Disclaimer: The Characters of Jack, Riddick and Iman belong to USA Films, David Towhy, etc. I'm just having a little fun here. OK, I confess. I'm doing this because it's the only way to get the Muses off my back G.
Riddick's Death
Copyright 2003 By Cassandra Houston
Chapter Three: Seeing in the Dark
He sighed. "You can't live like this, Jacqueline." He said. "I know. It almost made me insane."
Jacqueline said nothing. She knew he was right. "Not much can be done about it." She said, but she wondered aloud, "I wonder what's going on out there."
Riddick's voice came out of the blackness. "They aren't back, but it's still dangerous. David is watching the school. He has reinforcements now. I saw him."
Jacqueline frowned. "What?" She said.
"I had to get some things." He said, dismissively. "But he's there for the duration, it looks like. Iman can let Peter chase him for a long time. Months. You can't stay in this darkness that long. Nine days is too long as it is."
Jacqueline nodded. "What are you going to do?" She asked. "We aren't leaving, are we?"
"No." Riddick said.
Jacqueline nodded again, silently. She felt his hand wrap around hers. "Do you remember a long time ago when you asked me where you could get eyes like mine?"
"Who do I have to kill?" She asked, smiling into the darkness.
Riddick put a small bottle in her hand. "No one." He said. "But it's going to hurt. And it's irreversible."
Jacqueline considered a moment and nodded. "Do it." She said.
Riddick was silent. Jacqueline wondered if he was going to say any more when she felt something solid hit the back of her head.
Her head was throbbing. Her neck was stiff and sore and her eyes felt like they were on fire. She opened them and the cave came into focus. It was like looking through a bad blizzard, but she could see. She saw a shape leaning on the far end of the small cavern. It could only be Riddick. She closed her eyes again and moaned.
"Your awake." He said and when Jacqueline opened her eyes, she saw Riddick's shape before her.
"My eyes are on fire." She said. "And my head is pounding."
She saw him reach out to her. "The burning will stop in a few hours." He said, his voice compassionate. "So will the pain from knocking you out." He touched her face. She finally saw him lean in to kiss her. "It's no wedding ring, but."
Jacqueline chuckled. "Well, if that's a proposal," she began.
She saw him smile. "It's as close as it gets with me. You can't give me twenty menthol Kools."
Jacqueline smiled. "Accepted." She said shortly and they kissed again. When they separated she looked around the cave. "So this is how you see in the dark. It'll take some getting used to."
"We have time before we will be able to leave this cave." Riddick said.
"Benjamin." Jacqueline said, using his middle name. He'd told it to her during their many talks. She'd been calling him by it ever since. She opened her mouth to speak again when the ground gently trembled.
Riddick stiffened. "Stay here!" He commanded, in a no-nonsense voice. She was able to watch him bolt from their small cavern.
Jacqueline tried to follow anyway, but the pain in her head was too great. She sat back and listened instead. The nine days blind in the cave seemed to sharpen her hearing as well as her other senses. She heard several noises that sounded like explosions. A light smell assailed her nostrils. She tensed and forced herself to relax against the pounding of her head and the burning of her eyes. The smell was making her dizzy. As things became dark around her, she knew she was passing out.
Neither her head nor her eyes hurt by the time she woke. She saw Riddick sitting nearby. She sat up carefully, expecting possible pain, but none came.
"Benjamin." She said. "What happened? I heard explosions. And thought I smelled explosives."
He came to her. "You did." He said. "Seems one of the Johns brothers has blown up the entrances to these caves. They probably left one open. They'll be hunting me soon."
Jacqueline stood and walked over to Riddick. "We're trapped?" She asked.
She saw his smile. "Now you know I wouldn't let that happen to you, Jacqueline." He stood and gathered their very few things into one bundle, which he wrapped in their thin sleeping mats and tied with string. He wore it securely on his body. After adjusting her bag snugly onto her body he looked at her and kissed her lightly. "Let's go." They walked to the underground lake, which Jacqueline was seeing for the first time.
"A long time ago I read this story. Ancient texts. This creature lived deep in a mountain, in the middle of a lake." Riddick said. He pointed and Jacqueline looked across the lake and saw sheer rock face on the other side. "Hid there for thousands of years." He took her hand in his and led her into the water. "Follow me." He said as the water got to her chest. "There is an underwater tunnel that opens out to a space. You can't see it from the lakeshore and you can't get to it without getting your feet wet."
He swam and Jacqueline followed. As they neared the wall on the other shore he jack knifed, diving into the black water. She followed him underwater through the short underwater tunnel and up. They surfaced and Jacqueline saw that they were in a completely enclosed space. With a few strokes they were able to stand in the shallow water. Riddick guided her to shore. "Our new home." He said, looking around.
They walked around until they were on the far side, where Riddick took off the bundle he was wearing. Jacqueline did the same with her bag. She watched as Riddick entered a small cavern and tossed his bundle inside. He turned to her. "Set things up for us." He said. "I'm going to do a little investigating."
He waded back into the water and dove.
Jacqueline entered the little cavern. With her new eyes she looked around. Enough space for the two of them to move around in relative comfort. A safe place for them to sleep. It was only a few minutes before she had everything set up. She walked along the water's edge when she was done. There was vegetation here, she noticed. She now knew where Riddick was getting the fish and vegetables that they were living on. During their swim she saw the fish. Some of them slightly luminescent. And there were several sorts of vegetation right here in the cove.
She reached the stretch of land just across from where their camp was and she looked up. She saw the dark shape that was a hole in the mountain wall between the cove and the rest of the mountain. The climb was steep, but not difficult and she climbed up to the hole. She found it was thrice as wide as she was and she could see down into the lake beyond.
She lay and watched the nothingness for a while and she was awakened by a very slight sound. She watched Riddick on the shore, making sure there were no telltale signs of feet as he moved to the shore. He had a few more things in his hands. He began swimming and Jacqueline climbed down from her lookout post just as he surfaced. He waded out of the water.
"You found the lookout nook, I see." He said. "Good. When they come, we'll be able to watch them."
He'd brought some waterproof matches and more sharp flints for making the small smokeless fires he cooked with. But on the way back to their camp, they harvested the hearty vegetables. As they ate, Riddick told her where he'd been.
"They sealed all but one entrance. That far one. Both the Johns brothers are back. Iman is back too. They were talking about him. They have a posse after us. Must have convinced someone I was still alive." He frowned slightly. "Probably friends and family of my victims."
Jacqueline remained silent as Riddick talked. "It'll take them at least a week to search this string of caves, if they do it thoroughly." He murmured. "Then they'll search the planet again. Give them a month. Then they'll be gone."
Riddick took Jacqueline's hand in his. "We have at least a day's worth of honeymooning." he said, leaning into her for a kiss.
Jacqueline was able to make love with Riddick for the first time while able to see his movements and reactions.
Riddick's Death
Copyright 2003 By Cassandra Houston
Chapter Three: Seeing in the Dark
He sighed. "You can't live like this, Jacqueline." He said. "I know. It almost made me insane."
Jacqueline said nothing. She knew he was right. "Not much can be done about it." She said, but she wondered aloud, "I wonder what's going on out there."
Riddick's voice came out of the blackness. "They aren't back, but it's still dangerous. David is watching the school. He has reinforcements now. I saw him."
Jacqueline frowned. "What?" She said.
"I had to get some things." He said, dismissively. "But he's there for the duration, it looks like. Iman can let Peter chase him for a long time. Months. You can't stay in this darkness that long. Nine days is too long as it is."
Jacqueline nodded. "What are you going to do?" She asked. "We aren't leaving, are we?"
"No." Riddick said.
Jacqueline nodded again, silently. She felt his hand wrap around hers. "Do you remember a long time ago when you asked me where you could get eyes like mine?"
"Who do I have to kill?" She asked, smiling into the darkness.
Riddick put a small bottle in her hand. "No one." He said. "But it's going to hurt. And it's irreversible."
Jacqueline considered a moment and nodded. "Do it." She said.
Riddick was silent. Jacqueline wondered if he was going to say any more when she felt something solid hit the back of her head.
Her head was throbbing. Her neck was stiff and sore and her eyes felt like they were on fire. She opened them and the cave came into focus. It was like looking through a bad blizzard, but she could see. She saw a shape leaning on the far end of the small cavern. It could only be Riddick. She closed her eyes again and moaned.
"Your awake." He said and when Jacqueline opened her eyes, she saw Riddick's shape before her.
"My eyes are on fire." She said. "And my head is pounding."
She saw him reach out to her. "The burning will stop in a few hours." He said, his voice compassionate. "So will the pain from knocking you out." He touched her face. She finally saw him lean in to kiss her. "It's no wedding ring, but."
Jacqueline chuckled. "Well, if that's a proposal," she began.
She saw him smile. "It's as close as it gets with me. You can't give me twenty menthol Kools."
Jacqueline smiled. "Accepted." She said shortly and they kissed again. When they separated she looked around the cave. "So this is how you see in the dark. It'll take some getting used to."
"We have time before we will be able to leave this cave." Riddick said.
"Benjamin." Jacqueline said, using his middle name. He'd told it to her during their many talks. She'd been calling him by it ever since. She opened her mouth to speak again when the ground gently trembled.
Riddick stiffened. "Stay here!" He commanded, in a no-nonsense voice. She was able to watch him bolt from their small cavern.
Jacqueline tried to follow anyway, but the pain in her head was too great. She sat back and listened instead. The nine days blind in the cave seemed to sharpen her hearing as well as her other senses. She heard several noises that sounded like explosions. A light smell assailed her nostrils. She tensed and forced herself to relax against the pounding of her head and the burning of her eyes. The smell was making her dizzy. As things became dark around her, she knew she was passing out.
Neither her head nor her eyes hurt by the time she woke. She saw Riddick sitting nearby. She sat up carefully, expecting possible pain, but none came.
"Benjamin." She said. "What happened? I heard explosions. And thought I smelled explosives."
He came to her. "You did." He said. "Seems one of the Johns brothers has blown up the entrances to these caves. They probably left one open. They'll be hunting me soon."
Jacqueline stood and walked over to Riddick. "We're trapped?" She asked.
She saw his smile. "Now you know I wouldn't let that happen to you, Jacqueline." He stood and gathered their very few things into one bundle, which he wrapped in their thin sleeping mats and tied with string. He wore it securely on his body. After adjusting her bag snugly onto her body he looked at her and kissed her lightly. "Let's go." They walked to the underground lake, which Jacqueline was seeing for the first time.
"A long time ago I read this story. Ancient texts. This creature lived deep in a mountain, in the middle of a lake." Riddick said. He pointed and Jacqueline looked across the lake and saw sheer rock face on the other side. "Hid there for thousands of years." He took her hand in his and led her into the water. "Follow me." He said as the water got to her chest. "There is an underwater tunnel that opens out to a space. You can't see it from the lakeshore and you can't get to it without getting your feet wet."
He swam and Jacqueline followed. As they neared the wall on the other shore he jack knifed, diving into the black water. She followed him underwater through the short underwater tunnel and up. They surfaced and Jacqueline saw that they were in a completely enclosed space. With a few strokes they were able to stand in the shallow water. Riddick guided her to shore. "Our new home." He said, looking around.
They walked around until they were on the far side, where Riddick took off the bundle he was wearing. Jacqueline did the same with her bag. She watched as Riddick entered a small cavern and tossed his bundle inside. He turned to her. "Set things up for us." He said. "I'm going to do a little investigating."
He waded back into the water and dove.
Jacqueline entered the little cavern. With her new eyes she looked around. Enough space for the two of them to move around in relative comfort. A safe place for them to sleep. It was only a few minutes before she had everything set up. She walked along the water's edge when she was done. There was vegetation here, she noticed. She now knew where Riddick was getting the fish and vegetables that they were living on. During their swim she saw the fish. Some of them slightly luminescent. And there were several sorts of vegetation right here in the cove.
She reached the stretch of land just across from where their camp was and she looked up. She saw the dark shape that was a hole in the mountain wall between the cove and the rest of the mountain. The climb was steep, but not difficult and she climbed up to the hole. She found it was thrice as wide as she was and she could see down into the lake beyond.
She lay and watched the nothingness for a while and she was awakened by a very slight sound. She watched Riddick on the shore, making sure there were no telltale signs of feet as he moved to the shore. He had a few more things in his hands. He began swimming and Jacqueline climbed down from her lookout post just as he surfaced. He waded out of the water.
"You found the lookout nook, I see." He said. "Good. When they come, we'll be able to watch them."
He'd brought some waterproof matches and more sharp flints for making the small smokeless fires he cooked with. But on the way back to their camp, they harvested the hearty vegetables. As they ate, Riddick told her where he'd been.
"They sealed all but one entrance. That far one. Both the Johns brothers are back. Iman is back too. They were talking about him. They have a posse after us. Must have convinced someone I was still alive." He frowned slightly. "Probably friends and family of my victims."
Jacqueline remained silent as Riddick talked. "It'll take them at least a week to search this string of caves, if they do it thoroughly." He murmured. "Then they'll search the planet again. Give them a month. Then they'll be gone."
Riddick took Jacqueline's hand in his. "We have at least a day's worth of honeymooning." he said, leaning into her for a kiss.
Jacqueline was able to make love with Riddick for the first time while able to see his movements and reactions.