The circle vibrated beneath our feet. Each chain held gently, as if to remind us that there was no way out.
The die in my hand vibrated faintly, impatient, almost alive.
[THE LAUNCHER IS IN PLACE.]
The voice echoed in my head again. I still couldn't tell if it was the voice of the die, the doll, or something worse. But my hands moved on their own.
[CHOOSE YOUR NUMBERS.]
The French looked at each other. No one wanted to be the first to speak. Then one of them, a tall, dark-haired man with a closed face, F-02, whispered:
-Three… I think..
The second, more nervous, followed immediately.
-Two.
George hesitated for a long time, then said:
- one .
And viper, confident, affirmed:
- Four.
The last one, a woman who was trembling but trying to keep her composure, said with difficulty:
- Five.
[ THE FIGURES ARE RECORDED. ]
[HOW MUCH IS THE BET]
-At a 1 million, I slide everything onto the table
Viper asserted confidently
His watch lit up and the money disappeared instantly.
-No, I can't follow, George muttered, clutching his watch as if it were about to be stolen.
-I CAN'T KEEP UP TOO, F-02 yelled
-We don't have to play the same amount as him, do we?
[THE AMOUNT IS AUTOMATICALLY WITHDRAWN]
Columns of numbers appeared in the void, representing the amounts they had bet. One million each, the starting amount. No more, no less.
My arm rose in spite of myself. The golden die spun in my hand, hot, heavy, vibrating.
Then, without being able to stop myself, I threw it into the center of the circle.
CLANG.
The die rolled slowly, very slowly, across the stone table. Each bounce seemed to last an eternity. Everyone held their breath.
He finally stopped.
[ … 3. ]
A strangled cry escaped the French player who had chosen this number. His eyes shone, and he no longer regretted the astronomical sum that had been wrested from him.
His comrades took a step back as if bad luck were contagious.
[LET THE WINNER CHOOSE THE LOSER OF LOSERS.]
Silence
The 4 losers looked at each other, only Viper held F-02's gaze
Will he overcome his fear and get revenge, or will he just choose a random victim?
-I..... I chose….. Viper
-phew~, breathed the others losing
The compartment in the center of the table opened. Ten pistols were already inside, neatly lined up. Viper trembled as he moved forward. His hands hesitated, sweeping the weapons with his fingers, then he grabbed one at random.
[ADD A BULLET.]
The voice echoed again. The woman beside him looked away.
Viper opened the cylinder and slid a single bullet inside. The metallic clink echoed throughout the circle.
[ TURN. ]
He closed his eyes and spun the cylinder. The sharp sound of the bullets clashing together froze my blood.
[ PULL. ]
The gun hit his temple. His lips moved as if he were praying.
CLICK.
Silence.
No detonation.
He dropped the weapon abruptly, as if it were burning his fingers. His legs buckled, and he fell to his knees, suffocating.
The sign lit up.
[Survivor. THE SUM RETURNS TO CANDIDATE F-02,]
[THE TURN PASSES TO AMERICA.]
A shudder ran through all the participants. No one applauded, no one spoke. But everyone understood one thing: luck couldn't protect everyone.
And I... I still felt the die vibrate in my hand, as if it were laughing gently.
F-02's watch lit up and the total amount instantly appeared. 5 million coins.
Viper gritted his teeth, then stood up, humiliated.
-F-02. This is just the beginning
A murmur ran through the buyers' room, which we could not hear,
*[this is the perfect time, isn't it, ki-moon]
*what times?
*[I can let you decide]
Click
I remained silent.
My eyes were moving around.
I felt my throat tighten. The die burned in my palm.
But ….
It was me who turned it
[...... Recover... RECOVER THE WEAPONS]
*what should I do?
….
[LET AMERICA CLOSER]
The compartment closes and the guns all return to their owners in the greatest secrecy, in the greatest of their secrecy,
[CHOOSE YOUR NUMBERS AND BET]
-4.1 million, Djesone said
-No, no, no, you're not going to play that game, not you, shouted one of the Americans
-number 3, 1 million, affirmed A-05
-number 1
-number 2, resumed the one who was screaming
-number 3
[SPEAR. ]
My fingers moved as I wished, even if the result was always uncertain.
The die rose, spun, spun again, as if in slow motion. Everyone's eyes were fixed on it, even my teammates, who watched silently.
CLACK.
He rolled onto the central table, spun around three times, then stopped.
…The number 2.
The tall man's eyes widened, his breath coming in short gasps.
- I… I won? I won.
[WINNER, PICK THE LOSER OF THE LOSERS]
He let out a nervous laugh, his hands shaking.
- Hahaha…! Yes… yes! I knew I was going to win…!
A-05 gritted his teeth. The boy shrank, his eyes watering.
[CHOOSE THE LOSER OF THE LOSERS.]
The voice spoke directly to the winner. He stepped back slightly, surprised. Then a wicked smile twisted his face.
- of course. SORRY, you.
He POINTED….
A-05
- N-no… not me… please… not me!
But already the compartment was opening, filled with carefully arranged pistols. Ten weapons, indistinguishable.
[THE WEAPONS WERE LOADED]
[YOU CAN CHOOSE.]
The little boy was crying his eyes out, his hands shaking like leaves.
He ended up, in spite of himself, diving towards the weapons
And chose one
A shiver ran through me, I frowned slightly.
[ADDS A BULLET.]
The player grabbed a ball, his fingers slippery with sweat, and inserted it into the barrel.
[SPIN.]
He obeyed. The metallic clang sounded like a death knell.
[ SHOOT . ]
His hands were shaking so much that the gun almost slipped. He put it back against his temple, closed his eyes, and…
BANG !
There was a loud pop. His body collapsed to the ground, stiff, a rapidly expanding red spot beneath his head.
Silence.
The woman screamed, a Frenchwoman, she took a step back. The tall man burst out laughing nervously, almost madly.
- Fuck... fuck, I can't believe it...!
[THE WEAPON OWNER WINS THE WINNINGS.]
I calmly announced the verdict, despite my urge to vomit.
-like, breathed the one who was screaming, but it's me who won, I WON, WHERE'S MY MONEY, IT'S MY MONEY, he screamed even louder
The weapon disappeared and returned to its owner, the body of the child, him lying on the ground right next to the remaining players
[ ROUND OVER. ]
[SECOND ROUND: FRANCE.]
I felt my heart pounding, my ribs breaking. The die still gleamed in my hand, heavier than EVER. I wished I had been unconscious and not been the one who caused his death.
And I understood.
She or he didn't want to help me, I don't know and I don't know his intentions but I won't let it happen again.
This game wasn't just going to kill us.
He was going to break us, one by one.
And you enjoyed it