The ghosts that we knew

Chapter 4

~But a brush with the Devil can clear your mind

and strengthen your spine~

From on top of the large ship, Wessel stood looking over the frozen ground with a pair of heat seeking binoculars, trying to determine where the footprints on the ground came from or led to.

Raines had ordered them to land near the wreckage of a hopper. Something had obviously happened once the ship hit atmo to cause the pilot to lose control so severely that he had crashed. However, the pilot was no longer in the craft and it appeared as though one set of footprints had approached it and then left. So where was the pilot?

He radioed to Raines. "I can't tell heads or tells from nothing up here. Don't know when this happened but it happened long enough ago for the trail to go cold. We're gonna need to do this the old fashioned way."

"Get your ass down here," Raines voice crackled in his ear.

By the time Wessel got down to the ground, Raines was not happy. "Suck it up and let's go!" he heard the man hollering over the wind at the rest of the men on the ground, which were clearly not relishing the idea of venturing out into the elements. "Can you track in this weather?" Raines asked.

"I can track it." Wessel replied confidently.

"You better or it'll be your head."

Carolyn was rewrapping her ankle as Riddick, using a knife, fashioned together a poncho for her out of one of the survival blankets and a fur. Motioning for her to stand, he tied her into the silly thing causing her to giggle. He looked up at her menacingly, she smiled back sweetly.

He simply growled and continued with his work turning her between his knees as he tied up the other side and strapped fur leggings onto her. Slipping a pair of large gloves on her, he tied those around her wrists. "You have winter gear in the hopper?"

She nodded. "In one of the upper compartments, if we can get to it."

"Let me grab a pack and we'll be ready to go."

Hitting the latch on the shell of the skiff, Carolyn opened the door as she tugged up her hood. Seeing something strange on the ground she took a step outside, looking down as she turned in a circle. Coming to a stop facing the doorway she looked up to see Riddick raising his hands just as something poked her in the back.

"Mercs?" she asked keeping her eyes on him.

"Mercs."

Hustling Carolyn back inside the small skiff, she latched onto the back of Riddick's furs as Raines strutted inside after her.

"Richard B. Riddick. Such a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Should I know you? I've been out of circulation the last few years."

Raines nodded at one of his men to search Riddick, standing back as the pack was taken out of his hands and the various knives stashed on his person removed.

"Search the woman," Raines instructed before turning back to Riddick. "No, no reason for you to know me. I'm just the one who'll be hauling your bounty jumping ass in to collect the reward."

Riddick paused for a moment turning his head to the side where the Merc searching Carolyn was now crowding her.

"Everything ok back there?" He asked grabbing Carolyn's arm, pulling her up beside him.

"Kovacs, get over here. I said to search her. Not molest her." Raines berated the man slapping him upside the head even as he pushed him towards the door.

"Although she is mighty pretty," he said reaching a hand out as Carolyn took a step back and Riddick growled. "But, we do have other things to worry about first." He said letting his hand fall back to his side. "Storm's headed back in and we've a bit of a distance to cover. So let's get this little expedition started, shall we?"

After a few seconds of no one moving, Raines swung out his arm holding it out towards the open door. "After you, please."

Eyeing the man for another moment, Riddick grabbed a hold of Carolyn's arm once again and followed her out of the skiff. Stopping just a bit apart from the other men, Riddick checked the ties on her outerwear. "Stay on my six at all times," he said near her ear as he made to adjust her hood. Pulling back to look at her he watched as she acknowledged him with slight nod of her head.

Leading the "expedition," Riddick wanted to stay on solid ground as long as possible. The storm was moving in and they would be exposed on the ridges as soon as they hit them and until the storm hit with full force it was too dangerous to make a break for it with Carolyn in tow. To be honest he had considered leaving her behind until Raines made it perfectly clear what would happen to her if he weren't around and that wasn't happening. Period. The path he had chosen out of his valley was steep but passable and prone to avalanches.

A noise behind him caught his attention and he shot his arm out catching Carolyn as her feet threatened to go out from under her, pulling her up against him. She leaned her forehead against his chest, breathing heavily as he brought up his hand to rest lightly against the back of her neck.

"You don't have to do this Riddick. You know these mountains better than they do. If you can get ahead..."

"Can't climb faster than they can shoot, Carolyn."

"We've got to think of something. We can't let them get you on that ship."

"Let's go." He said eyeing the men moving up quickly on their position.

Not able to catch up with or get Riddick's attention with his own men struggling, Raines was quickly losing control of the situation. Pulling out his weapon he let loose a shot above and in front of Riddick's head causing Carolyn to scream as she fell to her knees. Riddick turned, smiling at Raines before picking Carolyn up and ducking under an outcropping even as he pressed them against the side of the mountain. Not comprehending at first Raines finally heard the rumbling.

"AVALANCHE!" He screamed before following Riddick's example and hugging the mountain.

Snow and ice swept down the mountain side towards their narrow passageway easily sweeping away a screaming Kovacs, his weapon firing uselessly as he was swallowed by the explosion of white.

The avalanche ended as suddenly as it began, the rumbling dying down only leaving the sound of the wind to take its place. Riddick shook like a dog to rid the snow off of him as he gently pried Carolyn's hands off of his furs. Bushing his knuckles across her cheek he tilted her chin up so that he could see her face. "Breathe, Carolyn."

Slowly nodding her head she opened her eyes, the blue standing out so clearly against the white of the snow.