> Play with no fear, no inhibitions. If you can do that, you can do anything.

It was Joey's turn to deal again. Feeling refreshed and in good spirits, he dealt his session without mistakes. This time, there were no unruly players and the atmosphere was amicable. After he finished, he was walking back to the kitchen area when he overheard the sound of a television from the office.

Curious, he peered inside. There he discovered the scene of Pedros' back as he sat in a chair, arms crossed as usual, watching a movie. Amy came over at this moment.

"What movie is he watching?" Joey asked.

"Rounders. You haven't seen it?"

"No. What's it about?"

"It's a poker film with Matt Damon and Edward Norton. A classic. It's Pedro's favorite," Amy answered.

Joey took several more steps inside to catch a better view of the film before coming to a screeching halt mid-step. Pedro was openly weeping, with  a cascade of snot running down his face.

"'We can't run from who we are. Our destiny chooses us,'" Pedro quoted.

*Sniffle*

Joey slowly and methodically retraced his steps backward in order to not accidentally entwine his karma with whatever it was that was happening here.

Amy noticed his intention. Strafing left to hide her presence behind a wall, she began flashing navy seal hand signals to communicate with Joey.

Joey continued to retrace his steps backward out of Amy's deployment area. His mental map now had a newly marked red forbidden zone.

"I was the pride of my yeshiva!!!" Joey managed to catch Pedro's final desperate howl fading into the distance.

When he returned to the safety of human society, he bumped into Angelo. Immediately, Joey was washed over by a feeling of immense relief, as if escaping from some terrible disaster. Several moments passed before Joey realized he had felt relief from running into the presence of a mobster. 'Is this Stockholm syndrome?' He shook his head.

"Kid, you did a good job today. We're almost done here. Cash out the chips you got for tips before you leave. You need Johnny to give you a ride?"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"No, I don't live far. I'll walk."

"Then, we'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow...alright." Joey still felt a bit strange about being pressured into this job, but he had to admit the money wasn't bad and it wasn't particularly difficult. More importantly, he can play poker. 'Am I becoming a poker addict? Whatever. Let's just take things one step at a time,' he thought.

Joey walked home. It was late at night so the streets were mostly deserted. He knew the neighborhood well and took some shortcuts through some backstreets and alleys. Halfway home, he stopped in his tracks. Suddenly, a very bad feeling came over him. He turned around and witnessed a stranger wearing dark clothes, with a tan hoodie covering his head, entering the alley from the same direction he came in. Clearly, this man was following him.

"Bit late for kids to be wandering around here. You need directions?" the stranger asked.

Joey frowned. "I'm good."

"...I don't think you are. Let me help you out. What you're gonna do is go that way and then go anywhere you want. Glad I could be of service, those directions are gonna cost you...all you got."

Joey took a step back.

"Don't try to run, you're not gonna get very far." The stranger took out a small black gun from his waistband and held it in his right hand.

Joey's heart rate elevated. 'Stay calm,' he reminded himself as he took a deep breath. 'This looks bad but it doesn't necessarily have to be. Think. Consider all your options. I was in a similar situation not too long ago. Even if the situation seems desperate, as long as time allows, the first thing to do is consider all my options,' Joey contemplated swiftly.

'First, I can give him my money. If I do that, it'll probably be safe, but it wasn't easy getting that money. Who knows if I can do it again in the future. I'm not ready to go back to starving just yet.'

'Second, I could try to run, but that's too dangerous. On this icy ground, there's no guarantee I can escape. If he fires, there's a good chance I'll be hit at this range. Even if he doesn't want to fire, if he just starts running after me then he could accidentally discharge his gun, especially if he loses his footing, which is not unlikely. His finger is already on the trigger which would increase the chance of that scenario happening.'

"I'm not the patient type," the stranger threatened as he raised the gun to point to Joey's chest.

'Third, I could attack him. The risk is even higher than the prior scenario. It's slippery and if we start struggling over the gun, there's a good chance one of us will get shot. In addition, it's possible he has someone with him around the corner where he entered.' Joey immediately ruled this option out.

'Fourth...'

"You deaf?!?" The stranger yelled as he raised the gun to Joey's head. They were only 1 meter apart now.

'Fourth, consider what he wants to do.' Joey closed his eyes and tried to calm his feelings.

"This kid got a deathwish?" The man started talking to himself as he became slightly puzzled.

'I've been feeling fear and anxiety and I thought it was mine, but it's not all mine. He's scared too, which means...'

Joey opened his eyes. He slowly raised his hands to indicate to the man that he wasn't a danger, so as to not startle him. Then he put on the biggest, stupidest grin he could muster. The stranger's eyebrows locked, trying to understand the situation. 

"HAHAHAHAH," Joey laughed out loud maniacally.

"What the hell you doin'?" The stranger asked.

He kept laughing. He took a small step forward. Then another. Another. Finally, his head was pressed against the barrel of the stranger's gun. "MUUURRRDDEEERRR MMEEE," Joey said.