Summery: The Eclipse, the creatures and darkness. Shazza's Paris' and Imam's last two boy's deaths, and running the gauntlet. Did I mention Riddick cuddling?

Chapter Three One Rule, Stay In The Light

Eventually they had to clean up and get dressed hitting the kitchen for some cobbler. They parted ways after that as she went to find Fry and see how things were going. She found Imam and realized something when she looked over at the sky, the eclipse was starting! Imam's boys went running to find Fry while she and Imam stared at the sight before them Paris joining them and eventually Shazza, and Imam's boy's with Fry.

They all went running for the sand cat, Jack cursing the fact that the damn thing was solar and didn't store its energy like the preserver. They would be lucky to make it to the ship with the speed of the eclipse there was no way she could see them making it back on it.

"Where's Riddick?" She asked looking around once they had almost all boarded the sand cat.

"Leave him." Paris said disgustedly. "He wouldn't wait for us."

Man probably wasn't wrong but that didn't make it okay for him to treat Riddick the same way. She nearly laughed when Riddick jumped into the sand cat nearly on top of Paris and the frightened man muttered something about thinking they'd lost him. Riddick moved next to her after he pulled Johns aboard making a point to stay between them and she was happy for it. Riddick pulled her down just before as they crashed threw some bones that would have nailed anyone standing upright.

The trip was quick Jack watching the Eclipse progress too quickly as the others ran for the cells. Just after they finished loading the sand cat with the cells it died on them and Jack sighed helplessly. Then came sounds the same ones Jack had heard when they pulled Fry from the hole began to fill the air. The dark creatures flying out of the natural chimneys made in the ground so many of them filling the air the ground under their feet must be networked with caves.

"How many are there?" Johns asked.

"Beautiful." She heard Riddick say softly.

"People, just a suggestion. Perhaps you should flee!" Paris yelled from the cargo hold.

They all started running for the hold Jack having no problem taking up the lead with her long legs, she always had been a fast runner. Unfortunately Riddick and Shazza had to dive for cover to get out of the way of the creatures. Jack watched closely as Shazza braced herself against the ground getting ready to run.

"Shazza, stay there! Stay down, Shazza, just stay down!" She yelled desperately to the older woman who'd become a quick friend. "Shazza, stay down!" She screamed desperately even though it was already too late for her friend. The creatures had swarmed around her as Jack watched fingers digging into the metal edge of the cargo hold door. Shazza's screams filled the air her agonized face still visible inside the swarm as her upper body was ripped from her lower and lifted into the air.

Jack had to look away then even though she was sure she'd already seen the worst of it. Riddick stood casually dusting his hands off safe now that the swarm was feeding on Shazza.

"Please, I really think we should go inside. We have to be inside, we have to close the door. Come on let's go. Lets go, go, go!" Paris cried slipping further inside the cargo hold. Jack and Fry were about to join him, Riddick right behind him when the new noise started.

It sounded like crumbling and falling earth off in the distance around where she thought the natural chimneys were. She and Fry stopped as Riddick turned pulling his goggles up onto his forehead.

"What is it Riddick?" Fry asked him. "What is it now?"

"Like I said, it ain't me you gotta worry about." Riddick replied Jack swallowed turning and moving inside the cargo hold. She couldn't get the sight of Shazza's face out of her mind or the sound of her screams. It kept looping over and over again in her head like a tape that she couldn't stop and had no control over.

Once closed up inside the cargo hold the others were going about finding lights as Jack sat trying to stop the tape in her head. If only she had stayed down, she thought to herself, then she would be okay…she wouldn't have died.

"You remember the bone yard?" Johns asked them all. "These might just be the fuckers that killed every living thing on this planet."

"What are we going to do now?" Jack asked them.

"Are these the only lights we have? Is-is this everything?" Paris asked in a shaky voice.

"No. There's a cutting torch on the floor here somewhere, I just can't find it." Fry replied.

"Quiet, please, everyone!" Imam called, everyone quieting instantly. Strange noises from outside began to fill the air calls that those creatures made like wailing squeals that resounded threw the air as the creatures surrounded the cargo hold. Jack began to lean up against the side of the cargo hold ear pressed against it to listen closely.

"Why do they do that? Make that noise?" She wondered aloud.

"Perhaps it's the way they see." Imam postulated. "With sound reflecting back-" Imam quieted as they listened to a creature skittering around sounding like it might've gotten inside the hull of the ship.

"Could be a breach in the hull I don't know." Fry said looking off in the direction it sounded like the noise was coming from.

"Come on Johns, you got the big gauge." Riddick said teasingly.

"I'd rather piss glass. Why don't you go fucking check?" Johns asked him Jack rolling her eyes unsurprised.

"I'm not staying here one more second." Paris sudden exclaimed moving for the door.

"Where you going?" Johns muttered angrily only to realize he was going for the door.

"Paris!" Fry called out.

"Hey! Hey!" Johns cried as Imam moved to stop him forcing the smaller man back. "Sit him down." Johns told Imam who complied.

"You don't know what's out there." Fry told Paris grabbing the front of his shirt.

"I know what's in here." Paris bit back.

Imam forced open another section of the cargo hold motioning for the others to get inside. They all moved inside Imam closing it up and locking it after everyone was inside.

"Now were trapped in a much smaller space. I hate this!" Paris complained.

"So do the rest of us, and you don't hear any of us fucking whining." Jack muttered disgustedly. Suddenly one of the creatures speared threw the grating Imam had locked up and was resting against. Yelling in a start he threw himself away from it and nearly on top of Fry as they all moved away. Johns actually started shooting at something what she didn't know because she hadn't seen any of the creatures yet.

Riddick cut threw the hull getting them deep inside of the ship working quickly. Everyone climbed inside trying to block the hole up to keep the creatures out. Riddick grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly when the others weren't looking before slipping away. He moved off into the dark while they watched out for the creatures Fry noticing the Riddick was gone.

"Riddick?" Fry called out in question.

"Don't…stop…burning." Came Riddick's calm voice out of the darkness.

Johns gave Fry his flashlight and took the torch starting to cut into another section of the ship. Johns didn't work as quickly and efficiently as Riddick but he was getting the job done. Jack waited nervously wondering what Riddick was doing out in the dark with those creatures.

"Hassan. Where is Hassan?" Imam asked suddenly and she realized one of his boys was gone.

What the hell did that kid think he was doing wondering off into the dark right now? Only person who could do that without committing suicide was Riddick and she bit her lip shaking her head. She didn't expect they would be seeing Hassan again not when some of those creatures were already inside of the cargo hold. More of the calls could be heard from the dark, the others looking around with their flashlights.

Riddick came running out of the dark, the others blinding him as he dived for cover one of the creatures swooping by them. Johns was shooting, more or less at random in the dark and she felt it was more or less luck if he hit anything. A few moments later one of the creatures dropped out of the sky surprising Jack and the others.

"Is it alive?" Fry asked, as she inched closer.

They shined their lights on it, and it started to blister and smoke where the light touched it.

"It's like the light is scalding it." Paris noted aloud.

"It hurts them. Light actually hurts them." Fry stated aloud purposefully gasping when the creature twitched everyone pulling back slightly. More sounds from the darkness those creatures' calls and other noises almost, squishy.

"Is that Hassan?" Imam asked.

"We'll burn a candle for him later." Johns muttered sarcastically making her want to punch him. "Come on, let's get out of here." Johns said kicking in the metal hole he'd cut into the wall.

They finally got deep enough inside that there didn't seem to be any creatures to worry about yet. They needed to come up with some kind of plan so they all sat together to decide what they were going to do. They had a large cutting torch burning on a chest in the middle of the group as Fry talked.

"So we got one cutting torch, we got two hand lights. There's got to be something we can rip out of the crash ship." Fry told them.

"Spirits." Paris informed her after taking a drink from his flask. "Anything over forty-five proof burns rather well."

"How many bottles you got?" Fry asked him.

"I don't know, maybe ten." Paris told her.

"Okay, Johns, you got some flares. So, maybe we've got enough light." Fry told them, gripping the wide leather belt at her sides as she stood there.

"Enough for fucking what?" Johns asked aggressively.

"We stick to the plan. We get the four cell back to the skiff, were off this rock." Fry replied passionately.

"Look I hate to ruin a beautiful theory with an ugly fact, but that sand cat is solar. It won't run at night." Paris said coming to stand over by Fry, crouching on the floor.

"So we carry the cells. We drag them. What ever it takes." Fry told him.

"Alright, now how long can this last?" Johns asked. "A few hours? A day tops?"

"I have the impression from the model. The two planets were moving as one, and there would be a lasting darkness." Imam replied.

"Hm. These suns got to come up some time, and if these creatures are phobic about light, then we just sit tight, let the sun come up." Johns told them.

"I'm sure someone else said that, locked inside that coring room." Fry told him.

"We need to think about everybody now, especially the kid. How scared is this boy going to be out these in the dark?" Johns asked indicating Imams last boy.

"Don't use him like that." Fry muttered in disgust.

"Like what?" Johns replied.

"As a smoke screen. You deal with your own fear." Fry told him.

"Why don't you shut up your mouth for two seconds and let me come up with a plan that doesn't involve mass suicide." Johns told her angrily a long pause filling the air for about two seconds.

"I'm waiting." Fry told him. "How much you weigh, Johns?"

"What's it matter, Carolyn?" Johns asked her.

"How much?" She asked more heatedly.

"About seventy nine kilos to be exact." He told her.

"Because your seventy nine kilos of gutless white meat and that's why you can't come up with a better plan." Fry told him Jack laughing aloud at that one before she stopped herself.

"Is that fucking right?" Johns stated aggressively coming to his feet and pulling his gun feet, Riddick coming to his feet beside him. "Where're you going?" Johns asked putting the muzzle under Riddick's chin making her stiffen until she saw Riddick's hand.

"This solves nothing." Imam told them.

Riddick had his shiv right at Johns groin raising his goggles with his free hand tapping the knife on him to let him know it was there now.

"Okay." Johns said softly pulling his gun down and moving back to his seat.

"They are afraid of our light. That means we don't have to be so afraid of them." Fry told them. Jack certainly like this plan over sitting in the dark and 'waiting' for the sun to come up.

"And you are sure you can get us there? Even in the dark?" Imam asked her.

"No, I can't. But he can." Fry told them looking over at Riddick. Riddick looked back at Fry still seeming aloof and unaffected by everything that happened Riddick acted like a rock. The only time Jack had caught something else on his face was when they were naked in bed together and people couldn't get any more vulnerable and exposed then that.

They got everything they needed from the cargo hold before moving outside cautiously light at their front and rear. Everyone kept pressed closed together Fry, Paris, Imam and his boys ahead of her with Riddick behind her and Johns at the rear. They came to a stop Fry calling Riddick up ahead and he moved forward to look around at the ship.

"Looks clear." He called back to them.

Johns moved forward gun ready when suddenly one of the creatures came diving out of the wreckage letting loose one of it's calls. Everyone dived down out of the way looking around cautiously after it left.

"You said 'clear'." Johns complained from the ground.

"I said it looked clear." Riddick countered lying flat on his stomach.

"Well, what's it look like now?" Johns asked him and Riddick peaked up looking around.

"Looks clear." He offered with a shrug. Jack was fighting off the giggles again knowing she was probably boarding on hysteria and if she started laughing she probably wouldn't stop.

One inside the ship the all were assigned tasks Jack was going around ripping out the phosphorescent tubing inside the ship. They were gathering everything they would need including a makeshift sled to pull the cells and the power unit for the tubing. They also made the alcohol bottles into torches putting everything inside the sled.

"I'll be running about ten paces ahead. I want light on my back, but not in my eyes. And check your cuts, these bad boys know our blood now." Riddick told Fry as they walked by her. He seemed to be pleased with the plan she just hoped Paris didn't freak out when they were outside.

She finished her assigned job and moved a bit away from the others and the light. Then Riddick was their pulling her off into the darkness with him until they were in a room alone. She sighed happily when he pulled her into his arms burying her face in his chest and breathing in deeply calmed by his scent. She wrapped her arms around him tightly just below his ribs pulling him firmly against her.

Riddick tilted her face up with his hands leaning down to kiss her tongue slipping inside to seal the kiss. She moaned into the kiss, as Riddick seemed to devour her mouth under his. When they pulled apart they were breathing heavily and Riddick lifted her off the floor into his arms so they were pressed chest to chest. She rested her forehead on his shoulder arms wrapped tightly around him, as she held on amazed he seemed to know what she'd needed.

"It's a good plan." He told her in a quiet voice. "It might work."

"If Paris doesn't flip out, outside?" She replied pulling back so he could look at her when he turned. "He will…if he did inside the damn cargo hold, there is no way he won't when we're out there."

"Just stay with the others, close to the light. If anything happens, I'll find you." Riddick promised her and she sighed nodding.

"I know you'll try, that's enough." She assured him resting her head back in his shoulder arms wrapped around him.

When they finally went outside things seemed to be working out fine for a while. Riddick leading them as they ran across the desert listening to the sounds of the creatures around them. Then Paris' torch went out, he knocked out a flare Imams boy slipped his tubing to grab. A creature dived for him Imam getting him down just in time Jack pulling Fry down when Johns almost shot her firing at the creatures wildly.

Paris was dived by one of the creatures and did as she had predicted on the ship, panicking. He crawled away destroying the power source for their tubing repeating the mantra to him self 'this can't be happening'. She saw him spitting fire at the creatures surrounding him right before the light went out. Then they got the torches started Imam's boy bleeding from hitting his head on a rock.

They started again seeming to go forever in the dark, Jack having no real concept of time. All she knew is she could hear the creatures darting around them and she really didn't like that.

"Are we almost there?" Jack asked Fry a while later.

"Can we pick up the pace?" Fry asked. Johns threw down the lines for the sled angrily shooting them a glance before they spotted the tracks. Riddick must have circled for some reason because they had crossed their own tracks.

"You want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Johns asked walking up behind Riddick who was crouching on the ground.

"Why have we circled? Are we lost?" Imam asked him.

"Listen." Riddick said softly and Jack took a step forward tilting her head to listen.

"Do you even know where we are?" Imam asked him angrily.

"Listen!" Riddick ordered heatedly as he stood.

"Sounds like a fucking party." She muttered unhappily after everyone had finally quieted to listen.

"Canyon ahead. I circled once to by some time to think." Riddick explained.

"I think we should go now." Imam told him.

"Oh, I don't know about that. That's death row up there, especially with your boy bleeding." Riddick explained. "They've been nose open for him ever since he fell. In case you haven't noticed they go off blood."

"Look, this is not going to work. We're gonna have to go back." Fry told them Jack sighed looking up at the star filled sky, reminded her of home. Hell even on Earth the predators came out at night full force only most of them didn't want to eat you, not literally usually.

"What'd you say?" Johns said angrily. "You're the one that got us out here in the first place and turned us into sled dogs." Johns complained bitterly to her.

"I was wrong. I admit it. Okay, can we just get back to the ship?" Fry asked him big mistake asking him Jack thought.

"I don't know, Carolyn. Nice breeze, wide-open space. I'm starting to enjoy my fucking self out here." Johns told her heatedly.

"What are you high, Johns? Just listen to yourself." Fry told him.

"No, no your right Carolyn. What's to be afraid of? My life's just a steaming pile of meaningless shit anyhow, so I say mush on. Canyons only a couple a hundred of meters and after that it's skiff city. So why don't you butch up stuff a cork in this fucking bunch and lets go." Johns told her angrily.

"She is the Captain! We should listen to her!" Imam told him.

"Listen to her? When she was so willing to sacrifice us all?" Johns told him.

"What's he talking about?" Jack asked.

"This does not help us, Johns." Fry told him making Jack think to herself, this can not be good.

"During the crash she tried to blow the whole passenger cabin, tried to kill us in our sleep." Johns told them in a know it all voice that reminded her of her playground days.

"Shut your mouth!" Fry cried angrily.

"We are fucking disposable. Were just walking ghosts to you, aren't we?" Johns asked her.

"Shut your fucking blow hole!" Fry cried attacking him only to get thrown on the ground.

"Fine. Fine!" Imam said walking between them. "You've made your point. We'll all be scared."

"Oh, Carolyn, how much do you weigh now?" Johns asked her. "The verdicts in. The light moves forward." Johns told Imam popping a flare open on his thigh and moving ahead.

Riddick and Johns moved ahead talking and Jack had a feeling Johns was about to make a play. The question was what was Riddick going to do, and what exactly was Johns play going to be? Fry had them slowing down to put a little more space between them. Suddenly there were gunshots and Fry had them leaving the cells and running for the ship.

Jack wasn't too pleased with this plan but she wasn't in the position to argue as she fought for breath as they jogged. They were running blind until Jack spotted their tracks and had them following those back. Then suddenly Fry turned around and Riddick was behind her making her jump and Jack smirk.

"Back to the ship, huh?" Riddick asked her. "Just huddle together until the lights burn out?"

"Get away from us." Fry told him.

"Till you can't see what's eating you? That the big plan?" Riddick asked.

"Where's Johns?" Imam asked.

"Which half?" Riddick asked him.

"We're going to loose everybody out here." Fry muttered. "We should have stayed at the ship."

"He died fast. If we have any choice about it that's the way we should all go out." Riddick told her.

They had a short reprieve before they had to run the gauntlet Riddick taking Jack with him off to be alone. He messed with the bones of the creatures saying something about a blind spot before she settled dozing with her head in his lap. He was tying the power cells together to make them easier to drag. She could hear Imam talking to Riddick suddenly about praying coming around in time to hear his statement to Riddick.

"Because you do not believe in God, does not mean God does not believe in you." Imam told him.

"You think someone could spent half their life in a slam with a horse bit in their mouth and not believe? Think he can start out in some liquor store trash bin with an umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and not believe? You got it all wrong holy man. I absolutely believe in god. And I absolutely hate the fucker."

"He is with us none the less." Imam told him while she listened careful not to move noting how angry Riddick's movements with the ropes were.

"Two of your boys are already dead. How much faith do you have left, father?" Riddick asked him.

She heard Imam leave and stretched sitting up and rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out.

"Time to go?" She asked looking over at him.

"Time to go." He told her with a nod. Standing he helped her up and they all gathered at the head of the canyon. They ran ahead of Riddick while he dragged the cells behind them. Soon things were raining down and Riddick was yelling for them not to look up.

Creatures began falling from the sky into their path Fry saying something about them killing each other. Riddick knocked her down just as one of the creatures would have fallen on her as they continued forward. Imam and his boy came to a stop when they found a pile of dead creatures blocking their way. She handed her light to Imam and helped Riddick start to pull the creatures bodies out of their way.

Riddick went first clearing the cells then it was Jack and Fry followed by Imam and his boy. One of the creatures suddenly grabbed the boy's leg making him drop his homemade torch in fright. Fry was helping Imam when Jack turned and noticed Riddick was still going.

"Riddick, wait!" She called out to him but he didn't pause in his trek forward. "Riddick!"

Suddenly she heard one of those creatures' calls looking up just in time to see it diving for her. She dove under one of the large bones the creature shattering it until she was pinned to the ground under a crumbling piece of bone. She growled having dropped her light in her dive for the bone and unable to reach her knife in her boot without risking her arm to the creatures whip like tail. Then Fry was their trying to scare it away with her light until it knocked her into the cliff wall.

She heard a roar and looked up just in time to see Riddick grappling with the beasts holding its arms in his own. She rolled out from under the bone Fry helping her up as they watched Riddick and the creature. He kept ducking his head out of the way of it's searching jaws until it raised it's head up high and Riddick let it go pulling his shiv. He gutted the creature picking up its head once it fell to the ground and breaking its neck.

"He did not know who he was fucking with." Riddick said growling looking up at them.

They started again Imam helping his injured boy along who tripped and didn't seem to want to get up. Then suddenly it started to rain starting as a light sprinkle and quickly becoming a steady downpour. Riddick's mocking laughter filled the air as he threw back his head and laughed turning to look at Imam.

"So where the hell's your God now?" He asked Imam who was carrying the boy now.

Fry's torch went soaked from the rainwater while they sought the shelter of the cliff wall. Imam laid his charge up against the wall tying off the wound to his leg more tightly.

"Riddick? Are we close?" Fry asked him. "Just tell me that the settlement is right there?" She begged him. Suddenly Imam's boys screams filled the air as a creature who'd snuck down the wall grabbed him and dragged him up it Imam screaming brokenly after him, long after he disappeared from sight.