Tainted Souls

Chapter 3 : Menace in the Mines

For the past three months, Riddick has been working the graveyard shift over at the mines. Its hard work, with decent pay, but its all he can do for now. The hours are excellent for him. Only a handful of workers are chosen for the graveyard shift, the less Riddick has to mingle, the better.

The next evening Riddick heads for work, kissing his wife and children goodbye; a simple schedule that he’s grown accustomed too, but hasn’t failed to appreciate. Everyday Riddick takes a different route to work, being careful not become too predictable. ‘Old habits die hard’ he thinks to himself. As he walks to work, something lingers in the air. A sense of alarm perhaps? The mist-covered hills, give the night an unusual creepiness even for Riddick. Whatever it is, Riddick knows it has to do with his sleepless nights. Something is definitely growing nearer.

“Its gonna be a long night” Riddick says out loud. Minutes later Riddick arrives at the mines and goes through the usual paperwork and starts his shift.

Vincent Plao is the only man who has been successful in sparking an ongoing conversation with Riddick. They have even begun taking breaks together and discussing their private lives. The other men were too inquisitive for their own good, which Riddick considers hazardous for their health. Vince however let Riddick talk and if silence intervened then he’d talk about himself or his family. Vincent is a big man, standing roughly about 6’ 3”, muscular with a broad face, he shares the same expressionless look as Riddick, that can only mean that he’d also spent some time in slam. That conversation hasn’t come up yet, but would eventually. The only sign of any feelings would could from his deep green eyes. They would shimmer whenever he was happy or scorch when he was angry. They remind Riddick of Jack’s eyes. Maybe another reason he feels comfortable talking with Vince or Vin as he likes to be called, not that Riddick ever called him that.

Riddick learned that Vince has a family, two daughters and a loving wife that he’s known since they were children. The two men are very much alike in many ways. Both came to Belloso to start a new, clean and worry free life. Although the latter seems to be fading lately for Riddick.

Work is extremely busy this evening, a few miners didn’t show up and the work was divided amongst the rest of the miners. Riddick and Vincent are sent deep into the mines with a heavy cargo of dynamite. They’re to place the dynamite in the appropriate ‘weak spots’ and once they are outside and clear from danger they detonate. Once the smoke is clear they begin to make trips in and out of the mines taking out all the rocks, dirt and clearing a deeper path. Both men are chatting and joking. Vince has the map that tells them the exact location where the dynamite is to be placed. Riddick pauses, taking a break; he reaches for his holster, which carries a canteen of water and takes a swig. Vince does the same with his own water.

Vince takes a seat on a nearby boulder, “Tell me again, why I do this?” he asks with a slight pant and closes his canteen.

Riddick smirks at his question, “Oh, come on you know why. Besides the terrible hours, the shitty scenery and stingy salary, this is our dream job” both men begin to laugh.

Their laughter is interrupted by a hushed cry. Riddick pretends to be just as alerted as Vince ist tht the truth is he’d already sensed the other person in the shaft with them.

“Did you hear that?” Vince asks putting his canteen away and standing up. Riddick simply nods and begins to walk deeper into the shaft. Vince follows close behind. Riddick turns on his LED flashlight, which due to the darkness and dust in the mines only illuminates about 30 yards in front of them. The flashlight of course is more for Vince’s advantage than for Riddick’s; he can actually see further down withoue lie light thanks to his eyes. A slithery movement catches Riddick’s attention; he doesn’t want Vince to notice any hesitation so he slows his pace down a little. As they get closer whatever it is begins to hiss in a defensive manner.

“What the fuck is it?” Vince says in disgust. Riddick hands Vince the flashlight, but he doesn’t turn around. He doesn’t want to takes his eyes away from this thing, not even for a second. Riddick begins to concentrate, but is unable to read its mind. However he can tell its in distress, pain, probably hurt. He can also tell its not human.

Vince finally spots the creature and informs Riddick. At the sounds of his voice the creature turns to look at them. Glimmering topaz eyes shine through the dass; ss; its fangs are stained with fresh blood causing Vince to gasp.

“Don’t move” Riddick warns. Vince doesn’t have a problem complying. Behind the creature lies a corpse. Most likely a miner from the day shift that managed to injure it, but never quite made it out. Slowly, Riddick walks closer to it. The creature is just crouched down staring and hissing. It has no intention on striking that much Riddick can sense, but not just that, it’s afraid, like a cornered animal. ick ick realizes that IT, this creature is a child, male from the look of his features or close to it. Its extended fangs, pale skin and enlarged eyes distort his face. Vince sees the dead miner on the ground and steps closer to takbettbetter look at the creature.

“Holy shit man! What the fuck is that thing?” obviously Vince has never witnessed anything like this and he doesn’t seem to be handling it very well either. Riddick wonders for a brief moment how his companion would’ve handled himself on that nightmare of a planet he and Jack escaped years ago. ‘Probably wouldn’t have made it’ Riddick thinks.

“It’s hurt, it looks like its dying” Riddick lies. The creature is indeed hurt, but he can feel the energy surging from it; it’s healing itself.

“Well let’s save it from suffering, shall we?” Vince grabs his metal digging pick and raises it in the air. Riddick grabs his hand and stops him.

“Wait! Let me talk to it” Riddick crouches down, far enough in case it does decide to attack.

“Talk? Are you fucking serious? This thing just killed that guy and you want to have a goddamn conversation with it?” Vince scoffs and twirls around agitated.

“Who are you?” Riddick asks, intrigued with the child. The ability alone to heal itself is enough to make Riddick curious and want to know more about it. After all he possesses the same ability, even the eyes are similar to his. He’s sure it saw him and Vince coming long before they saw him. Nevertheless the creature just stares at him dumbfound. Its eyes give off a perplexed look, as if he’d never seen another person before. It hisses softly, to let Riddick know he is aware of his actions and would strike if taunted. But the look he gave Vince was totally different, an angry stare that Riddick could not understand at the moment. Perhaps it’s the fact that Vince is standing behind him with a pick ready to off him.

Riddick doesn’t have enough time to find out, the creature sprints towards Vince with unnatural speed, shoving Riddick out of the way. Vince is caught off guar it it pounces on him, throwing them both backwards on the gravel. The creature starts to claw at Vince, scratching his neck, face, any part that is exposed. Vince realizes that when he fell the pick slid about three feet away. Riddick tries to pry the child off of him but his strength is supernatural. Vince digs his heels to the ground and bucks upwards towards the pick, one hand fending the creature off, the other reaches out to grab the pick, but all he grabs is dirt and rocks. Once more Vince flings his arm upwards towards the pick and makes contact with it. He drags it close to his body, so he has a better aim, and then swings it hitting the creature in the chest. Startled by the sudden impact, it stumbles backwards and hits the rock wall behind it, he slides down the wall staring at the metal object jammed in his chest. Riddick helps Vince up from the ground and both men turn to look at the creature on the ground; its still alive and in pain.

The creature locks eyes with Riddick and bellows out, “Rrraaaiiinnn” in desperation. Vince kicks him in the chest sending the pick deep into its heart and in front of their eyes it turns into dust. Riddick remains speechless. That name; Rain. Although he’s certain he’d never met anyone by that name, somehow he’s familiar with it. Riddick can hear Vince shouting obscenities to no one in particular. Staring at the pile of dust on the ground Riddick recalls the creatures face just before it was turned to dust. He pitied the creature.
The way he called that name, almost like a cry for help and if it was a cry for help, then his concern now is, who would answer it.


To be continued . .