Fear and loathing in Docksford

Sam writhed in pain as he tried to shift himself onto his front, his shoulder disjointed from the battering. Eddie hadn't moved an inch, frozen to his chair as Sally ran to help Sam up with tears running down her face.

She'd lift him by his better arm, allowing him to stand on his feet again. Immediately he felt a twinge in his side causing him to flinch.

"How could those fuckers do that out in public?"

Sally would shiver as the adrenaline left her body.

"Who cares? It's nothing worse than they'd done before."

She'd look at Sam in disgust.

"WHO CARES? I'm fucked! I'm going to be locked up, they might even kill me!"

"I didn't ask for your help, that's on you!"

Eddie got up and stomped over to Sam.

"Don't you speak to her like that! She was trying to save you?"

Sam would get into Eddie's face.

"Yeah? Then why didn't you do anything? They're your mates, you ignorant prick! I said I wasn't coming. This is your fault."

He'd point his finger into Eddie's chest who would then shove him away.

"How was I supposed to know you were getting bent over by Wes every day?"

Sally yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Both of you shut the fuck up!"

"Eddie, are you blind? They've been doing this to him for years. The whole class did."

He'd back up.

"I didn't know, no one told me."

She'd sigh.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

Eddie attempted to be optimistic, plastering a fake smile over his face.

"It's fine, it will all turn out fine, we'll do something about it."

"Do what?"

He'd take time to think.

"Well they hang out on the docks, me and Sam can go over there and scare them a little, then they won't touch you."

Flabbergasted, Sam would look over to Eddie.

"Are you stupid? That will get us all hanged! We can't fight them!"

"Well if you don't want to I'll do it, not like you could bring anything useful anyway."

Sam was overcome with emotions, squaring up to Eddie and pushing him into the bar.

"What's that supposed to mean? You calling me deficient too then?"

He'd suddenly back off.

"You know what fuck the both of you, I didn't ask for you to get involved in this shit and I certainly didn't ask for you to step in. I'm going home."

Sam stormed out of the tavern.

Eddie would look to Sally who had a defeated look on her face, she had stopped crying now but was still shaken by the event.

"I'll fix this."

She'd sigh

"Just go."

Sam marched himself home, furious at what had just gone on, as he got to the door he'd see Tim packing up his gear.

"Didn't go well?"

Sam would ignore the question, instead he'd reply with his own malice.

"Your sons a fuckin moron."

He'd storm up the stairs, ignoring his grandfather and heading directly to the room he shared with his brother. When he got in he'd kick off his shoes and throw himself onto his bed, causing it to creak and groan under the pressure. He'd sit there wondering what he could have done differently, how he could have ensured that his friends didn't have to go through that.

In a sense Eddie was right, he didn't know, Sam never told him because he knew that he'd try to do something. Despite being a bit dim he had a good heart and would probably do anything for Sam as long as it didn't involve manual labour. He'd wonder if Eddie maybe could help him, if maybe there was another version of the story where he too became friends with Wesley and wasn't tormented throughout his adolescence. 

He'd ponder these different realities for about an hour, broken up by Eddie making his way through the bedroom door. He'd look over at Sam somewhat sorry looking.

"You ok Sam?"

Sam would smile, refreshed by Eddie's boldness.

"Yeah… Sally's the one with the real issue though."

He'd sit up in his bed to look at his brother.

"I spoke to dad, he said he'd try to put in a word to mr. Snarp and not to try anything drastic, I don't know what sway a humble fisherman has though."

Sam mumbled.

"You said they hang out on the docks, we could go and try to talk to them."

Eddie's face lit up. The two would go about the rest of their day as usual, having dinner with grandad and Tim who continued to stress that they shouldn't get involved. When it got dark outside and Tim had gone off to bed, they'd sneak out through their third floor window and scale the building down onto the street.

Even Eddie thought it was weird that a nobleman's son would hang out at a dock in the dead of night but up until now he never had a reason to question it. It seemed as if they were operating as some kind of a gang with Wesley playing the role of the ringleader.

As they got there Eddie would yell out to them, he had hung out with the group there a couple of times in the past. When Wesley saw Sam standing next to him he'd get defensive, hopping up from the barrel he was sitting on.

"Why is he here? Come to grovel on behalf of your girlfriend?"

Sam would take a diplomatic stance.

"Look Wesley, whatever you wanted to do to her, just get me instead I'll come quietly."

Wesley would raise a brow.

"Well I was going to get her sentenced to death, I suppose it would be better to stop you from infecting the town with your filthy deformity instead."

He'd put a finger to his lip, looking up at the night sky.

"Oh wait I could just get you both."

Eddie intervened.

"Look that's enough Wes, can't you just let it go?" 

Wesley looked at Eddie disgusted by the thought.

"Or how about I get you too? You were fun Eddie but you keep bad company, I'll just tell father that you and Sam came down here to threaten me."

They'd look over at Wesley's group and despite the darkness they could make out seven figures. Sam cracked his knuckles, ready to take out years worth of anger. They begin to approach the group.

Wesley gestured for his lackeys to go get them, to which three would oblige and begin charging at the boys. Two of them went straight for Eddie but one was faster than the other, as he charged at him Eddie would put out his hands, effortlessly lifting the man over him and sending him diving head first into the wooden pier.

The one running for Sam was cocky and completely ignored him, setting his feet apart to get into a guarding stance with one hand protecting his head and the other remaining elbow level. The man would go for a right hook but Sam was fast, with his high arm he pushed the fist and redirected past his face. With the lack of a guard he'd then grab the back of his head forcing it downwards into his fist which was waiting to sandwich the unsuspecting victim's head between Sam's hands.

As he hit the floor Sam was intercepted by the third man, stumbling towards him after a push from Eddie. He'd put a leg out tripping him over causing him to fall into a barrel of imported ale.

The dock was flooded by the liquid, the man's head drowning in the barrel, Sam would take a moment to pull his head from the barrel but by the time he could look up two more men were running towards him.

Wesley and Reginald favouring Eddie, Sam was attacked by the final two lackeys. One of them clicked their fingers, creating a small flame over his index finger that he was about to jam into Sam's eye.

He'd blow, extinguishing the flame as he'd turn his head causing the man to press his somewhat hot finger into his cheek. He'd barge into the man forcing him into his friend and leading them both to stumble over each other but they'd remain on their feet. 

As "Flame Finger" was being held up by his friend it was almost as if the guy behind him was holding them for Sam who'd deliver a swift under armed punch into his gut. He'd gasp for air leaning over and in a show of acrobatics Sam would kick up, planting his foot in the guy's face with both the man and Sam foot hitting the ground at the same time.

Elsewhere Eddie battled with his old friends Wesley and Reginald. Reginald put a finger to his nostril to close it up and then shot out a jet of red liquid from the other at Eddie's feet, trapping his leg in the goo-like substance.

The two would then wail on him throwing slaps and punches at him as he put his arms up to protect himself. Unable to move backwards he'd fall on his butt and the brothers would start trying to kick and prod at him.

Wesley's kicks were unusually hard, as if he was bludgeoning Eddie with a weapon. Ed made a swipe at reginalds leg, picking him up and sweeping him to the side before letting go.

Eddie was much stronger than the 15 year old, once he was on the ground he'd grab him by the shoulders and pull him in, placing him in a headlock.

Wesley wouldn't relent, constantly kicking wherever he could land a hit and consequently hitting his brother a couple times in the process. As Eddie gripped around Reginald's neck he'd squeeze, turning the boy bright red. Wesley seemingly didn't care and with one well placed kick there was a snap.

Eddie screamed out in pain, his leg broken by Wesley's kick. He'd spit at him on the ground.

"You fucking pleb, you're just as bad as your brother and that little skank."

Reginald coughed and wheezed on the floor as he clutched at his neck, his voice echoed by his five friends who were groaning on the floor. It was too late for Wesley, they'd already won.

The groans of pain were broken up by the clash of metal, having dealt with his own problem Sam had run at Wesley before sliding down into a tackle. Clattering into Wesley's legs at high speed nuts and bolts and bits of metal pinged off in every direction. Wesley crashed to the ground, his boots and leggings in tatters with cuts all over.

Sam used his hands to push him back to his feet, skidding across the floor and what he saw explained everything. Under the tears in his clothes Wesley was made of metal, everything from the knee down unlike anything that Sam had ever seen. His lower legs were bronze and mechanical, now that he thought about it, he never did have any idea of what his Punch could be and he sure as hell knew how bad his kicks hurt.

In the distance he'd hear shouting and would spot a light, all of the commotion must have alerted the fuzz. Sam would turn to his half brother who was crying on the floor, his leg snapped in half from the femur. He'd pick him up in both hands and run off into the night making sure that he wasn't seen by anyone, as he left he could hear Wesley behind him.

"You're FUCKED Finn! Everyone that has ever been close to you is FUCKED!"

He'd sort of chuckle. He enjoyed that much more than he probably should have. Eddie had begun to get ahold of himself, he'd look up at his brother's face.

"With a kick like that who needs a Punch."

They'd bust through the front door of the house, to which Tim and Grandad were already waiting in the dark. Postponing the scolding, Tim asked Sam to set Eddie down on the table as he'd search the cupboards for his kit. Working at the midwifery taught him a lot of transferable skills, one of which being how to deal with breaks and fractures.

Eventually he'd find a case containing bandages, a couple potions and a scalpel. He made a small incision around the site of the break, dousing a roll of bandage in some kind of blue oil wrapping it around the incision as tight as he could get it before binding it with a pin. The whole while grandad stuffed Eddie's mouth with his handkerchief, which was probably not used.

The tightness of the wrap set his bone back to a more natural position and due to the clean nature of the kick it hadn't managed to breach the skin itself. Grandad pulled the cloth from his mouth and the boys prepared to be chewed out. Instead, they looked afraid. Tim spoke.

"Sam, what did you two do?"

Sam gave them a summary of the fight as the old men looked on in disbelief. Grandad would drag Tim aside and they'd speak together in private. After ten minutes of careful debate they came back to Sam and Eddie with a solution.

"Look, Eddie's leg will take a while to heal but it should heal fully as long as the medicine can seep in. Sam I need you to take Eddie out of Docksford, you need to find a man named Johnny Thatch. He can keep you two safe, we'll stay here to try and keep them off your case. You have to go tonight."

Tim would then explain where to find this mystery man, the route to go to avoid detection and other words of reassurance for his boys. He'd hand Sam his own coin purse with all the money he currently had inside of it.

 Saying their goodbyes they left, uncertain what the future had to offer.