The next time she woke she felt the ship quaking heavily along with a light shining brightly into the ship. She moaned softly as a shiver wracked her body. The cold liquid causing tremors to go down her back. She opened her eyes but shut them again when bright light shone directly in her eyes. She would've turned her head away if she wasn't chained down.
"Wakey time, sweetheart. We're there. Yer new home." piped the voice of the leader up. She opened her mouth to say something but only a weak croak came out. Then everything was suddenly dark and the ship came to a violent stop. She heard the laughing voices of the other mercs and opened her eyes. "Told ya we'd made it, didn't I?" demanded one of the mercs as he slapped his friend hard on the shoulder. The other chuckled as they unbuckled themselves and all came to the back. The last merc turned to the door, opened it and stepped out.
The leader grinned as he turned to her and started undoing the clamps around her limbs and neck and pulled the needle out of her arm. In the meantime did the two mercs pull out their guns and aimed them at her.
Once all the chains were loose pulled the leader other chains from under his chair and held them up. Her hands were chained together just like her feet and connected to one another with a longer chain that was tied around her waist. She shuffled out of the ship and was immediately met with the barrel of the gun of the last man. "Don't think 'bout running, darlin' I'll blast a hole in yer head if ya do." sneered the man making her wince when she saw his yellow teeth. The group guided her to a railcar and chained her down on it before sitting down themselves.
Luna recognized it as the car from the movie and couldn't help but sigh. She was on Crematoria. That meant in five years of now, she would meet the guys again. As the car started moving her mind drifted to the last movie of Riddick. She paled slightly when she remembered the hellhounds that lived here. The further the car rode the more she dreaded the arrival.
When the car stopped, they pulled her up and brought her to the headquarters of the jailers.
Luna looked up when she saw them and recognized them all but could not recall their names. "And who do we have here?" asked the man as his eyes roamed over her body. She glared at him when his gaze met hers. "This is Luna. She's wanted for homicide but the price's doubled since she killed one of my crew. Hope yer having still a spot free in yer slam." said the leader as he roughly pushed her forwards, causing her to almost fall over her chains.
The boss of the prison guards sneered back before stepping aside with a smile. "Sure we have and I'm also sure we can arrange something. Bring her in." ordered the man and two guards came forwards and took over. They guided her into the quarters and brought her to the opening in the middle of the floor. Once by the hole they released her chains as the rest kept their weapons aimed at her.
They cuffed her hands and hooked them on a rope. After that the boss pulled a large lever down with a grin. "Have fun in your new home, darlin'. You're gonna stay here for a long time." he sneered as she was lifted above the hole and slowly brought down.
Her stomach fluttered from the nerves. She looked around the giant cavern as inmates came out and started slamming their items on the railings. Some of the men hooted when they saw she was a woman and she grimaced. "I hope those five years quickly pass. I really hate this place already." she mumbled to herself as she came closer and closer to the ground.
Three prisoners stood ready on the ground along with a man she recognized faintly as the man from the movie. 'What was the guy's name again?…' she thought before the answer came quickly "Guv." she murmured and quietly hoped that he would keep the other prisoners away from her. She knew that the prisoners here had little to no contact with women. She could only hope that none would try to rape her when she was released. She found herself all too soon on the ground and moved her arms this way and that to get the cuffs off the hook.
The man she recognized as Guv came up to her. "It's been a long time since we've had a woman in our midst. Tell me, are you inmate or convict?" he asked making her frown and tried to remember which one was the worst but couldn't. "Why? What's the difference?" she asked curiously.
"An inmate is a back-stabbing bastard who wouldn't think twice on pulling the pin on his fellow man. But a convict has a certain code and shows respect when needed." explained the man "Now which one are you?" he asked again. "I'm a convict." she said clearly before looking up at her hands and then at him. "Care to help here?" she asked slightly pleading to which he shrugged. "I'd do it, if you can tell me some news from the outside world." he bargained. She glanced warily at the men to the side before nodding. "Alright just get me out of these things." she told him urgently. Guv helped her cuffs off the hook.
One of the three men crept closer and slowly reached out to her.
Noticing this, she stepped back with a frown. The man had a leery look on his face. "Thanks. I'm Luna by the way." she told him while keeping her eyes on the three men as they each shuffled closer.
Guv nodded. "Call me Guv, everyone does." he said and glanced down at her hands. "Come on, I'll take them off for ya." he said, motioning to her hands and she smiled before letting out a startled gasp when someone pinched her ass. Whirling around, she saw it was one of the three men. He had a perverted smile on his face as he let his eyes roam. "Yeah, and can we do that somewhere away from prying… hands?" she asked with a grimace and the man shrugged. He then kicked the pincher away and pointed to the other two. "Get lost! You're not wanted here." snapped the man and the trio quickly retreated with some last glances her way.
"You know, if you wanna survive here you're gonna need to defend yourself. None of us have seen a woman in a long time and I'm not gonna protect ya." he pointed out while letting his eyes travel over her body to which she winced. She understood but had secretly hoped that he would. He had seemed nice in the movies. Clearly she was mistaken. "So, what goes on in the outside world?" he questioned to which she bit back a grimace. She knew next to nothing of the outside world. Imam told her bits and pieces of what happened on Helion itself but that was all. "I can only tell you what I know of Helion Prime." she told him to which he shrugged. "Fine by me. Better then nothing." "Alright, well," she sighed licking her lips as she did so "a guy named …Majid? Has been arrested for the attempted murder of a minister of Helion, called Barkov. Apparently, from what I heard," she added quickly "the minister had made some deals with Majid in the Crime-world and betrayed the man. Barkov could be saved but was wounded and also arrested for crimes like smuggling." she told him, remembering someone saying something about it but couldn't really remember the name of the criminal.
Guv nodded at her words. "So a minister has been caught red-handed in some dark deals, eh? Tch, I knew there were some ministers on Helion that were corrupt. Just didn't know which ones." he said with a scoff. Guv then led her to a small cavern on the first floor. Some men they passed touched her, effectively creeping her out. There was a small stack of items on the other side of the cavern and some old clothes but nothing more. Guv grabbed a pair of bolt cutters and walked over to her. He quickly helped her out of her cuffs and asked her why she was here. "You don't look like a girl who would commit a crime. But I could be mistaken." he said and she sighed. "I killed two people. The first was to save friends of mine and the other was by accident." she told him making the man nod in understanding. "I can reason with that. I've seen it before; people killing others to protect their family. It's rare but I've seen it. My first kill was to avenge a friend of mine." he explained and shrugged. "It's actually one of the reasons why I'm here. Multiple homicide." he told her curtly before they heard a loud voice through a speaker say "Feeding Time!" and instantly chaos erupted everywhere.
She looked at Guv and saw that he had already stood up and was looking to the entrance of the cave. "Damn bastards." he muttered under his breath before he turned to her. "If you wanna live long then ya better get the hell outta here and find a cell before they get ya." he told her and ran away.
She was happy she didn't have to ask what was going on and lose time. Instead, she stood up and ran to the entrance and saw many men running over the bridges, passing her and completely ignoring her presence. She didn't know which way the hellhounds would come and took a breath before going to the left, following many men. She saw them turn into a cell and quickly followed them. The door closed after another man came inside and was quickly locked. She instantly felt eyes on her and glanced to the side.
The last man that had entered was eying her. She glared at him, covering up for her nervousness as she hoped nobody would try anything. A soft rumbling growl caught her attention and she turned around and saw a red dog-like creature with pearly eyes walking by. His scales rattled softly and were a fiery red.
She was in awe with its beauty before it suddenly jumped at the door where she stood, causing her to yelp in surprise and stumble back on her ass. It bared its teeth at her before pulling away from the door and walked further. She shivered and mentally told herself not to make eye-contact with one again. She shuffled to the side until her back hit the wall and she pulled her knees up to her chest. She suddenly felt so lonely.
There was noone here. No Riddick or Blade, no Jack or Imam, noone. Only her in a prison full of dangerous men. 'God really hates me.' she thought sadly as she hugged her legs closer to her. 'I wish Riddick and Blade were here.' she thought depressed and closed her eyes.
Two months passed and Luna grew accustomed to the life in Crematoria.
Some men always tried to rape her but she learned to defend herself quickly enough to keep them away. Although she still had some scars on her arms and stomach when some had tried to cut her clothes but cut her instead.
She found many small openings in the walls that led to smaller caverns where others could not get to. It helped her escape them if they got too close. Feeding time came two times a day and helped Luna keep track of time a bit. The constant running and avoiding the men and hellhounds helped her to build up some speed. She had also managed to grab a make-shift dagger from a man who had tried to rape her. After a good kick between the legs, she managed to grab the knife and ran away. Most of the time she kept herself hidden in the smallest spaces, making sure nobody could get to her.
"Feeding time!" blared through the speakers. She knew she was safe but she had wanted to grab something to eat before the hounds came. She squeezed herself through a groove of two walls and came out in another cavern. Swallowing she ran on the bridges, ignoring the flow of men that ran past her. She dodged some men that blocked her path and finally came to a Y-joint. The flow of running prisoners quickly thinned until she was the only one left to stand there. Her eyes scanned the paths, hesitant to take one in fear of encountering a hellhound. Swallowing she decided to take the left path and slowly walked further.
A soft growling came from deeper down the path, freezing her in her place. Immediately she started taking steps back until she came to the joint again and took the right path and ran as fast as she could. Her hand went to her pocket where she retrieved her stolen knife and held it up. All was silent and she slowed to a walk, keeping near the wall. All of a sudden she heard voices and an animal snarling which caught her attention. Feeling fear constrict her chest, she halted in her tracks, not sure if she should continue. A sharp howl made her snap her head up.
'That was one of the hounds!' she frowned at that 'It sounded in pain.' she thought troubled and gathered her courage and walked further down the path. When she came around a bend, she saw something that filled her with anger. A hellhound that was clearly smaller then the other hounds was cornered by four men who were each holding a weapon. They all were sneering at the hound as one lifted a crowbar above his head and brought it down upon the back of the hound. A yelp came from the hound as it whimpered in pain. Luna wanted to help but hesitated. 'What if the hellhound attacks me instead? Then I'll be the one in trouble.' she thought to herself and hesitated for a moment longer before making a decision.
She snuck up on them, slowly lifting her knife in the air and brought it down upon the man's back, effectively killing him swiftly as he let out a last cry. Ignoring the stab of guilt that went through her, she quickly turned to the one on the right who held the crowbar while pulling out her dagger out of the man beneath her. She jumped on the man and stabbed him in the neck just when he kicked her off of him. Gurgling in his own blood he tried to breath but died a few seconds later. She fell on her back and immediately rolled to the side as the third man swung a pole towards her head. She scrambled to a stand only to be met with a foot to the face. With a cry she landed on her back again. All of a sudden the other man cried out which turned into a gurgle, making the other turn around. The hellhound had the man by the throat, biting deeper and deeper in it before letting go, showing that the man was dead.
The last man's eyes widened as he turned from the hellhound to the girl who was slowly getting up. He turned to Luna. "You fucking wench! We could've killed it and got rid of at least one of 'em fuckers!" yelled the man angrily but with fear. She glared at him. "I don't care. He is a living being and deserves to live." she spat as she lifted her knife with a slightly trembling hand. The man gritted his teeth as he turned to the hellhound, finding it to be more dangerous than the woman. "Those fucking things hunt us down twice a fucking day! They kill a handful of us each fucking day!" he said a hint of desperation in his voice as he slowly backed away from the hound. Said hellhound growled deeply and stalked closer towards the man.
Luna gulped and hoped that the hound wouldn't turn against her now that she freed it from those men. The hellhound crouched and jumped at the man just when he turned to run. He tackled the man down and sank his fangs deep in the man his head. The man screamed in pain that grew higher and louder as the hellhound started clawing at his back, tearing through clothing and flesh swiftly. Blood and shreds of clothing and flesh flew everywhere.
Luna winced and couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy. "Help me!" he screeched as he clawed at the ground to get away from it. Another scream escaped his lips as the hound dug its claws deeper in his flesh. She walked backwards with shaking hands. She was horrified at the sight of all the blood that was spilled and the screams of the man. Her back hit part of the wall but she took no notice. Memories of her first kill flashed before her mind's eye and she started to tremble. The sight of the blood bringing remembrance to her of the life she took. Her stomach churned and twisted within her and she placed a hand over her stomach as she felt bile rise up. The hound let go of the man's head before biting down on the back of his skull again, this time more harder. Another scream filled with agony escaped the man as blood started seeping from between the fangs of the beast. Then with a sickening crunch, the back of the man's head caved in and the hound pulled his head up as half of the man's skull and brains came with the pull. The man's body started jerking and twitching as gurgles were replaced for the screams. Luna grimaced and looked away from the scene as she felt more bile rise up and puked on the ground next to her. When she was done she placed the back of her hand against her mouth and stood back straight, leaning heavily against the wall behind her. She didn't trust her legs to keep her up. She heard a soft thump followed by quiet footsteps coming her way.
A soft growl sounded near her and she opened her eyes only to gasp and push herself harder against the wall when she saw the hellhound right before her. The hellhound leaned closer to her and she turned her head away with a soft whimper, frightened of losing her life. The growling stopped and was replaced by sniffing before she heard footsteps softly walking away. She opened her eyes very slowly and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Slightly confused, she looked around. Silently wondering where it went. She wanted to sit down where she was but knew that it was too dangerous with all the hellhounds running around. Looking around, she pushed away from the wall and walked away, absently putting her knife away. Her eyes deliberately avoided the body on the ground. Her shoes steps in the mucky sand that was mixed with the blood of the men. Stepping over the last body she disappeared down the path and followed it where it came to a Y-joint. The left led to the bridge and the right to what she knew was a cavern with the entrance being a cleft in the walls. She took the right and ran fast when she heard soft rumbling growl come her way.
She ran down the passage and heard soft footsteps coming her way. Her fear rose again and when she came to the cleft she started squeezing herself between it, determined to get to the other side. A soft snarl came from behind her and she forced her body further. Her skin chafed along the sharp rocks and she could feel faint trickling down her back and head. She finally managed to squeeze herself completely through and fell to the ground just when a paw clawed at her. It missed by inches. She turned to the entrance and saw a hellhound snarling at her as it tried to get to her. It tackled the crevice of the cavern room but couldn't get through. She panted from the shot of adrenaline and shuffled back with her hands until she hit the wall on the other end of the room. The hound growled and bared its teeth at her before it turned and walked away. She panted and trembled as she stared wide-eyed at the entrance. For a long while she stayed like that as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Slowly she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I wanna go home." she whispered "I wanna go home." she repeated as a sob wracked her body. She did not mean home where her parents were but home were Imam and Jack were. She wanted to be back in the house laughing with Jack and her own failing cooking skills. She wanted to wrap herself in her covers and hide from the world. She wanted to have Imam comfort her. So much she wanted but knew she wouldn't get out soon, if ever.
Her sobs grew slowly louder and her body started unconsciously rocking back and forth. Again memories of her kills flashed before her eyes. 'First Antonia, then that merc, now these guys. God! Doesn't it ever end? Won't the bloodshed ever stop?' she pleaded in her mind as she sniffled loudly. Another sob wracked her body. "Please God, please… make it stop… make it stop." she sobbed, her voice getting hoarse, referring to the kills she made as she closed her eyes and placed her head on her knees.
Three years passed since the incident with the hellhound.
After her breakdown in that cavern she had picked herself up and gone for some food once all the hounds were gone along with the guards after their routine. Along the three years she had learned to be quicker and found good hiding places everywhere. Allowing her to avoid the men most of the time. When somebody died from an attack of the hellhounds, she always went scavenging for their clothes. She had found a pair of black pants that were ripped by the knees and smelled awful. But after a few times washing under the stream of water, it smelled clean enough to put it on.
She also gained two more make-shift knives and a pair of worn brown boots a size too big from the scavenging of bodies. Of course she felt guilty of doing so but quickly found out that she was not the only one to do so. And if there was one thing she learned in this place it was that you had to do what you must to survive. At the moment she was sitting on a small ledge a few feet above the second bridge. It was actually an entrance to a bigger cavern that she called her own. All the clothes she managed to steal along with some flashlights she had put there and used the clothes as a make-shift bed. One of her legs dangled off the side as she stared at a group of men that were fighting with one another. Since there was nothing interesting to do, she entertained herself by watching the men fight amongst one another.
Her attention was pulled to the top when she heard the sound of the rope being brought down. A frown crossed her face when she saw a person struggling his bonds. She shook her head as the men noticed the person and started banging their items on the railing of the bridges. "So we have a newcomer." she mused but narrowed her eyes when she saw the person slowly turn her way. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. "Jack!" she gasped and quickly sat up straighter on the ledge. Jack glared at everyone around her but Luna noticed how her eyes widened slightly when she saw her. Luna wasted no time and jumped off the ledge and landed on the bridge a few feet below.
She quickly ran down the passageway, taking many turns and twists until she was down on the ground. Having just arrived she watched with astonishment as Jack snarled and screamed at anyone who came too close. Her feet kicking out as they tried. Frowning at the sight, she glanced around and saw Guv standing to the side watching the spectacle with a frown. The two had become acquaintances. They talked on occasion but weren't close enough to be called friends. She walked until she stood next to him and watched the sight too. She wanted to help Jack but she sensed something different about Jack. She was more aggressive then usual. "We got a new one to join our ranks. It's sad to see a young kid like her send to a place like this." he piped up suddenly, causing her to blink in surprise. "I know her." she retorted to which he turned his head to her and stared at her in surprise. "You do?" he questioned, she nodded, "Yeah, she's like a little sister to me. If you keep your men away from her then I can try to get her to calm down." she told him. He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll try, what do I get in return?" he asked and she shrugged.
Though she already knew him for years, she had quickly learned that most things he did for you had a price. But she had also made it clear that anything sexual was the only thing she didn't do. "I'll give you a massage." she suggested and he gave a pensive nod as he absently rolled his shoulders. "Deal." he said and then stepped forwards. "Alright you bastards, move along! There's nothing to see here!" he barked as he kicked a man away and punched another.
Luna smirked amusingly at his method and walked up to Jack. When Jack noticed her she glared. Luna held up her hands. "Relax, it's me, remember? Luna." she told her calmly and Jack eyed her distrustfully but calmed down. Smiling at her cooperation, she helped her get her cuffs from the hook. "There, you're almost free. Your cuffs will have to wait until we can get you alone so that Guv can break them." she told her and Jack huffed and looked to the side. Luna frowned at her attitude. 'What's wrong with her? She normally doesn't act like that. What has changed?' she thought confused before shaking her head and grabbed her arm.
"Come on. We need to get away from here before the other men get down." she told the teen and pulled her along down the cavern hall.
Sometime later, in a room on the first floor, she and Guv had finally managed to get the cuffs off of Jack's hands but it had taken a lot of soothing words and gentle rubbing of the arms for the kid to allow it. Jack rubbed her wrists as she stood up and walked away without another word.
Guv scoffed. "Ungrateful brat." he muttered before he turned to her. "Now, about that massage…" he started as he took off his shirt. Luna rolled her eyes and shook her head, ignoring the light blush that crept up her cheeks. "Lay down and I'll start." she ordered. Guv smiled and did as told. She started by his neck and moved slowly down to his shoulders and back. She wasn't sure if she was doing it right but could only hope she was.
An hour later she decided she was done. Guv let out a content sigh before he slowly stood up. "Not bad, Luna. With a bit more practice you could become good at it." he commented making her smile as she too stood up. "Thanks, Guv. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go look for Jack." she told him and walked away with a wave.
Guv nodded as he put his shirt on again. She walked around but found no sight of Jack. 'Where is she? I gotta find her before its time.' she thought worried and was about to pass two men when they blocked her path.
She mentally groaned. 'Not now! I don't have time for this!' she whined in her head and without another word she turned and ran. The two men watched with slight surprise as she just turned and ran but quickly went after her.
"Come'ere darlin'! We only wanna 'ave some fun!" crowed one of them as they almost caught her.
Gritting her teeth, she passed by Guv and ran straight further down the hall. He watched with a quirked brow when she passed and then the two men that were after her. Shrugging, he turned and walked away. It was none of his business what happened to her. She ran as fast as she could and turned around a bend. A smile came to her face when she saw a crevice coming in sight. "Feeding time!" announced the speakers suddenly.
The two men slowed to a stop. "Shit! It's time!" "Let's get outta 'ere!" said the men panicked before they turned and ran the other way. Luna came to a stop and panted as a smile crept up on her face. "I'm saved." she mumbled but her smile fell quickly "Jack!" she gasped and took off down the hall where came from.
Her feet stopped when she came to the bridge. Everyone was running around panicked as the hellhounds were about to come. She looked around, trying to find Jack but couldn't see her. "Jack!" she called but the cries of panic were louder and deafened her voice. She stepped forwards as her eyes darted around but gasped when a man bumped into her and both fell to the ground.
The crowd lessened and the man pushed away from her as he tried to stand up. She tried to do the same but their legs were entangled with one another. A growl came from the other side of the bridge that froze both of them in their place.
The man's eyes widened and he struggled harder and finally managed to free himself from her. She was pushed against the ground by the struggle again and glared at the man. Said man shifted backwards as he held up his hands. "Please! Please!" he pleaded before he turned and ran. Luna knew his pleading wasn't aimed at her.
A fiery red hellhound stood on the other side, glaring and baring its teeth towards them. It slowly stalked closer and both felt fear creep up on them. Its ears flattened and its scales rattled as it growled louder the closer it got.