We raced together back to the cave, Riddick leading the way and every time I slipped, his hand came darting out to grip my arm and steady until after three or four times, he just did not let go and I welcomed the warmth of his hand as it was a reassuring comfort that told me he was still there.
Those heralds of hell came swooping in but I fired three shots with my plasma gun, sending them scattering to give us a small opening to the cave which Riddick heaved open. I heard Jack gasp as I ran to the abandoned sled and dragged out the last five canisters. "I never doubted you!" She grinned but then stopped. "Where's Evangeline?"
"Right over here!" I called. "Richard, help me with these." I was strapping up the canisters like lassos and Riddick came, picked up a couple then stood.
"What do you want me to do with them?" He asked and I smirked, picking up two and slinging them over my shoulder.
"How good is your aim?" He snorted with a smirk.
"How's yours?" He returned then looked up as the filthy demons began to swarm.
"Alright then, give me one to shoot at. You lot! Get ready to run, hold hands and stick together! Carolyn, Iman, carry Ali, either one of you." I shouted over my shoulder then stepped forwards, anchoring my foot on the ground as Riddick swung one on the leash, looking up at the clustering flock then released it.
I wish I had his eyes as it rather quickly fell out of vision but luckily my first shot hit its mark and the can exploded into a bright explosion that Riddick had already turned his face from. Gripping my two and Riddick hanging onto his as he winced, I grabbed his hand and tugged. "Run!" I bellowed and I guided Riddick forwards as he recovered from the intensity of the inferno that raged above us.
The wailing rang in my ears and I knew that those things were going to be in my nightmares, screaming their haunting hunting song for the rest of my life. Riddick's pace suddenly quickened as he regained his eyesight and balance, sliding his arm around me to half carry me over the sloshing mud much easier than I could have managed on my own. How the hell does he do it? Willpower? Because I seriously need some of that.
He overtook the others then let me go, allowing me to then run beside Jack, canisters clanking on my back as we hurtled forwards but then Riddick suddenly stopped at the edge of the canyon, spreading his arms and we all halted behind him at his command. "Stop." We all listened but I couldn't hear anything apart from the patter of rainfall.
"I don't hear…" Carolyn was cut off by Riddick who covered her mouth, still looking forwards.
"Doesn't see us, wait for it to leave." However we waited for longer than really safe, lingering as I heard the clicks and cries of more beasts as they approached. Finally Riddick growled then turned to face me. "Give me your gun." I arched an eyebrow at him but nodded, handing it over. "Get further back." Quickly we moved backwards and I pulled both Jack and Suleiman to me, using my arms and body to shield them as Riddick dropped two of the canisters then began to swing one around, getting a good momentum flowing before throwing it.
My gun raised swiftly in his other hand and he waited, waited and then waited as my heart beat wildly in my chest, the bitter taste of fear in the back of my throat as I watched him. Finally he shot then flung himself back around to hide behind the cliff, his face contorting slightly as he pressed his eyes tightly shut and I twisted one arm back to place it against his face, another barrier to hide the bright plume of wildfire that billowed out at the gathering of water that made the pool.
Screeches rang through the air and I whimpered, wanting nothing more than to curl up and hide away forever but I kept myself strong, refusing to tremble even from the cold as I held two of the children in my arms. I felt Riddick's warm hand grip my arm but not tightly, as if to reassure me that he was there and I exhaled smoothly, waiting until he growled the order. "Let's go." We ran for the bank, skirting around the fire but stayed as close as we dared as it continued to burn out, several writhing forms in its midst but we quickly ignored these dark shapes that screamed in agony and writhed before falling perfectly still.
"Go! Get up go!" I called to Jack as she struggled up the slippery hill, the sand giving out beneath her feet so I hoisted her up, giving her the lift she needed before practically throwing her over the side and I crawled after her.
"Evangeline!" Carolyn's voice bellowed and I groaned, unable to keep the buzzing pain from my head as my eyes lost what little vision they had several times. Someone grabbed me, hoisting me up then gave a hard shake.
"Don't you dare give up on me now, keep going." Riddick hissed then pushed me down to the others. "You know the way, go!" He bellowed down and I whipped around.
"Richard!" But he was gone. Carolyn took charge, herding us forwards until we were all running for the skiff. When I heard the rush of air being beaten by wings, I ducked down low, pulling Jack with me to stay a little more out of the way until we were facing the skiff and Iman was staggering aboard, Suleiman and Ali at his sides, safe in the light.
"Up you go kid." I gasped to Jack, pushing her up then stood at Carolyn's side, turning back to face the darkness. There was silence for several beats of our hearts, which still raced at ridiculous speeds but I held on as Carolyn began to pull back.
"Captain…" Iman paused but I shook my head.
"No, no he's coming. He'll come." I said more to myself than anyone else. We waited a few more seconds but still no cocksure man came swaggering into the light. Then we heard the screaming of monsters, the slashing of air and flesh being broken as well as rapidly fired clicks. I looked at Carolyn then dropped my canisters, tossing them up into the skiff. "Well, that asshole has my gun and I ain't going anywhere without it." I declared, drawing my knife then ran forwards, Carolyn hurrying after me once she had snatched the bottle of larvae from Iman.
We ran towards the sounds but I grabbed Carolyn and shouldered her to the ground, sliding in the mud as one of those beasts flew over us. Her hot breath rasped in my ear and by her trembling, I could tell she was just as scared as I was. I felt like a little girl during her nightmare, only this girl wanted the nightmare to end right now and to wake up to her mommy's arms to comfort her.
Staggering to my feet I gripped my side and continued forwards shining the meagre form of light forwards until I caught a flash of a weapon and instantly grabbed Carolyn by the hair, tearing her back out of harm's way. "Richard!" I yelped as he collapsed to the floor, still fighting imaginary shadows. "Richard get up! Get up!" I practically screamed at him, rain still hammering down on us so hard that it felt like tiny bullets penetrating my skin.
Together we hauled him up onto his feet, me swiping his last two canisters and we managed to move him forwards, though I could smell the blood and saw the genuine fear in his eyes, trapped in a nightmare. "Richard, we're here, we're not going to leave without you." I whispered into his ear. "You can trust me on that one."
"Eve?" He murmured softly then groaned, one leg giving out but I supported his weight, carrying him further until I heard the soft clicks behind us.
"Keep going!" I ordered Carolyn then turned, swiping the gun from his belt then turned, letting go of the leash of one canister to swing it up in the air, not wasting any time before shooting it down. Instantly I hit the deck, covering my head with my hands as the hydrogen burst into vibrant life and colour, heat pouring down upon us against the rain so that it sizzled and hissed like the aftermath of fireworks.
Their loathsome shrieks filled the night and I could smell burning flesh as well as the singes on my clothes. Damn, this really was not my day. Or night, to be honest. Could it get any worse?
Should not have spoken so soon. Just as I lifted my head, I saw a tail strike out from a dark corner and pierce through Carolyn's body, causing her to gasp then stare at Riddick in fear. She had always been afraid to die, it was why I had presumed that she would be one of the ones to live. Her hunger to survive should have protected her, should have kept her safe but no, she was now gone.
Riddick slipped to the ground and her hands left his as he slumped slightly, groaning in pain so I hurried to reach him. "Not for me…" He murmured before shouting. "Not for me!"
"Richard!" His head snapped around, struggling to stay upright as I reached him, the last of his canisters over my shoulder. "Richard B. Riddick, you get off your ass and onto your feet right now!" I snapped at him, quickly dragging him away as I glanced to where Carolyn had disappeared to into blackness. There had been no real tears, no screams or last words, there had been nothing. Just nothing.
When I heard clicks around us I fired the gun several times into the air, forcing them to back off as Riddick finally managed to get to his feet, leaning on me dependently as we hobbled inside the skiff. I never thanked god for light more than I did now. "Get the hatch Jack!" I shouted and she slammed her hand on the button, closing the door as we began to be surrounded by these sons of the sorry devil himself.
I dropped into the pilot's seat, turning on the engines and glancing outside to see those beasts beginning to flit across the headlights, snarling briefly in the glass whilst we slowly rose off the ground, the anti-gravitational grids kicking in as I jump started everything, flicking buttons and turning dials as I went. "You can pilot too?" Jack demanded in awe as she stood at my shoulder.
"Knowing a little bit of everything is always effective." I answered as Riddick dragged himself into the other chair. "You ready to say goodnight?" He nodded his head.
"Goodnight." His richly mellow voice murmured so I hit on the thrusters, pushing the lever up on the halfway point to get us out into orbit in one piece, though I stalled the engines slightly, allowing the boosters to gather momentum before spewing a proud beam of flames to roast any jackass monsters that got in the way.
Riddick lifted up our nose, directing it upwards and in no time at all we were out in orbit. I exhaled with relief then slumped in my seat, groaning. "Did Carolyn get taken?" Jack asked quietly and I nodded my head.
"Yeah. Went too close to the shadows." I pressed my eyes shut then got up, searching the skiff before pulling down several bundles of emergency boxes from the shelves. There was very little medicine so I gave both boys something to fight infections as well as myself, dusted off the blankets then got all the kids to sleep whilst Iman prayed.
Riddick sat in the chair, eyes closed as he flew on autopilot so I shook out the last blanket then draped it over him. He stirred then exhaled deeply, opening his eyes to look at me. "Go to sleep Richard. I'll watch the stars." I murmured to him.
"Aren't you tired?" I merely looked at him.
"I do not wish to sleep." Understanding he nodded his head then closed his eyes again as I turned and sat down on the chair, charting a safe route to New Mecca but looked at other ports that would be on the way to see if it would be safe to dock there for supplies and possibly a trade in, the skiff for passage.
"Why do you call me Richard, Eve?" Riddick asked me without even turning his head to look at me, eyes still closed and when his lips stopped moving, I could almost believe that he was asleep.
"Because it is your name." I answered quietly, glancing back to check on everyone else before returning my eyes to the stars which beamed welcomingly down at me. "And your name is part of who you are, so why ignore it?"
"It's the more human half of me." He answered simply so I sighed, unsure of how to answer before I smirked.
"Why call me Eve?" He gave a gentle chuckle then shifted in his chair to get more comfortable.
"Evangeline is nice but too long." He replied wearily so I left him alone after that to let him sleep. I knew that I won't be able to sleep for a long time after…after all that. I'll have nightmares about Paris, Shazza, Johns, Carolyn and those monsters until the day I die.
I stayed awake for several hours, only getting up to comfort the others if they seemed to be having a nightmare but it was only Ali, who whimpered in his sleep and thrashed about until I murmured soothing words to him and he calmed down into a deeper sleep.
Jack was the first to awake and I let her sit on my lap, curling into me as she played with the lapel of my jacket. "What now?" She asked in a whisper. "Where do we go?"
"Wherever the hell we want." I answered softly. "But only if it's friendly, vegetarian, inhabited by allies and isn't in any way shape or form dangerous." I replied and she gave a weak smile.
"I feel bad for Carolyn. She really wanted to live." I grimaced, the terror on Carolyn's face flashing before my eyes before I sighed.
"I know." Her stomach rumbled so I chuckled. "There are some dried food packets in the packs, they won't taste great but they're food at least." Jack made a face.
"Even after sixty years?" I pursed my lips in thought then smirked.
"Check the label." I advised and she smiled a little more before getting up and going to find food. Iman woke up and came to us, standing between the chairs as Riddick looked out in silence, me much the same.
"Where are we going?" He asked and Riddick flicked a couple of switches then sighed.
"Don't you have prayer in New Mecca to attend?" Iman's face lifted with joy at Riddick's words and I smiled up at him.
"Would you mind a few stragglers joining you?" I asked and he shook his head, resting a hand on my shoulder.
"Please, after all we have been through, I think it appropriate we consider one another friends, if not then family." My smile became easier, less forced as I relaxed.
"Sounds good to me." I nodded my head then leaned back in my chair, watching the stars whir past in bright streaks of white light, shining radiantly before they were snatched away all too quickly.
"New Mecca…" Iman murmured dreamily, smiling both within and out.
"Think a soul could get lost there? With all those pilgrim types?" Riddick asked and Iman actually rested a hand on his shoulder too, unfazed or completely oblivious to the look that Riddick was throwing at him.
"It is more a place where souls our found, Mr Riddick." He answered, smiled further then returned to his boys to rest some more so that he would be later prepared for prayer. I turned and looked at Riddick who had his unhidden eyes fixed on the stars before us.
"What are you thinking Richard?" I asked him softly and he smirked.
"Do you really want to know?" I arched my eyebrow at him then chuckled, shaking my head.
"No, probably not." He paused for a moment before asking me the same question. "Nothing. Everything." I sighed, pressing my hands to my eyes to rub them, attempting to stay awake. "I do not want to sleep, Richard. I'm afraid that if I go to sleep I'll wake up in that place again." He chuckled quietly.
"We all got to sleep sometime. Go on, don't be afraid of the dark, Eve." He said then hooked one of his feet into my legs, spinning me around as he lurched forwards in his chair and gripped the arms of mine, leaning close to me as I gazed up at him with slightly wide eyes. "It's where I am." I blinked softly then saw the cut in his side and then followed the blood trail down to his leg.
"You're hurt." I murmured then stood up, forcing Riddick to stand upright to avoid me hitting his head with mine but our bodies were so close that I could feel his heat, from both his skin and from the eyes that wandered over me with interest and curiosity. "Sit down Richard." I told him, making to pull away but when he didn't move I gave a little push on his chest and this time, he obediently sat back down in his chair.
I went over to my bag, checked on the others to make sure they were all sleeping peacefully then brought my supplies over to Riddick. "What hurts more?" He paused, contemplating before shifting forwards and lifting his shirt to reveal an inflamed gash on his left side. I hissed slightly on his behalf then worked on disinfecting it then brought out some needle and thread to begin stitching it up.
"Where'd you learn all this?" He asked me and I gave a soft smile.
"My dad was a pilot, best one in his regiment and he taught all his kids everything he knew about flying." I began, covering the basic of things. "My mother was a nurse and I learned with her when she brought home things to study, letting me practice on old toys that needed stitching up and things like that until she was fired. The tech side? I don't know, everywhere really. What I taught myself, what I learned from working in an intergalactic garage where we dealt with all kinds of vehicles, I also took tech class at school before I got booted out for…well. For getting too experimental." Riddick arched an eyebrow at me with interest. "Other things I've just picked up as I went along. Once had a friend who was a professional thief, he taught me how to pick locks, pockets and rob places, another friend taught me how to fight because he was shaping up to be a champion in the ring before he got too good and they had to," I paused, remembering that day with a shiver. "Take care of him."
I finished stitching Riddick's side then moved to his leg which wasn't as deep but still needed stitches so I rolled up his trouser leg, cleaned the wound then patched it up for him, wrapping the bandage around that also before tying it off.
"The people who killed your family." I froze in place, hand reaching out to put my things away and I did not move. "Who were they?" Slowly I looked at Riddick, unsure of what he was thinking or what he was planning to do.
"What does it matter?" His hand whipped out and gripped my wrist tightly, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Their names." He repeated in a menacing growl so I sighed.
"What are you planning, Richard?" He said nothing so I gently pulled my hand away and continued to pack up my stuff. "Killing them won't do you any good, if that's what you're planning, though I am rather touched by the sentiment, in a rather weird and frightening way." His mouth twitched into a smile so I returned it softly. "That's my job, Richard. My task to handle and whether I choose to kill them or not…well then, that's my choice."
"You can hold your own but you can't kill." Riddick said to me, standing up slowly to face me down. "You can't even look at people when their dying. I know, I was watching you when Shazza and Johns got ripped apart." I wasn't going to hide that fact, it had truly grossed me out, disgusted me in fact and I had not wanted to watch.
"Two less nightmares." I whispered to him and he stopped, thinking for a moment before sighing.
"You are right." He murmured then sat down. I turned to move back to my chair but his hand suddenly curled into my belt and yanked me back, causing me to yelp quietly as I landed on his lap, his arms curling around me as I then gasped and turned my head to stare at him but he pulled the blanket out from underneath me and draped it across us in one smooth movement. "How about I protect you from those nightmares, Eve?" He whispered to my ear and I shivered at the sound, making him smirk. "I can see in the dark, you can trust me."
His lips brushed against my face as he spoke, nibbling the skin and I suddenly wanted him to kiss me, or I kiss him, whichever way, I don't care. I pushed aside this desire and shifted, trying to get up but he trapped me to him, wrapping his arms firmly around me. "Don't you trust me, Eve?"
"About as far as I could throw you." I retorted proudly and he laughed quietly.
"So you do a little?" I realised his point then cursed. I could throw him, which meant I had walked right into that fix. However my body seemed to be rebelling against my mind, slumping against Riddick's form as my head rested against his neck, eyes slowly closing.
"Perhaps." I murmured softly and he chuckled again before letting me finally succumb to the darkness.