As Chris and Dave walked back down the corridor, Dave silently but urgently prayed for God's guidance and help in what he and Chris were about to do. Then, placing a firm but reassuring hand on his friend's trembling shoulder, Dave followed Chris into the game room.
Although Chris had forewarned him, Dave was still shocked at the changes that had taken place in his schoolmates. But then a look of stern determination came over his features. He realized that he and Chris had to act fast, or else it would be too late.
The other players looked up in surprise as Dave followed Chris into the room. "What are you doing here?" Sid snarled, annoyed at the intrusion. "Chris and I are here to destroy this game and all its components!" Dave replied firmly. He then repeated the explanation he had given Chris just a few minutes earlier.
The other players stared at each other, horror-stricken. Then, as Dave and Chris started to gather up the game pieces and put them in the box, the Incubus sprang at them. "Not so fast!" he growled threateningly, a wild demonic light blazing in his eyes. "I say we finish this game whether you two like it or not!" As the other players drew back in terror, the Incubus grew and grew until he almost filled the room, his appearance becoming more monstrous with every second.
Dave suddenly straightened up to his full height, his mouth a thin line of relentless determination. "IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH, I COMMAND YOU BEGONE!!" he thundered, in a voice at least ten times stronger than any of them had ever heard him use. In direct response, the Incubus flew back against the far wall of the game room, yelling in rage and frustration. Then, to the others' amazement, he began to shrink, his features contorting, until at last the Incubus was gone, and a trembling Dave stood in his place.
The other players also began to resume their original appearance--much to Chris's relief! In his concern for them, however, Chris failed to notice that his own appearance remained unaltered--he was still clad in the expensive black silk suit he had been wearing since the last round he had played.
The other players looked at each other. It took several seconds for them to realize the enormity of the danger they had exposed themselves to. "Now do you understand why I say the game must be destroyed?" Dave asked, this time in his normal voice.
Sid, who had actually bought the game, suddenly replied, "I sure do! Come on, guys, let's do what he says, quick!" The others shouted their agreement, and moved back toward the table to carry out Dave's earlier injunction, with Chris leading the way.
As they did so, however, an unearthly glow suddenly filled the room. From the middle of the game board, a demonic, threatening voice warned, "ANYONE WHO ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY THIS GAME WILL THEMSELVES BE DESTROYED!!" As if to back up the threat, the game board and pieces were surrounded by a crackling electric field like that of the lightning of the "dark side of the Force" from the Star Wars movies.
Again, Dave suddenly spoke out in a thunderous command: "MAY THE ETERNAL GOD REBUKE YOU AND YOUR DEMONS, SATAN! IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH I COMMAND YOU TO CEASE AND DESIST!!" In direct response, there was a tremendous clap of thunder, and another cry of demonic rage and frustration. Then, both the cry and the electric glow around the game board and pieces slowly faded away, and finally disappeared altogether.
For a moment everyone in the room was silent and open-mouthed in awe. Then Chris, still clad in his silk outfit, cried, "Come on, guys, let's get this over with--NOW!!" The others instantly joined him in gathering up all of the game's components, including the instructions, and put them in the box Sid had brought them in.
As Chris led the others down to the meeting room, Dave rushed to his own dorm room, grabbed a can of charcoal lighter fluid and a box of matches, and then ran to join them. As they threw the box into the huge fireplace, Dave fervently prayed that the accursed game would be completely destroyed, but without causing any harm to them or to the building in any way. He also prayed that those responsible for selling and distributing the game would be swiftly dealt with in whatever way God saw fit. Then, he thoroughly drenched the box with the lighter fluid. As he did so, Chris pulled a match out of the box Dave had brought. "STAND BACK!!" he yelled. Dave and the others hastily retreated to a safe distance, then Chris struck the match and threw it into the fireplace.
To the young men's immense relief, the game instantly exploded into flames. Then, to their astonishment, the box, the cards, the game pieces, the instructions, and even the dice disintegrated and disappeared. Within five minutes, as the lighter fluid burned itself out, not even the slightest race of the game remained to be seen--not even a single particle of ash or any other residue! And, just as Dave had prayed, there was no damage whatever to the fireplace. In fact, the hearth looked even cleaner and in better condition than it had at the beginning of the semester!
Chris shook his head in wonder, then gazed at his companions and said emphatically, "THANK GOD!!" "AMEN!!" the others replied, just as emphatically. Then they all gave a great collective sigh of relief and gratitude.
Suddenly Chris realized that his clothing had not returned to its original appearance, as everyone else's had. In fact, it was even richer and more luxurious than before! The original black silk of the outer suit was still there, but now it was accented by gold and platinum threads in addition to the original silver ones. Huge diamond studs sparkled from each of his ear lobes, with an even larger diamond stickpin accenting his wide black satin necktie. The knee-high boots he had worn before were now of the richest black patent leather, with 7-inch stacked heels and 4-inch platform soles. A wide black patent belt with a jewelled western-style trophy buckle and four rows of jewelled studs encircled his waist, and jewelled rings accented two fingers on each of his hands, topped off with a wristwatch whose face was encircled with precious stones in every color of the rainbow!
As the others looked at him in awe, Chris suddenly realized that his net worth after taxes was now an incredible twenty billion dollars--some ten times what it had been when he been transformed earlier! "Dave," he asked, trembling, "what's happened to me? I must be the wealthiest college student on the planet now!" "I believe," Dave replied slowly, "that this is your reward for having the courage to fight back and destroy that game. What you do with that kind of wealth, of course, is up to you, but it seems to me that the least you could do would be to help your companions if they need it." "Gladly!" Chris replied with a smile.
"Before we discuss that," Sid spoke up, "I think we all owe this glam-rockin' dude an apology for the way we treated him earlier! I also think we owe him our heartfelt thanks for saving our lives!" As the others chimed in their agreement, Chris blushed and modestly waved off their compliments. He then proposed that, after he changed into a more casual outfit, they all go out for pizza together, Dave included, to celebrate. "My treat, of course!" he added with a grin. "KEWL!!" the others replied together, as they left the meeting room.
The next morning, the former game players grimaced as they read in the paper of a mysterious fire that had completely destroyed the shop where Sid had bought the game which had so nearly destroyed them all, and which had incinerated its elderly proprietor. Dave shook his head sadly as he read the article, murmuring, "God have mercy on him!" Then, he folded the paper up, returned it to the rack in the lobby of the McDonald's, and joined his friends for breakfast.
THE END