Romeo leaned on the wall inside his cell. Dry blood splattered across his chest and face. The slaves who chose not to get involved in the competition sat at the far end of the cell, looking at Romeo as though he was a monster. There was a monitor outside their cell that allowed them to watch the fight, and they feared the young Tanzanian after what they saw him do.

The cell's gate rumbled as it moved to the side. Two guards entered and stood in front of Romeo. "Get up," one of them said.

"Do I look like I can do that?" Romeo's wounds hadn't been treated, courtesy of Capt. Davis and Mr. Wallace.

Both guards took out their electric batons. "I won't ask again."

Already in pain, Romeo had no intentions of getting electrocuted and beaten up by them. He groaned as he placed his hands on the wall, using it as support to stand up. He was exhausted, and asking him to walk was a chore.

"Who's asking for me?" Romeo asked.

"Don't ask questions."

After fifteen minutes of walking, they arrived outside a red steel door. It had the old school round doorknob. The new ones had finger print scanners on them and slid to the side when opened, but he was in an old stadium, so it made sense some things weren't changed.

"Go inside," the only guard who spoke said.

Romeo looked at them from the corner of his eye and wondered if it was a plot set by Mr. Wallace and Capt. Davis to get him killed after he embarrassed them. But the only way he'd know for sure was by going inside. 

He sighed, then opened the door. As he walked inside, he could hear cheers and jeers coming from the crowd in the arena. It was a small room once he got a proper look at it, with the wall colored orange and paintings of Mr. Wallace hung on it.

There was a man seated on the only couch in the room. It was cozy, having a standing AC and a small fridge for beverages. The man was looking at one of the paintings. "Wallace loves himself too much," he said. 

"Is that why I'm here? To talk about about paintings?" Romeo asked.

The man chuckled, then faced Romeo. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a matching newsboy cap on his head. "No wonder Wallace and Davis hate you, you says whatever is on your mind." He smiled, revealing his yellowish teeth. "I like that." He gave out a hand. "I'm Gideon."

Romeo shook it. "Romeo."

"Romeo," Gidoen placed a hand on Romeo's injured shoulder, "would you like to get out of here?"

"I earned my freedom. I hope that's what happens." Romeo groaned and moved his shoulder downwards, hoping Gideon would move his hand away. Gideon took cue and did so. Romeo walked to the open window. He could see the arena clearly. There were two fighters left; a big man and a small one. He counted eight bodies on the ground. A ten man fight? Wallace is crazy. He must have done it to get the crowd on his side after they began to boo him for failing to get me killed.

Gideon stood besides him. "The Mexican boy is a true fighter," he said.

"Mexican boy?" Romeo only knew one with the same will and determination as him. Gomez. "Is the other guy a Russian with a snake tattoo?"

"Yes."

Oh, no. He knew Capt. Davis must have done this on purpose, knowing the two were friends. This was his way of punishing Romeo.

Romeo put his hands on his eyes and used them as goggles. He saw Gomez being lifted in the air before he was thrown to the ground. The Russian was taking his time killing him. He had to give the crowd a good show.

"How did you treat the wound on your stomach? I heard Wallace and Davis telling the medics not to help you," Gideon said.

"Alcohol and a stapler. They are everywhere. Seems you rich people are enjoying yourselves."

"I'm not rich."

"Whatever. What do you want from me?"

"You weren't going to be freed after the stunt you pulled on Wallace and Davis. So I'm here to free you," Gideon said. He walked back to the fridge, took out a can of beer and drank it all.

"When are we leaving?" Romeo asked.

Gideon rubbed his mouth. "You aren't going to ask at what I want from you?"

"I already asked."

"I meant after freeing you."

"I just want to leave this place man. If where you're taking me is worse than here, then I'll know what to do."

Gideon smiled. "That's the spirit."

"I want to take someone with me," Romeo said.

"Who?"

"The Mexican boy."

"Are you sure you don't mean the Russian?"

"Positive."

Gideon sighed, then rubbed his face in frustration. "Give me a minute." He made a call and argued with someone on the other end of the phone. After he was done, Gideon ended it. "Look at the arena," he said.

Romeo turned back to the window and saw the fighting had stopped. The jeers from the crowd were getting louder. They wanted to see Gomez be killed by the Russian, but it didn't happen. Four more fighters were brought instead and they charged for the Russian with swords and knives in their hands. The crowd cheered again, the stakes were higher than ever now.

Romeo saw a guard drag a weakened Gomez through the exit gate. 

Gideon patted Romeo on the shoulder. "Let's go. We will meet your friend in my car."

<+>

Nipp and Gina rode the kwads at full speed. The open land allowed them to have a friendly race. "Too slow," Gina said as she passed Nipp.

"You're cheating. I can tell," Nipp said as he slacked behind.

Gina went further ahead. From the distance she left him, she looked like a small bug on a kwad. She came to a sudden stop right when Nipp hit the nitro button. He would've bumped into her if it wasn't for his sharp alertness.

He dropped from his kwad. "What's wrong?"

Gina crouched on the ground and grabbed a piece of burnt wood. "We're getting close,"she said.

"Close to what?"

"The others that are down here." She spotted different footprints; large ones, and normal human sized ones. "They were chased by grenos."

"Are you sure it wasn't big foot."

Gina didn't even react to the joke. "Oh, no." She noticed something. "Nipp, get on your kwad. Now."

"What's wro-"

"Just get on the damn thing!"

The greno footprints ended on the ground. Only one footprint managed to run all the way out of there. Whoever it was must have survived the attack. They stood in a wide empty area. No houses to hide in and survive a greno attack.

"Where are the grenos hiding?" Gina asked herself.

Monstrous hands broke out of the ground first, then the rest of their bodies followed. Six of them came out, hungry as ever, blood on their bodies from their last meal.

Gina and Nipp tried switching on their kwads, but they were too slow. One of the grenos hit Gina out of her seat and onto the ground. She stood up, took out her gun and shot it on the chest, but it didn't fall. She shot it again and no harm came to it. The thing grabbed her by the arms and threw her at a far distance.

"Shoot it in the head!" Nipp reminded her while he shot two others.

Gina crawled to her gun. But before she could get it, the greno got a hold of her leg and pulled her back. She turned around and kicked it on the face. As it stumbled backwards, she picked up her gun and shot another two. The one from before came after her. She could hear it growl under its breath. It was hungry and its glaring red eyes spoke volumes.

"Do you need help?" Nipp asked as he shot the fifth greno. 

Only one remained.

"No, this one is mine." Gina shot it in the leg, provoking it.

The greno jumped at her. She rolled over to her left and stood up. "Come at me ugly face."

"I don't think you should make it any angrier than it already is," Nipp said, standing besides his kwad.

"I know what I'm doing."

"Fine, I'm no rocket scientist but-"

"Yes, you aren't." She took out a small bomb from her boots.

The greno roared to the top of its voice making the ground shake a little. "Yeah, you're dead." Nipp took a few steps back.

"Switch on the kwads." She ordered him. "It's time to bomb this bitch."

The greno ran towards her on its four limbs like a lion going in for the kill. She ran towards it too, meeting it in the middle. It plunged itself forward. She slid under it, removed the pin from the bomb and threw it in its mouth. Then she got up quickly and ran at her kwad.

Nipp turned. "Hasta La Vista, greno." He said, before the bomb exploded. They hadn't rode far enough to escape the blast.

They stood up after being thrown to the ground. "Are you guys alright?" Tatiana asked over the watches.

"Never better," Gina replied.

"I see you finally used the bomb."

"Yes."

"Be careful where you're headed next. The watches don't work there," Tatiana said.

"How so?" Gina asked.

"They jammed the frequency."

"Who?" Nipp asked.

"I don't know," Tatiana replied.

"Thanks for the heads up," Gina said.

Nipp looked at the grenos' flesh scattered on the ground and turned to Gina, smiling.

"Please don't make a meat joke," she said.

"I would, but you already butchered it." He laughed.

Gina cracked a smile before rolling her eyes. "You're an idiot."

"I know you liked it."

"We have to go."

They got on their kwads. But before they could leave, more grenos came out of the ground. There were more than fifty of them, and others were still coming out.

"We woke up the entire family," Gina said.

"More like the entire clan," Nipp added.

They drove away as fast as they could. The grenos were already on their feet, running after them. Wherever the two were headed, they just put everyone there in danger.