The untold tales of The Dead Men

A Man in a Mask # 3

In that moment of laughter it gave the men a chance to take in there surroundings. They were sitting underneath a balcony that wrapped around the room, this is were the drunken would sleep and where men would pay for...other kinds of services. Unlike the outside, the interior of the Saloon was cozy and warm, there was even a piano. Round tables scattered the floor, each full with jolly, drinking men.

"Where's my free drink!?" Vex asked, breaking the silence, they looked over at the bar to see The Fake talking with the bartender, then move away and approach the Dead Men. He only had one drink in his hand, to the dismay of Dexter but his other was behind his back, he smiled a horrid smile.

It all happened so fast, first The Fake launched the drink across the room and it hit a rather big bearded bloke in the back of the head, which caused him to lash out and hit the fella closest to him - a small man with glasses - sending him flying and smashing into the table of some angry looking men, spilling all the drinks and shattering glass, the hole thing was like watching a poorly set out dominos trick. There was a moment of silence then people went back to their drinks and talked among themselves. The Fake sighed, then pulled out a gun from behind his back and shot the closest person to him. The hole room erupted into chaos and people dived at each other.

"Ha! I knew it!" Ravel shouted, right before a chair was smashed over his head.

The Dead Men sprang into action, moving as one. There was a flow in the way they fought together, each covering the others back, but they were quickly  out numbered and backed into a corner, people closing in from all sides. The first rampaged through slamming into skulduggery with full force sending them both over a table, the second and third came at the same time punching and lashing out at the Dead Men, then suddenly there was a fourth and a fifth attacking Rue and Vex moving them away from their cover. Soon the Dead Men were split up.

Ghastly swung at a bearded man causing him to stumble, following up with a right hook then a mean upper cut that lifted the man off his feet, then crashing back down onto another. He spun, backhanding the fellow behind him, sending him sideways. Ghastly looked around just in time to see a brute with a bloody face charge him, slamming him in to a wall, light exploded behind his eyes and Ghastly stumbled then fell again. He felt the tip of the boot connect with his face, he heard the crack of his nose, then the thump of his head against the floor. Some one picked him up by the collar and held him to the wall
"Not so tough now are you!" Anger laced his voice "I told you I would beat you to a pulp ugly!"

Ghastly didn't even bother looking up, he just rammed his head forward, crunching into the brutes nose, he let out a wail of pain and dropped him.

"What is wrong with you!?" The brute screamed "leave my noes alone!"

Ghastly punched him in the nose.

He let out another wail but this time out of anger and swung blindly, clipping ghastly on the jaw.  He continued to swing, not paying attention to where his target was and soon he was on top of him. Ghastly jumped on his back, legs wrapped around the waist and arms around the  throat, pulling with all his might. The brute flailed, trying to swot Ghastly off like a fly but the more he panicked the more sluggish he became, only a couple of seconds now and he would be unconscious.

Ghastly found himself counting down in his head. Five. The brute scrapped at Ghastly head. Four. He clawed at his arms. Three. He rammed himself backwards into a wall, shaking the structure. Two. Ghastly's hold was slipping. One. The beast collapsed. Ghastly stood triumphant and a little out of breath.

"Ghastly!" a far away voice said "watch out!"