerable, which is perfect for punishment. Which is WHY I spank you. So if I ever give you a 4 hour long spanking, the entire 4 hours WILL be on your bare ass."
"A 4 hour spanking?" Michelle asked, sarcastically.
"I'm making a point. And if I had to spank you for 4 hours, if I felt you deserved it, I'd spank you for 4 hours. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But, like I said. They will always be on your bare ass. So now your panties come down. And since, for whatever reason a 22 year old woman doesn't understand how to pull her panties down when told, I will pull them down for you from now on."
"It's okay, I got it."
"No. From now on, I'll pull them down for you, like I'm about to now." This was usually the time when Jane would tell Michelle "Turn around," and Jane would lower Michelle's panties from the ass. But this time, Jane took the sides of Michelle's panties and began pulling them down. As the panties got just below Michelle's crotch, she dropped her hands to cover up. Jane stopped, holding the panties.
"Put your hands back on your head! I didn't tell you to take them down. I DID tell you to do that with your panties, but you left them up."
"Yeah, but when you take them down this way usually you're facing my ass. I don't want you to see down there!"
"Michelle, I've seen it before. And I'll probably see it again. Lord knows I've seen your bottom more times than I can count. Hands back up." Michelle sighed and did what she was told. Jane returned to the panties.
"You've probably seen my ass more than my parents ever did," Michelle commented. Jane stopped and looked up at Michelle.
"And I'll see it every time it's necessary to warm it. I will give you a spanking every single time you deserve it. It will always be on your bare ass. If I have to spank you every single day, so be it. Tonight you're getting a spanking for being late. And your attitude is getting you into more and more trouble tonight. Now, legs together," was the next command. This was the next usual command that would follow, as Michelle put her legs together. Jane slid the panties a little bit down the thighs, and let go so they fell all the way down to Michelle's ankles without stopping. When Michelle pulled her panties down, she stopped around the mid-thigh or knee. But when Jane was pulling them down, if there were no pants, they would fall to her ankles. She then pat her lap, which Michelle got back over. Jane took a look at the ass in her lap.
"Your tan lines are gone," Jane commented.
"Well, it IS March," Michelle responded. Jane began rubbing Michelle's ass.
"All white, all white. But I'll be making this all red before the night is through."
Jane began the spanking. Like all of her doled out spankings, it was hard and fast paced, back and forth between the cheeks. The sound of slapped butt cheeks filled the room, as it did on a regular basis. Michelle cringed and moaned, but Jane pressed onward.
"This is what you get for coming home late," Jane said, not breaking the spanking pattern.
"Ow, but it's so late, shouldn't you be in bed? Ouch!" Michelle managed to get out. As much as she was used to getting spanked by this woman, it still hurt a lot.
"Well I'm not going out til 1 pm, and it's only midnight. I've got time," Jane warned, dishing out the spanking. Michelle's butt cheeks jiggled as the mighty hand of Jane struck down upon them repeatedly.
SMACK SMACK SMACK
As the minutes passed, Jane kept her pace going. Michelle squeezed the couch and shook as the spanking continued. She squealed and moaned as her ass began to turn a light shade of red. Finally, after around 10 minutes, Jane stopped.
"Now, I initially was just going to give you 1000 with my hand. Which I just did. But your attitude and your failure to take your panties down appropriately annoyed me, so you'll get more. Up." Michelle stood up and began rubbing her ass. Jane slapped her ass again before she stood up, making her squeal. "Don't rub. Rubbing eases the pain. I want you to feel the pain. Do NOT rub."
Jane stood up and went into her bedroom. Michelle stood there, desperately wanting to rub her ass but holding back on the temptation. Jane returned with the wooden hairbrush. Naturally. Jane resumed her position on the couch, and patted her lap, and Michelle got over again.
"Now, I'll give you another 1000 with the brush. Hopefully that corrects your problem for the night." Michelle gulped.
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!
Jane's rapid fire spanking only worsened for Michelle's ass with the firm brush. This made her squeal and shake even more. Jane stuck to her usual pattern of alternating between each cheek per smack.
Michelle shook, and as the minutes passed, tears welled up in her eyes. The brush ALWAYS hurt. After another minute or so she began sobbing,
"I'm sorry! I won't have an attitude! I'll take my panties off! Please!" Jane kept going, no sympathy.
"We'll be done when I feel we're done." The smacks still wailed, as Michelle's cries wailed. It was almost torture to hear the smacks non-stop, feeling their wrath on her ass.
After another few minutes, Jane stopped.
"Well. I think that's good enough for the night. Up." Michelle stood up, and began rubbing her ass as she stopped sobbing. Jane stood up, with another command. "Bend over the couch." Michelle did so without hesitating, sticking her red ass out. Jane examined it.
"Hmm.. nice. It's red all over, but I don't feel the heat. I don't think I've been as hard a spanker lately. That'll have to change. But, you're done for the night. Goodnight." Jane took her hairbrush, went into her bedroom and shut the door.
A wet-cheeked and sore-cheeked Michelle pulled her panties up, picked up her skirt, and went into her room. As ritual, she took her panties off in her room and laid down on her belly on the bed, letting her sore butt cool off. She was grateful that Jane would be gone tomorrow, and that she could enjoy time in the apartment WITHOUT worry of a spanking...
The next morning, Michelle woke up around 10 AM with a somewhat sore ass. She went to her mirror and dropped her shorts and panties, inspecting her bare ass in the mirror. The redness was gone, but remnants of the sting remained. At least Jane was gone for the day and she would be able to heal.
She ate breakfast and showered in peace, and afterwards got dressed in a black T-shirt with The Beatles on it and blue basketball shorts.
At 2 pm, Amy arrived.
"Hey, where's your roommate?" she asked, walking in the door.
"Out of town, she had a business meeting or something," Michelle said, closing the door behind her.
"That's cool. So, whaddaya wanna do?"
"Pizza and a movie?"
"Pizza and a movie. We're like successful girls, except we succeed at sucking. Ha."
"Hey, speak for yourself!"
Michelle and Amy ordered pizza and sat on the couch eating pizza while watching Mean Girls.
"I think this is Tina Fey's best work," Michelle commented with cheese in her mouth.
"No way. 30 Rock is way funnier."
"Yeah, but that's a TV show."
"Alright. But either way it's better than Baby Mama."
"Ohhh yeah."
It was 5:30 PM. As the movie played, the two laughed. Michelle was happy.
Aaand then Jane walked in.
Michelle's heart dropped when she heard the key go into the lock. She quickly jumped up to get rid of the pizza, but it was too late. Jane walked into the apartment.
"Michelle, I'm home, an-" the 50 year old woman stopped when she saw the two 22 year olds on the couch with pizza. Jane slammed the door shut. "And you're eating on the couch... with a guest." Michelle jumped up nervously,
"Uh, yes. We were just, uh,"
"Breaking the rules. Again," Jane cut her off, stepping into the kitchen and putting her bag down and taking her coat off to put it on a chair. Michelle walked in after her.
"I'm sorry!"
"Uh, hi," Amy began standing up. "I'm Amy, and-" Jane turned to Amy.
"And Michelle brought you in here without asking me, violating one of the rules in the contract. No bringing in friends or anyone without getting permission."
"I.. don't understand. Michelle, don't you guys go half on rent?" Michelle gulped.
"Er.. not exactly."
"She told you we split rent? And not that I pay the bigger half?" Michelle's face went red. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't the only thing going red as Jane walked over to the couch and sat down. "Michelle, come here. You know what's coming." Michelle got terrified. She walked over to Jane in a hurry.
"Not now! Not with her here, please!"
"Yes, right now. I don't care that she's here," Jane said, already having her hands on Michelle's shorts.
"Come on! Not now! Please!" Michelle frantically begged. Amy walked over.
"What's not now?"
"Oh, you don't know about Michelle's punishments?"
"..n-no?" Michelle felt like her world was about to end. She was red in the face and felt like she was going to fall over.
"Well, I'll show you. If Michelle lied to you about rent, she may have lied to you about what happens when she breaks the rules."
"Breaks the rules? What? Does she get a time out or something? Haha."
"Michelle, bare your bottom." Amy didn't think she heard that correctly.
"Uh, what?"
Michelle, almost on the verge of tears of crying out of embarrassment, put her hands on shorts waistband and pulled them down to her knees.
"Uh, Michelle, what's happening?"
Michelle, almost ignoring Amy, slowly took her purple panties with stars on them and pulled them down too, letting them fall into her shorts.
"Okay, what the fuck?"
Michelle then climbed over Jane's lap. Jane rubbed the ass in her lap.
"In case she didn't tell you, whenever Michelle breaks a rule, she gets a spanking." Michelle felt like she was going to die of embarrassment. Amy had never seen her bare ass before - but now she was seeing it over the lap of a roommate!
"A spanking? Is this some kind of weird sex thing?"
"Not at all. Say, Amy. I'm thinking of a number. It's 4 digits. Can you guess it?"
"Uh...5000?"
"5000 spanks it is, then," Jane said. She then began the usual hard hitting back and forth. Michelle's ass cheeks jiggled as Jane began the epic spanking. Amy's eyes went wide as Michelle started kicking her legs and whimpering out of pain.
"What the fuck is happening here?! Michelle, you LET her do this to you?!" Jane, not stopping spanking or looking at Michelle's ass, answered,
"Michelle signed a contract. I pay the bigger half of the rent, and I have a set of strict rules to follow to keep the apartment nice and livable in. When Michelle breaks a rule, she gets a bare. bottom. spanking." Amy almost seemed mesmerized by the spanking she was watching.
"I don't know how to feel about this...does this happen often?" Michelle couldn't answer. She felt the lump in her throat - she knew if she started to speak, she would start crying of embarrassment and pain. Jane, however, never broke the spanking, and answered,
"It happens every few days. Michelle finds herself over my knee with her bare ass getting a proper spanking punishment. Hopefully, Michelle will learn to follow the rules so this becomes unnecessary. But until that day, I will keep. giving. her. spankings."
Jane's red hand prints begin to appear prominently on Michelle's white, punished butt. As the minutes went on, Michelle moaned and eventually started crying. She kicked her legs but Jane kept on spanking. Amy sat there awkwardly, still trying to process the scene in front of her: her best friend being spanked like a child by her roommate on her bare ass. It was unsettling for her. 10-15 minutes passed of non stop spanking before Amy finally spoke.
"I just. I don't have the words. You're REALLY hitting her bare ass and leaving marks."
"Yep."
"And you're gonna spank her 5000 times?!"
"Yep. We're on spank 2646, 2647, 2648.."
"This is some fucked up shit. I'm pretty sure this is abuse."
"Nope. Not abuse. It's a spanking. Perfectly legal."
"But you're hurting her!"
"I'm supposed to. That's what a spanking is. It's punishment."
"This is some weird shit. Michelle, I can't believe you never told me that you live with someone who does.. THIS to you!" Michelle just sobbed in reply. Jane actually stopped spanking.
"You know, if you keep talking, I MAY lose count, and would have to start ALL over again from 1," she said. Michelle shook in fear. Jane resumed spanking. "2750, 2751.." Amy stood up.
"This is crazy. I'm leaving."
"No no, please. This is excellent punishment for Michelle. Extra humiliation. Stay and watch the rest of her spanking," Jane replied, not stopping.
"No. Fuck this. I'm telling someone about this, this isn't right." Jane stopped spanking again, annoyed.
"You know. I'm spanking Michelle to 5000, and you will stay here and watch as part of her punishment. If you leave, I WILL start her spanking over again and go to 10,000. So, unless Michelle wants you to leave..." Michelle shook her tear-soaked head furiously towards Amy.
"NO! STAY! PLEASE!"
Caught in a bad situation, Amy just shrugged and sat down. Jane resumed the spanking.
After another 15 minutes, Jane stopped again. She shook her hand a bit - her hand was sore. Michelle's ass was deep red all over. She had stopped crying but had just been moaning in pain and embarrassment. Her ass was burning. Amy was still feeling upset and uncomfortable about the goings-on.
"We're at 4500 spanks. 500 more to go. My hand is all sore though. Michelle, stand up." Michelle did as she was told. As Jane was about to walk away, she turned to Michelle, "Do not rub your ass." Jane walked off to her room, leaving Michelle and Amy alone for the first time since Jane came home. Amy stared at her, speechless, arms folded. Michelle didn't say anything or even look at her friend. Jane returned from her bedroom with the hairbrush. She sat back on the couch, patting her lap. Michelle climbed back over.
"What're you gonna do now? Brush her hair?"
"No. Spank her with it." Jane resumed spanking Michelle's ass with the brush. Michelle yelped and winced as the brush came down on her already burning behind. She gripped the couch cushion and shook her legs as Jane brought down the blows of the wooden devil on to Michelle's posterior. 10 minutes later, the job was finished.
"4999, 5000. Good thing Amy didn't say 9999, or we'd only be halfway there," Jane said. Michelle was crying, her ass in flames. "Stand up," Jane demanded. Michelle did as she was told. "Your spanking is over. Goodnight, Michelle. Goodnight, Amy." Jane returned to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
Michelle stood there, shorts and panties around her ankles, head in her hands, crying. Amy broke the silence after a minute or so.
"You okay?" Michelle turned to her.
"No. I'm not okay."
"Jeez, let me see." Michelle turned her ass to Amy. Amy got a close look- a dark red. She felt the heat coming off the ass cheek. "Jesus, she burned you up."
"This happens every few days..." Michelle said, sniffling.
"She beats your ass to this level every few days?!"
"No...not always this bad. This was the worst spanking I've ever gotten. 5000. Thanks."
"Hey, I didn't know!"
"She had me over her lap with my ass out!"
"I still didn't know! Don't get bitchy with me! I stayed so you wouldn't get an additional 10,000 spanks!"
"Ughhh. I know. I'm sorry."
"So. You wanna pull up your pants now?"
"Actually. Could you do me a favor? Run to CVS and buy me some cream to put on my ass to dull the pain?"
"You don't have that already?"
"No..I never thought about it until just before when she was spanking me with the brush."
"That's insane."
"Sometimes..she uses a paddle."
"Fucking shit. Alright, I'll go get you the cream." Amy hugged Michelle.
"And just do me a favor. Please. Don't tell ANYONE about this. No one knows except Jane, me, and now you. PLEASE. I don't want anyone to know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but... c'mon."
"No, I understand. I'll be back soon."
Amy left and came back 20 minutes later with healing cream. Michelle laid down on the couch and Amy gently massaged the red ass with it for a good 10 minutes. Once the cream was massaged in, Amy said goodnight and left.
It was 9pm. Michelle was in her room, laying on her bed while browsing Facebook on her phone. She was in just a shirt. Her ass was still a shade of dark red, but the cream had taken the sting out of it just a little.
Jane was in her room, on her phone, talking to Marsha.
"Yes. I just gave her the hardest spanking ever. Although, a friend gave me the number 5000 to use. But it was her hardest spanking yet."
"You're STILL spanking her? She's been living there almost two years now! She's still breaking the rules?"
"Unfortunately yes. It's not as bad as it used to be, such as the days when I was spanking her every night for a week straight. It's not THAT bad anymore. But still. Every 2-3 days I have to spank her."
"That's insane."
"And tiring. I have things to do. I can't be up all night spanking her every single night."
"If you want, I can move in and handle that. Or take an apartment in the same building. I'll spank her whenever she's out of line. And trust me, she'll never be out of line again."
"Oh, no. I don't want to put you through that trouble. It's just exhausting that every other day I find myself having to punish her. Last night she didn't even pull her panties down when I told her to bare her bottom. She got over my knee with them on! I had to take them down for her!"
"After all this time, YOU had to take her panties down? That's ridiculous. I would make her get completely naked if she did that to me."
"That might be a little much."
"Try it."
"Well, I told her from now on, I'D be taking her panties down for her."
"You shouldn't have to. She's in her early 20s. From the moment you tell her "Bare your bottom," her pants and underwear should be down at her ankles and she should be over your knee or bending over or whatever the case may be. You should take her panties down for a bit, and then test it. If she doesn't take them down when instructed or if she ever gets over your knee with them on, you undress her completely and spank her nude. That'll teach her."
"I'll keep that in mind. It's just frustrating that after every time she steps out of line I punish her, and still she breaks the rules."
"Well. Maybe the punishments aren't enough."
"How so? I spank her to tears often."
"Do you have a cane?"
"Yes. But I don't use it. I never have. That's for extreme cases."
"Maybe you should cane her more often then. It could help."
"I see."
"Plus. It's likely that she's someone that has to be shown not to get out of line, instead of being reprimanded for getting out of line."
"How do you mean?"
"She breaks a rule, you give her a spanking as punishment. But days later she's breaking another rule. It's likely that the punishment isn't sticking. So you might need a little more than that to ensure that she follows the rules and knows what's coming."
"She already knows what's coming."
"Well...do you remember what I did to you?"
"..yes."
"There we go."
"..hm."
At 10 pm, Michelle's door opened and in stepped Jane. Michelle was still on her stomach, ass out. It wasn't as red as it was but it still glowed red. The stinging had gone down but was still prevalent.
"I'm glad you're still up. There was something I wanted to discuss with you," Jane said. She then noticed the cream on the dresser. "What's that?" she asked.
"That's healing lotion. I put it on my ass to... alleviate the pain." Jane walked over and read the label before taking it hold.
"Do not use this."
"What?! Why?!"
"Why do I spank you, Michelle?" Michelle rolled her eyes.
"For punishment."
"And punishment not only means that I'm going to make your spankings hurt, but that you must endure the full pain. So the same way I tell you not to rub, I'm going to tell you NOT to use this ever again. I'll be throwing it out. And if I catch you with it again..."
"C'mon Jane."
"No. As part of the punishment for breaking rules, you are to endure the full pain without any relief. Is that understood?"
"Ugh. Fine. Yes."
"Michelle, unless you want another 1000 on your already hurting behind, I'd cut the attitude."
"Fine! I'm sorry. Really."
"Good. Now. I came in here to discuss something with you."
"What's that?"
"Every time you break a rule that I've set, I give you a spanking. And yet, rules continue to be broken."
"I'm sorry, it's ju-"
"No no. Let me speak, please. You made a crack last night that I've seen your bare bottom more than your parents have. And it's true. I constantly am punishing your bare bottom. After almost 2 years, you'd think I wouldn't. But I am. I didn't know what to do. So I spoke to Marsha." Michelle shuddered at the name. She felt scared. Just the name alone was terrifying.
"M-Marsha?"
"Yes. Don't you remember her? My friend who-"
"Yes. I remember her."
"Good. I explained my dilemma to her. How I spank you for punishment but rules still break. She and I agree that maybe the punishment spankings aren't enough for you to keep you in line. Marsha suggested moving into the apartment to be closer to me and to take over punishing duties. She'd be the one spanking you whenever you got out of line." Michelle's eyes went wide. She felt her heart beat in her chest. This couldn't be happening. Anything but Marsha.
"No... PLEASE."
"Calm down. That's not happening. Not yet, at least." Michelle gulped. "What was decided is that, maybe if you're feeling the punishment BEFORE you break a rule, maybe you WON'T be breaking rules anymore."
"I..I don't understand."
"Well. Starting tomorrow, you're going to be getting daily spankings from me."
"..daily spankings? Are you serious?"
"Yes. Obviously punishment spankings aren't enough. So from now on, every morning, I'm going to give you a spanking."
"Every single morning?! Please. No. C'mon! I won't break any more rules!"
"Michelle, I've heard that countless times since you've moved in, and here we are now and your ass is as red as a firetruck. Obviously it's not enough. So from now on, you're going to get daily spankings every single morning." Michelle couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was a nightmare.
"So... every single morning?"
"Yes. I'll have the schedule made up. But every morning I will give you a spanking. Hopefully that deters you from breaking a rule, with your bottom properly punished first thing in the morning. Hopefully you carry it throughout the day to remind you of what happens when a rule is broken."
"So if you spank me in the morning, that means no more punishment spankings?"
"Absolutely not. You will get daily spankings, and if you break a rule, of course you will STILL be spanked. If it means you getting two spankings a day, so be it." Michelle gulped. She knew she had to somehow win in this situation.
"So the daily spankings won't have to be so hard since I'm not TECHNICALLY being punished.. right?"
"Not at all. They have to serve as punishment spankings. So, in that case. I guess the daily spankings will be like the spankings you get now. And the punishment spankings will be much harder than they usually are."
"C'mon, Jane. Please. This is getting insane!"
"No. I've made up my mind. This will start tomorrow morning. What time do you have your internship?"
"I'm off tomorrow," Michelle said, realizing immediately how fucked she was now.
"Excellent. As am I. 9 am tomorrow, out in the living room area. Your first daily spanking. Now, I know I usually go by implement and number of spanks, adjusting by how bad your punishment should be based on what rule was broken or what you did wrong. But since daily spankings are not so much punishment for something specific as much as they are maintenance spankings to keep you from getting into trouble, I'm going to borrow Marsha's method of going by time. So your daily morning spankings will be one hour every morning."
"An hour?! You can't spank me that long!!"
"I can, and I will."
"But you've never spanked me that long!"
"Because your punishment never called for time-oriented punishment as much as it did an amount to spank and how hard to spank. But as these are maintenance spankings meant to keep you in line and stop you from breaking any rules, it makes sense to go by time. And an hour seems perfect."
"C'mon, Jane, you can't, an-"
"I can, and I will. Unless you're going to move out right now?" Michelle kept quiet. She KNEW that wasn't an option. "That's what I thought. So 9 AM, tomorrow morning. Be out in the living room for your first hour-long daily spanking. Goodnight." Jane walked out and shut the door behind her.
Terrified of what lay ahead, Michelle put her face in her pillow and cried herself and her burning ass to sleep, a brief escape from this living fucking nightmare.