Chapter 1
"Is she…dead?"
Jack had trouble spitting out the word she dreaded; the word that she
had seen so much of. She was relieved
to finally be off of the deserted, alien-infested planet.
"Not yet," answered Riddick. Jack was turned around in the copilot's chair, looking back at
him. The one and only Richard B.
Riddick; escaped convict, murderer. He
was kneeling beside the Muslim cleric Jack had come to know as Imam. A young woman lay with her head in Imam's
lap. Jack knew her as Voz. Her full name: Charla Adrian Voznelli. But Jack knew her simply as Voz; Jack didn't
know what her full name was; only by the name that everyone else had called her.
Jack heard the sound of fabric ripping. Riddick was tearing Voz's shirt open. Jack didn't see the bloody gash that Riddick
revealed, though. The wound trailed
down the length of Voz's right side.
"Oh, shit," Riddick whispered.
Jack stood up. "Is
it bad?" she asked nervously. She
raised herself on her toes, trying to see over Riddick and Imam.
"Is there a med kit somewhere on this piece of shit?"
Riddick said. His voice sounded very
urgent; Jack knew that finding a med kit was crucial.
Jack had seen one.
She had been tempted to go get it for Riddick's leg, but she never got
up the courage to even suggest it.
"Yeah. I think I saw one over…"
she began to say.
"Well, then go get it!"
Riddick cut her off. The volume
and intensity of his voice startled Jack.
She literally jumped into action.
She grabbed the med kit from the back of the transport and, clutching it
close to her chest, brought it over to Riddick.
She caught a glimpse of Voz's side. "Oh my god," she murmured, covering her
mouth.
Riddick paid the girl no attention. He took the metal case and set to work quickly. He opened it and groaned. Without even having to check he knew that
most of the supplies in the case wouldn't be worth a shit. Riddick remembered that all of it would be
at least 22 years old by now. He felt
like hurling the med kit at a wall.
There were bandages, though. Those would still be good at any rate. Voz's body twitched and then the movement ended as quickly as it
had begun. Riddick dropped the bandages
and leaned down, placing his ear near Voz's mouth. "Fuck!" he shouted. Voz had
stopped breathing.
"Is she gonna die?"
Jack's bottom lip quivered as she spoke. The girl looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Not looking up, Riddick replied, "Not if I can help
it." He and Imam laid Voz's lifeless
body out on the floor panels of the small ship. Imam stood and Jack ran into his embrace. She buried her head in his shoulder. Jack couldn't possibly bear to see yet
another life slip away.
Meanwhile, Riddick began mouth-to-mouth and cardiopulmonary
resuscitation. As he pressed down on
her chest, he felt the broken rib bones shifting. She was gonna be hurtin' when she got back up.
If she gets back up. Riddick forced the little, taunting voice
out of his head. It was really getting
on his nerves. "In with the good, out
with the bad," he encouraged her. He
tried mouth-to-mouth one last time.
Voz's spine arched and her body convulsed for a brief
moment. Riddick sat back and watched
her body lower back down to the floor.
Water trickled out the side of her mouth. She convulsed once more, more violent this time. She sat upright suddenly and began coughing
and sputtering. More water sprayed from
her throat. Riddick grabbed her and
held her up on her hands and knees.
Riddick laid her on her back again. "She's out again," he announced to Imam and
Jack. They were just relieved to know
that Voz was alive. "But she should be
ok." Riddick took some of the bandages
and pressed them to the gash on her side in an attempt to absorb some of the
blood.
"Go," said Imam. He
knelt beside Voz. "I can take of her,
Mr. Riddick."
Riddick stood. If
she doesn't live, I'll… he thought.
He'd what? What was he gonna
do? What're ya gonna do? said
the taunting voice. Just what do
think you're gonna do? What does it
matter if she lives or dies? You kept
your promise and so did she. You didn't
let her die back on that hellhole. So
it's ok if she dies now. Think of it
this way, you're probably just gonna drop everyone off on the first planet you
come across. Riddick tried to drown
out the voice.
"Is she really going to be ok?" Jack asked. She was sitting in the copilot's seat
again. Boy, that kid had a lot of guts.
Riddick came and sat in the pilot's seat. "Yeah.
She'll be fine. In a bit of
pain, but fine all the same. I just hope
somebody picks us up soon," Riddick said.
***
A couple of hours had passed. No one had moved. They
seemed to be drifting aimlessly through space.
The sounds of Imam's praying were heard throughout the ship. For the past few hours. No one was too sure how long it had been
really.
Voz moaned. Jack
looked back. The bandages lay at her
side, a deep shade of red from all of the blood. Jack suddenly noticed how awful Voz's appearance was. Her shirt was drenched with blood, sweat,
and rain. Her face was streaked with
mud and dust. And underneath that
layer, her skin had been burned by the planet's three suns beating down on
her. Do I look like that?
Jack wondered.
Voz swallowed. "Am I
dead yet?" she asked. To Jack it
sounded like her voice was hoarse, more than usual.
"Far from it," came Riddick's reply. But he never even so much as turned to look
at her.
