Chapter 36
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Eve arrived at Jack's house around 5:30. There were pizzas, burgers, and assorted junk food and drinks to choose from. No point in worrying about rationing or weight, not anymore. Shortly before 6pm Jack made his big speech to the thirty assorted guests who'd come here to die.
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Jack: Welcome everyone, thank you all for coming. These last four months have been hard on all of us, I can't take another 1142 days of this. I have poion, knives, rope, guns. Choose whatever method you prefer. Indulge yourselvesin drink and sex before you check out. If there is a god, I'm sure he'll forgive us for this.
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Eve then heard a voice say "Liar!" She turned around and saw Nadia. Eve knew Nadia a little from school,after 2/4 Nadia had been one of those who fought for the right to pray before class. Nadia had apparently come here to offer areuttal to Jack's argument.
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Nadia: Allah is real. He has forbidden suicide. You are leading these people to Hell.
Jack: That's your opinion. You don't want to die, that's your business. But we have a right to die, rather than experience the pain of this world.
Nadia: This world is pain, more is coming. But if you die in sin, the pain of the next life is far worse. And this pain will have no end, but will last for eternity.
Jack: You want to leave, there's the door.
Nadia: I can't stop any of you from committing suicide. But I will try to lead as many away from sin as I can.
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Jack decided to liven things up with a game of Russian roulette. He took out his revolver and offered it to anyone who wanted to play him. A friend and rival from the baseball team agreed. Jack put a bullet in one chamber, spun it, and closed it while Nadia prayed to Allah that they would come to their senses. But she was unsuccessful. Jack won and his opponent died. Jack as ked for another player. Eve volunteered, she wanted it over with. But Nadia did make some sense. What if the next world was even worse than this? Nonetheless Jack put the gun to his head, click. That chamber was empty. Only a one in five chance the next chamber had a bullet. Eve put the gun to her head. But she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. Maybe Nadia got through to her. Eve offerred to forfeit the game, but this seemed to make Jack angry. He didn't lose gracefully. It seemed he wanted to be a big man, one last time. Nadia and Eve were ruining that for him, hard to tell what he might do to those who refused. Eve asked Nadia to come with her out of the house. Nadia was thankful to have saved Eve, but she wanted to stay. She was willing to risk her life to save others. Although she feared Jack's anger now, Eve agreed to stay to protect Nadia.