K♥️: Sanctuary [Part 1]
Venue: Church
This game is part of a series of games, where I am writing games for all 52 cards for a borderlands in the UK. Each one includes a story of how I imagine the game playing out. You can find all entries here.
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Remaining Games
First Day of Exhibitions
He awaited his first lost sheep the morning the second round began. He stood at the churchyard gates, next to the sign he had put up the night before, which told players no external weaponry was permitted, and beneath read the name of the game, sanctuary, as well as a warning to players looking for a true game to visit the Jack or Queen of hearts.
He stood for half an hour after the start of the second phase, before a you man walked up to the gates, seeing him standing there.
“Hello my son! Do you wish to join my sanctuary, where we will live in peace with this world, free from future sin, to repent our past.” He said, and the man looked at him.
“Are you off your rocker?” The man said, and the King responded by pointing at his signs.
The man walked towards him, and into the churchyard.
“So what are the rules? What hab I got to do?” He asked.
“Nothing. Live here in harmony with god, and we will be forgiven. In this place you are given respite from the cruel games out there. While playing a game, your visa is frozen, and so by staying here you may live your life to the fullest.” The king explained, and the man turned.
“What? You mean this isn’t a game?” He asked.
“Well, of sorts. The game ends when I press the big red button on the church altar. The only rules are no violence, and no leaving the churchyard once you have entered.” He said.
The man tried to respond, but the King cut him off “Shall I give you a tour of the church?”
They walked inside, and the king showed him the area allocated to sleeping, rows upon rows of bunk beds in the main church hall. Further down, past the bunk beds, was a makeshift kitchen, with hobs, knives, chopping boards, everything one might need.
Next up, the King showed him his elaborate plans for the church, with various extra rooms in the church allocated to entertainment, medicine, etc, places in the churchyard for starting an allotment, a cabin, and some more projects.
They had plenty of food, materials and power stored, and they could easily create a self sustaining colony here. The more the pastor spoke, the more and more the man was convinced that this could truly become their home.
In a world of little hope, in the place where it was least expected to find some, the king of hearts, stood the hope of safety, and freedom from the games.
Once they had finished the tour, the king asked the man what he was best at, and what he would like to start work on.
“I’ve always enjoyed gardening…” The man said.
“Wonderful! I shall allocate you to the allotment to take care of our crops.” The King said, handing the man various equipment, as well as seeds, charts for what to plant next to each other, and sent him off to begin the work.
The King walked back to the churchyard gates, waiting another participant.
The sun rose higher in the sky, as a woman and two of her friends walked up.
“Who are you? You another participant?” She asked, and he responded.
“No, I am the King of hearts.” He took a bite from an apple. “This is sanctuary. Sanctuary from the games. If you step inside I can tell you more, but do not enter expecting a game like the others you have played.”
“I see the manipulation has already begun.” She said, stepping in, followed by her friends. “Right, tell me the rules.”
“The rules are simple. There is a button on the altar. If I press it, it is game clear for everyone. Violence and leaving the church premises are not permitted.” He said.
“What? That’s not a game!” She said.
“I did warn you before entering that this would not be like any of the other ‘games’ you have played.” The King said, “Now, should I show you around our colony?” He gave them a tour, showing them the bunks, the kitchen, the garden, the supplies, the whole church. As they walked, they began to feel the Kings silken word wrap around them, giving them hope. They were going to stay here, and spit in the face of whoever had created this cruel place. They would live together, in peace, until their deaths, within the church.
They all got to work, setting up the garden, improving the extra rooms, and they for the first time since they arrived here they truly felt free.
The King returned with his apple to the gate, awaiting more of gods children ready to join him in his colony in this uncaring world.
He had chosen to remain here, in this world of death and despair, as he felt it needed god more than any other. When he had been competing, it had been rumoured that the citizens were once players too, and after pulling through the King of hearts game, he decided he would stay, to bring god to the lives of the hopeless.
But this world made him even question the existence of god. He didn’t know how god could permit this, and all the countless other things in the old world continue to happen, yet held onto the hope that there was a god.
After all, why else would he have created this place?
Two more friends approached the venue, and the King told them as much as he was permitted to about the game. He had a thought, and brought one of the others of his colony to the gate, to tell them about the nature of this game.
This brought on the trust of the players, and he told them to spread the news that this place was a sanctuary.
They walked off, but he doubted that they would be believed, as he looked at the blimp above the church, the King of hearts waving in the wind. The idea that he would be a master of manipulation meant nobody would believe his good will until they enter the venue themselves, or at least got close.
Over the course of the day, two more people joined the colony, and as the sun went down he surveyed the progress that had been made. They had started their garden, meaning they would soon have self sufficient food supplies, likely soon after all that was already stored in the church ran out.
At around lunch time one person had begun working on a large soup, with carrots, potatoes, onions, and all of them graciously ate it, their first proper meal in weeks, maybe even months.
They then began to tell stories, in the well lit church, about their time here. The King gave them as much about him as they were permitted to know, and they were soon joined by one more person, who the King welcomed, and explained everything to.
Eventually they all went to sleep, free from the fear of ever having to participate in a game again.
The King surveyed his colonists, happy that they had all adapted to life here so easily. This place, while not perfect, was a veritable paradise compared to the world beyond the churchyard walls, and he was glad the others appreciated the effort he had put into it, and the effort they would put into it. He had intentionally made sure there was still plenty of work to be done to improve the church, as to stifle boredom. He had planned every detail, and knew it was perfect.
Second Day of Exhibitions
They woke up early, ready to continue the future of his utopia. They got to work on various projects, such as the allotment, and someone began work on the games room he had planned.
He helped out I the kitchen too, cutting veg and preparing meals for the day. He was cooking another soup today, while their vegetables were still few in number.
Over the course of the day more arrived, and he welcomed them. They were at first suspicious of his utopia, but he managed to convince them that this was for the greater good.
The Day was fruitful, and soon they had planted various vegetables, and were growing potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, tomatoes, as well as various fruits. He congratulated the gardeners, and then he checked out the games room.
It had been redecorated, and the Games organised. In fact, it had been done so quick the others had started work on the library, organising all of the books carefully in order of genre and author surname.
This place was becoming more and more like the Utopia he envisioned.
He poured some oil into the pan, before tipping in his diced onion, frying them a little, before adding water to boil the carrots and potatoes he had stocked up in. He made some vegetable stock from a pack he had in his spice cupboard, and with the help of the other cooks, they now had a meal for al of them. They filled it into bowls, handing them out to everyone in the church’s sanctuary, and they each ate gratefully, thanking him for his work, as well as the kindness of establishing this place.
They began to talk over such about what they had done so far.
“So, the allotment is looking good at the moment. By the time our stocked food will have run out, we should be swimming in produce of our own growing. Also, this soup is really nice Noah, you and the cooks did a great job!” The Gardener said, and Noah nodded, saying he couldn’t have achieved this without them.
The room brimmed with happiness, at the salvation these people had found in this world. That this was the way forward, the way to continued prosperity.
“Well, I improved the games room. That billiards table was a good idea Noah. Thanks also for bringing in so many board games and sets of cards. While we may not have always enjoyed them in the old world, I’m sure here they will become classics quickly, and we will play them till old age. Also, as you said earlier, I checked from the roof to see how many other cards are left. It looks like the King of Clubs, Queen of Spades, and Jack of Diamonds went down yesterday.” The Woman said.
“Thank you for informing me. We should hope and pray for those we have lost, they are now in a better place.” Noah said.
They continued to talk over their food, and just before they were about to return to work, a woman walked in through the doors.
“Hello, my child, welcome to sanctuary!” Noah said.
“Yeah yeah, quit the bullshit, tell me the rules.” She said.
“Well, The ‘game’ is simple. The game end when I press that button on the altar over there, willingly. Otherwise, you mustn’t leave the game venue, or act violently.” Noah explained. “This place is a sanctuary from the outside world. A refuge for those who have been crushed by the horrors of the Games.”
“What? What about Visas?” The Woman said confused.
“While in a game, your visa does not decrease. This place gives you time to live the rest of your days out, without the threat of the laser. This place is my Ark, if you will.” The King said, pointing to the church.
“This world makes it appear as if you must kill others to survive. That is not true. If you can resist the temptations of this world, you will receive salvation.”
Noah then gave the woman a tour of the grounds, before asking her what she wished to do. She ended up working in the garden, and Noah returned to the gates, to welcome any possible new colonists.
His sanctuary was coming to life, an example of how humans can collaborate and triumph in a world without hope.
No new people arrived after Sandra interrupted them at lunch, and the King gathered everyone around for tea and began to tell stories about his experiences.
“When I came to this world, I realised how important it was to trust god. I played the games set up by the old Kings, Queens and Knaves. They slowly fell, and when We had finally defeated them all, we were offered a choice by the ruler of this land. Stay, and accept citizenship, or decline. I accepted, to allow this land, a land without god, to see the light of good, and forge a beacon of hope for all who came.” Noah said, as his followers watched intently, and he began to recall his first games, the Jack and King of hearts, and how in the King game he had saved a young man, who grew to become the King of Clubs.
It became later and later, and Noah advised them to go to bed, telling them he would continue to tell them about his experiences the next day, and then the others could tell them theirs.
Third Day of Exhibitions
On the third day only one blimp went down, that of the Queen of Clubs.
Noah awoke bright and early, ready for the day. He slowly got everyone else up, while preparing breakfast. They ate in their own time, before leaving to go out and work.
Noah walked to the gates, apple in hand. He waited there for a few minutes, and watched as some new followers-to-be began to arrive.
He introduced himself, giving his regular explanation, and before they stepped inside, was backed up by one of the gardeners, who happened to be walking past. The group stepped inside, introducing themselves as Alfie, Tracy and Roger, a group that had beaten the King of Clubs together.
“A shame. The King of Clubs was a good man.” Noah said, leading them into the main hall.
“He definitely wasn’t what I expected from a King, to say the least.” Tracy said. “Neither are you.”
“The manipulation is still to come.” Alfie said, not trusting Noah.
“Well, I can assure you that I have all of the residents of this countries best interests in mind. We could live here for many years without problem. Just ask any of the other players that have stayed with us for a while, they all trust me.” Noah countered.
He walked up to the altar.
“This here is the game clear condition. If I press it, I die, and our colony is terminated. The game ends, everyone gets a game clear. I have no intention of doing so.” Noah said.
“So you are our jailor.” Alfie said to him.
“If you need to see it that way, yes.” Noah said. “But in truth I am your saviour. Without me you would soon be playing another game. You would live in fear of your life. Here, that all fades away. You regain free time, as you need to care less and less about your own survival. Don’t you see the utopia we will forge?”
Alfie shrugged.
“Now, if you will please allow me to ask what jobs you would be comfortable doing…” He asked.
He got them all started on their tasks, and the day went smoothly. He spent a while talking with Roger as they prepared food, talking about his life, and soon they called everyone in for Lunch.
In the meantime, tracy had begun speaking to Sandra, and learned about her. Alfie, on the other hand, had remained distant from the others, refusing to participate in work.
He walked over to Roger and Tracy while they were eating their food.
“Don’t you find this a little suspicious? He’s way to kind for someone who’s gone through what we’ve been through. I don’t trust this guy one bit.” Alfie said.
“Why, all he’s done is be nice to us!?” Tracy said. “He’s forged a home for us in this uncaring world. How can you disagree with that?”
“He’s already gotten to you. Don’t you see? He’s indoctrinating you. This is a cult!” Alfie protested, perhaps a little too loud.
“Now, how about we all calm down a little.” Noah said, walking over. “I see our new member wishes to leave. Trust me Alfie, it’s Alfie right? This place will be our beacon of hope, our zone of safety. Please, don’t fight us. It’ll only harm you.”
Alfie nodded, but still had a scowl fixed on his face.
“Good. Now, how about we all return to work, and reconvene later for tea.” He said, walking away.
The others returned to work, and Alfie was left alone in the Hall.
Noah turned. “You should also get to work. It won’t reflect well on you if you eat our food but don’t help out.”
Roger had by this point returned to the garden. He liked gardening, and had constantly recommended the performers establish one while they were still in large numbers, so they would have a continued food supply. He gave up on the idea after continued rejection, and the dwindling number of performers meant there was almost no point, they all believed they would die anyway.
But now he had a communal garden, where he could help a group of people he cared about. He dug, and planted some seeds. They were almost out of the space allocated. Oh well, they would always need to attend to plants to help them grow. He wasn’t sure how well they would grow in this strange climate, but he held out hope.
He spent the hours until dusk in the garden with a man who claimed he was the first to join Noah. They exchanged trivial details about their lives, as well as their time in this land. They both admired Noah for his ability to create hop in a world without it, and how he kept order in a world seemingly without any.
When they gathered around for Noah’s story and food, they listened intently, hearing about his exploits during his time as a player, how he had helped those in need. How he had not killed anyone during his time as a player.
Alfie watched from afar, seeing how the group worshiped the ground he walked on. Why couldn’t anyone but him see it?