-Chapter 4: Safe House
Finally, Jack dodged behind a large chunk of fallen building and stopped.
"There it is!" He pointed through the dark to a small sandstone house.
Riddick glanced up and down the currently abandoned street. "Clear, come on."
Grabbing the boy's hand, they ran across the street and Riddick yanked the door open and pulled Jack inside.
The house appeared to be empty, but Jack didn't seem worried. He walked over to the far corner and lifted up a dark red rug. There, hidden under the rug was a trap door.
"Down here! This is where me and Momma were going."
Riddick walked over to the boy and lifted up the trap door. There was a staircase leading down into the basement, and Riddick could see candle light illuminating the room. Quickly Jack ran down the stairs, "Momma?!" He shouted.
"Jack? How?..." Riddick heard a woman's tear-filled voice question.
Walking down the stairs, Riddick saw Jack enfolded in the arms of a sobbing woman who must be his mother. For a short moment he wondered what it would have been like to have a mother while he was growing up, what would have been different. Shaking off those thoughts he saw another woman rush over to Jack and hug him. She looked slightly familiar, but Riddick couldn't quite place who she was. This unnerved him. He could always place who people were and where he had seen them. His stare caused the woman to look up.
Recognition struck him like a brick wall; it was the woman from his dreams. The woman who had told him that he was Furyan. "What the hell?" Thoughts were racing around his head. Riddick quickly put up his guard, he didn't like surprises and this surprised the shit out of him.
The woman stood, her hand resting on Jack's shoulder. Recognition was shining in her eyes as well. She was tall and strongly built with long, curling sun-streaked hair. Her face was a unique mixture of strength, grace and beauty and there were fine lines around her eyes as though she had lived in constant fear for many years. "Probably has, living here." Riddick thought. She was dressed in a long, red robe that wrapped around her muscular body. She gave off the aura of power and a lust for life.
"Jack," she said calmly, "you have not told us who your friend is."
"Friend?" Riddick thought, "Ha! That's a new one. Sister, you have no idea who you're dealing with. I could take that as an insult."
Jack turned, still enclosed in his mother's arms, toward Riddick. "After the bomb, I ran trying to find Momma and ran into him. He asked me to take him here and he kept me safe from the soldiers."
Standing up, Jack's mother said, "Thank you so much for protecting my son! My name is Lalia. We were separated by the blast and I couldn't find him anywhere…I hoped he had made his way here so when I came and found he wasn't here, I thought…" She broke down again, hugging Jack as if she would never let him go.
His face betraying no emotion, he looked on. Riddick understood the mother's fright and emotional state. Although he had not had the luxury of knowing love in his life, he understood it well.
"Yes, thank you." The woman in red said, "If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know."
"I would like to know what the hell is happening on this fuckin' planet." Riddick said slowly. All he knew was he seemed to have crashed somewhere in the Underverse and he was right in the middle of a war. He also knew that he had no readily apparent means of escape when he wanted to leave this planet, but he knew he would find something. He always did.
"By all means," The woman replied, "We are safe for the time being down here, let us eat and I will attempt to tell you everything you want to know." She began walking towards an ancient wood burning stove in the corner by a table and some chairs. Glancing back over her shoulder with a slight smile she said, "My name is Shirah. It is good to finally meet you face to face, Riddick."
After they had eaten a simple fare of protein waffles and a vitamin drink, Lalia went to put Jack to bed and finally left Shirah alone with Riddick.
Now that Jack was gone, Riddick felt safe to ask the questions that had been burning at him since he stepped onto his God forsaken planet. "Who the hell are you?" his deep voice growled softly.
Shirah sat back in her chair. "In order to make you understand I must repeat much of what you have already heard. We must go back into time, about thirty years ago."
Suddenly the room around Riddick disappeared and instead he found himself standing in the middle of a town square. People were running all around him, screaming, ducking for cover. Necromongers were marching throughout the city, killing as they went. Shirah stood next to him in the chaos as they observed the past.
"A few months over thirty years ago, Furya was attacked by the Necromongers. They stormed through, killing or capturing anyone who got in their path, much like they do on every planet they destroy - except for one difference. A group of Necromongers, led by a young commander, went from house to house looking for any males under the age of 20. Methodically, they killed them all."
The view changed and now Riddick was standing in a large, circular room. It was packed full of young men, boys - any male old enough to walk was being pushed into the room. When it became to full, the Necromongers began the slaughter, killing everyone. Riddick was sick as he saw children who could hardly run, struggling to escape. Anger filled him. "How could anyone do this?"
"They even went so far as to break into the houses, searching for any male infants, killing them in their cradles…" Again the view changed and Riddick could see a young woman screaming and trying to shield her baby with her own body. The basement slowly came back into focus. "They even strangled them with their umbilical cords."
Shirah paused to compose herself. Sadness and fury were written all over her face.
"I was there. I was once the high priestess, and I had the power of the heart and life force of Furya in my hands." She said, "But I was also that young mother. They stole my son from my arms and killed him in front of me." It sounded as though the very words were tearing her apart. "After they killed him, I forgot everything I knew and I fought them, but they paid me no heed except to capture me and bring me to be purified." Guilt filled her voice, "I should have protected Furya; instead I forgot them all except for my son. But once I saw the shattered world around me, I swore I would avenge the death of my son, and right my failure to protect my people.
"Many died on Furya, very few converted. We are a strong people; we believe in never bowing to any man; die to be free. But I knew that would not help me avenge my child. I converted. It was the hardest thing I ever have had to do, but I waited and I watched for my chance until finally I overheard the new Lord Marshal; the very man who led the Necromongers in the slaughter of the Furyan sons, speak to an Elemental of a prophecy. It sounded as though the Lord Marshal wished to know the odds that he met with success on Furya, whether he had killed the young Furyan male that could bring him to ruin and the whole Necromonger faith with him. The Elemental answered that the odds were good, and left.
"I now had what I was waiting for, a small hope and a plan to destroy the Necromongers. All I had to do was wait and search until I found a male Furyan survivor."
Riddick leaned back and looked into Shirah's eyes. There was pain and anger there, but also triumph.
"I traveled with the Necromongers for many years and learned much about them. I learned their weaknesses and I learned their strengths. I would be ready when the time came for me to act and help this young Furyan if he truly existed. However, on one particularly difficult planet, the transport I was on was shot down. Since I had taken the mark, I, as the Necromongers would say, 'crossed the Threshold' to the Underverse when I died.
"Here I have been waiting still. Until I sensed there did exist a single Furyan male with a gift. You. Your path was leading you straight toward the Necromongers and the Lord Marshal, so I came to you. I had to make you realize who you are. For your sake, and for the sake of all Furya, I gave you that mark."