I awoke in a state of panic. Everything around me was white, and I didn’t recognize the ceiling. Excruciating pain tormented my entire body with each movement I tried to make. The source of the torture came from my back. Trying to sit up proved difficult.

Moments of silence pass before the memories of my accident race back into my mind, sending me into another state of panic. I desperately looked around and called out.

“Trish? Trish?!”

Nothing but silence greeted my call. I laid there alone for another moment until the curtains around me moved aside, revealing Henrika on the other side. The woman looked at me with that signature, nurturing smile of hers.

“Nope, sorry. No Trish here.” Henrika said apologetically. But, I sensed a hint of sarcasm in her tone. The woman pulled up a seat and sat next to me. “So, who’s Trish?”

“No one,” I dismissively answered as the memories flooded back all at once.

“Well, for someone that’s no one, you sure mentioned her a lot in your sleep.” Henrika bluntly brought up. She proceeded to close her eyes and mockingly call out the girl’s name repeatedly.

“Drop it,” I demanded in a low tone. Henrika noticed my frustration and surprisingly listened. “Why are you here?”

“Do you have a problem with me checking up on you?” Henrika inquired. “You nearly got sawed in half, Ambrose. You’re lucky the medical staff got to work on you as fast as they did.”

The woman reached down and showed me my torn up, bloodied shirt. I glanced down and noticed the bandages wrapped around my torso.

“Whatever, I wanna get out of here,” I tried to sit up again, but the searing pain in my back forbade me as if to leave me a warning to cease any further movement. I reluctantly obeyed the commands of my body and continued to lay on the medical bed in defeat.

“I wouldn’t try moving if I were you,” Henrika casually warned. “You’ll open your stitches.”

“I’ll try and be careful,” I said.

Henrika smiled, perhaps somewhat satisfied with my response to her warning. Afterward, she stood up and gestured toward the door.

“If you’re feeling up to it, I’ll call the others over to come and see you. They’re worried sick.”

“Are they?” I skeptically asked. I highly doubted everyone was worried—especially since I decided to avoid the others as much as possible.

“Well, some more than others. You get my point,” Henrika approached the door and opened it, allowing the other players to flood into the room. They crowded around my bed—Elena and Iris made it their mission to be the closest ones to me.

“Ambrose! Are you okay?!” Elena desperately asked—her eyes were on the brim of breaking out into tears.

“You’re all put back together, right? The pain’s all gone?!” Iris asked, although her choice of words sounded like I got sliced clear in half. It took a lot of mental strength not to check and see if I was still in one piece.

I couldn’t allow myself to get sucked into the girl’s sick fantasy.

“I’m fine—for the most part,” I revealed to the others. The pain in my back resurfaced from the smallest of movements. God knows how long it would take to recover after days of sleep and pain medication.

“Is all the blood gone?” Nicholas asked with his back turned to the group.

“If not, I’m movin’ away from the splash zone,” Melanie joked as she walked over to the medical bed directly across from mine. The punk rocker makes herself comfortable and jeered at me.

“Why are you here?” I inquired. Out of everyone, Melanie was the last person I’d expect to visit me.

“Can’t a girl come here ‘cause she feels like it?” She shrugged her shoulders.”

“Ignore her,” Wyatt approached the foot of my bed. He picked up the clipboard and examined its contents. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Nothing to worry about,” I said.

“Nothing to worry about?! You lost so much blood.” Elena stated.

“We were so worried that you’d die,” Iris added.

“Well, I’m not dead. I appreciate the vote of confidence in me,” I dismissed the concerns with sarcasm.

“You’re not dead, but you sure as hell took some heavy hits out there,” Salomon pointed out. The dreadful reminder of my injuries brought another surge of pain through my body.

“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 off my injuries from the clipboard.

“My legs?!” I exclaimed.

The mention of my legs set me off. I fought through the pain and sat up, lifting the blankets just enough to inspect them.

“Calm down. The medics have already taken care of you,” Zoey informed me.

“Wyatt wanted to oversee your treatment, but Caius overruled him.” Henrika brought up.

“I see,” I settled down, if even a little, and laid back down on the bed. For once, I felt somewhat grateful to Caius, although the sentiment itself churned my stomach.

“What kind of idiot tries to outrun bullets from an automatic?” Melanie chastised me. I knew what she tried to do. She wanted to get a rise out of me like everyone else.

The girl’s a one-trick pony—one that I refused to entertain.

“Hey, I made it, didn’t I?” I retorted with a smirk.

“Yeah, but good luck walking for the next few months. You’ve made yourself an easy target for everyone here,” Melanie gleefully announced.

Stolen story; please report.

“She has a point,” Salomon surprisingly came to Melanie’s aid in the discussion. “You took a risky move, and now you’re paying for it. I respect you for it, but I’ve got to ask what happened to you out there?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You were calm and composed at the beginning of the game. But you spiraled out of control the moment you had Elena cornered.” Salomon pointed out.

The memories flashed before my very eyes again. I remembered it all, Elena, on the ground, then suddenly transforming into a different person. All it took was that one moment for me to risk my life for her.

“Don’t think no one noticed the odd change in your behavior,” Zoey added onto the pressure. All eyes were on me. Each player expected me to answer, but I refused. That moment for them was a moment of weakness for me—one that I didn’t want them exploiting.

Everyone's attention toward me shifted to Henrika once the woman frantically clapped her hands together. When all eyes landed on her, she said, “We’re getting off-topic. We’re here to check on Ambrose’s condition. He said he’s okay, so let’s leave it at that.”

“Poor misdirection attempt,” Melanie criticized. When silence met her provocation, the girl rolled her eyes and left the room without another word thankfully.

“Don’t be afraid to let me know if you need anything,” Wyatt earnestly said. The doctor set my clipboard back on the foot of my bed and then left the room with Nicholas trailing behind.

“Congratulations on your win,” Salomon praised as he left.

“Get some rest. We’ll update you if anything changes,” Zoey said before she left.

“Thanks so much for helping me, Ambrose. I know you didn’t have to, and I appreciate that.” Elena leaned over and carefully wrapped her arms around me for a hug.

“I knew you were a good guy, Ambrose. Thanks for proving me right.” Iris joined Elena in hugging me as well.

I found myself trapped in the vice grip of two different girls at the same time. They seemed happy, smooshing their faces against mine without my consent. I allowed their warm embrace for about ten seconds before I shoved them off.

“Okay, that’s enough!” I declared.

The girls offered their half-hearted apologies before leaving me alone. Or, so I thought. The only person left in the room was Henrika.

The woman stood by the exit with her usual, warm smile. But something about it felt different. It was unsettling.

“Well, you’ve suddenly gotten popular,” Henrika teased.

“Don’t be stupid,” I said as I wiped my face with my blanket. Some of Iris’ face-paint rubbed off on the sheet.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone,” Henrika sent a playful wink in my direction before she finally left me alone in the room in heavy silence.

My moment of tranquility didn’t last longer than a minute, as an incessant groan reached my ears from beyond the barriers of the curtains. The curtains moved aside and revealed the source of my annoyance—Darius.

“Not fair, man! Not fair!” The kid complained as he pointed a finger of accusation at me. “How come you get all the special treatment?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked. A wave of regret immediately washed over me. By choosing to engage the kid in conversation, I knew that I was in for an earful of complaints.

“Don’t play dumb!” Darius’ face contorted in anger. “Those hugs from Elena and Iris, the flirty glances and gestures from the other women?!”

“You’re delusional,”

“Are you trying to hog all the women for yourself?!” The kid accused. I swear, women must’ve been the only thing on his mind.

“Delusional and stupid,” I rubbed my temples, trying to fight off the headache the kid induced onto me. As if the pain in my back wasn’t enough torture already. “Now shut up, you’re too loud.”

“You can’t silence me, you player! I know you’re putting on a tough guy act to get women!”

It was the same accusation after another with that kid.

His priorities weren’t in order. I was only around for the money—nothing more. If the brat only came to get women, then he chose the wrong place.

He was lucky that I couldn’t find the strength to get up and leave the conversation.

“Do you want to get punched again?” I threatened.

“Go ahead and do it,” Darius surprisingly countered, seemingly unafraid of the potential outcome. “You’ll get yourself killed doing that.”

The brat arrogantly tapped the game bracelet on his wrist. I hadn’t forgotten about that noose that remained secured around our necks. One wrong move, and I’d find myself injected with a lethal dose of poison.

It was thanks to that one, crucial detail that Darius grew a pair.

“Look, I don’t want to step on your game or anything,” Darius left his medical bed and approached me with a wide grin. “I want you to give me some advice, some pointers.”

“Are you here to win money or get a girlfriend?” I questioned him. I couldn’t sense any ambition from that kid. From what I could tell, the brat was around for skirt-chasing and games.

Darius’ grin disappeared for a moment. He brought his hand to his chin and pondered my inquisition. It didn’t take long for his goofy grin to return as he responded, “I don’t see why I can’t do both.”

“You’re pathetic,” I said.

“I know,” Darius whole-heartedly accepted my insult and took a seat by my bedside. “That’s why I think now is the perfect time to learn from the master.”

“Master?”

“Yup, that’s you.” Darius pointed at me. “I know you’re here for the money and nothing else. You’re driven and focused. Women are attracted to that.”

“I don’t care. I’m not trying to pick up women.” I stated. With so much at stake regarding my life, the money, and the bar—picking up women was the furthest thing in my mind.

“And yet you’re still getting all the attention! Cool guys like you piss me off so much!” Darius balled his hands into fists. He quickly settled down and brought his face uncomfortably close to mine. “Teach me your secrets.”

The desperation in his eyes, combined with the warmth of his breath, reaching my face, set me off. I pushed his face away from mine and responded to his pathetic rambling.

“Back off! There’s no secret! I’m acting like myself!”

“That’s not good enough for me,” Darius complained and retreated into his chair. “I’m a bit of a coward, Ambrose.”

“You don’t say,” I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t a secret to anyone. Darius’ cowardice perfectly matched Elena’s.

“I don’t know how you did it, man. I can’t imagine myself walking into that death trap of a maze,” Darius shuddered at the mere mention of it.

The maze was dreadful. I couldn’t count the number of times I looked over my shoulder, checking for any signs of danger. The traps were deadly, and the entire game itself was insane. But I managed to pull through and win it.

“If Elena could do it, then you could too,” I commented. I didn’t necessarily believe it, but I felt it would boost the kid’s confidence if even a little.

Darius shook his head, “She only went because she had an advantage.”

“You sure of that?” I challenged.

“Check the rankings.”

The bluntness of the kid’s tone roused my curiosity. I followed through with his suggestion and checked the rankings on my bracelet. I found my name in the third-place spot with fifteen points.

Immediately, I understood what Darius meant.

“Elena gambled away five of her points. Now she only has five left,” Darius sadly mentioned. “She’s brave for taking such a risk. I know I never could.”

“It’s not as much as bravery as it is survival,” I corrected him. I understood all too well why Elena succumbed to the temptation. Out of the both of us, she was in the most danger. So, when the opportunity of sanctuary dangled right in front of her face—she took it.

What sane person wouldn’t?

I wasn’t concerned about how many points the woman had left, but rather what information she learned about me.

“Well, whatever it was, I’m grateful that you protected her. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she died,” Darius awkwardly admitted.

“What do you mean?” I hesitated to ask.

The kid’s face turned as red as a tomato in response to my question. He avoided making eye contact as he responded, “I may have some feelings for Elena.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” I grumbled. It was one thing after another with the brat. I’d given up all hope that he was seriously here for the money. “Why are you so fixated on this? You’ve only been here for three days.”

“I don’t expect you to understand or anything, but the only thing that kept me going in my game against Melanie were the words of Elena’s encouragement.” Darius placed his hand over his heart and smiled. “I would’ve died down there if not for her.”

“This is stupid.” I gave up on the conversation and turned my back to Darius. I positioned the covers over my entire body and closed my eyes to get some sleep.

“Come on, Darius! Don’t be like that, buddy!” Darius pleaded.

“Buddy? I don’t remember ever becoming friends with you.” I said bluntly.

“You’re right, maybe we’ve gone beyond the bounds of friendship,” Darius said. “Both of us shed blood in these games. We might as well be blood brothers.”

“Never. And I’m pretty sure I’ve shed more blood than you,” I countered. “Now stop talking to me. I’m tired.”

I kept quiet and ignored Darius’ constant attempts to prolonging the conversation. Eventually, he fell silent and left me alone for the rest of the night.