Lone Player

"You can lie all you want, but every lie will come back to bite you someday. They always do."

Every citizen is marked with playing card tattoos—one for each wrist. On New Year's Eve, two cards are drawn, and those with matching tattoos are exterminated by the Chaser Corps.

The healthy face the lottery once a year; the chronically ill are removed the moment they're discovered. Both are justified as responsible resource management in an overpopulated country with limited supplies.

Eddie Vocla...