His Joker

Chapter 4

Three days had passed since you participated in the seven of spades. During this time you had been reading books or had gone out for a walk around the lovely city. Without the humans, the animals had a chance to slowly reclaim the territory and the streets didn't seem to be as filthy anymore. You loved every minute you had spent outside especially the nights. Although distant lasers would eventually turn the dark sky red for a blink of an eye it never disturbed your stargazing.

With the memory of those games being buried deep inside of your mind it was easier to enjoy your life. There was no need for you to take part in any more of those events so why should you ? The players didn't need you therefore you were just hanging around until you find a way back to the real world. You already had a hunch but it had yet to be confirmed.

As much as you loved being alone and doing whatever you liked you knew better than anyone what solitude could do to a person. Social interactions were as essentially required as food or even oxygen. You couldn't stick to living by yourself without going insane. It was ironic. Being alone was something you always found comfort in yet it was dangerous to isolate yourself from others. Back in the real world, you had your siblings or even some friends in the university who would keep you company. However, now you only could imagine interactions based on the books you were consuming in an inhumane speed.

Fantasy stories had been the only thing to help you escape from reality. For that reason, these tropes always held a special place in your heart. You would rather learn about a kingdom hidden away deep inside the ocean, which was only claimed to be a rumor, than having to endure another day in this twisted society. Facing your problems wasn't an option. How did you survive this long ? There was so much tragedy in this world all caused by the greediness of humans. How could people use the poor for their own benefits ? How could people manipulate others without feeling a tiny bit of guilt ? How could people abuse their children ? You've seen and heard too much. The reality was cruel. You couldn't change that. You could only run away or accept it.

Good people were rare in the real world and you doubted that they existed here. No one would sacrifice themselves to save others. That was absurd. You wouldn't either. It was dumb. Everyone had to fetch for themselves and if you couldn't do that you were already dead. What was the purpose of finding friends here if they were going to die or betray you ? Yet, you wished you had someone calm you could talk to.

After wandering around the city for several hours each day without coming across a trace of other beings you identified the fastest way to meet people as the games. Adding to that you had wished to take part in a heart game for a while so joining another of these challenges didn't seem like a bad idea. Nothing could happen to you. With still possessing your trump card you were untouchable and convinced that you could solve heart games with ease. There was nothing to worry about.

Deciding you should clean up the room before you would leave you picked up all the empty instant ramen cups scattered around the floor and stuffed it into a plastic bag. You hated how the place made you feel. Despite the bright light from outside, the atmosphere was cold. Something was missing that you couldn't effortlessly replace.

Carrying the trash with you, you went outside and waited until the sun, that colored the sky a beautiful orange, would finally disappear behind the horizon. As soon as the city was wrapped in black the monitors lit up. It was always the same. Without hesitation you followed the directions. The night was warm yet the soft brise, that would occasionally come up , cooled your skin. No clouds could be seen so you planned to go up the roof when you would come back. Such a beautiful sight couldn't be wasted.

Unfortunately, the air was filled with loud chatter as you come closer and closer to your destination. A sigh escaped your lips as you laid eyes upon the group of all kind of people waiting at the first floor of an apartment complex. Without drawing the attention to yourself, you passed the lasers and grabbed a phone before leaning against a wall. Some of the players seemed confident in winning. You wouldn't think otherwise if you were also in the military. His companion was probably just a decoy. The only thing interesting about these guys were the familiar bracelets around their wrists. " Is this some kind of cult ?" you mumbled counting every possible explanation. One thing was clear: they would work together.