Disclaimer: no credit is taken on my part for the ownership of certain characters. (translation: I don't own Riddick.)

Damn, Not Again!

Ch. 9

Ev'rythin' was goin' fine. Our transpor' was one of the bes' ones buil', and our fake I.Ds were untraceable. We were goin' inte the cryo-tubes, which was fine with me, I ha'e space travel.

I was jus' barely aware of people walkin' pas' me.

I'd heard rumors abou' cryo-sleep. How only the 'animal' side of a person remained awake. Nothin' I'd believed, really.

And then he walked pas'.

Damn.

Ev'ry synapse in my brain fired simultaneously. For one brief second, I was wide awake. I really don' remember anathin' excep' tha' my hand sho' ou' a' the glass and star'ed hur'in'. And then I was asleep again.

And I dreamed.

Of him.

Of ev'ry time he'd ever humilia'ed me, bea'en me t' a score, challenged and defea'ed me. Of ev'ry time he'd ever lef' me with 'somethin' t'remember him by. I fel' low. Used, even. Like he was toyin' with me, jus' for kicks.

Damn

I awoke t' the sharp, bi'in' pain of a bulle' through my hand, where i' still was, pressed t' the glass. I remember yelpin' from the wound as I yanked i' back and groggily opened my eyes. And suddenly I knew tha' somethin' was very, very wrong.

There was blood. Ev'rywhere.

Tubes were smashed and broken, some with the people still inside.

They were all dead.

Mouse.

Falcon.

I had t' find them.

I reached across my tube t' pull on the release lever, bu' i' was already openin' from the ou'side. And in my disorientation, I fell ou' onte my liberator, instead of gracefully steppin' ou' under my own power.

Damn.

"Bloody hell." I mu''ered, le''in' my limbs go limp as whoever i' was se' me down ou' of the way.

Didn' ask who he was, or why ev'ryone was dead. I think I was too ou' of i' righ' then. Cryo-sleep star'ed t' wear off and I looked 'round t' see two very special tubes. They contained Mouse and Falcon, my two very bes' friends in the galaxy.

Both of them were dead, pierced through with fallen cable rods.

My mind wen' numb, tryin' t' wrap itself 'round the concep'.

They weren' dead. I was still dreamin'. I'd caugh' space blindness, my mind was producin' these morbid images. A million and one excuses filled my head. tellin' me why they couldn' be dead, bu' I stopped thinkin' when I reached ou' with one hand and found tha' i' had a dime sized hole in i' and tha' i' was covered in blood.

I cried.

Damn.

I have no idea how long I sa' there, bu' suddenly a body stepped in fron' of me, blockin' my view of their ben' and broken bodies, and I blinked, two more tears slidin' down my face.

"L-leave them alone." I ordered, in a small voice tha' I didn' even recognize as my own. The body turned and I looked inte my arch nemesis's goggled eyes with numb horror, knowin' tha' he was seein' me with my defenses lowered. No one had seen me cry since my da died.

He watched me hiccough and sob for a second or two before turnin' back t' whatever i' was tha' he was doin'. Well I wouldn' have i'. They were my friends, dammit, I would keep their dignity intac' a' leas'.

I looked around and saw a cable rod nearby. I pushed myself t' my fee', took one step, and passed ou' from the pain tha' tryin' t' walk on a broken leg had caused.

Damn.

When I woke up, I didn' move. I didn' see the poin'. I stayed motionless, fully aware of my situation. My hands were tied with some sor' of rope, and my lef' hand was wrapped. My broken righ' leg was numb, bu' I could feel with my lef' tha' i' had been splinted. I didn' know where I was, bu' i' wasn' in the ship. I' was some sor' of jungle.

Hands appeared ou' of nowhere and worked a' the kno' tha' held my wris's together. They pulled the ropes away and lifted one hand, feelin' for a pulse.

I's there, you idio', I jus' don' feel like doin' anathin'.

When I didn' respond t' his pokin' and proddin', he pulled me up inte a si''in' position and shook me sligh'ly. I stared blankly a' him. I'd always fough' back, he mus' have been so confused.

Poor baby.

With a growl of frustration, I was heaved over one shoulder, where I continued t' hang limp as he stood up and walked through this wilderness.

I know tha' a' some poin', he se' me down and walked off, and I remember the surprise I fel' when he came back. I hadn' expec'ed him t'. Af'er all, I was less than nothin' t' him, unless he was jus' usin' me for en'ertainmen'.

...Damn.

I smelled mea' cookin' and looked t' see tha' he had skewered two, small, reptilian squirrel-like animals, and had them leanin' agains' some rocks over a small fire pi'. I watched them cook and then turned my head and looked a' him.

He was leanin' back agains' his own tree, elbows restin' on his knees as he stared upwards through the thick canopy.

Quie'ly, and withou' movin' my bad leg, I reached for the lizard squirrel neares' me.

"They're not cooked yet."

Damn.

I froze and then withdrew my arm, shiftin' my uncomfor'able position and lookin' a' him. He was starin' a' the fire now, bu' he was smirkin', like he was in on a joke bu' wasn' tellin'.

I looked off a' the trees around us and tried no' t' think abou' how he wasn' figh'in' me, or tauntin' me, or tryin' t' kill me. He was in fac', savin' my life.

Sudden movemen' jerked my attention t' the presen' and my heart nearly stopped when I saw tha' he was righ' in fron' of me. For a momen' he did nothin', and I didn' move excep' t' breathe extremely shallow breaths.

Then he til'ed his head and held up somethin'. Lookin' a' the objec' in his hand, I cursed myself for freakin' ou' and snatched the spi''ed lizard squirrel from him, sighin' a' my only somewha' irrational fear.

He seemed amused, and instead of goin' back t' his tree, he se''led down in fron' of me and began ea'in' his own roasted squirrel.

Damn.

I bi' inte my squirrel-on-a-stick and watched him warily, knowin' tha' ana move tha' he made would make me jumpy. My nerves were no' gonna take much of tha'.

The squirrel wasn' tha' bad.

The mea' was tender and juicy.

The flavor was delicious.

The silence was killin' me.

"Wha' did ye do t' them?" I asked, as I slid over t' the fire and poked a' i' with my stick.

He didn' say anathin' for a minu'e, and when he spoke, I was shaken t' realize tha' he was righ' behind me.

"I buried them."

"Why didn' ye jus' kill me then?" I asked darkly, and then winced, pre''y sure tha' wasn' the smar'es' thing t' do.

Damn.