Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black; except, perhaps, in my dreams!

This fic now has over 100 followers! I'm so excited! Thank you all for finding my fic worth reading, following, favorite-ing and reviewing. I love reading all your reviews the most, so please, please continue. :D This chapter has a few more of my dry humor moments in it, hope you like it.

Italics = Inner most thoughts

Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'

Chapter 9

Rain is one of the last people to get off the sand cat and make the dash for the cargo hold; only Riddick and Shazza are behind her. Oh man, I need to do more cardio. She's panting after only seconds of running.

Jack and Carolyn, are the first to reach Paris at the cargo hold. They turn to watch Shazza, Riddick, and Rain, bringing up the rear.

Carolyn suddenly screams, "Get down!" And before Rain can process how to respond, she's being tackled from behind into a nearby trench. Ouch. Shazza rolls to a stop, somewhere to her right, so it must have been Riddick that tackled her. Why is this so familiar?

Riddick presses down on top of Rain, his chest to her back and his face in the crook of her neck. He shields her as a group of the creatures fly overhead, screeching, narrowly missing them in the trench. Those things are fast. Rain tries to distract herself from fear, thinking about the delicious weight of Riddick against her back. Now is probably not the time for that.

There's silence after the creatures have passed and Rain can feel her pulse pounding like a living thing trapped in her throat, clawing to escape. Riddick's heart beats steady against her back. He's so calm. Shouldn't we continue running now? Why isn't he getting up? Rain struggles, trying to remind Riddick to let her up, to get moving again.

"No." Riddick growls in her ear and doesn't budge an inch, flicking his tongue briefly against Rain's neck to settle and distract her. "Not yet."

Apparently Shazza hasn't gotten whatever memo Riddick has, because she jumps up and runs, leaving him and Rain behind.

"Stay there! Stay down, Shazza! Just stay down." Jack can be heard shouting in the distance.

From underneath Riddick, Rain can't see what happens when Shazza leaves the trench, but she can hear the 'whoosh' of the creatures as they bypass her and Riddick a second time, followed by Shazza's screams of agony. Oh no, Poor Shazza.

Riddick finally lets Rain up when the creatures are no longer an imminent threat. He helps her stand while keeping an eye out for new dangers. Still not safe here. Get to the hold. Riddick agrees with his beast, linking his hand with Rain's, he pulls her towards the cargo hold.

Paris is just disappearing inside when they arrive, leaving Carolyn, Riddick, and Rain the last ones left. They pause for one final look around.

Riddick pushes his goggles up to better see in the dark. In the distance, the dirt spires crumble apart as bigger versions of the things that tore Shazza apart, break out and fly free. They make strange sounds, deep, almost zebra-like braying, as they branch out into the sky.

"What is it Riddick? What is it now?" Carolyn doesn't have the benefit of shined eyes. You don't want to know.

"Like I said, it ain't me you gotta worry about."

Rain is half in shock, overwhelmed, when she stumbles into the cargo hold. Poor Shazza. What a horrible way to die. Johns clicks on a light to fill the small space and Rain's able to make out the faces of those around her. They aren't much different from hers; sorrow, worry, fear. Only Riddick is different; stoic, determined, strong.

"She should've stayed down. If she only would have stayed down, she'd be okay. She wouldn't have died." Jack seems just as much in shock as Rain.

"You remember the boneyard? These just might be the fuckers that killed every living thing on this planet." Johns isn't encouraging.

"What are we gonna do now?" Jack's voice wavers.

Paris interrupts as he manages to get his lighter going. "Are these the only lights we have? I-I-Is this everything?"

"No, there's a cutting torch on the floor here somewhere. I just can't find it." Carolyn is calm and collected, holding a strong front as the 'captain', but still showing fear in her eyes.

"Quiet! Please everyone." Imam silences the group and moves to press his ear against the metal wall of the room. Jack and some of the others follow his example. The creatures outside can be heard wailing.

"Why do they do that? Make that sound?" asks Jack.

"Perhaps, it's the way they see?" Imam replies. "With sound reflecting back..." A sudden crunch of metal from somewhere in the hold interrupts Imam. All eyes begin searching for the source of the sound. Rain moves closer to Riddick. This day just keeps getting better.

"Could be a breach in the hull. I don't know." Carolyn steps forward, unsure.

"Come on, Johns." Riddick finally speaks. "You got the big gauge."

"I'd rather piss glass. Why don't you go fuckin' check."

"I'm not staying here for one more second." Paris abruptly panics, pushing past Johns and struggling with Imam, sending the room into an uproar.

Rain stands helplessly beside Riddick, uncertain what to do as Carolyn, Johns, Imam, and Paris shout and struggle with each other. They manage to get Paris under control just as Imam wrests open a door further into the cargo hold; the group is urged through, with Paris being halfway pushed. Rain, Riddick, and Imam bring up the rear. The next room is small and cramped.

"Now we're trapped in a much smaller space. I hate this!" Paris' whining is starting to grate on Rain's nerves. Shazza died, and this guy gets to live?

Imam ignores Paris and hurriedly locks the door up behind them. He leans back to rest against it with a relieved sigh, when, without warning, a blade-like spike comes through the metal beside his head. He scrambles away with a yell, and pandemonium breaks through the group. Imam clambers to grab something to defend himself with, Paris stumbles around pulling at Jack and whomever he can reach to put between himself and danger, and Johns is anxiously firing his gauge in all directions. Rain is overwhelmed by the brouhaha. She slaps her hands over her ears, slams her eyes closed, and crouches down, trying to metaphorically bury her head in the sand. Why is this happening? This is insanity!

Rain only opens her eyes when she feels heavy hands on her. It's Riddick, hunched down next to her, gently stroking her face and looking worried. The flash of his silver eyes helps Rain regain her focus. Right.

"We need to keep moving," Riddick croons. He helps Rain up and pulls her behind him, towards a hole in the wall. In her earlier panic, she must have missed Riddick using the cutting torch to make the hole.

Carolyn and the others notice Riddick and Rain leaving, and quickly move to follow. Once everyone is through the hole, they pile whatever they can find to block the impromptu entrance. This new room is the biggest one yet, full of large cargo making paths leading in several directions. The group spreads the light out and tentatively begins to explore, leaving Rain and Riddick standing alone near the blocked entrance.

Riddick holds either side of Rain's face, searching her eyes with his, looking troubled. He releases her name on a breath, barely audible. "Rain."

Rain slams her eyes down, trying not to let emotion overcome her. Not fair. "Don't." She whispers back to Riddick. "If you keep looking at me like that, I might cry."

"You're in shock."

"It's fine."

A low growl rumbles from Riddick, "It's not."

Rain slides her hands up over Riddick's; pressing his hands down harder against her cheeks and clenching her eyes tighter. "Just give me time. I'll be alright."

"Tell me. Don't keep it inside."

She struggles with herself for a moment, her face showing her turmoil, before finally mumbling to him, "I've never heard someone scream like that before." Shazza. Rain can't get Shazza's death out of her mind. Am I going to scream like that when one of those things finally gets me?

Riddick reacts as if he's heard her thoughts; growling and pulling her closer. "That won't happen to you. I'll keep you safe."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Riddick." Rain can't help the tremble in her voice.

"No!" Rain jolts her eyes open at Riddick's outburst, and he's finally able to stare her down. "I always keep my word. Have trust in me; only me, remember? You'll survive this, even if it costs me everything to get you through."

Rain feels as if the blood has frozen in her veins. Not that. "No. Both of us; we both have to survive this together. I'm not going anywhere without you. I'm yours, remember?" She wraps her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest as she squeezes him tight.

"Yes." Riddick presses his lips to Rain's forehead, embracing her back and inhaling the scent of her hair. "Mine."

The two aren't broken out of their private moment until a strangled scream is choked off somewhere in the nearby darkness. Oh, god, who's dead now?

Riddick pushes Rain behind him as Johns, Jack, Paris, and Carolyn come running from one of the pathways to join them. They combine their two groups together, with Rain and Jack in the middle, and shine their lights throughout the compartment, searching for those remaining. Imam comes running out of the darkness, looking pale and worried, followed by one of his remaining Arab boys.

"Where's Hassan? Hassan!" Imam yells into the hold for the last missing member of their group.

One of the creatures brays into the darkness in reply. Riddick nudges Carolyn and tilts his head to the wall on their left. "Torch."

"Shit." Carolyn follows Riddick's advice and starts using the cutting torch to make another escape route.

Something moves in the darkness just outside their roving lights, spooking Johns and provoking him into firing his gauge. There's a tense moment after he finally stops firing, when Carolyn finishes carving the hole and drags the light back to the group, alert. One of the creatures falls from above, suddenly startling everyone as it lands nearly on top of them. Holy crap, Johns actually hit one of 'em.

"Is it alive?" Carolyn moves the torch light closer to the unmoving creature, for a better view. Its skin begins to bubble and boil in the light.

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

Carolyn is astonished. "It hurts them. Light actually hurts them."

New sounds are heard from the darkness on the other side of the creature, and the group brings their light back up.

"Is that Hassan?" Imam sounds hopeful.

Johns has no sympathy as he heads for their new exit and kicks out the metal blocking it. "We'll burn a candle for him later. Come on, let's get outta here."

And another one bites the dust.