A Wager Gone Too Far

Tren: We will be playing Liars Hand. Oh? I think I have already said that, haven't I? Man, oh man.”

People around the room began to stare, but didn’t say a word. It was like there was a respect level for this man and everyone knew what the situation was. He continued to explain the rules to Chenko.

Tren: “In this game, there are 20 cards. 6 Aces, 6 Kings, 6 Queens, and 2 Jokers. Each of us will receive 5 cards. You can put up to 3 cards down at once. In doing so, you may lie or tell the truth. However, if I think you are lying, then I will call you out. Whatever the outcome, a bullet will be loaded into one of the guns. The person who lost will pick up their gun and aim it at their own head. If lucky, then luck will prevail.”

Chenko looked up in shock.

“Wh-What?”

The other counsel members then began to speak up. “Are you insane, Tren? We won’t have one of you dying at this table. We already decided the outcome. Call off this stupid wager.”

Others shouted out as Tren just laughed. Chenko still sat there with eyes wide open. He thought about what had happened in his village. Flashes suddenly came back to him. The women and children are screaming. The man that died right before his eyes. The promise that he made…”

Jonko: “Chenko, this was your choice. You’re getting a second opportunity. What will you do?”

Chenko: “Okay. Let’s play already. I have places to be!”

Tren continued to laugh before becoming serious and peering at Chenko.

Tren: “Okay. Let’s play.”

Meanwhile, Jonko sat and yawned in his chair. He knew that his father did this all the time. He was a lucky man and wasn’t scared of death. Chenko could even sense the excitement this man had in this gamble. However, for Chenko, this wasn’t just about life or death. It was about regaining his pride and gaining strength.

Tren began to speak again to assure everyone of the situation. “Don’t worry everyone. We will be playing an abbreviated version of this game. It will only be a total of 6 rounds. If all goes well, then the game will end in a 50-50 tie and nobody will die. Chenko will have access to some help from us too. Does anyone want to decline this?”

Multiple people stood up and argued about this.

Tren: “Ha! Just kidding. Nobody can argue this. The decision has already been made.”

Jonko: “Father, what is the point of a counsel if you do this all the time?”

Tren: “Well it’s your fault for not implementing better strategies and smarter people.”

People began to stare at the old man in anger. However, it was as if they were forbidden to speak. The old man seemed to have a lot of influence in this meeting.

Tren: “Let’s roll dice to see who goes first, Chenko. Here we go!”

He rolled 2 dice unveiling the numbers. One die, a 3. On the other, a 5. Totaling 8, Chenko took up the dice and rolled. On one die a 6 and on the other a 6.

Tren: “Oh. Lucky you. You’re up first. Let’s do our best.”

Chenko looked around the room. Flashing lights came into his mind vigorously. It was nerves. A lot was on the line. It came down to whether or not he could play a simple game of lying or telling the truth. He was a priest. He led a church. He was taught not to lie, yet he wasn’t sure what to do. Would God look down upon him? Would he bring him bad luck in this time of need? Would he understand what he was thinking? Although, Chenko did not wish this man’s death either.

Jonko served as the mediator for this game. He shuffled the cards and dealt them out as he smoked his cigarette at the table. Jonko was in charge of calling out what card he wanted each round as well. He could switch it up however he wanted to.

Jonko: “Queens.”

Chenko looked at his cards in his hand. 2 queens, 1 joker, and 2 kings. ‘How do I go about this? I can get rid of the 2 kings first, but if he calls me out, then I lose. If he doesn’t, then I’ll win with the next hand. Otherwise, I can tell the truth each time and get 3 rounds at least. It’s hard to make a choice when nerves start kicking in. I have to make a move though.’

“1 queen,” Chenko shouted out. Immediately, Tren put down 2 cards and called for 2 queens.

‘What?’ Chenko thought. ‘Is he lying? Is he telling the truth? He might be telling the truth. No, wait. If he is lying, then his next 3 cards are probably all queens. If I don’t call him out, then I lose. But…What if he isn’t lying. No. That can’t be. He’s trying to gain traction early. I can’t let him get by like that. Regardless of my 2 queens in my hand, he isn’t going to call me out and then I’ll lose.’

Chenko: “You’re lying.”

The cards in the middle flipped over by themselves. He wasn’t lying. There were 2 queens right before his eyes. He laid down the rest of his cards. He didn’t have any other queens. Just 3 aces. An unlucky turn of events. Chenko had over-thought the process. He didn’t think that he would be bluffing on the next turn, so he thought he had made the right move, but he hadn't.

Tren: “Pick up the gun Chenko. Jonko…Hand him a bullet. Then, spin the gun and shoot. Oh man this is exciting. Brings me back to my youth.”

Jonko handed Chenko a bullet from his pocket. He put the bullet in and spun it once before cocking it. He aimed it at his head. Chenko shook uncontrollably. The room was dead still. A drop of water could fall down and it would echo throughout.

‘I-I-I-I…I-I-I-I….I c-can’t do it! Agh! Think Chenko! Pull it! Pull it!’

“AHHHHHHHH!!!”

The gun went off…No blood spilled. Chenko sighed in relief, but the thought on his mind remained as death peered into his soul at any moment. ‘I have to be careful. If I lose again, then I’ll have 2 bullets aimed at my head. God can only take me so far.’

Tren: “What’s wrong? Are you scared? One bullet makes all the difference does it not? Let’s enjoy the risk!”

Chenko: “You’re insane. This is insane. This isn’t…”

Tren: “Isn’t what? Isn’t right? Isn’t justified? Isn’t sane? But isn’t that what makes it so spontaneous! Ah the youth in me is fired up! I feel like I’m 20 again!”

Fiery aura came spewing out of him and red mana lines lit up on his face. He loved this more than his own life. Chenko didn’t know how he could beat him. ‘This man doesn’t care about winning. It’s the thrill of the game that excites him so much. He could care less if he dies. Why won’t he just let me win then?!’

Jonko: “Here we go. Round 2 is starting. I’m picking aces this time. I’m in favor of you now, Chenko. My dad can kill himself for all I care. I’ve had enough of this crap over the years. Fake priest.”

Tren: “Hey, hey, hey. I don’t recall ever mistreating you now. Why don’t you show some respect to your elders, especially your father.”

Jonko: “Yeah, yeah. Why don’t you go pray to God when you lose. Aces, now let's play already. Dad, you're up first.”

Tren: “Hmm…I think…1 Ace.”

Chenko thought about the situation. ‘He could most definitely be lying off the bat. Trying to get rid of a bad card would be ideal. It’s different though when I already had one bullet against me. Is that what he wants me to think? Let me double check my cards. 2 jokers! Good. I know at least he doesn’t have any wild cards. I don’t have any aces though. I’m screwed either way. Tsk! Okay, let’s try to bluff him out.’

Chenko: “1 Ace.”

Tren: “Hmm…I don’t know if I quite believe that. I’m just not sure.”

He laid down another card and called out, “1 Ace.”

‘Good. At least he didn’t call me out. I have a 2 card buffer now. What is he trying to do? Did he bluff about the first hand? He could have 5 aces, but the odds of that are in his favor. If he has 3 aces, then I’m screwed either way. I won’t call him out yet. Let’s ride this out. I’ll be truthful this time. It’ll leave me with one joker left.

Chenko: “1 Ace.”

Tren hesitated for a moment, but didn’t waver. He put down 2 more cards. Chenko couldn’t believe it. ‘Why would he put down 2 cards?’, he thought. He was unsure of what to do. If his last card was an ace, then Chenko would automatically lose the match. He had one joker left. If anything, Tren would call him out if he was bluffing. Chenko didn’t want to take that risk, but he had to. He was unsure of what to do. He put down his last joker.

Tren smiled. He wanted to call Chenko a liar, but he pulled back. He smiled again before putting down the last card. It automatically rose and flipped over.

Chenko: “Y-You lied. You lied. I can’t believe it.”

Tren: “Agh. I thought you would’ve called me out on those two before. They were real aces. Those were the only 2 I had. I guess I was a little unlucky there. Two poor hands in two rounds. Alright. Well. Let’s get this going then. Give me that bullet son.”

He snatched it out of Jonko’s hand right away. He loaded it, spun it, and shot right away. No bullet went through.

Tren: “Oh! I guess I am lucky! Let’s keep this rolling.”

One of the girls spoke up at the table. She voted in Chenko’s favor. Her name was Aria Penyoko.

Aria: “Stop this! Please! I’m begging you sir Tren. This isn’t right. One of you is going to die and all this would’ve been for nothing.”

She began to cry and couldn’t speak anymore. Tren raised his hand to silence the girl.

Tren: “This isn’t your fight Aria. This isn’t any of your guys fight. This is a wager between two men. I’ll let fate decide the outcome. However, this couldn’t possibly be about your boyfriend, would it?”

Aria gasped. “H-How did you…”

Tren: “Please. I basically run this place with my son. It’s my job to know everything. Don’t take it personally. I still like you Aria. Plus, your boyfriend is a good soldier for the church.”

Aria no longer wanted her boyfriend to be put in danger anywhere. No matter what, he was stuck. If Tren won, then he remained a soldier, but if Chenko won, then he would go to Deceased Paradise with him, which he would almost certainly die.

Chenko took what the girl said to heart.

Chenko: “Too many broken promises have been made. I can’t promise that, but I am trying my best. Don’t worry. If I win, I won’t take him along on my journey.”

Tren: “It’s not that I am a bad person. Although…I’m sure everyone here thinks that. I’m just an old man that enjoys gambling. Through that, I have learned leadership. What it takes in order to risk things is part of that leadership. That may include people, items, or even your own values. But, it’s a choice you have to make.”

Jonko: “Father. Let’s stop your nonsense please. Everyone here knows that you just want to die at the hands of gambling. Let’s start the next round. Stop provoking everyone here. Kings it is.”

Jonko dished out 5 more cards to each of them. Chenko had won the round, so he was first. He looked at his hand. He was shocked, but didn’t let it show. He had no kings. His hand was full of aces and queens. 3 aces and 2 queens peered into his nervous eyes. He had no chance this round. He needed to play this round correctly and call him out. He had to bluff every card no matter what. It was the way he had to do it in order to bluff correctly.

Chenko: “1 King.”

Tren: “2 Kings.”

He thought, ‘Those could very well be a lie, but I can’t really call him out yet. I don’t think he’s skeptical of me yet. If those are truthful cards, then I’m assuming he might have one more. He will put that down after my hand here, so let’s see if I can provoke him just a little.’

Chenko: “2 Kings.”

Tren didn’t hesitate once again. Instead of putting 1 or 2 cards down, he put 3 cards down.

‘What? Why would he do that? Regardless if he is lying or telling the truth, he could’ve put each card down one by one and not taken that risk. What is he trying to do? I can’t win this match. No way. His playstyle is too ridiculous. It’s too dangerous. It’s like he doesn’t trust his own mind in this game.’

Chenko: “I don’t really have a choice, but there is no way you would put down 3 cards like that. You’re lying.”

The cards flipped. To Chenko’s surprise, he was telling the truth. Tren began to laugh in his face.

Tren: “This excitement! Yes! This look on your face! This is what gambling is about! Take that bullet and load it. Let’s see how far your luck will take you!”

Chenko took the bullet from Jonko and spun the gun. He was shaking more intensely now. He couldn’t focus. He didn’t want to play anymore, but he knew he had to. If he quit now, then all that led up to this would have been for nothing. He panted heavily. He was sweating uncontrollably. His finger began to push down on the trigger. He held his breath as it went off…

Tren: “And a lucky man you are! Let’s keep playing…Son, shuffle out those cards.”

Jonko looked at Chenko in disappointment.

Jonko: “Fix your strategy, Chenko. I don’t think it will really matter, but you gotta try something else. As long as you don’t get to 5 or 6 bullets, then you have a chance. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want you to win, but I don’t want my dad to win even more. And, if someone is going to die, I’d rather have it be him.”

Chenko nodded his head in approval, yet still didn’t know what to do. Jonko called out aces yet again. This was the 4th round. Chenko needed to win at least 2 more to have a 50-50 shot, but it was easier said than done. Tren doesn’t bat an eye when he plays. He doesn’t think much and it threw off Chenko’s thought process. Plus, the weight of the gun was kicking in mentally. It made it even more difficult for him.

Chenko looked down at his hand once again. He had a great hand. 4 aces and 1 king. He couldn’t believe it. The only cards Tren could have were 2 jokers and 2 aces. However, it depended on when Tren chose to lie if he did have these cards. Chenko knew this and was unsure of how to start. Tren was up first.

Tren: “1 Ace.”

Chenko thought he was lying, but he couldn’t pass up a good hand like this. He was unsure if Tren would call him out, especially if that first card was an actual ace. He decided to put an actual ace down to see what Tren would do.

Chenko: “1 Ace.”

Tren hesitated this time. It threw off Chenko even more. He took his time on this one. The air felt hot for Chenko. It felt like he was in a desert dying of thirst. He was sweating so bad, but was focusing so hard on the match at stake.

Tren: “1 Ace.”

Chenko stole a strategy from Tren and immediately placed a card down.

Chenko: “1 Ace.”

Tren almost called him out, but held back his words. He placed another card down.

Tren: “1 Ace.”

Jonko: Hey, hey. What’s with this crap? 1 card back and forth? This is getting boring now.” He winked at Chenko, signaling that his strategy was better this time. Chenko decided to put down another truthful ace.

Chenko: “1 Ace.”

Yet again, Tren put down 1 card. They were both dwindling down on cards. 2 cards remained on each side. Chenko still had 1 ace left. ‘Jonko had to be lying about one of those. If he was lucky, then he would’ve had the remaining jokers and 2 aces, but I don’t think that’s likely. So, I can’t lie on this turn.”

Tren: “1 Ace.”

‘Good! Okay. What should I do? I think this is a truthful card. He’s definitely going to call me out next turn then. I can put down my last ace and then I win the round.’

Chenko: “1 Ace.”

Tren didn’t do what Chenko had thought at all. He put down his last card and called it out. The card automatically flipped over since Tren had run out of cards. His last card was a joker. Chenko was too caught up in his hand to consider Tren lying. He thought that there wasn’t a need to lie when he had 4 aces. Tren saw through this. He didn’t call him out and switched between lying and telling the truth each time he put a card down. Chenko was utterly fooled. Jonko shook his head in disappointment and handed him another bullet.

Chenko: “No…No…No way.”

Tren: “Careful there son. Your true colors are showing. Leadership requires silence sometimes. Mask your worriedness. You can’t show that to your men out there. Now…Load the bullet.”

Chenko felt beaten. He felt like he was drowning in an ocean with no surface. He couldn’t even load the gun properly. His fingers shook too much. The bullet kept slipping out of the chamber and it fell on the floor. Jonko picked it up for him and loaded the gun himself.

Jonko: “Shoot it. Stop wavering. It’s not gonna make a difference.”

Chenko knew this, but he still couldn’t help but think about what could come. He aimed the gun at his forehead once again.

‘Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please. Please! Please! Please! No! NO! NO!!’ is all he could think before screaming out loud…

“NO!”

The gun went off with no bullet. Chenko’s words echoed through the room. A combination of fear and resolve mixed in his voice. He survived another round. 2 more rounds to go before he could leave, however the odds were not in his favor. His gun was already loaded with 3 bullets.

Jonko: “Round 5, here we go. Let’s do…Queens. Hopefully I guessed right, Chenko.”

Chenko: “Yeah, I’m hoping you did too. God’s going to have to give me some luck.”

Tren: “God? God isn’t with you here. This is a gambling match son. Try not to rely on God too much. I’m sure you know that though.”

Chenko: “How can you call yourself a priest? God is always with us.”

Tren laughed in his face again before speaking. “Yeah, keep thinking that. I’m no longer a priest, but that doesn’t matter. This is a game of choice. Do not rely on God to help you win a game between two men. As of this moment, God is not in this room. Now, how will you continue the game?”