Disclaimer: Pitch Black is owned by other people. I don't make no
money off of it. And I don't have any anyway. So NYA.
The Life of Death By Shaianne K. PeriHawk
Part Five
Joss spooned soup into Aislin's open mouth. She swallowed it with a grin. "More," she said.
Joss shook his head. "No more, Aislin."
Her brow furrowed and the corners of her mouth slashed downward. "More!"
"Okay Ais. If you say it in a whole sentence, you can have more," Joss compromised.
Aislin looked confused. "Sentence?"
Joss sighed dejectedly. "Say, 'I would like more soup.'" He instructed.
Aislin's eyes scrunched in concentration. "I would like more soup?" she asked slowly.
"Good job, Aislin." Joss stood to get more soup. "I'll be right back, Aislin. Wait here." He walked over to where Riddick and Jack ate their own food.
"At least she's talking now," Jack offered helpfully. Riddick just watched the child-like woman as she attempted to catch shadows with her hands.
Joss shrugged uncomfortably. "If her progress holds steady, she should be back to normal in a week."
"Meanwhile, we have to keep her alive," Riddick mumbled. "Should be fun."
Joss held back the impulse to threaten Riddick. The best it would get him was a quiet death. "She can stay back at the camp with the crew while the three of us collect samples."
The ghost of a smile crossed Riddick's lips. "You mean, you collect samples while we make sure you don't get eaten?"
Joss thought for a moment. "Yes. Exactly right."
Aislin cried when the warm funny people went away. The big man with the purr-y voice pretended to be big and scary, but he snuck sweets to her when the tall skinny one wasn't looking. If she remembered right, the big man was Riddick, and the skinny one was Joss. Then there was Jack, who tried to be nice, but was kind of scared of her.
HER.
She pulled on her left braid nervously. She didn't like being alone with the strange short men. She shuffled over to her bedroll and curled beneath the many-stacked blankets. She liked to pretend she could hide in their depths. The skinny one said she looked like nothing more than a pile of blankets when she burrowed. She liked that.
Mostly, the strange short men ignored her. They were even less comfortable around her than the Jack woman, and didn't hide it as well. With those thoughts, she started to doze.
Screams from the short men woke her. She froze, barely peeking out from beneath her blankets. She barely stifled a shriek when she saw the huge metal monster holding the Captain up by the throat.
"Where are the Isly twins, old man?"
The man could do no more than cough out a barely coherent answer. Then he choked on his own blood as the giant monster crushed his throat. The other crewmen were already on the ground, lying in their own blood.
Aislin bit her fist so she wouldn't cry out. She had to get away from the evil machine. It killed the crew, and the captain. And it was looking for her and Joss!
Copper burst over her tongue. She looked down at the ragged teeth marks on her hand. She looked up again. The machine's back was to her.
She burst out of her blankets and ran straight into the forest. Small pops exploded behind her, pain lanced across her leg. She arrowed her hands in front of her and dived into the brush.
With a quick roll she was on her feet. She weaved through the underbrush. She heard mechanical whining and thrashing behind her.
She didn't notice the way the leaves parted before her, and closed behind her.
Aislin just ran until her legs gave out. Her eyes rolled around the scenery, but the greenery was just too much. She squeezed her eyes shut and curled in on herself. Exhaustion claimed her.
Joss gently scraped another bark sample from a newly catalogued type of tree. His forehead wrinkled in concentration as he tried not to contaminate the matter with his own DNA.
Aislin's modified armor was really much more suited to do this type of work. Only now it was just so much scrap metal.
Sort of like her brain. Joss sighed as he finished sealing the sample. He wondered if he could get away with calling this a full day of work.
"Hey doc."
Joss nearly jumped out of his skin when Jack spoke up from beside him. "I didn't hear you get here. What's up?"
"Riddick's kind of uptight." The merchant woman gestured with her delicately pointed chin. "I think something's up back at base camp. He doesn't get edgy for nothing. Sometimes I think he's psychic."
Joss paled. "Aislin...."
Jack nodded and took his elbow. "Yeah. Yo! Riddick!" she yelled out to the man who paced like a caged panther just a few feet away. "Let's go!"
She woke feeling warm and loved. The woman stretched her hands above her head and curled her toes before she opened her eyes. The forest seemed to encompass her, caressing her skin protectively.
Her eyes unfocused as she tried to remember why she was in the middle of the woods. She closed them and drew in a ragged breath. "They're dead, and the man in the armor wants to kill me and Joss," she said aloud. Her head ached like she'd run repeatedly into a tree, but it was working now. She realized how out of it she had been. But she still couldn't quite grasp adult reasoning.
She rubbed her face against the leaves next to her. The warm velvety texture of the greenery comforted her. "I have to do something. What can I do?" She looked to the plants. "Do you know where they are?"
They froze their constant motion for a moment, and then continued, more slowly this time. For a moment, Aislin thought they were keeping a secret.
But they were just plants.
Weren't they?
End of Part Five.
The Life of Death By Shaianne K. PeriHawk
Part Five
Joss spooned soup into Aislin's open mouth. She swallowed it with a grin. "More," she said.
Joss shook his head. "No more, Aislin."
Her brow furrowed and the corners of her mouth slashed downward. "More!"
"Okay Ais. If you say it in a whole sentence, you can have more," Joss compromised.
Aislin looked confused. "Sentence?"
Joss sighed dejectedly. "Say, 'I would like more soup.'" He instructed.
Aislin's eyes scrunched in concentration. "I would like more soup?" she asked slowly.
"Good job, Aislin." Joss stood to get more soup. "I'll be right back, Aislin. Wait here." He walked over to where Riddick and Jack ate their own food.
"At least she's talking now," Jack offered helpfully. Riddick just watched the child-like woman as she attempted to catch shadows with her hands.
Joss shrugged uncomfortably. "If her progress holds steady, she should be back to normal in a week."
"Meanwhile, we have to keep her alive," Riddick mumbled. "Should be fun."
Joss held back the impulse to threaten Riddick. The best it would get him was a quiet death. "She can stay back at the camp with the crew while the three of us collect samples."
The ghost of a smile crossed Riddick's lips. "You mean, you collect samples while we make sure you don't get eaten?"
Joss thought for a moment. "Yes. Exactly right."
Aislin cried when the warm funny people went away. The big man with the purr-y voice pretended to be big and scary, but he snuck sweets to her when the tall skinny one wasn't looking. If she remembered right, the big man was Riddick, and the skinny one was Joss. Then there was Jack, who tried to be nice, but was kind of scared of her.
HER.
She pulled on her left braid nervously. She didn't like being alone with the strange short men. She shuffled over to her bedroll and curled beneath the many-stacked blankets. She liked to pretend she could hide in their depths. The skinny one said she looked like nothing more than a pile of blankets when she burrowed. She liked that.
Mostly, the strange short men ignored her. They were even less comfortable around her than the Jack woman, and didn't hide it as well. With those thoughts, she started to doze.
Screams from the short men woke her. She froze, barely peeking out from beneath her blankets. She barely stifled a shriek when she saw the huge metal monster holding the Captain up by the throat.
"Where are the Isly twins, old man?"
The man could do no more than cough out a barely coherent answer. Then he choked on his own blood as the giant monster crushed his throat. The other crewmen were already on the ground, lying in their own blood.
Aislin bit her fist so she wouldn't cry out. She had to get away from the evil machine. It killed the crew, and the captain. And it was looking for her and Joss!
Copper burst over her tongue. She looked down at the ragged teeth marks on her hand. She looked up again. The machine's back was to her.
She burst out of her blankets and ran straight into the forest. Small pops exploded behind her, pain lanced across her leg. She arrowed her hands in front of her and dived into the brush.
With a quick roll she was on her feet. She weaved through the underbrush. She heard mechanical whining and thrashing behind her.
She didn't notice the way the leaves parted before her, and closed behind her.
Aislin just ran until her legs gave out. Her eyes rolled around the scenery, but the greenery was just too much. She squeezed her eyes shut and curled in on herself. Exhaustion claimed her.
Joss gently scraped another bark sample from a newly catalogued type of tree. His forehead wrinkled in concentration as he tried not to contaminate the matter with his own DNA.
Aislin's modified armor was really much more suited to do this type of work. Only now it was just so much scrap metal.
Sort of like her brain. Joss sighed as he finished sealing the sample. He wondered if he could get away with calling this a full day of work.
"Hey doc."
Joss nearly jumped out of his skin when Jack spoke up from beside him. "I didn't hear you get here. What's up?"
"Riddick's kind of uptight." The merchant woman gestured with her delicately pointed chin. "I think something's up back at base camp. He doesn't get edgy for nothing. Sometimes I think he's psychic."
Joss paled. "Aislin...."
Jack nodded and took his elbow. "Yeah. Yo! Riddick!" she yelled out to the man who paced like a caged panther just a few feet away. "Let's go!"
She woke feeling warm and loved. The woman stretched her hands above her head and curled her toes before she opened her eyes. The forest seemed to encompass her, caressing her skin protectively.
Her eyes unfocused as she tried to remember why she was in the middle of the woods. She closed them and drew in a ragged breath. "They're dead, and the man in the armor wants to kill me and Joss," she said aloud. Her head ached like she'd run repeatedly into a tree, but it was working now. She realized how out of it she had been. But she still couldn't quite grasp adult reasoning.
She rubbed her face against the leaves next to her. The warm velvety texture of the greenery comforted her. "I have to do something. What can I do?" She looked to the plants. "Do you know where they are?"
They froze their constant motion for a moment, and then continued, more slowly this time. For a moment, Aislin thought they were keeping a secret.
But they were just plants.
Weren't they?
End of Part Five.