A/N: Reviews please! Also, special thanks to Selene Morwynion for reading over the last chapter and making sure it was ok. I guess that sorta makes you my beta-reader. Anywhoo, luv you SO much! Keep reviewing please!
=====================================================================
"So what you're saying, is that whenever it gets dark here, wild animals come out and hunt ? What's so bad about that ?"
Cassandra rolled her eyes and hoisted herself up onto the counter beside Marina. Teke could be so blind somedays, it was a wonder he saw anything at all.
=====================================================================================
Rick ran one hand over his head and resisted the urge to groan. These people were really starting to get on his nerves, especially the bounty hunter and the older guy.
They were being annoyingly stubborn, refusing to believe what the kid said he'd seen, simply because he was a kid.
He racked his brain trying to find an answer for Teke's question and came up with nothing, besides death threats.
"They're not wild animals. They're an ancient race of aliens. Aliens who have a particular taste for human blood."
Cassandra's voice was quiet, but her eyes glinted dangerously in the shadows of the room.
"So, they're afraid of light ? It's simple then, all we have to do it stick to daytime and we're safe."
Rick saw Cassandra roll her eyes again and he could tell that she was as annoyed with them as he was.
"It's not that fucking simple. Jones told me that everyone died, because there was lasting darkness. As in, no sunlight. Actually, no light whatsoever."
"So ? That was three years ago. Why do we care about little details like that ?"
=====================================================================================
Cassandra groaned inwardly and adopted the tone of one speaking to a very small child.
"We care about details like that, because it happened three years ago this week. Means it could happen again."
"But how do we know that it will ?"
She had ran out of answers and looked up at Rick, who was standing at the opposite end of the room, for help.
"What Cassandra's trying to explain to you dickheads, is that it will happen again. Haven't any of you ever heard of Valdaine ?"
There was a general murmuring amongst the survivors, but no-one spoke aloud. Rick glanced across the room at Cassandra, but she dropped her head again and avoided his eyes.
"Well, since it seem none of you have heard of it, I'll explain. Valdaine is the sister to this planet. Every three years their orbits cross and Valdaine moves in front of this planet, temporarily blocking out the light of the sun. A group of colonists were slaughtered on Valdaine by similar aliens who stick to the light, instead of the dark twelve years ago. The planet was declared inhabitable after that. But, then they figured that maybe it would be a good idea to colonize this planet. I guess the word never got back that this planet is inhabitable as well. Same type of aliens. Different genetics."
A general gasp rose up from the survivors and there was some more murmuring.
"But, how do we know when this eclipse is going to happen ?"
"We don't. But, we're going to see if we can hold it out."
There was shocked silence as everyone realized what he was suggesting. Then, a hand went up at the back of the room. It was weapons dealer, Marinaand she slid off the ledge, where she had been sitting next to Cassandra.
"Actually, there might be a way of getting of this rock. When we scouted the buildings, we found a small emergency ship, primed for takeoff, except it has no power cells."
"All right. So we get any usable power cells, from this piece of junk and get them over to the other ship, before the planets cross. Are we all agreed on this ?"
There were a few nods and mutters of agreement.
"Let's get moving people. We don't know how long this daylight's going to last."
Rick blocked Teke and the bounty hunter's way as they were about to leave the room.
"I don't like this shit that you've been giving me. I am your captain and if you try to pull anything else, I will leave you behind. Got that ?"
Both men nodded and muttered false apologies, but he caught the murderous look that Teke shot him, as he swept imperiously past Rick, out of the room.
=====================================================================================
Rick left to go get the power cells, but just as he turned down the long corridor, to the engine room, he felt the soft touch of Cassandra's hand on his arm.
" There's something you should see."
He followed her outside, to where most of the other passengers stood, gaping in wonder at the large rings that had appeared in the darkening sky.
"That's Valdaine."
Jones ran over to Cassandra and pressed himself close to her. She put a comforting arm around his shoulder and gently patted his head.
"It's going to get dark soon."
The look on Jones's face was that of pure, childlike terror, but his voice was calm.
"How soon ?"
"If we're lucky, we have about forty-five minutes to an hour."
"And if we're not lucky ?"
"Twenty minutes to half-an-hour, tops."
"Well, we better get moving then."
=====================================================================================
When Rick reappeared from the engine room, carrying all of the cells that they would need, most of the other survivors had already started off in the direction of the abandoned settlement. The sky was growing darker by the minute though and just as he was about to head out after them, he heard a resonant screeching rising from a set of pits that pockmarked the surface of the planet, quite near where the others stood.
Cassandra turned to look at him and he saw the same panicked look as before flit across her fair features.
The teacher, Thompson moved closer to the pits and knelt down next to one of them. Suddenly, without warning, a pair of talons shot out of the darkness in the pit and grabbed him. He had time for one dying scream, before the sounds of cloth and flesh being shredded filled the air. A small spurt of blood shot up from the pit, staining the earth around it crimson and then there was silence again.
"Move !"
Everyone turned and began to run back to the ship. The bounty hunter Sawyer, Teke, the priest Atal and his disciple Andes reached the ship first and Rick pushed them inside the doors.
The rest of the survivors were still running, when a black cloud burst out of one of the pits.
He saw Cassandra throw herself onto the ground and pull Jones down with her. The others followed her example and flattened themselves to the ground, just as the black cloud swept over them.
The minute it was gone, the two grifters got to their feet and started running. The woman, Ariel reached the ship first, but remained in the doorway, beside Rick.
Marina got to her feet, but Cassandra and Jones remained on the ground.
"Get down !"
Cassandra's voice rang out in the eerie silence, but her words were lost, as the creatures swooped back around again, filling the air with their high pitched screams.
=====================================================================================
Why won't they get down ? Cassandra thought desperately.
She saw Marina, still standing on the ridge, staring in utter horror at the creatures, seemingly frozen by her fear.
Cassandra reached out and grabbed the other woman's ankle, yanking her back down to the earth, just as the creatures darted over head again
Jones's face was pressed close to the dirt, so he couldn't see anything, but she covered his ears with her hands to prevent him from hearing what she knew was going to happen next.
Covering her own head with her free hand, she whispered soft words of comfort to the shaking boy, cradled in her arms, as the screams of the dying man filled the air, accompanied by the flapping of wings and high pitched screeching of the creatures.
=====================================================================================
Rick watched in horror as the black cloud surrounded the male grifter, Raze and literally tore him to shreds. Another cry, a shrill wail, mixed with the cries of the creatures and the sound of the dying mans screams.
Ariel, Raze's wife tried to push past him, to get to her husband, but he held her back, cradling her tightly in his arms.
She collapsed to her knees, sobbing madly and he knelt next to her, still holding on in case she tried to bolt.
=====================================================================================
The creatures disappeared soon after and Cassandra pulled both Jones and Marina to their feet.
"Come on. This buys us a few minutes, but we should get moving."
Their feet pounded over the blood-soaked dirt and in a number of seconds they were inside the ship.
Cassandra gently pushed Jones after Marina, towards the main hull of the ship and then went back to Rick's side.
"We should probably weld the door shut. Those things have gotten a taste of our blood and won't stop trying 'till they get more."
He nodded and then disappeared down another hall, coming back a few seconds with a welding torch.
Cassandra couldn't help noticing the slight fluttering of her heart, as the torch's blue flame light up Rick's features for a moment.
Stop getting all lightheaded about him. You know he's going to die, so do you really think it would between you two ? Besides he's a killer and probably doesn't even need anyone else to be with him.
Trying to quiet her tumultuous thoughts, Cassandra left Rick to his work and went to find the others.
=====================================================================================