GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

CHAPTER 26

“YOU SHALL not worry about her,” the guard calmly told Denton whose blood was already rising. Denton raised his eyebrows. “Jannah is now in a better place. You must learn to let her go first to secure her safety,” he said. “You must continue on playing this game and be able to win the game. That is the only mean of escaping this game. If I say only, I mean the only way to escape this game. Win the game and go back to your house, enjoy the prize money and leave the other behind. Live your life happy upon your departure in this game.”

Denton paused until his blood boiled and pushed the guard on the wall again. “What the hell are you saying?” Denton madly called the guard. The guard again removed the hands of Denton that was on his collar. “Just tell me where the hell did that player who won the escaping game go? What address is he living on? What is his f*****g name? When is his f*****g birthday? Anything that you know about him, just tell me. I will spare you once I know everything about him that you know. Just tell me where the hell is he and I will take revenge for Jannah...”

“As far as I am concerned, the game did not collect any information from the members except for their name and their age alone,” the guard replied. Denton raised his brows again due to the guard’s response to him. The guard was never direct and was responding to Denton in an indirect manner. “And to take revenge to him because of your comrade’s death is near to impossible. As I said, the only escape from this place is to win the game and win the prize money. Your life is not assured if you win the escaping matches. Whether you win it or not, you will be slain unless you win the game.” Denton paused for a little bit. “So, to answer your question, today’s winner of the escaping match is probably now dead and is being cremated already. This place is harsh, with the exception to the winner. By your comrade, I mean, do not worry about where is she now. She is being taken care of.”

“So, you are telling me the only one who gets to survive is the winner of the game?” Denton asked the guard who never cared to reply to his remark. He considered it as a yes. “What the hell are you saying? The game head named it as the escaping match to let the one who wins escape the game. If you are telling me this because you do not want to give my vengeance, I am telling you, just tell me.”

The guard was stunned and was unable to speak. He never expected Denton to think it was possible to happen. “I am telling you whatever I know,” the guard replied which made Denton stop talking for a while. “For I was just a lost and a wanted guard, I do not know everything about this game and the place. I just told you everything that I was of knowledge with. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Denton raised his brows. “Are you the one who told me the tip about the game in one round and the one who is covering the hole for us?” he asked the guard who was just silent at first. “If so, then why are you telling me all of this? Why the hell in the world would you choose to help me rather than the other players inside this game?”

“First off, I did not intent to help you at first. I helped you after knowing that you have seen the hole I made already. As I was scared that you might tell the game head about this, I made a favor for you,” the guard replied. That was a big revelation for Denton who thinks that he was being helped by the guard whom he mistaken as a guard who gives favor to him. “As I already started it, I continued it. I continued on giving you tips for the games since we are being assessed on how to move on the game before the game was initiated. As for the hole, I covered it for the sake of both of us. If you are caught with it, I might also be caught.”

“So, it was really you,” Denton muttered. As the guard already explained to him what really happened to the sixth main match’s winner and Jannah who was eliminated in the game, he calmed down. He told himself that Jannah is already eliminated and with that, he can’t do anything else to protect his youngest teammate. “If you are really assessed about the game beforehand, could you tell me what is the game about tomorrow?”

The guard hesitated but was still able to tell Denton everything that he knows. “Since I am not a legitimate guard and that, the rules in this game is only applied to the real guards, let me tell you a hint for it,” the guard said which made Denton focus on listening to what he was going to say. “I want you to strategize this game earlier and that, you must win this round to be able to go the final round. The next and the last round will not be physical and will be strategical thinking by the use of cards, since this game is called the Rule of Cards. The seventh main match will require you to strategize thinking and collect cards that are necessary. The four fundamental operations and the higher numbered cards are really helpful in this round. Be sure to know the difference between the cards using the back of these things.”

The guard used force and pushed Denton away before he went out and left Denton alone inside the infirmary. Denton tried to follow the guard but as he opened the door, the guard was not visible already. Since he has no hidden agenda to the guard, and that, he has no questions left, more on he has nobody to ask questions with, he walked himself to the arena. He started on sitting on the bed near Sandra and Paul who are feeling awkward near Denton.

Paul hesitated but he pushed himself to talk to Denton, and that is when Denton started on talking already. He told everything that he knew when he was inside the infirmary. Paul and Sandra was totally attended to what he said and was rather amazed that Denton was able to know these details. “The guard told you this?” Paul asked who was amazed and stunned at the first time he heard what Denton told him. “You mean the lost guard, right? I mean, he was the one who told you this fact? If it were the real guards, they shouldn’t have told you this, since they are loyal to their job.”

“Yeah,” Denton replied. He thought of something more that the guard told him. “He said that he was the one who made the hole, and for no reason, he did not tell me the reason. He said that once I discovered the hole, he decided to help me with the games as an exchange for me not telling it to the game head. Wrong for him to assure that I was going to tell the game head about the hole when I made that as an entrance to know something else.” Denton paused for a minute as his mind refreshed to the time that they, the guard and him, were talking inside the infirmary. “He said that the last two games will be card games, sticking to the game’s original name. The next game will be strategical and using the four fundamental operation cards is necessary in that game. For assurance, ensure even one plus card for the next game.”

“That is why there were extra cards that were given to us in the first day. I actually thought that these cards are useless until I heard that you said it will be necessary in the seventh game,” Sandra muttered. She opened the card pocket and grabbed her card that was still looking new and fine. “I never grabbed this card out since it was never useful in any of the matches that we have already played. Good thing that I still have it inside my card pocket.”

Paul started on counting his cards and the fundamental operation cards that he has. “I only have two, plus and minus,” Paul replied as he showed his cards that were plus and minus cards. Denton grabbed his cards out of his pocket and started on counting it. He has a lot, since a lot of players left their card to him, before all of them were eliminated. He has three plus and four multiplication cards. “That was impressive. As far as I know, you got that since the zombie game. Some even offered it in exchange of the potions that the human kinds have. You have a lot of fundamental operation cards, be sure to survive the seventh main match.”

Denton grabbed two plus cards and one multiplication and gave two of it to Sandra who only has one card. “Use this on the next round,” Denton muttered as she gave Sandra the card who smiled in exchange. He looked at Paul who was just staring at him and gave him the one card that he grabbed from his cards. “And this one is for you, Paul. Use it on the next round. You have to survive, the both of you... and if giving my cards will do, I will, for sure, do that. I have had enough of Jannah’s elimination, I remembered I still have two teammates to help and protect. Make sure that you will get to survive and live your life happily.”