Chapter 20:
Haunting Past
Vega
waited patiently, steadily tapping her foot against the cool metal floor of the
ship, as Riddick slowly regained his steadfast composure.
"Your dead." He said again cocking the gun.
"Listen, if your goin' ta shoot me, than fucking do it already…because if we
don't get out of here, NOW, it won't be a fucking pretty picture."
Riddick regarded her for a moment, lowering the gun and sat down in the pilot's
seat, and prepared for launch.
"What the fuck did you do?"
V stared at Riddick fuming, ignoring his question.
He stared up and viewed her through the reflection on the glass,
"Is there a fucking problem? Sit down so we can take the fuck off."
"You're not flying MY ship."
Vega crossed her arms and challenged him.
"Well if you want to get off this fucking fireball, than I suggest you sit your
fucking ass down in the co-pilot's seat and shut the fuck up, because I'm
flying…end of discussion."
The look Riddick gave her would have made any normal person become immobile
with fear, but Vega gave him the finger, smacked him in the back of the head,
and plopped down in the co-pilot's seat.
Riddick turned his head slowly, and with the lightning speed of a cobra, lunged
at her, gripping her throat tightly.
"Don't EVER hit me again, understand? We're not friends and even if we were I'd
kill you without hesitation," he grated through clenched teeth.
"Fuck you," she seethed out as he squeezed off her air, "and get your fucking
hands off me before I shred you to pieces."
Despite her position, the threat was enough to get Riddick off her, he wasn't
stupid, Riddick knew there was something about her he was missing, but he
didn't know what.
Riddick sat back down, calmly, and asked again; this time he received a
response.
"The cows are coming out to graze…" she smirked wryly.
They lifted off, the thrusters drowning the agonizing screams from the men on
the planet below.
Riddick remained silent, impassive, staring out into the cold expanse of
emptiness, images of his past filtering through his mind.
***
She had been running endlessly for three days, cold, hungry, and almost naked;
her feet bloodied and blistered from the constant impact on the harsh pavement.
They were chasing her, always chasing her, and she could feel it; a slow
suffocation that was killing her everyday she remained in their control.
She had to get away, to run. To survive.
She hit something suddenly… a building?
When her head cleared and she glanced up, it wasn't a wall, but a man, a very
large and menacing man.
Her eyes probed his muscle-laced body, covered in all black, but the eyes
unnerved her; they were covered with goggles.
She scrambled away and looked over her shoulder; she could sense them, they
were near.
The girl went to get back up, but was grabbed by her tattered shirt and dragged
further into the alley.
Something inside the young woman told her she would be safe; she remained calm
as she was brought down into an abyss of darkness.
His breath was hot against her neck, sending chills down her spine in the cool
night air, and his chest was hard against her back. Riddick's arms enwrapped
her body in a muscular case of security as he held her firmly against him.
Their breaths moving as one, a single being hidden in the shadows.
The men ran into the alley, probing every corner, every crevice, looking for
the subject. Their lights left no shadow undiscovered, but they past by the
hole without a second glance, never even noticed it.
When Riddick sensed the danger had past he slowly let her go and flung her
against the opposite wall; before she had the chance to react he had a shiv
firmly placed against her neck, keeping her from moving.
The girl swallowed, never breaking contact with his goggled eyes she whispered:
"Just make it quick."
She closed her eyes waiting for the mysterious man to take the life he moments
before saved, and when nothing happened she opened them again.
She looked at him quizzically and opened her mouth again to speak, but he
stopped her with his hand; covering her lips with his massive palm to keep her
silent.
Footsteps were coming towards them and he leaned in closer, crushing her small
body against the cold, moist wall.
The man stopped above the opening and a large beam of light appeared inside
their safe haven. It probed the darkness for its quarry and slowly came closer
to the two. Riddick pushed closer still, and with a will of their own, her
nipples perked with the rough contact.
He looked down at her, but she was starring wide eyed at the treacherous beam
centimeters from them, but just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished; the
sounds of the footsteps drifting further and further away.
The girl breathed a sigh of relief and let her body relax, but when she
realized Riddick hadn't broken the contact she grew rigid and swung her head to
face him.
He stood there, looking at her under his goggles, memorizing her every feature,
taking her scent, and enjoying the contact.
It was by chance that she ran into him and why he saved her he wasn't sure.
He was in the mood to shed some blood and he heard the pedophile Mad Max was in
the area, the animal within him raging for release.
Riddick was close, he could sense the man, but was interrupted by the
collision, and his instincts told him someone was coming; he could smelled the
fear radiating from the young girl's body.
He grabbed her and was surprised that she didn't fight him and how relaxed she
was propped against his body.
He would make her scared.
It surprised him more when she said to kill her, no fear evident in her voice,
but it intrigued him why she wouldn't beg for her life like so many others had.
Everyone facing Richard B. Riddick tried any means necessary to escape the
hands of the grim reaper, but no…
~She's different.~
Riddick backed away slowly to the other side of the hole, waiting to see what
she would do.
The girl remained still, eyeing him wearily, then slowly she took a step
forward and another until she could feel his breath brush her eyelashes.
She reached her hand up slowly and traced the line of his face with her
fingers, bringing them up hesitantly to remove his goggles.
She gasped at his eyes and brought her other hand up to bring his head lower.
She looked directly at him and whispered,
"Your eyes shine like mine do in the dark."
She smiled happily and kissed his forehead.
Riddick blinked a few times, not believing this shit was happening.
"You have shined eyes?" his voice rumbled.
"No, not like yours, but like a cat's." she grinned.
"What's your name?"
She took a step back and reached out her right hand.
"Eve V. Nubriani…and you?"
"Richard B. Riddick," he said nonchalantly as he extended his hand out to take
hers.
She smirked at him knowingly.
"Well of all the people to smash into, I get saved by a psycho…Aww Riddick
you're my hero!" she laughed light heartedly at him.
"Don't thank me yet kid," he grumbled rubbing his hand over his stubbled head.
She began to shake uncontrollably and cursed under her breath before she passed
out.
***
"Riddick…Riddick…you in there…you're not going all spacey on me are ya?"
He looked up at Eve and could see the pain in his eyes; she wanted to comfort
him but didn't know if she could, those feelings lost to her many years ago.
"What were you thinking about?" she asked and resisted the sudden urge to sit
in his lap like nothing had changed, like she had done so many times before.
He grimaced suddenly; images of that day flooded his mind, and stared ahead
avoiding her searching eyes.
She sighed unhappily at his constant avoidance, and stared into the vast
expanse of space, as well, wallowing in the silence.
"A lot's changed," Riddick finally spoke.
Eve looked at him, examining his physique for any sign of emotion; she received
nothing.
"What were you thinking about Riddick?"
Riddick finally met her gaze and acknowledged the sadness in her eyes.
~It's been ten fucking years, how does she expect me to react?~
He tilted his head to one side, eyeing her womanly form, and without thinking
traced his finger along the line of her jaw.
"The day we met."
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