Disclaimer: I just love this little Verse that Mr. Whedon and friends created and own. I am so happy I can sneak in and visit.

The Butcher (3 of 4)

“It doesn’t matter. Take my word for it. We have to warn them that Fontaine is here.” Book pulled Wash along by the arm.

“I don’t think we can get a hold of them. Mal said he wouldn’t turn on his transceiver until they wanted to contact us, when the hostages were safe.” The Pilot was astonished at the Preacher’s behavior. This was the most excited he had ever seen him. His own anxiety was also growing, though. He stopped. “Who is this guy?”

“It doesn’t matter. Mal and Zoe will know who he is.” Book urged him into motion again.

Inara, who had stopped in the hatchway, stepped back as they entered. “Wash, please just do as he says!”

He threw up his arms in defeat and started jogging through the dining area. “Okay, okay! It’s going to take a few minutes to get Serenity ready. Someone needs to let anyone outside know we’re leaving. Don’t want to suck any unsuspecting souls into the engines.”

“I have to get the supplies to Simon.” Inara turned and headed for the infirmary.

The Shepherd followed her. “I’ll help you offload them.”

Wash called after him. “By the way, we don’t know where they are!”

Book shouted back. “We’ll just have to find them!”

*****

Rage threatened to overtake Mal. The Butcher was here. How was he still alive? How did he get here? His head ached, and he fought to slow his breathing and steady his aim.

Fontaine was standing on the far side of the camp, talking to a couple of his men. They were between him and his quarry. He waited for Fontaine to move into the open. This position wasn’t going to make it easy to defend, but he needed to be close to the hostages. Needed to be close enough to not miss. Close enough to kill Fontaine with the first shot.

He realized that too much time was passing. Shadows were beginning to lengthen and light reflected from the moon high overhead would not compensate. Zoe and Jayne would be getting anxious. The Captain pulled his gun to his cheek. He could not get a clear shot on Fontaine, so he would just have to fix that. He squeezed the trigger.

Before the sound of his shot faded, gunfire began to rain in from the hills. Three men dropped with the first three shots. The others in the camp began to scramble, trying to dodge bullets and firing wildly. Jayne and Zoe continued to shoot rapidly, sometimes hitting their marks, sometimes not. The frantic movement in the camp made the aim more difficult.

Mal focused all thoughts on Fontaine. He followed his target, but could not get a clear shot. The man seemed to know which way to go to stay out of harm’s way. Gorram his hide! He was working his way towards the hostages along with two others. They were keeping low and zigzagging, but definitely headed for the boy and his teacher.

*****

Serenity also zigzagged, but across wider expanses of the countryside. The Preacher, River and Kaylee were on the bridge with Wash. They all peered earnestly out of the windows. The only life they had seen so far were a few head of cattle and a handful of horses.

“It’s begun.” River stated flatly. “We’re too late.”

Kaylee touched her arm. “Can you tell us where they are?”

River screwed her eyes shut and shook her head. “They went different ways. North, but coming from the sun. Small water.”

“Small what? A Lake? A pond?” Wash glanced at River, then over at Book. “Are you sure this is the direction they came in?”

Without taking his eyes from the view, he nodded. “They headed northeast, but they may have turned in another direction. We’ve gone past a couple of trails already. Can we widen the search?”

“Yeah.” The Pilot turned the steering control and the ship banked around. “Maybe they haven’t caught up to them yet. I’m a little worried about what’ll happen to the boy if they spot us.”

“So am I, but it can’t be helped. Fontaine’s a cold blooded butcher. He lives to kill. And, he loves to kill by cutting people open. Slowly.”

Kaylee looked at the Shepherd with horror on her face. “How would Mal and Zoe know him?”

Book still didn’t take his eyes from the landscape. “Fontaine worked for the Alliance during the war. And, I mean worked. He was hired to find and slaughter as many Independents as he could. He is vicious and without a soul. He didn’t care who he killed, either, young, old, soldier or not. He was used extensively to get information from prisoners. Fontaine and his men were well known amongst Independent ranks. They were good at their job and well paid for it.”

“Is that legal?” Kaylee frowned. “I mean, aren’t there rules or somethin’?”

“Yeah, but that didn’t matter to some folk. Any thing it took to get the job done.”

Serenity made another turn. Conversation stopped as the four looked anxiously for signs of life on the ground.

*****

Mal felt it before he heard it. He also knew what it was before he heard it. He dare not look around, though. Fontaine was slowly making his way to the well. The gunfire continued, from Zoe and Jayne above and the scrambling kidnappers below. Mal saw two more men fall and another drop his weapon and grab at his shoulder.

A moment later, the hooves of four galloping horses pounded within inches of his prone body. He was peppered with dust and debris as they raced by and headed for the camp. As they came into his line of sight, Mal saw they were unsaddled, but Miguel was on one of them. Whoo dahn! What was he thinking!

Miguel let go of the reins of three of the horses, which scattered in the clearing, panicked by the chaos and noise. They turned this was and that, frightened by the gunfire coming from all around. Miguel rode to the horses tethered on the other side of the hollow, pulled his own up, jumped off and cut the tether. He was back on the horse and moving again in a second. Tied together, fourteen horses began to gallop. Miguel drove the horses away, disappearing over the hilltop.

Fontaine was not diverted by the gun battle going on around him. He was within thirty feet of the hostages, pushing two other men in front of him as a shield. He knew where the first shot had come from.

From their vantage points, Zoe and Jayne were surprised by the sudden appearance of Miguel and the horses. This was not part of the plan. As the men halted to avoid the panicky horses, it gave both of them an extra moment to aim and fire. Two more fell, one clutching his stomach and screaming.

Fontaine was nearing the well. The milling horses crossed between them and the Butcher still kept two of his men in front as a shield. When Mal killed one man, Fontaine dropped behind the body, using it as cover. The other man died, too, shot by either Zoe or Jayne. The remaining men were beginning to return fire less wildly, taking cover behind saddles or the bodies of their comrades.

Mal heard Fontaine yell. “Gorram fools! Someone catch the horses.”

One man grabbed the reins of a horse and swung up onto its back. He bent low over the animal’s neck and kicked its sides. Before they could get to the edge of the camp, the rider was hit from both sides and tumbled to the ground.

“Whoever you are, I’ll hold your beating heart in my hand after I take the boy’s scalp and hang it from my belt!” Fontaine’s voice was full of cold fury. “Then, I will go back and take very good care of his family!”

*****

“Almost over.” River voice was distant. The others glanced at her with worried expressions. Her eyes were unfocused, but moved rapidly as if watching something before her.

“We’re never going to find them this way.” Wash looked at the shadows beginning to grow in the shallow valleys. What’s the furthest they could have gotten in two days?”

Book shrugged. “We have to be close. Just keep going. I don’t think that Fontaine would worry too much about covering his tracks. He probably went straight for wherever he was headed.”

“It’s gonna be dark soon. We gotta find ‘em.” Kaylee strained to see as far as she could.

*****

Jayne tried to draw a bead on the man nearing the hostages. He was crawling on his belly, rolling a body before him. The circling horses blocked any shot, so he returned to the other remaining men. The shadows were engulfing the entire hollow and it would soon be almost impossible to tell the living from the dead. He saw movement on the right and swung the rifle around. He squeezed the trigger then stopped. He exhaled heavily. Good thing it wasn’t any darker or he would have taken Mal’s head off.

As he swung back to search for another target, the mercenary idly thought about what he would do with the reward money. This was the most interestin’ thing they’d done for a while, except for when they went to that whorehouse. Something even better was that they were being well paid for it. Well, he hoped they were being well paid. Mal hadn’t been exactly forthcoming with the amount they were going to get.

Zoe concentrated on pinning down or hitting as many of the kidnappers as possible. The situation ebbed and flowed by the second. Right now it wasn’t so good. The Captain had said to shoot to kill, but some of these vermin just weren’t cooperating very well. More than half of their number was down, but the others were getting harder to target. The three milling horses were not helping matters, but shooting them would make more shielding. She aimed at an exposed leg and squeezed the trigger. When the owner jumped in pain, Zoe killed him.

Fontaine was making slow but sure progress. Only twenty feet separated him from the well, while the Captain was more than twenty yards away. Mal rose to a crouch and began to make his way forward. A couple of shots hit the ground around him, but he kept going. He felt the sting of a bullet tear the skin on his left shoulder. His eyes remained on Fontaine’s position and he was only vaguely aware of what was going on around them. Mal had to let Zoe and Jayne take care of it.

The three horses were finally moving off, following the same path Miguel had taken. Most of Fontaine’s men were dead or wounded. The rest hid behind the dead or saddles, occasionally firing in the Zoe and Jayne’s direction. The boy and his teacher huddled down as best they could, trying to stay out of the line fire.

Then, Fontaine stopped and the gunfire slowed. Mal saw it come from the far side of the camp. The single horse appeared over the hill, Miguel on its back, riding as fast as he could towards the hostages. The other three horses wheeled to follow. His route would take him past Fontaine. Mal straightened from his crouch, dropped his rifle and pulled his handgun. He rapidly fired at the Butcher, but his cover was just good enough.

As Miguel neared Fontaine’s position, he reined in his horse. The old man didn’t know one of the bodies on the ground was alive and unharmed. The horse was almost halted when Fontaine leaped up and pulled Miguel off. The horse shied out of reach, then bolted towards Mal with nits three companions. The Captain jumped to avoid the fleeing animals.

In the moment it took Mal to regain his feet, the Butcher stood next to the boy with Miguel held tightly against himself, one arm looped under the old man’s arms. Miguel was a smallish man, but he was big enough to cover Fontaine. Mal, pistol in hand, advanced a few paces until he saw the knife. It was long and menacing, a knife used for killing.

On top of her hill, Zoe tried to get a shot at the man holding Miguel. The angle was all wrong and the shadows made splitting the target from the hostage too difficult. She swore in frustration. She had watched the action between this man and the Captain from the start. Something more than the kidnapping was going on here. Keeping an eye on the men littered around the tiny valley, Zoe began to make her way down the hill.

“You should stop, pretty boy. Drop your gun.” The voice was guttural. “I’ll gut him slowly and the boy can watch. Then, I’ll do him.”

Mal let his weapon slip from the fingers of his left hand. He knew Zoe and Jayne were making their way over. One of them would be able to take this monster out.

Lucas watched, but said nothing. His eyes were filled with fear, but his face was determined. He looked from Fontaine to Mal then Miguel. His focus stayed on the old man’s face.

“You’re not getting away, Fontaine.” Mal’s voice was hard. “You may as well let him go.”

“You know me, pretty boy? Do I know you?” Fontaine’s eyes narrowed, trying to see the Captain’s face though it was in shadow. “You know my work? Where did we meet? In the war?”

“We haven’t met and we don’t really need to.”

“No? You are right. I don’t need to know your name. You will be dead before full dark, I think, so our acquaintance will be too brief.”

The tutor moaned softly. He was just conscious enough to understand what was going on. The boy whispered his name and looked back at Miguel.

“He will not harm you, Lucas. The Captain won’t let him.” Tears rolled down Miguel’s cheeks. He nodded toward Mal. “You listen to him now, child.”

“Bi zui! You stupid old man. He might have died quickly, but now I think I will have some fun with him first.” Fontaine turned the knife and pushed the point into Miguel’s side. He smiled at Mal. “And, this one would have been playing with his grandchildren, Captain.”

“You murdered my wife and grandson, huh choo-sheng tza-jiao duh tzang-huo!” Miguel spoke through clenched teeth.

“Now you will join them in heaven, eh, or would it be hell?” The Butcher sneered into his ear and winked at Mal. He drew the knife across the old man’s stomach, just deep enough to open the flesh, but not the vital organs underneath. He knew his craft very well.

*****

“It’s gonna be dark soon. We must have gone too far. Or they went in a different direction.” Kaylee squinted into the low sun.

“”We probably have gone too far.” The Preacher took eyes off the ground outside for the first time to look at Wash. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of both hand.

“Yeah, we have now.” Wash glanced down at the gauges before of him. He tilted his head in River’s direction. “Does she have any ideas?”

“No, she doesn’t.” River sighed deeply. “Can’t save him, either. Can’t save all. The Butcher has him.”

As he turned the ship east, Wash pointed to the console in front of Book. “He may have turned the transceiver on. Try it. We may get lucky.”

*****

Zoe had paused fifty yards away. She was trying to ease around to make a shot, but had to be wary of any of the other men that might still be a danger. She noticed Jayne on the other side of the camp, doing the same thing. He was further away, but keeping a very close watch on the bodies littering the camp. She signaled him to stop when she saw what was happening at the well.

Mal was heard the voice whispering over and over in his ears and realized it was his own. It competed with a rushing sound and everything in his peripheral vision was fuzzy and dark.

“I can keep him alive for hours, pretty boy. He called you captain, didn’t he?” Fontaine pointed his knife at Lucas. “Well, Captain, I can cut on him for a very long time without killing him. I will give the old man back, but will take the boy. Have your friends drop their weapons and bring me a horse. I will have my money. It is up to you.”

“You’re not leaving here alive.

“I am dead, Captain. Save Lucas.” Mal barely heard Miguel, but he could see the pleading in his eyes. The knife was now making its way upwards from the middle of the long horizontal cut. Miguel placed his hands over the hand that held the knife and pushed. “Please.”

Mal barely saw Jayne and Zoe in the far edges of his vision. They were nearing his position, but were not close enough. He raised the half-sized pistol hidden in his right hand and fired at the thickest exposed part of Fontaine’s body, hoping it would be enough. But the shot went through the Butcher’s elbow and into Miguel’s chest. The old man slumped to the ground as Fontaine released him, screaming in pain.

Mal pulled the trigger a second time, hitting the Butcher in the throat. Fontaine jerked backwards and dropped the knife. He stumbled, trying to stay on his feet. As one hand went grabbed his throat the other moved for his side-arm. Mal stepped forward and shot him in the stomach. Fontaine fell, still trying to pull the gun from its holster. A gurgling sound came from his throat.

“You won’t be killin’ anyone else, Fontaine.”

The Captain stopped a few feet from the Butcher and emptied the pistol into him. Each shot hit a different body part. Fontaine was a bloody mess by the time the gun clicked empty. Mal kicked away the Butcher’s own gun and turned, leaving him alive, but dying.

He didn’t look up Jayne and Zoe checking the other bodies scattered about the area for signs of life. Jayne examined several weapons. Most he flung away, but a couple seemed to please him and he stuffed them into his belt.

Zoe made her way to the well. She barely glanced at Fontaine as she passed by. She did look closely at Mal, who had knelt next to Miguel, as she headed for the boy and the tutor. Mal wasn’t saying anything. He was holding the old man, trying to stem the bleeding from his stomach.

“Why?” He finally asked in a soft, hoarse voice.

Miguel looked up at Mal and smiled weakly. “Do not worry, Captain. I go to my family.”

“You just don’t plan on goin’ anywhere. We got a good doctor with us who can fix you up.” He pulled the radio from his pocket and flipped a switch. “Wash? You listenin’?”

The transceiver crackled. “Yeah, Mal. Where are you guys? We’ve been looking for you.”

“Follow the signal. Ma shong!” He dropped the unit back in his pocket and turned his attention back to Miguel.

“Xei-xei.” The old man whispered and shook his head almost imperceptibly once from side to side. One last breath escaped him.

Mal closed his eyes for a moment then looked over at Fontaine, who was gasping for breath. He laid Miguel’s body on the ground and stood up. He looked around then picked up his gun and moved to Zoe’s side. She had cut the boy loose and was working on the tutor. Lucas hovered near her shoulder, glancing worriedly from Kevlan to Miguel and back. He inched away and whimpered when Mal approached.

“Sir.” Zoe looked over her shoulder and nodded at his hands.

He turned and pulled his kerchief from his pocket. After quickly wiping the blood from his hands, he turned back and squatted down next to her. “Take the boy. I’ll see to him.”

As she guided Lucas away from the well, they heard Serenity approaching from the east. The ship circled to find a suitable landing site. She settled on a broad hilltop a short distance away. Light glinted briefly off her cockpit windows as the sun finally dipped below the horizon.

Mal finished freeing the teacher then pulled the transceiver from his pocket again. “Wash.”

“Yeah, Mal?”

“Everyone stays on board. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” He turned to look for Jayne, who was checking the last body nearby. “Jayne, get the teacher up to the boat.”

The big mercenary paused to look at Fontaine’s bloody corpse. After a moment’s study, he watched Mal for a long moment through narrowed eyes. He walked towards the semiconscious man, rearranging the many weapons he had picked up. Realizing he couldn’t carry Kevlan and all of the guns, Jayne pondered for a moment, chose carefully and dropped a couple. He then scooped up the slight form and headed for the ship.

Zoe picked up the boy and held him close. He was trembling with shock and exhaustion. He looked one last time at Miguel then turned his face to her shoulder. She was talking very softly to him as she watched Mal hunt for a bedroll amongst the dead and dying men. He came back to Miguel, carefully wrapped and picked up the body. He finally looked at Zoe and nodded. They both turned and followed Jayne to Serenity.

Wash stood at the foot of the cargo bay ramp with a rifle. Kaylee and Book met them halfway down the hill. They looked around for the man they knew should be with their friends then at the bundle in Mal’s arms. Book stared back toward the well, barely making out the multiple bodies scattered around it. He stood still as the others began to climb to the ship.

Zoe glanced back. “Preacher?”

“Are there any injured that need tending?” He didn’t move.

The Captain stopped and turned. When he finally spoke, his voice was devoid of emotion. “No, there ain’t. And, there’s no souls down there that need prayin’ over. If there’s such a thing, those bastards sold ‘em to the devil when they signed onto that crew.”

Mal started back up the hill. Book hesitated. His calling urged him to see to the men below, but the tone of the Captain’s voice told him it was not a good time to push the point. He followed the others back to Serenity.

*****

Twilight was dwindling when Wash landed Serenity in the same place. Fong stood on the porch, aided by Peter and another man. They would have moved forward, but Simon was there to prevent them. He had protested the old man coming downstairs at all, but finally acquiesced. Several of the household and ranch hands waited around the porch with them. Anticipation was high, but no-one moved for fear of what they might find, and out of respect for Fong.

The Preacher drove the mule down to the house, with Zoe holding Lucas and Jayne carrying the teacher, on the back. Zoe carried Lucas to his Grandfather, closely followed by Jayne and the tutor. The boy reached for Fong as soon as he saw him. Simon stepped forward to take the child but he would not go to him. So, Fong, his helpers, Simon, Zoe and Lucas turned to go into the house. Simon looked from the boy to the semiconscious tutor and turned to the latter. The group disappeared into the house apparently without noticing Mal approach with Miguel.

Some of the ranch hands came forward, understanding what this big man must be carrying. They relieved the Captain of his burden when he nodded at their unspoken question. The men carried the body away without disturbing the makeshift shroud. Mal stood and watched them disappear around the side of the house. Inara, who stood in the shadow near the door, slowly turned and followed the others into the house.

Book stopped next to him. “You look just about done in, Captain. Fong will be occupied with his grandson for a while. Why don’t you get cleaned up and have a bite to eat?”

Mal half turned back to Serenity, seemingly undecided about what to do. He looked at the Preacher and then down at his clothes. Book watched his face. The moonlight was bright enough to show the dark stains of blood. Most of it was Miguel’s, some was his own and the rest belonged to Fontaine. Each shot Mal had fired into the Butcher created splatters that had gone unnoticed until now.

“Excuse me, Captain.” They turned to see Peter a few feet away. “Master Charles would like to offer you the hospitality of his home while the Doctor cares for Lucas and Kevlan. Dinner is being prepared, but you have a little time for a bath, if you please.”

“That’s kind of you, but I can clean up on the ship.” Mal made to walk away.

“Captain, you should take advantage of Peter’s offer. Believe me, you’ll enjoy it.” Book put his hand on Mal’s shoulder when the younger man hesitated still. “Go on, you look like you need it. I’ll fetch some clothes for you.”

Mal stood still for a full minute before nodding his head and following Peter back to the house.