GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

SPICE UP THE GAME

The monitor went back to showing the timer and continued the time before it showed the color of the platform to stand with. It showed blue. Denton was in awe after seeing that but realized that just standing still won’t do him any good. “What the f**k are you doing?” the woman asked before grabbing Denton’s hand and pulled it together with her. Denton has come back to his senses and ran together with the woman. The platforms colored with blue are the ones from the north and the south and Denton, together with the woman are just meters away from the platform on the north.

Fortunately, the robot tuned its focus to the players in front of him, fitting themselves in the blue platform in the south. Some tried to run to the platform on the north but has eventually been killed. Throughout the game, that was the moment in which a lot of players has died, and Denton and the woman were not included in that count.

Denton sighed while kneeling down on the platform, can’t dare looking at the players who gets killed since the other blue platform is already filled up with players on it. It looked like a bus filled with passengers on it. Some were really gripping on other just to stay intact to the platform. Some tried standing on it but failed and died eventually. Some were just really unfortunate to stand on it later than everyone else.

After earning the strength to stand up, Denton turned his gaze to the other side and looked for Paul who is nowhere to be found. Though Paul is nowhere seen on the players standing on the platform, he is for sure nowhere found on the players who are lying on the ground, lifeless. With that, Denton did not know what to feel, either relief or worry.

The robot has turned its head, making it face the direction where Denton and the woman is. “Don’t worry, the robot closes its eyes whenever it turns its head around,” the woman muttered. Denton looked at the robot and is indeed, closing its eyes. “Every match has their flaws that a player must know to survive it. In this match, the flaw is that the robot closes its eyes when it’s time for it turn its head. Therefore, the safest place to survive is staying in this place. Good thing that I followed you towards the north. How did you think of it?”

“Actually, that never crossed my mind,” Denton confessed. “My friend, Paul, who happened to still be there, told me to go here so that I can be near the platform in the north and the west. I never know that this is the safest place to play the match. I need to tell Paul to come here so I can assure his safety.”

The woman nodded. “Where is he?” Denton shook his head. “Is he dead already?”

“Nope, or I am just not sure.” Denton heaved a deep sigh before he continued on talking. “I am just hoping that he is still alive, standing there on the platform. He’s too clever to die, anyway.” The first thing he saw after the players parted ways made him sigh due to relief. “He’s safe, fortunately. I saw him. He’s Player J-03.”

“Oh, that guy who lured the killer on the first match,” the woman asked him which he responded to with a nod. “Just as you said and as I observed, he is a clever guy. If you think of calling him out to go here, I would suggest you to not do that. We never know what will happen. I bet he will still survive this game, knowing how he performed well in the first and the second main match. Let him play the game, it’s only three minutes left, anyway.”

Denton looked at the woman with confusion. “Being a clever person does not mean surviving in this game. I would not want him to suffer from playing while I am here not doing anything to notify him that this is a safe place.” The woman was just speechless. “He helped us in the first match, so I’d want to help him in this match too. Helping him won’t hurt.”

Before the robot turned his head, Denton raised his hand that took Paul’s attention. He successfully grabbed the latter’s attention and immediately mouthed these words; “it is a safe place here. Come here, quickly!”. Paul raised his brows, giving Denton a gaze that says; “I cannot understand.”.

Denton was about to mouth the words again when the robot threw the slipper. The slipper landed on its back, facing above; the players, except Denton and the woman, stopped on their motion and waited for the robot to turn its head. He looked at the timer and saw that there is only one-minute left.

The last round of the second main match started as the robot threw the slipper on its back. The slipper landed on its back, bounced back and landed on its side. The players immediately moved and hugged the players that are near them. Fortunately, the minute ended without anyone dying because the remaining players is already even.

Suddenly, a gunshot sound surrounded the whole area; it was a gunshot made by one of the guard, signaling the end of the second match. “That would be the conclusion of level two, second main match,” the speaker muttered. Hearing those words from the speaker is a different kind of joy for the players. Some of them almost cried their asses out to show that they are happy to survive the second level. “The total eliminated players are 55; while the surviving players are 222.”

Then there was a sudden green light lighting from their chests; it was the second heart placed in their chests, recognizing the survivors of the second match. Denton quickly ran from the north to the south and looked for Paul. Fortunately, Paul was just there, standing. “Glad you’re alive,” Paul muttered as he tapped Denton’s shoulder. “You really are cunning. I did not even realize that the place you are in is a safe spot.”

Denton’s mouth gaped open. “You realized that the northern part of the area is a safe spot?” Paul nodded. “The eyes of the robot are closed there, so it would not detect any wrong movement from the players there. Anyway, if you knew it, why did you not come there?”

“I realized it late,” Paul replied before scratching his nape. “Before you mouth some words from where you are, I had a feeling that there is a safe spot in this game; I was right, there really is. Unfortunately, I knew it late. While you are telling me something, probably about the safe spot, I was focused on the game. I realized it when there is only one-minute left, so I just went with the game and survived.”

Then, the voice of the speaker surrounded the whole area again. “The escaping match will now begin.” As the speaker said that, the robot immediately sunk down the area as if it was swallowed by the ground. “The players who will join the escaping match will be chosen under the natural selection way. If your code pops up on the screen, you should enter the battlefield as fast as you can.”

The monitor then turned into a random selector and flashed all the codes in the monitor consecutively. The random selector stopped moving and showed a code. “The first player of the second escaping match is Player W-02.” It was then followed by a woman slowly walking towards the battlefield.

Denton was taken aback, as he looked at Paul with worry. “What if I get chosen?”

Paul sighed and shook his head. “The probability is too little to consider.”

The random selecting continued on flashing codes in the monitor; the players have no choice but to go on the battlefield and play the escaping match. “The last player to play the second escaping match is…” The speaker paused talking and waited for the monitor to flash the code. “Player M-22.”

It was just a mere statement but Denton’s confidence immediately shrunk as soon as he heard that. Paul looked at Denton who was losing the emotions drawn in his face. Paul underestimated the situation; he did not expect such thing to happen. “Denton, what will you do?”

“I have no choice,” Denton muttered before earning all the strength to finally walk his feet. He looked back at Paul who was speechless and was not believing that such thing is happening. “I see that I should not avoid such thing to happen but I did not expect this to happen this quick. I guess I have to face it.”

He was meters away from the battlefield when a guy ran towards him, stopping in front of him, breathless but is wanting to say a thing. “Help me,” the guy muttered. Denton was, of course, confused of what the guy is saying until the guy continued his talk. “Let me take the spot. Let me play the escaping match in your place. I’m willing to give you my card… as an exchange. Please, let me take the spot. I really want to go home and this is the best and quickest resort to do so.”