The Absconsion

The Temptation

The predators who completed the assigned task walked out safely with their teammates and returned to the main hall. The round was finally completed, and yet no one had raised any concerns about the round. These people, even though belonged to indigent backgrounds, never faced death at such close distance or never had the necessity to kill anything. But now, they got to do either of them, which was not a pleasant experience. The players who entered the round with anxiety and excitement were now silent and withdrawn. 

After all the victorious players returned, the screen turned on, and the Organizer appeared.

' Welcome back, players. First of all, congratulations to everyone, who cleared the round one. Trust me, I know it was not an easy task, yet many were successful in clearing it. Humans are more capable than I credited them for. I estimated more people to lose as a close encounter with any predatory creature would be a shocking experience and would result in a terrible reaction that would cost them their life. But I was surprised at how many players have maintained their composure despite in the presence of a snake in the proximity.

Out of 340 players, 290 have cleared the round and the rest, which is 50 have failed. Let me announce the players, who had not cleared the round.

A - 14,18,19,20

B - 3,4,12,13,17,19

C - 2,8,9,11,16

D - None

E - 1,2,5,20

F - 1,3,15,17,18

G - 15,17

H - 2,5,8

I - 4,5,20

J - 3,4,7,11

K - 11,15,18

L - 5,6,7

M - None

N - None

O - 13,15,16

Q - 1,2,5,7,18

Now, you all can rest, eat and freshen up, so that you can be ready by the time your next round occurs.

One of the players came out of the trance and said, ' Rest? Are you serious? You are a monster. What messed up opportunity is this. The people who you are saying as not cleared are dead, and for what? Let us out of here, right now. I do not want to stay in here even for a second. '

' The one who wish to get out of here in between the rounds will lose their opportunity, and the prize that you had won in the first round will not be awarded to you. '

' To hell with you, your prize and your opportunity. We f*****g want to get out of here. Let us out, now. We do not want to play anymore. We do not want to be the puppets in your pathetic game show or whatever this is. Take us back or we will be forced to retaliate. '

' If you wish to get out of here in between the rounds you will lose your opportunity, and the prize that you had won in the first round will not be awarded to you. '

' Are you even a person or a robot? Why the f**k are you repeating the same thing again, you useless twit. Open the doors and keep the cars ready. '

The people who were in their own world trying to process got pulled back into the moment with the argument of the player who was arguing. Everyone started to yell that they wanted to go back home. Their voices soon grew louder and louder and the closed hall was reverberating and turned into chaos. 

The screen turned off abruptly, and with a loud noise, the screen turned back on.

' Sorry for the interruption, ' continued the organizer, ' It is really depressive to lose so many players in the very first round, in fact, I expected more of them to lose, but you have surpassed my expectations. Now, I can understand the aggression you all might be feeling, and you have every right to be frustrated because you all came here seeking an opportunity to save your families, to clear debts, or to level up your standards and whatnot. Death was something that you had least expected and when it occurred, it is usual to feel betrayed and trapped. But let me assure you, that there is no conspiracy, and this is still a genuine opportunity. In short, it is a game, which involves your lives. I want to you all to understand that nothing in life comes for free, there is always a catch to everything and if you need wonders to happen in your life, you need to be willing to do what most of them do not.

Now you might wonder why you should risk your life for a game when you do not have any idea about what it offers you. I think this is the time to disclose the rewards that players get as they clear the rounds. All the players who had lost in the very first round had won one million US dollars, and that amount would be sent to their families. '

One of the players argued, ' What will they do with the money, if we die here, huh? Let us out, and we will take care of our families, we can only do that if we are alive. We don't need your money. '

' Let me answer you, Q11. If our data is correct, you are a father of two children, and your wife passed away two years ago because you did not have money to take care of her medical expenses and to handle her surgical costs. You felt guilty, and you started drinking, which resulted in debts. Now you don't have money to pay fees for your children, and now they are forced to work, while you are intoxicating yourself with alcohol. Somehow, you realized that you are being a bad father, and so you attempted to stop drinking and remained sober for two months. The people who owe you money are not known for their kindness, and they are now threatening you to take away your children if you do not pay them back soon. Alas, you have no source of income to clear it. The situation you are in is terrible, and you going back does not sound like an optimal solution. '

' I know, I messed up. But they are just kids. How can they handle that kind of amount without me? My presence might not benefit them, but they need someone to take care of them, nurture them, motivate them and keep them safe. If you are rewarding the people who are dead with one million dollars, then you should give me more for clearing it. I will take that money and leave. '

' I am afraid that is not how this opportunity works. It has rules and regulations that we need to follow and as per the rules, a player can only possess the right over the reward if they either lose in the game or if they clear all the rounds. '

' Deep down, I know that money can help my children than me. But how are they going to spend it wisely in this cruel world? Wicked people will snatch away their treasure. '

' The point I am going to speak now will answer your question. When we say that we provide money to the deceased player's family, we assign an agent who will take care of their family in a way that their own might not take care of. They will set up bank accounts, clear off debts, register for schools or colleges for children if any, so on and so forth. Everything will be taken care of. I hope this answers your question. '

Another player questioned, ' What if we decide to leave now? What happens then? '

' Let me complete what I have to offer, and then if anyone has any doubts, I am happy to answer them. As I have already answered the reward for the players who lost, now let me announce the money for the ones who cleared the round. It is 3 million US dollars. If in case, you will not clear the second round, the reward you win there will be added to the existing reward and that will be sent to your families.

If you continue to win, then your reward gets bigger and bigger to an extent that you might have never seen such a huge sum in your lives or in dreams either. Now, if you are still not pleased with the rewards and opt to leave this opportunity behind, then you will be sedated with narcotic drugs that will cause memory loss. There might be a few side effects like dizziness, weakness, nausea, blurry vision, hearing impairment and a few other ones. But do not be afraid, these are only for a short-term. The purpose of this is to make you forget about this event. Post which you will be dropped at the location you were picked up from. An important note is that you will be going back home with empty pockets and full of problems. I just want to say that your absence might cause pain to your families for a brief time, but ultimately they will lead far better lives.

The players who wish to remain here can stay back on your beds, and the players who wish to leave, kindly step forward and form a line, and the players who need clarity over the situation they would be in if they chose to leave, step forward, and form another line. '

No one did not really want to stay there, but what the organizer said was right. Even if they go back, nothing is going to change, they would be alive but in the pathetic world with problems attacking them for every side, but if they chose to remain here, even if they die, they can help their families lead better lives. There is a high probability that they will die, but they can finally rest knowing that their families would be taken care of.

 Most of them stayed back, while a few of them decided to go home and try their luck and a few of them needed some clarity to decide what to do.

Another screen lit up. The players did not know there was another screen until it turned on.

The Organizer continued, ' On the third screen, you can see the player code and the reward that they hold currently. The players who leave, their reward would be split and added to the rest of the players who are still willing to participate. So the more players leave, the higher the rewards get. So, think before you give away all your earnings to strangers, while you can give them to your families and help them overcome their miserable lives.

Coming to the players who wish to leave, you will be handed some forms. Read the terms and sign on it. I request that you need to adhere to all terms mentioned in it post-signing. If not, you will have to face repercussions.

The players who requested clarity will be taken into a room and their present situation is described. Then, what will their future be, if they wish to remain and how will their future turn out, if they wish to leave, will be communicated, based on which the players will have to assess their situation and make their final decision. '  

A group of players along with P9 formed a line, and each of them went into a room and after a while, they came out and decided that they will be staying. The players who were waiting outside felt like all the ones who went inside were being hypnotized because when they came out, their faces were dull and all of them decided to stay back. P9 was the last player standing in the line. E7 also wanted to go to see what was happening inside, but since P9, his teammate was already going, he thought he could get to know what was going on through him.

A15(Jackson) and D18(John) looked at each other, and they both already knew that they had to stay here despite how crazy the game is. Because, if they chose to walk out of here, nothing good would come out of it, they will still need to arrange for the money. The thug from whom D18 owed a lot of money would steal his lung if he does not pay him back. D18 has two choices in front of him, one was to stay here and clear all the rounds and go back home with a ton of money, and the other is, in case of his death, all the money that he had earned in the previous rounds would be sent to his mother and that huge sum would make it easier to find a new compatible healthy lung. Leaving with empty pockets was not at all an option for him as it would neither benefit him nor his mother. "Do or Die" is the slogan that he adopted now. D18 appreciated himself for seeing his mother for a while before he left. He felt like even if he dies, he had said his goodbyes and he would leave this world with no regrets. Of course, the way he had lived his life would always be regret to him because of the difficulties his mother had to face because of him, and he was so naïve and ignorant to realize that. But now, he is trying to make up for all the bad things that he had done in his life by providing the money for treatment and helping his mother lead a better life, thereafter.

Compared to the problems of others, A15's problem was not high stakes. He already has a house. When his stepmom leaves him and his brother Aaron, he needs to be able to earn money to take care of his brother and for the maintenance of the house. Initially, he thought that going back alive was the only thing that matters because he can take up any small job irreverent to his studies, so he could earn just enough to get going, and later in the future, he would jump to high paying jobs and all. His thoughts completely changed, when he became the owner of 3 million US dollars. It might take him years to earn that kind of sum and there is no guarantee whether he can even earn it in the first place. The life he wished to give Aaron can only be realized with the kind of amount that he owned right now. Giving a quality life over a mediocre one seemed right to A15 at that moment. Even if he dies, the Organizer already said that everything will be taken care of and since Aaron is small, he will soon forget him and lead a luxurious life thereafter. A15 felt proud of himself because the decision he took made him feel responsible for the first time. He was indeed acting like an elder brother. He is ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of his brother.

                                                                                ----*----

H8(Zain) has nothing to go back to if he does not have money. After the first round, he believed that he can manipulate players along the way and survive all the rounds, and the money with which he would be walking out would change his life. It would help him in becoming who he was before his friend Harald leveled him. He would then have enough money to at least cover the investment of one client. 

H8 did not need any clarity. In fact, he knew exactly what he have to do. He was determined to win this no matter the circumstances. H8 looked at L1, his teammate who was standing in a line formed by players who wished to leave. H8 could not call her, so he waited for her to look at him. When L1 was looking around, her eyes landed on H8, and then he signaled her to have a chat.

Since L1 decided to leave anyway, losing the position in the line did not seem such a big deal. She came back from the line to H8.

' Hey. What do you want to talk about? '

' You want to leave this opportunity? '

' If this is called as an opportunity, then I would not have come at all. I am willing to take risks, but I can't bet on my life. When I look at all the people here who decided to stay, I feel like they are all insane. How could a person stay here even after watching the first round? '

' Come on, now. We know that the dog is not real. '

' But the deaths were real, right? I do not want to die, and the reason I came here was I overheard my parents talking the other night, and they were discussing about  how they went bankrupt because of some stupid decisions. They did not tell me though, and wore a smile on their faces every day to pretend that everything is alright so as to protect me from the harsh truth. But I already knew it. I thought that I might help them as much as I can. I asked my friends about what I can do, and they suggested me to bet on stuff or do gambling. Those things sounded shady, and I did not do that. Instead, I came here. My parents always used to say that I am bad at making decisions, and I understand it now. Coming here was the worst decision I have ever taken in my life. '

' You have cleared the first round. Imagine how much you will earn if you stay and keep winning. You can help your parents as you had wished. '

' I know for sure that if I stay here, I will be dead. It is better to stay alive and help them. They cannot lose me, and I am not ready to leave them. '

Saying that L1 left and stood last at the line. H8 was feeling unhappy for two reasons. One reason is that he was losing the only person with whom he had talked in the arena of strangers, and the second thing was, H8 knew that he could easily manipulate her and that she would be helpful to him in further rounds, but now that she was leaving, he lost that opportunity. 

                                                                                    ----*----

P4(Elly) did not know what to do. Whether she should leave now and try her luck in the real world or stay here and keep earning more? Even if she had left, she believed in herself that she could definitely earn that kind of money in the future. But she could not give up what is in the present for a future that she is unaware of. The money she is entitled to right now is enough to change their standard of living. One thing that she had learned while growing up was, you will only receive respect from society when you are loaded with money. Else they are just treated as low-class people. P4's ultimate goal was to change her family's situation. She wanted society to look at them as equals. Treat them with respect. It has become a possibility now. She felt like because of all her dedication, determination, and persistence, the success knocked on her door earlier than expected. She did not care about whether she was going to make it out of here alive, all she cared about was realizing her goals and dreams. For that reason, she chose to stay. Right after making that decision, she looked at D4, who also remained in his bed. A smile appeared on her face as D4 decided to stay too. 

The players who were waiting to leave the place were provided with a form to sign. The form was long enough that none of them had the patience to go through it thoroughly. They skimmed through most of it, but thoroughly read the lines at the ending of the form. The contents of the form are listed as below

The player hereby agrees that they were sedated because it was in the best interest of each of the parties. If a player, somehow remembers the contents of this event post the sedation, then they should adhere to the following points. 1. Do not disclose any information about this event to anyone, not even to your family members or friends.2. Do not visit the location from where you were picked up in the first place.

Failure in maintaining the above-mentioned points will lead to serious repercussions. The punishment might range from paying compensation to death penalty. So, it is requested to keep the information low-key.

Players, who demanded to leave the event were now hesitant to sign the form, because once if they do it, then that was it. They looked at all the players who decided to stay and thought, if they are staying, then why shouldn't we? Their decision was influenced by greed and jealousy. At present, they had an equal chance to earn millions of dollars. Few of them returned the forms and went back to their beds. The players who stood on their decision to leave were the ones who valued their lives over the money, the ones who were not risk-takers, and the ones whose problems were not big enough to bet their life on. 

After the forms were signed, they were taken out of that hall along with their beds. It took approximately two hours for all this to be over, and every moment was a decision-making moment. The players who chose to remain here also constantly kept thinking about whether they took the right decision or not. They were in a dilemma even after making a decision, but none of them wanted to show it outside.

The Organizer appeared on the screen and said, ' Good afternoon, players. I hope all who remain here are willing to continue with further events. I am glad that most of you chose to remain here. There is still time if anybody decides to leave. '

One of the players asked, ' Is this the only opportunity we will be getting to leave, or can we opt to leave after further rounds as well? '

' There is a 50-50 chance that you will get an opportunity similar to this post every round. As I have said, only a 50-50 chance. I assume most of you are hungry by now, so without any delay, form the lines in ascending order of your codes and wait in the queue. I will have a chat with you after lunch. Eat well, players. '

The screen shut down, and the players then realized that they were starving. They immediately formed the lines as requested. Everyone was peeking to check what the officers were serving. Their lunch for that day was a cheeseburger and an apple pie. ' A typical American lunch, ' murmured the players. Some were excited about the lunch, and the others were disappointed.

Most of the players were sitting with the ones, they had played earlier. Since they were comfortable with the ones the already formed a bond, they did not want to look and meet other players. In games like these, it was important for a player to have connections with as many people as possible.

H8(Zain) and E7 were some of the players who understood this. E7 talked to P9 during lunch, and P9 sounded a lot better now. E7 did not have the need to talk to him and make him feel good when he was already feeling well. He finished his burger and was looking around at the other players. Everyone tried to look normal, but he can see through them, and most of them seemed lost, lacked direction and conviction. Their minds were constantly thinking about what had happened  earlier that no one was eating properly. Amidst all those lost people E7's eyes fell on a woman, who was eating her lunch peacefully. In fact, she was enjoying her meal. She was behaving as if nothing had opened. E7 went to her with his apple pie.

' Hi, there, ' he greeted.

She was busy eating her food that she did not notice. E7 thought of leaving, but then, he felt to call her once again, and this time by her code.

' Hi, E3. '

She looked at him this time, and replied, ' Hello there, E7. What's up? '

' Nothing. I have seen you from there, and I wanted to talk to you for some reason, and here I am. '

' Why? '

' Whoever I look at, they are still either shaken or seemed lost in their thoughts. And then you came into my sight. In this soulless place, you were projecting colors and joy. You looked human. Maybe that is why. '

' Can I ask you something, if you don't mind? '

' Yeah, sure, go ahead. '

' Do you mind if I eat your pie? Only if you are not eating, though. Not that I am hungry, but it tastes so good and I can't get enough of it. '

' Sure, it is all yours. '

Just as E7 was handing out the pie, a man approached them and asked, ' Can I please have your pie? I am so hungry. '

E7 felt bad for him. He looked at E3, and by her expressions, he could understand that she was okay with him giving away the pie that she requested just now.

The player thanked him and left with the pie.

' I am really sorry, ' E7 apologized.

' Don't be. You have not done anything wrong. In fact, I admire you now. '

' Good to hear that. And how are you feeling? '

' I am great. Why do you ask? '

' Players are pretty lost after the first round. I see no signs of post-trauma in you. '

' The guy I teamed up with is kind of crazy about me. As soon as he got the g*n, he ended the little pup before I even asked him to. To my 3'o clock, the guy who is staring at me was my teammate. Do not look at him suddenly. I am keeping my distance from him. He does not seem right. '

' Well, he is definitely staring at you without even closing his eyes even for once. I do not know if he is normal or deranged, but this surely qualifies as unusual behavior. '

' I am only worried about that guy now. '

' On one side, it is good to have people who worship you, you know. They would surely go on a limb to rescue you. '

' That doesn't mean you will be in touch with a guy like that. The one who killed something without even giving a thought, what can you expect from him? Whatever he does, it is not because he is humane, there must definitely be an ulterior motive. '

' You are probably, right. Well then, if you feel uncomfortable sleeping here alone, you can join us. '

' How? '

' Well, we place your bed near ours, and it is done. '

' Alright, I will think about it, and what do you mean by us? '

' I and my teammate, P9. '

' Thank you for your offer. I would surely give it a thought and get back to you. Nice meeting you, E7. '

E7 smiled and went back to his cot.

After every player completed their lunch, the organizer popped back on the screen.

' Good afternoon, players. I hope everyone had a pleasant lunch. Unfortunately, some of the players have decided to leave the event. I am going to read out the players who decided to leave.

A-5,6

B-15,20

C-12

D-1,14,17

E- None

F-19

G-2,7,8

H-7,11

I-None

J-None

K-None

L-1,17,19

M-3,4,7,16

N-1,5,6,16,20

O-2,12

P-None

Q-15,17

A total of 30 players had left so far, and the reward that they had won will now be distributed equally among the players who chose to stay back and continue with the event. The revised reward would soon be displayed on the screen. For today, you all can rest, have dinner. Tomorrow, you will be playing round 2 about which I shall be discussing post breakfast. Have a good day, players. '

The screen turned off and the players were now keenly looking at the other screen to see how much additional money they have won. Everyone's eyes were on the screen and when the screen displayed a loading window, it gave goosebumps to the players. Their anxiety was elevating and they were cursing the screen to display the revised amount soon. The loading finally ended and the new rewards were displayed. The amount was previously three million was now increased by 350 thousand dollars. Compared to a million, it was a small sum, but they all earned it for free. So that was a turn-on to them. 

The increase in the amount fortified their decision to stay back. They were now confident that they made the right decision and the dilemma and the battles they were facing within started to fade. There was an expression of pride on everyone's faces as if they had done something impossible. 

We might have seen many quotes that, " Money cannot buy happiness. " But money alone was enough to stop 260 people from leaving this death parade. Of course, happiness is important, but money is the solution to eliminate most of the problems that cause misery and that is why people in distress are desperate for money and that temptation resulted in continuation of this wicked game.