GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

FIVE-FEET RADIUS

Players listened to the speaker well, trying to put everything the speaker told them inside their minds. The game has only one rule in the battlefield, that is to survive. It is a different thing inside the arena. Inside the arena, the king of the rule is to obey with the rules. Inside the arena, everyone is not pushed to kill someone. It is a grave offense inside the arena, but not inside the battlefield. People might find it funny but the game head is serious of giving people their free time to enjoy their lives, without worrying the life inside the battlefield, in which they are given breaktime after every main matches. “Now, we can finally close our eyes without worry inside our heads,” Paul muttered as he tapped Denton’s shoulders. “Finally, you do not have to worry. Hector is only a player, and to survive, he must obey with the rules. The moment he puts his feet inside the five-feet radius of your area, he for sure will be given another warning. What if you purposely make him enter your area? Should we just kill him already? Come to think of it, he might be a hindrance for our success.”

“I would not want to stoop at that low level, Paul. Hector might be a bad guy but he still deserves to be given a chance to live,” Denton replied. Sandra and Jannah both agreed to what he has muttered. Paul looked at them like he just made the gravest mistake of his life. He actually did place his hand on his chest like he’s asking why it was his mistake to suggest such a thing. “I would not want to kill him on purpose, actually. He said he wanted to kill me inside the battlefield, and I will give him a chance to do so. Why not, right? Might as well, we, see each other on the final round. That would be better.”

Sandra nodded. “I agree to what Denton has said but thinking about Paul’s suggestion, it sounds like he wants not to harm you, but to protect you, Denton,” she added. “Hector is a grave threat, not just to you and us, but to everyone inside this place. He is strong and he is one of the most influenced inside this place. He has a lot of hands inside this area. He can just command someone to kill you and let that someone suffer the punishment. Plus, he already did try to kill you. Imagine the bruises you got from him treating you like a punching bag? He harmed you already and I do not think that he would hesitate in doing that again.”

Denton heaved a deep sigh. “I understand that sentiments of the three of you, and that, I appreciate the worry you three has on me,” Denton replied. “If he does kill me inside the arena, then let me die, as well as let him suffer the punishment. However, even though how jerky that guy is, Hector is true to his words and I know, he will pursue killing me once we are in the battlefield. Plus, the idea of Sandra, which she says that she can just command someone to kill me, I do not think he would do that. As far as I know, Hector wanted to kill me, using his own hands. The point is if he commands someone to kill me, he failed to do what he promised to do so. Let us just lessen the worry, for now. The game head, at least, protected me and my team from harm. Let’s take that as something that they gave us.”

“Now, I cannot blame people who sees you as a threat, and that, you are being treated by the game head better than most of us all,” Paul muttered. “Although I know that you are just lucky enough and that, you pulls a lot of luck inside your body, if I do not know you, I would honestly suspect you being treated better than all of us. Fortunately, I know you and I know better than them,” Paul replied before he paused first. “Look at what happened, the four of us lost our appetite to eat, because of that goddamn Hector who told the guards the hole we discovered. Speaking of the hole, I still find it surreal that a guard covered that hole, in behalf of us. I do not think he will do that for such a random reason, I am sure he is keeping something. Aren’t the three of you concerned and curious?”

“We are, of course. It also strums my curiosity and that, I wanted to know what, but to no avail. I mean, how would we know something like that? Like, should we ask every guard we see about that thing? Isn’t asking every guards we see more obvious that we are up to something? Like Denton said, the guards all look the same with their uniforms on, it will be hard to identify who that was who told Denton that,” Sandra muttered. “Speaking of that hole, are we going to still explore that hole? I mean, it’s getting to late. The fifth main match is going to happen the next day. The possibility of us surviving is not assured and we might get killed tomorrow without having the chance to know more inside that hole. What should we do, Denton?”

“The probability of us surviving until tomorrow is really, really not assured. However, we must do our best to survive in that game, right? We must, because we must acquire the spot for the escaping game,” Denton muttered. “For the hole, we are planning to go there, Paul and I. You two, stay here later. The two of us will explore that hole more. We will identify if the person Paul saw was the game head or just the speaker.” Denton looked at both Sandra and Jannah who were looking worried. “Tomorrow is the sixth game, the third to the last game. Thinking about this, there will only be two to three escaping matches. We must send someone to the escaping game tomorrow. We are thinking about sending Jannah on the escaping game tomorrow. Be mentally and physically prepared, Jannah. We must send you out of this place.”

Jannah slightly nodded like she has no energy to do so. “I must admit that I am actually getting anxious that I may not make it out of this hell, but yeah, that’s for sure, I will do my best to win the next main match and win the escaping match.”

Sandra placed her hand on Jannah’s shoulder and smiled to her. “Hey, I know you can do that. Despite being a student and one of the few younger people here, you have such great brain and your observation can top that already,” Sandra muttered. “Make sure to make it out. If the two of us make it out, let’s have a beer outside. I’m just going to find you on each social medias that I stumble upon with.”

“I don’t drink,” Jannah replied which made Sandra laugh her ass out. “What’s funny?”

Sandra raised her brows. “Then, we will just make you drink beverages that have little to no alcoholic content. As expected to our baby in this team, you haven’t grown all up,” Sandra muttered as he patted Jannah’s head. Jannah does not like it when someone does it to her, but not at this point. She was deprived of care and love from her family, which she found it unexpectedly to the team which she least expected to make. “You two, Denton and Paul. Be sure that one of you win the prize money, so we will have someone to pay the unlimited beer house. I know some in the streets of New York, I got you all.”

Denton just nod. “We will be sure to do that,” he replied to Sandra who just smiled at them, both him and Paul. “Like what we planned, I decided to let Jannah lead the escaping game, then let Sandra do it next. Paul and I are probably going to go out last, remember to wait for us. At this rate, this is a team game and not an individual game. If ever someone in this team wins this game, it’s because of us all, and you three must remember that.”

The other three nodded on their leader’s remark. “So, what time are you two going to the infirmary? It will be lights off later, since we have a game to play tomorrow,” Sandra asked the two of them. Paul looked at Denton as he was unsure of what to respond. “I suggest you two to come to the infirmary already. You said that there is a concrete cement, that would take more time and effort.”

Denton nodded. “As you said, since the hole is covered, that will take time and effort, that is why we are going there right at this moment.” He looked at both Sandra and Jannah with worried face. “Since I am not around here, Hector and friends might come at you. Be aware and always prepare, okay? We still have game to play tomorrow, being safe is the greatest ticket to survive. We will see you later.”