Death Prompt

chapter 1: Inara

Captain Dedrick zipped up his trousers and laughed evilly, openly excited with the digusting deed he'd just done. He looked to his right side, to his first mate.

"Bobby, kill the whore when yur done with'er. Don't need 'er fer' nuthin."

Kaylee shot up from the chair she'd been sitting in, feeble and afraid. "No!" She hit the floor, face suddenly bleeding, after the first mate stuck her mercilessly with the back of his hand.

Dedrick laughed again. "Don't beat 'er too bad. Need 'er to fix what she broke, get this ship runnin' 'fer her crew gets back." He grabbed Kaylee up by her hair and dragged her out of Inara's shuttle, shutting the hatch behind him.

Working in the engine room with a gun to her head, Kaylee heard a shot from Inara's shuttle and dropped her hands from the engine, no longer caring about the cold steel of a pistol forming a circle in her skin.

She didn't move, and disregarded the sound of the cocking pistol.

Suddenly, Jayne showed up at the door, quiet as a mouse. She noticed him before Dedrick did, and the evil whoon dahn dropped dead behind her.

Kaylee stood up and ran past Jayne, rushing to Inara's shuttle.

She reached it soon enough, and tears fell silently when Mal walked out of Inara's shuttle, her limp form in arms.

Kaylee was sure it was the first and last day she'd ever seen a tear fall from her captain's eyes.