Russian Roulette

"I ain't too sure about this Tyler."
"Come on Jack, who was the one that said they were tired of their dead-end job, of their dumbass relationship and of their going no-where life."
"You!"
"Well, yeah I did but so did you."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just a little scared."
"You’re scared now mate, but as soon as we get into this, the adrenaline that’s gonna rush through you will be bloody unbelievable."
"Yeah, yeah. I know I wanna do this. The adrenaline. The excitement. You ready?"
"Oh yeah, Jack buddy. Been waitin' for this. Now gimme it."

Jack Cooper handed the silver, black handled .357 Magnum revolver over to Tyler who, with his hands shaking violently, placed one round into the cylinder chamber. The bullet slipped into the greased shaft with ease.

"You wanna do the honors, Jackie boy?"
Jack grabbed the firearm and spun the cylinder into place. "Any idea where that little gem might be now?"
"Not a clue, Tyler." Jack replies shaking his head. The bullet could be in one of 6 chambers and he knew how they were going to find out. He felt a burning sensation in the pit of his stomach.

Both young men sat at the cold steel table as Tyler glanced around the room and Jack stared hard into the gun. Tyler rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a coin. "You call it, Jack."
"Tails!" The coin bounced off the steel with a dull clang.
"Son of a bitch!" Tyler punched the table hard and Jack looked at the coin with a small grin appearing on his face.
"Looks like you'll be accompanying the cylinder first." Jack picked the gun off the table and slowly handed it Tyler’s way. He grabbed it with a shaking hand and took a deep breath. Jack sat with his hands clenched into fists pressing against the base of his wooden chair.
"Well I got a one in six chance." He put the gun hard into his temple and pulled the trigger. The time it took for the trigger to release the revolver’s hammer, which will strike the firing pin, which will eventually detonate the impact sensitive cartridge feels like a lifetime.

Click.

An empty chamber.

Tyler placed the gun on the table and breathed heavily, putting his head in his hands. Jack stared in silence.
"Okay, okay. I got twenty percent chance."
"True man, true." Tyler’s voice sounded extremely shaky. Jack picked up the gun with two fingers - as if it were a babies’ used diaper - and slowly placed the firearm in his mouth. If the phrase, 'silence is golden' ever rang true, it was at this moment. But in this case the silence was silver coming in the form of a silver gun. The sound of Jack’s wet lips wrapping around the barrel echoed throughout the room followed by a muffled mumble.
"Twenty percent."

Click.

Another empty chamber.

The silence was broken by Jack harshly tossing the gun on the table. He let out a sigh of relief and pulled back his shaggy brown hair. Tyler looked at the gun, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"That’s okay. No need to fret. Still got a one in four chance. A quarter." Tyler's confidence seemed to unnerve Jack who shifted awkwardly in his chair. Tyler wiped the sweat from his forehead and ruffled his short blonde hair. He reluctantly moved his hand forward and gripped the revolver, pressing it against his forehead. Closing his eyes, he lets out another long sigh as Jack stared centre on at the gun.

Click.

Once again, empty chamber.

Tyler laughed and tossed the gun at Jack, who caught it, although caught off guard. "Oh Jackie boy, I don't like your chances. One in three."
"Don't worry about me buddy. I've always been a lucky guy." Jack laughed nervously and Tyler smirked. "Tyler, what's gonna happen when one of our bodies is found?"
"Well that's the beauty of it, this body won't get found for at least another six months. This asylum has been abandoned for four years and plans for reconstruction won't begin until next year. There's a chance they'll just destroy the building and our body will be crushed and never discovered. Although they may check the rooms and even if they do, the body will have rotted away by then. They'll think it was just one of the old patients.
"Nice plan. Gotta give you credit for that."
"Haha, yeah. Now I believe it’s your turn."
"Now stop stalling Jack." Jack glanced at Tyler and looked at the gun. He jammed the gun into the side of his eye and pulled the trigger quicker than Tyler expected. It felt as if time moved slower in this asylum than on the outside. The split second it took for the trigger to meet the hammer to activate the firing pin felt like minutes. A small smile appeared on Tyler’s face. Jack's laughter overtook the sound.

Click.

Empty.

Tyler’s smile was quickly gone as he heard the low click and Jack's laughter. "Ohhhh Tyler boy, I really don't like your odds."
"Nah, don't worry about me. I'm an optimistic guy. Fifty-fifty." Tyler tried to act as confident as he could but it still came out in a nervous tone which Jack spotted right away. He started laughing manically as Tyler placed the firearm against his forehead. His quiet whispers were heard throughout the room. "Fifty-fifty."

.....Click.

The final click.

Tyler threw the gun hard on the table and breathed another sigh of relief. A happier sigh than before and he jumped out of his chair in glee. "Oh Jackie boy. It was really nice knowing ya. We had a good run, didn't we? But it looks as if this is the end for…" Tyler was cut off.
"How stupid do you think I am?" Jack points the gun straight as Tyler.
"Jack, come on."
"Tell me Tyler, what's gonna happen when I pull this trigger. Because I know for a fact that you bent the firing pin. I saw you before we came here."
“Liar…there’s not a chance I would cheat you!” Tyler squealed.
“You did! I saw you, don’t lie to me. This is life and death!”
Jack hung his head briefly and then looked Tyler steadily in the eye, "Come on man! I did it so we could have a different experience. Experience the adrenaline felt in death without actually dying."
"No man, you see. One of us has to die tonight and it ain't gonna be me."
"Jack, what the hell you are...." A gunshot rattled through the abandoned building. Jack held a second gun in his other hand.

"Yeah, Tyler we did have a good run you low-life piece of trash." Jack started grinning and headed towards the door. "See ya later....mate." Jack pulled on the thick steel door but it was somehow jammed shut. "What the hell!" He fumbled through Tyler's pockets - lying there with a hole in his head - for a key only to find nothing. Jack rapidly looked round for a window but then remembered that there wouldn't be one. Not in an asylum room. He pounded on the door, pushed and pulled but nothing budges it.

Oh no. Will Jack make it out alive or will he rot away with his supposed best friend? My money is on he'll rot!

What? Didn't you wonder who the hell was narrating this garbage? Well I am. I ain't gonna tell you my name, that would be extremely foolish of me. But yeah, I've been watching these two clowns. Both acting like they think their life was gonna end but both knowing nothing is going to happen, not really. Now look at them. Mr Tyler King. Deceased. Mr Jack Cooper. Soon to be. I was right above them. Watching through a hole in the vents with a notepad and a video camera. You may call me sick and perhaps I am but this is the truth people. Today's tragedies and horrible realities will tomorrow, be movie fiction.

Things that made us gasp and cry today will be entertaining us tomorrow in Hollywood. That's the way it is folks.

Well I hope you enjoyed my little story and don’t fret dear reader, there’s plenty more where that came from however for now I'm afraid this is where we part ways. What’s that? Footsteps on the concrete in the halls beneath my vent? Looks like a group of teenagers are sneaking in. Shame they have no idea they won't ever be sneaking back out.

Well I got another story to write and a terrifying reality to film. Goodbye dear, dear reader...for now.

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