The Thief and the Pot of Gold

The Thief and the Pot of Gold - 3

The elimination process was quite simple. They were given a form to fill up and they had a short interview.

Theo had signed his form.

'Did the police ever catch you with illegal substances?'

'Did the police ever catch you with illegal weapons?'

'Did the police ever catch you for illegal gambling?'

'Did the police ever catch you for petty theft?'

Theo checked 'no' on each question.

"If you answered 'no,' proceed to the next room. If you answered 'yes' to any question, you remain in the room." A man in a black suit announced loudly.

Theo was directed to the men seated behind their elegant office desks.

When he turned his head again, he saw a handful of men and women. They had answered 'yes' to some or all of the questions!

These people were given a thick envelope each.

"What's that? The envelope? Money?"

Theo heard the whisperings between his companions.

"Yes! Money!"

They surrendered the cellphone before they went out of the door. They had a happy expression on their faces. Honesty was rewarded.

A large number of the attending people were hesitant to proceed.

"What's the problem, people?" the man in the black suit asked patiently.

"Can we fill up the form again?" they chorused.

"Of course! Come!"

There was a hoard who came to him. They waved their cellphones.

Theo looked around who were left in the large room. The occupants of the room were looking back at him.

"Have a seat, Mr. Vincent," a man in a grey suit invited.

Theo sat down. His expression remained blank but he was startled. The man knew his name!

When Theo was seated in front of the desk, the man in the white suit asked him to read the short questionnaire.

"Please, sign after you answered the questions!"

'Have you ever been convicted of drug dealing?'

'Have you ever been convicted of qualified theft?'

'Have you ever been convicted of homicide?'

'Have you ever been convicted of murder?'

Theo signed the questionnaire. He glanced around again. The number had thinned considerably.

The people who had answered candidly got up and went out of the door expectantly.

"Alright, gentlemen! You passed the elimination process. Proceed to the next room, please!"

Theo was frowning. 'Elimination process has a sinister sound!' he thought to himself.

The next room was a gym of sorts.

"I presume that you do exercise every now and then. Please, pick whatever take your fancy!"

Theo took note of ten 'eliminators' who were looking suspicious now. They chose a light instrument each: arnis sticks, chaku, baton, cane, and other stick weapons.

There were knives, swords, and other sharp objects but they were ignored.

Theo picked a javelin.

A fat man, who wore a white suit, looked at their chosen instruments and nodded. He came out as quietly as he came in.

"You passed! Let's go!"

"Where?" the man who was also bald like Theo asked distrustfully. He was the shortest and very slim.

"To the cruise ship, of course!"

They passed an x-ray machine. It beeped at the bag of the bald man.

"What's inside?" the burly man barked.

"Why don't you look?"

The burly man inspected the bag. "No bomb," he nodded.

Theo heard something when they were outside. He turned his head to the direction of muffled screaming. His sharp gaze saw a large bag falling down the water.

From the water, the swaying bodies of crocodiles met the bag with open mouths and jagged teeth. They glistened in the blurry illumination of the moonlight.

"What's in the bag?" the bald man whispered in horror. His attention was caught with the loud splashing.

The burly man answered, "Time to feed the crocs!"

They were herded hurriedly in a small speedboat.

"You will be in the cruise ship before midnight!"

Theo had a very bad feeling about this 'vacation!'

They left behind the crocodiles. The reptiles were in an enclosed cage. It was behind the Golden Building. A small part of the sea was fenced in with iron screen.

Theo saw that another bag was thrown again. It was moving. Or struggling!

The men in the black suit laughed aloud.

"Yes, they are live people!"

"Why?" The bald man was outspoken. "They are ex-convicts?"

"The computer found them otherwise! Their names appeared as fugitives!"

They were in the middle of the ocean. The roar of the engine and the strong blowing of the wind made conversation impossible.

Theo calculated the factors of a break-away but he abandoned the idea of escaping. Where would he go? He could see the gleaming bodies of sharks.

He was a strong swimmer. It was his favorite exercise. But the swimming pool had no sharks!

They reach the cruise yacht.

"I thought it was a cruise ship!" remarked the bald man again.

"Ship or yacht, it is the same! You will have a luxurious stay, don't worry! You will be pampered!" the burly man replied flippantly.

Theo thought otherwise. He expected the worse!

The other men were quiet, too. Theo could read their minds. Escape!

"Pampered! You will pamper us before we're fed to the sharks?" the bald man mocked scornfully.

"It will be up to all of you!" the burly man addressed them all. "It's either you arrived at the destination or you will try to escape. When we caught you--you will be snack to the sharks!"

There was no answer. The bald man turned his back.

They had climbed the rope ladder nimbly.

"This yacht has fourteen cabins. You will have a room for yourself. The trip will take five or seven days. Enjoy!"

The burly man left them.

Each man had a guard assigned. The guards guided them to their cabins.

Theo was given the first cabin. It was near the captain's control room.

"Put your javelin there and the bag down there!" the man instructed him.

Theo eyed the guard. He looked like a wrestler. His muscular body was three times larger than Theo's lean body.

'No hope of escaping him!' he thought silently.

Theo pulled the beeping cellphone.

'Welcome to the game! How to Take Out the Pot of Gold! The rule is simple: survival of the fittest!'