GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

HIDE-AND-SEEK

Paul heaved a deep sigh. “I will do that. I have thought that since it was me who thought of this plan, maybe, I should do this.” Denton looked at him. His mind is full of thoughts. Paul was doing all of that to help the players from surviving. He realized that Paul was doing that not only for his sake but for all the players to survive. Denton told himself that he needed to help him.

“Since two is always better than one, tell me everything that I can help to make the plan successful. I will help.” Paul agreed to the thought and told Denton everything that he could do to help him. Denton was really eager to help the other one in making the plan successful. Denton, as an i***t himself, thought he have made an alliance with someone that he should be fighting with inside a game that is supposed to be a competition.

Two minutes later, they have come up with the plan. Paul will do the luring while Denton will do the job distracting the other killers inside the area. Paul was already doing his job by walking slowly towards the north while still hiding behind the trees. A minute later, Paul has arrived to the last tree inside the boundary. He raised his thumb, signaling Denton that it is already the time for him to make a move.

Denton peeked on the killer nearest to him. The killer was facing aback when Denton threw a little piece of pebble on the killer’s back. The pebble successfully struck the killer’s nape and when the killer was about to face aback, Denton hid behind the trees. It is either a risky attempt of him; calling the attention of the killer and trusting someone he does not even know. However, he knew that Paul will never fail him.

And, Denton knew it right. While he was at risk of dying on the killer’s hand, Paul did his job which is to run to the center of the south-part boundary of the area. “Hey!” Denton heard Paul’s voice, diverting the attention of the clueless killers to him. “I am here! Come and kill me!”

After noticing that the killers are already walking near Paul slowly, Denton moved from one tree to another, getting near Paul who was getting ready of what to do next. Denton is, of course, nervous. Paul fixed his gaze to that one killer who was walking near him slowly, that it makes it him more anxious. Just like what the speaker advised all the players to do, he waits for the perfect timing of pulling out the card from his pocket.

He noticed the other two killers who were just fixing their gazes on him, never minding him as for them, Paul was never a threat. The killer was just ten meter far from him and the nearer the killer gets, the more anxious he could be. The killer was slowly stepping one step, as if giving Paul the time to run from him but Paul just stood still. It was just the time that the killer slowly gripped on his gun and revolved the cylinder of the revolver that he was holding, ready to cease a bullet.

The killer slowly raised his gun and pointed it to Paul’s forehead. The latter was just unmoved, while slowly grabbing the card in his pocket. He tapped the killer’s shoulder two times before showing him the card that he has. “I got the invisible card, just so you know.” The killer sure was taken aback but immediately dropped his hand together with the revolver he was using.

Paul checked on Denton who was on the east-side of the area, hiding behind the tree. They both nodded at each other before Paul made a move. He grabbed the revolver from the killer’s hand and pulled the killer near him. The killer did not budge but he was resisting. Killing a player with an invisible card is a big no to them. It is against the rule of the game that they are playing on.

Upon seeing the right timing, Paul pulled the killer, causing the killer no balance and trip to the front. Preventing him to trip as well, Paul sat on his knees and used the space between the killer’s leg as his way outside. The killer has nothing to lean on or hold with so he was pushed down to the boundary, meeting the laser that divided his body into two.

Paul did not waste any time and grabbed the gun from the killer’s hand and raised it up, pointing to the two killers who met him by pointing their guns to him too. “Put your guns down and stop killing people,” he commanded the two killers. Paul did actually think that it is an absurd idea to tell the ‘killers’ stop killing people but he has no other option but to pull a threat on them. “Put the guns down or I will kill you two.”

He knew that it was impossible to kill the other two for the gun only has one cartridge of bullet inside the cylinder left. The other two killers did not budge nor reacted to Paul’s threat. Denton, on the other side, looked at the timer and noticed that there are still three minutes left on the game. Distracting the other two killers with Paul’s threat is not the best idea for now; he thinks.

Everyone was silently observing the scene when a loud gunshot sound surrounded the whole area. Everyone was in shock after seeing what just happened, especially Denton who already has his eyes gaped opened. “I can kill people, just what you saw,” Paul muttered, looking at the smoke the gun he used for throwing a bullet on one of the killer is producing. “It’s no use of talking with you. Should I just shoot you?”

The other killer did not even budge after seeing the other two colleagues of him dying on the hands of Paul who has been being aggressive for a couple of minutes already. Out of the two, no one has been showing some mercy. They just stood in front of each other, waiting for the other one to make a move.

It was a total silence during that scene. It was intense between the two people, standing in the middle of the field, pointing a gun into each other and risking their life for the sake of the job and securing the majority’s safety. The two were not in motion for a whole minute before the killer started walking towards where Paul is, still carrying the gun he is using for taking humans’ lives.

The killer grabbed the revolver Paul is using to threaten him and threw it on the ground. He replaced the revolver with the pistol he has on his hand. After securing that Paul has already gripping it tight, he raised Paul’s hand and pointed the gun Paul is carrying on the mask in front of his forehead. “Do not threaten me with something that is useless. Do not threaten me with a gun without a single bullet in it,” the killer said, forcing Paul to pull the trigger and burry a bullet in his head. At that time, Paul was in a full agony, thinking what to do and what right should he do. “I would be thankful dying on your hands than dying on the hands of the company that I am working for.”

Paul placed his other hand on the gun and gripped it real hard. “Do not do that, Paul,” Denton muttered, losing all the strength on his knees. He was shocked with what Paul just did. Killing the other two killers is not on their plan, as it was wrong and will never be right but Paul did that to avoid the killers to kill more people. In this case, Paul is a hero for the players he saved and a criminal for he killed a human being.

“Killing you will never make my mistakes right.” Paul threw the gun on the ground and pushed the killer. The killer was dumbfounded of what Paul did. “I already killed one or… two, should I say? I am already a criminal… and killing you will never clean the image I see in myself already. Just let the time pass and finish the game.”

The killer slowly kneeled down on the ground, facing Paul who has a lot on his mind. “I really do not mind you killing me… because either you kill me or not, I will still die in the end of this game.” That sentence made Paul confuse. He looked at the timer and noticed that it still has thirty seconds left. “Killing me or not, my fate is still the same. I am just a worker of this company and they will eliminate me also once my job has finished.”

For Paul has a lot of things on his head already, he could not absorb what the killer told him in his mind. The timer still has ten seconds on it and Paul just let the time end, without being bothered with what the killer told him. When the time is up, the timer made a static sound, signaling the conclusion of the game.

Paul thought it was the end already, not until he saw the killer having a hard time breathing and was gripping his neck already. It was not long ago when the killer was found dead on the ground, breathless and no signs of life inside him.

The killer was right with what he said. He will still die in the end. Just like the cards every player has, the workers also have only one usage. Once they are already used, they will also be eliminated in the game.