Author's Note: Written for that challenge community on lj. Wanted to write something along these lines for a little while now, and when I saw the challenge word, I just threw myself into writing it. Shame there's no real story behind it… there is a little bit of something, but I wanna see if you can catch it o.O
His feet slipping just slightly on the rock behind him, Tom Sawyer glanced for an instant over his shoulder, gritting his teeth with a brief curse before looking back to the threat in front of him. The men watched him, chuckling to themselves, waiting for Tom to do something… other than stand there, his Winchester pointing at the ringleader.
"You might as well put it down," the man said, grinning, his golden tooth flashing just for an instant in the low light of the late afternoon. The wind around the cliff at the edge of the ocean disturbed what little hair he had, but also impeded Tom's vision. "You're badly outnumbered."
"No way," Tom retaliated stubbornly, cocking the rifle. It was echoed by the sound of about ten other hammers shifting back.
"We won't hurt you, boy," the man said with a rising of his brows. "Well," he laughed, "not too much, anyway. You won't feel a thing until you hit the rocks at the bottom." A chorus of laughter made Tom's eyes narrow, but he had to admit he was surrounded.
"Not a chance."
"Ugh, Americans," the man drawled, shaking his head. "All the same." Looking Tom square in the eye, darkly, he growled, "We'll do this the hard way then."
With that, he surged at Tom, who made to fire the rifle, only to have it pushed down forcefully by the man's hand, before a blow landed in his stomach, doubling him over, accompanied by the sound of the gang laughing at him again. He coughed, even as an elbow drove down on his back, causing him to collapse to one knee. A punch to the face made him lose stability in his other knee, and with a groan, he looked up, raising the Winchester to block a blow just in time, as it aimed for his head. The man's fist connected solidly with the stock, making a resounding 'crack', and even as the man yelled in anger and pain, he grabbed Tom by the collar, tearing him to his feet.
"I'm getting very tired of toying with you now," he growled, before giving an almighty shove backwards. Tom gave a cry as he felt the ground give way below him, and the rushing of wind around him told him he had gone over the edge.
Cursing loudly, he snatched out with his free hand, grabbing hold of an out-jutting rock in the cliff's higher face. Something wrenched in his shoulder, making him wince with a gasp, but he held it in. He refused to drop the rifle for some reason, as if afraid to lose the weapon to the crashing tide below, amongst the jagged rocks, but he felt his fingers slipping. He was about six feet down, but his positioning kept him hidden from the man who peered over the edge to see if he'd survived. The voices were drowned out by the thunder of Tom's own heartbeat in his chest.
He did hear one thing though… and that made his heart almost leap into his throat. A resounding cockney cry of, "Freeze!" Skinner.
Tom knew he couldn't hold on much longer, and he gave a whimper as his fingers slipped just a little more, even as a roar could be heard reverberating around the cliff up above. Men flew over the edge, cast aside by Mr. Hyde's meaty arms, and with a bellowed laugh, the victory was sounded, encouraged by Skinner's cry of Tom's name, no doubt as he looked left and right for his friend.
Tom tried to summon his voice, but he'd been too busy watching the ringleader slam, back-first into the rocks with a sickening snap and a squelch. He swallowed, and looked wildly to his hand as he lost his grip. Giving a yelp, he felt himself fall…
… Before a huge hand had taken a tight hold of his arm, and the Winchester in it. Tom looked up, wide-eyed, into the face of Hyde, who was reaching precariously over the edge.
"You fall and I'm in trouble," he grumbled, giving an almighty heave, tearing Tom upward, and onto the top of the overhang, to safety.
Coming to a stop, Tom looked to the 'big monkey', blinking in shock, before he managed to find his voice. "Thanks," he gasped, and Hyde merely grunted, just as Nemo and Mina came up to him.
"What happened?" Mina asked, even as the American dropped his weapon and tried rolling his left shoulder, finding he couldn't. He'd injured it somehow; perhaps dislocated.
"Misadventure," he mumbled, wincing at the pain. Mina noticed, and with Jekyll out of the question, moved to shove the shoulder back into place.
Before letting her do so, Tom looked one final time to the nonchalant and fearsome Hyde, nodding his gratitude once more, even as Mina pushed.
Fin