A/N: Two! Four! Six! Eight! Who do I appreciate? Reviewers! Reviewers! Goooo reviewers!!! Okay so I'm a cheerleader, at least I try to express my gratitude to my wonderful reviewers. Thanks Again!
Teeth clenched, Cassidy pressed her sore palms against the tunnel wall. Whatever was biting her tail wasn't letting up and the pain was unfathomable. It was trying to pull her back into the hole but some animal instinct, some will to survive rang in her ears, telling her to fight.
Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She pressed herhands and feetagainst the rock wall of the tunnel and braced herself. Cassidy took a few deep breaths to help prepare herself for the onslaught of pain.
Cassidy began to haul herself up the tunnel, the beast in tow. Whatever it was tried to hold her back and Cassidy suck in air through her gritted teeth, the pain intensified.
The beast that lay in the darkness gave a hard tug and Cassidy's hands slipped over the rocks again. She gave another earsplitting howl as the pain coursed through her body.
"You son of a bitch," she screamed. Again she tried to pull herself up, ignoring the pain. It felt as though her tail was going to be ripped off at any moment but Cassidy kept working anyway. She hoisted herself up a little further, bringing herself futher into the light.
A high pitched shriek filled the air and Cassidy winced. She had to resist the urge to cover her sensitive ears. If she lost her grip on the rocks she would fall back into the pit, to her death.
When the siren-like wail finally stopped, Cassidy realized there was nothing holding her tail anymore. With a shaky sigh she quickly climbed up the hole to the little shaft of sunlight.
A little way above her, the rock crumbled and two hands reached in. Cassidy grabbed them and was pulled out of the tunnel. The blue sky surrounded her and the three suns warmed her body. Cassidy took deep breaths of the fresh air.
"What happened," someone asked her as she lay on the hot sand. "Tell me what happened." It was Johns, demanding things as usual.
"I… found Ze… Zeke's ankle," Cassidy managed to say between gasps for air. "No idea… what the fuck… they were." Her face contorted into a pained expression as she regained some of her senses.
Cassidy looked over her shoulder to see her tail. Her eyes were met with a bloody mess. Her red-brown fur was completely covered in thick dark red blood. The blood slowly beaded at her once white tip before falling into the hot sand. Cassidy groaned in exasperation.
"Holy shit," someone said to her right. "Cassidy, what happened?"
Cassidy sighed and shook her head. "There's something down there," she said as she tried to calm herself. "Whatever the fuck it was got Zeke and tried to fucking eat me." She turned her yellow eyes to Johns. "Looks like you've got your bonus afterall."
The small party made it back to the ship where Shazza bandaged Cassidy's tail. The blood flow had stopped but it would take a while for the deep wounds to heal.
Johns had disappeared into the ship while the others sat around outside. Most of them threw Cassidy glances, hoping to hear the full story. To their great disappointment the young girl sat quietly, absorbed in her thoughts.
Inside the ruined Hunter Gratzner Johns approached the chained Riddick. The muscular man looked up when he heard Johns enter. His silver eyes flashed and he stood up.
"What happened," he growled at the man in uniform. While Riddick waited in the haul of the ship he had the distinct feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.
"Here's the deal." Johns saidignoring his question completely. You work for me. No shivs, no guns, no killing. You do what I say, when I say it."
Riddick sat down again and leaned back. "Found something you can't handle? Was it a ten year old girl this time?"
In a flash Johns had raised his gun and fired a single shot in Riddick's direction. Riddick had moved his head to the side just in time and his chains had broken. He let his freed arms fall.
"I want you to remember how this went," said Johns icily. "And I want you to remember how it could have gone." He offered Riddick his goggles.
With one deft movement Riddick had grabbed Johns' weapon and now held him at gunpoint. His deep voice rumbled as he said, "I want you to remember this moment, Johns. How it went and how it could have gone."
Riddick dropped the gun and took his goggles. He pushed past Johns and headed into the bright desert. Riddick wanted to know something and he wanted to know right then and there. His eyes scanned the group of survivors before falling one in particular. He strode over to Cassidy.
"What happened," a deep voice rumbled.
Cassidy looked up and saw Riddick walk out, closely followed by Johns. His eyes were goggled but it was clear he was looking at Cassidy.
"Oh, nothing," she said offhandedly. "I almost got eaten but other than that, all's well."
Riddick walked over to her and crouched down in front of her. "Let me see," he said quietly.
Cassidy held out her hands like a child being inspected before dinner. The skin had been very badly scraped was raw, red, bloody, and very sore. A few small pebbles were embedded in her flesh but Cassidy took no notice.
The muscular man took Cassidy's hands in his own. Riddick's large calloused hands dwarfed Cassidy's delicate ones. He studied her palms closely. "You might want to take those pebbles out," he said bluntly as he dropped her hands. "Where else?" Cassidy blinked at him. "I can smell the blood. Where else," his demand was firmer the second time.
Reaching behind her, Cassidy gently picked up her bandaged tail and brought it before Riddick. His goggled eyes went to the tail and then back to Cassidy's face. Riddick slowly began to unravel the makeshift dressings.
He was greeted by the sight of fur matted by blood, sand, and dirt. It was clear where the creature had bitten Cassidy. There were large concentrations of dried blood marking where its teeth had sunk into her flesh.
"Its not as bad as it looks," said Cassidy defensively as Riddick turned from the wound, eyebrows raised. "It stopped bleeding."
He shook his head and began to wrap it up again. "You'll have to wash it," he pointed out as he gently tied the knot.
"With what? I don't even have any saliva anymore."
Riddick stood up and grabbed a bottle from Paris. He thrust it as Cassidy. "Drink." It wasn't a suggestion, it was a command.
"No," she said defiantly, eyeing the bottle with disgust.
Cassidy could sense his anger as he crouched down again. "Drink," he repeated with more aggression. She didn't move. "It will help with the pain." Still nothing.
Riddick leaned in closer to her, their faces were inches apart and Cassidy felt her heart rate pick up speed again. She caught his scent, reeling from the pure masculinity of it.
"Drink, please." He had done it. Riddick had found her weak spot.It was a forced but there was just something about a man saying "please" that gotCassidy every time.
Reluctantly she took the bottle and drank deeply from it. The alcohol burned her throat but it felt so good to drink something again. Once she had finished Cassidy grimaced, handing the bottle back to Riddick who in turn threw it at Paris.
"Now," Riddick's deep voice was calm as he spoke. "Tell me what happened."
She gave a sigh and told him everything that had happened in the cave. The whole time she retold her story, no one spoke. Everyone just stood there, taking in every word she said. "So I tried to pull myself up the tunnel again and when I did the thing trying to hold me back shrieked and let go," Cassidy finished.
For a long moment no one said anything. Everyone was having the same morbid thoughts of the horrible creatures.
"What are we going to do," Cassidy's yellow eyes were focused on Riddick when she spoke.
Johns stepped forward and said, "We found a skiff in a little ghost town. We're bringing a power cell back there for a check and if its flight worthy we'll get off this rock." His voice was full of arrogance and it made Cassidy want to punch him again. "Let's go."
Everyone followed Johns into the ship where they began to gather equipment. Cassidy and Riddick were the only who remained in the hot desert sun. Cassidy was still sitting there while Riddick crouched in front of her.
"Why did you go down," he finally asked. "You said you could smell them so why did you go?"
For a long moment Cassidy stared at her reflection in the black goggles. "Johns," she finally said, looking away. "He gave me an ultimatum."
Riddick's anger showed in his facial expression. "What," he asked through clenched teeth. "Was the ultimatum?"
Cassidy didn't answer. Somehow, the thought of telling Riddick wasn't very appealing. She sat there examining her raw hands. One of Riddick's large hands cupped her chin, he gently tilted her head up so she was looking at him. Again, her heart started to hammer in her chest.
"What was the ultimatum," he asked softly.
There was a long silence before she whispered, "It was either you or me."
If he hadn't been wearing goggles, Cassidy would have seen Riddick's silver eyes flash dangerously. His hatred for Johns was intensified like a beam of sunlight through a magnifying glass. It was bad enough the merc had hit Cassidy over the head but this was unthinkable. Johns had nearly gotten her killed and what was more, he had used Riddick.
"Don't you ever," Riddick hissed, "choose my life over yours again. Promise me you won't do it." Cassidy lowered her eyes but Riddick's hand was still cupping her chin. He gave a small tug, demanding her attention. He shouted,"Promise me!"
Her owlish eyes returned to Riddick. "Only if you swear I won't get left behind." She had no clue where it had come from. It was as if a little voice deep inside of her had forced the words out
Riddick slowly nodded. "Alright, it's a deal."
He stood up and offered his hand to Cassidy who took it. With ease he pulled her up. Strangely, their hands seemed to linger momentarily on each other. Or maybe it was just her imagination.
"We're quite the pair you and I," Cassidy said with a smile. "We're both escapees with night vision and a shared loathing for Johns." With a light laugh, Cassidy walked off to join the others in the ship.
I love Riddick cause he's so delicous. Riddick-licous! I could have him everyday and my mom days that's okay! Riddick-licous.