Bringing it down

venes GOOD! So it had an impact on you? I like that! :-)

yarvarni Riddick with baby, yes, wasn´t that obvious? *LOL*

Death Update for you sweetie!


Disclaimer: I don´t own the characters you recognise from PB or TCoR, I don´t make any money out of this story!

Chapter 19 Who’s afraid of the dark?

“No, Lajjun!” Karyn replied and shook her head smiling, yet cursing inwardly. “No, I don’t want to marry this `suitable bachelor` either!”

“Ah, but sweet Karyn” Lajjun said and placed her hands on each of Karyn´s cheeks, trying to make her listen to reason. “You can not keep on living in that deserted neighborhood without the protection of a man, and you have your little boy to think of, he needs a father figure in his life.”

Karyn looked over at Jarid who was playing with Ziza in a sandpit in a more protected part of Imam’s big garden. For the moment it wasn't raining and you could smell the heavy scent from the wet earth. She sighed when she saw all the mud on Jarid´s pants.

“Leave him out of this. You know I want to live alone, Lajjun. All marriage ever gave me was a headache.” Karyn got up and gathered her tea cup and her belongings.

“Thank you for inviting us; it was a pleasure as always… We need to get back now, before it starts pouring again.”

It was the rainy season on Helion Prime, and it had rained for a full month now, with few exceptions. The streets were flooded, the roots of the plants rotted and you never felt really dry. The worst part however was that people went crazy this time of year. Crime rates went up, as did suicides. The darkness and the moistness ate itself into the very minds of the planet’s inhabitants, turning friends into enemies and decent people into monsters.

“Karyn” Lajjun laid a hand on Karyn´s arm, “perhaps we could let Jarid sleep here this night again? Ziza appreciates it so much, she adores him and sees herself as his little mommy you know.”

Karyn hesitated; she’d missed him last night but on the other hand it was a good thing. She had a leaking window she needed to fix, the sooner the better. It would be easier without her little one year-old running around everywhere, talking all the time and sticking his little nose into everything.

She nodded “OK” and went over to Jarid and Ziza.

“Honey, do you want to stay this night also with auntie Lajjun, uncle Abu and Ziza?”

Jarid clapped his hands and looked like a question mark and said “Zi-Za.” Karyn smiled affectionately at her son and kissed him on the rich dark hair on his head.

On her way out she waved to Lajjun and half-shouted “But tomorrow he comes home with me, two nights in a row is a little too much.”

“You need a man!” Lajjun shouted back and grinned.

Karyn grimaced on her way out through the gates but couldn't help smiling a little also. No matter how annoying these little persuasion attempts were, it was still good to have people who cared.

It was a long walk; it would take more than an hour. Karyn appreciated it though, soon it would start raining again and then you hardly smelled fresh air, rushing between transporter shuttles and home or work as you were.

At first she just enjoyed the walk, but soon her thoughts began to drift, and inevitably they lingered with Riddick. This last year she'd gone through the process of missing him, hating him, accusing him, being happy that he was gone and back to missing him.

She couldn't believe she even thought of him. There was no reason in that. She'd known him only for a few days and most of the time lived in thebelief that she wouldn't make it out alive.

What was there to miss?

Still, she couldn't get him out of her system. He occupied her thoughts as soon as she had some time on her own. His voice, his touch, the look in his eyes when he'd made love to her, how he'd cared for her that whole day and night during and after her labor.

But he was gone! GONE!

He doesn’t care about you, otherwise he wouldn't have left! It’s as simple as that, Karyn dear!

Her feet kept hammering the rough stones in the pavement. That’s when she felt the first drops of rain against her cheek.

Oh no! she thought. I have at least 40 minutes left, I'm gonna drown if it really starts to rain again!

There were no people outside anymore, and that was not a good sign, she realized. No, over there were some! Karyn noticed a group of men a little further down the street. It made her feel slightly uneasy, but no, you're stupid, she thought, they're doing something there, they are probably working.

Still she kept watching them carefully as she got closer. When she was only a few steps away, the small crowd of four or five men divided. In the gap between them she saw a man lying in an awkward position with a knife between his shoulders.

Karyn gasped and the men all turned around in an instant. In full panic she spun around and began to run like she’d never run before. She could hardly breathe and she felt like the surrounding buildings were leaning towards her, crowding her, trying to catch her. The rain kept falling harder and harder and when Karyn slipped in the mud and fell, she realized that this time luck wasn't going to be on her side.

The sounds of feet that had been following her came to a halt and a hand gripped at her coat, pulling her to her feet. She lunged forward in an attempt to get free and almost succeeded as the coat was ripped from her body. The man was faster though and took a firm hold of her upper arm instead.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here!?” the man said and licked his lips in anticipation. Two more men had joined in and laughed. It was a raw sound. The first man had a strangely cut beard, she noticed, and his eyes gleamed menacingly.

Karyn tried to pull her arm free. One of the other men gripped both of her arms and held them behind her back, while the third man pulled out a big knife and held it in front of Karyn´s face. Blinking away the rain from her eyelids, she turned her head away and tried to jerk free from the iron grip.

Number three turned the blade slowly in front of her eyes. “Easy now little lady, we're just going to enjoy ourselves. Hope you don't mind.” Then he looked at his mates and roared with laughter: “What am I saying? We don't give a shit if you mind.” He slid the edge of his knife down the front of her blouse, dividing the thin fabric, but then in anticipation just ripped it open. With the sharp tip of his knife he cut away her bra in two quick moves, not even caring that he nicked the skin between her breasts. In the rain that was streaming down on her naked skin, drops of blood now joined in.

Karyn was scared to death, she knew she was about to get raped, AGAIN!

What was worse though, a lot worse, was that she was fairly positive they would kill her afterwards this time. She'd already seen them kill a man… She mourned that she would never again see Jarid. That she wouldn't see her son grow up and develop into a man.

“Bend her over” the first man growled to his buddies. They pushed her to the ground and forced her over on her hands and knees. It seemed like he didn't feel like waiting anymore, he just flung her skirt up over her head and cut away her trousers.

Clamping her legs tightly together, she shivered with fear and disgust as she anticipated the pain and humiliation that would come.

But it didn't come!

What was he waiting for? She heard a muffled sound, like a cough, and then she jerked with surprise as she suddenly had a man falling on top of her.

Karyn screamed in terror mixed with anger. She pushed the now limp body off of hers and could finally pull back the skirt from over her head. The two men that had been holding her had suddenly released her. In a haze she watched as they roared and cursed and took a leap over her to get to someone who was standing further away in the pouring rain.

She couldn't see it clearly. They were attacking a big man and he was defending himself. Obviously he was doing very well. She could see one of the men fall to the ground.

The man that first had attacked her now lay with his face in the mud. He had a knife in his back and wasn't moving anymore. Karyn kicked her boot clad foot in his side with all the strength her adrenaline rush could muster. Then her eyes fell on the knife.

Suddenly she was hit by one of the men who, literally came flying through the air, and slumped by her feet, it was number two.

She slipped and fell again, and as she did she watched in awe as the new attacker was getting closer. What did he want with these men? Would he want something from her also? Karyn huddled and didn't dare to look up. That’s when she felt a gentle grip at her chin and was forced to lift her head.

Immediately she burst out in tears.

“Riddick!” she hiccupped.

Then she screamed “Look out! Behind you!”

Riddick spun around and blocked a blow with his arm. Number three came for him, his face twisted into a hateful expression and holding a knife in his hand. Out of nowhere Riddick also produced a short, curved knife and the two men circled each other with almost graceful steps, like a dance, Karyn thought.

Number two woke up and decided he wanted to play also. Karyn threw herself out of the way as the two men began circling Riddick.

Karyn watched in awe the death dance in front of her, praying Riddick knew what he was doing.

Suddenly one of the men tried to cut Riddick who dodged and took a swipe with his own blade. Karyn barely saw him move and the man was still standing. Cursing, Karyn rose to her feet and, without a second thought, yanked the knife out of the back of the man lying by her feet. Riddick had missed, he needed her help! When she looked up again after a couple of seconds the man was lying on the ground, bleeding profusely from a long wound in his stomach.

She sank back on her knees, trembling, and dropped the knife. What in heavens name had she been thinking!

The remaining man roared and lunged at Riddick who elegantly slid out of the way and kicked his opponent’s legs, forcing him to fall to the ground. In one move Riddick was on top of the other, who lay on his stomach. Riddick had a knee in the back of the man and forced his head up by his hair. For a split second both men looked at Karyn, the man on the ground with pleading, fearful eyes and Riddick with a cold, expressionless face, then Riddick cut the other man´s throat and his blood splattered on the ground, mixing with the rain.

Karyn recognized that face on Riddick, she'd met it before! She felt a deep inner pain and began to convulse. Grasping at her stomach, she kept throwing up until she was spent.

She was still lying there, her hands covering her face, when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Karyn jerked and beat at the hand.

“Get away from me! Go!” she yelled and sobbed mindlessly. “Just go” she whispered, almost out of voice.

“Karyn” Riddick said with his gravel voice, “I'm not leaving you here. I'm taking you home.”
He pulled her up and supported her with a strong arm around her waist. Karyn screamed and struggled to get free, she pulled and beat at his arms to try to make him lose his grip, but it was futile. Finally she hung limp and exhausted, breathing heavily and had to give up. She looked up at him and found that he had an almost amused expression on his face.

“What's so funny?” she sneered, her voice hoarse from all the screaming.

Riddick chuckled: “Just look at you. You never give up, do you? That's what I like about you.” He pulled off his coat, “Here, take this, let’s go.”

That was when she realized she was still half naked, and freezing cold. Thankfully she accepted his offer and slowly they began to walk.

Karyn looked up at the huge man walking next to her. He looked just like she remembered him. It felt like she'd seen him only yesterday. She didn't know exactly when it happened, but at some point during the long walk he had put his arm around her and she had leaned her head lightly against his shoulder, letting the warmth from his body slowly penetrate her armor.