CH.3
He was chained inside the ship alone, in the darkness. His head down, his eyes closed, moving. For a moment she thought he was unconscious, maybe he was hurt worse than what they had thought. Caroline Fry burst into the room like a fury, followed by Stephanie who stopped herself not far from the exit. "So where's the body," Fry asked. Stephanie watched the scene, standing on one side without moving a muscle, not speaking a word. Caroline has courage, she thought, but where was Jackie now? Slowly she tried to look back outside the ship, then around her, but there was no sign of that strange guy.
Riddick remained silent, staying still there without moving. Fry was already losing her temper. "Well do you want to tell me about the sounds," she asked firmly.
No response, only a heavy silence in the ship. Stephanie was now a little nervous too. "Look, you told John you heard something."
Same silence as before, he looked as if he was asleep, only he was too still. "That's fine. You don't want to talk to me, that's your choice. But just so you know...there's a debate right now as to whether we should just leave you here to die!" With that she turned to walk out. Stephanie was shocked now. She turned her head toward Caroline. No one told her about it. Just before she was going to protest against this decision, she heard a sound from the dark, a deep sound. It was Riddick' s voice, finally.
"You mean the whispers," he asked quietly, and slowly, his voice gravelly, hardly moving. Fry just turned and looked at him, waiting for more. "What whispers?" Fry finally asked, her voice barely audible.
"The ones telling me to go for the sweet spot, to the left of the spine. Fourth lumbar down. The abdominal aorta. It's a metallic taste, human blood, but if you cut it with peppermint schnapps that goes away." Stephanie you're not breathing, she thought; slowly she forced herself to do it. Riddick' s voice was hypnotic. "Do you want to shock me with the truth now," Fry's tone was exasperated. Stephanie was trying to understand Riddick' s character, which she noticed was almost impossible, but that last sentence almost made her smile. He was just playing with her. Yep, a very dark sense of humor, but this was a good sign. This helped reassure Stephanie a bit. "All you people are so scared of me. Most days I'd take that as a compliment. But it ain't me you gotta worry about now," he said with his deep voice. This worried Stephanie more that Riddick himself.
"Show me your eyes, Riddick," Fry ordered suddenly.
"You're gonna have to come a lot closer for that." Riddick murmured. Stephanie approached, wanting to stop Caroline. "Don't do it! He's still dangerous," whispered Stephanie. Caroline looked back at her; telling with her eyes that everything was under control. Fry started to hesitantly inch towards Riddick, looking very nervous and a little terrified. As she stopped, Riddick's voice prompted, still having not physically moved. "Closer." Stephanie was petrified, could barely move, she was looking alternately at Caroline and Riddick, but it was in this moment that something captured her attention. In a dark part of the ship there was someone.not too tall that was watching the scene too. Jackie! It was Jackie! What was she doing there? Jackie realized that Stephanie had discovered her. She looked back at her, pleading with her eyes. "Please, don't say a word," Stephanie eyes shot daggers at her, but remained silent. Both of them returned their attention to Riddick as Caroline, near to the seated man, wipped her hand on her pants and looked at Riddick's restraints, trying to imagine how much reach it would give him. Jackie in that moment crept forward from the shadows, just in case she was needed. Fry took one more step, and everything was quiet when suddenly Riddick sprang up like a tiger only to be held back by his chains. Caroline jumped back in fright, Stephanie too, trying not to shout. Jackie leapt onto the first rung of the stairs.
Riddick, finally, opened his eyes and looked right at Fry, they were shining. She gave a terrified nod. Stephanie looked at him astonished. Incredibly, she didn't feel scared. His eyes! They were. amazingly beautiful; like a feline's. Riddick did turn away, to stare right at Jackie first, with a swift twist of his head, then to Stephanie, staring at her. He half closed his eyes to better watch her. He moved like a wonderful black panther, she thought. She stood there staring back at him without breathing a word. She felt uneasy. "Where the hell can I get eyes like that," asked Jackie, breaking the silence, not scared at all by him. "You gotta kill a few people first," Riddick replied, highly amused.
"I can do it!" Jackie responded. "Then you gotta get sent to a slammer where they tell you you'll never see daylight again," he replied, directing his words first to Caroline then, with a questioning look, to Stephanie. He wanted to know who she was. "You dig up a doctor. And you pay him twenty menthol kools to do a surgical shine-job on your eyeballs." Stephanie was half shocked and half terrified. How was it possible that a man could endure such a high level of pain to do that?
"So you can see who's sneaking up on you in the dark," Jackie asked with a smile. Impertinent girl, thought Stephanie. Of course she'd find him so attractive! But the problem was that, Stephanie thought the same. And more and more .she was starting to believe that he didn't kill the man outside. Oh Yeah! Great Stephanie! You and your sixth sense! He's a dangerous killer. Don't forget it! But there was something in his eyes, in his way of moving, similar to a black panther, maybe it was because of his animal instinct, but Stephanie believed him. "Exactly." Riddick answered Jackie's question with a smile on his lips. He found her highly amusing.
"Leave! Leave," Fry shrieked. Caroline found all of Jackie's attention on Riddick's eyes dangerous, and wanted her to go away. Once again, by indulging Jackie, Riddick had been screwing with Fry's mind.
Stephanie studied his behavior. It could be useful to her later. The smiles on Jackie and Riddick's faces were immediately wiped off. Riddick looked at Fry, intrigued by her reaction, then to Stephanie: his eyes becoming more inquiring, needing no words. She had had almost no reaction until now. A slowly, sexy, lazy smile appeared on his lips. He looked at her as his next prey. Then he drawled, "Cute kid." "Did I kill a few people? Sure," he said as he sat down again, looking right back to Caroline, this time with his eyes in shadow. "Did I kill Zeke?" He let the question hang for a while, "No. You got the wrong killer." "He's not in the hole." Fry bit out, warring with herself between relief that Riddick hadn't done it and impatience to be out of his disturbing presence. "We looked." Riddick just gave her an enigmatic smile. "Look deeper." He turned his eyes again to Stephanie. "Who's the chick," he finally asked Caroline as if Stephanie was not able to answer herself. Stephanie decided to ignore it and walked forward without talking. "She's Stephanie Baxter, she will treat your injury" Fry said briefly. "What a little sweet nurse," replied Riddick each word he said dripping with innuendo, finishing with a dangerous smile. He's trying to scare me, thought Stephanie. She breathed deeply, and lifted her head up. I know who you are. I'm stronger than you, she thought, mentally bolstering herself. "She's a doc," Fry said emphatically. "Touch her, hurt her in someway, and I promise you, Riddick, I'll kill you with my own hands". He looked at Caroline and smiled ironically, than waved his hands as a sign of peace. Fry nodded, turned, and walked off.
He was chained inside the ship alone, in the darkness. His head down, his eyes closed, moving. For a moment she thought he was unconscious, maybe he was hurt worse than what they had thought. Caroline Fry burst into the room like a fury, followed by Stephanie who stopped herself not far from the exit. "So where's the body," Fry asked. Stephanie watched the scene, standing on one side without moving a muscle, not speaking a word. Caroline has courage, she thought, but where was Jackie now? Slowly she tried to look back outside the ship, then around her, but there was no sign of that strange guy.
Riddick remained silent, staying still there without moving. Fry was already losing her temper. "Well do you want to tell me about the sounds," she asked firmly.
No response, only a heavy silence in the ship. Stephanie was now a little nervous too. "Look, you told John you heard something."
Same silence as before, he looked as if he was asleep, only he was too still. "That's fine. You don't want to talk to me, that's your choice. But just so you know...there's a debate right now as to whether we should just leave you here to die!" With that she turned to walk out. Stephanie was shocked now. She turned her head toward Caroline. No one told her about it. Just before she was going to protest against this decision, she heard a sound from the dark, a deep sound. It was Riddick' s voice, finally.
"You mean the whispers," he asked quietly, and slowly, his voice gravelly, hardly moving. Fry just turned and looked at him, waiting for more. "What whispers?" Fry finally asked, her voice barely audible.
"The ones telling me to go for the sweet spot, to the left of the spine. Fourth lumbar down. The abdominal aorta. It's a metallic taste, human blood, but if you cut it with peppermint schnapps that goes away." Stephanie you're not breathing, she thought; slowly she forced herself to do it. Riddick' s voice was hypnotic. "Do you want to shock me with the truth now," Fry's tone was exasperated. Stephanie was trying to understand Riddick' s character, which she noticed was almost impossible, but that last sentence almost made her smile. He was just playing with her. Yep, a very dark sense of humor, but this was a good sign. This helped reassure Stephanie a bit. "All you people are so scared of me. Most days I'd take that as a compliment. But it ain't me you gotta worry about now," he said with his deep voice. This worried Stephanie more that Riddick himself.
"Show me your eyes, Riddick," Fry ordered suddenly.
"You're gonna have to come a lot closer for that." Riddick murmured. Stephanie approached, wanting to stop Caroline. "Don't do it! He's still dangerous," whispered Stephanie. Caroline looked back at her; telling with her eyes that everything was under control. Fry started to hesitantly inch towards Riddick, looking very nervous and a little terrified. As she stopped, Riddick's voice prompted, still having not physically moved. "Closer." Stephanie was petrified, could barely move, she was looking alternately at Caroline and Riddick, but it was in this moment that something captured her attention. In a dark part of the ship there was someone.not too tall that was watching the scene too. Jackie! It was Jackie! What was she doing there? Jackie realized that Stephanie had discovered her. She looked back at her, pleading with her eyes. "Please, don't say a word," Stephanie eyes shot daggers at her, but remained silent. Both of them returned their attention to Riddick as Caroline, near to the seated man, wipped her hand on her pants and looked at Riddick's restraints, trying to imagine how much reach it would give him. Jackie in that moment crept forward from the shadows, just in case she was needed. Fry took one more step, and everything was quiet when suddenly Riddick sprang up like a tiger only to be held back by his chains. Caroline jumped back in fright, Stephanie too, trying not to shout. Jackie leapt onto the first rung of the stairs.
Riddick, finally, opened his eyes and looked right at Fry, they were shining. She gave a terrified nod. Stephanie looked at him astonished. Incredibly, she didn't feel scared. His eyes! They were. amazingly beautiful; like a feline's. Riddick did turn away, to stare right at Jackie first, with a swift twist of his head, then to Stephanie, staring at her. He half closed his eyes to better watch her. He moved like a wonderful black panther, she thought. She stood there staring back at him without breathing a word. She felt uneasy. "Where the hell can I get eyes like that," asked Jackie, breaking the silence, not scared at all by him. "You gotta kill a few people first," Riddick replied, highly amused.
"I can do it!" Jackie responded. "Then you gotta get sent to a slammer where they tell you you'll never see daylight again," he replied, directing his words first to Caroline then, with a questioning look, to Stephanie. He wanted to know who she was. "You dig up a doctor. And you pay him twenty menthol kools to do a surgical shine-job on your eyeballs." Stephanie was half shocked and half terrified. How was it possible that a man could endure such a high level of pain to do that?
"So you can see who's sneaking up on you in the dark," Jackie asked with a smile. Impertinent girl, thought Stephanie. Of course she'd find him so attractive! But the problem was that, Stephanie thought the same. And more and more .she was starting to believe that he didn't kill the man outside. Oh Yeah! Great Stephanie! You and your sixth sense! He's a dangerous killer. Don't forget it! But there was something in his eyes, in his way of moving, similar to a black panther, maybe it was because of his animal instinct, but Stephanie believed him. "Exactly." Riddick answered Jackie's question with a smile on his lips. He found her highly amusing.
"Leave! Leave," Fry shrieked. Caroline found all of Jackie's attention on Riddick's eyes dangerous, and wanted her to go away. Once again, by indulging Jackie, Riddick had been screwing with Fry's mind.
Stephanie studied his behavior. It could be useful to her later. The smiles on Jackie and Riddick's faces were immediately wiped off. Riddick looked at Fry, intrigued by her reaction, then to Stephanie: his eyes becoming more inquiring, needing no words. She had had almost no reaction until now. A slowly, sexy, lazy smile appeared on his lips. He looked at her as his next prey. Then he drawled, "Cute kid." "Did I kill a few people? Sure," he said as he sat down again, looking right back to Caroline, this time with his eyes in shadow. "Did I kill Zeke?" He let the question hang for a while, "No. You got the wrong killer." "He's not in the hole." Fry bit out, warring with herself between relief that Riddick hadn't done it and impatience to be out of his disturbing presence. "We looked." Riddick just gave her an enigmatic smile. "Look deeper." He turned his eyes again to Stephanie. "Who's the chick," he finally asked Caroline as if Stephanie was not able to answer herself. Stephanie decided to ignore it and walked forward without talking. "She's Stephanie Baxter, she will treat your injury" Fry said briefly. "What a little sweet nurse," replied Riddick each word he said dripping with innuendo, finishing with a dangerous smile. He's trying to scare me, thought Stephanie. She breathed deeply, and lifted her head up. I know who you are. I'm stronger than you, she thought, mentally bolstering herself. "She's a doc," Fry said emphatically. "Touch her, hurt her in someway, and I promise you, Riddick, I'll kill you with my own hands". He looked at Caroline and smiled ironically, than waved his hands as a sign of peace. Fry nodded, turned, and walked off.