Part One:

Necromongers

Chapter One:

Introduction

Riddick's Point

Of View

I've been running around the outermost planets of the galaxy for close to four years now. The last two has been spent on an icy hell whole of a planet called Keri, located several light years away from its nearest moon- let alone the nearest star- Cor Caroll. The darkness travels on and on, allowing any normal human to see nothing. But I'm no human, am I?

My name's Richard B. Riddick, a killer. I've been to a few slams- sure. But I've never stayed in one longer than three weeks. I've escaped from maximum prison twice, and I've escaped from a planetary prison three times. That's it- pathetic isn't it? Five times I've been to prison, mostly when I was young and stupid. But now, I'm smart. I know how to kill without that intake of breath just before the fatal slice in the sweet spot, or along the neck… all those nice places to fuck someone's day up….

Two years on the same planet makes someone a little crazy. But I was crazy before I even went to that planet, at least that's what people tell me. All those fucking psychiatrists trying to get in my head, working their pathetic abilities to crack me open and read me like a damn book. Some of them got injured, some weren't harmed at all, but most… most were killed. They tried to get in my head, they tried to fuck with me and that shit don't fly right with me.

I live in a small cave on an east-facing mountain. I was able to find a cave that wasn't covered in ice, and was pretty damn inhabitable. Water was close to me; there was food just down the mountain, or on top of it. The cave, it was cozy… small… and just like everything else- it was dark.

I survive off of the several species that still lives on this planet, the beasts that can be so large I can't even gut all of it in one day… or night I guess is the right term. I usually don't go for those unless a storm is coming through, then I have to pack up the meat and get ready for solitude for up to weeks, maybe even months at a time. I eat often; I kill a beast about every week- two if I don't pig out on it all right away.

The day my life changed for the better- or perhaps the worst- was the day I couldn't find my herd. I went going down the mountain like I usually do, working my way around ice rocks and small cracks that I could twist my ankle in if I stepped in them just right.

The valley that I usually hunt in is between my mountain and another larger one. It's shady- colder, and it's where most of the animals that I hunt hang around at. The more reasonable animals that I can gut, skin and take care of the meet in an afternoon are smart when it comes to food. They love to eat, but I can't blame 'em there. There isn't anything else to do on this ball of ice out here in the back of nowhere.

The beasts eat, lick, and kick away the ice so that they can get to the frozen animals below. A long time ago, something knocked this planet farther out into orbit- probably a meteor, causing a massive ice age to occur. The smaller animals didn't have a chance. They were killed almost instantly from the temperature and the amount of ice that was falling from the sky, coating the once green ground with thick, hard ice. The larger animals survived, and came out of hiding when the planet stopped this far out, they found where most of the animals died at, and they just eat all day long.

I got down close to the valley, and got behind my usual boulder, not paying attention to my surroundings. It's been two years; I wasn't too worried about the mercs. I peeked around the corner, expecting the usual change of color that happened every week that I do this. But what I saw instead, was an empty valley. There was nothing in front of me that even told me that life ever existed in this valley. Something was definitely wrong.

Jack's Point

Of View

Jack B. Badd- that's my name. Sure I have alias's, plenty of 'em, but right now all you need to know is that my name is Jack. I'm a survivor, it's in my blood, and it's my nature. Our nature I guess you should say. I spent three months with him. Riddick, I mean. Three months going from ship to ship, avoiding cryo as much as possible. It wasn't that far of a journey actually. It was just finding a ship and a captain willing to take Riddick on board.

Yeah, Riddick was menacing. His muscles, his goggles… all of him. People tended to fear him at first glance, but everyone warms up to him eventually. Course, I wasn't afraid of him when I first met him. On that damn planet, all I thought about was how cool he was, how much I wanted to be just like him. But then reality came. It got dark, the monsters came out of their hiding spot, and I was bleeding. He protected me as much as possible from those things. He kept me away from them as best as he could. But one of them got to me; luckily I was under a huge ass bone at the time. Riddick, of course, killed it. I don't know why. The way people describe the killer makes it seem like he's a cannibal or something. They think he has no heart, no feelings, and only a sick thirst for blood. But they were wrong, and I knew it.

The Holy Man- Abu al-Walid- takes care of me. I call him Imam, though. But I'm the only one who does. Riddick took us to a planet called Helium Prime; some parts are very densely populated, while others aren't. Imam and I live near a city called New Mecca; it's located near the densest populated part of the planet. Imam decided to have us live on the very outskirts of town where only a few households are located- unlike town where there are close to two million inhabitants. Imam works at a church, as a priest or whatever. I don't go there because I'm not much of a believer. Imam respects that and doesn't talk about his job much when I'm around. I think it's because he wants me to stick around longer, take care of the family.

I go to school, no matter how much I protested, I still have to go. Riddick told me that it would make me smart that it would be a good thing. I didn't believe him, but I still went. The school is very prestigious; it's located far away from the city as well. It takes me a half hour to walk just to the damn place, if I turn around and skip school though; it takes me two hours to get to town. Not a fun walk.

The school is highly classified, it's a private non-governmental run school with very proper teachers that have had background checks done on them so well that the faculty literally know what they're favorite color is. The students, however, aren't so thoroughly searched. They are given aptitude tests to see if they're smart enough for the school, and they make sure that the student hasn't gotten a criminal record. Luckily, my alias doesn't.

I guess it's time for me to talk about my 'life' here on Helium fucking Prime. My name is Isabella Saline Ava. I'm supposed to be a foreign exchange student from Aquila Major. I've never been there in my life. Which is why I'm so secretive about it. I have quite a few friends at that school. Most of them are the trouble makers that seem like goody-too-shoes, but they're not. When they ask about my life, I tell them to fuck off. The first time thy asked me, I had to tell them something. So I told them the best lie I could think of. Apparently, I don't want to talk about it. I didn't go out of the house much because my family is very rich. There are a lot of bad people wanting to kidnap they're daughter- me. And hold me for ransom. Then, they kill the whole family. I got in the foreign exchange program for safety, and if anyone starts blabbing then I'll make sure they won't be able to make a sound for the remaining seconds of they're very painful life. They don't talk because they know I'm serious. They've seen me fight, not on school grounds of course.

I'm not that rebellious towards Imam, his wife Lajjun and his daughter Ziza. I act correctly in front of Ziza. I'm polite and I act like the foreign exchange student that I'm supposed to be. Lajjun only knows half of the truth about me. She thinks that my real name is Isabella; she also thinks that I am a foreign exchange student that Imam went and got with his three sons, who all died when the ship crashed on the planet of hell.

I follow the rules of the house accordingly. I don't smoke around them, and I make sure that I don't smell like smoke when I enter the house. Imam knows that I smoke, but nobody else does. I'm forced to teach Ziza the right ways, I have to baby sit her and I'm not aloud to have any boys at the house when I'm home alone. I lie to Ziza telling her that I don't go to church because I pray at home, and that I don't like large crowds. But in reality, I invite my friends over and we hang out, smoke cigarettes and enjoy the nice and quiet. Sometimes I invite only one person, other days I don't invite anyone at all over.

I train a lot. I like to keep my body in perfect shape just in case someone comes after me- finding out that my name isn't Isabella Ava and that I'm really Jack, someone who had been close to Riddick for three months, someone that he saved from big bad monsters. I'm also protecting Imam that way. Someone has to be able to fight while the others are hiding in the basement.

I've never killed anyone. And I've been well behaved and I've kept my secret for four years. I haven't been in jail in over four and a half years; I've basically gotten on the right track when it comes to violence. I haven't let a lot of people through the wall that I built when I first left my parents. But that wall being down to one person here in New Mecca changed my life. And recently, too.

Exactly one week ago, I had only one person come over to the house. His name is Ryan Fontaine. We had been flirting before and we even kissed once or twice. I guess that was me trying to fit in. Well, I decided that he should come over on the Sunday that Imam and Lajjun and Ziza would be gone longer than usual because they needed to do another service afterwards.

I invited him over and we ended up doing some stuff that I hadn't planned. Actually, I had no idea that it would lead to sex. To be honest, I wasn't even sure what I was doing. One second we were in my room talking and the next he was on top of me taking off my shirt. I could have stopped him easily; I'm not some scrawny helpless little 17 year old. Like I said, I train and work out. But I guess that I didn't want to stop it, teenage hormones and all.

I lost my virginity on a Sunday while the rest of my housing guests were out at church. I don't want to call them my family because, to be honest, Lajjun and I never really talk. Sure, I love Ziza and all, but she's not my sister, or my niece. She's my… caretaker's daughter, I baby sit when asked and I obey the rules that Imam has set for me. Lajjun doesn't ask me to do anything around the house- like chores. Which is good because I won't do them. She mostly requests that I help out a little bit with Ziza. She'll do her motherly duties around the house, she'll provide food for me, but I just have to watch Ziza when she and Imam are out somewhere doing adult things, charities that young four year olds don't belong at. It's just something that I have to do for them. What can I say? I'm a softy.

So, one week after my first sexual experience, I went to the store and bought a pregnancy test. There are so many varieties now a day. There's one that you stick under tongue, there's one that you hold against your abdomen, and there's the most effective one: the one that you piss on.

Which one do you think I bought? The one you piss on, of course. Besides, it's the cheapest. It takes the longest- about three minutes to decide whether or not you're pregnant. I think it has three tests in one stick. You pee on it and then there's these three little… boxes or holes or whatever with a small electrical screen. When you first piss on it, it's clear. Then you wait three minutes and the little boxes fill up with either plus's or minus's. Or both. If there are both- you have to take another one. I only bought one because I didn't have enough money for two.

I drank a lot of water and then I waited until I had to go pee. This was a long time. I tried to keep my mind off of it. I did pushups, sit ups, I lifted weights, and I even went for a jog around the block… twice. But still nothing. It was like a fucking towel was in there soaking up all the damn piss. I drank more and more. Until finally- two hours later, I had to pee. It was ten AM by then; I had about ten minutes before they'd be back from church- unless the service ended early.

I went in the bathroom, opened the box and pulled out the stick that was wrapped in plastic. I opened the plastic and then unwrapped the serane wrap that was covering it. Finally, I was holding it. I shakily unbuttoned my pants and I pushed them down to my ankles. I sat down, stuck the thing right below where my steam of piss would end up and started pissing.

I don't know about you, but just the idea of deliberately pissing on a stick, is stupid. I mean, how in the hell is it supposed to tell that I'm pregnant. C'mon people, it's a little plastic stick that I'm pissing on here! Nothing special about it, except for maybe the little boxes.

Then I was done peeing and my nervous tirade in my head was over. I pulled up my pants. At that exact same moment, I heard Imam's voice.

"Isabella? We're home." He yelled through the house. Oh shit!

"Okay, I'm in the bathroom!" I yelled back. I put the little plastic stick on top of the box, making sure the part that I peed on wasn't touching anything. Three more minutes and I'd know if I was pregnant or not. I couldn't wait.

Riddick's Point

Of View

I looked up at the empty dark sky, looking for anything that would hint me towards a ship. Nothing. I looked back around the rock at what was supposed to be where the animals were. Still, nothing. I continued to look, my eye shine giving me the ability to see my surroundings and enemies easily.

I scanned the mountainside and also found nothing. But I knew that someone was here, there had to be. I needed to get off of this rock to get away from those damn mercs, it's always mercs.

I turned around and started up the hill as silently, and as camouflaged as I could. If it was the same merc who came after me last time- Toombs, then he had a death wish. He's been chasing me and chasing me and he still hasn't come close to actually getting me. The last time I checked, my bounty was just reaching 600,000. Not a lot, but Toombs told me that it was a slam paying. The slams always have a lower bounty than the one's that individual private bounty's set up. So if he turns me into a private buyer, collects his money and then takes me to some fucking slam… let's just say he'd be a damn rich guy. Too bad he wouldn't live that long to see it.

I finally reached the entrance to my cave, my former-home. I peeked in and did a sweep with my eyes. Nothing there either. I looked out at my surroundings again and caught a glimpse of a ship trying to move stealthily in the dark around the mountain… to the other side. Dumb bastards didn't even have a clue where I was. Or maybe he did and it was just a trick. Either way, I was getting off this planet alive. I needed too; I had to get out of here.

I went into my cave and found my goggles hanging on the rock that I put them on for the past two years. I also found the rest of my food stash. I ate the meet as I uncovered the ship

I turned the ship on. The control panel in front of me lit up. I immediately transitioned the two-way glass to one-way glass. I flipped a few switches, pushed a few buttons and I put my hand on the thrusters. One more check that the one-way glass was there and the lights were off….

The ship went forward as I pushed the throttle forward. I navigated out of the cave and around my mountain. I went up into the clear night sky, away from the mercs that were after me. Too stupid to realize that I had already left the ice planet. Too stupid to realize that they had given themselves away. They were always so stupid, always so predictable. The fucking bastards.

Away I went, through the sky, between the solar systems, stars, and planets. Away I went, into the inner galaxy. The good part about being a murderer is that you don't have to be anywhere. You don't have any ties to anyone, no one you ever cared about, no one you care about now, and no one you will care about. It was a care free life where you got to do whatever you want and not worry that you'd be caught. At least, that's what it's supposed to be. But I do have ties to someone. I care about a little girl. I saved her life instead of letting those creatures eat her, allowing the rest of us a few seconds of being able to get away a little bit faster.

I had feelings for her, a little girl with brown hair who shaved it all off so that she could be just like me. Someone who went around doing whatever he wanted. She pretended to be a boy so that she had a better chance at surviving. Her curves hadn't come in yet; she looked just like a boy. Until you come across me, you can fool anyone. But I have hyped up senses. It came with years of practice. Smelling, listening… it all made my senses super sensitive. I could smell the sweetness of blood. How fresh it is, where it came from, if it's clotting or not….

I stopped thinking about it. I stopped thinking about her. I couldn't go see her, not that I was considering it, but it's too dangerous for both of us. She lives on Helium Prime, so far away. Jack… my sweet Jack. So soft, so sweet, her blood smelled so good! Ugh! Stop thinking about her right now! Okay, that's better.

I set the controls on auto control, heading towards a planet called Aquelia Major. My ship is small, only big enough for about ten people, and that's crowded. She goes fast, my ship. She let's her wings fly out here in space.

I closed my eyes and allowed sleep to take me over….

A few hours later, after dreaming about Jack's first try at a punch, I woke up. I was in the outskirts of the Equuleus galaxy, a few galaxies from Canes Venatici, where I just came from. I was coming close to the planet of Aquelia Major- my destination. I was just on the other side of the same galaxy as Jack.

I rubbed the sleep out of the corner of my eyes and I looked at all of the instruments in front of me- making sure I was good to go. The fuel was good, the oxygen level was good, the hull was good… the rest of the instruments also seemed fine.

I was coming close to the planet, I could now see the shape of it, and I could make out several dust clouds and a lot of smoke. Looking towards the side of the planet, I saw several ships. This didn't look very good. I looked at the radar and saw only five ships around the planet, in a circular formation. They looked pretty damn big to me.

"Riddick." A voice said my name. It was a woman. She had an accent that I didn't recognize. What the fuck!? "Don't go to that planet."

"Who are you?" I asked the voice.

"My name is Aereon. I am an elemental. Please, do not go to that planet. Go to Helium Prime."

"Why?"

"Because it's our only hope. I'll explain later." Aereon told me. I'm not one for following directions, or taking orders from someone else. I don't know her. I don't trust her. But something was wrong, and Helium Prime was where Jack was. I know one person that I would give my life up for. And that's Jack. So, I did what I was told. I headed towards the solar system Celerius, towards Jack.

"Alright, now start talking." I ordered.

"I don't have much time. It takes a great deal of energy to do this. I need you to be quiet and ask only the bare minimum of questions. You know my name, you know what I am. I'm contacting you because you're the only hope to save the lives of everyone." Aereon was talking clearly, but quick. I understood every one of her words as I changed the course of the ship, charting a path through the stars and planets.

"There is a race of monsters out there that are killing everyone who doesn't follow their ways. They kill children, and they give the adults an ultimatum. Either convert to their ways or die." As Aereon spoke, her voice became more filled with anger.

"There is nothing wrong with monsters… I'm a fucking monster."

"No, Riddick. You're not. Your and animal. You have an animal inside of you. I don't have time for this. My energy is depleting. I only have a few more seconds."

"Who are these 'monsters'?" I asked.

"Necromongers." Aereon said the name. "I must go. Get to Helium Prime. Save Jack, Imam, Lajjun and Ziza."

"Why?"

"Because you want to save Jack, I can't stop you- and you'll need her later. You need to save Imam, Lajjun and Ziza because they will soon be the last of their kind. Helium Prime is the next planet that the Necromongers will take over." Aereon stopped talking, leaving her voice hanging in the air.

She was right about one thing though, I was going to get Jack. I was always going to go back to Jack. She means something to me, I don't know in what way I have feelings for her, but I can tell you this: I will protect her like a big brother would. Huh. A big brother. I guess that's what I think of Jack as. I had to go and get her. And apparently, I had to save the others.

Jack's Point

Of View

I looked at the pregnancy test. Two more minutes to go. I was counting. There had to be something I could do while I waited.

I grabbed the test and the garbage, opened the door and went to my bedroom. I opened up my knife drawer. At that same moment, I heard a large crash. I grabbed three knives. I put one in my boot, one in my back and one up my sleeve, great for easy access.

I heard Ziza start to cry and Lujjun scream. I ran down the stairs, all thoughts of the pregnancy test lost. I had to protect my family from whatever was threatening them. If a Merc realized who I was and where I was and that I was connected to Riddick- they'd kill my whole family, make it seem like someone else did it and then take me to the slam or use me as bait. Either way, the people I love would die.

I ran silently. A skill that I had perfected only three weeks in moving into this house. I stealthily moved against the wall as I circled the living room. I saw the broken door frame. I also saw Ziza laying in the middle of the room, tears streaming down her face, holding her arm as if it hurt her.

I put my finger to my lips, trying to get her to be quiet. I moved into the kitchen where I saw four people. One of them was Lajjun, sitting at the table with a shocked face. I also saw Imam, standing by the counter looking at a dark figure, standing in the shadows. The third person I saw was Ryan, standing tall by the back door. The fourth person took my breath away. It was Riddick.

"Riddick." I gasped.

"You know him?" Lajjun said, disgusted that I would know a such a man- a serial killer. That is why I never told her who I was.

"Why else do you think he's here?" I said, ignoring my manners. My bitchy self coming back. The part of me that I chose to ignore… my animal side, my instinctive side.

It was always there, my animal side. I've just been ignoring the roaring and the growling when I did something it didn't like. Such as people. When I hang out with people, my instincts tell me to fight or flight. But I don't because I have to act at least a little bit civil in this god forsaken hot ass planet.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Saving your ass. Along with theirs…" He said 'theirs' like he didn't want to save them.

"Saving us from what, exactly?" Imam asked the man.

"Apparently there's some sort of monster out there called the Necromongers that are coming to Helium Prime." Riddick said.

"Oh shit." I said aloud.

"Isabella Saline Ava!" Lajjun all but yelled.

"Jack, you know the rules." Imam told me

"They were the house rules. Now, I'm not living in this house anymore. I'm getting the fuck off this rock."

"Isabella…" I heard Ryan's voice say. I saw Riddick cut him a look, and I knew that I was the only one in the room who heard him growl. My animal inside woke up- she purred at the sound of his growl.

"Let's go, they're supposed to be here soon. I'm not sticking around to make my number go any higher."

"Which number?"
"The death number." Riddick and I grinned at each other. "What's the bounty?"

"Too low for you."

"Tell me…" Riddick prompted. I made a serious face.

"550,000." Riddick burst out laughing and I couldn't hold it back.

"Jack, Riddick… we should get going."

"I'm going with you, Isabella." Ryan said to me.

"It's Jack."

"I'm going with you… Jack." Ryan clarified.

"Riddick…"

"No."

"Please?" I asked again. His eye brows rose.

"Jack, I didn't… when we… we weren't safe…." Ryan said. I went ghostly white when he said that.

"What is he talking about?" Lajjun asked.

"Nothing." I snapped. "You fucking ass hole. You said we were."

"Don't you want… you know… me?" he asked me.

"NO, but I'll take you along and if I am… you won't be breathing for much longer." I said. He paled a little bit, but quickly recovered. "Let's go."

I walked into the living room, picked up Ziza and smiled at her. "Hey there, we're going on a little road trip. Where's Snuggles?" I asked about her stuffed bear.

"On the couch." She pointed to the couch and I picked up the bear. The other's soon followed me into the room. I turned around and saw Ryan smiling at me.

"You'd make-"

"Don't even say it, Ryan. Don't." I snarled at him.

I walked out of the front door and saw a ship in the middle of the street. I turned towards Riddick and raised my eye brows.

"What?" he asked me. I shook my head and started walking towards it. Half way there, the sky got dark, and shadows began to form.

"Let's go, people. You have four seconds to get in the ship and then I'm leaving! Fuck letting this race continue!" Riddick said. Everyone started to run. Including me… holding Ziza. Which was okay because I was still in front of the others. I put Ziza down and directed her to a seat that was near the co-pilots chair. I buckled her up and told Imam to sit by her. Then Lajjun, then Ryan. I didn't look at Ryan. I closed the back door as Riddick started flipping switches, turning the ship on. Finally, we were getting off of this rock. I jogged back towards the co-pilots chair. When I went by Ryan, he grabbed my hand.

"I just wanted us to have a family." He whispered so that only I could hear. I looked at him with my pissed-off don't fucking mess with me look. He let go of my hand just as Riddick told me to get my fucking ass in the chair. I walked up there, sat down and Riddick started lifting the ship off the ground just as I buckled my seat belt.

End Chapter

Chapter Two Will Be Posted Soon

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