Game of a Lifetime

Page 3

You really don't have time for this. And with your kind of luck? You wouldn't be caught dead trying to gamble, regardless of the free credits. There is just no way this is happening. You let out a frustrated sigh and turn around. You are dreading the walk back to your car, but you are pretty powerless in this situation. Besides, whatever is out there has to be better than whatever you could bring upon yourself in here.

You begin the long walk back to your car. At least you can see it from here. That makes it feel slightly closer. You can't help but notice there are no vehicles for the entire walk back. By the time you are there, you can feel a thin layer of sweat, making your clothes cling to your body. You are panting, and your heart is pounding in your ears. You make a mental note to be more active in the future. If you can manage to survive.

By the time you climb into your car to sit down, your body aches. You check your phone again just in case a miracle has happened, but alas, you couldn't be so lucky. You keep an eye on the rearview mirror in hopes of seeing someone coming your way. You wait. You might as well work on your assignment while you wait. You pull out your backpack from the back seat. Reading over the texts within your book, your eyes get heavier and heavier. You try to rest your eyes for a second.

When you open them again, night has fallen. You sit up in your seat with a start, looking around into the blackness surrounding you for miles. Except for the bright neon sign of the casino. "Come on, Sheila!" You slam your fists on the steering wheel. You look at your phone again. It is just after nine pm. Still no signal. Which means you missed dinner by a long shot. Was anyone even wondering where you were? You throw your phone into the seat next to you and wince. This was just getting worse and worse.
You try your car again, turning the key. It putters and puts up quite a fuss, but it starts. "Yesss!" You hiss and show Sheila some love, petting the steering wheel and dashboard. "I knew you had it in you, girl!" Just for her to stall and die again. Perfect.

You practically stomp your way back to the casino, using your phone as a flashlight so you don't trip over anything.

You are quickly greeted by the ring master and his mustache once more. You let out a very long and defeated sigh, "Alright." You shrug. "I'll play off the free credits."

"At last!" He cheered. He reaches into his fabulous coat breast pocket and pulls out a dark blue card. He bows deeply as he presents the card between his two fingers. "Your credits!" He coos, still bent into his stance.

You hesitate at first. Why does this guy have to be so very weird? You very slowly reach over to take the card, your fingers barely brushing against his white glove.

"Thanks." You don't know what else to say. You awkwardly start to head towards the gaming area. Then remember something. You turn around to ask the jester of a man, "So, after I play, I can use the ph-" But you find the man has vanished. You look each and every way. You see no sign of him. The only way you even know he was actually there and not a figment of your imagination is the card in your hand and the excess amount of red glitter all over the floor.

You make your way to the nearest machine. You mean to simply get this over with and be about your business.

"Drink?" A woman's voice comes from behind you. You turn to see a woman in bright red clothing holding a tray of beverages.

"Oh, no." You wave your hand to dismiss her, "I don't have any money."

"They're complimentary!" She seemed to wear a smile that was somehow too large for her face. Like some sort of bad editing job. It makes you feel a little uneasy, but you overlook it because - free booze!

"Sure!" You start to feel a bit of this excitement that the rest of the casino crew seem to be oozing. This place isn't half bad. Free credits, free drinks, what else did they offer? You happily take a drink from her tray. From the pinkish tint and the scent of it, you would guess a Bahama mama. From the taste of it, you know for sure. Delicious.

You have never gambled before. You have no idea what you're doing. You press random buttons. The machine whirls and makes several more sounds before lighting up. From the sounds you hear, you think you may be winning. That's when you notice the counter on the screen. Your points. You are winning! You have made a whole $1.50 in real cash! Hold on a minute! If you can make some real money, you don't even have to go home! You can get enough for gas and food! You can possibly win enough to last you at least a week. Depending on how much the ten credits get you. You aren't even sure how many you have left or what it costs to play. All you know is to hit buttons. So, you do.

The machine keeps lighting up and sounding off victory music. You are up to a whole eight dollars now! Doesn't sound like much, but you could stretch that to last a couple of days. Here, you thought you had the most rotten luck! But you can't stop winning! This is incredible! The drink is so delicious, and you already have a small buzz. You hear some other people around you chatting, laughing, some cheering. Everyone seems so happy. You are actually feeling... happy.

You just won a solid fifteen dollars altogether! You can't believe it. Although, as great as things were, you also realize that you are at the end of your credits. If you continue to play, you will be playing off your winnings. If you cash out, you could walk away fifteen dollars richer. Not much, but more than you had. Plus, you can take time to finally use that phone.

Cash out - Select page 4

Keep playing - Select page 5