Chapter 5
For the next week, the same thing happened every night. It became routine. But what Voz didn't know was that Riddick knew she was there. He sensed her. He smelled her. And he didn't understand why she was there. Why she was held in such awe. He felt like he was being monitored in a psychiatric ward. Like when he had been incarcerated. And yet he let her watch. For Jack's sake, he told himself. I'm all this kid has got. Even he was stunned as he thought those words. Riddick forced the idea to the darkest corner of his mind.
Every night Jack would wake up from some nightmare. They were always about the monsters and the
dark and the planet. But every time he
held her and she hugged him, Riddick never gave anything back. He never had. But it didn't matter to Jack. She was comforted simply by the presence of another person. She never even noticed.
It only took that week's time for Voz to heal enough to be
moved from the medical sector to the same sector as Riddick and Jack. She was moved to Riddick's room to be
exact. Voz had mixed feelings about
that. As night approached, Voz found
herself in the same room as Riddick, preparing for sleep. The rooms were identical to Voz's but for a
few differences. They each had a shower
stall, a sink, and mirror. Voz then
noted that the room, like hers, had only one bed.
"Where am I supposed to sleep?" she asked.
"In the bed," Riddick answered.
Voz nodded. "Then
where are you sleeping?"
"In the bed," he said in the same tone. He gave her a look like it was a dumb
question that was easily answered.
Voz let her jaw drop. "Uh uh," she shook her head. "No, I'm not doing that. It's
bad enough I have to share a room with you. I'm not gonna share a bed, too." She crossed her arms. Had some
certain things not occurred in her past, she would have jumped eagerly into bed
with Riddick. There was only One and
that was Chadwick and he's dead, she kept reminding herself. That's right. He's dead, said the same voice that had seemed to side with
Riddick. So, maybe he wasn't the
One. Anyway— She cut herself off. Chad
was—is the One! She stopped
suddenly. The voice was gone, but Voz
just felt stupid. She hadn't fought
with herself like this in ages. It's
awake.
"Well, you're gonna have to." Riddick's voice came crashing through her thoughts. "I think it'd be a little suspicious for us to be separated."
"Huh?" She looked at
Riddick to make sure he was serious. Of
course he's serious. In the time that
you've known him, when has he ever joked about something like that?
"Maybe you weren't awake when we got on this piece of shit," Riddick said, "but we're supposed to be married. Remember?" Memories hit Voz like a ton of bricks. "It'd be a little suspicious for a married couple to be sleeping separately."
Yeah, well something else is a little suspicious, Voz
thought. The idea that Riddick had done
that on purpose came to her. "Why did I
have to be your fuckin' wife?" she asked.
"Because Jack's too young," he said simply.
"I mean, why couldn't I have been you're sister, too?" The volume of her voice was rising
dangerously high.
"You don't look like me." You're gorgeous, but you don't look like me, he thought.
"That's bullshit."
I don't got that fuckin' attitude, either. Riddick was getting annoyed with
Voz. "Fine. Go get your own fuckin' room." Now that he thought about it, he didn't like thought of having to put up
with her. "Not my fault when they start
askin' questions."
"I'll just tell 'em we're have 'marital problems,'" Voz said
as she left. She took a room across the
hall from Riddick's. She was bristling
from anger. I can't stand him. She walked over to the mirror above the
sink. Then what are you waiting
for? Just up and leave, said the Riddick-supporter. Admit it. You want him. She
gritted her teeth, trying not to listen. What the fuck does he want with me? she asked the
voice. No answer. Voz grinned over her triumph. She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
She turned on the water and washed her faced quickly. What does he want with me? Voz couldn't even begin to think of the
answer to that question. It's my
right to know, she decided, heading to the door. She walked out planning to go to Riddick's room. "And another thing," she yelled. "What—" Riddick wasn't in his room. There was only one other place he could be. Voz turned away from the scene, full of emotions. She was angry, and jealous, and desperate
all at the same time. Angry because she
felt like a child. Jealous because
Riddick never showed her that kind of care. And desperate because she felt so alone. She stood in her room, on the verge of tears.
The door opened and Voz spun around with lightening
speed. Riddick stood in the
doorway. "Don't ya wish these had
locks?" Voz merely glared at him. "What the hell is your problem?" he asked.
Voz turned away from him. "I don't have a problem."
Riddick let out a genuine bark of laughter. "You don't actually think I didn't know you
were there? C'mon." Voz stiffened, holding back the tears. The tears she'd been holding back for
ages. The child in her wanted to turn
to him and cry into his chest, but she hardly knew that child anymore. She'd only been a child for a few years of
her life, and that wasn't long enough. So she fought back the tears. "Did you?" Riddick said.
Now, Voz turned to him. "Just go," she whispered. Riddick swallowed hard when he saw her. The raw emotion on her face seemed out of place. Riddick reached out and pulled Voz close to
him. He didn't know what else to
do. Her body was stiff in his embrace
and pulled away quickly. "What are you
doing?" she asked, staring at him with wild eyes. It disturbed Riddick that Voz didn't know what he was doing. She truly didn't, he could see it in her
eyes. Riddick took his goggles
off. Slowly he put his hand up to Voz's
cheek. At first, she withdrew, like a
frightened animal, but Riddick held her there. Once again, he pulled her close to his body. For a moment, she remained ridged. Then Riddick felt her body go limp and submit. It was almost as though Voz's body had let
out a heavy sigh.