VAIN

3RD GAME

It was time for us to play our third game and I was happy because things were moving along very quickly. The quicker that I finished these games and won them, the sooner I could see my brother. I was still upset that he got us into this mess, but being mad at him wasn't going to help me. I kept reminding myself every day that I need to keep my head in the game, and I needed to stay focused. I walked into the room, and Vain was sitting at the table. He was wearing a black button-down shirt with black jeans. He seemed relaxed today, but I was nervous. My heart was pounding hard against my chest the closer that I got to him. I wasn't sure what game we would be playing and a part of me didn't want to know. I wasn't sure if it was going to be another game of violence or was there going to be some type of sexual act involved? He looked up at me and smiled and I rolled my eyes. I wasn't in the mood for his fake hospitality because that's all that it was. Vain was not a genuine person, and I wasn't about to fall for his tricks.

"I hope that you rested well because today our new game begins. Now this game is very simple and it will go by quickly as long as you play along."

I looked over when I saw his men dragging a man into the room. I stood up quickly because I knew that there was going to be blood. I hated that he was putting me through this. I hated seeing people hurt. He grabbed my arm and pulled me close. I should've known that he wasn't going to let me escape that easily.

"Where are you going? The game hasn't even begun and you're already trying to run away."

"Because I know what you're trying to do. I don't want to see anyone get hurt. This is torture and you know it. Why are you doing this?"

"He brushed my hair out of my face gently. This is not torture, this is the mafia. This is what happens to people who steal from me and lie to me. I want you to fully understand what will happen to your brother if you lose these games. I'm not doing this to torture you if that's what you think. Think of it as me teaching you and your brother a lesson. Now, I don't have all day so let's make this quick. I even decided to make this a one round game."

I was happy to hear that he was making this a one round game because that meant that we didn't have to play multiple rounds. All I had to do was get through this one round which was great, but it was challenging now. Because there was only one round, that meant that I only had one chance to win. If I lost this game, he would have two games against my one. I would still have quite a lot of time to catch up, but I didn't want him getting too far ahead of me. My brother's life was on the line and it was up to me to save him. There was no doubt in my mind that despite my discomfort, I had to go through this.

"What are the rules," I whispered. I was too afraid to ask but there was no point in dragging this out. He was going to do this whether I wanted him to or not and if I decided to forfeit the game, he would win. The only thing that I could do was play and hope for the best.

He smirked, "this game is another game where we are going to see if luck is on your side. I'm going to give you a dice and you are going to roll it. Now each number is going to represent one of his body parts. So, the number one represents his hand, two is his foot, three is his leg, four is his arm, five is his chest and six is his head. I am going to call out a number and then you were going to roll your dice. If your dice doesn't land on the number that I called out, you get a point. But if the dice lands on the number that I did call out, he gets shot. We are going to have four rounds. If I shoot him in his chest or his head, he will die. So, you need to understand that that means game over."