A Dark Horizon(PB2): Chapter Eight-A Way Off
Riddick woke in the early morning hours, shaken and sweating
from another night's round of disturbing dreams. He threw his legs over the side
of the small lumpy cot they'd given him to sleep on and very nearly hit Jackie
who had, for the third night in a row, snuck in when she thought he'd fallen
asleep and slept on the floor next to his bed on only a flimsy blanket and a
battered old pillow. She was still sleeping. Affording himself a small smile,
Riddick removed a thermo-blanket from his cot and draped it over the girl's
restful form. Carefully he stepped over her, crossing the room to what served as
a washroom. He started the faucet and bent over to wash his face when he noticed
an unfamiliar, suspicious shadow that fell on the wall close by. Was someone
watching them? He turned towards the source of the shadow, but the figure, now
aware that he was aware of thier presence, had already fled the scene leaving
only the sound of thier retreating footsteps in the gravelly dirt behind. He
narrowed his eyes. He'd have to be on his gaurd today. "Where
are you going?" Imam asked as he noticed Riddick heading out towards the
outskirts of the settlement. "The others will awaken soon." The
muslim's face was hard, harsh, and Riddick knew the holy man could sense the
same taste of danger in the air today that the convict had felt since he'd woken
up. Imam hadn't slept since they'd landed here, and he'd been praying twice as
hard for the salvation of thier souls.
"Out there," Riddick replied, indicating the canyon.
"Keep an eye on things here while I'm gone, and if the colonists wake
before I get back, pretend you didn't see me."
"I understand," the muslim nodded and Riddick headed off
again. The canyon was eerily silent, dead, save for the whispering of the light
wind through the crevices and hollows of the red outland. A chill ran up
Riddick's spine and the hair on the his arms and the back of his neck stood on
end. He sensed danger. He took a deep breath but smelled only the rotted flesh
and rusted metal that was in abundance here. First mistake. Raye tackled him
from behind, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Merc rule #1: Know your
enemy. Riddick's strength was his keen sense of smell and by standing downwind
of the abandoned ship just a ways up the canyon, Connors had been able to mask
her own scent, approaching him while he remained unaware of her presence until
it was too late. He landed face down in the clay and Raye pounced on him,
strattling his back and attempting to secure his arms behind him. Before she
could, he kicked her off and upwards, sending her flying over his head and into
the solid dirt above him. She rolled right back onto her feet and into a
crouching position like a coiled cobra ready to strike. Riddick too rolled and
sprang to his feet, preparing for her next attack. "Richard B.
Riddick," she smiled evily, "it's been a long time."
"Not long enough, you fuck!" he snarled as she jumped at
him. He lunged at her but she managed to dodge the move, once, twice. The third
time, he caught her wrist and twisted her arm around her back, pulling her to
him. She wrenched her body around, elbowing Riddick in the jaw and knocking his
feet out from under him, sending him to the ground. She strattled him again,
this time quickly removing the hand light from her supplies belt and aiming it
directly in his eyes. She was angry, angrier than she thought she'd be, but she
knew that that was no way to conduct business. She had to calm herself before
she did something careless or reckless and lost the advantage she now had.
Calmly she popped her arm back into its socket with a liesurely shake of her
shoulder. "I feel we may have gotten off on the wrong foot," she said
evenly in the smooth vaguely British tones of her accent Riddick had once found
so hard to resist.. "I just wanted to... Dammit, Riddick, stop struggling!
I just wanted to talk!"
"Psychopathic bitch!" he snapped, but he did not struggle
further. "You wanna get that fuckin' thing outta my eyes?!" She
complied with a scoff placing the handlight back on her belt and noting that
that was a gesture of good will on her behalf, though she remained seated on his
chest to prevent him from standing. "How did you find
me?" he asked his voice a dangerous, seductive purr. Raye cocked an
eyebrow.
"I didn't. The company did. They've been tracking you
since freighter M-09er picked you up out of the shipping lane, you and your two
little friends. Tell me something, sweets, is the little girl good? I mean, is
she a wicked thrill a minute like I was..." Riddick drew back his fist and
landed a blow directly Raye's jaw. For the most part, the seemingly fagile woman
absorbed the the impact with not so much as a flinch. It hurt though, she
wouldn't deny that. She chucked, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Still have a wicked sharp left, Big Evil. I can still take it though,
which is more than I can say for Johns. What did you do to him Riddick? Did he
... die in the crash, or did you do the job youself?" Riddick grinned.
"You know what happens to curious little girls who go
down rabbit holes," he warned. Then answered, "Johns was
weak." Raye just shrugged.
"True," she sighed, "but he had it where it counted.
Tell me what you did to him, Riddick, I need to know. Was it quick, painless? Or
did you make him suffer?"
"What the hell does it matter to you anyways, Conners?"
Riddick scoffed. "Asshole never got you nuthin' but trouble. The way I see
it, I did you a favor, Raye." Raye laughed.
"You did yourself a favor, as always. Not that I balme you.
Self interest and preservation are underrated. You know Riddick, I can get you
off this planet, away from those demented fucks at the colony. You and I both
know something funky is going down here, you want to get off and I have the
means. All you have to do is tell me what you did to Johns. It's not a difficult
question." No, it wasn't. But to tell her, to submit to her would mean a
loss of power and control of the situation. She leaned closer, awaiting his
answer. Her curly dark hair fell loose of its restraints and tumbled all around
her round face and plump shoulders. One stray lock brushed Riddick's cheek, its
scent of victory, power and sweet femininity exciting him, arousing him. He
reached up to touch it, to twirl it casually around his finger.
"Now what makes you think I'd tell you that?" he
whispered. She cried out in frustration, slamming her fist into the ground next
to Riddick's head.
"I gave you the chance to do this the easy way!" she
shouted, standing. "Next time, I will not be so charitable!" Raye was
easy to anger, she knew that, and she knew it was something to work on. Anger
was not an asset in her line of work, especially the fitful temper tantrums she
was prone to. They made one reckless, sloppy. But unfortuantely, it was a
personality trait she'd lived with since she was a girl. 'Don't let it bite you
in the ass, girl' is what Johns had taught her 'or it will get your throat slit
when you're not looking.' "Suit yourself, Riddick. I'll be around. And when
the shit goes down in that psycho fuck commune of yours, I'll be waiting for you
to come to me!" She dissapeared into the canyon as if the rock itself had
swallowd her up before his very eyes. Riddick was alone. Slowly he got to his
feet, calmly brushing the dirt and red caly from his clothes. At last, a way off
this shithole, and Riddick would have to find a way of taking it without
submitting to Raye. He didn't trust anyone, just as a general rule, but he would
have to exercise an unusual amount of caution when dealing with Johns' former
lover. And his. He knew what she was capable of. He'd seen it up close and
personal when she'd betrayed him. It was getting late now and Riddick knew he
must return to the settlement before the others woke. He took one last sweeping
glance across the canyon and left.