Posted by Leif G.S. in Amott's Hearth Series, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Sci Fi | 0 Comments
Sci Fi Flash Fiction: Amott’s Hearth (Lie)
The 18th entry in the Sci Fi Flash Fiction series Amott’s Hearth and the conclusion of the Coliseum mini-arc I was building up to. It took a little longer than I thought, but I am glad you are still with me. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the piece.
Craig wondered where his new-found power came from as he felt Jasmine’s will to live slipping through his fingers as though her soul were made of water. The clone’s eyes rolled back into her head as her tongue lolled over her colorless lips. He heard the demonic alien screaming in frustration at Jay as her wings struggled to shake his weight from her slender frame. He turned his vision toward the angelic alien weeping over Asedum’s body.
Her tears drive him to madness.
He moved his thumbs toward the base of her neck and dug into her flesh. He craved her demise as his teeth punctured his lower lip and filled his mouth with blood. His glassy gaze didn’t see Jasmine, only her wrestling doppelganger that threatened his favorite toys. She must pay for his sins; he was the brains behind the operation.
The wet, gurgling whimper from Demonica forced him to snap out of his blood rage long enough to hear Jay offering a truce. “. . .Can you hear me, ascendant? I am talking to you.”
Craig offered a sneer as he turned to face his adversary. “What makes you think I would trade with a snake like you?”
Jay feigned a hurt look on his face as he squeezed his arms tighter, causing Demonica’s leathery wings to sag further to the ground. “I am hurt you called me a snake. I’d prefer to think of myself as an opportunistic wolf.”
“If you’re trying to be humorous, I’m not laughing.”
“No one said I was trying to be humorous.”
“What the hell do you want, wolf?”
“Look, you can kill Jasmine and leave her corpse where it is for all I care; but that won’t solve your problems. She is dangerous with her mental powers; she’s someone not to be messed with. However, she’s also the only person that can save your smoldering friend over there.”
Craig glanced at Angelika still weeping over the motionless Asedum. He could see the smoke trailing from her frame and the rigid arms jutting into the air. His eyes narrowed, and he turned h gaze back to Jay. “Asedum is dead. You’ll have to do much better than that offer.”
“That saddens me that you would give up so easily on your favorite playthings, ascendant. The gods of old had more testicular fortitude than that, or so I had hoped.”
Craig’s hands shook hard enough to cause Jasmine to gurgle and sputter. He looked down at his captive and felt ill as he saw the blue tint to her lips. The tone of his words sounded hollow as they exploded from his mouth. “Get to the point!”
“You still don’t get it, do you? There is a reason why all of this happened. Do you really think aliens would have a remote interest in your affairs? Do you think they would tell you about having a goddess inside you without having a plan? They are using you. The god you are fighting for is a lie, the Collective is a lie, and your life before this moment was just a dream. You never lived in Kansas; you never had a loving family, and your daughter never existed.”
“You lie; my daughter is real! I held her in my arms when she was born and cradled her the night before I died because she was afraid I would—”
“She was afraid you were going to die, isn’t that right?” Craig fought back tears as his emotions strangled his heart. Jay pressed on with his questioning, “Don’t you think it is convenient for her to know when you were going to die? Isn’t it somewhat strange your death happened the way it did?”
“You weren’t there; you never knew—”
“I know enough, ascendant. I know more than you think, and I am aware of the game you are playing. I have a game I am playing as well. You will know my part in it when the time comes. Until then. . .” Jay released Demonica’s barely breathing body, allowing her to fall to the rubbery ground in a heap. Craig’s jaw dropped as he watched the demonic woman fall and his grip on his prisoner relaxed. A moment later, a bright green light flared in his peripheral vision. He turned in time to see Jasmine smile at him and wink before she blasted him with two balls of green energy. Craig tumbled away from the blast, allowing Jay to swoop over and support his alternate reality self.
Jasmine rubbed her throat with her right hand as she splayed the fingers on her left. A large green energy platform materialized under their feet and allowed them to drift toward the heavens as though they were on an elevator. The guards lining the stadium walls lifted their rifles and shot at the escaping contestants, but the god stood and bellowed loud enough to force the guards to drop their weapons and fall to their knees. “The contest is over; the victory shall go to the Earth Hero Craig T. Amott!”
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as Craig stirred from his prone position. He blinked and pushed himself to his hands and knees. As the roar echoed throughout the coliseum, he whispered something to himself. The next moment, his face twisted in rage and agony. He fell to the rubber surface and wept.
If you’d like to read more Sci Fi Flash Fiction: Amott’s Hearth, click on the picture above to start from the beginning or click the link provided.
