Despite the pain shooting throughout her body, Rose noticed Riddick had finally left the small room like she had told him to. Once he was out of sight, she refocused on what was going on around her. Zeke still had a hold of her shoulders to make sure she didn't try to sit up too fast. Johns had taken the pipe and leaned the blood off it before returning to give it to Rose. She glared at it but took it none the less. The others looked questioningly at Johns.
"I figured she can use it to help walk," he said with a shrug, "Now, I need to go find my prisoner."
He left before anyone could question him. Shazza helped Rose up and over to an overturned cryo locker for her to sit on. She wanted to follow Johns to make sure he didn't find Riddick, but she knew that would raise suspicion with, not only Johns, but the other survivors as well. So instead, she leaned back against what little wall was left and closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of everyone moving through what was left of the ship. She could hear scuffling and grunts coming from the direction Johns had gone and knew that he had found Riddick. She heard the distinct slam as something large – probably Riddick - fell to the ground. Her prediction was proved correct when she heard Johns say, "Somebody's gonna get hurt one of these days. And it ain't gonna be me."
She sighed and stood as best she could when the merc came back a few minutes later. She leaned heavily on the six foot long pipe and looked up at Johns.
"I think Fry found Owens," she said, breaking the silence that hung around them. Johns just nodded and motioned for her to go ahead of him to the Nav Bay. When they got to where everyone was huddled, Rose saw a steel pipe, much like her own, shoved through Owens' chest. He was screaming something about a handle and everyone except Fry was both confused and sympathetic.
"Get it out of him," Zeke finally yelled as he was unable to bear the screams any longer.
"No!" Shazza and Rose said at the same time. "Its too close to his heart," Shazza finished.
They all sat in silence before Fry finally spoke.
"Get out…Everyone, get out of here," she said forcefully while holding back tears. Rose was the last to leave. She placed a comforting hand on Carolyn's shoulder before hobbling outside to find everyone else staring at the wreckage behind them. She glanced at Riddick, who was chained to a bulkhead, as she walked by. Even through the blindfold, she could feel his eyes following her every movement until she was outside. The heat of the two suns combined with the added pressure from the atmosphere made breathing nearly impossible. Fry joined them only moments later as they all gathered on top of the remains of the ship.
"There was talk of a scouting party," Shazza stated as Fry came to stand beside her, "But then we saw this." She turned and pointed at all the debris that was scattered behind them, stretching on for miles.
"What the bloody hell happened?" Zeke demanded as everyone turned to Carolyn.
"It could have been a meteor shower," she guessed, "Might have been a rogue comet. I don't know."
Rose stood back and away from the group. The sand was hot under her bare feet, but she knew that the metal ship would burn her feet if she were to join the other survivors. Plus she was trying to stay as far away from Johns as she could without being suspicious. She knew how he had caught Riddick. She had gone into the city to buy food for that night's supper. Riddick had stayed behind with the children. When Rose got back to the little shack less than an hour later, Lily and Mike were both dead, each with a bullet in their head, and Riddick was gone. There was a bloody shiv lying in the doorway. Rose had buried Lily and Mike next to each other by their favorite tree that they used to climb. She had then gone into town and began searching for Riddick and had followed him and Johns onto the Hunter-Gratzner.
'You're gonna die on this planet, Johns,' she thought to herself, 'I'll make sure of it.'
"Well I for one am thoroughly grateful," Shazza suddenly exclaimed, "This beast wasn't made to land like this, but I think you did well."
"Actually," Rose called up to them, "The only reason we're alive is because of her."
"I suppose you ladies are right," Paris said, "Thanks very much."
They all returned to the damaged insides of the ship to find anything salvageable. Shazza and Zeke began pulling the liquid oxygen canisters out of the pressure suits. Fry was going through, helping out where ever she was needed. Rose and Jack had set to re-bandaging Rose's knee. She noticed that every once in a while, Rose would glance to where Riddick was chained before turning back to Jack, who was talking non-stop. Thinking Rose was afraid of Riddick, Fry stopped Johns as he was passing by her.
"What do we do with him?" she asked, nodding towards the convict.
"Big Evil?" Johns clarified, "My prisoner – highest priority."
"So what, do we just keep him locked up forever?" Rose asked, just barely hiding the agitation in her voice as Johns boasted about catching Riddick.
"Be my choice," the merc answered, "Already escaped from a max-slam."
"Is he really that dangerous?" Jack whispered to Rose as Carolyn and Johns walked away.
Rose smirked at the awed expression on the kid's face and replied, "Only around humans."
The two girls looked up as Imam knelt down beside them and looked at Rose's knee; her skirt pulled up just above it.
"How is your wound?" he asked as he helped her up.
"Fine," Rose replied, "Bleeding's just about stopped."
Jack handed her the 'walking pipe' and the three of them left the ship to go to the cargo hold. Rose was once again the last one out, and before she left, she turned back to Riddick and whispered, "Look up."
Even through the dim light, she saw Riddick nod, telling her two things; 1) her had heard her, and 2) that she had better leave before the others realize she's missing. Rose smiled and stepped out into the scorching heat of the suns.
'Even when he's chained up, he still looks after me,' she told herself, 'I guess its my turn to start looking out for him.'
