Chapter Three
She quickly picked up her pace and was by Riddick's side within seconds and nodded at him without saying thanks but he understood and carried on walking beside her. Both convicts were only too happy to just walk and not speak to one another. Soon they all came to shelter and Asha soon dumped her weighted cargo that she had left where John had wanted her to drop and began exploring her curiosity of what seemed to be an abandoned place. She had bent down on her knees and retrieved a broken toy near the coring room and picked up a pair of broken glasses. A frown was on her face as a shadow had loomed over her, blocking the sun from her, she knew by instinct that it was Riddick and tossed him the pieces that she had found. He looked up and lifted up the sheet and read the writing, which had obviously read coring room. Asha turned around after hearing Johns had whistled at the pair of them informing that they were missing the party and practically beckoned them like dogs. Asha let out a soft sigh and started to head in the shelter when she heard a gasp and she whirled around to find the kid, Jack had been hiding from them on top of the coring room and Riddick had told Jack the same thing. What made Asha chuckle to herself was that the fact that Jack seemed to have copied Riddick with the shaven baldhead and the yellow – black goggles on top of his head. She had been the last to venture inside after Jack and had heard Paris stating that Jack had been the winner of the look alike contest. There had been an discussion between the group, mainly between Riddick, Fry and Johns while Asha sipped at the cool, cold water that she had so desperately wanted for a while. She had let the cool water seep down her throat, chilling the bottom of her stomach. Her blue eyes narrowed as Johns told Jack to shut his mouth after he had stated the truth that Riddick had been right. Nobody even took their belongings with them if they had left, such as their photographs. Nah, something had to have happened. Imam had asked the group if they had seen Ali, his youngest follower and Riddick voiced Asha's thoughts if he had checked out the coring room. Apparently not.
So it was then the whole group ventured outside to the coring room, with Asha behind Riddick. Johns had slowly opened the door, letting Imam head inside first. Fry had only managed to stop Jack from exploring; keeping him close to her in fear that he would be in trouble. The group had been silent except for calling for Ali and Imam. The holy man must have opened something because at that moment a swarm of black creatures suddenly appeared hearing straight for the group. That was until Johns and the others had shut the door. Soon enough the creatures fled into the chamber that had been unblocked where the darkness had been and the group slowly walked in. It was after that; Ali's body had been discovered as if he had been eaten alive. The sight was grotesque. While Imam and the other two boys, Hassan and Suleiman had been outside, praying after having dug Ali's grave, the rest of the group had listened to Riddick's thoughts about the creatures and the survivors who had thought the coring room had been safe until they had not locked the chamber which had lead them to their demise. Minutes later, Fry had found dated coring samples which had been dated almost twenty two years ago which proved to be an very significant clue for she had used the model of the planet's system to date their precise current situation. Asha was in disbelief that there would be an eclipse; it had not been hard to figure that those creatures had lived in the darkness and obviously hated the light. There had been no estimate how long this eclipse would last for which mildly irritated Asha but she had to ignore the fact for the group had to get at least five cells for the skiff that Fry had found earlier. But Fry had to do the hull's integrity check before anyone could fetch the cells which immediately caused Asha's suspicions about Johns to let loose in her mind. Just what was he up to exactly? Anyway, she had other thoughts in mind concerning the kid Jack. She had her suspicions about the way the kid had acted and certainly didn't act like a boy. She would confront him later. Asha noticed that Riddick had headed into the skiff without Fry's knowledge and shrugged her nimble shoulders as she sat on a wooden box complementing her fate.
She helped out with Jack to haul shortly after she had noticed Riddick using a shiv to shave his head while Johns came out of the skiff, his shoulders had been shaking violently and he vomited. Asha may have not seen the vomiting but she had knew the ultimate reason. Johns was an hypo or a junkie as she called him. He regularly injected himself with morphine in his eyes; the young convict bet her life that was the reason that Owens guy had died with pain from. Johns had stolen the morphine. Paris let out a shout that everybody needed to take a look. At what exactly? Asha walked toward Jack and stepped beside him as she noticed that the planets were being aligned, plus the fact the eclipse had been taking place at that moment. She had heard Shazza suggest that if they had things to do, they had better kick on. She jumped onto the sand cat, hearing Jack asked where was Riddick. A scowl appeared on her face when she had heard Paris's response that to leave him and that he wouldn't do the same for them. It was then, Riddick had chosen that moment to jump onto the sand cat. Fry called out for johns and Asha saw the men's facial expressions toward each other as Riddick helped Johns to climb aboard. A slight smirk touched her lips as she glanced from the corner of her eyes as she had seen Jack copy Riddick exactly until he pointed out to her to look to her left. Asha bent her head down just as the overhead bone appeared. Soon enough the sand cat stopped and everybody climbed out and headed into; what was left of the Hunter Gratzner. Asha began switching the switches off enabling Riddick, Johns and Imam to take out the cells. She helped Fry with one of the cells and grunted as she hauled it into the back of the sand cat. Asha stood upright and looked toward Shazza's back as she swore out loud after the sand cat had stopped working due to the eclipse's last stages of total eclipse. Asha's eyes immediately changed to cope with the sudden change of light and let out a soft gasp as her shimmering pink - red vision revealed thousands of silvery creatures underneath the hollow chambers that they were located inside.
She vaguely heard Fry and Riddick commenting to one another and soon snapped out of her awe of the beautiful sight that she had in front of her as Paris yelled from a distance away with a suggestion for the group to flee. The others had started to run and she ran just after Shazza had ran with Riddick directly closely behind her ass. The three of them both jumped over the canyon just as the swarm of black creatures dove for them. Asha landed on her stomach with a grunt next to Riddick and stayed still, flat on her stomach. Her pants could be heard by Riddick and they both suddenly heard Jack's cries toward Shazza to stay down who had started running. Riddick turned from his stomach to laying on the sand on his back, staying completely still as the black creatures swarmed to take Shazza into the air. Asha could hear Shazza's screams pierce her ears as the creatures ripped her apart. Riddick brushed the sand off his hands as he stood up and bent down to drag Asha upright on her feet. They both reached the abandoned car where the remaining group were at. Asha headed inside and stilled slightly as Fry had asked Riddick how many creatures there had been and didn't bother to stay to hear Riddick's response as she headed to the group. She ignored the loud noise as the metal door was shut. Next thing she knew Paris had a panic attack and demanded to go outside where the creatures were as the reality of having two murderers in the group finally sunk in. Imam found another way through to another part of the car and Jack seemed to have stayed close to Asha so she decided to stick by him, after all the kid was most probably feared. She could smell the fear radiating from him so she placed her right hand on his left shoulder which had caused the kid to whirl around in part surprise and part fear. He faced Asha's silvery eyes and calmed down when he had heard her voice that she had his back. Jack sensed that she would stay true to her unspoken promise and felt connected to her somehow, not really knowing the reason why. After all, he was only twelve years old.
He wanted to tell her his secret so badly, wanting to tell somebody but he decided not to. The group called for Riddick while Imam had called for Hussein until they heard his yells so they ran toward the shouts. Johns had his torch and gun taped together and Riddick came into view, blinded temporarily by the torch. The black creature just behind Riddick had been shot by Johns and promptly fell to the ground, lifeless. Another creature that Riddick had run from had killed Hassan. Fry used her torch and shone it on the dead creature's body and Asha's eyes widened because the artificial light was literally scalding the creature's skin. It appeared that the black creatures hated any kind of light seeing that it burnt them somehow. Soon enough the remaining group had been huddled around a small fire discussing how to get to the skiff and their current ammo to fight against those creatures. There had been a verbal fight against Fry and Johns so Asha told Johns to shut the fuck up or she would do it for him while she stood in front of Jack in a protective manner. Johns stood up to Asha but Riddick had stood up at the same time and he had his shiv tapping against his groin threatening, not even fazed by the fact that Johns had his gun pointed at Riddick's neck. Paris had asked Fry if she was to lead the group to the skiff but she had said no and responded that it was both Asha's and Riddick's job to do so, prompting both convicts to glance at one another while the group looked at the two. Fry used the blowtorch in front of her and yanked the metal entrance door of the abandoned car when it seemed to be quiet and Riddick took point in front toward the Hunter Gratzner where he had said that it looked clear. Johns then went to go forward when a loud screech caused the group to fall to the ground as a lone black creature flew out and Asha smirked as she heard Johns chided Riddick that he had said that it was clear but Riddick corrected him by responding that he only said that it looked clear. When John asked if it was clear, Riddick had said the exact same thing; that it looked clear causing Asha to swallow her stifled laughter down.
The group cautionly headed inside where it had been decided to make the booze bombs as Paris had so eloquently described them, but there would be roughly about ten bottles. The group then had to detach the neon blue wiring from the walls of the Hunter Gratzner. It wasn't until Riddick had told the group to check for cuts as those creatures had developed a smell for them and Asha noticed Jack huddled up, using the wiring underneath his left hand to illuminate his red blood. The young woman decided to confront Jack away from the group so she asked Jack to come over and she had asked him if he was disguised as an boy to throw off the fact that Jack was actually a girl. She promised not to reveal anything and finally Jack told her everything and had asked her how she had known. She had told her that she had reminded her of herself. She told the kid to take a look at her seeing that she too dressed like a guy except for the obvious signs such as her curves and long dark black hair. Jack's relief was evident in her face, the weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders but the fear soon revealed itself in her eyes when Asha had asked her if she was bleeding "elsewhere". Jack had known what she had meant and nodded timidly and Asha didn't know what to do to comfort this kid except to hug her. It was awkward for her but Jack seemed to revel in it and hugged her tighter with a soft, barely audible thanks but Asha had heard it and for the first time in her life, she actually smiled instead of smirking. She told Jack that it wasn't a problem and that she would protect her the best she would do. Especially from Johns but she had kept that thought to herself, she knew that eventually Johns would find out and when he did, he would not be happy. Screw him anyway! Her cold façade was immediately placed back and the group waited until Fry used the blowtorch in front of her and yanked the metal door open. The group apart from Riddick and Asha had been wrapped in the blue wiring with the cells in the metal sled alongside the wiring generator with the booze lights clinking lightly against one another as the group jogged, following Riddick as he once again took point forward while Asha was right behind them, watching out for the creatures.