Damn, Not Again!

Ch. 11

"I don' need yer help." I said, sullenly, even as my mind screamed a' me t' keep my mouth shu'.

"Of course not." my enemy humored me, as he kep' walkin'.

"I can walk all by myself, I'm no' an infan'." I continued, as he stepped over a log, glancin' a' my broken leg t' make sure he hadn' jarred i'.

"I never said you were." he replied, shakin' his head, bu' I had the distinc' impression he wasn' listenin' a' all.

"Then why are ye carryin' me?" I hissed. He glanced a' me and then shifted me up higher 'cause I'd been shiftin' down steadily.

"Oh, I don't know," he said, and I looked a' him, confused. "I like to keep track of my property."

For a second, tha' sta'emen' didn' register. Then I gaped a' him.

"Yer WHAT?!?!" I yelped. He grinned, bu'didn' answer me.

Damn.

"Plus, you know, you're kind of good-looking. There must be something you're good for other than to look at..." My mind was goin' a mile a second, and all the though's were badbadbadbad... "...It did feel pretty good to hold you—"

"Shu' up." I growled, my good hand ballin' inte a fis'. He chuckled. "How dare ye talk abou' me tha' way-"

"Aw, what are you gonna do about it?" he scoffed.

In my head, I act'ally saw how this was goin' t' play ou', bu' when I told myself t' stop, I didn' listen.

I pulled back my good arm and aimed for his jaw, bu' missed, because he had dropped me.

Damn.

I landed on my arse, and growled from the pain as I rolled away and pushed myself t' my fee', rubbin' a' my newes' injury. I turned t' look a' my temporary ally and yelped when he was righ' in fron' of me.

"Now why would you do a stupid thing like that in the middle of nowhere with a broken leg and a useless hand?" he asked, cockin' his head t' one side.

"I's only useless if you pay attention t' the pain." I growled back a' him. He smirked and grabbed my arm, pullin' me forward and then slingin' me over one shoulder. Tired of his obsession with humiliatin' me, I hooked my legs around him and leaned back until my hands touched earth. Then I le' go of him and flipped away from him, always landin' with my weigh' on one knee.

I stopped abou' ten fee' away and looked a' him, my righ' leg barely touchin' the ground. I hugged my lef' hand t' my ches' cause i' did hur'. A lo'.

Damn.

He looked furious as he walked t'wards me. And then I knew tha' I was in trouble. I'd showed off, now wha'?

I didn' le' him have the sa'isfaction of seein' how scared I act'ally was. I stood up as straigh' as I could and tried no' t' sweat bulle's in my black spandex tha' maybe wasn' the bes' choice for space travel or for walkin' through a humid jungle.

He stopped in fron' of me, and I balled my hands inte fis's, ge''in' ready. Ready for wha', I'm still no' sure. I'm sure I was ready for somethin', bu' I'm also pre''y sure tha' him kneelin' down t' check on my broken leg wasn' i'.

I jus' stared a' him for the longes' time, and when he finished checkin' i', he wrapped one arm 'round my knees and stood up, effectively pu''in' me over one shoulder again.

Damn.

I'm no' sure how long he walked af'er tha', I spaced ou' because we had stopped arguin'. Stopped talkin' for tha' ma''er.

I know tha' when he stopped, i' was sudden, and there were other voices.

"Hello, chap. Beggin yer pardon, but yeh're crossin' into unfriendly territory. We can take ye through, but it's gonna cost ye."

Oh boy.

"Really?" asked my temporary ally. "And you are?"

"Jeremy Dodger. You?"

"Richard Riddick."

There was a brief silence tha' followed, and I raised an eyebrow.

Riddick?

Wha' the hell kind of name was tha'?

"Right." said Dodger and cleared his throa'. "Anyway, our fee isn't anythin' big. fourty-two credits will be fine."

"Sorry, no cash." Riddick said, and I tapped his shoulder. He ignored me. Don' know why, bu' I fel' i' impor'an' t' le' my carrier know tha' there were several menacin' people standin' behind him. Possibly i' was cause he was carryin' me?!?

"S'alright, we'll just take the girl and call it square."

Damn.

There was a very long pause.

"You do i', and yeh're a dead man." I growled, and Riddick glanced over his shoulder a' me for a second.

Bendin' down, he se' me on the ground and then stood up again, while I stared a' him, sligh'ly confused.

"Sorry, she's not for sale or trade." he growled.

Ye know, i's weird, bu' I kinda fel' like he was protectin' me....or somethin'.

Damn it! Who the hell did he think he was anaway?!

"Now that's a shame."

He looked over Riddick's shoulder and I followed his gaze t' the muscle-bound idio's who were ge''in' ready t' bash in my goggled ally's brains.

Riddick didn' seem t' no'ice.

Lookin' 'round, the only weapon I had t' work with was the rocks protrudin' from the earth.

Oh well, beggars and choosers and all tha'.

Raisin' myself onte my good knee, I threw my solid missile and watched with sa'isfaction as i' bounced off a' one of their heads.

"What the—"

Riddick turned a' the sound of the thug's voice and like a reflex, his hand sho' t'wards the man, knockin' him back before throwin' the other man clear across the small clearin'. Then he turned back t' Dodger, who was lookin' furiously a' me.

I'm no' really sure wha' happened nex', because I was busy with troubles of my own. While Dodger and Riddick engaged in the ba''le of their lives, I was bein' approached by several of the other men. Luckily, I'm no' as bound t' the laws of gravi'y as they are.

With a groan of pain, I jumped straigh' up and snagged a branch, pullin' myself up and then grabbin' the nex' branch above me. I was once told tha' I was the bes' climber ana-one had ever seen. Time t' tes' tha'.

The tree shuddered and my broken leg struck the trunk, sendin' spasms of pain throughou' my entire body.

Damn.

And while I was workin' a' tha', Someone reached up and grabbed me by the wais', pullin' me ou''a the tree and tossin' me t' the fores' floor, where I stayed, paralyzed by the pain.

---Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow---

There was the feelin' of hands pullin' and rippin' a' my clothes, and then, nothin'. The sounds had stopped, the feelin's had ceased, and i' was as if my entire body had gone numb.

Excep' tha' I fel' i' when someone rolled me over and i' turned ou' t' be Riddick.

"I've never been more glad t' see yer ugly goggled face." I said, when he sa' me up. And then, before he could respond, and before I could stop myself, I threw my arms round his neck and buried my face in his shoulder.

Damn...

Just...Damn.

A/N: Heh. I'm just so mean to Rae. Write to me, people, tell me what you think.