Revised 06.25.2022
"What the hell was that!?" Jack exclaimed.
"I don't know, but I feel even more wiped than before." Nova said.
Imam had to hold on to Nova and his noose because she couldn't hold herself up anymore. It started to become hard for the others to hold themselves up. Riddick ran away from the pink creature, he used the green creature to get air by using it as a quick step ladder and sliced through all their nooses in one swipe.
"Get them on their feet." Riddick ordered Imam.
"I cannot see!" Imam called out.
"You don't want to." Riddick said. "You wanna' go? Let's go." He said, managing to get the pink creature to slice through his restraints.
"They're gonna kill him!" Jack exclaimed, having to be stopped by Imam after he took off her noose.
The pink creature had gone in Jack's direction. Riddick had to roll the giant ball into it to stop it, he also cut off a few of its tentacles. The pink creature turned around and slapped the shiv out of his hand, and wrapped its tentacles around both of his wrists.
"No!" Jack exclaimed.
Jack picked up one of the severed tentacles and managed to lasso it around the creature's neck before picking up Riddick's knife. He made the creature slice through one of the tentacles that was restraining his arm.
"Riddick!" Jack called out to Riddick.
"Here!" Riddick responded, his free hand outstretched so that he could catch his shiv when Jack threw it.
Riddick sliced through the pink creature's other tentacle, finally freeing himself from its grasp. It grabbed onto his arm again. He let it pull him forward, and when he was close enough he drove his shiv into what seemed to have been a vital organ, killing it. The lights came on and clapping was heard coming from above.
"Bravo! The grace, the expression, the shear violence of it. Exquisite." Antonia said.
"Shiv." Riddick said quietly.
"What?" Imam said.
"Give me the knife." Riddick said, clearly but not too loud.
"Such complete and thorough performance. It leaves only one question." Antonia said.
"I got a feeling you're not gonna' like it." Jack said.
Imam tossed Riddick his shiv once Antonia blinked and looked away.
"How will I ever have you mounted to do it justice?" Antonia said.
Riddick brought his shiv to the side of his neck.
"What are you…?" Antonia said, once she saw what Riddick was doing. "No." She finished.
Riddick sliced his neck just enough so that he could stick his index finger into the hole and pull an explosive device out.
"Ugh!" Jack said, watching him pull the device out. "You gonna' keep that?" She finished.
Riddick had pulled it completely out of his neck.
"Looks like you'll have to be an abstract piece." Antonia said, once she got her detonator.
"Down. Now." Riddick commanded, before throwing the device against one of the walls of the pit where it exploded, making an opening for them to escape.
Imam had Nova on his back and left through the hole as quickly as he could. Jack helped Riddick to his feet and they made a break for it as well. The group was making their way through the ship as fast as they could, Jack was having some trouble keeping up. There was a noise that sounded animal and mechanic at the same time.
"What the hell was that?" Jack asked.
"Don't move." Riddick said.
There was a half organic, half cybernetic creature that the mercs were using to track the group. There were about six mercs holding onto the creature, and when they let it loose one merc was being dragged behind it due to his misfortune of getting stuck to one of the creature's leashes. When the group found a platform, Imam had to go first, then Riddick threw Nova up for him to catch. He climbed onto the platform before helping Jack up. A light started shining on her.
"What the…?" Jack said.
The mercs started shooting and Riddick almost dropped Jack. He caught her by the back of her pants and tossed her onto the platform before she could get hit.
"Are you badly hurt?" Imam asked, addressing Riddick.
"Him!? He almost tore me in half!" Jack exclaimed, fixing her pants.
"Just a graze. This time." Riddick said.
The group was running and growing tired quickly. Riddick stopped first, then Imam with Nova on his back, who then turned around to see that Jack was falling behind.
"We cannot stop." Imam said, addressing Jack.
"We're not outrunning this thing. Not the four of us." Riddick said.
"What? I can keep up." Jack insisted, trying to catch her breath.
"Maybe someday." Riddick said, looking up while planning something. "Get them to the flight deck." He finished.
"It's just aft, up a level." Imam said.
"Stow in there and let whatever's following me pass." Riddick said, pointing to a gap in the wall. "When it does, make for the flight deck and don't look back, no matter what you hear." He finished.
"We'll wait for you." Jack said.
"Follow, Imam." Riddick said, before taking off down the hallway.
"What are you gonna' do?" Jack said.
Riddick didn't answer, he just kept running. Not long after a group of mercs ran passed where the others were hiding.
"Where do we gotta' go to meet up with Riddick?" Jack asked.
Imam put his hand over Jack's mouth and shushed her. The creature could be felt and heard coming, and seeing it was a whole other experience in and of itself. When it passed by, the group started heading to the ships bay.
"We've got to help him, Imam. We can't help him if we leave." Jack said, not wanting to leave without Riddick.
"Sometimes, that is exactly how it works." Imam said.
"Nova,… Don't you think we should?" Jack said, pleading with Nova.
"In all honesty I can barely think right now. He told us to escape while we had the chance. If something happens to him and we wasted his sacrifice, it will all have been for nothing." Nova said, drifting in and out of consciousness.
Nova started tearing up. No one seemed to notice, and if they did they didn't say anything.
