Jim approached Danny, who was strapped to his slanted chair. When Jim finally reached him, he widened Danny's right eye and placed his scalpel over it.
Sweat ran down Danny's face, his teeth chattered, and he was panting uncontrollably. It was obvious he was terrified. "Okay, Danny, try not to move too much. First, I'm going to take both your eyes. That should fetch quite a price on the black market," Jim said.
"Jim. Please. Give me one more chance, just one more. I swear I'll win this time!" Danny pleaded.
"Oh, Danny," Jim said, nodding his head. "I've heard this same song from you time and time again. It's no longer sweet to listen to."
"How much does he owe now, Thomas?"
Thomas brought out a sketch pad and began flipping through it. "Let's see. Fifty thousand dollars for that V.R console. Ten thousand dollars for the first qualification race. Ten thousand dollars for the second qualification race. Ten thousand dollars for the third qualification race. Ten thousand dollars for the fourth qualification race. Ten thousand dollars for the first qualification race, and twenty thousand dollars for this stupid gaming chair," Thomas said, kicking the chair that Danny was strapped to.
"So that's a hundred and twenty thousand dollars," Jim said. He whistled. "See, Danny? How else are you gonna pay us back? Remember, the deal was you'd win the qualification race, become a player in that stupid game, and we'd take fifty percent of your earnings."
"Since you didn't come through, you've left me with no choice." Although Jim's words sounded like those of someone who felt bad about what they were about to do but had no choice, nothing could be further from the truth.
Jim had wanted this outcome from the very beginning when he met Danny at his club. He saw a foolish kid desperate for money, making promises of paying it back that Jim knew he couldn't keep. Danny was Jim's perfect prey.
Danny wasn't just foolish; he was young, and organs from young people sold far better than organs from older people. So he gladly loaned Danny the money he begged for.
What was a hundred and twenty thousand dollars when Jim knew he could triple or quadruple the amount selling the kid's organs on the black market?
The eye that Jim had widened began to tear up. Danny's voice began to crack. He couldn't bear the idea of being blind, but he also knew Jim wouldn't stop there. He knew that Jim would take different parts from him until it became impossible for Danny to stay alive.
If half of the rumors he had heard about the gangster above him were true, then Jim would do all this with a smile.
"I'll… I'll get your money, Jim. One more race. Just one more. You saw how close I was. Please," Danny begged.
"What a load of bull," Thomas said. "We saw the race. Sure, the kid got farther along than the previous times, but he still lost. Let's just get this over with, boss. I'm tired of hearing this kid whine."
Jim didn't respond to Thomas's comment. He stared at Danny, whose tears kept rolling. "You promise to win your next race?" Jim asked.
"Yeah. Yeah. Goddamn it, I promise. I promise on my future kids," Danny pleaded.
"Hmmmmmmm. Okay, I believe you," Jim said. "Thomas, come remove this duct tape from him."
Thomas's facial expression showed he was surprised. "Are you serious, boss? This kid's gonna lose just like the last five times," Thomas protested.
"Oh, come now, Thomas. Have a little faith in the boy. He's more scared now than he was before. That will be a great motivator. And don't make me repeat myself. Do as you're told," Jim said.
Thomas reluctantly walked over to the tied-up Danny and took out a pocket knife to free him.
Jim let go of Danny's eye, and Danny slowly sat upright, tears still rolling down his face and panting heavily.
"Don't be such a crybaby," Jim said, patting Danny's back. "Come on, breathe. In and out. In and out."
Danny did as Jim said, breathing deeply and exhaling greatly. He had calmed down a little but not nearly enough.
"There you go, champ." Jim took out his phone and started tapping on it.
"I'm sending you another ten thousand dollars." Danny heard a ping and took his phone from his pocket. A notification appeared on his phone, showing he had received ten thousand dollars from Jim.
"There. We'll see you tomorrow, kid," Jim said, patting Danny's shoulder. "Come on, Thomas. Let's go visit some other poor fellas who owe me money."
Jim approached the door of the small apartment, and Thomas followed. Jim grabbed the handle, but before turning it, he looked back at Danny.
"I really hope you win your next race, Danny," Jim said. "Oh, and remember what happens if you try to run, right?"
"We'll find you, and if not you, your family that you told us all about." Jim laughed hysterically before leaving.
Danny got down from the chair and knelt on the floor. "Damn it!" he cursed, slamming both of his fists on the wooden floor of his apartment. His face rested on the floor between his arms as he sobbed.
"There's no way I can win the next race. I've tried and tried, but it's just impossible. Why did I ever think I could be an Overdrive racer? I should have never dropped out of college. I'd give anything to hear another boring physics lecture."
After minutes of sobbing and regretting his choices, Danny slowly sat on the wooden floor and looked at his gaming setup. A slanted cushion chair that was optimal for an Overdrive racer to avoid body pains after hours of racing in the virtual world.
The V.R console and headset were integrated. This device transferred players' minds into the virtual world, leaving their bodies stagnant in the real world, and finally, there was the television. Nothing special about it. It was how Jim and Thomas were able to watch the race from the virtual world.
Danny let out a sigh. "Well, if I'm gonna die tomorrow, then let me just have one last peaceful drive. No race. No pressure. Just a peaceful drive through the track."
Danny got up from the wooden floor, rested in the slanted chair, and put on the V.R console/headset.
He pressed a button on the side of his headset, making his entire body completely rest on the chair, almost like he was dead. But he wasn't dead—his consciousness had been transferred to the virtual world.