Free Heaven Bent by Robert T. Jeschonek Page A

put him on ice."
    "Which it didn't." M.J. giggled again. "The movement just kept growing and getting stronger."
    "Strong enough to take back the founder." The masked man raised his cup in a toast, then tipped more wine into his mouth. "Plus lots more than that before we're done."
    "Finally!" M.J. pumped his fist in the air and let out a whooping cheer. "We're gonna' take those heavenly tyrants and beat 'em!"
    I had a sip of wine and shook my head. "I still don't get it."
    M.J. leaned forward and frowned at me. "What's not to get, Stag?"
    " All of it." I spread my arms and sighed. "Why are you fighting if this is Heaven? I thought it was supposed to be paradise ."
    "You still think that after everything you've seen?" The masked man sat down beside me, opposite M.J. "If this is the real Heaven, would it have a place like Heavenless ? Would it have incinerators for burning bodies?" The masked man smacked the palm of his hand against his chest. "Would there even be bodies to burn ?"
    I met his blue-eyed gaze through the eyeholes of his black mask. "Lillian said things here aren't always what they appear to be. She said some things in Heaven are just metaphors."
    "Is that what she told you?" The blue eyes crinkled as he broke into a broad grin. " Metaphors ?"
    M.J. howled with laughter. "Oh, that's a good one! That's hilarious!"
    "You saw that bomb bring down the theater." The masked man nodded emphatically. "Did that look like a metaphor to you?"
    I shook my head. "There've been a lot of things that didn't look like metaphors since I got here." It was true. "And there've been a lot of things that didn't look like they belonged in Heaven."
    The masked man leaned closer. "That's because there aren't any metaphors here." Still closer. "And whatever this place is , it sure isn't Heaven ."
    He held my gaze for a moment, dead serious. When I turned to M.J., his expression was the same. "He's telling the truth, Stag."
    "I know what Heaven is," said the masked man. "I've believed in it all my life . And this isn't anything remotely like Heaven."
    Frown deepening, I looked at each of them in turn. "So what is it, then? Hell? Purgatory?"
    "Who knows?" said the masked man. "Who knows if we're even really dead ?"
    I gazed into the fire as his words sank in. What if he was right? What if, somehow, none of us were dead? It would explain a lot, wouldn't it? Like how guns and bombs and incinerators could exist and have an impact. Like how we could still have physical forms that could be hurt or killed.
    But it raised other questions, too. "If we're not dead, then how did we get here? Who brought us here and why?"
    "There's a lot we don't know," said the masked man. "But we can tell you what they use us for." He tossed another log on the fire, sending up a plume of sparks. " Entertainment . Amusement . We perform for them on demand. They treat us like pets , like their private troupe of singers, musicians, actors, writers, artists."
    "Like their slaves ." M.J.'s voice was an angry hiss. "They treat us like we're their slaves ."
    The masked man nodded and sipped his wine. "You haven't been here long enough to get the full picture yet. But you will."
    "You'll be their bitch, too," said M.J. "Just like the rest of us. You'll see."
    "Unless you join us." The masked man laid his hand on my arm. "Unless you help us overthrow the bastards and get to the bottom of all this."
    Their eyes were on me. I could feel the pressure of their expectations crushing me where I sat.
    I drained my cup and set it down in the dirt, then held my head in my hands. "I don't know," I said. "So much has happened . I don't know what to think . I don't know who to believe anymore."
    We were all silent for a moment. Silent and still before the dancing, crackling flames.
    Then, the masked man squeezed my arm. I turned to look in his direction.
    "You want to know who to believe? Who to trust?" Reaching up, he lifted the mask from his head. "How 'bout me?"
    For the first time, I