Pain and Possession

t didn’t take Riddick long to find his prey and he concluded that either the man was exceptionally brave or extremely stupid. He had made no attempts to keep his whereabouts a secret. It was as if he wanted Riddick to find him and was making it as easy as possible.

Riddick entered the small apartment his son was being kept in the dead of the night. It was his kind of time; it was the time when most people were asleep and dreaming about all sorts of things. A few unlucky ones would be having nightmares.

His feet made no noise as he walked soundlessly through the one bedroom apartment that he’d found out had been rented just recently; it was used as a safe place to keep his son he surmised. Or so they thought, what they didn’t realize was that as long as they had his son no one would be safe.

He heard a soft rustling sound come from the bedroom and froze, thinking it was someone getting up. After a few precious seconds and he saw no one he continued until he was inches away from the open door of the bedroom.

Relaxing his body, he opened his sense to his surroundings and tried to feel what was in the other room before he went in. Slowly the sound of two people breathing steadily came to him. The first breathing was the deep heavy breathing of an adult and the other was the rapid shallow one of a small child. He smiled.

Palming the shiv he’d bought, he stepped into the small room and used his night vision to scan the room. The bed was in the far corner against the wall and there were two shapes under a thin cover on it.

Still moving as soundless as the night air, he reached over the sleeping body and picked up his son, hoping the child made no noise that would alert the person who was sleeping. From the hair that spilled onto the pillow Riddick knew it was a woman who slept there.

Holding the sleeping child as gently as possible in his roughened hands Riddick stepped back and disappeared into the shadows once again. He would have dearly loved to leave some kind of message with the sleeping woman for Masters but he decided against it with the child in his arms.

Things had a way of escalating and getting out of control when one least expected it to and he had the child’s safety to think about first. Whoever she was should thank her lucky stars for that fact, it was because of that that Riddick didn’t linger over her death. With a quick downwards thrust of his shiv, he killed her swiftly, burying it deep into the back of her neck where it met her head. She shuddered once in the bed and then gave a sigh and was dead. Riddick showed as much emotion as one did when swatting a mosquito; he hoped she was someone who meant something to Masters.

The fact that the boy was gone would have to suffice for now Riddick decided. He smiled a deadly smile as he thought about the recompense he would take from Masters for the unmitigated gall of stealing what belonged to him. Since he wanted Riddick; he would make sure the man got Riddick.

The child slept through the entire journey home and Riddick used the time to check him over to make sure there were cuts or bruises or any kind of injuries on him. The only thing he noted was tears stains though.

Caron was still up when he stepped through the door with Rick later that night. She had found it impossible to eat or sleep, the only thing she seemed capable of doing was brooding as she waited for word from Riddick. He’d been gone all day and she was getting worried, even though she told herself she hadhinghing to worry about.

The minute she saw him with her son a feeling of relief so vast swept through her she felt her legs turn to water. She had stood at his entrance but then she had to sit right back down, a cry of gratification and pure joy loosed itself from her throat and she reached out with shaking arms for her sleeping baby whom she woke only minutes r asr as she checked him for any injuries.

Riddick didn’t bother to tell her he had already done the same, he knew she would have to see for herself. Sitting down in an arm chair opposite them he watched silently as she cried and fretted over her son, touching him constantly to make sure he was real and not some figment of her imagination. Rick was just as happy to see his mother and sleep was forgotten as he clung to her tightly afraid to let go after being separated for so long.

Through out it all Riddick stayed silent, and he found that he enjoyed watching them together. They were his and he was their protector.

“Thank you” she said suddenly, looking up at him. Her voice held a strange note and he could sense thcertcertainty that wafted from her. She wasn’t sure about him, he knew. He was the man who had vowed to kill her, who had abused her body and yet he was the one who had brought her son back to her alive.

Riddick didn’t know how to react either. He had wanted her dead, more than he had wanted anyone else, even Johns, dead. Now he was here watching her happy reunion with her son and feeling full of an emotion he had thought it would be impossible for him to ever feel again, especially about her.

The beast suddenly felt apprehensive and he wanted out of there. Silently he stood to his feet and as quickly as he could without running, even though the beast wanted to very badly, he left.

He couldn’t give in to her; if he did then he would become the one thing he hated. He would become Richard and then life as they knew it would be destroyed. Richard was gone, he wasn’t allowed back, he couldn’t be allowed back. It was Richard who had made all the w dec decisions in the life before; it was Richard who had fucked up. No it was better this way. He would leave her and the boy. Keeping them would cost him too much.

He made it as far as the door.

They’re mine! The beast howled inside, gnashing his fangs angrily and roaring his fury at having to give up his prized possessions. They belonged to him, he had to keep them, they were his, it was his right!

Richard roared his anger too, he was staying, he let the beast know unequivocally and the beast said nothing, glad to let Richard decide. The beast was torn about what to do and Richard used that to put his foot down on its back. They would stay he decided.

The sound of Rick’s sleepy voice as he talked to his mother was like a lure and slowly he felt his feet turn and he headed back to them. Even as he growled out the foolishness of his actions the beast eagerly looked towards them both as they looked up at his sudden reentrance.

Caron sensed something was not right with him. His eyes held a wild look that reminded her of a wild animal that was brought down and somehow knew it was about to spend its life in captivity. She had expressed her gratitude to him but he had walked out and she had thought, hoped, despaired he had left.

Looking at him she wasn’t sure of anything anymore. She still hated him, she knew she did, she had to, he was the one who hurt her. She had to hate him no ifs ands or buts about it.

She glanced up at him and in that instant she swore she saw a shadow of the man she had once known, a man she could never have hated, a man whose very life she’d once pleaded for. She hated him, she told herself over and over again. She had to.

Riddick sat slowly in the chair and Caron turned her attention back to her son who crawled happily all over her, ecstatic to be with his mother once again, his traumatic experience all but forgotten now that he was with her.

“Man” he said suddenly, pointing at Riddick, staring at him with no fear.

Caron’s eyes glanced at Riddick’s and she found her gaze locked with his when his eyes caught hers and held it captive. He was more than a man, she thought, he was a mixture of part animal, part man and part myth. He was an indestructible force that left a mark on the body and soul of every person he met or killed. He was an enigma a puzzle that could never be solved. He was everyone’s worst nightmare come true. He was everything and nothing. He was just Riddick.

Caron wondered what went on inside his head; she wondered if he had normal thoughts like other people did. She wondered if there ever was a normal for him, if he ever allowed anyone get inside his head.

He knew what she was thinking, she was sure of it. His gaze probed her mind and read all her secrets and everything else she tried to hide. He left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. Caron tore her gaze away, trembling slightly.

She was afraid of him he realized, at one time in the not too distant past that would have been a good thing, he would have fed of her fright and revel in it, but now he hated it. He didn’t want her to be afraid of him, the beast didn’t want her fear… he wanted….

A growl low in his throat stopped the thought, the beast shook his head, he knew nothing but pain and possession. He wanted nothing but pain and possession. He eyes widened and it was then Riddick realized he was staring at her and growling low in his throat. He stopped.

After a long uncomfortable while she spoke. ‘What did you do to Masters” her voice was husky from the strain it had been through in the past few days.

“Nothing” he admitted, then, “What do you want me to do?”

She hesitated and looked at him as if she thought he was playing with her or something.

“Well” he pressed, no matter what she said he knew already what he was going to do but he thought it would be interesting to hear what she would say.

“I want you to kill him” she admitted at last, looking around guiltily as she said the words out loud. Caron didn’t like the words that came out of her mouth but they were what she held in her heart. She wanted Masters dead for what he did to her and her child. She flushed uncomfortably at the smile that suddenly appeared on Riddick’s face.

“I want him dead…” she said again with more conviction, “I want him to suffer… I want you to make him suffer” she meant ever word she said and as she said it she realized that it felt good getting it off her chest.

“He’ll suffer Caron” Riddick promised, “Make no mistake about that…he’ll suffer”

“Good’ she nodded, satisfied. She looked own at the boy in her arms who was nodding and she stood. “I think I should get him to bed”

Riddick nodded but didn’t say anything.

Caron wondered if he would leave now that it was finished. She suddenly didn’t want him gone. She felt secure with him there, she felt like nothing could harm them as long as he was around to keep danger at bay. She wondered how she could ask him to stay.

“I’ll be here” he said suddenly, once again making her feel as if he could read her mind.

She didn’t answer him verbally, not sure what to say. Instead she nodded her head and headed for her bed.

Later on when they were sleeping soundly he entered her room and looked down at her. He hadn’t been able to close his eyes and sleep, not that he needed much anyway. The beast was watching over them protectively, he was guarding his treasure, he didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to watch.

He made himself comfortable in a shadowy corner of the room and watched, determined that as long as he was around he would let nothing harm them. They were his. His.