(A/N: I'm not really sure how long the darkness lasts...I read in another fanfic it was 68 hours, but not sure if it's true. But I'm on a roll...college life is uneventful.)
(Disclaimer: If you've heard of it, it's not mine.)
The cargo hold. We jumped out of the sand-cat as we came upon our ship, black things squealing into the night from their spires. It was like the plague; they blocked the remaining light and flew right toward us. Running into the ship, I saw Riddick and the dark-haired woman on the ground, trying to catch up with the rest of us. They fell on their stomachs as the things flew over their heads, cutting and swiping at the air. Riddick was flat on his back, like a kid looking at the stars, still and quiet. But the woman...
"No!" The kid was yelling but the dumb bitch didn't listen. She faded into the cloud and my heart jumped in my throat. We weren't the alpha predators here; a bigger, more secretive force glided through the air, waiting. Riddick was running now, back toward the hold and slammed the door shut behind him. We all sucked in a collective deep breath and stood in silence, waiting. The clicking continued outside as the holy man, the dealer, and the kid pressed their ears to the hatch.
"Why do they do that? Make that sound?" The kid looked back at us.
"Echo-location: sounds bounce off of beings and they use the sound waves to find their meal. Sea mammals use it," I responded, wiping the sweat out of my eyes. Another click, but this time it was behind us. This made my heart palpitate even more erratically and I was now physically shaking.
"I'd rather piss glass." Johns held his gun securely as we looked to him to lead us. He had the fucking gun but apparently, not the balls that accessorized it. The dealer was now pushing against the door and we all lunged for him, screaming, "NO!"
"This is the way!" he replied and the door swung open, the line of us scrambling in and the door closing. But the animals were tearing at the door we just closed. Johns began to cut another hole, sparks flying as we all pissed ourselves, waiting. Hearts were beating fast, collectively and I could hear whispers of prayer. We plowed deeper into the cargo and something oozed into my shoe as we entered the fifth cargo hold container. It crunched beneath my feet and I looked down. Pieces of the little predators, swimming in a bath of their own blood.
"Kate, let's go!" The hairs on the back of my neck rose. My first name...Carolyn grabbed my wrist, pulling through the sludge and we exited that chamber. But my left hand was empty. I had been grasping Riddick's shirt, pulling him along. He was gone.
"Wait, wait..." I gasped for air, "Riddick..." Carolyn turned around and her face dropped.
"Where's the other little one?" the holy man looked around him, but we all knew where he was. With Riddick. Both back with those...things.
A death-scream. I broke into a run back toward the previous escape hatch and barreled into Riddick. It knocked me breathless and my head landed hard on the ground, into the swamp of animal parts and slime.
"He's dead. Couldn't stay still." A strong hand grasped the front of my shirt and yanked me onto my feet, the back of my head throbbing. Riddick pushed me quickly toward the hatch where faces appeared. "You're bleeding," he growled and my hand went back to touch the source of the throbbing. It was rolling down my neck, over my shoulders and staining my shirt. A light suddenly shined in our faces and Riddick hissed, throwing me forward and falling. But a shotgun blast rang through the air and bits of dark meat fell over my hands. So fucking nasty. I hurried up, head still blasting with pain and ran toward the group. Riddick followed, slightly shaken but still much more together than me.
"Cover up her wound. They smell it," Johns said and Carolyn tossed me a rag. I pressed it hard against my wound and followed them into the sixth container.
"It's light! Light makes them burn. That's why they don't come out..." Carolyn was talking to Johns and Roy as I hung back with the kid and the dealer, Riddick and the holy man in tow. Carolyn quickly bustled through the contents of what we were carrying, looking for anything that emitted light. A flashlight, torches, umbrellas, flares...pouring them on the floor, she looked at all of us.
"Okay, if we can just keep a light, we'll be in the clear," she sighed. Everyone began taking up something and I grasped a flare. "Now we gotta drag those cells, get them to the skiff we found..."
"Tonight? With all those things out there?" The kid asked, voice shaking uncontrollably. Poor thing was scared out of his wits.
"But the darkness has to stop, right? We'll just sit tight," Royston grunted and the holy man shook his head.
"The model Miss Murphy brought up on screen showed the plants moving as one: a lasting darkness," he said calmly and both mercs seemed uncomfortable. Stuck on a planet with the only guns and two bounties who wanted their heads...yeah, I'd be uncomfortable too. But it was an advantage. I turned to Riddick, whose thoughts almost paired mine, his silvery eyes flashing into mine. Easier to eliminate if they stayed soft. Our eyes broke as Johns opened his mouth.
"How about you shut the fuck up for a few minutes and let someone else come up with a plan that doesn't involve mass suicide?" he growled at her and her jaw locked furiously.
"How much you weight, Johns?"
"What the hell's it matter?"
"How much?"
"79 kilos..."
"Because you're 79 kilos of gutless white meat and THAT'S why you can't come up with a better plan."
He lunged at her but my chest was in front of the gun before it could reach Carolyn. His eyes burned angrily and the barrel of the gun was under my chin.
"Royston, if this bitch doesn't move, I swear I'm going to blow her spine out."
"Think about it." A shiv flashed around Johns' neck and Riddick's eyes glowed above the merc's head. The gun lowered and I let out the breath I had been holding. Any longer and I would have either passed out or gone into cardiac arrest. I gotta stop this ballsy stuff.
"Oh, Trash Baby, you're going to regret this." Johns hung up his gun and stepped back to stand with Royston, who glared at me. Riddick backed off with a cold stare and flicked his eyes toward me. Carolyn stepped up to him, taking in a deep breath.
"Can you lead us? It's dark..." she said and Riddick pushed past her, right into the shadows. I slung a cell over my shoulder and followed behind the kid, who stayed back, his body touching mine softly. He was shaking; poor thing probably was close to pissing himself. Hell, I was close to pissing myself.
- - -
"She's bleeding." Riddick looked down at me as we hoisted chains on our backs, connected to a small sled with a power cell attached. I looked at Carolyn. She looked uninjured, helping the holy man with his sled.
"She looks clean," I replied, looking back at him, but I could see his eyes somewhere else. The kid. A girl? "Riddick..." I began to question but knew I couldn't argue. But the kid was clean, no cuts...
It was like a lead brick on my stomach. My nose wrinkled and I cringed at Riddick. "You can smell that?"
"It's a special smell. Most of the time, I like it."
"Well, then it serves its purpose," I sighed, "but I'm going to say something." His hand stopped me.
"Tell the kid. Not Johns or your merc. The kid stays with you."
"So, on top of dragging this, I'm the babysitter?"
"You rather me cover the kid?"
"You touch her in the wrong way, I'll eat your head. Now that I think about it, we both cover her. Make it even."
He gave a short nod. "You figure out how you're going to off Johns?"
I actually hadn't thought about it since we had made the deal. But now it seemed to fire me up even more since the gun barrel had been under my jaw, his eyes blazing with anger. Arrogant son of a bitch...Carolyn was trying to help. "Not sure. Since he thinks he's hot shit, I'll let these monsters get him. I just need to reel him in."
"You're a woman. You're good at playin' games." He strode away and I followed, less than grinning about his assumption.
"Having a lovers' quarrel?" Royston's stink ass smiled, his hands on his hips, the grin spreading across his nasty features. I sneered at him and he grabbed my arm. "Do it again. I dare you." My face stayed still, every muscle in my body trying not to sock his sorry ass back into the ship. He was Riddick's now, not mine. I snatched my arm away and went toward the rest of the sleds.
"Kate, your head looks pretty bad." I turned around the see Carolyn looking at me. I felt the back of head, hair matted with dried blood. The throbbing had stopped but the cut was still sore.
"I'll be okay," I shrugged and she nodded, putting some things back into her bag. I bit my lip, trying to decide whether I should tell her about the kid. But I trusted her. Trust. The word sent shivers through my body but I stepped to her. "Hey, um, the kid...she's riding the wave."
Carolyn's eyes narrowed, confused.
"The crimson wave...you know..." I whispered and her eyes grew as wide as saucers. She was just putting the pieces together.
"How did you know?" she lowered her voice, getting closer.
"Riddick. Smelled it," I cringed and she mimicked my facial expression, initially as disturbed as I had been.
"He smelled it?" I nodded.
"But I've got it covered, Carolyn. Don't worry." I walked away, dragging the sled behind me. I was positioned behind Riddick, the kid right behind me. Riddick had obviously shot her a knowing glare, because she was now paler than before. The mercs hovered behind me, guns in hand and the holy man stood beside me, his own sled making tracks in the dark. We trudged through the dark, flares and umbrellas lit by alcohol.
"Get some light on me. I've run out," the dealer said weakly, halting our progress across the terrain. Lights shone on him as he changed out bottles. I sighed, taking a breath and looking to the ground. The kid...I had lost the small feet next to mine and I looked around. A hand fading into the darkness; click-click-click.
I dove after the hand, landing hard on her body as we were sliced at through the air. Johns shot gun blasted and the girl was breathing heavily below me. "You okay?"
She whimpered and I lifted her up, scrambling toward the light. I could feel them chasing after her, the blood fresh to their senses. But once in the light, all eyes were trained to us, heaving and gulping in air.
"WILL SOMEONE PLEASE GET ME SOME LIGHT OVER HERE?" But it was too late. One more down, the dealer swiped wordlessly out of the air. Riddick was squinting, apparently aware of the feasting going on beyond our eyes. Chill bumps dotted my arms and I shuddered, walking back to my place.
Riddick was now going faster, setting the pace a lot higher than my legs could carry me and my load. The clicking was getting loud. Riddick stopped and turned to face the rest of us.
"Canyon ahead. Don't know if we'll make it."
"What the fuck do you mean?" Royston was growling and Riddick narrowed his eyes. I suppressed the need to grin, anticipating seeing Roy's body at the bottom of that canyon, a shiv mark across his carotid and the monsters lapping up the blood.
"I mean that we need to figure out something," Riddick replied, his voice deathly low.
"We can't make it across...let's go back..." Carolyn was white now, her voice soft. She was losing a mental battle.
"No." Johns gripped his gun.
"She's the captain, we should listen to her..." the holy man cut in but Johns whipped a look at him.
"Listen to her? When she was willing to sacrifice us all?" A slap in the face. Not to me...I had watched her eye that button with want. Didn't blame her for thinking it.
"What's he talkin' about?" the kid piped in.
"During the crash, she tried to blow the whole fucking passenger compartment, tried to kill us in our sleep. We are just disposable to her..." Johns spat and Carolyn was now crying, silent tears falling down her cheeks.
"We're not alive because of her...alive in spite of her," Johns frowned.