Act IV cont – Amity

Simon dragged Mal out from under the pile, narrowly avoiding a fist aimed at his head. “I think we should leave,” he said loudly.

“Couldn’t agree more.” Mal kicked someone in the crotch, who fell away, holding the affected area and keening. “Get the others.” He sidestepped a couple pummelling each other on the floor, coming up behind Jayne but staying out of arm’s length. “We’re going,” he shouted above the noise.

“Aw, hell, Mal,” the big man said, grabbing two heads and banging them together, dropping the resultant bodies like ragdolls. “It’s just a fight.”

“And they’re passengers. Come on, get them and let’s get out.” Mal elbowed a man trying to pull him around and felt cartilage burst in his nose.

“Mal …”

“Just do it!”

-

“Guns?” Zoe suggested.

Freya shook her head slightly. “I don’t know …”

River came out onto the catwalk above them, quiet as a ghost.

-

Simon ducked as a bottle was swung at his head, getting in two jabs to the belly that caused his assailant to drop the improvised weapon, gasping for air. Stepping back he felt rather than saw someone fall forwards, onto the bottle, and heard the crack of broken glass. He winced, reaching down to turn the injured man over, but someone grabbed him and pulled him backwards off his feet.

-

Kaylee stared out into the black. “Someone hurt?” she asked.

-

“Thought you promised Zoe you wouldn’t gamble,” Mal said, pulling a man intent on throttling him off his pilot.

“She ain’t here!” Hank wheezed.

“So it …” Mal paused, throwing an uppercut that could have shattered teeth. “So it only counts when she’s around?”

“I wasn’t cheating!” Hank ducked a chair.

“People don’t seem to believe you.” Someone hit him a glancing blow to the side, and he kicked back, hearing a howl.

“Don’t I look honest?” He noted a coin on the floor and bent down, thus avoiding a body thrown into the bar.

Mal grabbed him. “Hank. It’s time to leave.”

-

“Frey, if they need help –“ Zoe beg