The game was simple and fast. Lara shuffled the deck and placed each card individually on the table. The two players had to flip a card and then find its pair. If the first card was a red four, its pair also had to be red. After each pair was formed, the cards were shuffled again.

Being the guest, Zeke was allowed to flip the first card. His first card was a joker, and no pair was found, ending his turn. Jack Fortuna flipped a red heart ace, but the second ace was a black heart. The cards were turned back, and the pairs did not match. It seemed both were following the same strategy, remembering the position of the pairs they intended to choose.

The first round was won by Zeke with a red heart three and a diamond three. Jack Fortuna congratulated him and shook his hand in respect, though even Lara could tell that Zeke’s hand was not held only out of courtesy. The flames of tension seemed to intensify.

Lara shuffled the cards again, knowing that with every card she placed, Zeke’s minutes of life were counted. She felt uneasy. They were not friends, but thanks to him she had gathered enough money in such a short time. Lara had always been able to push players to spend as much as possible, and Zeke had analyzed the potential targets carefully. She had managed to save her brother thanks to Zeke and Dr. Thorn Heart.

Zeke noticed that Lara was uneasy. He placed a hand on her shoulder and reassured her that everything would be fine. With tears in her eyes, she thanked him and promised she would visit him once all this madness was over.

Jack Fortuna found the first pair on his first attempt. The game was tied. An unwritten rule of this game was that there would be three rounds. The decisive round was about to begin.

Zeke drew first, a red heart jack, but its pair was black. Jack Fortuna reached for the farthest card, and in the process, the king from his sleeve slipped from his hand, allowing him to switch the cards. The second card he chose appeared in front of him, turning out to be a red king. Above the table, a slot machine spun continuously during the game. At the end, it stopped on a line of sevens — jackpot.

Laughing, Zeke congratulated Jack Fortuna and admitted that he had known how the game would end. He had never come here to get rich but to learn as much as possible about the place, and he had succeeded. Lara did not understand why he was so happy, and could not ask, because Zeke told Jack Fortuna he understood exactly how he had won. Beyond the moment of the card swap that secured his victory, the last pairs found throughout the game had subtle marks to help him win.

The two rose from the table, but before leaving, Zeke hugged Lara and told her to make sure she would live a happy life with Don and stay far from such places. Lara thanked him one last time and promised he would never be forgotten.

Ready to open the door that would finally end this experience, Zeke took a last look at his fellow sufferers, who were unaware of what was happening around them, completely absorbed in the dice, the lights, and the cards on the table. Holding his hand on the door handle, he told Lara he wanted something cool engraved on his tombstone, something that would suit a man who had risked his life just to feel a little dopamine.