Notes: Almost over! Longest chapter yet?? And, if I must say so, Alex kicks
ass a lot more in this chapter than any other. Read on! (oh, and I just
found out Imam's last boy's name so I include it here, sorry haven't so
far)
Chapter 12
The group walked towards the canyon's entrance and stopped, listening to the sounds around them. The whirring and clicking made it seem as if the entire planet were one animal, waiting for them. Riddick had put all of the power cells on a rope from the sled and was dragging them. Alex looked out into the canyon, seeing the hundreds of creatures ahead of them. Back near the boneyard, she had started to feel a little safe with no sign of them. Perhaps that was why she had opened up like that to Imam. Perhaps not. She didn't really know. But now, she brought herself back to the moment. They were surrounded by swift killers that had the advantage of being able to see them somehow. Just keep the light burning, she repeated to herself for the hundredth time. She swung around to the back of them, partly to keep the light from the torches from semi-blinding her, and partly to see if anything was behind them. There wasn't, but she got the feeling that they were somewhere just out of her field of vision.
Riddick was crouched at the head of the group, peering through the canyon ahead. "Only see one way," he said, straightening and pointing with his hand. "That way. It's the only way off this rock."
Alex looked to see where he pointed. Yes, it was the most direct way, taking them through the canyon. As she looked up on the walls she could see movement on the upper levels. She shuddered. Best not to tell the others. She would let Carolyn take the lead, with the torches, and stay near the back. She pulled out her sword, as her torch had run out a few minutes ago.
"Just keep the girl between you," Riddick said, and walked behind them to where the power cells lay. Jack moved closer to Imam and Carolyn. Alex followed Riddick with her eyes as he moved behind her.
"What about the cells?" Imam asked. Alex would have volunteered to help, but she needed her body to be free in case she had to use the sword.
Riddick paused, looked over his shoulder. "I'll take those."
Alex saw Carolyn's head jerk around to stare at Riddick, for a second. That moment that passed between Riddick and Carolyn could have said a thousand things. Alex remained puzzled as to what exactly the connection was between them. But she would never know, not now anyways.
She stood at the ready as the group moved even closer together. Riddick pulled his goggles over his eyes as Alex circled to get one last look at their surroundings.
"Move," he said, softly, the light of the torches reflected in his goggles.
"Are you sure you can keep up?" Carolyn asked him. Alex thought privately that she could help him if he couldn't. If he would let her. Those power cells seemed his, now.
"MOVE!" he shouted, heading off at a run. The rest of the group ran ahead of Riddick, with Alex the closest to him at the back. The light blinded her, slightly, but she kept her eyes above them and to the sides.
Even though she could feel the sword's grip in her hands, her heart pounded from the fear of what was around them. Death Row, Riddick had said, and she definitely would agree. The creatures' noises sounded all around them. Alex heard a fluttering, and looked up ahead in the canyon to see a swarm of them coming towards them, but above.
"Swarm!" she shouted, "Keep moving!" That was the only way for them to get through, to keep moving, otherwise they would be surrounded. Most of the creatures passed above them, but some were close enough to catch on fire from the torches in front. Alex heard Riddick struggling behind her, and looked back to see that he was having to duck away from the flyers, which were not as far away from him because he had no light. He was falling behind. Then, an idea came to her, the flame rising in her mind, and she put the sword into a ready position in front of her. She dropped back directly in front of Riddick and walked quickly. And then the sword began to move. She heard the blade sing as it formed figure eights in front of her, forming a shield of gleaming steel. With every stroke she was calmer and the fear seemed to disappear. She felt life pulsing through her. Her entire body was that of a fighter, a warrior. Imam's son looked back and gasped, for he saw the purpose in her eyes. The sword caught most of the creatures flying past them, and Riddick was able to concentrate on pulling the power cells.
The swarm passed, and as Alex completed the last stroke she felt the power go out of her and the fear return. She stumbled momentarily, then caught herself and strengthened her resolve. She glanced back at Riddick, and he nodded at her in acknowledgement. She nodded back and continued running.
As they turned the next corner, Alex saw a shocking sight in the sky. The creatures were flying into each other, attacking each other, causing great glops of blue blood to fall on their group. As long as they're killing each other they did not notice them down in the canyon. None of the others had noticed, yet. That is until the blood fell onto them. Alex tried unsuccessfully to scrub it off, to brush it off of her armband and skin.
Riddick shouted, "Do not look up!" as he was pulling the cells, but Carolyn stopped briefly to look into the sky. "Do not look up!" he repeated more forcefully.
"They're killing each other," said Carolyn in an awed voice, still standing there. She seemed to be completely absorbed in watching the creatures.
"Come on!" Alex shouted at her as she ran past her, keeping up with the others. She looked upwards again. One of the creatures began to fall from the sky. Alex realized too late that it was falling directly onto Carolyn. She started to move as if to knock her away, but Riddick came up behind Carolyn and pushed her out of the way, the carcass falling not two feet behind them. Alex helped Carolyn up with her free hand, and saw the look in Carolyn's eyes that she could have been crushed beneath the body.
They continued running, bodies falling among them. Imam, in the lead, tried to dodge them as best as he could. The nearness of the creatures in a killing spree spurred them on. Alex remained near the back, but Carolyn had run up front again. As she looked back, she could tell that their pace had taken a toll on Riddick. He was crawling, almost, using his hands as body parts from the creatures dropped all around him. He might be scary as all hell at times, but dammit they needed those cells. They couldn't leave them like before, they had to go all the way. She quickly sheathed her sword, for the moment, and dropped back to help him.
He was looking down, concentrating on his footing, and didn't see her until she grabbed onto the rope. His head snapped up, and as she wrapped the rope around her arm he paused slightly, allowing her to get set. An unspoken agreement to let her help him with the cells passed between them in the heat of the moment. As soon as she had finished getting a grip on it, no more than a few seconds later, he started pulling again and she joined him. She could feel the strain in her already tired muscles at the weight of all four cells, and could not imagine how Riddick could have been dragging these by himself.
Ahead of them she could see that large bones had collapsed into the canyon, blocking their way. Carolyn and Imam slowed to a stop ahead of them, presumably trying to figure out what to do as body parts dropped among them from the fighting above.
"Move! Keep moving!" Riddick shouted, almost in her ear.
He pushed through them, dragging the cells and Alex with him, until they reached the bones. Alex unwrapped her arm and started pulling away the enormous bones on the opposite side of Riddick, trying to clear them. Imam jumped in beside her, desperately trying to make a path while Carolyn held the torches high. Jack tried to help, too. As soon as there was a large enough hole, Riddick went through, dragging the cells alone. Alex stood by and motioned for the others to go through. Carolyn followed Jack, and as Suleiman moved towards the entrance a rustling behind her caused Alex to spin around. One of the creatures, half alive but hidden in the shadows, moved and grabbed Suleiman's ankle. He screamed in pain as its talons cut through his flesh. He dropped the lighter he carried on the ground, as he reached for Imam who tried to pull him over the bone. Alex took out her sword like lightning, and as Carolyn dropped alcohol on the ground, Alex sliced through the creature's hand and it screamed, mostly from the light that flared up.
"Go! Go!" Alex shouted at Imam, who pulled Suleiman up and over the barrier while Alex backed through it, facing the creature with her sword.
Soon after she came through it, she turned around to see Imam and Carolyn attempting to bandage Sulei's ankle, which was bleeding badly and probably had severed muscles. The blood would attract them, the creatures, even more than Jack would. Alex remembered her small first aid kit in her vest, and, shoving her sword in the loose soil, yanked it out. She opened it to find a roll of gauze, which she quickly unrolled and bent down to wrap around the boy's ankle. Imam then wrapped a torn piece of his turban around it, the makeshift bandage still showing fresh blood oozing through.
And then she heard Jack scream.
She whirled her head around to see Jack, about thirty feet away, underneath one of the rib bones which was quickly being shattered by the creature which was on top of it, attempting to break through. Alarm coursed through her, fear for Jack's life suddenly controlling her actions. She struggled to get up and grabbed her sword. But Carolyn was ahead of her and had grabbed the large flashlight in addition to her torch, and suddenly ran at the creature. She held the light close to it, screaming at it to get off of her. Alex couldn't believe how brave Carolyn was, with only the torch as a weapon. She had to help. Everything moved in slow motion.
As Alex scrambled over the bones, she saw the creature crouch, as if in readiness to attack Carolyn. Too slow, too slow, she berated herself. She climbed over the last barrier, to help Carolyn against the creature. Its tail whipped out and knocked the flashlight out of Carolyn's hand. It leaped at her, and as she jumped to get out of the way, Alex was shocked to see that Riddick had intercepted it. He had the creature by its taloned hands, his brute strength the only thing standing between him and those horrible teeth. He was waiting, waiting for the creature to make a mistake. Carolyn helped Jack up and clutched her to her chest, as they silently watched Riddick face off with the creature.
Alex ran up and paused, but then saw a second creature alight behind Riddick. Her eyes widened, taking a split second to realize that there was no way he could defend himself from both. She looked at her sword, and the characters on it seemed almost to glow in the light of the flame, feeding the flame inside herself. Yes, she thought. Yes. She held her sword up quickly in a salute to begin the forms, to an unseen sun. Alex took a short, deep breath, and then leaped over the bone to face this menace.
She kept both eyes on it as she landed like a cat in the sandy soil, crouched with her sword in front. A voice in hear head whispered the names of the forms, she saw them in her minds eye. But now there was the creature. It regarded her for a moment, sounding its sonar, then reached for her with its talons. She lunged forward and spun out of its reach, reaching her blade out in a deadly kiss, and felt it cut the creature's surprisingly thin skin on its belly. A shallow cut, but first blood. It screeched, throwing its head back. As Alex came back to a crouch, regaining her balance, she took the opportunity of the creature's momentary distraction to slice down, onto one of the forearms. The blade cut through it like a hot knife through butter, singing as it moved in the wind, leaving the arm lying on the ground. It moved quickly in response, its T- shaped head snaking towards her, revealing its mouthful of teeth. She jumped back quickly, out of the way. Attack, an inner voice shouted to her. It's the only way. Narrowing her eyes, she quickly stepped forward, slashing the blade from side to side and driving the creature back. It backed up, but overbalanced slightly. Alex saw her opportunity. She moved in close on its blind side, and moved the sword in two quick cuts, slicing through the two protuberances from its mouth, which she was pretty sure was its sonar. The disoriented creature was unable to "see" her, now, and she slashed again at its tender belly, screaming at it. As it recoiled in pain, she moved within killing range of the creature, lifted the blade high, and with all her strength struck at the neck, decapitating it.
Silence. The lifeless body fell to the ground. The flame disappeared. All Alex was left with was her heavy breathing, and the knowledge that she had just killed another living thing. Never, never had she done this. She swallowed, feeling a rush of emotion that she could not control. Revulsion, sadness, and underneath it all a sense of power that disgusted her. She could not move, only stare at the body, the life she had taken. She closed her eyes. Necessity. Necessity. It would have killed you. She repeated it to herself for a minute until the emotions lessened, and she was able to open her eyes. Able to know herself again. She brought the sword tip up, saluted the body of the creature, then wiped its blue blood off the blade on her pants. "I am sorry," she whispered.
She heard Riddick muttering, and was only able to catch the end of it, ".was fucking with." She looked towards the sound to see him snap his head to look at Jack and Carolyn, a primitive glint in his eyes. He stood over the corpse of the first creature, its belly slashed and its neck at an abnormal angle.
She sheathed her sword, and the noise caused him, and the shocked Carolyn and Jack, to look over at her, and the body that lay behind her. As she looked among them, she saw the realization on Riddick's face that he had never even known the second one was there, and that she had killed it. Saved his life, in some respect. But she was too upset with killing the creature to crow over that victory.
The creatures' song sounded above them, bringing them all back to the reality and the frantic pace they had to set to get back to the settlement. The skiff. Safety. Riddick, still watching her, passed by and grabbed the line for the power cells, dragging it again.
They followed Riddick, going over the small hill and descending, the canyon ahead seeming free of creatures. Alex found that just this once, she had hope. Behind her, Suleiman fell, and it took both Imam, Carolyn, and Alex to get him back up. Alex didn't know how much longer he could last, losing that much blood and unable to use his leg.
As they struggled onwards, Jack, slightly ahead of them, put out her hand. Alex, wondering what she was doing, then felt a wet drop fall on her head. She looked up at the sky and the newfound hope in her died. It was raining.
The torches that the others held sizzled as the raindrops got closer together, threatening to put out the torches. Then they would have no light, the flashlight had been shattered back there. As Imam finally picked up Suleiman and carried him, they both realized that it was raining, also. All of her nervous energy drained out of her and her head spun. How could they go on? She dimly heard a short, barking noise in front of her, and then she realized it was Riddick laughing.
He turned around. "So where the hell's your God now?" he asked Imam, the smile fading from his face. The rain intensified. Alex, her hair and clothing becoming soaking wet, saw Imam look up to the sky, a bleak look on his face. God definitely was not with them now, Alex thought. If he had ever been.
Jack and Carolyn clustered together, desperately trying to keep the torches lit in the downpour. The two of them found a small ledge to get the torches out of the rain under, keep them lit, and Alex followed, helping Imam set Suleiman down. She looked around at Riddick, who had climbed up the canyon wall a short way and stood, looking in the direction they had to go. Imam was attempting to re-wrap the bandage while Suleiman gasped in pain. They heard noises of the creatures all around them, waiting.
"Riddick!" Carolyn shouted, "are we close?!"
He was silent, staring into the canyon. Alex crouched next to Imam, looking up at Riddick. He worked his jaw, as if he was conflicted about something. Were they close or weren't they?
"Just tell me that the settlement is right there!!" she screamed through the rain, desperation ringing in her voice. Alex felt almost dead inside. They were at the end of their rope. The creatures breathing was louder, surrounding them. The skiff had to be there, it did.
"We can't make it," Riddick said, barely audible.
"Why not?!" Alex yelled at him.
A strangled noise came from Suleiman behind her, and she spun, to see him being dragged up the canyon wall, the tail of one of the creatures around his neck. Imam screamed after him, but it wouldn't bring him back. He kept crying out words in some language, falling on his knees, and then to his belly, arms outstretched, a man broken. Of the three boys he had brought with him, all were now gone, killed by the creatures. They shrieked above them on the canyon rim.
Alex felt sadness, almost. But there was a part of her that was willing to accept that they would die here. A part that had no hope. She didn't even know that Riddick had jumped down until he shouted to them.
"Hide here!" he said, a few feet away from them. Alex walked over, he was standing in front of a crevice in the rock, moving a large boulder to the side. A crevice that was out of the rain. Jack brushed past her with her sputtering torch and ran into the crevice, illuminating a cave. Alex followed her in, still emotionless, dimly wondering what they would do when they were finished hiding. Would the rain stop? Imam and Carolyn entered behind her, and as they waited for Riddick to follow, they turned around to the sound of the boulder being pushed across the entrance to the cave, blocking their exit.
The only thing that lit the cave was Jack's feeble torch. They looked at each other in the dripping cave, confused. Imam went towards the boulder and tried to push it with no success. Riddick was still outside, Alex thought. Outside with the creatures. Outside with the power cells. She felt her heart plunge. The cells, the cells.
"Why is he still out there?" Jack asked the rest of them. A child's questioning, which none of the adults wanted to answer to. Alex leaned back against the cave wall and sunk down. Riddick could leave them here. Oh God, she started, and then looked up at the ceiling. No, there was no God with them today. They sat in silence. Alex felt numb.
Five minutes later, the ceiling still dripped from the rain, and there wasn't enough alcohol to sustain a flame in Carolyn's torch. Jack poured the remainder into hers, and then squeezed the string to get every last drop out. Imam, still standing at the entrance, looked back at them as they heard the shrieking of the creatures. Close.
Jack sighed. "He's not comin' back, is he?" she said matter-of-factly. Carolyn looked at her over their one flame, and then looked at the rest of them. Imam at the entrance, Alex against the wall. Her eyes said what Alex was afraid to admit. No, he wasn't coming back.
Alex watched the flame. The flame was where she burned her emotions, kept herself. But she couldn't burn these away. Would it hurt when she died? Torn apart by one of those creatures? And would it do any good to fight them off, if it was hopeless. Hopeless.
The flame got lower. With the realization that it was about to go out, all of them stared at it. Their one light, willing it to go on. A noise came from outside, sounding like a creature landing right outside the boulder. Alex moved closer to the torch, as did Imam, so they were all clustered around the paltry flame. It seemed like hours. Would it keep the creatures away? Alex could hear them, sounding their way through, to find them. But there was not enough fuel. The flame went out.
In the dark, Alex heard the sounds outside. She sighed, resigning herself to death. She just hadn't thought it would come this soon.
Hher eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. No, not adjusted. She put her hand in front of her face. She could see her hand! That should not be possible. But indeed, a blue light illuminated her hand. A blue light from above her. She looked up and gasped, hearing similar gasps from her companions. The cavern was tall, and must have extended all the way up the canyon wall. Lining its walls were tiny spots of blue light. Carolyn stood, and Alex followed her, in awe of the light that they were in. Hundreds of spots of light were there. Deep inside, she felt a spark of hope catch, and then begin to burn anew.
Imam, the tallest, reached up towards the nearest lights. When he brought his hand back down, they all clustered around it, to see the outlines of what looked like worms.
"Bioluminesence," Alex whispered, almost afraid that if she shouted, she would wake up and it would all be a dream. She smiled. A real smile. She looked up, and in the eyes of Jack, Carolyn, and Imam, she saw a smile as well. There was hope after all.
"Quick, gather them all!" Carolyn said, reaching back down to fumble for something in the dark. She came back with the empty bottle of alcohol which had served them as a torch. Jack, Imam, and Alex each reached for the tiny worms, as Carolyn started scraping the label off the bottle. They each took their turn putting the glowing things in the bottle. Together, their light was enough to really make a difference. The spark of hope became a burning flame. They could make it.
"I'll climb up the crevice, and I will come back with more light," Carolyn said, resolve in her voice. "I promise. I'll come back." Alex wanted to follow her, so there would at least be two of them in the night. Carolyn seemed to sense what she was thinking, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Stay here, in case they get in," she said, motioning to Alex's sword. Alex understood and nodded, and put her hands together in a brace position on her knee, a stepping stone for Carolyn to get out. Jack and Imam would need protection. If, no when, she corrected herself. When Carolyn got back they would have to be ready to go. Carolyn started climbing up, and then the three of them watched her form disappear at the top of the cave.
They looked at one another. Alex decided that they would need another lantern, just in case.
"Let's make another one," she said to them, spurring them to action. It took longer to find them, but they got every last one of the glowing worms. It only filled the bottle half-way, but it would have to be enough. Alex started scraping the label off of the second bottle, trying to let as much light through as possible.
But the creatures outside did not forget about them. Alex heard a crack against the boulder and dropped the lantern in surprise. It did not break, but Imam picked it up as Alex rose and drew her sword. The cracking continued. The creatures were trying to break through the walls, through the boulders, to get to them. She heard, behind her, Jack freeing the small knife Alex had given her, to stand behind her. Alex squared her shoulders, and waited, listening to the creatures slowly breaking in, illuminated only by the blue light.
She could feel doubt creeping into her mind. What was taking so long? Was Carolyn able to get through. Was Riddick even still there? But the doubt still left the hope, and she tightened her grip on the sword. No, she would not go down without a fight, if the creatures got in. It was different this time, her renewed hope, and her responsibility to protect the others. They would wait.
The seconds ticked by and became agonizing minutes. The noises outside did not stop. She heard Jack breathing heavily, frightened. Alex's doubt turned into fear and started eating at her. But beneath it was the resolve.
They. Were. Coming. Back.
The boulder started moving. Alex found the flame and fed her fears into it, and again prepared to fight these creatures. Behind her, Jack huddled close to Imam. The boulder was pushed out of the way. Alex took a deep breath, and prepared to charge at the first thing that poked its head in that entrance. Something moved in front, and she leaped at it-only to stop herself short as she realized it was Carolyn.
She smiled at Carolyn and put her sword down. "Holy shit, it's good to see you," she said, almost laughing.
Carolyn smiled back, and then moved away from the entrance to allow Riddick to stare into the cave. He was, unbelieveably, smiling. A real smile. Alex jerked her head back. That surprised her more than his appearance there to help them. Her face must have betrayed her astonishment because he raised his eyebrows at her expression.
"Never had a doubt," Jack broke in, a wide grin on her face when Alex turned around. Imam was leaning back against the cave wall, with a look of relief on his face.
"Anyone not ready for this?" Riddick asked mockingly.
"There is my God, Mr. Riddick," Imam got out, looking at him levelly. Perhaps, Alex thought to herself.
Riddick backed away from the cave to allow them to exit. "We're not out of the woods yet!" Carolyn said, looking down the canyon still shrouded in rain.
"So let's get the hell out of here!" Alex retorted. Carolyn shrugged, and then they set off, with Riddick in the lead. They ran as fast as possible, with no power cells to hamper them. Alex wondered what happened. Riddick must have gotten to the settlement. Yet he seemed to have some sort of a lightness to him, a sense that Alex had not gotten from him before. But no time to think of that now, she thought, and dashed it from her mind.
As they rounded a corner, Riddick held out his arms to stop them, and ducked against the side of the canyon. Alex peered out with her glasses to see four creatures directly in their path, fighting amongst each other. But were they distracted enough to not notice them? Riddick slowly rose, and the rest of them followed. He wasn't going to-oh yes, he was going to run right between them while they were distracted. Alex's eyes widened, but Imam reached back to grasp her hand. She saw Riddick move stealthily closer to the creatures, Carolyn, then Jack, then Imam, then herself following. And then she saw the creatures back off from the path for one second.
Hands linked, they ran straight through the middle of them, makeshift lanterns held high. The creatures flew up as they passed to avoid the light, and they started up the steep incline. "Don't stop, don't stop!" Riddick kept saying as they crawled on hands and knees to get up the slippery mud. Riddick pushed Carolyn and Jack to help them up.
"Move!" he shouted after they had crested the hill, "you know the way!"
Alex looked back to see the four creatures return to the spot they had just ran through, and look in their direction. She faced forward and ran, because her life depended on it. She thought she heard Riddick right behind her. The whirring of the creatures was all around her. She could see the lanterns ahead of her, weaving their way towards the skiff, and she caught up with Carolyn, Jack, and Imam. They finally turned the corner of the last building and saw the skiff, lit up with the engines running. As she passed into the bright light she tore off her glasses and stumbled, exhausted, onto the ramp. Carolyn was waving her into the ship, still on the ramp herself.
Turning around, Alex expected to see Riddick behind her, but he was not there.
"Where is he?!" Carolyn gasped, out of breath.
"I don't know, I thought he was behind me," Alex answered her, struggling for breath herself.
"We'll wait for him!" Carolyn said, looking out into the dark.
But Riddick did not come. Carolyn walked off the ramp and to the farthest reaches of the light, listening for him. Alex, Jack, and Imam gathered on the ramp. Riddick still did not come. He can't be dead, Alex thought. He can't be. He was a member of their group as much as Alex was, he just couldn't have succumbed to the planet when the rest of them were there.
"Carolyn," Imam said gently. Carolyn looked back at them, and Imam motioned with his that they should get on the ship, and just leave, shrugging. "Come." But Carolyn turned her head to again look into the night. Waiting.
After a moment, she started backing up, towards the ship. Then a voice came through the night. It was Riddick, screaming. Imam held Jack back on the ramp, but Carolyn ran off with the lantern, towards the sound. Alex shook her head. Foolish, but damn brave. She liked Carolyn and admired her. No way would they leave without her. Alex brought out her sword and went to the edge of the light, putting on her glasses. Now she would be the one to wait for them.
After a few minutes, she heard faintly the sounds Carolyn shouting, "Get up, Get up!" The first thought that came to her mind was that Riddick was alive. But if Carolyn was trying to get him up, then he must be hurt. She had to help. Yes. Help them. The flame fanned to life. They were out there, somewhere close. They would all get out of this alive.
"Stay here!" she said to Jack and Imam. "I've got to help them."
Alex followed Carolyn's yells, and turned the corner to see in the night vision green Carolyn supporting Riddick, trying to get him up. And then she saw the creature fly in out of nowhere, and heard Carolyn gasp. Time froze. Alex saw the creature hovering above her with its pointed tail going through her body. Hovering, stopping, for a moment. Preparing to carry her away. A voice in her shouted. NO! She would not allow Carolyn to die. She could not let her be carried off by the creatures, not when they had taken so many already. Emotions long held back burst through. Save her! Not ever had she felt so compelled. Time moved again, in slow motion, as Alex stirred herself into action.
She ran at top speed in the mud, towards the creature. It couldn't have been that far away but it seemed like an eternity. She lifted her sword. The creature began to pull back, and Carolyn slipped out of Riddick's grasp. Riddick fell to the ground. In that moment when the creature began to pull Carolyn into the air, into the dark, Alex jumped into the air, and struck.
She sliced through the tail, her sword flashing, fire in her eyes burning, and Carolyn's body fell to the ground.
Chapter 12
The group walked towards the canyon's entrance and stopped, listening to the sounds around them. The whirring and clicking made it seem as if the entire planet were one animal, waiting for them. Riddick had put all of the power cells on a rope from the sled and was dragging them. Alex looked out into the canyon, seeing the hundreds of creatures ahead of them. Back near the boneyard, she had started to feel a little safe with no sign of them. Perhaps that was why she had opened up like that to Imam. Perhaps not. She didn't really know. But now, she brought herself back to the moment. They were surrounded by swift killers that had the advantage of being able to see them somehow. Just keep the light burning, she repeated to herself for the hundredth time. She swung around to the back of them, partly to keep the light from the torches from semi-blinding her, and partly to see if anything was behind them. There wasn't, but she got the feeling that they were somewhere just out of her field of vision.
Riddick was crouched at the head of the group, peering through the canyon ahead. "Only see one way," he said, straightening and pointing with his hand. "That way. It's the only way off this rock."
Alex looked to see where he pointed. Yes, it was the most direct way, taking them through the canyon. As she looked up on the walls she could see movement on the upper levels. She shuddered. Best not to tell the others. She would let Carolyn take the lead, with the torches, and stay near the back. She pulled out her sword, as her torch had run out a few minutes ago.
"Just keep the girl between you," Riddick said, and walked behind them to where the power cells lay. Jack moved closer to Imam and Carolyn. Alex followed Riddick with her eyes as he moved behind her.
"What about the cells?" Imam asked. Alex would have volunteered to help, but she needed her body to be free in case she had to use the sword.
Riddick paused, looked over his shoulder. "I'll take those."
Alex saw Carolyn's head jerk around to stare at Riddick, for a second. That moment that passed between Riddick and Carolyn could have said a thousand things. Alex remained puzzled as to what exactly the connection was between them. But she would never know, not now anyways.
She stood at the ready as the group moved even closer together. Riddick pulled his goggles over his eyes as Alex circled to get one last look at their surroundings.
"Move," he said, softly, the light of the torches reflected in his goggles.
"Are you sure you can keep up?" Carolyn asked him. Alex thought privately that she could help him if he couldn't. If he would let her. Those power cells seemed his, now.
"MOVE!" he shouted, heading off at a run. The rest of the group ran ahead of Riddick, with Alex the closest to him at the back. The light blinded her, slightly, but she kept her eyes above them and to the sides.
Even though she could feel the sword's grip in her hands, her heart pounded from the fear of what was around them. Death Row, Riddick had said, and she definitely would agree. The creatures' noises sounded all around them. Alex heard a fluttering, and looked up ahead in the canyon to see a swarm of them coming towards them, but above.
"Swarm!" she shouted, "Keep moving!" That was the only way for them to get through, to keep moving, otherwise they would be surrounded. Most of the creatures passed above them, but some were close enough to catch on fire from the torches in front. Alex heard Riddick struggling behind her, and looked back to see that he was having to duck away from the flyers, which were not as far away from him because he had no light. He was falling behind. Then, an idea came to her, the flame rising in her mind, and she put the sword into a ready position in front of her. She dropped back directly in front of Riddick and walked quickly. And then the sword began to move. She heard the blade sing as it formed figure eights in front of her, forming a shield of gleaming steel. With every stroke she was calmer and the fear seemed to disappear. She felt life pulsing through her. Her entire body was that of a fighter, a warrior. Imam's son looked back and gasped, for he saw the purpose in her eyes. The sword caught most of the creatures flying past them, and Riddick was able to concentrate on pulling the power cells.
The swarm passed, and as Alex completed the last stroke she felt the power go out of her and the fear return. She stumbled momentarily, then caught herself and strengthened her resolve. She glanced back at Riddick, and he nodded at her in acknowledgement. She nodded back and continued running.
As they turned the next corner, Alex saw a shocking sight in the sky. The creatures were flying into each other, attacking each other, causing great glops of blue blood to fall on their group. As long as they're killing each other they did not notice them down in the canyon. None of the others had noticed, yet. That is until the blood fell onto them. Alex tried unsuccessfully to scrub it off, to brush it off of her armband and skin.
Riddick shouted, "Do not look up!" as he was pulling the cells, but Carolyn stopped briefly to look into the sky. "Do not look up!" he repeated more forcefully.
"They're killing each other," said Carolyn in an awed voice, still standing there. She seemed to be completely absorbed in watching the creatures.
"Come on!" Alex shouted at her as she ran past her, keeping up with the others. She looked upwards again. One of the creatures began to fall from the sky. Alex realized too late that it was falling directly onto Carolyn. She started to move as if to knock her away, but Riddick came up behind Carolyn and pushed her out of the way, the carcass falling not two feet behind them. Alex helped Carolyn up with her free hand, and saw the look in Carolyn's eyes that she could have been crushed beneath the body.
They continued running, bodies falling among them. Imam, in the lead, tried to dodge them as best as he could. The nearness of the creatures in a killing spree spurred them on. Alex remained near the back, but Carolyn had run up front again. As she looked back, she could tell that their pace had taken a toll on Riddick. He was crawling, almost, using his hands as body parts from the creatures dropped all around him. He might be scary as all hell at times, but dammit they needed those cells. They couldn't leave them like before, they had to go all the way. She quickly sheathed her sword, for the moment, and dropped back to help him.
He was looking down, concentrating on his footing, and didn't see her until she grabbed onto the rope. His head snapped up, and as she wrapped the rope around her arm he paused slightly, allowing her to get set. An unspoken agreement to let her help him with the cells passed between them in the heat of the moment. As soon as she had finished getting a grip on it, no more than a few seconds later, he started pulling again and she joined him. She could feel the strain in her already tired muscles at the weight of all four cells, and could not imagine how Riddick could have been dragging these by himself.
Ahead of them she could see that large bones had collapsed into the canyon, blocking their way. Carolyn and Imam slowed to a stop ahead of them, presumably trying to figure out what to do as body parts dropped among them from the fighting above.
"Move! Keep moving!" Riddick shouted, almost in her ear.
He pushed through them, dragging the cells and Alex with him, until they reached the bones. Alex unwrapped her arm and started pulling away the enormous bones on the opposite side of Riddick, trying to clear them. Imam jumped in beside her, desperately trying to make a path while Carolyn held the torches high. Jack tried to help, too. As soon as there was a large enough hole, Riddick went through, dragging the cells alone. Alex stood by and motioned for the others to go through. Carolyn followed Jack, and as Suleiman moved towards the entrance a rustling behind her caused Alex to spin around. One of the creatures, half alive but hidden in the shadows, moved and grabbed Suleiman's ankle. He screamed in pain as its talons cut through his flesh. He dropped the lighter he carried on the ground, as he reached for Imam who tried to pull him over the bone. Alex took out her sword like lightning, and as Carolyn dropped alcohol on the ground, Alex sliced through the creature's hand and it screamed, mostly from the light that flared up.
"Go! Go!" Alex shouted at Imam, who pulled Suleiman up and over the barrier while Alex backed through it, facing the creature with her sword.
Soon after she came through it, she turned around to see Imam and Carolyn attempting to bandage Sulei's ankle, which was bleeding badly and probably had severed muscles. The blood would attract them, the creatures, even more than Jack would. Alex remembered her small first aid kit in her vest, and, shoving her sword in the loose soil, yanked it out. She opened it to find a roll of gauze, which she quickly unrolled and bent down to wrap around the boy's ankle. Imam then wrapped a torn piece of his turban around it, the makeshift bandage still showing fresh blood oozing through.
And then she heard Jack scream.
She whirled her head around to see Jack, about thirty feet away, underneath one of the rib bones which was quickly being shattered by the creature which was on top of it, attempting to break through. Alarm coursed through her, fear for Jack's life suddenly controlling her actions. She struggled to get up and grabbed her sword. But Carolyn was ahead of her and had grabbed the large flashlight in addition to her torch, and suddenly ran at the creature. She held the light close to it, screaming at it to get off of her. Alex couldn't believe how brave Carolyn was, with only the torch as a weapon. She had to help. Everything moved in slow motion.
As Alex scrambled over the bones, she saw the creature crouch, as if in readiness to attack Carolyn. Too slow, too slow, she berated herself. She climbed over the last barrier, to help Carolyn against the creature. Its tail whipped out and knocked the flashlight out of Carolyn's hand. It leaped at her, and as she jumped to get out of the way, Alex was shocked to see that Riddick had intercepted it. He had the creature by its taloned hands, his brute strength the only thing standing between him and those horrible teeth. He was waiting, waiting for the creature to make a mistake. Carolyn helped Jack up and clutched her to her chest, as they silently watched Riddick face off with the creature.
Alex ran up and paused, but then saw a second creature alight behind Riddick. Her eyes widened, taking a split second to realize that there was no way he could defend himself from both. She looked at her sword, and the characters on it seemed almost to glow in the light of the flame, feeding the flame inside herself. Yes, she thought. Yes. She held her sword up quickly in a salute to begin the forms, to an unseen sun. Alex took a short, deep breath, and then leaped over the bone to face this menace.
She kept both eyes on it as she landed like a cat in the sandy soil, crouched with her sword in front. A voice in hear head whispered the names of the forms, she saw them in her minds eye. But now there was the creature. It regarded her for a moment, sounding its sonar, then reached for her with its talons. She lunged forward and spun out of its reach, reaching her blade out in a deadly kiss, and felt it cut the creature's surprisingly thin skin on its belly. A shallow cut, but first blood. It screeched, throwing its head back. As Alex came back to a crouch, regaining her balance, she took the opportunity of the creature's momentary distraction to slice down, onto one of the forearms. The blade cut through it like a hot knife through butter, singing as it moved in the wind, leaving the arm lying on the ground. It moved quickly in response, its T- shaped head snaking towards her, revealing its mouthful of teeth. She jumped back quickly, out of the way. Attack, an inner voice shouted to her. It's the only way. Narrowing her eyes, she quickly stepped forward, slashing the blade from side to side and driving the creature back. It backed up, but overbalanced slightly. Alex saw her opportunity. She moved in close on its blind side, and moved the sword in two quick cuts, slicing through the two protuberances from its mouth, which she was pretty sure was its sonar. The disoriented creature was unable to "see" her, now, and she slashed again at its tender belly, screaming at it. As it recoiled in pain, she moved within killing range of the creature, lifted the blade high, and with all her strength struck at the neck, decapitating it.
Silence. The lifeless body fell to the ground. The flame disappeared. All Alex was left with was her heavy breathing, and the knowledge that she had just killed another living thing. Never, never had she done this. She swallowed, feeling a rush of emotion that she could not control. Revulsion, sadness, and underneath it all a sense of power that disgusted her. She could not move, only stare at the body, the life she had taken. She closed her eyes. Necessity. Necessity. It would have killed you. She repeated it to herself for a minute until the emotions lessened, and she was able to open her eyes. Able to know herself again. She brought the sword tip up, saluted the body of the creature, then wiped its blue blood off the blade on her pants. "I am sorry," she whispered.
She heard Riddick muttering, and was only able to catch the end of it, ".was fucking with." She looked towards the sound to see him snap his head to look at Jack and Carolyn, a primitive glint in his eyes. He stood over the corpse of the first creature, its belly slashed and its neck at an abnormal angle.
She sheathed her sword, and the noise caused him, and the shocked Carolyn and Jack, to look over at her, and the body that lay behind her. As she looked among them, she saw the realization on Riddick's face that he had never even known the second one was there, and that she had killed it. Saved his life, in some respect. But she was too upset with killing the creature to crow over that victory.
The creatures' song sounded above them, bringing them all back to the reality and the frantic pace they had to set to get back to the settlement. The skiff. Safety. Riddick, still watching her, passed by and grabbed the line for the power cells, dragging it again.
They followed Riddick, going over the small hill and descending, the canyon ahead seeming free of creatures. Alex found that just this once, she had hope. Behind her, Suleiman fell, and it took both Imam, Carolyn, and Alex to get him back up. Alex didn't know how much longer he could last, losing that much blood and unable to use his leg.
As they struggled onwards, Jack, slightly ahead of them, put out her hand. Alex, wondering what she was doing, then felt a wet drop fall on her head. She looked up at the sky and the newfound hope in her died. It was raining.
The torches that the others held sizzled as the raindrops got closer together, threatening to put out the torches. Then they would have no light, the flashlight had been shattered back there. As Imam finally picked up Suleiman and carried him, they both realized that it was raining, also. All of her nervous energy drained out of her and her head spun. How could they go on? She dimly heard a short, barking noise in front of her, and then she realized it was Riddick laughing.
He turned around. "So where the hell's your God now?" he asked Imam, the smile fading from his face. The rain intensified. Alex, her hair and clothing becoming soaking wet, saw Imam look up to the sky, a bleak look on his face. God definitely was not with them now, Alex thought. If he had ever been.
Jack and Carolyn clustered together, desperately trying to keep the torches lit in the downpour. The two of them found a small ledge to get the torches out of the rain under, keep them lit, and Alex followed, helping Imam set Suleiman down. She looked around at Riddick, who had climbed up the canyon wall a short way and stood, looking in the direction they had to go. Imam was attempting to re-wrap the bandage while Suleiman gasped in pain. They heard noises of the creatures all around them, waiting.
"Riddick!" Carolyn shouted, "are we close?!"
He was silent, staring into the canyon. Alex crouched next to Imam, looking up at Riddick. He worked his jaw, as if he was conflicted about something. Were they close or weren't they?
"Just tell me that the settlement is right there!!" she screamed through the rain, desperation ringing in her voice. Alex felt almost dead inside. They were at the end of their rope. The creatures breathing was louder, surrounding them. The skiff had to be there, it did.
"We can't make it," Riddick said, barely audible.
"Why not?!" Alex yelled at him.
A strangled noise came from Suleiman behind her, and she spun, to see him being dragged up the canyon wall, the tail of one of the creatures around his neck. Imam screamed after him, but it wouldn't bring him back. He kept crying out words in some language, falling on his knees, and then to his belly, arms outstretched, a man broken. Of the three boys he had brought with him, all were now gone, killed by the creatures. They shrieked above them on the canyon rim.
Alex felt sadness, almost. But there was a part of her that was willing to accept that they would die here. A part that had no hope. She didn't even know that Riddick had jumped down until he shouted to them.
"Hide here!" he said, a few feet away from them. Alex walked over, he was standing in front of a crevice in the rock, moving a large boulder to the side. A crevice that was out of the rain. Jack brushed past her with her sputtering torch and ran into the crevice, illuminating a cave. Alex followed her in, still emotionless, dimly wondering what they would do when they were finished hiding. Would the rain stop? Imam and Carolyn entered behind her, and as they waited for Riddick to follow, they turned around to the sound of the boulder being pushed across the entrance to the cave, blocking their exit.
The only thing that lit the cave was Jack's feeble torch. They looked at each other in the dripping cave, confused. Imam went towards the boulder and tried to push it with no success. Riddick was still outside, Alex thought. Outside with the creatures. Outside with the power cells. She felt her heart plunge. The cells, the cells.
"Why is he still out there?" Jack asked the rest of them. A child's questioning, which none of the adults wanted to answer to. Alex leaned back against the cave wall and sunk down. Riddick could leave them here. Oh God, she started, and then looked up at the ceiling. No, there was no God with them today. They sat in silence. Alex felt numb.
Five minutes later, the ceiling still dripped from the rain, and there wasn't enough alcohol to sustain a flame in Carolyn's torch. Jack poured the remainder into hers, and then squeezed the string to get every last drop out. Imam, still standing at the entrance, looked back at them as they heard the shrieking of the creatures. Close.
Jack sighed. "He's not comin' back, is he?" she said matter-of-factly. Carolyn looked at her over their one flame, and then looked at the rest of them. Imam at the entrance, Alex against the wall. Her eyes said what Alex was afraid to admit. No, he wasn't coming back.
Alex watched the flame. The flame was where she burned her emotions, kept herself. But she couldn't burn these away. Would it hurt when she died? Torn apart by one of those creatures? And would it do any good to fight them off, if it was hopeless. Hopeless.
The flame got lower. With the realization that it was about to go out, all of them stared at it. Their one light, willing it to go on. A noise came from outside, sounding like a creature landing right outside the boulder. Alex moved closer to the torch, as did Imam, so they were all clustered around the paltry flame. It seemed like hours. Would it keep the creatures away? Alex could hear them, sounding their way through, to find them. But there was not enough fuel. The flame went out.
In the dark, Alex heard the sounds outside. She sighed, resigning herself to death. She just hadn't thought it would come this soon.
Hher eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. No, not adjusted. She put her hand in front of her face. She could see her hand! That should not be possible. But indeed, a blue light illuminated her hand. A blue light from above her. She looked up and gasped, hearing similar gasps from her companions. The cavern was tall, and must have extended all the way up the canyon wall. Lining its walls were tiny spots of blue light. Carolyn stood, and Alex followed her, in awe of the light that they were in. Hundreds of spots of light were there. Deep inside, she felt a spark of hope catch, and then begin to burn anew.
Imam, the tallest, reached up towards the nearest lights. When he brought his hand back down, they all clustered around it, to see the outlines of what looked like worms.
"Bioluminesence," Alex whispered, almost afraid that if she shouted, she would wake up and it would all be a dream. She smiled. A real smile. She looked up, and in the eyes of Jack, Carolyn, and Imam, she saw a smile as well. There was hope after all.
"Quick, gather them all!" Carolyn said, reaching back down to fumble for something in the dark. She came back with the empty bottle of alcohol which had served them as a torch. Jack, Imam, and Alex each reached for the tiny worms, as Carolyn started scraping the label off the bottle. They each took their turn putting the glowing things in the bottle. Together, their light was enough to really make a difference. The spark of hope became a burning flame. They could make it.
"I'll climb up the crevice, and I will come back with more light," Carolyn said, resolve in her voice. "I promise. I'll come back." Alex wanted to follow her, so there would at least be two of them in the night. Carolyn seemed to sense what she was thinking, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Stay here, in case they get in," she said, motioning to Alex's sword. Alex understood and nodded, and put her hands together in a brace position on her knee, a stepping stone for Carolyn to get out. Jack and Imam would need protection. If, no when, she corrected herself. When Carolyn got back they would have to be ready to go. Carolyn started climbing up, and then the three of them watched her form disappear at the top of the cave.
They looked at one another. Alex decided that they would need another lantern, just in case.
"Let's make another one," she said to them, spurring them to action. It took longer to find them, but they got every last one of the glowing worms. It only filled the bottle half-way, but it would have to be enough. Alex started scraping the label off of the second bottle, trying to let as much light through as possible.
But the creatures outside did not forget about them. Alex heard a crack against the boulder and dropped the lantern in surprise. It did not break, but Imam picked it up as Alex rose and drew her sword. The cracking continued. The creatures were trying to break through the walls, through the boulders, to get to them. She heard, behind her, Jack freeing the small knife Alex had given her, to stand behind her. Alex squared her shoulders, and waited, listening to the creatures slowly breaking in, illuminated only by the blue light.
She could feel doubt creeping into her mind. What was taking so long? Was Carolyn able to get through. Was Riddick even still there? But the doubt still left the hope, and she tightened her grip on the sword. No, she would not go down without a fight, if the creatures got in. It was different this time, her renewed hope, and her responsibility to protect the others. They would wait.
The seconds ticked by and became agonizing minutes. The noises outside did not stop. She heard Jack breathing heavily, frightened. Alex's doubt turned into fear and started eating at her. But beneath it was the resolve.
They. Were. Coming. Back.
The boulder started moving. Alex found the flame and fed her fears into it, and again prepared to fight these creatures. Behind her, Jack huddled close to Imam. The boulder was pushed out of the way. Alex took a deep breath, and prepared to charge at the first thing that poked its head in that entrance. Something moved in front, and she leaped at it-only to stop herself short as she realized it was Carolyn.
She smiled at Carolyn and put her sword down. "Holy shit, it's good to see you," she said, almost laughing.
Carolyn smiled back, and then moved away from the entrance to allow Riddick to stare into the cave. He was, unbelieveably, smiling. A real smile. Alex jerked her head back. That surprised her more than his appearance there to help them. Her face must have betrayed her astonishment because he raised his eyebrows at her expression.
"Never had a doubt," Jack broke in, a wide grin on her face when Alex turned around. Imam was leaning back against the cave wall, with a look of relief on his face.
"Anyone not ready for this?" Riddick asked mockingly.
"There is my God, Mr. Riddick," Imam got out, looking at him levelly. Perhaps, Alex thought to herself.
Riddick backed away from the cave to allow them to exit. "We're not out of the woods yet!" Carolyn said, looking down the canyon still shrouded in rain.
"So let's get the hell out of here!" Alex retorted. Carolyn shrugged, and then they set off, with Riddick in the lead. They ran as fast as possible, with no power cells to hamper them. Alex wondered what happened. Riddick must have gotten to the settlement. Yet he seemed to have some sort of a lightness to him, a sense that Alex had not gotten from him before. But no time to think of that now, she thought, and dashed it from her mind.
As they rounded a corner, Riddick held out his arms to stop them, and ducked against the side of the canyon. Alex peered out with her glasses to see four creatures directly in their path, fighting amongst each other. But were they distracted enough to not notice them? Riddick slowly rose, and the rest of them followed. He wasn't going to-oh yes, he was going to run right between them while they were distracted. Alex's eyes widened, but Imam reached back to grasp her hand. She saw Riddick move stealthily closer to the creatures, Carolyn, then Jack, then Imam, then herself following. And then she saw the creatures back off from the path for one second.
Hands linked, they ran straight through the middle of them, makeshift lanterns held high. The creatures flew up as they passed to avoid the light, and they started up the steep incline. "Don't stop, don't stop!" Riddick kept saying as they crawled on hands and knees to get up the slippery mud. Riddick pushed Carolyn and Jack to help them up.
"Move!" he shouted after they had crested the hill, "you know the way!"
Alex looked back to see the four creatures return to the spot they had just ran through, and look in their direction. She faced forward and ran, because her life depended on it. She thought she heard Riddick right behind her. The whirring of the creatures was all around her. She could see the lanterns ahead of her, weaving their way towards the skiff, and she caught up with Carolyn, Jack, and Imam. They finally turned the corner of the last building and saw the skiff, lit up with the engines running. As she passed into the bright light she tore off her glasses and stumbled, exhausted, onto the ramp. Carolyn was waving her into the ship, still on the ramp herself.
Turning around, Alex expected to see Riddick behind her, but he was not there.
"Where is he?!" Carolyn gasped, out of breath.
"I don't know, I thought he was behind me," Alex answered her, struggling for breath herself.
"We'll wait for him!" Carolyn said, looking out into the dark.
But Riddick did not come. Carolyn walked off the ramp and to the farthest reaches of the light, listening for him. Alex, Jack, and Imam gathered on the ramp. Riddick still did not come. He can't be dead, Alex thought. He can't be. He was a member of their group as much as Alex was, he just couldn't have succumbed to the planet when the rest of them were there.
"Carolyn," Imam said gently. Carolyn looked back at them, and Imam motioned with his that they should get on the ship, and just leave, shrugging. "Come." But Carolyn turned her head to again look into the night. Waiting.
After a moment, she started backing up, towards the ship. Then a voice came through the night. It was Riddick, screaming. Imam held Jack back on the ramp, but Carolyn ran off with the lantern, towards the sound. Alex shook her head. Foolish, but damn brave. She liked Carolyn and admired her. No way would they leave without her. Alex brought out her sword and went to the edge of the light, putting on her glasses. Now she would be the one to wait for them.
After a few minutes, she heard faintly the sounds Carolyn shouting, "Get up, Get up!" The first thought that came to her mind was that Riddick was alive. But if Carolyn was trying to get him up, then he must be hurt. She had to help. Yes. Help them. The flame fanned to life. They were out there, somewhere close. They would all get out of this alive.
"Stay here!" she said to Jack and Imam. "I've got to help them."
Alex followed Carolyn's yells, and turned the corner to see in the night vision green Carolyn supporting Riddick, trying to get him up. And then she saw the creature fly in out of nowhere, and heard Carolyn gasp. Time froze. Alex saw the creature hovering above her with its pointed tail going through her body. Hovering, stopping, for a moment. Preparing to carry her away. A voice in her shouted. NO! She would not allow Carolyn to die. She could not let her be carried off by the creatures, not when they had taken so many already. Emotions long held back burst through. Save her! Not ever had she felt so compelled. Time moved again, in slow motion, as Alex stirred herself into action.
She ran at top speed in the mud, towards the creature. It couldn't have been that far away but it seemed like an eternity. She lifted her sword. The creature began to pull back, and Carolyn slipped out of Riddick's grasp. Riddick fell to the ground. In that moment when the creature began to pull Carolyn into the air, into the dark, Alex jumped into the air, and struck.
She sliced through the tail, her sword flashing, fire in her eyes burning, and Carolyn's body fell to the ground.