It's seconds after the beginning of a new year. You are in an auditorium where about 1,500 people are gathered. The auditorium has many doors all around, about twenty in all.

A speaker steps up to the podium in the middle of the auditorium and starts speaking:

"The committee has decided that this year we will kill one of you and wound additional twenty...."

About 100 men in fatigues with an assault rifle, a handgun, a 12-inch bowie knife, and a few hand grenades slowly enter the auditorium from all doors.

"All of you are free to leave this auditorium anytime. No one is going to stop you from leaving...."

The men in fatigues are now roaming around quietly in the auditorium.

"If you leave now and later you decide to come back into this auditorium, you will be allowed to do so...."

"You can leave anytime...You can come back anytime...."

You see a few people leaving quietly.

"...However, as long as you are in the auditorium, we can kill or wound any of you to fill this year's quota at anytime without warning...."

"...We cannot tell you beforehand what the severity of the wounds would be...some would be as light as lacerations or broken arms...some could be as severe as permanent brain damage which would result in the victim becoming a vegetable...."

Suddenly you hear a gunshot and a scream. You turn your head in the direction of the gunshot. A man is grunting in pain holding his left hand with his right. A man in fatigues with a smoking handgun is walking away from the man in pain. You realize the man in pain has lost the tip of his left hand's little finger....

Then you notice...another man in fatigues is coming toward you...slowly...but steadily....

You are standing about six feet away from the closest door, and the door is fully open.

You cannot tell for sure if he is looking at you. He has no expression....

He is now about ten feet away from you....