GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

THE ZOMBIE GAME

“So, what’s the next plan?” Paul asked Denton who was deeply thinking. Denton never lets time pass him but this time, he’d rather play it cool than do things that might end up not working. “What should we do next? The first round is seeing its end.”

“We should leave the first round as it is,” Denton muttered which Paul nodded to, as a response. “Since there are still two rounds left, it would be much easier for us to leave the players as it is since we can use every resource we have after the first round. I can honestly say that the human kind players are actually trusting me and I am happy that they are doing it.”

“Okay,” Paul responded. “However, I don’t know if leaving us on the first round will do good, actually.”

“Trust me,” Denton muttered. “I have a gut they will not eliminate someone on the first round. Trust me.”

The monitor showed the speaker. “The first round of the fourth main match has ended,” the speaker muttered. “And, no one will be eliminated as this is just the start of the game. The second round of the game will include the use of potion card. For human kinds, the potion card will be generated into a new vial of potion, if the king wanted it to. For zombie kinds, if given to the king, it will be nulled. But, if the player wanted his or her card to be of use, he or she can give it to the king, but that particular player must enter the human kind. Ten minutes of second round will now start.”

And the monitor showed a timer once again. “What should we do?”

“We must use these potion cards as soon as possible, since we don’t know if the third round would not give us access to using this kind of cards. As much as possible, I should use these potion cards to generate new potions that we can use to switch these zombies as humans,” Denton muttered. He looked at the guards who were attending towards the human kind’s lane. “Since you entrusted these cards to me, I will decide now. I will not use these cards. Let me.”

He went near the guards and gave the cards. He waited for less than five minutes before the guards went back from the secret place they can enter to and gave him thirteen vials of potion, in exchange of thirteen cards that he gave. “Denton,” Paul muttered while Denton was coming back. “Some zombies who have potion cards want to change lane, but they are being forced by the zombie king not to. What should we do?”

Denton went near the line which was dividing the zombie and the human lane. “Should you just let go of these zombies to pursue what they want?” The zombie king was not prepared and was surprised to see the other king starting a talk with him. “It’s not like you can force them to do things. It is a game where we entered as individuals, and not as a group. They should, as much as they can, decide things on their own.”

“Why are you interrupting our talk?” the zombie king rudely muttered to shut Denton up. “They are still under my control since I am still their kind, and they are not yet under you. You can’t tell them what to do, not unless you are me. Shut up. I don’t interrupt with your group’s meeting, so don’t mess with how I manage things here.”

Denton smirked. “I am sure your members would want a leader and not a boss like you. Kings must lead their members and not boss them around. The way you control them, I must say you are losing them their freedom to control and decide for themselves.” He looked at the zombie members inside the lane. “If ever you want to change directions, just tell me.”

Denton was about to turn back when someone raised her hand. “Sir, can I go to your lane even without a potion card?” the woman asked him. “If ever, can I go to your lane? I want to change directions.”

“There are no directions that you can’t change directions, so please, change your direction.” Denton smiled at him as he ran towards his table and grabbed a vial. After he got the vial, he immediately ran towards the girl’s direction and gave her the vial. The woman drank the potion inside the vial and gave Denton back the empty vial. “You can now enter our kind.”

The woman entered the human kind and was greeted fairly by the humans. “Thank you, M-22.”

“Anyone can freely enter our kind, with or without the potion card. We are happy to greet you upon entering this lane,” Denton announced. He looked at the zombies who are contemplating on entering the other lane. “Just call my name and I will be pleased to welcome you here.”

One guy, whose age ranges from thirties to forties, raised his hand together with his potion cards. “I will not waste my card. Since I don’t know whether this can be of use to the following cards, I will not risk it. I will make use of it now.” The guy gave Denton the card and nodded. “Make use of it. In exchange, give me a vial of potion to enter your kind.”

Paul was prepared and was on his way to give another vial to Denton. “Drink this,” Denton muttered and gave him the vial including the potion. He looked at the guy who was drinking the potion and he looked like he was a priest baptizing someone. “You can now enter our lane. Enjoy your stay.”

And as that person started it, a lot of people gave interest to entering the human kind and Denton was calmly attending on them all, never leaving anyone behind. That made the zombie king mad. “Why are you pretending to be a good person when you are just doing your job because you want yourself to survive in this game, two-faced jerk?”

“It’s true that I want to survive and, however, escape this game,” Denton muttered. “But I won’t let you ruin their life here. I want to survive with all my members and all the person under my kind. I won’t let my people inside here die, because I am a leader, and not a boss. If I survive, they must also survive. Do not talk to me unless you think of your members first than your own safety.”

“That was very well-spoken of you, Mr. M-22,” one fat, big guy muttered. He was Hector, and he was under the zombie kind, as Denton expected, since he was his archenemy. “Now, I am more convinced to change lanes, because I like the leader more than the boss,” he muttered. The zombie king was stunned and was unable to speak once Hector said that. Hector was once his loyalist and now taking his back off him. “What should you do to your new recruit, Mr. M-22?”

Paul leaned closer to Denton and whispered something. “What should you do?”

“I have ten people on my back. Overall, we are eleven. That would be a big help for you,” Hector muttered. “The only question you just have to answer is: would you accept my offer?”

Denton raised his eyebrows. “Do your people have a potion or a pull card on them?”

Hector looked at his people. “Some of them has. Why must you know that?”

“To trust you, you must give me things that will make you trust you first,” Denton muttered. “My requirement is not that hard. You just have to give me the cards that will be useful here in this match. Some of you will only give. I will give permission to your other people that has no cards on them.”

Hector looked back at his people and collected all the cards. “Here, if that’s what you want.”

Denton carefully accepted it and examined the cards. “Get eleven vials of potion from the table, Paul,” he told Paul who was listening to all his remarks. Paul was conscious about doing that, but because it was his king who was commanding him, he has no choice but to follow his words. Paul went back, bringing all of the eleven vials of potion. “Drink all of these potions and give the vials back to us.”

Hector looked at the potions before giving it out to his people. “Is this really potion or poison?”

“Try it out to know,” Denton answered him. Hector just gave him a smile, which one would not know what that really means. Hector started drinking the potion which serves as the signal for all his people to drink the potion as well. His people are still contemplating whether to continue drinking or not, but still went to do that. Hector made sure that Denton saw him drink the potion before giving him the vial back, followed by his people. Hector also made the move of entering the human lane which has also been followed by his people. He smiled at Denton, a smile that is asking for something. “Welcome to the human kind. Please yourselves.”