This opens at the confrontation between Imam and Riddick, you know, after Riddick kills all those guys. There's no Necromongers because they are unpleasantly evil
Riddick walked out of a suddenly quiet room that minutes before had rang with gunshots and the man that was holding a knife to Imams' throat dropped it and ran.
"You mentioned 'her'," he said inquisitively.
Imam swallowed before answering, "She waited for you, believing that you'd come back for her. Just like the first time, she waited so long she lost heart in waiting. In the end it broke her, she started bringing fourth peculiar behaviors, she lived in a dream world that no one could bring her out of. I think in the end she finally realized that you were never coming back… even though you promised."
"You talk like she's dead, you were supposed to watch her," he said tersely coming down the stairs.
"I watched her, Riddick, I still do, and there isn't a day I don't hate you for what you made her. She is a mere shell of what she once was, the doctors haven't found what her disorder is or if she even has one. Most of the doctors she's seen say the main part of her brain has shut down. They say she's only aware of things subconsciously, like she's 3/4 asleep," Imam shook his head.
"And who are 'they'?" asked Riddick almost silently.
"No, Riddick, I cannot allow you to visit her, she would go into severe shock maybe even shut down completely," Imam said warningly.
"Well I'll just see her then, there's no harm in that is there Imam," Riddick more stated this than asked and Imam sighed. "Look, if you don't tell me where she is I'll just have to hunt for it and sneak in, so come on Imam, do the easy thing."
"Jack is currently a member of 'Black Opals' ward for the mentally unstable', it's on the outskirts of New Mecca," said Imam in defeat.
"And when do I have an appointment?" he asked expectantly.
"We're going to see her tomorrow, every two days we get a babysitter and I take Lajjun with me to see her. But mind you I said see, not interact, sometimes her behavior is unexpected, it's safer if she doesn't think we've come." To this Riddick just nodded his head and left to go upstairs to the room he had destroyed through to the windowed sitting room and sat on a chair like he had just gained ten years of age.
How could Jack's mind be gone? She'd always been bright, learned fast, didn't use the word 'no' unless she was dealing out punishment, yea he'd watched her for a week after he had 'left', watched her beat up some guy who couldn't take the hint, he'd even been slightly proud of her. But Jack burned out was something he couldn't understand or even picture, didn't want to picture. Then he remembered, she'd wanted to go with him, had even cried thinking it would sway his decision, it almost worked too, but in the end he had left her. The one moment that haunted his dreams though was when she turned on the ramp and said good-bye so emotionless that if her eyes hadn't welled up he'd have thought that she was mad at him, and she was mad at first, but he just assumed she got over it and go on in her life, apparently not. Well this would teach him for getting too close to a kid, it was always the kids that got him into trouble, that's how Johns got hold of him in the first place, he just always felt bad for them because they had no value in society, they were simply there.
Riddick must have fallen asleep because he jolted to awareness at the sound of footsteps.
"Riddick, it is time, we have to go before my work day starts," he said clearly tired as Riddick simply nodded and got up, the morning was fine with him, the less people who saw him the less deaths there would be.
They walked down the main streets, only seeing two or three people the whole time, then they walked down some side streets to a clearly old and reused building. Imam walked to the door and pressed a button then said "Visitors to see Jack." They waited and the door buzzed signaling that they could open it. Riddick walked in last and noticed that the air smelled overpoweringly clean, like the hospitals did, but beyond that the room had only chairs, end tables, and old magazines.
"Good morning Imam, the observing room is open now would you like to go in?" asked a woman with considerable size.
"That would be great Glenda, this is Rick, an old friend of Jacks, he just wants to say good-bye before he goes into the shipping business and isn't able to come back," said Imam surprising Riddick with how nicely he lied.
"Well that's very good of you Rick, most people do find that seeing someone one last time brings closer to their lives, even most of the other patients families find it's easier to think their loved ones dead than have to see them deteriorate over time. But Imam here always comes back, as constant as the sun he is, and very considerate considering he has no blood relation to Jack," with that she got up and unlocked the door behind her opening it up to a dark room with comfy chairs that faced a window looking into a big room. At the doorway though Riddick paused almost scared of what he would see on the other side of the glass, almost.
"Go ahead Rick, can't nobody in that room see you if you keep the light off," she said encouragingly. Reassured Riddick walked in and removed his goggles then sat down on one of the chairs.
Inside the room were almost 15 people who gathered in a group and were talking, one woman sat back away from the group and was looking at something, clearly not listening to the man talking. Riddick glanced over her then quickly back, that couldn't be Jack, not in a million years, that girl was skinny with black hair braded some days ago by the look of it and brushed who knows when, she wore a green shirt with tan pants, and no shoes, only some holy socks. She looked like she was poverty, even had some dirt on her face from where he could only guess.
Imam clicked on a receiver that played what they were saying. "Johnny, tell us what you did yesterday, did you draw another picture?" the man coaxed.
"I-um… yesterday? I… I think I played with Carol… yea we played Chinese checkers… she cheated, I know she did, I was sitting right by her and she cheated."
"Nu-uh, Johnny's the only cheater in this room… he took back his marbles when I went to the bathroom… I counted."
"Well regardless of who cheated, you should… Jack what do you have?" Jack looked up guiltily defiant, "You know personal items are not allowed in discussion. Let me have it Jack," at this Jack shook her head and put it in her pocket. "No Jack, put it in my hand, not in your pocket," Jack looked at her hand and decided that whatever she had was too valuable to give her and shook her head again. "Jack, I'm going to tell you only once more, give me whatever you have in your pocket," that said Jack reached into her other pocket and took out a ball of lint then lay it in her palm. Riddick smiled at this, these were the same antics she had used on him once upon a time, though it was always his shivs she'd try to steal not a piece of paper.
"Now the other pocket," she reached into her pocket and took out her paper then held it to her chest like it was her lifeline. "There now put it in my hand Jack," Jack just looked at his hand, when she didn't respond the man reached out to take her hand but Jack slapped his arm away. "Jack! Give me the piece of paper!" the man's' voice got louder this time and he reached in again to take her arm but Jack scooted her chair back and slapped the man's hand away again.
The man reached again, this time not at all gentile and seized Jacks hand tearing the paper from her grasp. Jack stood up now and walked after him with her hand out for her paper, the man obviously knowing what she wanted turned around.
"Jack you know the rules you don't get that back, we throw it away, you never see it again. Now sit down and tell us what you did yesterday."
"Give me back," she said with a voice that didn't talk much as apparent by the crack to it.
"Sit down, Jack, we have to finish our session."
"NO! Give me back!" she said getting distressed now," I need."
"Jack-…" the man never got to finish what he was saying because Jack had figured out he wasn't going to give her back her paper and drew back her arm to punch the man smack in the eye. Then she bent down and grabbed her paper from where it had fallen from the man's grasp, the man's hand found the button next to her on the table and buzzed it. Two men in blue uniforms came in and the man pointed to Jack, the men got the point and went on either side of her to grab her arms.
Jack seemed to not notice them even when they grabbed her, she just stared at the picture she was holding until the man came and took it from her again.
"Jack, I have confiscated this, you cannot take it with you," she said more confident now that Jack was restrained by officers.
"NO!! Mine. Get own, mine," she yelled and screamed as the police took her out of the room which took about 5 minutes and 2 to get her out the door because she hung onto the side. Droplets of blood were left on the floor, most of it Jacks, and Jack was still heard in the hall screaming.
So Jack has reverted back to childlike behavior... and you will find out later why she's in an asylum, tell me what you think!!