Nano Z by Brad Knight Page A

force behind it, it was clear that they wanted Mack and Amber awake. Then they opened it up.
    Who the…what the? For a brief moment Mack forgot where he was. He forgot that he was a prisoner and apparently a gladiator. And it was sweet.
    Oh yeah. Shiiiit. Standing in the open doorway were two men. One held a modern looking black shotgun. The other had a US military issue assault rifle. Mack didn’t even want to speculate about where the latter got his weapon.
    “Get up! Let’s get going. You don’t want to keep your fans waiting do you? Its show time,” ordered the shotgun wielding man with a poisonous smile.
    Mack had to wake Amber who hadn’t budged since she initially fell asleep. Like all teenagers, she put up a little fight and was stubborn. But most would be amazed by the motivation provided by having two guns pointed at you. She got up, sort of.
    Amber was still groggy when Mack guided her towards the supply/janitorial room door. They were quickly separated. The shotgun toting man escorted Mack. His peer did the same with Amber.
    Survive. All you got to do is survive. You can do it. You got this far. After the bull, what else can they throw at you? Please don’t be the bear. I wouldn’t want to fight a normal bear let alone a meat puppet version.
    “I gotta pee,” said Amber. For her revelation she got knocked in the back with the butt of an assault rifle. That made Mack grind his teeth and clench his fists.
    “Pee later,” responded the assault rifle wielding man.
    “You can go ahead and take a squat if ya live,” chimed in the man with a shotgun in his hands.
    “Don’t see that happening.” The two escorts laughed. It echoed throughout the claustrophobic confines of the rodeo arena bowels.
    As Amber and Mack got to the door that led to the pens, they smelt decaying flesh. They’d have to pass their potential murderers. It made Mack wonder whether or not he was really the one confined in a cage.
    A disturbingly familiar and recognizable aroma of carrion hit the two prisoners as one of their jailors opened the pen door. The pungent power of it almost floored them. Even the armed men behind Amber and Mack wretched.
    Mack tried not to look at the variety of meat puppets as he and Amber passed by their cages. There was no reason or point. Why scare himself more than he already was? He couldn’t help but wonder about Amber’s mental state.
    How’s she holding up? I can’t imagine what she’s going through. Will she be able to fight? I hope she can because I’m going to need all the help I can get. There’s no way in hell I’m going to get lucky like I did with the bull again. I guess I'm about to find out.
    Amber and Mack stood at the gate to the arena. You’d think there’d be less nerves the second time around, but you’d be wrong. Knowing that some meat puppet monstrosity was waiting for them took away that little sliver of hope that maybe it was just a firing squad. At least then their deaths would be quick.
    “Are you ready folks? Time for the night’s main event. When you saw them on the dirt of the pit last night. They ended the two week reign of the bull. Please welcome…”
    Mack and Amber could hear the announcer on the public announcement system. Through the iron bars of the gate they saw the raucous crowd. They saw the blood stained dirt.
    “Move.” The guard who escorted Mack poked the barrel of his gun into his prisoner’s back.
    That’s the last time. I swear to god. Mack looked over to Amber. Both of them knew it was time to face fate.
    “No weapons?” asked Mack as calmly as he could.
    The two armed men looked at each other then laughed. In unison they answered. “No weapons.”
    We have to do it barehanded? That’s great. Mack pushed open the gate. Amber followed closely behind.
    “…your champions!” The announcer got the crowd into an even bigger frenzy. By the time Mack and Amber stepped on the dirt, almost every spectator was ravenous.
    “And the