Riddick crouched in the dark ally, his back to the cold, damp stone wall. His breathing was relaxed, his muscles coiled for the spring. The merc wouldn't see it coming, he told himself confidently.
The man had been trailing him for some time now. It was time for the hunting to stop, and for Riddick to end this delicious torture.
William Johns, the Blue Eyed Devil. Billy Bad Ass. Riddick smiled maliciously, his lips pulling back to reveal a feral grin. "Today it ends," he whispered to his prey.
Johns had seen Riddick stroll into the ally. It was no big deal. Riddick walked that way to his hotel room every day. Today Johns prepared to pounce, capture the escaped convict, and make with his bounty.
The Hunter-Gratzner was docked at the space station, his and Riddick's fare paid for transport back to Ursa Luna. He'd draw his gauge and offer Riddick two options; dead or alive. Preferably alive. Dead; just as good.
But now Riddick was hunting him. He'd been timing his actions, letting Johns fall into a routine, making it that much easier. He ignored the merc when he spotted him in public, acting like he didn't even notice him.
For a man with his rep, Johns sure was a dumb ass. Any rookie would know Riddick was playing him for a fool. Doing a good job of it, too, by the looks of it.
Another feral grin played on Riddick's lips as he grasped his shiv with his right hand and his wrist with his left, steadying the iron grip.
Footsteps, the smell of human sweat. Steel from the gauge, nickel from the badge. The moment was upon Riddick and he saw Johns' long shadow cross his feet as the man made to round the corner, his gait relaxed. He had no idea.
Johns' footsteps paused just short of the corner that Riddick crouched behind. Something wasn't right and he could smell it.
On silent feet he retreated slightly, sliding his back lower on the wall, grip tightening almost imperceptibly on the handle of his razor sharp shiv.
Another light footstep and Riddick slid towards the corner again. The muscles in his legs twitched and his fingers flexed, shoulders tensing in anticipation of the kill.
Johns' leg appeared around the corner and Riddick launched himself like a giant feline of prey at his hunter. Johns stumbled back under the onslaught, lifting his hands in defense to the lightening quick shiv that sliced for his jugular. He let out a muffled cry of pain as the shiv slid across his palm and forearm as he blocked his throat. He caught a feral grin and his own reflection in the black lenses of Riddick's mirrored shades.
Riddick could see the shock on Johns' face and felt power and pleasure surge through his veins. This was his territory. Clarity came to him as Johns' reacted to the attack and drew the knife attached to his shoulder strap. The tear of velcro reached Riddick's ears and he leapt backwards, brandishing his shiv.
Johns face was impassive as he and Riddick circled each other like caged tigers. Johns held his blade point out and Riddick grinned fiendishly at the mistake, his own held with the sharp edge facing out, pointing back towards his forearm. You want to slice your enemy, not poke them, he thought as Johns watched him from narrowed blue eyes.
"You're coming with me, Riddick," Johns stated, trying to regain control of the situation. He received another malicious grin and a lunge from Riddick.
He spun backwards and to the right, the tip of his blade hitting nothing but air. Panic swept over him a mere second before a booted foot slammed into his lower back, knocking him to the ground. His blade slid from his fingers to clatter uselessly to the ground, too far away to help him.
In less than a second he rolled onto his back, grabbing his gauge from where it was strapped to his thigh. Johns pumped the gauge once before it was kicked from his clutching fingers. He rolled to the right and Riddick's booted foot pressed down on his spine.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Riddick reprimanded mockingly, leaning his weight into the slighter man's back.
Johns tried to reach around and behind, grasping for Riddick's ankle in hopes of toppling him and making his escape, but Riddick's foot fell just beyond his reach.
Johns opted to swing his body hard to the left, hoping to catch Riddick's other foot and knock him down but froze in his efforts when a cold steel blade pressed against the vulnerable flesh at the back of his neck.
"C'mon, you didn't think I wouldn't know you, did you, Johns?" Riddick questioned, kneeling down so both his knee and his foot rested on Johns' back, pressing into his spine. "You're Billy Bad Ass. What happened? Got cocky, I'd reckon."
Johns squirmed when the blade was removed from his exposed neck but stilled once more when Riddick whispered, "There's a vital spot. The sweet spot..."
The tip of Riddick's blade pressed gently against Johns back, a little to the left of his spine. His heart skipped a beat and his breathing halted in his chest.
Riddick felt an odd sensation in his mouth, as if his lips were being pulled back from his teeth of their own accord. He rubbed his mouth with his left hand, still slowly drilling his shiv into Johns' tense back.
Odd, he thought then shrugged off the sensation, focusing his attention on matters more interesting.
"You're one brave fuck, Johns," Riddick continued. He watched the material of Johns' vest and shirt tear under the pressure of his shiv and blood collected on the fabric as he slowly pierced the skin beneath.
Johns held deathly still beneath Riddick, hoping against hope that he could get out of this one.
"The sweet spot... just left of the spine, fourth lumbar down. The abdominal aorta... You shove a shiv in there and there's no getting up. No hope... Did you know that, Johns?"
Johns took Riddick's comment for the rhetorical question it was and didn't answer. He didn't blink. A drop of sweat ran down the side of his face to slide along his jaw.
"Billy Bad Ass... The gauge, the badge."
There was a stinging sensation and Johns coughed up a mouthful of blood. Metallic... copperish. He spit it up and heard a dark laugh above and behind him.
The blade in his back twisted and he jerked beneath Riddick's massive weight, still struggling to get away as death loomed ever closer, fogging his vision. A black haze began to cloud around the edges of his eyesight and he choked on another wave of blood. The blade jerked right, cutting into his spine and he lost all feeling.
Doomed, Johns was flipped over to stare blindly at Riddick. His eyes were fogged over and blood covered his mouth and chin. A vicious grin lit Riddick's lean features and he laughed lightly.
"One brave fuck," he repeated and leaned over to wipe the blood from his blade on Johns' pant leg before replacing it in his waist band, out of site. He took the badge from Johns' vest and placed it in his pocket. "Thanks," he laughed.
He turned to go and Johns' last thought was of the shot of morphine he'd injected into his tear duct just seconds before going after Riddick. "Bad tim..." Everything went black. Johns knew, and was, no more.