Page 26 of Down to One
My mind is brilliant. In my imagination, it’s equipped me with a thick blanket we’ve already laid at the water’s edge. It takes no effort for me to carry Blaze there, rip off her black bra, and set her down.
My body must not be able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality, because my cock acts like I have her in my arms. In my mind, the sweet smell of the tiny scarlet flowers near the water has become Blaze’s scent.
My palms have no idea they’re not actually sliding down her damp flesh. It’s as if they’re holding the scant weight of her breasts. My mouth aches to take possession of her again, like I did last night.
I snap back to reality when I hear her admonition echoing in my ears—that we weren’t to even speak about what happened in that bombed-out building last night.
She returns to the water’s edge and drinks her fill again, then wets the extra shirt, lifts her long brown hair, and wipes the back of her neck.
My cock is hard as polished stone, kicking against the front of my pants. I take one more moment to drink in the sight of her as she stands tall, wrapping the damp shirt around her head to keep the sun out of her eyes.
The gods are fickle—if there are gods. Maybe my friend Rencelus was right. Perhaps they don’t favor you if you don’t pray to them well or often enough. I told him that any god who needed praise wasn’t worth praying to. Maybe I was wrong. Because certainly the gods are punishing me.
If being abducted at age fifteen and forced to fight to the death wasn’t harsh enough, then being put into this game with 99 to1 odds should have been a clear message. And to put Blaze intoThe Gamewith me? For me to develop an attachment to a female for the first time in my life and then be pitted against her? The gods don’t just have weak egos, they’re downright cruel.
Her head is wrapped in that ridiculous rag that would look like shit on anyone else in the galaxy, but somehow makes her look more beautiful. She glances at me out of the corner of her eye, then gives me her full attention.
“Want me to show you how to do this?” She motions to her head. “It felt great to wipe off the dust.”
“It would be put to better use if we laid it on the ground so you wouldn’t get scratched by brambles when I sheathe myself in you.” My tongue got me into trouble for the second time in an hour. Zedd was right when she said I don’t have the brains of a rock.
Instead of scolding me or walking away, though, Blaze flashes me a naughty smile.
“If we’re still alive tonight, Titan, you and me and the entire planet can have an instant replay of last night.”
Blaze
I’ve lost my mind, but heck, what have I got to lose? If we make it to tonight, I deserve one more trip to paradise courtesy of my titanic friend and his gargantuan and talented cock. I like him far more than I should. Far more than is safe.
The little red six-legged gecko thing that led us to water is about a yard away. He must have already drunk his fill because he’s not drinking, he’s absorbed in looking at me. He’s standing perfectly still, not seeming to move except for slow blinks over enormous blue-slitted eyes.
“Hey, fella.” I’m an idiot, I know. We’re on a life and death mission and I’m taking time out of our busy schedule to chat up a lizard.
What do you know? He inches toward me.
“Come on,” I urge. He comes closer. Interesting how he moves with all six legs working at once.
I’m waiting for Titan to tramp closer or make a loud noise or poke fun at me, but when my gaze darts to him, I see he’s frozen, not wanting to spook the critter.
There’s something heart-clenchingly sweet about the huge gladiator allowing me to have this tender moment. I don’t know what the real tote board says, but he just went up a hundred points on my personal tote board.
I crouch down and keep crooning to the little thing. It’s maybe eight inches long and quite pretty. Its red scales are interspersed with tiny blue dots that match its expressive reptile eyes.
Finally, he comes over to me, stands on my boot, and looks at me. All of a sudden, I remember I’m on an alien planet. This little guy could suddenly morph into a fire-breathing dragon or open its mouth with a million wiggling teeth and eat me up. The fact that Titan is a few yards away, sword in hand, gives some comfort.
The deciding factor, though, is that the little guy crawls up my body and perches on my shoulder.
“Holy crap,” I say as I turn my head to look at him. He just seems to hold on with all six legs, giving me the go-ahead to get on with our trek.
When we take a few steps toward the incline we need to climb to get back to the path, my drone eases closer. One of the techies at the station must have noticed our little reptilian moment and thought the audience would enjoy it.
The screen on the drone still has me at zero points. Suddenly, I have a flash of inspiration so brilliant that if it works, it will be the smartest thing I’ve ever done.
“Look, honey,” I say loudly, pointing at the drone, which of course is also the camera. “It says I have zero points. How will we eat? How will we get water? How will we survive?”
The last time I performed in a play was in fourth grade when I played the part of a Native American during Thanksgiving. The reason I haven’t been in another production since then is that I have no talent. That doesn’t stop me, however, from putting on the performance of my life.
Looking straight at the camera, I say, “Did you all like watching Titan and me last night? Come here, honey.”
