Alea Ludo

An allotted amount of time passed. I awoke in a state of alarm, shouting, "Trish?! Trish?!" My breathing grew ragged as I wiped off the cold sweat beading down my face. With every movement I made, a burning sensation coursed through my body more specifically in my back.

I looked around the room. I was surrounded by white. I turned my head and watched as the curtains moved aside, revealing Henrika, flashing me her soft, nurturing smile.

"Nope, sorry, no Trish here." She shook her head as she took a seat on the chair next to my bed. "So, who's Trish?"

"No one," I answered. I ran my hand through my hair, heaving a heavy sigh of exhaustion.

My dismissive answer didn't amuse Henrika in the slightest. She folded her arms and responded, "Well, for someone that's no one, you sure mentioned her a lot in your sleep. Trish, Trish, Trish..." She mockingly called out her name.

"Drop it," I demanded with a low tone of voice. Henrika noticed my frustration and nodded. Afterward, I sighed and lied back down on my medical bed. I winced once the sharp pain in my back returned.

"Careful. You don't want to open your stitches." Henrika cautioned.

"Stitches?"

"Don't remember?" Henrika picked up a torn and tattered blood-stained shirt. Mine to be exact. I glanced down and realized I was shirtless. The only thing that covered my torso was the bandages wrapped around me. "You took a nasty hit in your game. You passed out from blood loss. The doctor's acted quickly and took care of you."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome." Another one of Henrika's nurturing smiles greeted me again. "We've got to stick together to survive this, right?"

"Yeah."

Henrika nodded, seemingly satisfied with my response. The woman stood up and said, "If you're feeling up to it, I'll call the others in to see you. They're worried sick."

"Are they?" I asked. I couldn't hide my skeptic tone. I highly doubted everyone was worried; mainly since I rarely interacted with anyone.

"Well, obviously not everyone. But, you get my point."

"Right."

"I'll just get the others in here," Henrika left me for a moment and walked to the door. She opened it and allowed the other players into the infirmary. They crowded around my bed. The ones closest to my sides were Elena and Iris.

"Ambrose! Are you okay?!" Elena desperately asked; her eyes on the brim of breaking out into tears.

"You're all stitched up now, right?! The pain's gone?!" Iris joined her in nearly crying as well.

"Yeah, I'm fine. For the most part." I announced to the others. Like hell, I'd quickly recover after God knows how many hours of sleep. The burning in my back still lingered. Every subtle movement made the pain resurface.

"All the blood is gone, right?" Nicholas walked over to the group with his back facing us.

"If not, I'm moving away from the splash zone." Melanie teased as she walked over to the medical bed opposite from mine. She sat down and jeered at me.

"Why are you here?" I demanded. Out of all the people I expected to visit me; Melanie was the last one on my list.

"Can't a girl come here just 'cause she feels like it?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"Ignore her," Wyatt demanded as he stood at the foot of my bed. He picked up the clipboard and stared at it. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I answered. "Nothing to worry about."

"But, you lost so much blood. How could you be fine after all that?" Elena wondered.

"We were so worried that you'd die," Iris added.

"Well, I'm not dead," I revealed.

"Maybe not, but you sure as took a few blows in that game," Salomon stated as he pointed his cigar at me.

"First degree burns to your shoulder, deep and jagged cuts to your back, you suffered from class 2 hemorrhage, and bullet wounds to your legs." Wyatt listed my injuries from the clipboard in his hand.

"My legs?!" I exclaimed.

"Calm down. The medics have already taken care of you." Zoey informed.

"Wyatt wanted to be the one to take care of you. But, Caius was adamant about letting the medics do it." Henrika revealed.

"I see." I nodded my head.

"What kind of dumbf.u.c.k tries to outrun bullets from an automatic?" Melanie mocked me.

"Hey, I made it, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but good luck trying to walk right for the next few months."

"Can't deny that you had a close call there," Salomon put out his cigar. "What happened to you out there?"

"What do you mean?"

"At the beginning of the game, you were calm and composed. Confident even. But, you suddenly spiraled out of control as the game progressed." He stated.

"Don't think no one noticed the odd change in your behavior." Zoey pointed out.

"I would also like to know what happened," said Nicholas once he gained the courage to turn and face the group.

Henrika captured the attention of the group once she clapped her hands together. "We're getting off topic. We're here to check on Ambrose's condition. He said so himself that he's okay. So, let's leave it at that and let him rest."

"Nice attempt at misdirecting," Melanie called out Henrika, not falling for her words. Nonetheless, she got up and left the room without another word to anyone.

"If there's anything you need, Ambrose, don't be afraid to tell me." Wyatt set the clipboard back at the foot of my bed and then left the room. Followed close behind him was Nicholas.

"Congratulations on your win by the way," Salomon smiled and left.

"Make sure to get some rest. We'll keep you updated if anything happens." Zoey said before she left.

"Thanks so much for helping me, Ambrose. Even though you didn't have to; I appreciate it." Elena leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. She quickly waved me goodbye and departed.

"I knew you were a good guy, Ambrose. You're rough around the edges, but good overall. Thanks for proving me right." Iris leaned over and kissed my other cheek. Afterward, she followed Elena out of the room.

I moved my focus to the exit, where Henrika stood, staring at me with an unsettling expression. Her face kept her usual smile; however, the context behind it was different.

"Well, you've suddenly gotten popular," She teased.

"Don't be stupid." I rubbed my cheeks, wiping away the saliva of Elena and Iris.

"Don't worry; I won't tell anyone." Henrika sent a playful wink in my direction before she finally left, leaving me alone in heavy silence.

"It's not fair," An incessant groan reached my ears. I slowly turned my head and saw a pair of curtains from across the room move aside, revealing the person behind them. It was Darius. "How come you're getting all the special treatment?"

"Special treatment?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Darius pointed at me, his face contorted in frustration as he continued, "The kisses on the cheek?! The flirty glances and gestures from the other women?!"

"You're delusional."

"Are you trying to hog all the women for yourself?!"

"Shut up. You're too loud," I rubbed my temples, fighting off one headache after another. "Elena and Iris only did that as a form of gratitude. Nothing more. You're reading too much into this."

"You can't hide anything from me, you player! I know you're just putting on a tough guy act to get women!"

The kid's absurdities only continued to increase the more time passed. Had he forgotten that I was there for the money and nothing more?

"Do you want to get punched again?" I threatened.

"If you want to break the rules and die, be my guest." Darius countered; a devious smirk crept on his face. "Look man; I got no problem with you going after the women here. They've all got their eye-catchers, you know?"

"What are you--"

"Elena's t.i.t.s are huge; Iris has legs for days; Henrika's gotta rocking booty..."

Halfway through the conversation, I tuned out. Everything Darius said afterward entered through one ear and out the other. My patience began to run thin with him. Now and then I'd tune back in, only to quickly tune it out once the kid brought up sultry topics such as outfits for the women. I tried to get the images out of my head, but it was far too late.

The seeds had been planted.

I could see it. A manifestation of Darius' impure thoughts appeared above his head. Inside the manifestation were the women of Serendipity, dressed in risque attire. Thongs, lingerie, bunny girl suit, bikini, corsets, and whatever else his filthy mind could think of, it all appeared in there.

"Stop! Just stop!" I demanded as I brought my hands to my head, rubbing my temples again to dispel the parasitic thoughts that invaded my mind. "Are you here to win money for your aunt? Or, are you here to pick up women?"

Darius brought his finger up to his chin as if he were weighing his options. "I don't see why I can't try and do both."

"You're pathetic."

"I know." Darius approached my bed and took a seat on the chair next to me. "That's why I think now is the perfect time to learn from the master."

"The master?" I asked.

Darius nodded his head and pointed at me, "Yup. That's you. I can tell you're here for serious business and don't have time for distractions. Women are attracted to people like you."

"I'm not trying to pick up women," I stated.

"I know that. That's why I want you to teach me how to pick up women without even trying. It comes naturally to you. Teach me your secrets." Darius leaned his face close to mine. The desperation in his eyes combined with his hot breath reaching my face caused me to move away from him.

"There's no secret. I'm just myself."

"That won't work for me," Darius complained as he retreated into his seat. "I'm a bit of a coward, Ambrose."

"You don't say," I rolled my eyes. Darius' cowardice was no secret to anyone inside of Serendipity. His cowardice perfectly matched Elena's.

"If I were down in that game instead of you; I doubt I would've made it. I'd be too scared to step foot into that death trap." He revealed.

"If Elena could do it, then I'm sure you could too."

Darius shook his head, entirely convinced with his previous statement. "She only managed to do it because she had an advantage."

"Advantage?" I asked.

"Check the rankings."

I raised my arm and maneuvered to the rankings menu on my bracelet. I found my name situated in third place with fifteen points. At that moment I immediately understood what Darius meant.

"Elena gambled away five of her points. Now she only has five left." Darius revealed, his voice carried great sorrow. "I admire her for taking a big risk like that. I know I'd never be as brave as her."

"It's not as much as bravery as it is about survival." I corrected him. I knew all too well why Elena gambled away five of her points. Out of the both of us, she was the one in the most danger. So, when presented the opportunity to gain an advantage, she took it. I mentally praised the woman for her smarts in only gambling half.

However, a sense of dread washed over my body.

What information did she receive after she gambled her points? One way or another, I had to find out.

"Well, whatever it was, thanks for keeping her safe. It means a lot to me. If she died, I don't know what I would've done." Darius said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'm in love with Elena; Ambrose. Love is a mysteriously powerful thing. Back in my game against Melanie, I gained the courage to fight her when I thought about Elena. She gave me the strength to overcome my fears." Darius averted his gaze elsewhere as if he were gazing off into the distance.

"Why are you so infatuated with her? You've only known her for three days." I stated.

"I'm disappointed in you, Ambrose. Haven't you ever fallen in love with someone at first sight?"

"No, I can't say that I ever have."

"I see…" He crossed his arms over his c.h.e.s.t then leaned his head back, looking down at me with a haughty expression. "It appears that I'm ahead of you a bit in the love department when it comes to that topic."

My jaw tightened, and my hands curled into fists. Darius' sudden shift in attitude was irritating. First, he was dejected about me being better than him at nearly everything. But the moment he found something he was better at that he deemed necessary, he figured that he was better than me.

"This is stupid…"

"Take it from the love guru. The moment I first made eye contact with Elena, the planets aligned. The stars spelled our names for all to see. We're connected by the red string of fate, destined to be together forever." He proudly stood to his feet, raising his pinky. He was so full of himself. I could imagine him picturing there being a red string attached to his finger.

"…Good night, Darius." I turned my back to him and shut my eyes, trying to go to sleep for the night.

"Come on, Ambrose! Don't be like that, buddy!" Darius pleaded. He placed his hands on my shoulder and shook me.

"Buddy? I don't remember ever becoming friends with you." I stated.

"You and I have both shed blood in these games. We might as well be blood brothers." The enthusiasm in his voice caused me to grimace.

"Never. And I'm pretty sure I shed more blood than you."

"Try and act tough all you want, but I saw you and Zoey stand up for me after my game."

"That was then. This is now. I don't condone someone actively trying to kill us. But, I don't plan on making friends either."

"Sure, whatever you say, bro." Darius headed back to his bed and closed his curtains. I rolled my eyes, knowing that further interactions with him down the line were going to be taxing. I heaved a sigh and closed my eyes, falling asleep for the night.