THE CURE: Chapter Six-A Debt of Gratitude
Sirens began
to ring through out the compound. Sam was stumbling to get to her feet, but only
succeeded in collapsing again. “Riddick!”, she shouted into the night. Warm
salty tears ran down her face. The pain in her leg was unbearable. He wouldn’t
leave her like this, would he? Had Riddick already headed back to her ship? Sam
closed her eyes. She needed to think. She couldn’t just lay her waiting for
them to shoot her, but she couldn’t walk either. All Sam could hear was the
pounding of her heart. Footsteps running towards her. She felt herself being
lifted. She opened her eyes, it was Riddick and he was carrying her through the
jungle. Just then a laser shot came whizzing past her head. Two guards were
following them.
“You
still got your gun?”, asked Riddick. Sam nodded. With a grunt of pain she
reached down and pulled the small pistol out of her boot. She lifted herself up
to see over Riddicks shoulder. Another shot came flying at them.
“Shoot!”,
yelled Riddick. Sam took aim and fired. She missed. Again she fired this time
hitting the first guard in the chest. The second guard was still in hot pursuit.
Sam went to shoot again, but nothing happened. She looked at the gun, it was
recharging. Another shot from the remaining guard, this time he grazed Riddicks
left arm.
“What
are you doing?” yelled Riddick. “Shoot at him.”
“I’m
trying!”, screamed Sam back. Finally, her pistol was recharged. Sam fired
shooting the guard in the shoulder. The guard fell backwards onto the ground. It
was only a matter of time before more guards would come in their place. They
didn’t have much time. Riddick and Sam arrived at the base of the tree where
the platform was hidden in the branches. Riddick set Sam down on the ground.
“Put
your arms around my neck”, Riddick turned around and pointed to his back. Sam
latched her arms around him. Riddick grabbed onto the ropes they’d repelled
down with and began to climb. When they reached the top Riddick swung Sam around
so that she was in front of him. He opened the bay doors to the ship. Riddick
placed Sam in a cot in the back and headed towards the cockpit. Sam lay there
paralyzed from the pain in her thigh. She felt a jolt as the ship blasted off.
Sam felt in her pocket for the research disk. It was still there. Finally
succumbing to the pain Sam passed out.
Sam
woke up with a jolt. Where was she? This wasn’t the ship, was it? It was dark
all around her. She felt around in the dark. What was that? A hand. She felt her
way up the arm to a face. It was Riddick. She didn’t know this by feeling his
face; she saw his eyes piercing thru the darkness.
“Glad
you decided to join us.”, said Riddick in a raspy whisper.
“What’s
happening? Where are we?”, Sam mimicked Riddick and spoke quietly.
“Government
agents caught up with us. Took the ship. Twenty of them are searching the ship
right now. As soon as I saw them docking with us I ran back and got you. There
was no way I was taking on that many agents. We’re in the lower cargo hold.”
“God
damn Government!”
“Do
you still have the CD?”
Sam
felt in her back pocket. She gave a deep sigh of relief. “Yes.”
“Good.
Well I don’t think they’re going to leave any time soon. It’s your ship,
how do we get outta here?”
Sam
thought to herself. They could take the escape pod on the port side, but how
would they get past those guards to its docking corridor? They could go most of
the way through the cargo hold.
“I
have an idea!”, said Sam. “Follow me.” Sam and Riddick crawled through
most of the lower cargo hold to a tunnel that led upwards to the main level. Sam
lifted the heavy metal hatch. She looked down both sides of the hallway; at the
moment no government officials. Sam slid out of the hatch, Riddick came directly
after her. The docking door to the escape pod wasn’t more than ten feet away.
Sam crept around the corner intending to make a mad dash to the door, but at
that moment two officials were headed their way. Sam backed up.
“Make
a run for the door when I tell you to.”, whispered Riddick in Sam’s ear. Sam
nodded. Riddick jumped out from behind the corner and tackled the guards. One
guard let off a shot. Sam could hear other guards coming.
“Go!”,
Yelled Riddick. “Get that disk to THE CURE! Go!” Sam Limped over to the
docking bay door. She couldn’t leave without him.
“Riddick…”
“Go!”
But
Sam couldn’t leave, she just couldn’t. Sam went into the docking corridor
and looked for something to hit the guard with. The Fire Extinguisher. Sam tore
a piece of her shirt, wrapped it around her hand and punched thru the glass and
grabbed the extinguisher. She hobbled back to Riddick who was still struggling
with one of the guards. Sam lifted the extinguisher high in the air and bashed
the guard in the head with it. With a heavy thud the extinguisher and the guard
fell to the ground. Sam was about to collapse when Riddick gathered her into his
arms. When Riddick looked up another guard was standing across from them.
“Halt!”,
the guard shouted.
A
smile stretched across Riddicks face.