Sci Fi Flash Fiction: Amott’s Hearth (Heat)

The 16th entry in the Sci Fi Flash Fiction series Amott’s Hearth and a double return for me, one for writing wrestling smacktalk and another for the series. It felt good doing both, glad I could get that done. Hope you all enjoy this piece and I hope to have enough to make the end of this series mean something.

The crowd roared as Craig stepped through the small gateway. Green and blue lights flickered on and off as he walked across the spongy floor toward the center where the next bout would start. He lifted his hand to his mouth and ran his fingers across his lips, trying to see if he could still feel anything after watching what the Wildmans did to a giant. He felt numb when they threatened him over the camera, though he could feel Tiamat inside his head yawning in disinterest as they demanded he make his way out to the pit.

They were the last fight, the one to determine who would honor the god of the Hearth to continue the war against the Collective or put the deity out of his misery. This was the same god that ripped him from his planet and placed him on an alien world as a war toy. He stopped five paces away from the center and watched as Jay paced in circles like a madman while Jasmine stood in the center with her dreadlock gray hair dangling over her glowing green eyes. His eyes drifted to her fists. They radiated the same glow and seemed to grow for every moment he stood outside the center. Jay stopped, turned, and thrust his finger at Craig as he yelled at the top of his lungs toward the crowd. “This is your hero? The man who came from a different world to lead you against the forces of evil? Do you even know who is evil in this world?”

The crowd booed and threw things in the ring, though the items were vaporized as soon as they landed on the black surface. Jay continued with his diatribe as the jeers grew louder. “I’ll tell you this, the man you see cowering is not worth your praise or your devotion, he is a mere man who has lied to you about being a goddess incarnate. His wins are more out of luck and incompetence than skill. His opponents were lazy, untrained and their discipline was found wanting. You know this, in your heart, that this man is nothing more than a sham. Deny him now, give me your hero spot, and I will honor you with my actions.”

Craig shook his head and stepped forward, though he never entered the center. Jasmine licked her lips and lifted her head to stare down her nose at him while Jay turned his predatory smile on the incarnate. “You really are foolish, aren’t you? You think you can stand against us? We are a unit, bred from the same genes and given a life that was demanding and demeaning. You were a gentle flower standing in the Kansas wastes hoping your suckling daughter would be a woman. We all know the way that turned out.”

The crowd jeered once more as Craig lifted his hand and clenched it until it became a fist. His eyes narrowed as the crow’s feet stretched across his face. Jay pressed the matter more as he paced in a tighter circle and pointed at the god watching the showdown of wits unfold. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You call yourself a god, an all-powerful being who can blink people in and out of existence at a whim; However, you cannot do anything about this boy’s spine. Tell me, was it missing when you brought him here? Perhaps you left a pair of important pieces behind in that accident. I doubt he had it though, having a woman living inside of him for so long. Who allows a female deity to possess them without at least having some pride about it?”

More garbage flew through the air and evaporated as it hit the rubbery surface. Jay ignored it as he continued his rant, this time addressing the crowd once more. “You should all be ashamed of yourself for the life you lead. I am not from this world, and I can already tell this place is a horrible city. Weak gods that can’t do anything other than threaten to evaporate, the streets filled with slime and mold. Wait, I am sorry; those are the citizens. You throw your money at men with animal heads and pray they keep you safe from what is coming to you. You’re idiots. You’re fools. You should have stayed in your homes and waited for the Collective to come for you. I hear they might even find a brain for you, since it seems as though you aren’t using that empty cavity yourself.”

Jay turned and offered a genuine smile as he winked at Jasmine. The crowd was roaring with anger and demanding blood for the insults. Jasmine brought a small green glowing bubble around her to prevent the hail of garbage from hitting her. Jay turned to look at Craig.

Craig reeled back and slammed Jay in the face with his fist. The blow was hard enough to lift the smaller gray-haired man off his feet and send him flying back two body lengths. H hit the ground and bounced a few more lengths away. Jasmine offered a crooked smile at her genetic clone, turned her head toward Craig and snapped her fingers. Shimmering green spheres wrapped around Craig’s hands, preventing him from swinging them again.

Jay pushed himself from the ground and rubbed his jaw. He spat blood from a split on his lip and nodded in satisfaction as he cracked his neck. He turned to glare at Craig, the fire smoldering in the ice blue stare. “You are a smart boy; I’ll give you that. You aren’t Slamin’ Sammy Amos, but you still have some balls somewhere. I am glad to hear that. Let’s get this over with, I have a lot to do after I kill you.”

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