When we sat around the table, I saw the man getting ready to spin the bottle.
"Round #1," he said as he spun it in the middle of the table.
Both of us, Luke and I were looking at the bottle like our lives depended on it.
With every spin, our breathing would get faster and faster.
After a few seconds, the bottle started to slow down. At that moment, Luke had already closed his eyes and was hoping for a miracle.
When the bottle stopped, I gulped loudly enough for others to hear.
It was pointing at Luke, and I was the target.
Luke still hadn't opened his eyes and was still waiting for his miracle.
When the man tapped him on the shoulder to warn him, he instinctively pulled his body slightly and opened his eyes.
When he saw the bottle, he slowly lifted his hand and looked at the man.
"But I can't do-"
"Luke, it is your turn to shoot," the man interrupted him and gave him the revolver.
"I have spun the cylinder; there is no need to do it first round," he added.
Luke started to look at the gun with fear. You could tell he has never held one before.
Then he looked at me as if he was going to cry.
"Daniel, I-"
"It's okay. It's empty." I interrupted him.
"Huh? It is? How do you know?"
I took a deep breath.
"I can tell."
I actually couldn't tell, but there was no other way. Either he was going to shoot me with that gun, where I had a chance of living, or I would be killed with a fully loaded gun.
I was scared. Too scared. I was taking deep breaths and taking my time with each blink to calm myself down.
"Shoot," I said.
"But how do you know?, Maybe it is loaded." Luke said when he slightly pointed it towards me.
His hands were shaking. For a moment, I didn't even think he could pull the trigger.
"It is not," I replied.
"How do you know?"
"I just know"
"But how? You might die," he slightly increased the volume of his voice.
I could see tears falling from his eyes. He was under too much pressure, so he started to cry.
"I won't," I kept my tone steady.
"I can't," he said, louder this time.
"You can"
"I can't," again, louder.
"If you don't, he will!" I started to raise my voice, too.
"No, I can't kill you."
As he said this, I closed my eyes shut, and screamed at him.
"Shoot it."
Click!
"It was empty, it was empty, it was empty." Luke put the gun down on the table.
"I am sorry, I got scared. I shouldn't have-"
The moment I heard the click, I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.
Seeing myself alive, I covered my face with my hands, tried to calm myself down.
I put my elbows on the table and tried to control my breathing. My heart was beating too fast. If the bullet didn't kill me, it would.
Luke was still apologizing. I was expecting the reaction, but…
I felt annoyed.
Luke has been my friend for a long time. We had played games, had stayed over at each other's homes, and had great memories. I never felt this way towards him.
Maybe because of things that happened, I couldn't feel what I should. I had to control myself somehow. My body and my feelings.
"It's okay, Luke. There was nothing else you could do." I tried to confront him.
"Let's start round #2," the man said, as he took the gun from the table and gave a fast spin to the bottle.
Again, Luke and I were looking at the bottle. The longer it would spin, the longer we would live. But the moment it stopped, one of us could die.
Our lives really depended on one bottle.
A few seconds later, the bottle slowed down and stopped.
This time, it was pointing towards me. I was the one behind the trigger.
Seeing the bottle, Luke looked at me for a second before closing his eyes.
I didn't have any other option. I took the gun from the man, found the release latch, and pressed it.
Then pushed the cylinder out. I started to check where the bullets were.
"You are not allowed to check and choose -"
"I don't think rules specify that if I can check the spot of bullets or not. I am free to check, as long as I spin and use it." I didn't let him continue.
I was right. From the first game, I learned that whatever is not written can be used.
The man didn't say anything else. He nodded slightly, meaning I was allowed to.
I checked the bullets. They had two empty slots between them.
I couldn't use this in any way, so I gave it a good spin and snapped it back in its place.
I took a deep breath and pointed the gun towards Luke.
Luke opened his eyes, but unlike before, he had a more peaceful expression. Like he had accepted his fate.
At that moment, I slowly looked at the man standing next to me.
"I have a question before I shoot."
"You are allowed to ask," he said.
I slightly checked my surroundings, especially the floor, which was painted red a few minutes ago. Then lifted my head and looked him in the eye while asking my question.
"Were you the one who killed my father?"