Sorry it's taken so long… I've been in one of those lazy slumps and every time I've been inspired I couldn't find my CoR DVD… I know I suck… today is the 17th of January, I will try to have another chapter out by if not before February 17th … depending on if I get the job I want…
Chapter 2: Group
Imam opened the door, a feeling of dread; no anticipation, niggling at the back of his neck. He could feel it the air; he started up the stairs but stopped when the whiskey voice of the man he both feared and trusted, spoke rather unexpectedly.
"Did you know both of your doors were locked," boomed through the silence of his foyer, followed by the sound of a blade on human skin and a soft wisp of human hair falling to the ground. He banged the shiv against the brass bowl in front of him, "Five years ago, I took three people off that planet: a woman named Shay, a convict like me… a convict because of me, a kid named Jack, whom everyone else thought was a boy, and a holy man searching for New Mecca." Riddick turned to face him, "I told one man where I might go, I showed trust to one man. Did I make a mistake Imam?"
"There is no simple answer-," he started but Riddick pulled a shiv to his throat, "Whatever was said was meant to give us a chance; a fighting chance! Were it not for the threat of invasion I never would have betrayed you! I give you my word Riddick."
The soft trill of his wife's voice as she spoke Riddick's name startled him and he panicked when Riddick spotted his daughter. He watched as the big man crept to the stairs, spanning the whole width of the stair case with massive arms.
"And a daughter, whose name would be?"
"If you have issues with me let it be with me, you need not know their names!" his heart froze when his little girl spoke.
"Ziza."
Riddick rumbled after her, "Ziza.." he turned back to Imam, "Cute kid."
The child's voice broke the tension again and Riddick turned back to her, "Did you really kill monsters; the ones who were going to hurt my father?"
Riddick turned back to Imam and raised a brow in question; Imam shrugged helplessly, "Such are our bedtime stories…" He sighed mentally as his wife led the young girl away.
Riddick leaned forward, "So now who do I have to kill to get this payday off my head?"
----
Later when they were alone, held up in one of the many rooms in Imam's home, Riddick studied the older man. He couldn't help but notice the grave anticipation in his eyes; the tenseness in his posture. He stood facing the night sky; Riddick looked over the man's shoulder and followed the ball of light as it made its made across the sky.
"It is said that the comet always precedes them; these world-enders. The Colvesac planets are gone; 8 million settlers missing. The entire Ackroid system is gone too. My God how do I save my family?" He turned towards Riddick and his brow furrowed, "Have you heard anything I have said?"
"You said it's all circling the drain; the whole universe, right?"
Imam sighed, "That's right."
He closed the door through which Ziza had been peeking at him, "Had to end sometime…"
Riddick heard a knock on the door downstairs and within a few minutes, Imam admitted three robed men into their room, "The one you want is now here."
Riddick stood up and tore the mask off the man closet to him, the other two took their masks off themselves. And then he heard it; a whisper. The lights flickered and her put his shiv out and caught a woman in white robes as she materialized beside him, "And whose throat is this?"
The woman hardly batted an eyelash, "If you cut my throat, I won't be able to rescind the offer that brought you here, or tell you why it's so vital that you did come."
Riddick scowled, "The blade comes off when the bounty comes off."
Imam spoke up, "This is Aereon, an envoy from the Elemental race. She means you no harm." He grabbed Riddick's arm and Riddick turned away from her.
At that moment the woman dissolved and appeared on his other side, "There are few of us who have met a Necromonger and lived to speak of it. So when I choose to speak of it, you should choose to listen."
Riddick took a few steps toward her, "Necromonger…"
"It is the name that will convert or kill every last human life, unless Furyan warriors are found. They were the one race that would not bow; the only race the Necromongers still fear."
"Maybe you should pretend like you're talking to someone educated in the penal system; in fact, don't pretend."
It was Imam who spoke next: "There is a story Riddick, of young male Furyans, strangled at birth, strangled with their own cords. When Aereon told this story to the Helion leaders, I told her of you."
"What do you know of your earlier years?" this time it was one of the robed men to his side.
"Do you remember your home world? Were it was?" Imam took a few steps forward.
"Have met any other?" the same robed man.
"Others like yourself." Aereon elaborated.
Riddick found this ironic, "Sister, they don't know what to do with just one of me." He turned to face her.
"Spoken like a true Furyan." She smirked.
;I don't care where I'm from; I want the bounty off my head."
Loud knocking came from downstairs followed shortly by Lajun's hurried entrance, "They are searching houses! They are looking for a man who came here today; they think he might be a spy!"
Imam jumped forward, "A spy?"
"Did some one see him come here today? Did they?"
"Lajun stop!" Imam turned back to Riddick, "I will send them away, but wait one minute please. Will you wait one minute to save worlds?"
Riddick advanced on him, "It's not my fight." He turned back toward the window and prepared to jump into the streets.
"So you will leave us to our fate? Just like you did her?" Riddick paused and Imam ushered the robed men out, "Come, let us send them away."
Riddick watched as they defended him and were pulled bodily out of the house. He walked around the room extinguishing candles as soldiers thundered up the stairs, he waited until they entered and with, "You're not afraid of the dark are you? The light hurts my eyes," snuffed out the candles and each soldier that entered the room.
He walked out of the room through a hole in the door (created by the body of one of the fallen soldiers and stared down the man holding a blade to Imam's neck. The man dropped the blade and backed up. Paused at the top of the stairs, he addressed an issue that had been in the back of his mind. "You mentioned 'her'… Which 'her' were you referring to?"
"Either one…" Imam swallowed, "Jack went looking for you and about a six months later Shay followed; people died, they both went to prison. I'm not sure where; it was a world so hot, you couldn't set foot on the surface."
"Crematoria…"
"Young Jack, She thought of you as her older brother; she worshipped you!"
"You were supposed to watch them both…" Riddick rumbled as he walked passed Imam.
"They never forgave you for leaving just when they needed you most. Shay especially, I have never seen such a vibrant woman look so lost and broken. I doubt you will receive a warm welcome."
"They needed to stay away from me, you all do. And I wasn't expecting one."
How was that? Not in Riddick's pov but I like it anyway. Next chapter will hopefully be up around Feb. 17th and might be in Riddick's pov.
