Chapter 4: Fate's Irony
Time slowed, Riddick's mind racing at the speed of light, his thoughts on the situation unfolding in front of him.
He could rush the woman, but Jack didn't look as if she could fend off a puppy, and if he didn't get to the Mercs guns fast enough, he and Jack would not be walking away from this encounter – he had only one option.
"O.K., alright, you win," rising from his fighting stance, dropping his shiv to the ground, "Just don't hurt the kid."
The woman smirked at the words, the dollar signs flashing before her eyes.
The creed is greed
The merc switched targets, pointing the gun away from Jack and training it on Riddick's head.
She hoisted Jack up by the back of her shirt and was about to throw her against the wall, when Jack began to thrash wildly, screaming.
"NO YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM! LEAVE HIM ALONE! HE'S MINE!"
The woman, so startled by this sudden outburst, let go of the girl, and Jack went hurdling towards the wall. The next chain of events lasted less than thirty seconds but would last a lifetime in Riddick's mind.
Jack, using her forward momentum, was able to spin around, and instead of her face making contact with the building's exterior, it was her back – the velocity of the impact made a loud thud that echoed down the narrow alley, forcing the breath out of her.
The woman, a rookie by all accounts who just happened to get lucky on this day, lowered her gun away from Riddick's head; before her brain even registered the mistake, her instincts told her she was fucked if she didn't recover, and fast. Riddick wasted no time grabbing his shiv of the ground and lunged at her, but was unhappily surprised that his blade made contact with air – she was able to dodge his attack, barely.
I won't miss twice, cunt got lucky
She had tucked and rolled, dodging Riddick's advanced, and flipped her body back over so she was now facing both Riddick and Jack.
Jack had finally gotten up, wiping the blood from her temple; unsure of what to do, she stayed against the wall a ½ a meter away from Riddick.
Riddick just stood there in his predatory stance, brandishing his shiv, with a look of death in his eyes.
"Looks like we have a little problem here guys," she said as she dusted off her clothes; she had to remain cool, if he sensed even the slightest measure of fear, she would not only be out of a payday, this alley would be her final resting place.
"And what might that be?" Riddick squeezed out through clenched teeth.
"Well the problem is that it looks as if I only get half my payday." She had a chance, he was too far away.
I could shoot him and be done with this. I'll still be known as the one who was able to bag the famous Riddick
Jacks eyes went wide as the realization of the woman's words sunk in. The gun fired.Without thinking Jack projected her small body towards Riddick, rammed into him with all the strength she could muster. White-hot pain shot up her abdomen, through her chest, and out her throat in a blood-curdling scream.
Riddick maddened with rage surged towards the merc and gutted her from navel to nose, her innards splashed the dirty street, and she was dead before her brain even registered what happened.
Riddick ran back over to Jack and gently cradled the girl in his arms, rocking her lovingly back and forth. He looked at the young woman's innocent face; her skin so fair - her life so pure - and a single tear fell. For a moment, the look of a killer was gone, and replaced with unguarded emotions of shear agony.When the tear hit Jack's face she opened her eyes and looked at him, as if for the first time, and smiled.
She tried to speak, but her throat was filled with blood, and it began to run out when she opened her mouth. She started coughing; the blood was suffocating her, only causing more pain. Jack was getting weak, the vision of Riddick slowly fading away, but before she went she had to try and say one last thing.Riddick just looked at her as she attempted to talk and cocked his head to one side, gently wiping the blood away from her mouth.
He wanted to say something to her, anything, but his throat felt too tight; he was trying to hold back the tears. What could he say? There were no words that could capture the depth of sadness that he was feeling, he loved her, she was his very reason for living; now she would be gone and he would have nothing to live for, no reason to wake up and face another day in this shit hole universe.
He stroked her face gently as he noticed her beautiful eyes begin to dim, the sparkle of life in them slowly fading away, and he pressed his lips to her forehead and kissed her tenderly.
"Jack…I…."
She looked at him; with her last remaining strength she slowly lifted a shaking hand to his face. She placed her fingers against his lips before he could finish, and ever so slightly rocked her head from side to side. She opened her mouth to try and speak again.In the smallest of whispers, she said, "I love you"
He let his tears fall freely now, for there was no one to witness his moment of weakness, staring at her limp body; his face full of emotion.
His eyes began to hurt from the release, it had been a long time since he felt anything besides emptiness inside, and his chest felt so constricted he could hardly breath. The vein in his forehead was feverishly pulsing and the pulsing accompanied the pounding in his head; he was at a loss and was unsure of what to do. He had never bothered to mourn anyone's death; he didn't know where to begin. She was gone now, his Jack, lost forever in death's swooping wings. An innocent soul taken before she was ready because he had known her and loved her, and she, had loved him in return. Everything he ever loved and cherished seemed to succumb to a horrible fate; everything innocent he cared about was murdered, but HE was a survivor, forever cursed to walk the godforsaken traverse, forever cursed to walk alone.
That was his gift and his curse; for his life, he would have to watch those around him suffer, and that's why he stopped caring.
He stopped giving a damn when he discovered how he came to be, an infant with an umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.
He stopped giving a crap when the only other person he cared about was beaten and ravaged repeatedly until she died.
And he stopped giving a fuck when his last link back to humanity lay in his arms, limp, broken, and bloody.Fuck Carolyn and her redemption – Everything I touch turns to shit.
Why even fucking bother. I'm better of being the fucked up psycho everyone expects, a psycho on a blood lusting rampage. At least I can't lose anything if I have nothing to begin with
"Fuck Jack, I love you too," he sighed.It began to rain, and it coupled with Riddick's tears to mingle with Jack's blood, and made its coursing path down the alley way towards the sewer to disappear forever. He carefully picked her up, brushing the hair out of her eyes and off her face. He was soaked in her blood and it was running down his body accumulating in his boots, leaving a trail of bloody footprints in his wake.
He wasn't sure where he was taking her and he didn't care; he wanted to get as far away from here as he could. Riddick, his face void of emotions, didn't care about the horrified looks the people passing gave him and he didn't give a fuck if he got caught now either.
Let them fucking come. I'LL show them who there're FUCKING WITH
He just wanted to put Jack's body and soul to rest.He continued walking for hours, all the while, torrential rain battered his body. As darkness approached, the storm subsided and Riddick came upon the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. The path he was on lead him to a small waterfall that dissipated into a large lagoon. It had large lily pads with flowers floating lazily across the water's surface. Surrounding the lake were the most beautiful and sweet smelling exotic flowers.
What took his breath away, were the fireflies dancing in the reflection of the moon on the water, and he pictured Jack's stunning eyes. He picked the spot and laid her tenderly beside it. Riddick looked around for something he could use to dig her grave and saw nothing; he unsheathed his shiv and vehemently began to dig with the curved tip. It took him all night and when the sun finally came up, he put his goggles on, and was finished. He picked Jack's body up and tenderly placed her in her grave, placed his shiv in her hands and began to cover her body.
"If anything comes and attacks you in the night, you've got something to protect you, because I know how much your hate the dark."
He dug up one of the pretty plants he saw and buried it again by Jack's head for a head stone.
"You're my life and soul, with you goes it, and I'm left empty to become what I once was. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I have nothing to keep me among these people. This is another chance at redemption I don't want – can't take - and I'm… I'm sorry. I'll never forget what you did for me and maybe somewhere down the line I'll take my chances again. Good bye Jack, you'll always be in my heart and on my mind."
He walked away, never looking back, and disappeared into the woods. He didn't know where he was going and it didn't matter. He was pissed and wanted to kill.
He wanted the smell of fear to intoxicate his senses, the rush of the kill to entice his body, and the taste of blood to tantalize his mouth. But, most of all he wanted to make it long, slow, and painful.The beast in Richard B. Riddick was free from its cage, alive and well.