GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

UP, SIDE & DOWN

“What are you saying?” Paul asked, confused. Denton did not bother opening his mouth and eyes, trying to think properly. “And what did that fat guy mean? You, a cheater?”

“It’s not the case,” Denton muttered. He really is in his most f****d up moment in life. Playing the game is already hard for him and seeing his ‘mortal enemy’ join the game is a level of difficulty harder. “I played a game, once, with him. I actually won but he accused me of cheating when I did not. I know that guy. He never wants to lose and that, he could use his boys to gang up on me. I might not survive this level, if this is the case.”

Paul took the time to look at the gang boss who was smiling while looking at Denton. “He really looks so scary,” he muttered before shaking his head. “In any way that I can help, just tell me. However, you should not be worrying about that guy and how will it affect your game performance. Worrying itself affects you already.”

Both Paul and Denton just moved to the battlefield and waited for the announcement. “Welcome to the Rule of Cards! Let us commence the second round, main match; Up, Side and Down.” By that time, Denton is slowly gaining his focus back to the game. It is the second round of the game and if he failed to succeed on this game, he will never get a chance to meet his daughters again; that is what Denton is thinking at that exact same moment. “This robot inside the area holds a piece of a slipper on its hand. The robot will be throwing the slipper towards the back while it is facing aback of the players. If the slipper faces upward, the players must not move in order to survive. If the slipper faced downward, the players must step in a platform and not in the ground. If the slipper stood on its side, the players must group hug in an even number. Once the player failed to not move, go in the platform or include in group hug, the player will be killed by the robot itself.”

“The rule is confusing,” Paul noted, memorizing the rules of the game. “Don’t you think the rule is confusing too? I’ve never heard of this game…”

Denton shook his head. “Paul, this might be a TMI but I want to tell you that I am a half-Asian, a Filipino to be exact. I lived my whole childhood in the Philippines.” He paused while Paul just looked at him, confused. “As I listen to the rule, the memories suddenly flashed in my mind. I remember that I used to play a similar kind of game like this in the Philippines.”

“There is such a game?” Paul asked Denton who was nodding with a smile. “I never know that having two citizenships could be a great help in this game.”

“Once the twenty minutes have already ended, the game will conclude. Useful Card: Once the player shows a swap card in the game, s/he will have the power to change the direction of where the slipper is facing. The swap card will be useful for only one usage each.” The monitor changed into a screen of timer. “That is all the direction of the game. Cheating is allowed, so cheat all you want. Should we start the game?”

A drum roll started to sound which surrounded the whole area. It was accompanied by the sound of the guards marching on the rhythm. Denton was stopped after seeing that. Some found that scene amazing and were in awe while watching the guards marching while listening to the drum rolls, but to Denton, it gave him chills for an unexplainable reason.

As he turned his head to the right, he saw the boss of the gang giving him a smile that shove his shivers down to his spine. He knew he is really f****d up in that moment as he tried to forget about the big boss and focus on the game but failed. Seeing that one guy who despises him a lot in this competition really is troublesome for some people and is happening to Denton exactly.

Paul turned his gaze to Denton who was spacing out since the start of the drum roll event. “Are you okay?” he asked Denton who shook his head as a response. “You should gather yourself, Denton. The main match will start already. If you can, empty your mind with thoughts first, so you will do good on the match.”

Denton nodded. “I will.”

The marching and the drum roll has stopped. “Everyone looks prepared already,” the speaker notated. Everyone cheered themselves like they never experienced a horrible game the day before that day. The area looked like a place where a festival happens instead of looking like a place to prepare a bloodshed. “If it were so, we should start the game right in this moment.”

At the count of three, one of the guard fired a bullet in the air, symbolizing the start of the second main match. “Up, side and down…” It was a distorted voice with some echo effects who told that. It was late for everyone to think that it was the robot who was talking. “The slipper decides…” the robot continued, in rhythm.

The slipper, as long as a grown-up man and as big as three slim guys, is thrown by the robot to his back. It was a big flip-flop that the players were pushed to run away to avoid the slipper. The thing made a great impact on the ground but the players were stopped to see the slipper facing down; they embarrassingly forgot the instruction.

Denton and Paul looked at each other and gave a signal to each other. They silently went up to the platform, being the only ones to adapt with the game instruction. Upon seeing what Denton and Paul did, the players eventually followed. The robot’s head slowly turned around and shoot the players who were unable to stand on the platform. “The robot has a sensor that identifies who are the players who are unable to follow the instruction,” Paul told Denton. “The great thing about this game is if we are quick-witted and that the robot turns his head around slowly.”

Denton nodded. “Then we’ll be safe here?” he asked. Paul just nodded, sign of assurance. “I just have to memorize the instruction, so I’ll be safe. I can survive on this round—no, I will.”

The platforms were surprisingly small to fit in almost three hundred players, so the other players who did not fit in the platform, looked for the other platform to stand with. Some succeed on that way but some failed to do so. Back on the game, the slipper rose up as if it was pulled by the force of the robot. As it was slowly pulling the slipper, it also turns his head slowly.

“Don’t step down from the platform yet,” Paul exclaimed, stopping the players who are about to go down from the platform. “We do not know if there are hidden rules in the game. However, I think the robot is made with a motion sensor that checks whether we do the right thing to do. As long as it still faces us, it will still detect our motion… so, if ever that it stopped killing people already, wait for the moment that it has fully turned his head already before going back to the start.”

All of the players eventually followed what Paul has muttered. The game has continued with the robot throwing the slipper once again and it resulted to the slipper facing up. Some of the players took the time of when the robot takes it time to turn its head to think and reminisce about the rule of the game. Fortunately, they have come to realize that they should stay still and not move in order to survive.

The robot has completely turned its head and started on observing the players. It lasted up to a whole five minutes before the robot slowly turned its head. The robot took more time to turn its head around after that round, as it’s also making the players exhausted for not moving. After a whole minute of turning around, the robot pulled the slipper again without killing even a player in the last round of the game.

Continuing the game, the robot threw the slipper on its back and when it has landed, the slipper landed on its bottom. However, the slipper bounced and when it landed on the ground once more, the slipper was already facing the side. The players immediately hugged in crowd, not caring about any other player but themselves only.

Denton, on the other side, of the area, not knowing what to do. It took time for him to realize what he should do. He looked at the robot whose head is slowly turning around and looked at the group of people in the area. No one seemed to have an interest of hugging Denton, as a part of the instruction. “What should I do…?”

Denton stood there, not moving, while looking at the robot’s head slowly turning around.