Dehctiws
Abby Ebon
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Disclaimer: Don't own anything – not Buffy, not Harry Potter, not Pitch Black or Chronicles of Riddick.
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-Riddick's POV-
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I hear them knock a new escape hatch free. I smell Xander, Fry, and Johns go through. Harry, Imam, and one of his holy men, hang back. They approach my position, searching for me; I'm touched- not really.
Harry steps into my line of sight, as does one of Imam's holy men. A second adolescent wings down from above, catching the holy mans head in a vice grip as he turns the corner.
Thank god it's not Harry. Harry's beside me, tense, watching the holy man with wide eyes. The two probe us, nudging gently, curious to see if we are good to eat. I have a feeling I'm going to get up-close and bloody-personal with this mans bodily liquids as he dies.
"Don't move." I hiss to them. My feelings are proven right. More blades move down, descending like surgeon scapulas. The holy man smells of piss. One test slices my shirt; they haven't broken skin, not yet. If they do, they'll know- we taste good.
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-Xander's POV-
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Something is wrong.
Riddick and Harry are near by, the hyena tells me that much. The only one as anxious for their return as I am is Fry. "Imam, where are they?" Fry asks Imam, you can hear the anxiety in her voice. He's hanging back, waiting for his fellow holy man to return.
"Hasan?" I hear Imam call; no answer.
"Riddick?" Fry tries.
Nothing…
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-Harry's POV-
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The shadow-creatures grip on the holy man- Hasan's head tightens. He clenches his teeth, I can imagine his pain. It test slices the skin. Blood pools up from the wound. We hear the others call, so do the shadow-creatures, they cease clicking.
He is scared now; more so now because of their silence- his fear-scent flares. I know what's going to happen, so does Riddick. "No…" Riddick's warning does him no good. He bolts- running away. They are upon him, so fast they seem to be only shadow blurs.
He screams with his last breath.
They have learned we taste good.
We are prey. A third predator moves in above Riddick. He sees it, he tells me silently to move with him- when he does. I agree. He moves, as one we dart around the cargo hold, heading for the escape hatch Johns built…
Fry's flashlight catches us square in the face- Riddick getting the full force. Blinded; he howls- as he stumbles foreword. I cry out, the pain is like red-hot irons; I fall to my knees.
The shadow-creature that was right behind us- has a similar reaction; I hear as it falls back. Fry freezes, uncertain in what just happened. Suddenly a shotgun explodes. Smelling of drugs, Johns blasts at shadows.
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-Riddick's POV-
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"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Fry yells at him. Yeah, the drugged fuck might hit one of us. He stops.
"'Sokay, 'sokay. I killed it." Smug fuck is right; I smell the shadow-creatures newly fallen blood. I blink, eyes tearing up, but I can see again, I go to Harry; I feel bad for him, he's never felt the pain light can do to our silvered eyes.
I pat his back, wary, he uncurls. He glares at Fry- then to the flashlight. His eyes are reddened around the edges- he can't see so well, it'll take time to get your sight back to normal after the first time light is shined into them.
The carcass of the shadow-creature slams to the floor; they jump back- fearful of the already dead beast. Fry reclaims the flashlight; she dropped it when Johns started firing at shadows. She shines the beam on its flesh, interestingly; it chars and steams- burning.
"There…" Fry whispers. No wonder they are afraid of the daylight, I would be to if it burned me.
"Like the light is scalding them." Paris says, saying the obvious as always. Harry looks up, blinking at the carcass. He turns his eyes to me I shrug; I have no explanation to its origins. Unlike Fry and Johns, I do not lie when I don't know something.
"It hurts them. Light actually hurts them…" Fry whispers, excited now. Above us, a particularly loud warning click catches their attention. They take notice of the shadow-creatures, the hatchlings- fighting over scrapes of the holy man.
"Is that…Hasan?" Imam whispers he is clearly distraught; looking from me to the scraps of what used to be a person. I see it in his eyes, the unvoiced question why couldn't I protect him.
I tried holy man, you can't save everyone. Behind him, Ali shudders- rememberin' that if not for Harry, he'd be joining him in the afterlife. Kid is gonna have nightmares about this place- if he survives it.
"We'll burn a candle for him later. C'mon." Johns says a near whisper.
I wonder Johns, will there be anyone left alive to burn candles when the eclipse is over?
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-Xander's POV-
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They come back.
They are alive.
I shiver, huddled into a ball of mushy-Xander-ness. We're gathered around Fry's flashlight, the only source of light we have. Crates are piled against walls and door. Fry's listing what we have. "…One cutting torch…one handlight here, two more in the cabin…I think two more…" Ain't much- but I've had less, and I've got Harry and Riddick backing me.
"Spirits. Anything over 45 proof burns well." Paris adds. "How many bottles?" Fry questions, you don't need to be a genius to figure she wants them to burn- not drink. Paris frowns. "Not sure. Ten." He hedges. By the look on Fry's face she's gotten an idea.
"Those umbrellas, the ones that mist. Would they burn." His face clouds, greedy fuck. Fry reads his expression. "If you got a receipt?" She asks, he nods, face blank. "Possibly." He says, knowing they would.
"Awright. So maybe we'll have enough light." Fry muses, that catches Johns attention, even in his drugged mind. "Enough for what?" He asks, suspicious. She looks at him as if it should be obvious. It is- she wants to get to the skiff. I'd have the same plan, if I wasn't having a little break down.
"Oh, lady. If you're in your right mind, I prey you go insane." Johns murmurs. Not a good idea to piss off the woman who has most of these peoples trust, Johns.
"We can stick to the plan. If we get four cells back to the skiff, we're off this rock." Fry assures the rest of us; who if we didn't before, now have a pretty good idea of what is gonna happen.
"I hate to kill a beautiful theory with an ugly fact, but that sand-cat won't run at night." Paris says Fry turns to him; the answer is obvious to me. "We'll have to carry the cells…drag them…whatever it takes." I shudder. I'm beginning to hate the dark. Especially with the hyena laughing in my head, I never noticed when the itching around my eyes stopped- meaning that they are back to normal.
"You mean…tonight? With all those things still out there?" Ali asks, scared. Harry presses against me; he isn't the only scared one. "Oh, sure. Why not? Sounds like a hoot." Paris mutters, sarcastic. "Back it up. How long can this last? Few minutes? Couple hours?" Johns suggests, too bad we didn't find out when we had the chance.
"I had the impression…from the model…that the two planets were moving as one. That would be…a lasting darkness." Imam says, clearly he is disturbed after losing one of his people. Still Johns persists in being a coward. "Those suns gotta come back sometime. And if these animals really are phobic about light, we just sit tight till then." Fry glares at him.
"I'm sure that's what someone else said. Locked inside that coring room." Fry says, some of them shudder- that's motivation for you. His eyes search our faces, were siding with her- it isn't a part of his plan.
"Look, we gotta think of everyone now- the kids especially. How scared are they gonna be out there." Fry takes a look at the 'kids'; me (I resent that!) Ali (whose glaring at Johns) and Harry….who isn't really a 'kid' he's just shorter then all of us (even the real kids!).
"I don't think you need to worry about me or 'Jack' Johns." Harry purrs, pulling himself up from leaning between me and Riddick. I watch, swallowing, as he arches his back, and nuzzles my neck- Riddick's eyes are unreadable. I only hope he doesn't gut me for his mates' hormones.
"We're quite …safe…in the dark." Harry licks my cheek. Two things happen at once- Riddick growls a warning to me, and my hyena surfaces. Then Harry drops the spell that keeps them from noticing my and Harry's eyes.
Shit. They jump back, and I don't blame them- who'd like to have the most 'innocent' turn into an unknown? Harry laps his tongue on my bite mark…I tilt my head back, feeling his fangs scratch the surface.
"Oh, god…" Johns' voice is strangled- choked, and I'll give you two guesses why. Harry stops, looks up at them, smirking, quite pleased with him self. Ali is staring at us with wide eyes. "What's wrong with him?" Do you mean me, or Harry, Fry?
"He," Riddick jerks his head at Harry, clearly displeased "is mate, and…is in heat." Very carefully blank expressions all around…
"And 'she'," Riddick continues, glaring at me "is a Primal." I decide, once Harry's done licking on my neck, to save Riddick the trouble and bury myself. It'll be less painful…and mortifying when they find out I'm a…
He wouldn't….He is…. "She is also not really a she." Smug fuckin' ex-con…
"What about their eyes Riddick." Fry hisses, as if we don't have better hearing then they do. "Side effects." Riddick says, shrugging it off as he watches Harry. They seem to settle down. Still….Oh, gods…I moan, Harry digging his fangs into my neck. Riddick snarls…screw him….Harry is lifted off me, even as he mewls in displeasure to Riddick. Riddick shuts Harry up by forcibly kissing him, reminding Harry who is dominated.
I blink at the rest of them, even as my eyes fade to normal.
"Still, we've got to come up with a better plan." Johns mutters, carefully not looking at the three of us, trying his hardest to get back on track. Fry is clearly annoyed at him- and probably us.
"How much do you weigh, Johns?" Fry asks, pissed off. "What the hell's it matter?" Johns hisses, concentrating on Fry- and not Riddick who growls as Harry whimpers in the corner. "How much?" Fry insists a challenge in her voice. "79 kilos." Johns answers, even as Harry mewls as Riddick bites down on his marking again.
"Because you're 79 kilos of gutless white meat, and that's why you can't come up with a better plan." Fry insults, smug- and not so smug when Johns moves to hurt her. I move to interrupt. Blocking him, Riddick takes notice of something other then the oh-so-sweet-smelling Harry. Johns put the shotgun to Riddick's head.
"Think about that reward, Johns." Riddick says unafraid- Harry watches with lidded eyes. Johns might dismiss Harry, but he is one of the deadest people I know. The retractable claws don't hurt either. "I'm willing to take a cut in pay." Johns' growls, Riddick smirks, Harry has moved, too fast for anyone to stop. His arms are around Johns from behind, his nails scraping Johns' gut.
"How 'bout a cut to your gut?" Harry purrs, watching Riddick with playful eyes as he presses against Johns frozen back, his cheek against Johns', Riddick's eyes follows Harry's tongue as it licks against the sweat beaded against Johns' skin. Two things are clear- Harry is hard – and Johns isn't much better off, and Johns isn't going to live long if Riddick has anything to do with it.
I'm lucky, Harry likes me- they both hate Johns.
Johns manages to glare at Riddick- speaking to him, and carefully ignoring Harry. "Oh, Trash Baby, you're gonna regret this." Harry's sharp claws lengthen. "Play nice, Kitten." Riddick tells him, ignoring the very uncomfortable Johns.
"Please…this solves nothing, please…" Imam interrupts, he's right- of course, but is sure fun to watch. Johns' nods- backing down, the shotgun moves away from Riddick's head-Harry lets him go, and leans against Riddick, who wraps a possessive arm around him.
Fry glanced to Ali, and decides to answer his earlier question. "They're afraid of our light. That means we don't have to be afraid of them." Imam shifts and I know he's about to speak. "And you are certain you can find your way back? Even in the dark?" Good question holy man…"No, I'm not. But they can." She is pointing, of course, to Riddick and Harry.
Fry turns to look at Riddick and Harry, both look back unafraid.
