Under The Suns

Chapter 11

Shazza had her hands pressed to Imam's shoulders as his screams subsided. Carolyn had begun poking at Laramie's wounds while she tried to pull away from her prying hands. The arm hurt, but the pain dulled every moment. She wasn't sure if it was healing or if she was dying. Either way, and as selfish as it made her feel, she wanted to keep moving. If she had to die she at least wanted to die on that ship. She pushed to her feet and swayed slightly, pressing a hand to the rock wall. Her eyes danced along the ground, searching for her torch. She'd given up and was prepared to press forward without it when a sensation stopped her. Something small and wet had fallen on her cheek. She reached up to wipe it away and her hand came away stained with blue blood. She wiped it on her pants and stopped again because this time she'd seen what had fallen. Water.

"Where's it coming from," she asked, eyes turned upwards. This was her first experience with rain and she didn't quite understand the concept. Laughter called her attention back. Riddick had his back turned to them all but his laughter echoed along the rock walls in harsh waves of sound. He turned back, eyes shining with it and water dripping from his face. It'd only taken the rain a few moments to pick up and it was pouring now.

"So where the hell's your God now," he asked. She knew he was talking to Imam and so she dropped her gaze, dismissing the comment. The sound of the rain falling came accompanied with the sound of sizzling. Jack moved closer to Carolyn and she could see that one of the torches had gone out. She didn't understand much about rain but in that moment she understood that it was going to put out their lights.

"Riddick," Carolyn called, "Are we close?" There was no reply from him, only the sounds of the creatures waiting in the pressing darkness, anticipating their torches dying. He stood on a boulder and stared out into the darkness ahead, perhaps seeing thing they couldn't see. "Just tell me that the settlement is right there!" Her voice had gone high and desperate.

"We can't make it," he stated flatly. Laramie stepped away from the wall and went to get a closer look. Maybe she'd see what had him so discouraged. He turned to look at the wall adjacent to him and strode over to it. There was a cave, a narrow passage there. The others had moved up to stand in a group around Laramie. "Hide here," he shouted back at them, "Now!"

They came forward one by one, and slid into the little cave. Jack first, then Shazza and Imam. Carolyn stayed to cast a distrusting look at Riddick but she ducked inside as well. Laramie cast a similar look to the cave she was about to hunch into. It was far too similar to the one she'd been in before. Wider opening, easier for the beasties to get in, and she didn't have all of that light this time. Carolyn turned and reached a hand out to her and Laramie took the hand that was offered with great reluctance. She slipped into the small cave and turned back in time to watch Riddick block the entrance with a large rock that had lay just outside. It would hold the bioraptors back for now, but not for long. Not nearly long enough.

"Why's he still out there," Jack asked. She was beginning to doubt his dependability. Nobody spoke up in his defense. They just hunkered down, backs to the stone, faces grim. Shazza looked caught somewhere between tears and acceptance and Imam wasn't far behind. Laramie watched them. Watched as they accepted a death that hadn't even come yet. A death that may not even be theirs to accept. Jack and Carolyn combined the remains of their two torches so that they could have light for a little while longer. "He's not coming back, is he?"

Another question that went unanswered. Laramie toggled onto all fours and swept her hair back around. Somewhere during the scuffle with the bioraptor, it had slipped back over her shoulders to rest behind her. She raked fingers through it from root to as close to the tips as she could reach and began to braid it blindly. Shazza scooted closer and raked the tips for her so that it wouldn't tangle. It was something to occupy the mind. It kept them from kept them from falling into hysteria when the torch finally died and it felt like hours since Riddick had gone.

When the light from the torch died two things happened at once. The sound of the creatures waiting outside increased, louder, quicker, closer. But in the darkness another light shone. Blue in tent and steady, non-flickering. They all paused when their eyes finally adjusted to it and their minds caught on. Their eyes turned upwards and just above them lay a host of small creatures. Imam reached past Shazza and up to grab two. As his hand came back down they wriggled and glowed bright. Laramie clicked into action first. Her hands sped up their braiding process. She had an idea and she'd need her hands free.

"Give me you bottle, Jack," she finally said. Jack handed her the empty bottle, face puzzled at first. They'd only thought to be grateful for the light in the cave and none of them had thought to take the light out of the cave. She sped up the process for them. Laramie grabbed the two wriggling creatures from Imam's hand and stuck them into the bottle before reaching up for more. The glass of the bottle heightened the light emitted from the small organisms and the others finally caught on. They began pulling them down and shoving them into the bottle one by one until the bottle was filled to the brink.

She passed the glowing container off and they began scraping the label off of it while she filled the second bottle. There wasn't enough to fill the second to the brim like the first one but it was still effective. They looked around at each other and there was a long moment of silence. "He's still here," Laramie said, "We would have heard the ship take off, the settlement is close enough to hear that."

"One of us need to take one of these bottles out and get him," she stated, "Jack can't go because apparently light isn't enough to keep them off of her. Imam, you just lost the last of your children. This is too big a task to place on your shoulders right now." She looked between Shazza and Carolyn. "That only leaves us, ladies." They were both looking at her with expressions that were growing more and more resilient. They were getting their strength back. "I'll stay behind because if it comes down to it, I know this place the best, so if it somehow comes to us getting to the settlement on our own, I know the way."

Shazza shook her head, "I don't really want to be alone with him."

"That leaves you, Carolyn," Laramie said.

"Okay," Carolyn nodded, eyes a little too wide, "I can get there. I can do my best to get him to come back and help."

"And if he doesn't come," Imam asked.

They all looked back to Laramie, the new emerging leader. "I'll give you some time," she said, "If enough time passes and you aren't back yet and the ship hasn't left, then I'll lead them out. If you can't make him come back, then just stall him."

"The four of you with one light," she said.

"No," Laramie answered, "I'll go in front, they can share the light. I'm wounded now, my blood may deter them if I'm coming in front of Jack." Carolyn nodded and Laramie shot a questioning look to the others. They all nodded slowly, but they nodded all the same. It was agreed and set in stone. "You need to go now. Every second counts. Run as fast as you can." She nodded one more time, face still slack with fear but she set off. Carolyn pushed the stone with all she was worth until it rolled aside and then she scrambled to push it back in place. It took her a second but she did it on her own with nothing but fear and adrenaline to fuel her. The sound of her footsteps grew distant in seconds but they took comfort in it. The further away her footsteps sounded, the closer to the ship she got.