There is very little of value left to gamble with,
he realized.
I've wagered well nigh every penny and ounce of energy I've got,
plus a whole lot of what others had,
till they made the bad call to borrow it to me.
I've spent my sanity here,
most of my savings,
all of my sobriety,
and a hundred percent of my sense of self-preservation.
Most of my friendships are wrapped up in this one,
as well as every single one of my romances.
This is my hail mary, clear as day—
for I only have one thing remaining to play with.
He leaned back in his chair and looked across the table at the unholy ghost,
who returned his gaze with no expression.
He inhaled deeply,
exhaled the same,
and then went all in with his life on the line.
Several seconds later,
he lost everything he'd gambled in the game for happiness everlasting.