Lachlan:

"Who's up next, boys?" Everyone stays silent. Vik looks like he's either wiping tears or blood out of his eyes. He must've been standing too close - he's drenched in sticky, chunky red goo. The iron stage moves back into the floor just in time to show the back wall opening to reveal another, smaller room. I don't like the look of this. "Can't decide, huh? Well, there's an app for that. Let's see... We've got Mitch, Preston, Rob, Vik, and Lachlan... Now let's roll a random number so it's fair, and we've got... Little Lachy. Step on up."

"N-naw, mate. I think I'm gonna pass on this. I'm not really much of a gambler. Yeah, I'm not much of a gambler, really. I think someone else should go next. What do you think, boys? Who wants to go next?" Once I start rambling I can't stop. I can't help it. But Brandon doesn't look amused.

"Everyone has to take their turn here in the Fancy Pants Casino, Lachlan, and now it's your turn. If you don't play by the rules, I don't have to play by the rules, either. And trust me, none of you guys want that. Besides, I think this one might have the best odds out of all of them: it's a fair fifty-fifty." Naw. Just naw. It could be ninety-nine to one and I still wouldn't take the chance, not after watching what happened to Jerome. I can't do it. Nope. I won't do it. I catch myself shaking my head like a little kid. Brandon looks pissed in a weird, smiley kind of way. That's horrifying. "Either you guys can follow the rules and have a chance of walking out of here with a pocket full of shiny things, or you can all just forfeit now and bend over and kiss your butts goodbye. What'll it be, boys?"

"Lachlan, you have to do this. This is our only chance. Just place a bet and go in there, and there's a fifty percent chance he'll let you walk out the other side. You could go and get help. You could save us, Lachlan. You're our only hope." Vik... Damn it, Vik. Why do you always have to be the inspirational one who plants all these bad ideas in my head? Why do you have to be the smart one? Why do you always have to get to me like this?

"F-fine. I'll do it. I bet it all: fifty-six diamonds. I won't be needing it if I lose, anyway."

"Now that's the spirit! Step right up and head into the next room! Fifty-six diamonds on the double!" I take my sweet time walking to the little iron room next to the booth. I have a sinking feeling in my stomach, like I'm on my way to my last supper or something. My footsteps echo in the small space, and as soon as I'm inside, a thick glass wall slides shut behind me. I can see out and they can see in. He wants them to watch. He wants me to see them scream before I die. What happened to Brandon? What did this maniac do to him? "Ready?"

"Just pull the damn thing already!"

"As you wish, good sir. And a one, a t-wo, a three!" He flicks the lever and I can see my life flash before my eyes. I can feel the flames licking at my ankles before I can see them. I can smell the stench of scorched cloth, singed hair, and burned meat. I'm a goner. "Oh, ouch! Luck was not on your side today, my friend! I would say better luck next time, but... You know how it goes."

"Lachlan! Lachlan!" Vik runs over and starts pounding on the other side of the glass like he thinks he can help me. I don't even know what to say. He's covered from head to toe in dark red blood and he's starting to waver back and forth in front of my eyes. The heat is rising, and so are the flames. Preston can't even turn around and look at me - he's holding himself pitifully up against the far wall, shaking his head with his face in his hands. Mitch looks pissed, and he's pacing back and forth like he thinks he can do something. There's nothing any of us can do. And Rob... Rob's just staring straight ahead at me, looking at me but not really seeing anything. He looks how I feel. I can't feel any pain, just the sweltering heat.

It's so hot... I wish I would just die already. It's just so hot... I can barely breathe. It's so heavy in my lungs, I can't even tell if I'm breathing anymore. The room gets darker and darker until... there's no room anymore.

There's just nothing.

Nothing at all.

"You know what they say: the Casino always wins."