For Brooklyn

By: Ambrlupin

Chapter Eight: A sound that echoed for all eternity

Summary: "If someone out there is strong nuff to soak Brooklyn..." The manhattan boys have their work cut out for them- to take care of the handful of surviving Brooklyn newsies, keep their turf and men safe...and send out a rescue party to save one Spot Conlon...and Brooklyn with him.

Disclaimer: No. I. Do. Not. OWN. Blah.

A/n: FIRST Newsie fic! Please be nice and give me credit? Ok?

Warning: Blood and maybe more torture is ahead in the rest of this story. Please be wary if that stuff offends you. Thanks!

Guys, this story isnt gonna be that much longer, unfortunately. -whine-

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"Weakness. How I'se hate that word. To show weakness means youse a sissy, and I'se no sissy; Im Brooklyn. Ya hear me? IM Brooklyn. And Brooklyn neva falls." - Spot

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It happened within a split second. The board Jack was standing on began to creak and groan, giving way under his feet, sending him crashing toward the floor so far below. His hands flew in all directions, trying to find a hand-hold, something he could grab a hold of.

"JACK!" Spot cried as he fought on a nearby alcove, among bags of hay and other such items. Taking a running leap toward the edge, the leader of Brooklyn grabbed a hold of a hanging rope as he took a kamikaze jump off the sharp edge, praying the twine was strong enough to hold his weight.

It did, wonder of all wonders and he swung a hand out, grabbing a hold of Cowboy's hand and jerking him to a stop. "Spot...!" He gasped, clutching at the other's hand with sweaty fingers. "Don't...drop me...!"

"Then stop MOVING!" He bit back a cry of pain as a cold sweat dripped down his face. He was holding to the rope with his bad hand. In his mind, either they both fell, or neither of them did. But it hurt so much!

"Good show!" Karlof clapped from where he was still sitting. "But how, pray tell, are you to get down? Perhaps you will sprout wings?"

Spot's teeth pierced his bottom lip as he looked up at the sky, as if praying. Jack made a sound of complete shock as he realized exactly what his friend was planning. "Don't-"

Spot let go of the rope.

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When Red came to, he was underwater. Panicking, he thrashed around, trying to buck away from the crushing grip on his neck. Arching his back he managed to break the surface, gasping for air.

"Gah!" Whip growled, fingers digging in the other's flesh as he pounded Red's head back down, the muddy water swirling over his head.

Inhaling water, the newsie gagged, his throat swelling as he tried to both spit out the water while attempting to not take anymore in. The result of this failed tactic?

He was drowning.

The panic in his mind began to calm down as he stopped struggling. What was he doing! If he continued to freak out like he was, he would only drown, and how would that help? He would have been letting the big brute win. What was he, an idiot?

His hands stopped tearing at his neck and instead flew blindly from the water, slamming, by pure luck, into the other's face with a resounding crack.

Yelling, Whip jerked back, his hands loosening just enough for Red to flip him, the back of his head colliding with a pile of rocks that littered the dirty water. Blood splattered over their surface, dripping into the water that Red fell back to, chest heaving.

Gray had begun to ease into his vision, spots dancing before his eyes. He didnt even have a chance to take a few deep breaths of cool, refreshing air before he was staggering to his feet, willing his legs to take the first few steps, and then a few more, slowly making his way up the hill, leaving Whip's body bleeding away into the water.

He had to get back to Spot, at any cost. Something was wrong. Something terrible was going to happen, and he needed to get back to his leader. Something was very, very wrong.

He just knew it.

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"ARE YOU INSANE!" Jack screamed as they fell, eyes closed for the deadly crash that would splatter his body all over the dirt floor. He had expected it to come soon, but not quite as soon as it did.

"Oomph!" He was startled to land on something relatively soft and he looked around in alarm. An alcove. He had landed in a bloody alcove, how lucky was he? Of course, it hadn't been luck at all, but a careful planning from Spot, who...

"Spot!" Jack flew forward, sliding on his stomach, hand swiping out to grab the younger's wrist, jerking him to a halt. Spot looked up wearily, his eyes glazed over again with the pain. He did, however, manage a soft smile.

"Ya know, im gettin real tired of you savin me."

Jack just shook his head, "Well, learn how to fight and maybe I wont have t-" A booted foot slammed into his chin and he crashed into one of the wooden beams that held up the rafters. All the breath exploded from his lungs, his grip loosening.

The leader of Brooklyn gasped, clinging to the slack hand as he tried to jump up and grab the edge of the wood. His fingers closed around the lip just as Jack let go and a cry was forced from his throat as all his weight was focused on his broken arm.

"Sp-" Jack began, but a punch to his jaw silenced him and he could just barely make out the large man who had walked to the edge, staring down at Spot with a sneer. He didnt even have a chance to scream a "NO!" before the Queen's newsie stomped hard on the fingers, wrenching another cry from the abused youth.

"Fly, little birdie." He smirked, grinding his heel and then kicking Spot's grip loose.

His silver-eyes wide, Spot fell down with a sharp yell, arms coming over his head as he landed hard on the ground, body completely still. For a moment all was silent and then Jack screamed, tackling the big man to the floor of the alcove, hands on the other's throat as his own neck received the same treatment. It was all a test to see who could choke the other to death first.

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"So, you didn't know who we were?" David asked with a raised eyebrow as Ace rode next to him on his own horse. "I find that hard to believe."

"No, honestly!" Ace held up his hands, palms out. "We had no clue, all we knew was that Karlof wanted you all stopped before you got to Queens. As to why..." He shrugged.

"Well, the why is really simple." Mush was leaning out the window of the carriage, letting the wind ruffle his hair. "That scab took Spot Conlon so he could take Brooklyn."

"Spot Conlon!" Ace cried, eyes widening. "I heard that he had gotten a new slave, but I never knew..."

"Spot is not a slave!" Shorty and the rest of the Brooklyn newsies cried, having heard the other leader's comment. "Don't you dare call him dat!"

"I apologize." He nodded toward them and then smiled at David. "Loyal bunch, are they?"

"Extremely." He chuckled, leaning back a little and pulling his cap off his head to let the breeze run over him. "Well, the reason why Manhattan is involved is because Red, the co-leader of Brooklyn came to us for help and he and Jack Kelly went off to rescue Spot. I..." He shot an irritated glance back at the carriage, "Had no choice but to take those insane Brookies out here, or else they would have came themselves."

Ace shook his head, "Jack Kelly is a good man, and Red! I havent seen Red since before Spot was leader. He used to patrol the borders all the time and he and I would run into each other once and a while." He looked ahead to Queens, the warehouses coming into view already. "I think Karlof is mad, risking everything for a chance at Brooklyn."

"Oi!" Docks cried, pushing Dutchy away from the window so he could glare out it. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing really!" He laughed, riding ahead a bit with David. "'Cept for the fact there aint nuttin in Brooklyn but a muddy trickle they call a river."

The younger newsie threw his head back to laugh. How could he not? He was just imagining Spot's face if someone ever called his river, 'a muddy trickle' to his face.

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Karlof waved his boys back as he walked the few feet to where Spot was sprawled on his stomach, his foot moving to leisurely push the supposedly dead kid over on his back. However, Spot was anything but dead.

Spinning to his feet, his hand was a blur, cane sweeping out to crash against the other's head. There was a flurry of movement and then all was still. Spot's eyes were wide in disbelief as he stared at the end of his weapon, held firmly in the man's fist.

"I wont be that easy, kid." He snapped, pulling the cane sharply, jerking Spot forward, almost of his feet. But the kid wasn't letting go. Not for any reason.

"I tire of this, boy!" Karlof gave an almighty pull, sending Spot flying toward the crates, rolling on the ground before he jumped to his feet, lithe as a cat. But where had...?

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Red's lungs were burning and he pushed himself as far as he could, every cell in his body crying out in warning. Spot...He had to get to him...He had to! Sprinting into the warehouse he cast a look around, immediately seeing Jack up in an alcove, on his back, hands scrabbling at the hands that were around his neck.

As much as he wanted to help the Manhattan boy, he was there for one reason, and then he found him. Spot was standing at the other end, the pile of lumber separating the two of them. He was about to call out to him when he saw Karlof behind Spot, who didnt see him and who was in a crate with a word on the side.

'G' 'U' 'N' 'S'.

"SPOT!" Red yelled, leaping over the stash of wood with all his anger and desperation behind his speed. He couldn't...wouldn't..."SPOT!"

The leader of Brooklyn turned, the world in slow motion. He saw Red rushing towards him, but why? What was...? Then he saw it, and the scene would be etched in his mind forever.

Karlof, pulling something from a nearby crate.

A sharp sound that echoed for all eternity.

And...

...Blood...

"RED!" He screamed in horror.

It took the other forever to fall, his head thrown back, shock on his face. His eyes seemed to lock with Spot's for a moment before he hit the ground, the sound of his head hitting the dirt loud in the leader's ears, resonating over and over.

"RED!"

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I couldn't help it- I HAD to update! This story, literally, has a few chapters left. And that's it. -pout- but I really want to know youse guys reactions to this chapter. So review!

Using dat nifty button on the bottom left of the screen that says 'submit review' and you don't have to be logged on, or even have an account! Ciao for now.