Page 33 of Blaze of Our Lives

I nodded because speaking was impossible with my heart in my throat.

I was tempted to explain to Pandora what I saw but kept quiet. Letting the others know I had an advantage wasn’t prudent.

“The games are about to begin!” Abaddon shouted as he skipped down the stairs of the bleachers and approached. “I’m Heff Brobst, and I’m your host. Are we all ready to DIE?” Abaddon laughed heartily at what I hoped was a joke. The Demons and Phyllis laughed along with him. I didn’t think it was remotely funny. My expression stayed flat as I stared hard at the person I thought I knew.

Something was really wrong here.

“What the fuck is going on?” Pandora demanded.

I crossed my arms over my chest and nonchalantly pinched the back of my upper arm to get her to zip it. I didn’t want to alert Phyllis or the gameshow host to my suspicions. Thankfully, Pandora understood.

Phyllis gave me a sideways glance. I met her gaze with my own steeled resolve. My trust in the chain-smoking guide was waning fast.

Abaddon, or rather Heff Brobst, was now standing about five feet away from me. He showed no recognition whatsoever. I wasn’t sure if that was on purpose or if he really had no idea who I was. It was unnerving and made me feel sick to my stomach.

“State your names,” he shouted, doing a little dance. It was spastic and jerky, with zero rhythm. I had to work really hard to keep the “ewwww” out of my expression. The ick-factor was high. It was uncomfortable to watch. I wondered if Heff had ants in his pants.

“Drogruzun is my name,” the Demon who wanted me headless shouted. “I shall WIN!”

“Good luck with that,” Heff Brobst told him, slapping him on the back and sending him flying.

“I’m Ezzanod,” the next Demon in line bellowed. “And I’m here… to umm… do my best!”

Heff Brobst chuckled. It was a slimy sound—nothing like Abaddon at all. “Humility. I like it!”

He walked over to Ezzanod and punched him in the stomach, causing the Demon to double over and cough up blood. This wasn’t going to end well.

I observed Brolrath as he considered the odds of introducing himself. After what we’d just seen, it was anyone’s guess how Heff would react.

With a small groan of resignation, Brolrath went for it. “I am Brolrath. I have no fucking idea why I’m here. I feel like I’ve been here before, but I’m not sure. Kinda feels like a dream. Honestly, I don’t want to be here.”

Now I felt awful. Was my dream state pulling in real people? Did Drogruzun, Ezzanod and Brolrath have real lives somewhere on a different plane? If so, that meant the munchkins were real as well and would be paying me a visit in the next millennium. I was a combination of horrified, guilt-ridden and confused.

Without fanfare, Heff Probst sliced his hand through the air. Brolrath exploded. All that was left of him was a pile of green goo. “Too much honesty isn’t good for ratings. It’s boring. Where’s the drama? Where’s the chaos?”

“What in the actual fuck just happened?” Pandora asked in a whisper.

Trying to be covert, I stepped on my foot to let her know the time wasn’t quite right for a chat. I didn’t smash it as hard as I had earlier since she’d had the smarts to whisper.

Heff Brobst’s eyes landed on me. “And you. What’s your name?”

The man standing in front of me was definitely not Abaddon. Thankfully, I could tell the difference. Heff Brobst’s eyes were soulless black pools of evil. His smile was false, and the cadence of his speech was strange—as if someone else was supplying his words. He might look like my gorgeous Demon, but he wasn’t the man who made my heart skip a beat. I knew Abaddon at a bone-deep level, and my body came alive around my soul’s desire. On the other hand, with Heff, there was no reaction at all. Not even a wisp of lust. The clone couldn’t compare to the real man on any level.

Still, this dude had taken on the visage of the love of my life. Someone was screwing with me, and I didn’t like it.

I was about to make Candy Vargo and Pandora proud. Badass, here I come. “Let’s start with this, Heff Brobst. I’m the Bitch Goddess Cecily, and if you so much as mess with a single hair on my head, I’ll end you, and I’ll enjoy it. I don’t have the time to deal with petty power games. We clear?”

Heff’s eyes narrowed to slits. “As you wish.” His tone was icy.

I had a feeling I was in more danger from him than from the three… now two Demons who were my competitors.

“I wish,” I replied flatly. “I’m here to win. If you would be so kind as to do your job and explain the shitshow we’re about to embark on, that would be awesome.”

Heff Brobst glanced at Phyllis. She just stared back at him and smoked. Was she controlling the mean bastard? Did it matter? No. It didn’t. Heff went from a scary-unhinged guy back to a corny, bad-dancer host guy. He skipped over to the obstacle course and smiled wide. It was creepy and disturbing. “As you can see, we have an obstacle course. You’re tasked with getting through it without getting killed by hidden landmines!”

“What?” Drogruzun asked, aghast.

“Hidden landmines,” Heff repeated with a thumbs up. “If you get through the netted mud box, the hot stones and the spike-filled maze with all or most of your appendages still connected, you will find a button. The button will activate the bridge. Cross the bridge. Know that in the murky waters below, the bridge is filled with sea monsters. They’re hungry and will attempt to eat you.”

---