Chapter 2: Remembering
He woke up, a silent scream escaping his lips; sweat dripped from his brow, his entire body shivering—shaking off the last effects of the dream.
It was a dream?
Groping at his back for the phantom dart; he shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. He looked around the crappy hotel room, glancing at the holo-clock, and groaned.
It's just too fucking early for this bullshit
He'd had dreams, or nightmares rather, but none with such intensity as tonight's; every time he closed his eyes he could still see her eyes glaring at him, could see the flash of light from her pistol…
A stirring from alongside him abruptly brought Riddick from his thoughts.
You gotta be fucking kidding me
Riddick tore the sweat soaked covers from his naked form and glanced at the figure sprawled out, equally bare, and snoring loudly next to him. Her milky skin was a stark contrast to the grimy hotel room; the thoughts of the previous night brought a stirring to his groin. He had picked her up from Eternity hours before and brought her back here for a quick fuck.
He stroked her inner thigh and she moaned softly in her sleep.
Slowly, carefully he parted her slender legs as he brought himself on top of her. Her eyes blinked open with a start, her tongue darted out moistening her lips. She trailed her hand down her own naked body and stopped just a fraction from him.
He was already hard; she grabbed him firmly in her hand and slowly stroked him, rubbing her thumb ever so gently at the tip. He inhaled sharply, grabbing her breasts forcing the pink nipples to sharp peaks, as he rocked back and forth to the rhythm of her strokes. She guided him to her and with one quick thrust he was engulfed by her body.
He was not gently, with every thrust the bed banged against the wall, but she didn't stop him. Her nails dug into his back drawing blood and her legs wrapped themselves firmly around his waist, matching his pace thrust for thrust. Their release was quick, but explosive – and when they were spent their bodies parted, once again becoming strangers.
Riddick lay there, forcing his heart and respiration to slow – when the woman reached over to stroke his chest, he roughly grabbed it and thrust it away.
"What the fuck is your problem?"
"Get out"
When she made no motion to move, Riddick rolled over and stood up, his caramel body towering over her.
"Are you fucking deaf?" he growled, "I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT"
He was losing his composure, the dream sneaking back in to the front of his thoughts. He needed time to decipher what it meant and he couldn't concentrate with this latest distraction.
"Fuck You! What you have your fun and then toss me aside like a 2 cent whore?"
In an instant, Riddick had her arm roughly in his grasp, bringing her face inches from his. In a menacing whisper, he said, "Are you stupid, deaf, or both? I said get the fuck out; no reason, no explanation – just GO"
Her pupils dilated, and the scent of fear rose from her pours. Something in those shined eyes told her the man she went home with was balancing on a very fine line, she gulped loudly, but before she had time to react, as quickly as he'd grabbed her, he let her go.
Riddick walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, turning the shower on just has he heard the swish of the hotel room door.
So many times he tried to forget, to forget the feeling of pain, of loss, of anything that brought him in touch with humanity, and each time his dreams would remind him.
Sigh
I miss your face.
I should never have let you stay – my fault you're now gone. If only you were here to tell me what I'm missing. You saved me, brought me towards hope of a life, of redemption. And then it was all stolen from me and again I'm alone
With an angry grunt he slammed his fist against the wall, an effort to ease the tension. The wall cracked with the force, along with his hand, which started to bleed.
He barely noticed.
Reminds me I'm alive
He looked at the blood dripping from his cracked knuckles and watched it drip on to the dirty tiled floor. His mind flashed back to that night on the planet. So much blood, so much pain.
Fuck this soul bullshit, it aint for me
He stood up and stepped in the shower, the water scalding his skin. He pressed his palms against the wall, and leaned his head into the burning spray.
Five fucking years Jack and I'll still remember that day as if it was yesterday.
As the water ran down his body, washing away the scent of his lover; he closed his eyes, and released a sigh.
I can still see her eyes
The way they would light up, like a thousand fireflies dancing to an unknown song in glowing amber orbs, whenever he looked at her. She was his solace, his peace, his very essence of purity and innocence that was denied to him in youth; only to be retched from him in a moment of hesitation
"Riddick when are you gunna let me learn to fly this piece of shit?" Jack whined from the storage room, "I gotta learn sometime. Come on please, pppllleeeaaasseee!"
Riddick couldn't help but smirk at her incessant pestering. In the year and half they had spent together since the incident on T2, he had to admit it; the kid had grown on him.
She hadn't convinced him not to leave her with Imam on New Mecca, damn near pleaded the whole time they were there, and it wasn't until she had snuck on the ship had he finally let her stay. He knew she was there, but damn if she didn't have guts for trying.
"Riddick?"
No answer
"Riddick?"
Still silence
"Riddick!!! Are you listening to me?"
"Yes, Jack"
"Then why didn't you answer me?" she asked walking into the control room and sitting in the co-pilot's chair.
He turned and looked at her, studying her face. Her hair had gotten longer and she was starting to look more like a young woman than a little boy.
"Jack, how old are you?" he asked.
"16, you know that, why?"
"Exactly my point. You're too young to pilot"
"Awe c'mon Riddick. It's not like I can break the hunk of junk, we leave parts of her on every planet."
He just looked at her, with his stony face, and the discussion was closed.
"Look kid, on your birthday I'll let you pilot."
She looked at him for a second with the goofiest grin plastered on her face.
Her birthday was today; he hadn't forgotten.
She lunged herself off the seat and wrapped her arms around his neck.
He stayed like that for a few moments taken aback by her release of affection, but regained composure and engulfed her in a hug with his massive arms.
Going soft
That would be the last happy moment they had together. In 12 hours from now their fates would be sealed; the innocence of a child lost and the mind of a killer regained.