Sci Fi Flash Fiction: Amott’s Hearth (Clean)
The 19th entry in the Sci Fi Flash Fiction series Amott’s Hearth, this time we get to see some more humanity instead of the rough and tumble world of faux fighting. I hope you understand why I did what I did when the end comes around. You never know what people think. Thanks for reading, I hope you all enjoy!
Asedum’s felt as though she weighed nothing at all. Craig cradled her rigid body as though it were made of porcelain, careful of every step he took. Trailing a step behind were Angelika and Demonica, both hanging their heads in respect as the crowd offered a moment of silence for the impromptu funeral march. Every step in the rubbery surface caused Craig to check the corpse, making sure the sudden movements wouldn’t do any damage to her body.
They made it to the open gateway without incident, though the jackal headed guards stood in their way. Demonica took a step forward, barring teeth and claws. Craig cleared his throat and shook his head. The red winged alien tilted her head and looked as though she were hurt more by his denial than the choke hold bruises on her neck. He turned his attention to the guards, his watery eyes narrowed in anger as his words tumbled from his mouth. “Let me through.”
The guards looked at each other. The red furred one shrugged his shoulders as the golden-haired guard replied. “I have orders. You have to leave the body in the arena for proper disposal.”
“I don’t give a damn about your orders; I don’t care about whom you work for, or if her dead body will burst open with face huggers and implant seeds in all of our stomachs. You will let me through.”
“I can’t; it’s against policy.”
Craig’s shoulders slumped, but he still cradled Asedum tight enough to feel her skin starting to crack under the strain. He struggled to maintain his composure, but his voice rose higher with every word he spoke. “You do realize that I am an ascendant.”
“We know who you are. We’ve watched every moment, all the fights.”
“Then I have to let you know the last fight didn’t even faze me. I never tapped into the goddess power, which means she’s going to be grumpy. When she gets grumpy, it means things to happen; bad things. Do you want to have bad things happening to you?”
The guards looked at each other once more. The golden furred guard pointed his laser rifle at Craig’s nose and smiled as he pressed a switch on the body. “That sound means I don’t give a crap about you or your toy there. Rules are rules, goddess or no. Trust me; I’m a pretty good shot, even at this range. Put her down and let the clean-up crew deal with her.”
Craig opened his mouth to reply, but two golden scaled hands appeared behind the guards. They took a step aside and let the Herald through without incident. He looked at Asedum cradled in Craig’s arms and shook his head. He motioned for the guards to leave them. The guards looked hesitant as they took a step toward the Herald. He turned his head and bore his teeth as he hissed a rebuke. “Stop right there, you idiots. You will cause no harm to the hero or the fallen. Tell the god we are ready to see him.”
“Herald, you ca—“
“I can, and I will, do as I please. I am the Herald; I created the rules to prevent infection and death. Our hero’s circumstances are different. You will tell the god we are ready to see him.”
“The Princess will not like this, sir. You were supposed to eliminate the hero.”
“I care not what the tin godling thinks. She is more trouble than she is worth. You would be wise to leave her employ as soon as you report to the god.”
The guards yelped and took a cowering step back, tripping over each other as they scrambled to get away from the furious golden lizard. Herald watched them disappear into the darkness before he turned to glare at Craig. “You do tend to make things difficult.”
Craig shook and nearly dropped Asedum as he strangled on his words. “She was your consort. I expect you to have more sympathy for this situation than telling me I am causing problems.”
Herald reached out with his arms and relieved Craig of his burden. He looked down at the face and sighed, letting his hand caress her right cheek. “She was once my consort. She was defiant, headstrong and arrogant. She was filled with energy and lies. It is what made her appealing, along with being employed at the bar. When she found you, she found something that appealed to her. She wanted to be by your side, which is why she sacrificed her life to save you. A fool hearty attempt, of course. I knew you were not accessing your powers as you were in the other fights. She did not see it that way.”
“What will you do with her body?”
“I will treat her with the respect she deserves. Please take Demonica and Angelika to their suite. Do not dally; the god does not enjoy delays.”
Craig nodded, leaned down, and kissed the flaking cheek of the alien that saved his life. He walked past Herald, allowing the women behind him to pay their respects. Angelika broke into violent sobs and tried to cradle the corpse, but Demonica pulled her away before she could do anymore damage. They both disappeared into the darkened hall. Craig turned one more time, nodded, and followed them into the darkness.
Herald waited until he was sure they were gone. He threw the body down on the rubber ground, lifted his foot, and crushed the skull under his boot. The skull broke apart as though it were a porcelain jar. He sneered and snapped his fingers as he turned to see a set of eyes looking at him from the darkness. He sighed and walked past the figure emerging from the hallway. “I hope you are happy. You saved his life and still managed to live. It is fortunate he is not aware of cloning.”
Asedum stepped from the shadows and looked at the shell that was once her clone. She shook her head and sighed, clutching her heart. A tear streaked down her cheek as she chewed on her lower lip. She whispered as the Nano-tech robots crept out from the rubber floor and started to devour the rest of shell. “He did care.”
