It was all over. I'd done it. We'd done it. My team and I managed to defeat Melanie and Nicholas in the final game. That victory marked our last time in the game room, in Serendipity even. The fanfare music and raining confetti stopped. The water drained from the chamber, and my platform returned to the floor.

From there, I approached my team members and checked on their condition. Henrika and Salomon weren't in the water for long, but the old man suffered a deadly blow to the back of his head, courtesy of Melanie. Although freezing their asses off, Klara and Henrika shook the man and called out his name, but he didn't respond. Blood stained their hands as they supported his head.

"We need medics in here!" Henrika cried out, and as if on her command, the door opened, and the medical personnel burst into the room. They collected Salomon and carried him out on a stretcher. Henrika and Klara followed shortly afterward.

I planned to leave as well, but I stopped. A sudden burst of laughter drew my attention to the other side of the room where Melanie and Nicholas lied out, defeated. Nicholas suddenly rose to his feet, clutching his wounded neck with his hand.

"Bravo, Ambrose. Bravo indeed. I would applaud you if this meant anything," Nicholas strangely taunted. I didn't understand the meaning behind those words of his — a knot formed in my throat. Something was up. Nicholas had a trick up his sleeve.

"You, bastard! What did you do?!" I shouted. My rage went through the roof. After all that pain and turmoil, the bastard found a way to sneak away with his life intact. 

"In the case of my defeat, I only gambled one point," Nicholas raised his index finger. "I instructed Caius to make sure that you all gambled your points. I never agreed that I would do the same."

"You, snake!" 

"Call me what you will, but the fact remains that I am still alive. No one is leaving until you are all dead." Nicholas proudly boasted. "I do not care how long it takes. Every one of you will die so that I may acquire the life that I deserve."

I reached my limit at that moment. How many more days would we spend trapped in Serendipity if that bastard was left alive? The lousy thought to kill him crossed my mind. We were in the game room, after all. Crushing his neck would've been simple. By no means was Nicholas a fighter.

My gaze dropped to the sledgehammer next to my feet. It would've been easy to smash Nicholas' head open. I'd suffer no consequences. He noticed my intentions and rushed for the door behind him. However, the door never opened.

"What is going on here?! Caius, open the door!" He desperately pleaded, banging on the door with all his might.

"No can do, Nicholas. You are not allowed to leave the room." Caius sadistic voice rang from the intercom.

"What?! Why not?!" Nicholas exclaimed.

"You gambled all your points and lost. Therefore, you are eliminated and shall be executed." Caius revealed. That was perhaps the first time I felt relieved to hear that someone was going to die.

"W-What?! No! That is impossible! I made sure to gamble only one!" Nicholas yelled. "There must be some mistake!"

"According to my tablet, the only person that gambled one point was Melanie. Technology does not lie, Nicholas." Caius joyously announced.

"Shades is gonna die? Sweet," Melanie got up and sauntered to the exit without a care in the world. Her life was no longer on the line. So no one could blame her.

 "Melanie! Where are you going?! Help me!" Nicholas pleaded with an outstretched hand as if the girl would accept.

"Nah, I'm done with you, Shades. Good luck though," Melanie gave the man one final wave before she left the room, leaving only the two of us remaining.

I had no words for the man.

"What did you do?! Huh?! What did you do, Ambrose?!" Nicholas shouted. "I don't deserve to die! Don't you understand what I'm supposed to become?! The sort of life that I should have! The kind of life that I deserve?!"

I ignored him furious ramblings. I didn't know the answers, nor did I care to give them. His time was up. There was nothing I could say that would change his fate. With one last glance, I turned and headed for the exit.

A sudden rage driven roar drew my attention back to Nicholas. The man picked up the sledgehammer and charged me. His attempts to kill me were pathetic. I quickly disarmed him and kicked him in the stomach.

He dropped to the floor, clutching his gut. I left the game room and watched the door close behind me. I returned to the lobby where only Melanie resided.

"I think Shades has lost it," Melanie pointed to the window looking into the game room. Nicholas staggered around the room, swinging the sledgehammer around like a madman.

"You're not killing me! I don't deserve this!" He shouted.

Our sights shifted to the monitor, where Caius' ugly face appeared.

"Are we prepared for another exciting execution?" He enthusiastically asked. We didn't give him a response. The game moderator continued with his routine without missing a beat. The dreadful wheel decided Nicholas' method of execution.

Death by hydrofluoric acid.

There mere thought of it sent a series of shivers down my spine. Hydrofluoric acid could easily melt through metal and glass. So, the image of what it could do to human flesh wasn't something I looked forward to.

Melanie, however, was more than excited for the brutal execution. She pressed her face against the window and said, "Can't wait to see this!"

"God damn it! I was cheated! I only gambled one point! Fuck!" Nicholas deplorable shouts fell on deaf ears. Caius went through with the execution without hesitance. The killing had begun.

The panels in the ceiling split apart, revealing an absurd sprinkler system. Eventually, the acid poured down into the room. Nicholas had nowhere to run as the acidic liquid melted away at his flesh bones. His agonizing screams lasted for only a few seconds until there was nothing left of him than a pile of mush.

"Holy fucking shit! That was awesome!" Melanie pushed away from the glass, holding her sides in laughter. I found no amusement in the man's death. But rather an odd sense of relief and satisfaction. With Nicholas dead and gone, everyone was free to leave.

It was a shame that so many others had to die for that goal of ours to become a reality, but reality was often disappointing.

I didn't waste any time. I headed to the infirmary to let others know the good news.

"How's Salomon?" I asked the moment I entered. Klara wrapped herself in multiple blankets, keeping herself warm from her extended stay in the freezing water earlier. Meanwhile, Henrika covered Salomon's head in bandages.

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"I'm alive," The old man groaned. "I've had worse hangovers than this."

"Well, Nicholas is dead." I dryly announced. No one appeared saddened by the news. No one would mourn for the man, not after all he'd done.

"Good," chided Henrika, "Whatever happened to him; he deserved it."

"So that's it? We can leave?" Salomon asked.

"Melanie's still around," Klara pointed out. "She may prove to be our last hurdle."

"I dealt with her once. I can do it again," I proclaimed. If I needed to step up again and force the girl into submission, then I'd get it done.

"We can deal with her later," Henrika pat the medical bed. "Come sit with us for a while. Rest up."

"No, I'm fine." I refused her offer, solely 'cause the fact that I didn't deserve it. Thanks to my greed and rashness, I nearly got everyone killed. Sure, my team won the game. But, if we'd lost; that would've been our lives.

"Might as well do as the woman says," interjected Salomon. "Unless you want another enemy."

I took his warning to heart and sat down on the medical bed.

"So, have you reflected on your actions?" Henrika scolded me. Her and Klara's cold eyes of judgment landed on me.

I gave a nod of my head as a response. I didn't need her scoldings or glares to reflect. I did more than enough of that without their assistance.

"Yeah, we won. But, we'd all be dead if we lost." Henrika reminded me of the obvious.

"Despite knowing that, you still chose to put all our lives on the line," added Klara.

"For what? Revenge against Nicholas for the people he killed?" Salomon cut in.

"Revenge was part of it. But, it was mostly for the money." I replied. "There's no excuse for my actions, and I doubt there's anything I can do or say to make any of you forgive me. But we won. Nicholas is gone, and Melanie won't be a problem."

"The end justifies the means," Klara said in her usual monotone. The disappointment in her voice weighed heavily on me.

"I'm not condoning what I did. It's in the past, though. It's over. Nothing more, I can do about it." I said. Begging for forgiveness wouldn't be any good.

"As he said, it's over. We should count our blessings and hope we can leave tomorrow." Salomon said.

"We better," sighed Henrika. "I don't know how much longer I can stand being here."

"So, are we done?" I asked.

Henrika and Klara exchanged glances. It felt like they had much more to say, but they shook their heads instead. With that, I split off from the group and returned to my room. And for perhaps the first time throughout my stay in Serendipity; I slept peacefully.

Time passed, and I woke up to the nostalgic sound of my doorbell. I opened the door, allowing Henrika to barge her way through again.

"Great, you're up." The woman smiled and adjusted my clothes. "Come on out to breakfast. Today's the day we leave."

"You sound a lot more confident compared to yesterday," I pointed out. I wondered if I found myself in another dimension. Either that or Henrika had killer mood swings.

"I've had the chance to sleep on it, and now I've decided to have faith."

"Faith? That's odd coming from you."

"What? You don't think I'm a person of faith?"

I didn't have a response to that question. At least not one that wouldn't result in some unnerving glare.

"Regardless, we should go," I dodged the question and opened the door, gesturing for Henrika to leave the room with me. She complied, and we met up with the others in the mess hall. We gathered around one of the tables and enjoyed perhaps our final meal in Serendipity. 

Of course, the happy times were ruined when the game moderator, Caius showed up with his annoying voice as usual. He joyfully strode into the room and asked, "Is everyone ready for the votes?"

"Yes!" Henrika slammed her hands on the table and jumped from her seat. "For Christ sake! We can finally leave this place!"

"Your words wound me, Henrika," Caius whimpered and placed his fedora over his heart. A crocodile tear formed in the corner of his eye, which he proceeded to wipe away. "I have quite enjoyed the time we have spent together."

"None of us did," Klara harshly countered.

"I've had a good time," Melanie proudly boasted. 

"Oh, look at me, talking as if the vote has already been determined. Come along, everyone. The voting room awaits," Caius gestured for everyone to follow him and that we did. We returned to the dreadful room once again. It wasn't long ago where I sealed everyone's fate by voting to stay. It took some time for the regret to sink in, but it eventually did.

The burden I carried on my shoulders wasn't easy. All the deaths in Serendipity could've been prevented if everyone put forth their best effort to survive. But, there wasn't any point dreading over it. The others were dead. But I wasn't. I was one of the lucky ones to reach the end.

"You all know what to do," Caius left us to our own devices. Like before, we spread out and entered the voting booths. I didn't hesitate to choose the leave option at that time. I had enough of Serendipity and its insanity. I feared it'd be the death of me if I remained any longer.

Shortly, everyone gathered around Caius for the results. The game moderator grabbed his trusty tablet and inspected the screens, showing no emotion. That much in itself felt very odd. Often enough, no one could make Caius not express himself.

The uncomfortable silence nearly broke me.

"W-well?" I cautiously called out to Caius.

"What are the results?" Salomon asked.

Suddenly, tears streamed down Caius' face. He cried and sniffled like a damn baby as his arms dropped to his side. "Bad news, players! Everyone has voted to leave! Therefore, I hereby announce the official end of the games!"

"Yes!" Henrika and I cheered in unison, ignoring Caius' cries of sorrow in the background. The bastard could cry himself river for all I cared.

 “I guess that’s it,” Salomon put out his cigar and approached our group. He scooped Henrika, Klara, and I into a group hug with his absurd strength. “It’s been fun playing with you all.”

Despite everything that happened, all the horrors that we experienced trapped in the hell hole known as Serendipity; Salomon was the only one that never succumbed to anger, adversity, or fear. He remained cheerful and optimistic the entire time. I secretly hoped those qualities would rub off on me one day. But I didn’t hold my breath.

“Can’t say the same,” said Klara once Salomon released everyone. “But I’m thankful that we survived.”

“Let’s make sure never to do something this suicidal ever again,” Henrika instructed.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” I assured her. No matter how despite things would seem for me in the future, I knew I’d never make a stupid decision like a survival game ever again. The rush of emotions and stress I felt over the past two weeks were insane. There was no telling what went down with the old man and the bar in my absence.

I couldn’t wait to return.

While Henrika and the others continued to converse with themselves, I looked over at Melanie who headed for the exit without a word.

“Hey,” I called out to her.

She stopped and sighed, “Whaddya want?”

“I’m surprised you decided to leave. I figured you’d want to stay and cause more trouble for us,”

“Don’t get me wrong, Scraggly. The thought crossed my mind,” She assured me with a tone of confidence. “But I don’t feel like taking you all on at once or one at a time. Either I’d lose, or it would take too long. So, I’ll end it here.”

“You don’t want the million dollars?” I taunted her.

“I’ll settle for second place,” Melanie smirked. “Nine hundred thousand dollars should be more than enough for what I want to do.”

“Just a warning, you keep going down this path, there will be no coming back. You’ll find yourself ending up like your father.” I told her. Not that I cared about what would become of the girl in the future. Once we left Serendipity, I’d never investigate her whereabouts, status, or anything. I’d try my best to erase my memories of the horrid place.

However, I felt that perhaps if someone gave her some advice, maybe she’d want to change her ways. If not, then it was all on her.

“Don’t guilt trip me or nothin’, Scraggly. I’ve already made up my mind. Take your million bucks and never talk to me again,” With those parting words and a middle finger, Melanie walked out of the room.

“At least you tried,” Henrika placed a soft, comforting hand on my shoulder.

“Whatever,” I brushed my hand off and looked at Caius. He finished wiping his face of tears and mucus. “So, when can we expect our money?”

“Or our departure time?” Klara added.

“Try not to act too eager to leave, players.” Caius sniffled. “I shall have your money within a half hour, along with rides back to your homes.”

“Excellent,” Henrika smiled.

The time passed in a flash. Everyone gathered in front of the elevator that brought us into the place. Caius presented us with several briefcases filled with our money. He called us out one by one, handing us our prize. I was the last one called.

“I hope to see you again someday, Ambrose,” Caius sadistically smiled. He extended his arms out and handed me the briefcase.

“I’ll forget you the moment I leave,” I responded and snatched the money from him. It was heavier than I imagined. I never thought I’d come across this much money in my lifetime. With this money, the bar was more than saved.

“Everyone, please step into the elevator,” Caius pressed the button on the wall and smiled as the elevator doors open. However, that smile of his dropped when Zoey and several men in black suits stepped out armed with guns. “Z-Zoey?! What are you do—”

Zoey pistol-whipped the game moderator across the face. He hit the ground hard and stayed down when the men in black surrounded and cuffed him.

“The fuck is this?!” Melanie yelled when she found herself restrained as well.

“About time you showed up,” I smiled at Zoey.

“Sorry,” Zoey apologized.

“No need to apologize for being late,” I said.

“No, not that. For this,” Zoey suddenly had me and the others restrained and cuffed. She and her group took our briefcases and had us thrown in the back of squad cars. Despite our cries, our pleas for release, they fell on deaf ears as we got taken to the nearest station.

We escaped from one cell only to find ourselves placed in another.