It's Just a Game
~You're not going to be saying 'It's just a game' once you're dead.~
"Relax, for Christ sake." he said, reaching up on the very top shelf of his shed. Jumping down from the stool, he walked out into the bright day, holding gently in his hands a small off-white colored box. A bead of sweat slowly crawled down the side of my face and down my neck, making me shiver.
I shaded my eyes as I followed the boy. It was horribly bright and hot out today. Not the time to be playing a stupid game like this. In fact, anytime is never a good time to play this game. Just what are we trying to prove by doing this, anyway?
Nothing, I thought asI ran across the green lawn just as the sprinklers were coming on. The red-head laughed at me, calling me 'slow' and other names. He seemed to be in good spirits about this whole thing. This was absurd. "You aren't nervous? At all?" I asked him. I opened the back door walking inside. He followed, laughing again.
"Hell no. What's to be nervous or scared of?" I just stared at him, my mouth agape. "Are you serious? Roxas, the boy who wants to do dangerous stunts for a living, is scared to do this?"
"Yeah, see the thing is, I'm not very fond having a thing of lead lodged in my head. I heard that's bad, Axel." I said cynically.
"You don't have to be a smartass about it."
"You don't have to be all excited about dying." I said mockingly. Axel sighed.
"Nobody's. Going. To. Die. Roxas," he said all slow to me. "God, chill out."
We stood there for the longest time, staring at each other with irascibility swimming in our eyes. He finally looked away, his face clearly showing defeat. He pouted for a moment before getting serious again.
"Well," he started as he slung his backpack over his shoulder, "I don't want to keep the others waiting. I heard that's rude." And he walked out into the blistering summer heat. I just stared after him, an expression of disbelief on my face. He was being so childish and stupid! How was he able to be so blind to the consequences of this game?
It'd been not even thirty seconds since he left. Do I follow him? Or, do I wait at the house worrying, hoping he'll come back unscathed?
No more than a second later, I found myself running down the street after him.
-
One gun.
Seven people.
Six rounds.
One bullet.
A quick whirl of the chambers.
Click…
or Bang.
It was Zexion's turn. He didn't spin the chamber like the others previously did. He just pulled the trigger.
Click.
Safe. He passed the gun to Luxord without looking from his book.
"Keep that up, Zexion, and we'll all know who'll die first." Axel joked.
"Are you going to make that a bet?" Luxord had that look in his eye. Axel smiled. Everyone then started betting on each other, seeing who's going to die first. I was last to make my bet. I couldn't believe they were betting on each other's lives just like that. They acted like they can just go to the store and buy another life, like it was that simple. I shook my head. I didn't want to bet. Luxord then threw the gun at me. "Then you have to go twice in a row." I caught it just before it was about to collide with my face. "And you can't spin at all." Everyone 'ooo'd like little children.
"You're definitely going to die!" Larxene smiled maliciously. "You have a 59 percent chance of dying." It seemed that she bet a lot of money on me.
I just stared at the thing of deadly metal in my hands. I heard Larxene shifting around impatiently, I brought the gun half way up and stopped. I didn't want to go on. When she saw that I wasn't going on, she forced the gun to my head and shot my first turn for me. There was a loud click in my ear and my body shook violently with both fear and relief. She cursed out loud, throwing the gun into my lap. I stared at it, refusing to touch it. I looked up at everyone. They waited. Demyx was fidgeting, never one to keep still for long. He rolled his hands, as if to tell me to 'hurry the fuck up'. Larxene clicked her tongue, rolled her eyes and picked up the gun.
"Come on. Stop stalling and shoot your next turn." she said, shoving the gun into my hands. I shoved the gun back at her.
"I don't want to play anymore." I said, standing up. I took one step, then I was suddenly on my back, Larxene on top of me pointing the gun to my forehead. I felt a scream rising in my throat as she cocked the gun.
"Stop! Stop! Okay!" I pleaded, reaching up to grab the barrel of the gun. "I'll play…" She smirked as she let go of the gun, letting Axel pulled her off of me. I sat up and turned inward into the circle again. Slowly, I raised the gun and pressed it above my temple. As I took a needed deep breath, I realized this may be the last time I'd be able to take a breath. I looked at everyone, one by one.
"Stop being dramatic and shoot already." Demxy groaned. I gulped and lightly pressed my forefinger to the trigger. A voice in the back of my head screamed at me Don't shoot! Don't shoot! Shoot away! Shoot away! It was already screaming at me not to shoot or even take the gun into my possession, but now it seemed most frantic and desperate.
The guys started to chant 'shoot, shoot' over and over again. I started to pull the trigger, but the voice begged for me to shoot away. My arm started shake as I aimed the gun away from me and at the tree tops. Everyone gasped as I pulled the trigger and a gleaming bullet flew swiftly through the trees, scaring the birds. There were high pitched squawks and chirps as the birds flew away. A few birds fell to the ground, most likely from shock.
Everyone turned their gaze back to me, astounded expressions on all of their faces. My hands were shaking, making me drop the gun. A small laugh sounded. Relief washed over me again and again. Another laugh.
"Dude! That was awesome! How did you know?"
"He had a lucky moment."
"I would laugh too if I did that. That was too awesome."
"Hmm."
"Roxas… Is something funny…?" Axel asked. I passed the gun to Larxene with weak, shaking hands.
"No, nothing is funny. Nothing at all…" I looked up at Axel. "That could have been me dead instead of those birds over there, Axel. Then what? You would have had my brains and blood splattered all over you. Then. What? What would have done at that point?"
Whirl of the barrel.
Pull of the trigger.
Click.
Larxene's safe and she passes the gun to Demyx, who seemed to just about to explode with impatience.
Axel opened his mouth slightly to say something, but nothing came. His face scrunched up a little, nothing know what to do.
Whirl of the barrel.
Pull of the trigger.
Click.
Demyx is also safe. He laughs as he passes the gun Zexion. And, like before, he put the gun to his temple and pulls the trigger without spinning.
Click.
"You are one lucky dude, Zexion. One lucky dude, indeed." Luxord said as he took the gun from Zexion. The blue haired male just shrugged and turned a page in his book. "But," Luxord starts as he gives the barrel a good spin. "I'm not going to take a chance at this game of chance." He smirks and pulls the trigger.
Click.
"I wonder who is going to be the unlucky one." Luxord wondered aloud, passing the gun to Xigbar.
"Haha! It won't be Roxas or Zexion anytime soon, especially Roxas. Those two are over flowing with luck." Xigbar said, spinning the barrel.
Pull of the trigger.
Bang.
A scream.
An outward rain of blood and brain.
"Damn…" said Zexion when looked up to see who had been the unlucky one.
"Christ…"
Axel's eyes widened as the blood dribbled down the back of his neck and down his back into his shirt. He didn't dare turn around to look.
"And you were dry of luck, it seems, Xigbar…" Luxord said. From the corner of my eye, I could see Luxord pick up the gun and wipe it clean with a rag. He then reached over to Axel to hand him the gun, for it was his turn. Axel looked at the thing like it was an alien thing. Like something he'd never seen before. He turned back to me, uncertainty and fear in his eyes. Quietly, I asked:
"Is it still 'just a game' ?"