Til Underverse Comes: part 2 of Sweat & Furyan

Like A Dream

Underverse. A dead star big enough to be a planet. Dust flew up in a sheet as the ship touched down. It wasn't light but not dark either. I lifted my goggles and shifted my eyes around. There wasn't anything to even hint at this being any kind of resting place. The wind whipped up a wave of dust forcing me to close my eyes. In the wind a melody caught my ears. Softly and slowly the Harp serenaded me through the wind, I lost control of my body. My legs pushed in the direction of the music. The closer I got to the music the more the environment changed. I walked downward into the underground of the star yet I could see trees and flowers. The sky turned blue with thin, wispy clouds. A river appeared in front of me. "What the fuck?" I mumbled to myself. I could only guess that the world around me was an illuision, it was bright but my eyes didn't hurt.

A butterfly landed on a flower, I reached down to touch it, it morphed into a woman. She was a beauty, her dirty blonde hair braided over her shoulder her curvy body was being clung to by a golden mermaid style dress with a slit up to her thigh. Her big brown eyes entranced me to step closer. "Furyan, you're alive. You shouldn't be here." Her voice was light like summer rain. "I have business here." I told her. She tilted her head and smiled. "You're here for her. She's not worth the trouble. If you find her at all, she might not even remember you, Furyan. She may not even know herself." She warned. "I can't leave without her." I replied. The woman gave one nod. "If you insist, Furyan but she might not be the only one to be lost to the madness. This place will dig into your worst memories, your deepest fears, and it will play on your greatest fantasies. You don't belong here but this place wants your soul." Her voice faded and she disappeared.

The music dulled down and the blue skies disappeared everything turned black. I looked into the water, people were walking in the water the way they would walk in a busy subway. I searched the faces. Each had the same look. Those eyes. I reached into the water, the ripples from my arm sent the people away. "Ashe." I called out. The water changed to dirt. "How the hell am I gonna find her like this." I mumbled.

Carnival music, the world was spinning so fast I had no choice but to hit my knees and clutch my head. People's legs moved around me and I wasn't dizzy anymore. Children were laughing, games were buzzing everything was way to fucking strange. Her eyes peered at me through the sea of faces, I could just barely make my name out as it passed over her thin pale lips. I lunged forward, pushing people aside trying to reach her but they pushed her small frame backwards into the massive big top. With no other choice I fought my way through the crowd towards the slit in the curtain being used as a door.

The was no sound, I could see a dim light in the center of the arena. Something was there but I was too far to make out what it was. The zombie crowd on front of me settled into seats as they came upon them, I walked towards the light. She was sitting cross legged in the dirt fiddling with her hair. My body moved as fast as possible to kneel down beside her. She didn't acknowledge my presence not even when I tucked away a strand of her chestnut hair behind her small ear. Those jade eyes shifted to me but looked through me. "Ashlynn." I kissed her hand then her cheek. She didn't move she only stared into my goggles. "Ashlynn, it's me. I'm taking you back." I cupped her face with my hands but nothing was working. I heard whispers and looked around. The place was empty, just me, Ashlynn and the spotlight. Listening closer I realized the voices were hers and my own. Conversations from the past, from the day I let her die.

Ashlynn's head snapped in my direction. "Riddick doesn't love me, Riddick let me die." Her words burned with vemon. I tried to hold her but she trashed away. I got up to chase her but was quickly stopped by the dizziness forcing me to my knees again. With the side of my face in the dirt I watched her running away while slowly fading like everything around me. The sickness came and my eyes closed. Out of nowhere there was a pounding in my head. Ringing in my ears that loosely sounded like gears changing in a clock.

Everything was black but the deafening sound of the clock reverberated in my skull. Dong. Dong. Dong. The chiming was maddening. I called out her name as I clutched my head to my chest. This wasn't my kind of fight. I was out of my element.

My eyes opened to snow falling. "Riddick." The familiar voice taunted me through the wind. "Shirah." I called out. "She's near Riddick. You can have her. You can have everything and more." I raised an eyebrow. "Everything I want?" I repeated. "Find the girl." Shirah demanded. When her voice faded I scanned the snow it was easy to find where Shirah wanted me to go. Trampling in the snow my ears were filled by a soft hum. "Ashe." I called out. The roaring wind over powered my voice but I continued on.

I stopped at the entrance way. My chestnut haired beauty, swayed in front of small blue fire. She was dressed in a tight black mini dress adorned with a black necklace. The charm was teardrops shaped that was glowing blue just like the fire. Her hair in a sideways pony tail laid gently over her right should. I couldn't help but to spot the white burn beneath her hair from the gunshot. My hand reached out and grazed her , pushing her hair over her shoulder. She turned to look at me those big green eyes lit up. She didn't speak instead she reached up on her tiptoes. Ashlynn wrapped her hands around my head and forced our lips together. The kiss was intoxicating, I was disappointed when she pulled away. "Ashe." I started. She smiled up at me. "Do you like it here?" She asked. I blinked down at her. "Yeah. I suppose it's nice." I mumbled. "I can change it." She continued. I shook my head listening to her ramble was some what confusing. "Ashlynn. What the hell are you talking about?" I questioned. She twisted her head and stared at me. "Our home. " She remarked. "Home? Ashlynn. This isn't our home. We have to leave here." I told her pushing her bangs away from her eyes. She looked away. "Riddick, this is the only place we will ever be able to have a home." She mumbled. "You can't be serious. Ashlynn this isn't a place for living." I frowned. She shook her head and smiled at me. "You're wrong Riddick, just because these people died doesn't mean they've stopped living. Here in underverse, life is just what you want it to be. And it can all belong to you, Riddick. If you want it." Her smile twisted wickedly. "What do you mean?" I pushed. "You can control underverse. You will never have to worry about another merc as long as you live. Which is forever."