RoB- chess with the Grim Reaper

Jill is reminded of Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" where Max Von Sydow's character plays chess with Death, except Jill didn't ask to play, and her ability is mediocre at best. Madame D's " Game Night" has really been about head games,and Jillian despairs. Jillian has tremendously underestimated Lina's abilities, power and ruthlessness. Simply to look at Ms. Lina, one sees an elegant, quiet, elderly woman who must have been exceptionally beautiful in her prime.To know her intimately, one begins to see the tip of the calculating, brilliant leader's iceberg. Jill has had her comeuppance, and she truly recognizes how impotent she is against such a life force. She saved Yung and Barb at least, but her mind dwells on Anais,Pauline,Ruby and the others. Jill has always paid for others to murder for her. That she must kill Sharon by herself, not only frightens her; she doesn't think she ultimately will be able to do the deed. Also, of the 4 members of the quartet, Sharon is the most psychopathic and sadistic. Sharon's collection of body trophies predated her joining Jill's kill team. Jill saw the usefulness of Sharon's gruesome propensities when she hired her;killing Sharon will be daunting to say the least. Jill could not eat with Lina, because she was queasy,overwhelmed and apprehensive.She even vomited twice while waiting for the chess match to commence, which begins promptly at 10pm.Jill wonders how an eighty year old woman can have so much energy as she sits down at the game table.The chess pieces are exquisitely hand carved from ebony and ivory as is the board. Next to the board is a small stack of monogrammed blue cards. Every time a chess piece is lost, except pawns, a card will be drawn and read by the person whose piece is lost. Lina tells Jill to shuffle the cards? Madame D has changed into blue silk pajamas with fushia colored slippers. She looks regal and impervious, and will be, without a doubt, a formidable opponent. All Jill did was change her vomit stained blouse;she has never cared less about her attire. D offers to let Jill choose to have black or white. Jill decides to be White and sets up the Ruy Lopez opening;D counters with the French defense. Traps have been avoided by both players.Jill gives up two pawns, but so far so good, because her two bishops control the diagonals.Then Lina says something interesting about Chess being a metaphor for Life. " Strategy requires thought; tactics require observation, " according to Max Euwe, 1936 grand master, she quips. Jill loses a bishop and draws a card which announces, " You will pay a charity of your opponent's choice $100,000." Jillian is almost relieved.She expected another death sentence. Now Jill loses her knight. The next card states that, " You will work in a soup kitchen for sixty days." Jill frowns; Lina smirks. Jill is over her head and makes a premature queen move after castling unnecessarily. She loses piece after piece, and the cards are adding up."You will read to elementary children once a week for the entire next school year." "You will volunteer at the local nursing home for at least two weeks." " You will not wear cosmetics or have your hair colored for 3 months." Jill begins to see a pattern. She must focus on others and not herself. Checkmate is imminent, and Jill turns over one last card. "You will never see one person of your opponent's selection again." Lina rises from her seat ceremoniously, and says she will be going to bed.Then she announces that her selection for who Jill will never see again is Maya, in essence, a figurative death. Jill is spent; Lina has broken and tamed her... and still, she has the Sharon situation with which to contend.