The Suicide Club – Forfeit Machine

Previous Chapter: The Suicide Club – Russian Roulette 

First Chapter: The Suicide Club - Introduction

 

Raquel read the text from Emily.

“can you meet 11am 2379 elem st, come as you are,” the text read.

Raquel texted back, “yes”

When Raquel arrived, Emily and Claire were already there and Hailey arrived a few minutes later.

“My friend Ann just bought this house,” Emily said. “She'll play hanging poker with us and she has another friend that probably will, so that would make six. This house has a poker room in the attic she wants to show us.”

“A house with a hanging poker room?” Raquel asked. “I didn't know that was a thing.”

“Well let's go see,” Emily said.

They walked up to the door, range the door bell and Ann quickly opened the door.

“Hi Emily,” Ann said. “I take it these are your friends.”

“Yes,” Emily said. “Raquel, Hailey and Claire.”

“I just closed escrow on this place,” Ann said. “Don't have much furniture yet, but we can go up and look at the poker room.”

 

“This is the poker room,” Ann said. “With the gallows that Mary Ann added. Mary Ann was the previous owner of this house but the attic was remodeled as a hanging poker room by Miss Maguire who owned it before her. Miss Maguire was a hanging poker legend in this town. She use to host hanging poker games up here, but only rarely ever played herself.”

“Wow,” Emily said. “Mary Ann had some interesting style. What does forfeit machine mean?”

“Mary Ann named the gallows the Forfeit Machine,” Ann said. “She had this idea that hanging poker was a game of forfeits. The loser forfeits her life and this gallows was a machine to collect the forfeits.”

“Interesting way to look at it,” Emily said.

“This is the lever the winner gets to pull back to hang the loser,” Ann said. “Execution style hanging poker rather than the suicide style used for most home hanging poker games.”

“More like some of the tournaments on TV,” Emily said.

“Yes,” Ann said. “Exactly.”

“I think this picture is Mary Ann celebrating after her first win at hanging poker,” Ann said. “Story is that Mary Ann played with a group of friends at a cabin out by the lake and Mary Ann won the hand that hanged the loser.” 

“After that Mary Ann played in Miss Maguire's attic games,” Ann said. “Which sometimes included men.”

 

“This is suppose to have been the girl friend of the guy Mary Ann hanged,” Ann said. “She was so mad at Mary Ann she challenged her to a heads up hanging poker game and Mary Ann hanged her too. After that Mary Ann was into heads up hanging poker.”

 

“Somehow Mary Ann dared Miss Maguire to a heads up game and she agreed,” Ann said. “As you can see Mary Ann hanged Miss Maguire and then she bought the house.” 

“After Mary Ann bought the house, she remodeled, adding the Forfeit Machine gallows,” Ann said. “She exclusively played heads up games. These are the two she hanged up here.”

“Mary Ann's luck eventually ran out,” Ann said. “Some aggressive new comer hanged her. That's when I bought the house from her estate.”

“Did you ever play with Mary Ann?” Emily asked.

“No, but I heard about her,” Ann said. “She was famous in hanging poker circles, but heads up games are not my thing.”

“Yeah,” Emily said. “I can see that.”

 

“Ok, so because this is a execution style gallows, I need to get a special license to use it for hanging poker,” Ann said.

“How long will that take?” Emily asked.

“I've already applied for it,” Ann said. “Probably be a few more weeks.”

“Then all we need is a few more players,” Emily said.

“I have one friend that wants to play,” Ann said. “She is coming over to meet you. Should be here in a few minutes.”

“Would love to meet her,” Emily said.

“I'll go check on her,” Ann said. “Maybe she is waiting.”

“This is my friend Melody,” Ann said. “She was waiting outside.”

“Hi, I'm Emily,” Emily said. “And this is Raquel, Hailey, and Claire.”

“Ann said you were a suicide club,” Melody said.

“We use to be,” Emily said. “But it kind of broke up.”

“So your club use to play hanging poker?” Melody asked.

“No, drawing cards like in the 'The Suicide Club' story by Robert Louis Stevenson,” Emily said. “Though Claire and I have played hanging poker a few times.”

“Cool,” Melody said.

“Why do you want to play?” Claire asked.

 

“Well ... I've been fascinated with it for years,” Melody said. “I subscribed to the hanging poker network and I stream all their tournaments. A couple weeks ago there was the Belize heads up bikini poker championship. Sixteen entrants and after four days fifteen of them hanged! Wow, it's totally crazy. Why would anyone do that? But I mean women actually do it and it is so exciting to watch. At the end of the tournament there were fifteen real dead bodies hanging there. I mean it is the ultimate stakes. If I play bad or just bad luck ... I hang dead ... my life is over ... I don't exist anymore. I mean watching it is so exciting ... I just want to play for real. Not like one of those elimination tournaments where almost everybody hangs. Just a friendly neighborhood hanging poker game with one player forfeiting her life with a noose around her neck so the other players have the thrill of playing for the highest stakes possible...”

“Exactly,” Emily said.

“It's wild,” Clair said. “Someone needs to hang to make the game real. As long as you are prepared for that someone being you...”

“I agree,” Melody said. “Don't want to get hanged but that is the risk I have to take to play.”

 

“So, what do you think?” Ann asked. “Are all of us ready to play for the ultimate forfeit?’

“I am,” said Emily.

“Count me in,” said Raquel

“Definitely,” said Hailey.

“Of course,” said Claire.

“For sure,” said Melody.

“Ok,” Ann said. “I’ll get in touch when I get the license for the gallows.”

A month and a half later Raquel got an email from Emily while at work. Raquel stepped into the record storage room to read the message privately. It had taken longer than she expected but Ann finally got the license to use the gallows for hanging poker. The game was going to be Saturday afternoon if everyone could make it. Raquel replied back that she could make it.

Raquel arrive a little early, but discovered everyone else was already there.

“I thought I was early,” Raquel said.

“Everyone’s excited,” Ann said. “Got here early.”

 

“Ok ladies,” Ann said. “You know the rules. Take a seat and let’s get started.”

 

The game started slowly. Everyone was trying to be careful, but after the first hour, although all the players were in their underwear, Ann, Emily and Claire had piles of clothes on the floor behind them to wager while Hailey, Raquel and Melody could only wager the clothes they were wearing and of course the hanging chip.

Melody was forced to wager her bra for the blind.

Claire and Ann folded, but Hailey stood up and took off her bra and panties.

“Raise” Hailey said as she pushed her underwear into the pot.

 

Raquel and Emily both folded. Melody stood up and removed her panties to call Hailey’s bet.

 

Emily spread out the flop. It was six, jack, and two but all clubs!

Melody pushed her hanging chip into the pot.

 

Hailey had to fold so when the blind got around to her, she had to post her hanging chip.

Raquel took her bra off the call the blind bet.

Emily reached under her chair and wagered someones shoes. Melody bet Hailey’s bra she had just won. Claire and Ann both bet somebodies shoes.

“Why are you all trying to hang me?” Hailey protested.

“We aren’t,” Melody replied. “We’re trying to avoid being the one hanged.”

“Yeah, by hanging me,” Hailey replied.

 

Everyone turned over their cards. Hailey had an ace-ten of spades. Raquel had two kings. Emily had five-six of clubs. Melody had ten-four. Claire had ace-two. Ann had jack-nine of hearts.

“Come on,” Hailey said. “I need an ace.”

Ann spread out the flop. It was an queen of hearts, five of diamonds and jack of clubs. Raquel had the best hand with a pair of kings.

“Where’s my ace?” Hailey implored.

Ann pushed the turn card out, an ace of clubs! Hailey now had the best hand.

“Finally the ace,” Hailey said.

Now Hailey had the best hand with a pair of aces and a better kicker than Claire.

The river was two, giving Claire two pair.

“Way to go,” said Claire. “I’ll take it.”

“That’s amazing!” Melody exclaimed. “The river changed everything.”

“The river can be a bitch,” said Ann.

 

Everyone got up and Hailey slowly walked to the gallows.

Hailey put the cuffs on one hand.

Hailey walked up the stairs to the platform.

Hailey put the noose around her neck.

Hailey fastened the cuffs behind her back.

“Do you need some help there?” Melody asked, but Hailey snapped the cuffs closed.

“Are you ready?” Claire asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Hailey replied. “Just do it.”

Claire pushed the lever back and the platform folded out from under Hailey.

The noose jerked tight around Hailey’s neck and she hung in the air her feet weakly kicking.

Suddenly Hailey’s body started to twist and turn.

Hailey thrust her hips forward as her legs kicked.

 

Hailey gyrated around struggling against the noose.

Hailey began to relax with only her feet weakly kicking.

Finally Hailey stopped twitching and came to rest.

“Wow Hailey really struggled,” Raquel said. “I remember Joss’s hanging. She struggled some but not this much.”

“Hangings are all different,” Emily said.

“I’ve got a bottle of Champagne,” Ann said. “Let’s give Hailey a toast for her fine performance.”

 

“To Hailey,” Ann said. “For paying her forfeit with style.”

 

“That was amazing,” Melody said. “Pushing that hanging chip was so intense.... I mean I had a flush, but not a big one. She might have had a bigger flush or a draw.”

“Well, she didn't,” Ann said. “And she's the one that paid the forfeit.”

“Yeah,” Melody said. “That could have been me.”

“That's what hanging poker is all about,” Ann said. “You got to take some chances and hope it all works out. It did for you.”

“It did,” Melody said. “But I've got to get going ... need to jump my boyfriend.”

“I guess he got lucky too,” Emily said.

Melody hurried off.

 

“Let me get my camera,” Ann said. “Take a trophy pic for Claire.”

“Going to frame it and hang it on the wall?” Emily asked.

“I think so,” Ann said. “First forfeit claimed since Mary Ann's machine claimed her.”

“Probably not the last,” Emily said.

 

“That was exciting,” Raquel said. “You two seemed to know what you were doing, but I would have been in trouble if Hailey won that last hand.”

“It helps to know what you're doing,” Emily said. “But there's a lot of luck too.”

“I think we should relax for a couple of months and enjoy our luck,” Raquel said.

“I agree,” Emily said. “No rush. No trouble finding hanging poker or some other interesting suicide game when we're ready.”

“Just keep your eyes open for interesting possibilities,” Clair said.

“Excuse me, I'm Emma and this is Irina,” the girl with long blonde hair said. “Ann told us we could come over after the game ... and it looks like the game is over?”

“The game is over,” Raquel said.

“Are you players?” Emily asked.

“We've never played,” Emma said. “But maybe some day. The house is famous, but everyone I know was afraid of Mary Ann. She was dangerous, only played heads up.”

“Well, house is Ann's now,” Emily said. “And we didn't hang her so you can go up and see who we did hang.”

(Note: Irina, on the left in black, is CaptainAustria from DeviantArt.)

 

Ann showed Emma and Irina the poker room. They stared at Hailey's body in amazement.

When Raquel got home there was a large envelope left at her door. She opened it and read the letter. It said that Cristel had changed her will shortly before her death. She left her county cottage and the land around it to Raquel. Also there was a brokerage account currently worth several hundred thousand dollars. Raquel had no idea Cristel was so wealthy. 

The next week she signed all the paper work and got the keys to the estate. The house was a small stone one bedroom cottage, but nicely furnished.

Raquel recognized the big building behind the cottage. When she went inside, the guillotines were still sitting there. The ones where Christine and Laviania had lost their heads had been cleaned up of course.

Was this what Cristel had meant by a backup plan? Pass her guillotines to me? 

Next Chapter: TBD