Prophecy

She lay completely content, snuggled securely in his arms, the radiating heat of his naked body warming her to the core. She could feel the rhythmic beating of his heart against her cheek and she smiled as his breathing deepened and turned into a soft rumble as he drifted into sleep.







FLASH:



The room is dark, dingy. The tattered curtains on the windows matching perfectly with the frayed blankets sitting on the cots lined up neatly along the mouldy wall. The hard floors are bare adding to the Spartan feel of the complex. Grimy dishevelled children of varying ages skulk around some poking fingers through their badly patched clothes. Several of the younger ones sit in groups playing games while the older children watch from a distance through dark haunted eyes, eyes that speak of horror, of pain; eyes that are better served on dying men that know no hope, rather than children barely into puberty.



She sits alone in a corner, trembling, her knees pulled up tight against her chest, fat tears spilling from her big green eyes and tumbling down her gaunt cheeks. Nobody pays any attention to her, nobody cares. She is just another tiny body to dress, another hungry mouth to feed. She may as well be invisible, may as well not exist. He looks down at her, feels her sadness, knows her pain. She is a younger version of him, lost, alone. He kneels before her and reaches his hand out tentatively and touches her face. Her skin feels soft, warm and wet. She jumps, startled by the unfamiliar feel of human touch, her eyes shooting open and coming fearfully into focus.



“Sh, it’s ok,” he says softly and smiles.



Her gaze moves across his face and settles on his dark brown eyes and suddenly her trembling stops. All her fear, all her pain melts away and a strange sensation settles over her. She reaches out and touches him and for the first time he sees her smile. Pulling her into his arms he holds her and she settles contently into his chest, transferring the sensation to him. He has no idea what this feeling is, he has no memory of feeling this way in the past, all he knows is that he likes it. It makes the fear and the pain diminish, makes his existence almost bearable, maybe even pleasurable. It makes him feel…







FLASH:



He is looking down into a large pit, all around him the smells of dirty bodies, of alcohol, of stale tabac fill his nostrils. There is nothing like a good pit fight to get the early morning adrenalin flowing. Money is exchanging hands and the cacophony of voices suddenly gets louder as the sound of steel grating against rock pierces the air. The metal gate rises slowly and a dirty ragged figure is shoved into the pit, the gate sliding shut behind her. He studies her for a moment. She is young, ten at the most and grossly undernourished. Her dark hair is matted, her tattered clothes falling of her shoulders revealing skin pulled tautly over a bony frame. He wonders at how long it’s been since her parched lips tasted water, let alone food. It’s going to be another blood bath. This scrap of a thing is no match for the Hellcat, no matter how young the animal supposedly is. There is no sport in this. The kid doesn’t stand a chance. He decides against betting on this massacre and is about to move on.



Picking herself up off the dirt floor she looks around, her eyes finally settling on the young hungry hellcat that is pawing at the bars waiting to get its next meal. She sniffs and exhales loudly, resigning herself to her fate. Looking up into the crowd she scans the faces, as in a final farewell to the world then catches his eye. A glimmer of recognition sparks through her and she stares at him, wanting to keep a familiar face in sight at the moment of her death.



He never imagined that it would be possible to be paralysed by someone’s stare but that’s exactly what those big green eyes framed by dust and dirt do to him. He recognizes her almost instantly, like she was a part of him. He is frozen by her stare, the look of resignation in her eyes tearing at his very soul.



A loud screech pierces the air as slowly the bars are lifted and the young hellcat is released into the pit. The cat lumbers out and growls. As young as it is claimed to be, the cat still looks lethal. She ignores it still looking at him, knowing that she is no match for the animal.



“Move’ he whispers to her.



She doesn’t.



“Move,” he calls out louder.



She just stares at him.



“MOVE!” he yells and she just smiles.



The hellcat circles then stops in front of her. Finally she takes her eyes off him and looks at it; the creature opens its jaws and growls at her, bearing its long sharp teeth. Suddenly the primal need for survival takes over and she screams, slowly backing up against the wall. The cat crouches down and starts to stalk her, moving slowly forward. He watches from the wall mesmerized, in two minds about the whole situation. A part of him itches to get down and help her, another part says to leave her to her fate. Finally he drops a knife down to her. It lands at her feet, the blade burying itself in the dirt. She looks down at it then up at him. He nods at her and she leans down and picks it up, looking at it fascinated. The crowd roar their disappointment. This new outcome will change the odds. Bets that are a sure thing no longer seem so certain but that is the nature of a pit fight, no rules. The hellcat pauses and studies the knife, then paces side to side for a while, before deciding it is safe to move in.



The knife feels awkward in her hand. She has no idea how to handle it. The cat sensing her uncertainty takes the opportunity to strike. She tries to defend herself with her weapon, but the cat sinks its teeth into her thigh. She screams as the blinding pain shoots through her and instinctively slices the knife up against the animal’s side. Hissing in pain the cat retreats and licks the blood dripping off its fangs. She looks down at her bloodied thigh and almost swoons. She is already weak through ill treatment. Her wretched body can’t take much more. She looks up at him trembling, the thick wet tears stream over her cheeks smudging the grime on their way down. He can’t take any more. Ignoring the angry mob he jumps into the pit and stands between her and the Hellcat. The animal growls menacingly at him, unsure of this new turn of events. It paces back and forth then lunges at him swiping its sharp claws across his chest. He winces at the pain but ignores it and when it lunges at him again he buries the knife into its soft underbelly. The hellcat hits the dirt floor hard.



The crowd go wild annoyed that their match is ruined. Grabbing her arm, he pulls her into the tunnel and up the corridor to escape. She struggles beside him, limping badly. It isn’t long before they are surrounded and he tells her to go. She looks around and up the tunnel into the light and freedom then looks back at him….



“Go where?” she asks.







FLASH:



The room is crowded, filled almost to capacity with the young military men on a well deserved break. There has been much talk and anticipation through the ranks leading up to this. Finally they are visiting the infamous Kokino district and can partake of the pleasures that it has to offer. Of all the establishments in the district, Diami is the most renowned. It is here, rumour has it, that the right amount of UD’s can buy you anything, be it something as mundane as girls, or illicit substances, to items and services that are only ever mentioned in hushed whispers in dark empty corridors. Looking around him, he smirks at the excited expressions on his fellow pilots faces. They all seem astounded at being here yet keep looking around eagerly, anxious to not miss out on anything.



Scantily clad women parade around the room offering their guests potent drinks and superb finger foods. Gliding regally through the crowds Madame Dupree surveys her domain, smiling sagely at her young patrons, her eyes finally settling on him and the stunning blonde he has sitting on his lap.



“Richard, darling, look at you! I hardly recognised you in that uniform. So handsome,” she gushes and squeezing his arm she adds, “and so grown up.” A twinkle glitters in her eye as she holds his gaze. “Life in the military must suit you.”



He shrugs and smiles in response.



“Whatever you want, darling, whatever…” she makes a grand sweeping gesture with her hand, “it’s on the house.”



“Thanks.” The blonde snuggles into him and nibbles on his ear.



Looking around he surveys the many delights on offer, wondering what would satiate his appetites today. A voluptuous redhead catches his eye and winks. He smiles in return, considering. Not bad. The sound of melodious laughter drifts over the cacophony of noise and he turns to investigate. She has long dark hair. Her svelte tanned body shimmers under the lights. The flowing material of her skirt parts to reveal a silky thigh. His gaze roams up her lean leg, over her hips and settles for a moment on her bare delicate waist. Moving upwards his eyes meet more of the flowing material that surrounds her ample breasts. He smirks. Definitely fuckable. At that moment she leans forward and placing her hand on the soldier that is propositioning her, she whispers something into his ear. The soldier smiles widely and nods. She returns his smile and turns to lead him up the stairs, flicking her hair and looking seductively back over her shoulder. He catches a glimpse of green eyes and his heart stops.



Lifting the girl off his lap he follows them up the stairs, entering the room as she was about to close the door. Towering menacingly over her, he stares at her in disbelief. She looks confused for an instant and then recognition fills her eyes and she smiles, her whole face lighting up. Without turning to look at the soldier he orders him out of the room. Knowing better than to argue, the soldier complies.



“Jade,” he rumbles.



“Richard,” she replies. “Nice to see you again.”



“What the hell are you doing here?”



“Working,” she replies matter-of-factly.



“Working? How old are you? 12?”



She laughs that melodious laugh, “Does this look like the body of a 12 year old?” she asks, running her hands over her body.



“Stop that,” he says grabbing her hands.



She looks at him quizzically, “What’s the matter with you Richard?”



“I didn’t save your ass so you could give it away to every hard dick that comes along!”



“I’m not giving it away.”



“You are not a whore.”



“It’s better than living on the streets with those so called friends of yours. At least here I make decent money. I have a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in and the food is always good.”



“There are other jobs.”



“Are you kidding me? What fantasy world are you living in? The only education I ever got was on the streets. They don’t hand out diplomas for that.”



“You’re smart, you’re beautiful. You don’t need to sell your soul to survive.”



“What soul?” She glares at him. Finally she shakes her head and dismisses him with a wave. “Ok whatever, what do you care anyway?”



“Maybe I do.”



“Well you’ve got a funny way of showing it. You can’t expect to pop in and out of my life whenever you damn well feel like and then preach to me about how I should live it.”



“The hell I can’t. I paid good money for you. I own you. You owe me your life.”



She glares at him angrily then strides over to a side table. Rummaging through a draw, she finds what she is looking for then turns and tosses it at him.



“That should about cover it,” she sneers.



He grabs the object out of the air and studies it.



“I don’t want your money,” he says indignantly tossing it back.



She lets it fall on the ground in front of her.



“Oh I get it,” she says reaching her hand up behind her and untying the flowing material at the base of her neck. “You want a freebie.” The luminous material floats down over her, revealing her firm round breasts.



“No!” he starts then catches his breath at the sight of her. Fuck he thinks, feeling himself becoming aroused. Inhaling deeply to steady himself, he is almost overcome by an intoxicating scent drifting through the air. Striding towards her he takes the silky material into his hands and ties it back up behind her neck.



“I don’t want to fuck you.”



“The hell you don’t,” she smirks, pressing her body against him then rubbing at his erection. Closing his eyes he suppresses a moan.



“What the hell happened to you Jade? Where is that cute kid that I rescued?”



“I grew up.”



“Into a whore?”



“Whatever it takes to survive Richard. You know that.”



“This isn’t what I wanted for you.”



“Shit happens.” She shrugs. “It’s not like you were ever around to look out for me.”



“You’re saying that it’s my fault you became a whore?”



“You say that like it’s a bad thing. I provide a valuable service.”



“What? Somewhere for those horny fucks to stick their dicks into?”



“My, my Richard, if I didn’t know better I would say that you are jealous.”



“Jealous? I’m not fucking jealous…” he rages, “but I swear I will kill the next fucker that touches you.”



“Why?” she asks smirking



“Why?” he is incredulous. “You have to ask why?” Grabbing hold of her shoulders he looks deep into her eyes. “You belong to me Jade. You’re the closest thing to family I’ve got and ill be damned if I let anyone take you from me.”









Riddick’s eyes flung open and immediately adjusted to the gloom. He felt a moment of confusion before reality caught up with him. Realising where he was, he scanned the room for any threats and once satisfied, he exhaled slowly and relaxed. Jade sighed against his chest and snuggled deeper into him. He smiled and stroked her hair, breathing her in. She felt so soft against his skin. Holding her felt so right. In another life he could see himself committing to her, giving her the type of life she deserved.



Settling down.



In another life…not this one.