Christian lines up with the rest of his team outside the locker room, but as they file toward the exit and the bus beyond, he ducks through a service door. He knows the Coliseum inside and out, from his time with the Rebels. A few empty corridors later, he steps out onto the crowded thoroughfare and easily mixes in with the crowd. Only the heavy gym bag he carries over one shoulder makes him stand out, but no one notices and he slips through the turnstiles out into the night without getting stopped.
Outside he pauses to zip up his jacket. It’s colder than he thought it’d be. Most of the crowd huddles in oversized parkas, wool caps, and thick gloves. He tugs on a pair of thin leather gloves, flexes his fingers in them to settle them right, then realizes he’s dawdling. He should just get th
