jayneaintagirl:
will-caymer:
Bang!Squish. They were down, the first. Will glanced over at the stationery Jayne with a slight smirk flavouring her face. “You remember Mal puttin’ me in charge? ‘Cause I do. ‘N I gave y’ a direct order.” Will instead turned and led the way, swapping out her rifle for the automatic strapped to her leg. “Shwai, y’ hear that?” She asked after a moment of silent walking. There were… noises amongst the ruins. Not echoes of their breath or feet, noises from outside of their own persons. Noises that made Will think of, “Reavers.” She breathed.
“Y’ been here four years. I been here…longer.” Jayne smirked back, “Ain’t no amount ‘f Mal puttin’ you in charge is gonna put y’ in charge. I’ll listen, if it suits, it makes sense, it won’t get my ass kicked by Zoe…” He shrugged, and loosened the guns around his person. Lux was in his hands, ready and waiting to bite. Then Will stopped, and Jayne almost ran right into her. He listened, and felt the panic and fear begin to seep in. Jayne wouldn’t show that, though. Instead, he clenched his jaw, and took the lead. It had become too quiet before, not enough shouting and gun blasts… and now they knew why. Gorram Reavers still bouncing around the ‘verse, like a gorram plague. Every one that had a bullet put in it was better off that way,
Will let Jayne take the lead, and hooked a finger in his belt to follow along, walking backward. Goosepimples raised on her arms as she listened to the sounds of Reavers. The sounds of humans feasting on humans. Corrupted and despoiled as they were, Reavers were still human. Will knew all about Miranda - she’d seen that wave, after all - but she wished she didn’t. It was easier to think of them as creatures, monsters, abominations, rather than what once were human. If a chemical in the air could do that to people, what lived inside herself? One of them, or an apathetic death?
“Every time we don’t bring transmitters or I don’t wear a vest, somethin’ goes sideways in the worst way.” Will whispered into the still air of the ship ruins. “Or an EMP goes ‘n we get surrounded by a bunch ‘f people I pissed off...” They were getting closer to the Reavers and their feasting. Will prayed to the god she didn’t believe in, that they weren’t about to find Zoe and River amongst the dead. River was a weapon in the shape of a young woman, but there were times when all she was was a young woman.