Title: Past Lives

Vindom: Pitch Black

Rating: M (for bad language)

Summary: Riddick re-lives his time in SLAM….

Disclaimer: Riddick doesn't belong to me, nor do the events of PB, however much I wish they did. I do own Lena, and the situations I put her and Riddy into. I'm doing this for love, not money so please don't sue me, as I'm skint enough already :grin:

Author's notes: Found this and thought I'd put it back up

1. Memories

A scream in the night, eerie and pulsing. Stopping in his tracks, Riddick stared in fascination at the creature that landed before him. Ever since he'd had the surgical "shine-job" on his eyes, he had seen things so much differently. It was one of the many, and varied, reasons he was such an adept hunter. Another cry. The same strange, undulating sound. It was trying to locate him, he realised with a smile, stepping into its blind spot and swaying in time with it. It was obvious the beast was perplexed and maybe slightly frustrated, it could probably smell his blood but could not see him as he stood in its blindspot. Eventually it appeared to tire of its quest and Riddick wondered if its hunger might be getting stronger, it could almost certainly sense what its own kind were doing. The mating and killing frenzy was nearing fever pitch, he wondered if it would soon be at its peak, and this one appeared not to want to waste any more time on something it could not find. It turned its head, apparently intent on making its way back to the main group of its own kind.

Without warning another landed a few feet away and shouted, alerting its companion to something out of place. The first turned its head, emitting a seeking pulse. Suddenly Riddick knew it saw him, its tone changed, but it didn't move for a moment, staring at him. Strong survival instinct. He wondered if the creature admired that but knew it was going to kill him anyway, new meat was apparently always welcome. It moved forward, its jaws opening as it made ready to strike the killing blow but it did not seem recognise the object held in Riddick's hand, a razor sharp shiv. He realised it probably knew nothing of weapons until the shiv sliced its belly open, its blue blood mixing with the muddy rainwater as its intestines fell from the wound. It lashed out with its claws, raking Riddick's body, the smell of fresh blood strong in the air, its hunger apparently overriding any pain it might be feeling. It lunged toward him with startling speed but Riddick was ready for it and side stepped, though the movement caused him an intense pain. He suppressed a curse as fresh blood began to seep from the large, ragged gash running the length of his left thigh. As the creature passed him, his hand twisted and the shiv found its mark once more, slicing deep into the beast's injured belly, striking a fatal blow. Riddick watched as the creature collapsed into the mud, its legs thrashing as its life seeped into the earth below it, washed away with the rain. A sadistic smile twisted Riddick's features as he watched its thrashing getting weaker, his eyes slightly hooded as the creature finally died.

"Didn't know who it was fucking with," the words were little more than a growl, his gaze disdainful.

A high pitched keening broke the silence of the grisly tableau, the other creature mourning its companions passing even as its own hunger forced it to move closer, the desperate urge to feed over-powering it. Riddick turned to look at it as it approached, the humanity Carolyn had raised in him pushed away, buried as his animalistic side took control once more. Fire ran in his veins and he tasted his own blood as he ran his tongue over his cracked lips, his hands twitching as the other creature approached. The thrill of the kill had him now, his pain receding as the predator in him took control, watching the beast as a wolf watches its prey, his silver eyes shining in the darkness. A slight snarl escaped Riddick's lips as the creature came within striking distance, never standing a chance against the animal rage controlling the human. The creature managed to strike once at Riddick before it too fell victim to his vicious nature. As he stared down at it, a noise caused him to turn slightly, away from the 'street' behind him, his attention momentarily diverted. There, a voice, calling his name.

Carolyn.

She was calling to him, trying to locate him.

"Go back Carolyn," he begged, the words catching in his throat, emerging as little more than a whisper. A quiet rustling sound behind him made his heart sink, fear beginning to rise in him as he turned, coming almost face to face with another of this planet's murderous inhabitants. His own murderous side rose up, taking control of him before he could stop it, his hand tightening around the shiv as he raised it, making ready to fight… to the death if necessary. The creature advanced towards him, stalking past its fallen brethren as it focused solely on Riddick, the smell of his blood filling its senses until it could think of nothing else.

It had to taste his blood, his flesh.

It struck with impossible speed, aiming its razor sharp teeth at Riddick's head, but the human was ready for it, stepping away at the last moment. The creature missed its mark, but only just, its teeth grazing Riddick's shoulder when he didn't move far enough, fast enough. The beast heard the hiss of pain from its prey and it raised its head, uttering a trill of exhilaration at its victory. The boast gave Riddick the opening he had been seeking and he struck, the creature's triumphant call cut short as the shiv sliced across its throat. Time seemed to warp as he watched it die slowly, the seconds stretching out into what seemed like an eternity. He knew more would follow these but he couldn't move, mesmerised by the beast's vain struggle to survive the fatal wounds he had inflicted. He knew in that moment hat he would never leave this place, that the blood fever would conquer him completely and he would die here, fighting these things until the last breath was torn from his body.

Before he knew what was happening, he was on his back in the mud. He readied himself to fight but what he saw before him stunned him. Carolyn, soaked to the skin from the rain, and their earlier encounter, holding out her hand and telling him to get up. He didn't take in her words, but he knew their meaning, they had to go before the creatures caught up with them. With her help, he staggered to his feet, pain shooting through his leg as he tried to put weight on it. The pain was too much, too intense, and he fell again, landing face first in the mud and staying there, unable to move, his energy gone. He heard her shouting something but it didn't register for a moment.

"I said I'd die for them, not for you!" the words echoed round his mind for an endless moment before she said something else to him. She was telling him he had to get up, had to keep moving. She didn't want to die here, any more than Jack and the holy man had, but he couldn't get up, his whole being was drained, he had nothing left. Her shout penetrated the hazy fog clouding his mind, cutting through it like he had sliced those creatures with his shiv. She finally managed to pull him to his feet and stood still for a moment, supporting him as she looked into his eyes. He couldn't believe what he saw there… Tenderness, fear and a hint of something else, something he hadn't seen for a long time, not since his stay in Slam.

LOVE

Suddenly her expression changed to one of shock, stunned agony, as she stiffened in his arms. He stared at her, not wanting to believe what he knew to be happening. And then she was gone, torn out of his embrace by the creature who had impaled her on its claws. He watched as she was pulled into the darkness, until she was out of sight, before he fell to his knees in the mud, reaching after her.

"Not for me! Not for me!" his voice was desolate, filled with agony, as he repeated the words she'd said to him moments before as her face swam before him, obscuring his vision...

He jerked awake, aware he had cried those words out loud while he thrashed in his sleep. He glanced over his shoulder, heaving a silent sigh of relief as he saw Jack was still fast asleep, her slumber undisturbed by his nightmares. They were the same every night; he'd lost count of the amount of times he'd been forced to watch Carolyn die, no more able to help her now than he had been then. He closed his eyes, laying back into the pilot's chair once more, aware that the chair, and himself were soaked with his sweat. He memory of the agony in Carolyn's eyes haunted him, made his gut twist inside out as he went over every detail of those fateful few hours, torturing himself that maybe he could have saved her. He slowed his breathing, trying to calm his turbulent emotions, knowing he could no more have saved Carolyn than he could have saved Lena. As soon as he thought the name, her face appeared before him and he opened his eyes, stunned to find himself back in Slam...