A Dark Horizon (PB2): Chapter Nine-Cold Storage
A quiet stirring caught Imam’s attention. At first he thought it was Riddick, sneaking
back into camp unnoticed. He went to investigate, keeping himself hidden in the
shadows of the settlement’s hard, square buildings. It was cold, much colder than it had
been the past few mornings. ‘Winter must be coming’ the muslim thought, trying to still
his chattering teeth in fear that the sound would give him away.
A figure ducked out of one of the buildings, shrouded in a heavy quilted parka that
concealed any hints at the form’s identity. Curious behavior indeed, Imam thought as
the figure glanced around cautiously once before stealing away like the bitter morning
breeze. Once the figure was out of sight, Imam krept silently to the building, slowly and
carefully pulling back the metal door.
The inside seemed to be some sort of storage facility, boxes and crates were scattered
about the floor, empty and smashed from the mass hysteria the proceeded the settlers
exodus. At the far end of the room was a door made of thick steel with a large,
protective lock about waist high. It was the only part of the room not covered in a thick
layer of dust and therefore Imam concluded that it had been the destination of the
mysterious hooded figure. An examination of the lock revealed a simple bolt device that
the muslim opened without effort. A blast of cold air blew past him as the door came
open. Cold storage, or perhaps some sort of refridgeration unit.
Imam stepped inside and gasped in horror and shock and what he found. Body parts,
dozens of them, dangling from hooks from the ceiling like a meat locker, black, clotted
blood conjealing at thier severed ends. “Allah!” he exclaimed, covering his nose and
mouth in disgust. A human slaughter house. That would answer a lot of questions.
Abandoned here with no off-planet contact, no way of calling for help, they took to
eating each other to survive. A gruesome parctice indeed, but a neccissary evil in
certain circumstances. But this, this was calculated, viscous, brutal. This was the work
of a psychopath.
Something struck Imam on the crown of his head causing him to stagger forward and
fall to the floor. His brain spun around and danced in his head, and his eyesight
became blurry. In his last minutes of consciousness he heard the door swing closed
behind him and the bolt activate, knowing full well that he may never wake again.
“Riddick, something’s wrong,” Jackie reported worriedly as the escaped convict
returned to his quarters in the colony. The girl frowned, watching the usually nimble
Riddick limp over to his cot and struggle to sit. “What the hell happened to you?” she
asked wrinkling her nose. Riddick just shrugged, binding a wound he had just noticed
he had on his left shoulder. “Listen, Imam’s missing, I can’t find him anywhere. And I
found this in the doorway when I woke up. It’s for you.” She handed him a small piece
of folded paper with a note written on the inside. It read: ‘Need to talk. Meet me tonight
in the domed building when the others are asleep.’ It was unsigned. “Are you going to
do it?” Jackie inquired, raising an eyebrow.
It didn’t seem like the wisest of ideas, but Riddick’s curiosity was getting the better of
him. If it was a trap of some sort it would serve to keep him on his toes, especially since
he felt as if he was getting soft, out of shape. “I’ll think about it,” he said, casually
crumpling up the note and tossing it aside. He hoped to discourage her from tagging
along in a situation that could prove dangerous. “How long has the holy man been
missing?” He was purposely avoiding the subject of Raye. He didn’t want Jackie to
worry any more than she already was. He’d tell her when the time was right.
“Coupla hours now, he didn’t come to breakfast,” she sighed. “I was hoping he’d gone
to find you, but then you came back alone.”
Riddick nodded, drawing a deep long breath of air into his lungs. “I’ll look for him, but
I’ll have to do this discreetly. Don’t want no one suspecting nothing. You promise me to
stay here while I’m gone, keep the door closed, don’t let anyone in, not even
Cassandra. Understand? I don’t trust anyone right now.” The girl nodded and complied,
taking a seat on the floor. “Good, I’ll be back,” he told her, standing and moving
towards the door, “watch your back, kiddo.”