Game of chance

“There’s no way we can leave one of us down here.” Clarke bargains.

“This has to be done!” Hobbs argues. “Two of us can make it, or none of us! Don’t you see?”

“Okay.” Clarke agrees. “But how do we decide?”

“Something fair.” Hobbs suggests. “A game of chance.”

“Hold on a second.” Clarke says, and produces a coin from his pocket. He holds it out with his palm for Hobbs to see. “If it lands on this side, I stay.” He flips it over. “If it lands on this side, you stay.”

“That’s fair.” Hobbs agrees.

“What about me?” I ask.

“You are not staying.” Clarke tells me sternly.

“Why?” I ask. “Because I am girl? Because I too sweet and innocent?”

“Something like that.” He says.

“It not fair to you!” I argue.

“Look, you’re not staying!” Clarke argues back.

“Here.” Hobbs says, taking the coin from Clarke’s hand. “You can stay if it lands on the edge.”

“Yeah.” Clarke backs him up.

I open my mouth to try and argue but he puts his palm in my face. “Flip the coin.” He orders Hobbs.

I step back and watch the coin flipping through the air before it hits the ground, bounces once, then bounces again, before rattling to a stop. The three of us look down at it.

“Don’t worry.” Hobbs says, determination in his voice. “This is the way I wanted it. I knew you would never let me volunteer.”

“The same with you.” Clarke tells him. “But I guess this is how it is.”

“The two of you had better leave.” Hobbs urges us.

“Here.” Clarke says, stripping one of his MP40 magazines and handing it over. “Take this.”

“I’ll put it to good use.” Hobbs promises.

The two men shake hands, then embrace each other for a brief moment. They break their embrace, and Hobbs turns to me.

“Come here.” He says to me, and I step into his arms. He wraps them around me and squeezes me tightly. “Thank you for making my time here more… interesting. I’ll miss you… wherever I’m going.”

“I miss you more.” I tell him, and we break our embrace.

“Roger.” Clarke says. “If by some miracle you get out of this, if you last until they don’t have time to disarm it, make a run for it.”

“That was always the plan.” Hobbs responds.

“We’ll try to hold the exit for a little longer.” Clarke promises.

“Thank you. Now get out of here.” Hobbs urges us. “Go!”