The survivors were locked inside the only secure part of the ship, huddled together, trapped like cavemen in their cave, listening to the howls of hungry sabertooths outside, clamoring for blood.

Jack, Fry and Shazza sat on the floor with their backs against the wall of the Cargo Hold, listening to the sounds of hell outside. The clicking sounds the creatures made were enough to put the fear of God and Buddha in their hearts as they remained silent.

Iman and his two disciples stood by the doors, eyes wide, the leader listening to the sounds outside while the two younger Arabs sent silent prayers to Muhammad, Allah and Jesus Christ for their salvation.

Paris stood close to the boy and women sitting on the ground, pale as paper and shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Kaylee must have realized this, because she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and the man with the wire-frames gave her a shaky smile of thanks.

River stood between Riddick and Johns, both men silent, one thanks to his mental barrier and the other thanks to his brain’s silence, and she felt grounded in the silence. But the young woman couldn’t help but notice the looks Johns was giving her, and it made her somewhat uncomfortable.

“What are we going to do?” Jack asked, breaking into the silence. “Are we going to wait it out and hope they don’t breech the hull?”

“ It might be a good idea.” Paris turned to Fry and then looked at Johns, the self-proclaimed leaders of their little group.

“’Spose that’s what the group in the Coring Room thought too.” Riddick announced in a flat voice.

Everyone in the crash ship flinched visibly at the reminder of the millions of bones picked clean they’d discovered at the bottom of the shaft.

“Well, we can’t wait it out anyway.” Fry spoke up to try and kill the silence. “The chart said the darkness lasted for days. Those predators will get to us if we don’t die of dehydration before.”

Another silence descended on them as they let that knowledge, and the dread, sink in.

“We’re going to