GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

CHAPTER 24

JANNAH WAS left on the fifth table, playing with all the other opponents in the same table as them. She was, to be honest, worried and jealous at the same time, seeing Sandra being guided to the hall of winners area. It vanished when Sandra looked at her with worried eyes and mumbled some words. Jannah got what Sandra was talking about. She turned her focus on the game that she was playing at the exact moment. She knows that if she loses her momentum, her opponent might take advantage to it. “Focus, Jannah. You need to win this. You have to win this. It is your greatest resort of leaving this hell.”

“It is your turn,” the shuffling guard muttered as it patted her shoulders to further get her focus. Jannah then placed his finger, feeling each card her opponent has, as if she can feel nor see the numbers that were written in the cards. Jannah continued on feeling it using her fingers, and upon deciding what to choose, she pulled the card from the opponent’s cards and got a pair for her three of hearts. She looked at her opponent who was silently laughing at what she did. “It’s your turn now.”

Little did the opponent know, Jannah already know what is the monkey card. They are now on the brink of ending the game since both of them only has few cards left on their hands. Since the start of the match, Jannah has been eyeing on this one card that people has been getting and passing to. With her keen eyes, she observed that it was the monkey card, and that, it, of no doubt, will make her the card but she is trying to place it as her last card. The card was still on the opponent’s hand and it is the opponent’s turn to get a card from Jannah’s hands. Since it will be the last turn, Jannah grabbed the card from the opponent’s hand as it seemed like the other player knows nothing about playing this game. “I got the monkey card,” she muttered as she let the opponent get her other card as his last move. The other player was not thinking when he grabbed the other card from Jannah which caused him to make a pair of queens. As he placed it on the table, the monitoring guard did no hassle and immediately killed the opponent in front of Jannah’s face. “I made it...”

“The winner for the fifth table has been recognized,” the shuffling guard muttered as she was being guided towards the hall of the winners. “She got the monkey card’s pair which made her the winner of this table. Your monitoring guard will now guide you to the hall of the winners.” The shuffling guard silenced as the speaker from the monitor talked. “Winner of the fifth table recognized. There are only four tables left before we conclude the game. The winners will be placed on the hall of the winners...” and so on that he talked. It was just a repetitive remark of the speaker throughout the whole game.

Denton, Paul and Sandra greeted Jannah for her success and victory. Sandra even gave her a tight hug as she walked towards the hall of the winners. “I know you can do it, and now, you did it!” she exclaimed as she hugged Jannah once more. “It is of no doubt that you are one of many good players in this game, but to eliminate six other players using your keen observations and natural talent is a whole another level, Jannah. You must be confident on how you won the game on your table.”

“Still, I am not as good as you three,” Jannah mumbled as she heaved a deep sigh. Sandra looks worried again. Jannah really has this little confidence to herself which makes it her weakness. “I actually thought I can be able to finish the game in just few minutes but I was not able to do it. But yeah, I am grateful to still be living despite my slow movements. I am happy to be here standing with you all three now.”

Denton tapped Jannah before they all sat down on the platform that was made for the winners of each table. Although they were happy that they won the game on each of their table, Denton knows something worse might come any time sooner. “Still, you did a good job, Jannah. Sandra and Paul did a good job too, but kudos to you, who never let your anxiety and overthinking overpower you,” Denton muttered which drew a smile on Jannah’s fave. “We all did a good job, that is for sure. But, let us not be that overproud to ourselves first. It is necessary to be happy in this little victories, but who knows what to expect, some things, even worse than this, might come and attack us anytime sooner.”

“Do not be so anxious, Denton. We know that this is not the worst thing to overcome but... it is not so wrong to celebrate little amount of victory at this rate, especially we are in a survival game where victory are only given to few,” Paul muttered. He understands that Denton was being anxious about everything, but he does not want the negativity to surround the whole team. “Is Hector still alive?” Paul asked Denton who nodded and looked at his left. As he turn his gaze to the left, he immediately saw the big volumed body of Hector which is visible even from far away. “That guy must have the spirit of a cat. He has been winning all the games until now. Is he immortal? Is he even real?”

“He has the reason to stay alive, Paul, and that must be the reason which pushes him to survive the games. You know the reason? He wants to kill me, using his own hands,” Denton muttered as he heaved a deep sigh after. “I have to keep my guards up, because he might be grinding his own teeth, since this day is a card day and he was not able to kill me. That guy is so eager to kill me and to harm my team so, you guys, keep your guards up too. We have to be alive, awake and alert everytime.”

A little later, the speaker announced the conclusion of the sixth main match upon having the guards guide the four other winners of their own tables. The guards guided these four last winners as they all ended their own games all at once. “They are now done,” Paul muttered as he looked at Jannah who was clutching her own fingers. Jannah does that whenever she gets tensed or nervous about something. Denton noticed it, so he placed his hand on Jannah’s before nodding in front of her. “Jannah, you have to win this, alright? You have to survive. You already did the main match, what more to the escaping match?”

“Paul is right,” Sandra muttered. Sandra, who has been Jannah’s moral supporter, wants to again make Jannah feel that she is as good as everybody is. She wants to make her realize that she can absolutely ace the match. “Pack it up, girl. Once the speaker announced the escaping match, you have to stand up and volunteer, okay?” Sandra raised her brows. “We are doing this, not because we want to push you out, but this might be the only chance for you to get out. Think about this, all of us can volunteer too, but we chose not to, because we want to give this opportunity to you. This might be the last chance, so seize it. You can do it, Jannah. Most of all, we believe in your skills.”

“The escaping match will commence twenty minutes later,” the speaker muttered, then he vanished from the monitor again. While he was not in the monitor, it flashed the graphical representation for the instructions of the sixth main match. “The sixth escaping match will be the same as the last round’s escaping match. The only difference that this escaping match will make is that the players are chosen, not by draw, but voluntarily.” Denton’s eyes twinkled as he heard that remarks from the speaker. He looked at Jannah whose ears are listening at the speaker speaking from the monitor. “Once the announcement has halted, the players who wants to volunteer for the next escaping match can now place their feets out of the hall of winners platform and enter the battlefield.”

“Hmm,” Sandra hummed as she nodded her head in front of Jannah who was looking so worried. “I know it is too much of a risk for you, Jannah, but in life, you need to take risks in order to survive.” Sandra placed her hand on Jannah’s hand. “We will root for your victory. Please be strong and be confident to your own abilities, Jannah. You go for this!”

Denton just nodded. Jannah stood her body up and looked at her teammates one last time. “I am not sure whether this might be the last time I can talk to you, guys. Just know that I am super thankful for teaming up with you. If I was not able to do, I don’t think I’d reach this level,” she muttered. Jannah looked at Denton who was just staring at her. “To you, old guy, whom I have been thankful the most. You are the one who pushed me to join your team. If only not for your patience, I would not have been able to meet the three of you. Thank you for the help...” Jannah looked at the battlefield and hesitated. She was looking so nervous before she stopped at one step and looked at her teammates. “I will do my best, guys.”