GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

CHAPTER 25

THE SECOND round was the easiest to win, as for Jannah, who played the first round with just the luck by herself. Every win Jannah makes, her three teammates cheer for her. Jannah gets her confidence from Denton and the other two who was cheering for her. For sure, Jannah’s confidence powerhouse comes from the teammates who cheers for her. “They, for sure, know how to boost my confidence,” Jannah said before she smiled. The guards do not really care well about the three, or the two, since Paul and Sandra were the only two who keep on making noise. “I have to win this not for my sake, but to be able to thank them for everything that they have done to save and protect me.”

It is already the fourth round, Jannah took the first and the second round through luck, but managed to find the perfect strategy to live and survive. Since she found out that the sparkles around the crown in the back of the guards represented the number of the card, she went with it. She proved her theory by choosing the one with the eight number of sparkles and actually getting the eight of spades as her card in the second round. Since it was proven that the given card’s number of sparkles represents the number it holds, Jannah took the strategy and advanced until the fourth round of the sixth escaping match. “The fifth round will now commence.”

The cards were placed on the table and right now, Jannah and the other players are looking at it right now. Jannah was slowly looking at each card before hearing the sound of the whistle, and upon hearing the sound of it, she was left with only one card. “Fortunately, it was one that was left,” she muttered as she slowly grabbed the card and placed it on the platform. “This game is not just game of probability and observations, but also skills and speed. I have to be fast in getting my desired card or else, I will die in this instant.”

The woman who got the six of clubs was immediately shot dead from the back. Since it was the nth time they heard the gunshot sound, some players are not really that scared nor shocked and was already used to it. Jannah looked at the dead woman who looks shocked and was still gaping her eyes open upon her death. Before the blood flows from her back, Jannah avoided gazes since she was scared to lose her confidence again upon seeing the blood flowing from where she was shot from. “Don’t look at it...” Denton slightly muttered, as if Jannah could heat what he was saying. Paul and Sandra heard it, for sure. The only reason why they acted like they never heard it is because Denton was not that confident in showing his feelings and his affection to other people.

If there’s two thing the team has built is their trust to each other and respect to each and every one’s personal perspective and space. Looking at how Paul and Sandra respects their leader’s persective on showing his affection to their one member, it just shows how good their built relationship is. Denton really founded a respective and trustworthy team, which he must be so proud of.

The sixth round has commenced and just like Jannah decided, she tried to play it safe but fast. Nevertheless, no matter how fast she tries to observe every card and secure the card by grabbing it quickly, some of the guys, especially with fast reflex still gets the card they desire. Since Jannah chose the safe way, she settles with counting the sparkles that she can see before deciding what card to get. “I have to be quicker in observing things and getting the cards she desire.”

Since the end of the sixth round has ended, the commencement of the seventh round will happen in the near time. Jannah thinks of some possible way to make herself quicker in observing the cards and in grabbing the cards. At this exact moment, Jannah knows that her mental and physical state must be quick since it is what she needs the most at the time being. “The seventh round will now commence,” the speaker muttered as the guards finished putting the cards on the table. As much as Jannah wanted to run to see the cards, she was not able to do since it can be a ground for her elimination. Since it happened, she resorted to walking quickly until she reached the table first and before the other gets to it. She immediately counted the little sparkles in each card and quickly resorted to choosing the card which she was nearest to. “Put the cards on the guided platforms.”

Jannah put the cards on the platform and since the card was placed facing aback the players, Denton and the other two celebrated Jannah’s success, even without the speaker’s announcement of who wad eliminated. Their reaction serves Jannah the earliest way of knowing that she’s still on the game. Minutes later, the eliminated was killed by a gunshot in the back. Jannah and the other left players was guided to the back as the guards put the cards on the table from five meter away from them. There is no time running in the match that is happening right now but Jannah thinks that time is really essential in her quickly observing the sparkles and in grabbing the card she desires.

The eight game has already arrived and it already is between Jannah and the other two. Jannah thinks it is her advantage that she gets to see the sparkles in each card quickly since there are only three cards present on the table. The whistle was blown and that signifies the players’ start for the race to the cards. As Jannah reached the table, she immediately locked her eyes on the card on the middle of the table as it was the number one. When the sign was given, she quickly grabbed her desired card and saved it from the other two guys’ hands. “Got it...”

The other two guys, to no avail, chose the other two cards since Jannah was too fast to get the card. The other guy, however, knows nothing about Jannah’s strategy and that, they do not know nothing about the sparkles on the back page of the card. Jannah quickly placed her card on her platform and so did the other two guys. Jannah knew that her card was the number one and so she went back to the place where the players are with satisfaction. She secretly smiled as she assured her spot on the final round.

Jannah knew that she assured her spot on the final round and that, she anticipated that someone between the two will be shot dead and just like she thought, someone between the two was shot dead and that, someone will go to the final round, together with L hope has rose up, ending up with him, silently praying for Jannah’s survival and escape. “Just one round, Jannah,” Denton silently muttered as he intertwined his fingers and leaned forward. “Just win this round, Jannah and you are fine here. You are going to escape this place, Jannah.”

“The last round of the sixth escaping match will now commence,” the speaker said. The whole place was surrounded by the deafening silence and that, no one ever dared to make a noise. After the speaker announced the commencement of the last round, the total silence is what everyone inside the field can hear. “We now have our final two, in which, they will play the same game of what they did in the past eight rounds. Who is going to escape the Rule of Cards? We will find it out now.”

Upon hearing the sound of the, Jannah walked through the way in a fast pace manner. She stopped upon realizing that the opponent was not moving his feet. “What is he doing?” she asked in herself before she continued on walking. After she was already meters away from the starting point, that was the time her opponent went and started on moving his own feet. “Why is he moving so slow, though?” At that point, Jannah already has doubt that her opponent has something in him.

While they were on the process of reaching the table of the cards, Jannah was the first one to reach it. Since she was the first one to reach the table, she immediately memorized the cards that were placed on the table. She was just waiting for the exact moment that they were given permission to grab their desired card and place it on the table. Jannah was already being impatient waiting for the moment. When she was given the moment to get her desired card, as she raise the card, her card was snatched by someone, whom she knows was her opponent. “Thank you for getting my card for me...”