GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

CHAPTER 16

HECTOR FOCUSED his gaze on Denton, who was trying to avoid gazing at him. He knew that Denton could see that he was looking at him. Denton focused on his team and never looked back at Hector. “Did you see that guy who put a force on that dead guy’s collar? He is Hector and he is a really dangerous guy,” he told his teammates who were listening to him. “As much as possible, do not get near him. The reason why the collar exploded was because he pulled it. Do not let anyone pull or put a force on your collar or you will explode, got it?”

One woman spoke up after he did. “But… what if, by any chance, he became our teammate?”

“If you are his teammate, he would not do that for sure. Since you need physical contact with each other, that will make it hard for him to do, since once he does that, everyone under the same team, including him will be affected by the explosion,” Denton muttered. “But do not be assured that he will not do that. I know him. He is a very dangerous person that I would like to avoid. Just keep on track. Do not just look at him but look at the others too. Some of them might have found it out already.”

There are only two minutes left on the timer but the game has even got a little spicier than how it usually is. The collars started ticking, making them move swiftly and pass each other who can put a force on their collars. “Jannah, tell Paul and Sandra to keep on track on Hector and his disciples. They are burning to kill me and those who follow me, and that includes you three,” Denton muttered. “You should go and run after this. You are number one.”

Jannah nodded. “Are you sure you do not need help?” Jannah asked. Denton looked at his right, left and back to see whether somebody is looking at him and Jannah talking. The sand covers the sight but are still visible for them. However, they would never know when someone will go and attack them all of a sudden. “You are number eight. I thought there are only seven?”

Denton nodded and heaved a deep sigh before he looked at Jannah. “Now, go and quickly tell Paul and Sandra about what I told you. You are the only person that I can trust right now, Jannah. Please do it quickly so you can go to your team too.”

Denton left Jannah alone, who eventually left the place also, after receiving the message from her leader. “Where the hell were the two?” Jannah muttered while running. He is on the way of finding the two, Paul and Sandra. She quickly saw Sandra, who was running as well. She went to where Sandra was running too, and greeted her there. “Our team is in danger. Be aware that those jerks have their eyes on us.”

Sandra raised her eyebrows. “Which guys? Those big guys who Denton was talking about?”

“Yes. Do not let his minions or him put a force on your collar, just like Denton said. He wants us to be safe. For sure, that big guy was targeting Denton but we must be awake and alert at all the times,” Jannah muttered. “Where is Paul?”

Sandra stretched her arms to point at Paul who was collecting people the same number as he is. Jannah, since the timer only has thirty seconds on the second to the last minute, ran with her very might. She pulled Paul as she relayed Denton’s message to Paul”. “Be aware that Hector has his eyes on us. He identified that pulling the collar will make it explode, so he might actually make it to Denton or us, his teammates. Always be wary of everything. His trolls might attack us any time sooner.”

Paul nodded. “Good. Now, go and find your teammates. You only have twenty seconds.”

Jannah responded with a nod to Paul before she went away, looking for his team members. He turned her eyes on the timer, which was slowly losing time. She looked at the battle field and couldn't see anything aside from the sand that was blinding her. It was all of a sudden when someone pulled her and as she looked at it, she saw Denton. “Here are the number one,” Denton muttered as he left Jannah ones on the place where they are. “I should go.”

Denton ran with all his might to get to where the eight were. There were only three of them and the other two were waiting for him to come back. The timer was only five seconds left from its second to the last minute and Denton had not been able to go back to where the team was. Since the other two are already worried, they started to run together, holding hands, hoping to see Denton on the way. There were only two seconds when Denton saw them and the other two run with all of their might to hug Denton and they were successful of doing it. The collar made a ticking sound, signaling the change of number. “Jannah, number five!”

Jannah stopped as he looked at Denton. She was about to make a gesture when someone kicked Denton towards the floor. “Finally,” Hector muttered as he grabbed Denton’s shirt. “Finally, we met.” Hector looked at Denton with the urge to kill him. “I promised myself to kill you not later than this round and I am finally doing this now.”

Denton looked at him. “What is the reason behind your anger to me? Still the same?”

“I have hated you for so many reasons and you added one more after you declined my proposal to be one of my minions, Denton. It is really easy to please me, but you chose to annoy me instead,” Hector muttered as he put his hand on Denton’s collar. “Just one pull and you are dead. How would you wish to die: get beaten up or get exploded together with your collar?”

Denton looked at Paul who was walking near them, signaling him not to do so. “Wait…”

Paul was stopped when someone put his hand on his collar. The guy grinned and laughed when someone from the back pulled his collar and pushed him towards where Denton was lying down. It was Sandra who pulled one Hector’s minion’s collar. Hector, who was surprised of what happened, lost the grip when Denton started biting his hand. Denton started running on the battlefield. Hector did not give up on the thought of killing Denton. He stood up and started running after Denton. “Come here, little frick!”

Denton looked at the timer and there are only twenty seconds left on the timer. He noticed that a big stride of steps was after him and he started to accelerate. Denton knew that it was, for sure, Hector. There was only ten seconds and there were only a few meters between them. “Just ten seconds, Denton. Hang in there.”

Hector tried to grab Denton’s collar but the latter was running too fast. Denton lost the strength of his knees and started falling down on the ground. He was still aware at that moment and he saw Hector on top of him. He felt that Hector was pulling his collar but he couldn't hear the static sound that indicated that the collar would explode. “Why is it not exploding?”

Two guards started to grab Hector away from Denton, who was conscious but is not moving. “The match time has already halted and the had of the collars were already turned off,” one of the guards muttered. “Technically speaking, when you tried to pull M-22’s collar, the time was already gone, which makes M-22’s escape from you successful.”

Both Hector and Denton at number seven on the last minute. As they are running at a distance between themselves, they manage to, somehow, survive. The physical contact Hector made, which was holding Denton’s collar. He did that as the timer lost time. If Hector and Denton made physical contact on the last minute, no one between them could have survived. “I will see you on the next match,” was the last thing Denton heard before he passed out.

Minutes later, Denton slowly opened his eyes and saw the three teammates of his near the bed he was lying on. “Denton, are you awake?” worried Paul asked Denton, who slightly nodded. “You passed out after that intense running battle with Hector. You survived but, unfortunately, Hector survived too. You are exempted to the draw of players who will play at the escaping match and no one among us three is chosen.”

Denton rose up and sat on the table where he is right now. The greatest thing he saw when he rose up was Hector’s clear gaze at him. “Has the escaping match started yet?” He said that after rejecting the fact that Hector was looking at him. He decided to just deny the fact that a danger is waiting to kill him.