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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-Xander's POV-
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They might not be able to hear Johns and Riddick, but I do, and Riddick knows it. I also see something Riddick doesn't, Harry's tail has stilled- that is never a good thing when you're around a cat, and I don't imagine it would be any different with our resident cat-man.
"Look it's hellified stuff – but no different then those battlefield doctors when they have to decide who lives and who dies. It's called "triage," alright?" Johns says, Harry, despite how he's hiding it- his ears start to lean back into his hair. I look around at the others, despite my self; I've grown fond of a few of them. Who would Johns want to cut into?
"Kept calling it "murder" when I did it." Sarcastic and completely unaffected by Johns – that's our Riddick. Harry is trying to watch our surroundings, keeping an eye out for the shadow-creatures; I know how this kind of talk is affecting him.
"Either way, figure it's something you can grab onto." Oh, Johns, you're so very foolish. "Sacrifice play. Hack up one body; leave it at start of the canyon. Like a bucket of chum." Riddick says, just to sicken Johns – it works…
"Trawl with it. There's a cable on the sled. We can drag the body behind us." Johns suggests, softly, trying to play murderer. I start to hang back, as I'm the man guarding their asses -the logical conclusion would be… "Nice embellishment." Riddick mutters.
"Don't want to feed those land sharks. Just keep 'em off our scent." Johns tells Riddick, as if it matters. Murder is murder, Johns. Riddick looks back at us, sees me slowly keeping us back, and continues. "So which one caught your eye?" It's a signal, a sign to back off, slow them down. Keep them out of Johns' reach.
"Don' look, don' look, don' look…." Harry's ears are pressed flat to his skull, and his fingers are playing with a skiv Riddick gave him. The tip of his tail twitches ever so often.
Must be real tempted to knife Johns, so it's a good thing Riddick is doing the talking and that despite the near encounter with Harry's claws – Johns doesn't see him as a threat. Doesn't see me as a threat- only sees Riddick as an equal; real oversight right there…
"Imam. Slow down." I say, softly, so that Johns won't hear. Imam looks back, confused. "What?" I look him in the eyes; the Primal must have surfaced, because he swallows – wary. "Don't stop, just slow down. Little more space 'tween us and….them." God, Riddick, I hope you know what you're doing. Hope you win this fight…
"I would rather we all stay –" Imam starts; by now Fry has taken notice- she looks to me suspicious. The girl might not be quick, but she knows I'd rather see them dead then Riddick and Harry hurt without light.
"Do what he says. Please." Thanks Fry…I nod, and I see an expression shift over her face. They start to slow, tired, but knowing something is up now. I can still hear Riddick and Johns.
"Who is it?" Harry asks, at a near whisper. This is important to him, but Johns brushes the question off. "What do you care?" That just pisses both Riddick and I off. Bad move Johns. Harry shrugs shoulders tense. "I don't." You are a bad liar Harry, just be glad he can't see your ears and tail with Riddick keeping in the middle of you both.
"Then let's not name the Thanksgiving turkey, okay? I assume you both still got a shiv on you." Got this planned real well, don't you Johns, probably been planning something like this since you let Riddick free.
"What, you 'spect me to do it?" Riddick's voice is calm, his body language isn't. "What's one more to you? Like this is the one that sends you to Hell?" Johns asks, sarcastic, the end of Harry's tail twitches. "Oh, you're a piece of art, Johns. They oughtta hang you in a museum somewhere. Or forget the museum – maybe they should just hang you." Harry purrs, low and deadly. Johns ignores him- it's his death sentence.
We're slowed to a near stop…I can still hear them, listening with Primal ears.
"Awright. You do the girl, I'll keep the others off you're back." Riddick stops. The only girl is either Fry, or me, somehow I don't think Johns realized that slipped out. "Aw, don't tell me you're growin' scruples." Riddick looks at him, and smiles, slowly – then shakes his head. "Just wonderin' if we don't need a bigger piece of chum."
"Like who- a holy man?" Johns, you utter fool- Riddick likes him, he was decent to Riddick, wanted to give him water. You can practically see Johns' plans for a partnership falling to pieces.
"Like Mr. Johns…" Harry purrs, making a grab for the shotgun, and Riddick pulls it away from Johns- the shotgun erupting into the sky. "Bring the light!" Fry yells to Imam. "What're they doing? What're we –" Ali asks, Fry interrupts. "Leave the sled, let's go, go, go!"
The others and I flee, leaving them to fight among the demons in the night.
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-Harry's POV-
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In the scuffle for the shotgun, Johns' light fell, an arena of illumination in the darkness. The shadow-creatures excited clicks draw our gang-aimed fire, the clicking stops- they've learned that danger such noise represents.
The shotgun goes free, falls; Johns lunges for it- and me, but Riddick blocks him, I kick it into the night. Then Riddick pulls out his bone-shiv. Weaponless, Johns keeps his eyes on us the best he can.
"Gotta stay in the light, Johns. That's the only rule." Riddick says, shiv glinting in the low light. Johns circles Riddick- forgetting about me again. I could almost feel hurt by his ignorance. Playing with him, Riddick slashes at him, jabbing almost like a kitten would a mouse.
Johns stumbles over something, we realize too late it's a bone club. I search the floor desperate for a weapon, something to help Riddick defend himself with- even as Johns approaches. I find one- and throw it to Riddick- Johns turns his attention to the only one unarmed by a bone-club, I back up a step.
Then Riddick is upon him, and it's too late to stop him from breaking Johns' club-hand, forcing him to drop it. Now Johns just wants to get away- and take the light, Riddick stabs the shiv into Johns, whispering into his ear.
"Remember that moment?" Pathetic and badly beaten, Johns has the light, and starts crawling with it. "Shoulda never took the chains off, Johns. You were one brave fuck, before. Now look at you. Oh, yeah, you were Billy Bad-ass with your gauge…with your chains…" I see the shotgun; signal Riddick that he's got it- both of us disappear into the night. "And I'm still Billy Bad-ass." Johns growls as he swings it around to where Riddick was- then to where I was.
Blackness….
The shadow-creatures approach from behind. He whirls; something big is sweeping down from the sky. He shoots, dropping the light. He senses another approaching from behind- shoots again, a bad round. Crazed with fear, he ratchets and levels off for another try- too late….
Almost passively, Riddick motions for me to glance at the ejection shells; red- morphine…
The shadow-creature skewers his arms off, lifting him, and flying off with him. Stares at him, then rears back, slamming Johns with the full force of its skull blade- splitting him in two…
I think I'm going to be sick. Not that he didn't deserve it- we don't stick around to be next on the menu, instead Riddick leads me back to the others, running ahead of them, and then waiting for them to appear.
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-Riddick's POV-
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We see them, running, stumbling along the back-tracked sled marks, blind in the dark and - still so noisy. Fry glances over her shoulder, stumbles into me.
"Back to the ship, huh?" They're lost in the dark; they have no idea how far off they are. If I let them- they'd be dead by the time the eclipse is over. Harry is determined to save as many as he can, and after all the death he has seen – I can't say I blame him.
"Get out of our way." Fry demands. I glance over the rest of them, miraculously unharmed. "Alright, Xander?" Harry asks, soft, Xander nods, a slight smile for my mate. I throttle down my urge to show off my claim on Harry; we don't have the time for it.
"So everybody huddles together till the lights burn out? Until you can't see what's eating you? That the big plan?" I ask Fry softly, disgusted at her fear. "Where's Mr. Johns?" Ali, the little one, asks Harry. "Gone." Better they know his answer then mine. "You mean…?" Imam looks upset that someone who saved Ali could be so cold to death.
Xander shakes, looking back over his shoulder. He's been with them since the crash, and is starting to suffer from survivors' guilt. Or the fear that back there, he could have lost Harry and I… in any case I won't let him seem to cry for Johns.
"Gonna lose everybody out here…" Ali whispers. "He died fast. And if we got any choice, that's the way we should all go out." I tell them, and then turn to Ali and Xander. "Don't you cry for Johns. Don't you dare." I see Harry shudder, I know why.
The clicking is back with other, more sinister noises- the shadow-creatures are battling each other with bone-blades, rending flesh and snapping tendons- mating. We reach the gauntlet, lighting two umbrellas. They perch in the foreground- silhouettes watching from the canyon rims.
"How many do you see?" Fry asks. "One or two." I lie; they don't want to know the answer. I wish Harry and I didn't.
"Jack?" Xander- she's asking Xander how many bottles we have left. "Three full bottles. But almost time to refill." Is his answer- like its no big deal; like our lives don't count on how many bottles there are.
"Doesn't seem like enough to turn back on, does it?" Fry says, as if she had never thought of it. Good acting.
"Only see one way. Turn the sled over and drag it like that, with you under it – down low. Light up everything we got – and run like dogs on fire." I tell them, I see Xander's lips twitch in amusement.
"The sled as a shield…" Imam echoes; understanding what I meant. "And what about the cells?" Fry asks, suspicious. "I'll take those." I tell her- she stares at me hard. "We're just here to carry your lights, aren't we? Just the torch-bearers." Well, I had hoped not to have a sulky mate for the rest of my life- but whatever helps you sleep at night. "Let's just drop back an' boot up." I tell them; not answering Fry's question- truth is… I don't want to think too close on that answer.
We start on the power-cells, lashing them together into one queue. I craft a new harness from the bones of the dead giants. Close behind me- Imam mutters in another language, I turn, curious.
"What're you doing?" I ask, he looks up and smiles slightly. "Blessing you like the others." I must have looked at him- I know I do. He continues, then stops, sighing. "It's painless." I snort. "And pointless." He pauses, looking at me, looking as if he could look into me.
"I see. Well, even if you don't believe in God, it doesn't mean He won't be-" I interrupt him before he can finish. "You don't see." I continue, after shrugging into the harness and keeping it snug around me. "'Cuz you don't spend half your life in lock-down with a horse-bit in your mouth and not believe. And you surely don't start out in a liquor store trash bin with an umbilical cord wrapped around your neck and not believe. Oh, I absolutely believe in God. And I absolutely hate the fucker." I don't know why I spill my secrets to a holy man, maybe just to be spiteful.
"He will be with us. Nonetheless." Imam tells me, he really does sound as if he believes his own words. "Give my blessings to Fry. She needs a spare." With the guilt of more people dieing on her- not to mention the ones she's killed in the crash…
The torches are soon maxed out, burning non-stop, Xander and Imam – both lapping up O2, each holding a torch. The other holy man clutches a handlight, Fry under the sled-shield, like a giant turtle. Beside me, Harry presses against me, sighing. I put my glasses on for the first time since the eclipse fell. I have no desire to see the horrors out there, distracting me as I run.
"As fast as you can." I order them; Fry looks back, hesitant- worried? She should be; I have the cells. "Are you sure you can keep-" I interrupt her – insistent. "As fast as you can." I won't let them have an excuse to leave me behind.
Xander and Imam run, while Fry speed crawls under the sled-shield. The holy man trips behind the shield, behind them all- Harry encouraging beside me, I pull 200-pounds of damned stubborn mule cargo, and keep pace. That says nothing of how out of shape they are, rather that my people are better able to handle heavy gravity and weight.
I hear the shadow-creatures launch of the rim of the canyon- it only encourages me to keep up more; hatchlings stream down, right into our faces, only to fling themselves up at last minute- repulsed by the light.
Harry shudders beside me- there are no goggles for him. Blue liquid, their blood, drops like rain from the sky.
"Don't look." I tell him- he obeys, Fry does not. "Do not look up." I tell the others as she stumbles and hurries to get under the protection of the sled-shield. I know what she sees, I've been seeing it since they left the ship, and only it has never been so frenzied before- nor so crazed. A ceiling of shoadw-creatures hangs overhead. At the light they dive, weave, and dart- desperate.
Slashing now at each other…
"Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going!" I yell, encouraging them to move. It is surprisingly easy to get them to obey. Harry later claimed I was like the Devil's coxswain, leading them on like a ship through the horrors of Hell. All I wanted then was to live through the darkness.
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AN: As we are approaching the end in the next chapter, who wants me continue on to The Chronicles of Riddick? It'll keep with Dehctiws, 'cause I'm just too lazy to go through the whole new story hassle more then needed now a days.
I kinda want to add Vaako to the mix… CoR will be slower to be added by chapters, because frankly, I had a script to 'cheat' with this time around- but while I don't have a script for CoR I do have the movie…I sense much amusement/annoyance from my family in the future….
Oh well, they got used to the oddness of 'fics' and 'slash' and my obsession with anime/manga aka Those Japanese Cartoons; they'll just have to get used to seeing Riddick more then twice a day, and my pausing/rewinding - my random bursts of giggles as Xander and Harry do something …what? I don't write everything I think up down…