Animalis by John Peter Jones

Author:John Peter Jones [Jones, John Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-10-20T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Arena

They couldn’t send Jax to the arena now. Hank and the captain were coming for him. They would be here.

The rhinoceros struck the bars of the cell with an electrified stick and sent sparks showering onto the floor. There were two more guards behind him, a leopard and a water buffalo. Animals, trained to move and act like humans.

The three guards extended their shock sticks into the cell, waving them around, trying to knock Jax to the ground. He dodged and ducked, then jumped forward and caught the handle of the water buffalo’s stick. Jax jerked it free and pulled it into the cage with him. He blocked a blow from the leopard and then struck back at it. There was a sharp buzz as the stick made contact with the leopard’s arm. It jerked convulsively and dropped to the ground.

“I’m not going without a fight,” Jax yelled. “HA!” He struck out at the water buffalo, who had moved to pick up the leopard’s shock stick.

“Give me the keys! HA!” Jax shouted. He struck the bars of the cell and sent a shower of sparks in the air. “HA! Keys! Stupid animal!” He tried to think of what a lion tamer would have said to control them. “Move! Now!”

The rhinoceros pulled the shock stick back and lowered its head. Jax moved closer and raised his hands above his head to seem bigger. “Now! Keys! HA!”

“Got you, mal’chik,” it said with a snort. Then it jabbed in with its shock stick. Jax was too close. He tried to move, but it hit his stomach like the finger of God.

He fell, shaking to the floor, fire burning through his limbs. By the time he started to understand his surroundings again, they had dragged him to a new holding cell. A tingling sensation had replaced the burn. He could hear the Animalis audience, talking and moving on the stands just above where he was lying.

Jax flexed his fingers; he was starting to get control of his body back.

“If you live through this fight, boy,” said a smooth, deep voice from behind Jax, “I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of. There was only ever one human that lived through his fight, and it made people go wild to see his next fight. A shame he didn’t make it.” Something extended into the cage: the man’s hand. It held something. “Take this. It’s no guarantee, but you don’t have a chance without it.”

Jax pulled himself up, hanging on the bars of the cage. He could see the shard of metal in the man’s hand now. The man dropped it, and it landed on the hard floor with a light clank. There was a jerk of movement that almost knocked Jax back to the floor. The entire cage was sliding forward into the arena.

It was all happening too fast. Jax wasn’t ready; he couldn’t even stand on his own yet. Hank was coming for him—they were supposed to break through the walls. It couldn’t be happening like this; it was too fast.

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