The Darkness Calls

Title: Emotions and living

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the craziness that spews out of my head. All characters belong to their respective owners. That means I own nothing and have zero money. . .
Author notes & Warnings: M/M fanfic. No Beta. Be afraid. My mood affects my writing

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Riddick's pov
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In the dark Riddick felt at home. In the dark he is the big cat in the jungle, he had the biggest teeth and the sharper claws. Even as a street brat in the foul back allies he was the toughest. The leader. The one the weaker crowded around. He is the one in charge when the lights go out. He's the one that felt at home surround by killers, hookers, and thieves, the scum good folk didn’t like. He is that scum, it fit like a second skin. The light wasn’t for someone like Riddick, the light was for doctors and teachers and those good little weak folk that made the universe spin happily. This planet even made his skin crawl. And that was really laughable! Never-ending darkness should have been a treat for him and his light sensitive eyes.

Not wearing his goggles felt good, fighting the lizards was fun, but really the novelty of it would wear off pretty fast. There was nothing to fuck around here except lizards, Riddick had kinks but bestiality wasn’t one of them.

Being alone didn’t feel the same no more. Riddick felt something missing and that scared the shit out of him. Sitting in the pilot seat of his little ship Riddick cursed the cat and all the deadly little emotions he stirred in him. Under all his denial and anger a teeny tiny piece of him prayed that the pesky milithre had plenty of extra lives. The boy was important to him even though he didn’t want him to be.

Riddick was just about to do the pre-flight process when low and behold Fry came a running and stood there in the headlights. Riddick just looked at her, just locked eyes and looked at her. Unbuckling himself Riddick met her at the ramp. She look like a drenched angry mouse so determined and scared, so full of bluster brandishing her glowing blue booze bottle like a weapon. Riddick liked that. Fry was his type, spunky and wild, strong and beautiful, but most of all easy to throw away after he was done. She could fit right into his fight-fuck-run lifestyle. ‘Hell she would probably like it.’ Riddick thought with a leer.

Leaning on the open ramp Riddick spoke. (1)“Strong survival instinct. I admire that in a woman.”

She glared. “I promised them that we would go back with more light.”

Riddick felt his amusement rise. “Did you? Hmm.”

He could see fire dance in her eyes and he had to bite back a smirk. “What are you afraid?” She taunted.

Riddick had to laugh she was pulling the same shit on him that she did on Johns. Riddick was no doped up fool but he would play along for some shits and giggles just to see what she would do next. Riddick even tested out his acting skills by throwing back his head and giving one of manic bad guy laughs. “Me, afraid?”

She stepped forward a serious look on her face. “Come on Riddick there’s got to be some part of you that want’s to rejoin the human race?”

Riddick backed off a bit not liking were the conversation was going. There was a part of him that wanted to rejoin the many races of man, some of that little part of him he left in the mudslide. Riddick crouched down and looked Fry in the eye, a bit of respect for her sparking in his gut. He decided to take that question seriously and answered it honestly. “Truthfully I wouldn’t know how.”

Anger bloomed on her face and her cheeks reddened. “Well, then just give me more light for them. I’ll go back by myself.”

Riddick wanted to laugh but kept a straight look on his face. “Ok.” Grabbing his busted light belt Riddick tossed it to her. “There you go.”

A look of hopelessness came over her face. “Please just come with me.” Her voice cracked.

‘If only I had a heart.’ Riddick thought. “I got a better idea. Come with me.” Fry would be like any other animal and look out for #1, she had done it before she would do it now. Riddick watched the play of emotion on her face and wanted to snort at the drama she was putting into it. First shock, disbelief, hope, and then righteous anger. What a laugh.

“You’re fucking with me, I know you are!” She hissed.

As quick as his amusement came it vanished. He was now tired of this game and her throwing what little weight she had around. “You know I am? You don’t know anything about me. I will leave you here.” Riddick waved a hand for her to go inside. “Step inside.”

“I can’t.” Fry moaned as she slowly plopped down onto the wet ground.

Riddick stared at Fry and like a bad penny his amusement returned. If she wanted him to tempt her in like one would a skittish filly to its stall he could do that. He held out his hand to her and waited for her to take it. “Here, I’ll make it easy on you. Take my hand.”

Fry started to tear up, then bawl and started shaking her head no.

“Come on. Come on.” Riddick said almost kindly coaxing her with the words she wanted to hear, what anyone would want to hear in her place. “No one’s going to blame you. Save yourself, Carolyn.”

Fry looked up at Riddick her big blue eyes swimming with tears. ‘Crocodile tears.’ Riddick snorted mentally and wondered if there was ever a time when tears effected him? “P-please.” Fry sobbed.

“Come on. Come on.” Riddick said as he went to her and started coaxing her up the ramp like one would a puppy or a baby. And she let him, she just wanted off this rock like him. Looking out for #1. “That’s it. That’s it. Good girl.” Riddick said softly with just a touch of mocking in it. After a second or two of crawling Fry stood up and stumbled up the ramp. A creature wailed close by. Riddick turned and looked straight at it. It bobbed and swayed in front of him just outside of the light. He glowered at it and watched it slink away into the dark. There are threats all around him, Riddick really should have watched Fry because when she tackled him it was a complete surprise. Riddick hates surprises. She landed on top of him and screamed like a hellcat.

“You listen to me! I am the captain of this ship and I am not leaving anyone on this rock with those fucking things even if that means-“ She snarled as she raised her arm up to swing at Riddick. With annoyance simmering under his skin Riddick flipped her off him and reversed there positions. With his shiv snug under her neck he glowered at her. “Get that thing off my neck.” She said as if she thought Riddick wasn’t serious about using it.

“Shut up!” He snapped at her. ‘This is far more trouble then it is worth, what game is she playing?’ Confusion, disbelief, and annoyance swam around in Riddick’s head and made him wonder if she was serious. “You’d die for them?” He had to ask, had to see if she wasn’t just trying to feed him bullshit.

“I’d try for them.” She snapped back as she blinked rain out of her eyes.

‘Wrong answer.’ Riddick was tempted to just slit her throat here and now. “You didn’t answer me.” He growled.

There was silence for a moment. “Yes, I would, Riddick. I would. I would die for them.” She said in a strong voice.

Riddick released her then took off his goggles and just looked at her. He let an amused look cross over his face but inside he was bewildered. “How interesting.”(1) He rumbled out.

Fry looked at him hopefully. ‘Maybe there is more to her . . .’ Riddick thought as they stood staring at each other in the darkness.

***

Riddick couldn’t believe he was doing this. He was sticking his neck out. Breaking rule #1 through 5 in the Riddick code of survival, fuck he was going against his nature! He was risking himself for a scruffy little girl, a battered holy man, and a spunky idiot of a blonde who had more bluster then brains. Speaking of brains where did his brain go? Riddick snorted as he ran. He didn’t know where it went but he did know when it left. It was the moment his eyes locked with slitted honeyed brown ones that ruined him. Finding the spot he dumped the others at Riddick muscled the rock out of the way to reveal Imam and Jack huddled together around a blue light. They looked happy to see him and Fry. Riddick leaned on the rock wall and smirked at them.

Jack grinned at him. (2)“Never had a doubt.”

Riddick’s stomach clinched, he knew the kid was lying through her ass but he still felt a tingle from her words. “Anyone not ready for this?”

Imam stood tall and unafraid. “There is my God Mr. Riddick.”(2)

Riddick wanted to laugh, ‘Did God bring the cat and these people into my life to fuck with me?’ He wouldn't put it past HIM.

Riddick gave them no warning as he started running, taking the lead back to the ship, they would either keep up or die. The thumping of their feet following close behind almost impressed him. They were keeping up. Riddick lead the way, stopped when there was danger in their path and lead them around when it didn’t move. They ran like a pack. When they ran/stumble/crawled up a familiar hill Riddick pushed them on ahead of him so he could watch their backs. “Move! Move! You know the way!” He yelled as he pushed them onward.

A big creature landed in front of Riddick just as he was getting up off the slick muddy ground, he cursed and crab walked backwards. The creature slunk forwards and growled as it showed off it’s gleaming teeth. As he reached the top of the hill Riddick bolted for the town and ran like greased lightning. Riddick was almost to the ship when a lizard landed in front of him. He watched it, watched it uncurl itself and twist around to face him.

Riddick cursed himself in a dozen different languages as he looked around for an escape route. Finding none Riddick got into the creature space and hoped for the best. ‘Looks like it’s time to see if I’m right about that blind spot.’

Step for step Riddick mirrored the creatures movements and kept himself face to face with it. The monster opened its mouth and breathed in the wet air, it growled and snorted but didn’t attack. Riddick could say he was almost enjoyed messing with the beast, it was a rush. It clearly knew something was around. ‘Can’t catch what you can’t see.’

When it turned to leave Riddick back up and prepare to bolt past it when another beast most likely the one from earlier popped up behind him. The other turned and they both stood and faced him crowing with excitement. Slowly Riddick raised his shiv. If he could kill the first one fast he could run for it.

Before the creature could make a move for him Riddick struck first. With his shiv he sliced deep into it’s belly then across it’s skinny neck. It screeched then stumbled and fell to the side giving Riddick just enough room to make a break for it. The injured beast thrashed and reached out for him, he yelled out in pain when a lucky swipe sawed into his upper thigh. Cutting deep and leaving a long burning slash going from his upper thigh to his knee. Riddick cursed as he fell next to the still thrashing lizard, behind him the other lizard crooned and leaped for him. Rolling to the side Riddick just missed getting head butted, when it lifted its mud covered head it seemed dazed. Not waited to see if it truly was or not Riddick half ran half limped away, behind him he could hear it stumble to it’s feet and give chase. The beast was hot on his tail. He tried to run and hold the bleeding at bay as the blood ran hot down his leg, he could already feel dizziness from blood loss starting to cloud his mind. Riddick could feel hot breath on his back and knew it would catch up with him. Kill him. Eat him. Make him part of the fucking chain for life. Then shit him out. ‘So this is how I go? At least it wasn’t by a merc.’ But he is The Riddick and he is not one for giving up or giving into anything. When claws grazed over his back slicing into him Riddick turned and lashed out with his shiv cutting the lizard across the face and neck. It paused from attacking and backed up as it’s life blood starting to pour from its neck. It stumbled to the ground and like roaches others came out of the darkness to feast. Riddick not being stupid kept running. He could hear more creatures behind him, crooning for his blood. Riddick stumbled onward as he fought with his injured leg and blood loss, holding his shiv like a lifeline he forced himself to keep running.

‘They’re probably already gone.’ He thought as the ship came to mind. Riddick half expected to see the burners of the shuttle’s engines light up the sky as he ran. He knew how the so called good guys worked. They wouldn’t wait for someone like him. So when he ran into and almost fell on top of Fry he was surprised, but this time the surprise wasn’t so bad.

He held onto her as dizziness overcame him, held her soft frame to his and just soaked in some of her warmth. She was talking, yelling at him, but he could only hear every other word. It was all ‘Riddick! Riddick!’ or ‘Get up!’. Instinct was screaming the same damn thing but his body just couldn’t cut it this time. It was weak. For a second he looked away from Fry and looked at the muddy ground. It was covered in his blood.

Digging deep inside himself Riddick looked for that energy, that force inside him that kept him going. That bit of him that bounced him back from everything and anything, that piece of him that said ‘Fuck you world! I’m gonna live!’. And like scrapping the jar for the last bit of peanut butter he found it and started to stand in Fry’s desperate hold. Her determined but frightened voice rang clearly in his ears.”Get up! I said I’d die for them, not you. Let’s move. Come on. Come on.” This time she was doing the coaxing.

‘I said I’d die for them, not you.’ echoed in his head and stuck there like a burr. He stuck his neck out for them and she was doing the same for him, inside his chest his heart lurched. They stumbled. They shuffled. Then Fry gasped. Riddick looked her right in the eyes and felt . . . then she was gone.

Falling to the ground Riddick looked into the dark. She was gone and her blood was in the mud mixing with his. “Not for me. Not for me!” He mumbled then yelled. In his head Riddick cursed humanity, Fry, Xander, everyone, for making him care. For the first time in years Riddick was no longer #1 in his life. And that just sucked.

Limping to the ship Riddick looked from Imam to Jack and wished there were a few more folks to fill those seats. Shuffling forward he started the pre-flight procedure again. He wanted off this cursed planet.

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Xander's pov
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“Ship turn on all outside lights and point them at the cave.”

~Of corse Prince Alea`xand`r.~ The floodlights switched on and brightened the whole area around the ship up to thirty ft. ~Power is at 67%.~

Xander stood up and pressed the button to open the ramp. Grabbing the emergency flares from under the captain’s seat Xander ran for the now unblocked cave at full speed. Xander bolted inside fearing for the worst till he heard Greg cursing like a dirty old sailor. The man came lumbering over to Xander loaded like a pack mule and sweating like a birthing cow. Greg huffed and puffed with Hassan over his shoulder, Oren screaming in his sling, and Ali and Davi behind him. The boys were holding onto the man’s shirt and each others hands forcing the man to shuffle slowly along. Shuffle . . .step . . . stumble . . . curse. Xander would have laughed at the look of annoyance on the man’s face if he wasn’t so relieved to see them. Gently taking Hassan then Oren from the sling Xander lead them to the safety of his well lit ship. Just as he stepped onto the ramp Xander saw the bright flash of engine burners soar into the dark sky. Xander watched it for a moment.

“Looks like the others made it out before us.” Greg panted as he stood by Xander’s side and watched the bright dote disappear.

“It would seem so. Sorry I took so long, the trail was . . . real rough.”

Greg looked over Xander’s beat up mud and blood covered form and nods. “Figured. You look like shit, kid.”

Xander frowned. “And you look like a princess.”

Neither had the energy to laugh.

Together they stumbled toward the infirmary and settled the children into the stiff but clean beds in the well lit room. Poor Ali and Davi were asleep before there heads hit the pillows and Hassan remained as unresponsive as ever just a living battered doll. With nurse-like efficacy Xander strapped the kids to the beds for pre-flight take off. Gently Xander force Greg to sit on one of the beds and hold Oren, someone needed to pilot and Greg needed some rest. He looked like a mud covered ghost. “Watch the kids Greg. I’ll be back to check on you all as soon as we’re in space. Strap yourself in.” Xander gestured to the chairs bolted to the walls.

The man nodded droopily and mumbled something Xander couldn’t catch even with his exceptional hearing.

Xander ran through the lit halls to the cockpit and hopped into the pilots chair. Xander was flipping switches and preparing the take off when a thought came to mind, should he check for the others? He saw the ship in the sky heading for space but did it have everyone? Would anyone have waited for Xander’s ship? Activating the bio-scanner, a nifty little merc toy, Xander let it scan for human life. It pinged. A mocking little dot showed up on the monitor and with a sigh Xander followed it even though everything in him just wanted off the planet.

The bio-scanner lead him toward the ghost town and to one of the bigger building that the group never explored during the light. It looked spooky and reminded Xander of those old haunted houses. Xander was tempted to just leave but the bio-scanner pinged insistently.

With flares in one hand and his trusty sword in the other Xander left his safe and bright Firefly for the creepy life sign holding building. Inside he found a scene from Alien. Pods. Dozens of egg pods, body parts, bones, and the giant lizard asleep in the middle of it all. Xander wanted to back out immediately when he saw the familiar parts of Shezza and Paris and Zeke and others. They were like a sick little garden of fingers, elbows, and sightless eyes. It made Xander’s stomach rebel, he could feel sour bile rise up in his throat.

The large female yawned. Unbelievably sharp teeth a great white shark would be proud of, a mouth that could open up at a ninety degree angle, two whip-like spiked tails, and a muscled body comparable in size to a horse was not something Xander wanted to meet in the dark. Yet here he was in the dark with a big ass’d female lizard ready to rend the flesh from his bones and screams from his throat . . . and maybe a bit of urine from his cock. Well if she woke up. ‘Don’t wake up. Don’t wake up. Don’t wake up. Don’t wake up. Don’t wake up.’ Xander chanted to himself as he looked around for the living person that was among the corpses.

Following the dim emotions of the hurt person Xander came across a bloody blond head. Fry. Resting against a pile of lizard and human body parts Fry lay crumbled there barely breathing. Besides the deep gouges in her sides and the goose egg on her forehead the woman seemed stable-ish.

Xander stared at the woman and half wondered if he should bother. The lizard snorted in its sleep jolting Xander to move. Cursing what was left of his White knight soul Xander threw one of her arms over his shoulder and started dragging the woman out. With one eye on the ‘Eat you in one bite’ lizard and the other looking out for surprises Xander slowly and quietly headed for the ship.

As he was moving backwards Xander slipped on an arm with no other part attached and other squishy things he did not want to look to closely at, he fell on his butt and the blond pain in the ass landed in his lap. Fry let out a loud wet gurgled moan as her wound was brushed, the moan was so loud it compared to a car crash in the tense silence. The large female creature shifted.

Xander’s eyes widened and he paled. ‘Some god must love to fuck with me . . .’ Xander thought as his stomach sunk down to his feet and his heart made a new home in his throat. The large female creature shifted and slowly lifted her massive head. ‘Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!’ Thought Xander as he stared right at the monster that was now aware of him.

Rrrrrrooooowwwww! She crowed and sounded almost pleased.

Xander was all for pleasing strong scary female types but not when it involved eating and/or killing of the Xander unit. Scrambling to his feet Xander grabbed Fry’s arm and started dragging her to the door, and if she thumped the stairs a time or two on the way down . . . Collateral damage, he would smooth out all the dents like any good fixer-uppy-type. Xander didn’t stop running till he was safely inside the ship and even then he did not put away his sword or his unused flare.

***

Around him the ship rumbled and shook as if in pain. He could see the outside of it turning red-hot. As the control stick vibrated in his hand Xander feared the old ship might not make it, but just as he feared the rough ride would not end and space would not be reached everything smoothed out and the big black appeared in the dirty view window. When they finally reached orbit a heavy weight lifted from Xander’s shoulders and he let out a relieve but exhausted laugh. It was like chains coming off. “We made it. We made it.” Sitting back in his comfy seat Xander watched the darkness open up presenting him with light and stars and jewel like planets. Happily Xander reactivated the AI. “Auto pilot take over I need a break.”

~As you wish captain Alea`xand`r.~

Xander may have been napping minutes or hours when something startled him awake.

Ping!

“Ship what's that noise?”

~Emergency frequency has pick up a signal. Five clicks ahead of us just beyond the next planet’s rings.~

Xander sat up and smiled. ‘Riddick.’

Just ahead of him floating gently in space was the little shuttle. “Open a connection with them.”

~As you wish.~

Putting on the headset with shaky hands Xander spoke into it. “Riddick?”

“Xander?” That smoky voice rolled over Xander and left tingles in its wake. Xander smiled.

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(1) and (2) are lines from the movie Pitch Black.
MoonKat: The world must be ending I said I'd update soon and I did! Xander fix for everyone! One more chapter to go. Oh and thank you Storm I'm feeling much better! ^_^