Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
Kiernan, with his hands inside his pockets, walked down the empty arena with the spectator stands surrounding him like a fortress of silence.
"It sure is a different feeling when there are actually people sitting there. It is so deafeningly quiet now."
Kiernan arrived at the big ring, which had been repaired after the quarterfinals matches, and slowly walked to the center of the ring, feeling the weight of expectation settle on his shoulders.
He looked around and imagined the sight of hundreds of thousands of spectators shouting in his way, urging him to win or lose.
"Hey, who are you?!"
A sudden shout startled him as it was quiet only a second away, with his own thoughts accompanying him.
Kiernan turned around and saw a security guard approaching him with a serious look on his face.
One of his hands was touching a taser on his waist holster, ready to draw if necessary.
