Russian Roulette:
The whole building smelled of piss. Aaron wouldn't have pegged this building to have been used by an elite underground gambling ring, but it made sense all the same. Why not hide something illegal in plain sight by using an obvious location?
Aaron looked around as he waited to find out if he was granted a meeting with the leader, a man with the title of "King." He was leaning against one of the walls when he saw the man he had talked to was coming back.
"King will see you now," was the man's only words before he turned to show him the way.
Aaron took in a deep breath as he pushed himself off of the wall and followed the man down the dimly lit hallway. Every part of his brain that still had some sort of common sense told him to get the fuck out of there. The irrational part of his brain was telling him to stay, that he needed to be there, that he needed to do this.
Aaron shook his head and took a deep breath as he tried to focus on something else. A frown appeared on his lips as his thoughts focused on King. He tried to picture what he looked like, on what King's real name could have been.
As his mind filled with all sorts of possibilities the man opened one of the doors, leading into a room. Aaron followed him in where he found who he assumed to be "King". King was a little bit younger than himself and looked nothing like he had imagined him to look. "Thank you, Seabury." King said to the man as he gave a nod and turned to look at Aaron, motioning to a chair, "Sit down."
Aaron watched King for a moment from where he stood in the doorway and made his way to a metal folding chair that was in front of King's desk before sitting down. There was a moment of silence before King cleared his throat, "So, you want to by into the next round of Russian Roulette?"
Aaron shook his head, "Not exactly, no. I want to play against just you."
King rose an eyebrow, smirk on his face. "You do realize that there is a system to be able to get to play against me, right?"
"I do," Aaron replied. He had done his research before arraigning this meeting, so he was aware of that he had to be the last one standing in a game of Russian Roulette before he played against King. He reached into his pocket, pulling out an envelope that he then put it on the desk. "That should be more than enough to convince you to let me go against just you."
King took the envelope, peering inside to see the money that was in there. "Impressive. You have the buy-in of all six people that would normally play against each other first." He then set it aside, leaning forward a bit. "Mr. Burr, that is your name, correct?"
Aaron nodded.
"I want to ask you a question and I would like you to be honest with me; what exactly are you playing for?"
Aaron was silent for a moment before he answered, "You double the amount of the total by in from all six players, so that the winner takes all." He paused a moment before he continued. "I need that money. I need to win. I know you have it and as you can see I'm good for the amount of six people. Let's skip the formalities here and let me go against you."
King was silent for a long time. Aaron could see him thinking about it in his mind. He seemed to be thinking about what to say next. "May I ask why you need it so badly?" He asked, intrigued.
"My wife is sick. She needs to get a serious treatment that's not covered by our insurance." He paused for a second, looking. "The treatment is twenty thousand dollars and in there is twelve thousand. I wanted to play against you for the other twelve thousand so that she can get this treatment."
"What about the other four thousand?"
"We also have a young daughter and that would go for her."
King drew in a deep breath as he rearranged himself in his seat. "So, you want to play against me in a game that you could very possibly die from for your wife and daughter?"
Aaron nodded. "That's correct."
"You intrigue me, Mr. Burr." King was silent for another moment before he turned to Seabury who was standing there against the wall. "Get my gun and we'll meet in the game room."
Seabury gave King a look before glancing back at Aaron. He nodded his head once before reaching down and picking up a metal case. King left the room first followed closely by Seabury and finally Aaron, who trailed behind them both. Aaron's mouth went dry as they walked. He couldn't believe it was happening this fast. He hadn't been sure that King would even agree but here they were, and he was being led to a room where he could quite possibly take his last breath.
Seabury held open the door, so they could step inside the game room. King went and sat on one end of the table and Aaron found a seat on the other side. "This is normally where the game happens. I tell you I've seen a lot of people come and go in here but you, you interest me." King explained as Seabury set the case on the table. The case opened, and Seabury pulled out a revolver before he loaded it, placing it in front of Aaron.
Aaron stared at the gun for a moment before looking back over at King. King was staring at back at him, a small smirk on his face as he settled into his seat. "Please, you can go first."
Six chambers left.
The gun felt heavy in Aaron's hand. He looked it over before he took in a deep breath. He spun the cylinder until he heard it stop. This was it. This was the moment he had been thinking about it. He closed his eyes, pressed the gun against his temple. He fingered the trigger for a moment before he pulled it.
Nothing.
Five chambers left.
He placed the gun on the table before sliding it over to King.
It worried him how easily it was for King to pick up the gun and hold it to his head before pulling it. How many times had he done it exactly before he was able to do that this easily? He pursed his lips together for a moment before he sat back a bit. He watched as King placed the gun back down onto the table, sliding it over to Aaron once again.
Four chambers left.
The gun felt heavier now. His hand was shaking a bit as he tried to turn the gun over in his hand. He took in another deep breath as he found it harder to put the gun to his head this time. "If you close your eyes, you'll have an easier time." King's words came so easy. It made his blood feel like ice in his veins. How many times had he done this? How many people had he won against?
Aaron nodded as he held it to his head and closing his eyes. His thoughts fleeted to his wife and daughter, his Theodosia's. A sense of calm came over him. If those two were his last thought, everything would be alright. He let his finger find the trigger once more before he pulled it once again.
Nothing.
Three chambers left.
The gun made its way back across the table into King's hand. If the other man was worried, he didn't let it show. He simply twirled the revolver around and then held it to his head before he pulled.
Nothing.
Two chambers left.
This was it.
The bullet was in either of these two chambers.
This was going to either be the end of Aaron or King's life.
His wife was either going to be devastated or going to get her treatment.
His daughter would get the remaining money left over or she would grow up not knowing him.
He thought about turning and running out of there, but it was too late. Aaron picked up the gun, holding it to his head. He closed his eyes, feeling numb inside. The gun felt like led in his hands.
Aaron drew in a breath as he closed his eyes.
This was it.
The moment of truth.
He pulled the trigger.
AN: The ending is ambiguous on purpose for you the reader to decide what happens. Also, for those who don't know, Russian Roulette is a very lethal game.
AN 2: Also I uploaded the first draft of this but I have since uploaded and replaced the chapter with the actual final draft.