Broken Promises

Chapter 8

            Jack sighed as the screen went blank. This was not going as planned. Cassidy was supposed to have killed Riddick days ago. What the hell went wrong? And where the fuck was Cassidy?

***

            Cassidy crept silently down the hallway, the dampness in the air making her hands clammy. Her eyes darted around the house, searching… searching… finding nothing. Good. All was going as planned.

            Well, not really as planned, but close enough to suit her fancy. It would all work out in the end. She hoped. Just a few more paces until the Com room…

            SHIT.

            Riddick's head turned slightly, and she knew he knew she was there. His arm twitched, and his eyebrows knitted together and relaxed in a rhythmic pattern. A barely audible growl escaped him, and she watched him dream, fascinated.

***

            They were everywhere. No light, no fire. Just him. And Jack. And the darkness. He could feel them staring at the two of them, huddled closely together, Jack trembling against him. Her big doe-eyes stared up at him questioningly. He just looked down at her, a grim expression covering his handsome features.

            "Don't move," he whispered, his lips barely moving. Her eyes nodded up at him, silently and motionlessly agreeing.

            The stares continued.

            Disconcerting.

            Disorienting.

            Disturbing.

            Then all of a sudden, they vanished. Safety at last. With a quick nod, Riddick pulled Jack to her feet, nearly dragging her through the mud to get to a safer place – a place with light and warmth instead of the darkness and rain. Riddick wasn't scared of the dark. The dark was his element. But he knew Jack couldn't see anything except darkness, while he saw everything, even if it was distorted and discolored. She stumbled a few times, whimpering and grasping tightly to his fingers. He paused every time and helped her to her feet, finally flinging her over his shoulder.

            Something tripped him. They both went diving head first into the mud. An evil laugh rang out, coming from all around, as though they were in a canyon or cave. Except they weren't. It was Fate laughing at them, knowing they would never make it in one piece.

            Even as he dreamed, Riddick knew the meaning of this. It was his relationship with Jack. He wanted to save her, but only dragged her into the mud with him. She was better than he, and they both knew it. If they stayed together, neither of them would ever make it. He deciphered the dream as it unfolded. Unlike every other dream, this one continued past the point where they both fell.

            Jack stood and turned to look at him, lying in the mud, his chest heaving, gasping for oxygen. He yelled for her to continue. She knew the way. Keep moving. But she stayed, just watching him. And then he lurched forward, his hands going straight to the source of his pain – his heart. He'd been speared. By one of the creatures, speared right through the heart. He looked down at his hands. While normally they'd be covered in someone else's blood, this was his. He could smell himself in it. His eyes went back up to her, and she just looked down at him. No empathy, no remorse, no worry. She just looked at him blankly. And then with a disappointed shake of the head, as the lights began to appear, she turned and slowly, tortuously, deliberately walked away from him. A tear slid down his cheek as he whispered her name, but she was already gone.

***

            Cassidy still watched, even as the beads of sweat collected on his forehead. She was too stunned to move. He tossed and twitched in the chair, little whimpers and groans barely overpowering the silence. All of a sudden he stilled, his muscles taut, his breath coming in quick, short gasps. And then he whispered. Any other time, she wouldn't have been able to understand it, but now it was clear.

            "Jack?"

            Her expression darkened, her hands clenching into fists and then releasing at her sides. Her nostrils flared, and her cheeks reddened. He let out a long, slow breath, and then jerked into awareness, sitting upright in the chair. Cassidy jumped back a few feet, startled.

            "Riddick?" she asked quietly. He turned, that cold, murderous, instinctual look that was Riddick overpowering his face. His features immediately softened as his eyes fell on her, and he collapsed back into the chair.

            "What are you doing up?"

            "I heard you dreaming and thought I'd check on you," she stammered quickly. "Make sure you were okay." He waved her off, as though dismissing her concern as unfounded. "You've never been one for nightmares." He chuckled slightly.

            "Tell me about it."

            "Are you going back to bed?" she asked.

            "No, I think I'm just gonna stay up for now." She nodded, somewhat disappointed, he supposed. "I'll be okay," he added. "Don't worry about me."

            "Right," she said quietly.

            "Night," he gruffed. She returned the sentiment and headed back to her room. Okay, so things weren't going as planned.