GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

CHAPTER 20

THE DINNER has arrived. The guards were all busy giving out food boxes to the players who were just patiently waiting for their time. Since Denton and Jannah were on the M-lane, they were given the food within just seconds of waiting for it; they were in a place nearest to the gate of the arena where the guards entered from. “They are really spoiling us with a lot of things just for a one-day postponement of the game,” Denton muttered as he saw the dish that was inside the food box. “And… I am here, enjoying the things they are doing to make them feel sorry…”

Jannah was unbothered as she just scooped a food and placed it inside her mouth. Sandra and Paul both stood up after seeing the guards were about to move out of the arena to eat their foods beside both Denton and Jannah. All of a sudden, when everyone was busy of doing their things, Hector stood up and went to the guards. That happening caught Jannah’s attention which relayed things to Denton who was busy eating his food out. “He must be off to doing something already. Be aware and prepared, most especially you, old man…”

Denton fixed his gaze towards Hector who looks like a kid who was telling his parents that something bad happened to him. Denton saw Hector point his hand towards him, and in that exact moment, Denton knew Hector has something crazy to do to him. The guard actually nodded on Hector’s remark before going straight to Denton who was stopped on eating. “Player M-22, may we invite you to the infirmary to check some things out.” Denton looked at the guard like it was a policeman arresting him for something. “Player P-04 told us that he saw a hole inside the infirmary. The same player said that it was you and your team who was the last ones to be seen inside the infirmary. Together with Player P-04, we would want to see if his remarks were correct or not.”

Denton stood up as he was left with no choice but to do what he tasked to do. Paul, Sandra and Jannah all looked at Denton who shook his head, as if telling him he’s okay. Denton gave them the assurance that he will not be eliminated for such a reason. “I will go on my own, you do not have to guide me. I can still walk on my own,” he muttered. He hates it when someone does the exact thing to him. He looked at the three of them, who was looking at him with worry. “I will be fine, guys. I will be back.”

The guards, together with Hector and Denton, all walked out of the gate of the arena to walk towards the infirmary. Fortunately, the whole happening was being broadcasted on the monitor, the three who was left was able to see and monitor whatever is happening to Denton. “Is he going to be alright?” Sandra asked the two who was seen worrying too. “Well, I hope so…”

The guards and the other two player continued on walking towards the infirmary. Denton looked at Hector who just smiled at him; it was rather a devilish smile. Denton, however, kept calm as if there was not really a hole inside the infirmary. The guards opened the infirmary and faced both Denton and Hector who were both feeling the exact opposite of each other. “Player P-04, can you give us an idea where the hole was made and reveal it to us?”

“Sure,” Hector muttered as he entered the infirmary with his cool, scary aura. He went directly to the cabinet which was covering the hole. Denton gulped at the exact same moment. “When I felt lonely and felt the urge to look for them, I opt to look for them outside the arena. I saw the four of them went out of this room and entered the room since I felt like they did something so wrong in this room. When I looked for something, I saw the hole in which this cabinet is covering for. It is may be their way to escape and they thought I cannot see it,” Hector noted before pulling the cabinet from near the hole. Denton and the other three inside the arena all went panicking while Hector was pulling it but was rather surprised to see what is in there. “What the hell? Where is the hole?” Hector sat down on the floor and started on knocking on the place where he thought he saw the hole. “I knew there was a hole in here. I saw it, just hours before the delivery of dinner food boxes. How the hell did the hole just vanish?”

Denton looked at the exact place where they made a hole. Not only him, but the three of his teammates, inside the arena, all looked surprised to see no hole in there. “Player P-04 is given a first warning, from the game head,” one guard muttered. “If Player P-04 does the same thing as he does right this time, he will be punished an elimination. The game head says that he does not condemn any lies that were made without proofs. We will now bring you back to the arena.”

Hector was astonished but was mad to see no hole in there. He immediately went outside of the infirmary, leaving the embarrassment of showing no proof inside the infirmary. Each guard went out of the infirmary one-by-one until only one guard was left inside together with Denton. “Player M-22,” he muttered. “The hole was covered for your safety. No one must know that I made this for you. To open the hole, get the hammer inside the cabinet and smash the concrete out. Remember to do it slower and with less sound.”

Denton was surprised, again for the nth time, to hear those words from the guard. The guard went out of the infirmary and as the reality struck his, he went outside the room to see whether the guard who told him that was still there or not. Instead, five similar-looking guards greeted him outside. He cannot see and remember which guard was it who told him that thing. “Player M-22,” one guard muttered. “You will be assisted to go back to the arena. We are sorry, in behalf of Player-04, for this inconvenience.”

That is the moment when Denton thought that no one, except that one guard knew about the hole. Denton just left that idea for a moment and went together with the guard towards the arena. His three teammates looked forward to him entering the arena as the worry in their look has vanished. “I really thought you would be eliminated just because of that piece of s**t, Hector,” Paul muttered as he looked back at Hector who was madly looking at them. “Look at that entitled jerk. He really wants to eliminate us. If only I can, I must have already killed him without hesitating.”

“What’s bothering me is that, how the hell did the hole just vanished from there, Denton?” Sandra, who was confused, asked Denton who was also still absorbing things from what happened that entire day. “You know what, this day must be a freedom day but it ended up a stressful day, thanks to that Hector.” Her worry and anger at Hector is surely reasonable. “So, will you ever answer my question, Denton? Hello, I was asking about how the hole literally vanished?”

“Let me, at least, sit on my bed before telling you what really happened,” he muttered as they walked towards the lane of Denton and Jannah. He started on telling what happened inside that infirmary and how shock he was to see that the hole has vanished, all of a sudden, from the original place. “Oh how I wish I was kidding. However, everything that I told you was all the truth and that I am not kidding. A guard literally covered the hole for us. He told me not to tell anyone about what he did. He told me not to worry because the concrete cement was not that solid and it can be easily broken by a hammer which was inside the cabinet.”

“So you’re telling me that a guard helped you cover the hole?” Sandra exclaimed in disbelief. She then started scratching her head, thinking that whatever Denton has been talking about was really impossible. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, it just feels unreal. However since it came from your mouth, I will believe it.”

The monitor suddenly lit up. There entered the speaker who is about to make an announcement. “Announcement for the day,” he initiated. “Player P-04 will be punished every time he comes inside the five feet radius of Player M-22’s area. We will be monitoring your actions and remember that you will be eliminated earlier as you thought, if you do not follow commands inside this arena. This is a reminder, not just for certain players but for everybody. Be aware and always obey the rules inside the arena. The only rule in the battlefield is to survive; the only rule to survive inside the arena is to obey. That would be all for tonight.”