"I don't get it Johns. What is so God damn valuable in your life that you're worried about losing?" Fry said.
He let out a low, short chuckle.
"Is there anything at all? Beside your next spike?" She questioned him, disgusted.
"Hey. Crouch down for me." Rhea said.
"Why?" Riddick said, not willing to cooperate.
"Fine then. I'll come to you." She said.
She found something to stand on to help get her near his height, but she would still have had to stand on her tip toes to get near his face. She took his hand and put it against her rib. For the first time, she realized just how big his hands were.
"Look at me, and listen to what I have to say." She said, getting him to look her in the eyes. "Part of this is yours now. I mean it. I'm sincerely giving it to you, not because I feel I have to, but because I want to. I know we haven't known each other long, but we've survived this long together by trusting each other. I trust that you're going to do your best to help all of us get out of this alive." She ended by giving him a kiss.
He looked at her the same way he looked at Johns when he had told him he would let him loose. He looked at her a few moments more before he embraced her again.
"I – Thanks. And, I'm glad, because your breasts are really nice." He said, jokingly.
"I'm gonna punch you in the fucking mouth. I was talking about my heart!" She exclaimed, slapping his hand against her rib again. "You know damn well that where my heart is located! Mr. Sweet Spot!"
"What's with all the shouting!?" Fry exclaimed, looking concerned as she came out of the ship.
"Oh, um…" She said, letting go of his hand.
"Just a little last-minute arguing, just in case." He joked.
Riddick was in front of the group and Rhea was next to Jack. She made it her duty to protect him like a younger sibling while they were there. The group started moving, making sure not to get too ahead or lag too behind so that the lights would stay on and connected around them. While the group was moving the cutting torch went out which made Paris let out a short gasp.
"Stay close." Imam said.
A flare fell out of the container when Paris went to grab one of his Spirits to light.
"Wait." Jack said, going to pick it up.
"Jack, wait!" Rhea called.
"Jack!" Fry called.
One of the bioraptors had gotten closer to the group and almost got him. Fortunately, Rhea and Imam got to him in time to pull him away from its grasp. Johns shot at it as it flew overhead.
"Jack!" Fry called, running over to them.
"I could have gotten it if you had just told me." Rhea said, giving him a stern look. "These things are no joke."
As Fry continued to run towards them she ended up with Johns' gun in her face. He didn't pull the trigger once he saw it was her. She moved out of his line of fire as quickly as possible. Paris started freaking out and started scrambling in a completely different direction from the group.
"Paris! Wait, stop!" Rhea called when she heard him moving away from the group faster than he should have, and with one of the tubes still around him.
Fry looked over in his direction.
"Paris, get back here!" She yelled.
Rhea turned her head just in time to see Riddick getting into a crouching position, as if he was expecting a fight. This made her feel the urgency to get ready as well.
'There's got to be a sharp object around here somewhere.' She thought, looking around.
There was. It was a jagged rock that looked like if you applied enough pressure, it could do some damage. She picked it up and got ready for the worst, hoping she'd be able to jam it into a weak spot. Paris unintentionally pulled on the device keeping the tubes lit.
'Idiot.' She thought, closing her eyes for just a moment so they would adjust to the new-found darkness.
"Are you alright?" Imam asked, helping Jack to his feet.
The lights had gone out now. She heard Paris stop in his tracks, then she smelled fresh blood coming from his direction. He gasped at the sight of his own blood, along with feeling himself get slashed.
"I was supposed to die in France. I never even saw France." He said.
He spit alcohol into his lighter to make the flame bigger. It appeared in the middle of several bioraptors. They hissed at how bright the flame was but started to devour him once it went out. Rhea used one of Johns' flares to light the Spirits that were left.
"Well, it's good to see you're okay." Johns said, watching as Riddick came back toward the group.
Fry walked over to Riddick who was watching them eat Paris.
"Do I even want to know?" Fry said.
Riddick's demeanor stayed serious. He looked around and followed the creatures with his eyes. His gaze stopped on Jack, which made Rhea curious. She looked in his direction as well, the smell of fresh blood caught her nose again.
'Poor Paris.' She thought.
"The night air is kicking up a breeze, we should move if we don't want them coming over here." She said.
"Are we getting close?" Jack asked.
"Can we pick up the pace?" Fry called, addressing Johns.
Imam looked down at the ground to see that the group had crossed over their own tracks.
"You want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Johns said.
"We crossed our own tracks." Fry said, talking to Jack.
"Why have we circled? Are we lost?" Imam asked.
"Listen." Riddick said.
"Do you even know where we are?" Imam asked.
"Listen." Riddick commanded, more firmly.
Everyone listened to the bioraptors getting closer, they sounded like they were surrounding the group.
"Canyon ahead. I circled once to buy some time to think." Riddick said.
"I think we should go now." Imam said.
"Oh, I don't know about that. That's death row up there, especially with the girl bleeding." He said.
The group looked to Fry and Rhea.
"What?" Imam said.
"No, we took care of it. I can't even smell it." Rhea said.
"Not you." He said.
She looked over at Fry which made her inspect herself.
"No, I'm not cut." She confirmed.
The wind picked up again and she could smell fresh blood. It had been coming from behind. She turned around and the only person she saw was Jack.
"What?" Rhea said.
She saw that Jack wasn't cut but the blood seemed to be coming from below his waist. Below his waist? Her eyes widened.
"Not them, her." Riddick said, turning to look at Jack.
"No fucking way. How did I let that fall through? I brushed it off as other things." She said, eyes fixed on Jack.
The others were just as surprised as she was by this. Jack looked ready to cry.
"You gotta be kidding me." Johns said.
"I-I just thought it would be better if people took me for a guy. I thought they might leave me alone." Jack tried to explain.
"Jesus, Jack! Why didn't you tell us?" Fry said.
"They're always messing with me." Jack said, she crouched down and started to cry.
She felt sympathy for Jack, she understood what it was like for people to always mess with you just because you were the youngest and smallest. Well, in this case Jack was the youngest, but not the smallest. Fry got near Jack to comfort her.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, " Fry said, apologizing for getting upset with her.
"Could've left me at the ship, Fry. That's how come I didn't say something sooner." She said.
"They've been nosing for her ever since we left. In case you haven't noticed, they go off blood." Riddick said.
"Look, this is not gonna work. We're gonna have to go back." Fry said.
Johns turned back to look at Fry.
"What'd you say? You're the one who got us out here in the first place, and turned us into sled dogs." Johns said.
"I was wrong, I admit it. Okay. Can we just get back to the ship?" Fry said.
"I don't know Carolyn. Nice breeze, wide open space, I'm starting to enjoy my fuckin' self out here!" Johns yelled sarcastically.
"What, are you high again? Just listen to yourself Johns." Fry said.
"No, no. You're right, Carolyn. What's to be afraid of? My life's just a steaming pile of mean less shit anyhow! So, I say mush on! It's only a couple hundred meters, and after that it's skiff city. So why don't you butch up, stuff a cork in this fuckin' kid, and let's go!" Johns said.
"She is the captain! You should listen to her." Imam said, coming to Fry's defense.
"Listen to her?" Johns said, glaring at Imam before speaking again. "When she was so willing to sacrifice us all."
"What's he talking about?" Jack said.
Rhea didn't want to be the one to answer Jack, besides she and Riddick, no one else had known about what Fry told Johns.
"This, does not help us, Johns." Fry said.
"During the crash, she tried to blow the whole passenger cabin. Tried to kill us in our sleep." Johns said.
"Shut your mouth!" Fry yelled.
"We are fuckin' disposable. We're just ghosts to you, aren't we?" Johns said.
"Shut your fucking blowhole!" Fry yelled and ran at Johns.
He knocked her to the ground, and Imam stepped in.
"Ay! Ay! You've made your point. We've all been scared." Imam said.
"Oh Carolyn, how much do you weigh now?" Johns said, a cynical smile plastered on his face. "Verdicts in. Light moves forward." He finished, lighting another flare.
"Come on." Rhea said, giving Fry her hand to help her up.
"Thanks." Fry said, not looking at her.
"I knew about you trying to drop the cabin." Rhea said.
Fry stared at her with her mouth slightly ajar.
"I'll admit I was very angry, I honestly don't know if I would've done it, but at the same time I haven't experienced life the way you have. I don't know what events have shaped you to be the way you are. I know about Owens too. Johns is no better than you are." She said.
"How did you - ?" Fry started.
"I've got amazing hearing." She said, feeling that it would be better than telling her that she was right behind them with Riddick the whole time, before walking ahead of her.