Live or Lose

6

Denis POV

Ethan accidentally steps on a space that I know he didn't mean to. A space where we can hop him. I don't want to, but the game has to end somehow.

"Ethan, move!" Elijah shouts at him.

"I can't!" Ethan shouts back.

"Guys, do we hop him?" I quietly ask Corl and Alex.

"I don't want to, but the game has to end somehow..," I continue.

"We don't really have another choice..," Alex says.

"We have to," Corl finishes.

Since we can't physically make the checker hop him ourselves, we have to say it. I open my mouth to say the words, but Elijah stops me.

"Please Denis! Don't do it!" He pleads.

"I'm sorry Elijah, I have to..," I quietly answer.

The checker suddenly moves on its own, indicating that we took too long to decide. I watch as Ethan collapses to the floor. I look at Elijah and Sub, expecting for them to be running to him. Instead, they stand still. Frozen in place.

"Elijah? Sub?" Alex nervously questions.

Suddenly, they collapse to the floor too. I watch in agony as a red heart depletes from the bar above each of their heads. It looks painful, though they are unconscious.

Elijah POV

Everything goes in slow motion as the checker flies over Ethan's head, landing on the space next to him. He collapses to the floor and my body suddenly shuts down and I freeze in place.

Then, everything goes black. It feels like I'm repeatedly being tased, though I don't exactly know what that feels like. It seems to last for an eternity before I suddenly awaken, feeling drained and dizzy as my blurry vision starts to go at least remotely clear again.

"Elijah? Ethan? Sub?" Voices murmur.

Then, my memory hits me again and I know what's happened. We lost the game. We lost a life. Losing a life is painful, but I can't imagine what will happen if I lose all 3.

I slowly sit up and rub my head. My vision clears up again as Denis, Corl, and Alex come into view.

"Are you ok? What do you remember?" They bombard me with questions.

"Guys, I'm ok," I reply, though a small part of me is unsure.

Ethan suddenly sits up too and Sub sits up shortly after. I gaze at the 2 red hearts above their heads and the 1 red heart that sits grey and empty. I never realized how little 3 was until it was only 2. Only 2 chances left.