GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

TEAMMATE-WORKS

All of Denton’s teammates started finding their own new teammates. All of them do not know how they are surviving without knowing their numbers except Denton, Jannah, Paul and Sandra. Some of them found Denton’s technique and started copying it. Some of them still do not know how they are surviving but still are continuously fighting for the survival that they are aiming for. Meanwhile, as the game continued on going, Denton’s team’s game was smooth and still going. Paul and Sandra, despite being strangers, have great chemistry that makes them perfect partners in this game. “Paul, you are number six!”

Paul nodded on Sandra’s remarks. He then made a hand gesture, telling Sandra what number she was on. “Number one!”

Then, both of them went ways across from each other. As people with a concrete plan, they are leading the game, and fortunately, only few players are slain since the main match has started. It was all Denton’s plan to survive but it was becoming everyone’s way to survive as well. Their coping skill is adapting the technique of whoever has the most concrete plan, and in this case, it is Denton and nobody else. “Trust me,” he said to his members who also has three on their collar. “At least, trust me this time. The next time that we would be in the same team, I will assure you that I will be true. Trust me and I would do the same for you. We just have to embrace like this until the minute has ended, and we will start on moving as soon as the minute has ended.”

The match continued with all the chaos and screams from the players who are furious as they want to survive, still. The time left was six minutes and as it continues on decreasing, the more pressuring it is for the players on the battlefield. Denton looked at Jannah as the minute ended and stared closely at her doing something, a gesture. “f**k!” Jannah shouted as she ran through the battlefield towards Denton. The latter is unable to see what the former was doing or saying because the sand on the battlefield was starting to rise due to players running from here to there, that also causes loudness, which also causes Denton to not here what Jannah was talking about. “You know what? Clean those ears. I said that you are number four.”

“I cannot really see and hear what you are doing and talking about. The sand is not making any help,” Denton muttered. Jannah looked at her with a different approach on it. “I see, I see. I totally forgot. You are number five.”

Both of them parted ways and started on looking for players with the same number as they are. Since Denton was leading the game when it started, he already got almost all of their trust as they started on doing their team with the same numbers. “You know the drill, we just have to let the ten seconds left run. As it ends, we just have to make it into the final cut after the five minutes left. Be sure to prepare yourself. Be aware if you are number seven,” Denton muttered. “Also...”

Denton was about to remind them about their collars but as the minute sought its end, the other players, as furious as they are trying to survive, started on leaving Denton alone, trying to find their teammates. “Sir, you are number three...”

Denton was surprised to see the voluntary act of one woman who has left him after that act. He thought it was weird that the woman left him with that kind act without asking for something in exchange. “What the f**k was that woman saying?” Jannah muttered as she entered the scene. “Do not trust that b***h. You are number seven. You need to hide. Now, do that and be quick to tell me what my number is.”

“Am I really seven?” Denton asked Jannah, who heaved a deep sigh, trying to contain her anger and disappointment. “Anyway, you retain your number. You should start finding your team, after this...”

“You told me to trust you and now, you are not trusting what I was telling you?” Of course, Jannah was disappointed by that act of Denton. He was the first person to tell her to be true to him, and now he was doubting her. “You decide who you want to trust. I’m out of here. I should go find my teammates. I still trust what you told me, though.”

Denton decided to trust Jannah and started finding somewhere to hide from the people. He knew for the fact that as someone who has number seven on his collar, he is the most vulnerable to die at that exact moment since the players are blinded by the desire to survive. Little to no players think that even if they kill players in this round, that will not give them benefits and or advantage to level up on the next round. “Just twenty seconds,” he muttered as he saw the timer continuing to run. His gaze went to Hector who was already covered with blood, looking lost, and was surely looking for something else. “That jerk must be looking for me. I won’t let you capture me, you jerk. I will survive.”

The timer has four minutes and five seconds left. Denton has only five seconds before the collar starts on changing the number. As it reached its end, he was starting to grow anxious, thinking what if Jannah did try to lure him and kill him. The timer only had one second left and as it the little time left, his collar made a ticking sound, which was obviously stating that his number had been changed. “I knew it. Jannah won’t disappoint me. I should just have trusted her and not doubt her instead. I just have to let her leave, as a consequence.”

Jannah showed up from his back with a teasing smile. “I told you. Why would I even try to kill you? I accepted your proposal with the exchange of having me escape this hell. I may look like a b***h, but I am always haunted by my guilt,” she muttered. “Now, stop your cheesy gaze and tell me what my number is. If you want to trust me again, think that your number is two.”

Denton grabbed Jannah’s hand and dragged her together with him, running. “You and I are the same number. Just go find the other two and I will be finding some of them too. Let’s meet with all the other twos at the center. Make sure to be there before the ten seconds end,” Denton muttered. “I trust you, Jannah. I am sorry if I doubted you once but know that I trust you. I would not want to recruit you inside my team if I do not trust you.”

Jannah left Denton alone, while Denton started on moving after the former started moving as well. Denton looked at all the members, without minding the dust and sand that were blurring his eyesight. “Come with me,” Denton told the other players, were the same number as they are. Some of them had no choice but to just go with Denton. “Just come with me. We should now go and find the other twos now. We have to be quick or the time will end without us doing the embrace as instructed.”

“I do not want to come with you!” a guy’s scream covered the whole battlefield as one of the bigger guy started on pulling his hand, pushing the guy to come with him. The guy, by any chance, was Hector. Doing what he is used to do, forcing people to do what they do not want to do. The guy he was pushing was a guy with number seven on his collar. “Help! I do not want to die yet, but this guy is pushing me to do so.”

Denton stopped on his motion and looked at the guy. The guy was trying his best to survive from Hector’s big arm. Fortunately, Hector’s hand slipped, making the guy have his chance to run away from Hector fast. Hector did not like what was happening, so he started on following the guy. He caught the collar of the guy who was doing his best to escape. He started dragging the guy towards his teammates.

He stopped as he heard something that was on the collar. “What was that?” Hector asked, as the guy also stopped in motion after hearing what the collar was doing. After five seconds of continuous, static ticking sound, the collar exploded, together with the body of the player with the seven on his collar. Denton stopped moving as he saw Hector’s eye putting its focus on him. Denton knew he was f****d up right at that exact moment.