The Excitement Begins
Getting ready for a vacation is always fun, especially when you don’t know where you’re going
Click here for the previous chapter. Or go to the chapter guide.
This is an alternative chapter of ‘Vacation Roulette,’ a choose your own adventure story. The original chapter was written by Linden Schneider here. See the bottom of this story for more details.
The weird vacation survey gives you this last question:
Would you kill your partner to save ten lives?
The question shocks you. With a quick peek behind your shoulder, you see that your partner still isn’t back from the dining room yet.
In your mind, you imagine your partner tearfully telling you to kill them, because that’s the only way to save ten innocent lives. Choking back on your tears, you hold your partner’s hand and breathe out, “I love you.” Then you slit their throat with a knife.
That scene is daunting, even though it’s just from your imagination. Regardless, you think that that’s what your partner would have wanted you to do, to save others rather than to selfishly focus on your own desires.
You would find a dignified burial site for them, and you would visit their grave with their favorite flowers every single day of your life, atoning for your unforgivable crime.
But all of this is just hypothetical, right? No need to think too far. Duty comes first. So with a deep breath, you click YES.
You heave a sigh of relief when the screen disappears, and the next screen asks you to let your partner do the quiz.
Earlier, the survey had asked you how many guests you would bring to the vacation, and what their relationship was to you. Hence why the survey asks for your partner now.
You tamp down on your guilt, but your smile reveals nothing as you go to the kitchen to find your partner.
Your significant other nods, and takes their mug of hot chocolate to the computer for their quiz.
After what feels like ages, your partner calls you back.
The new screen loads, and there’s a fireworks animation. The text says, “Congratulations, you passed the test!”
You hug your partner with joy and triumph, and they hug back. As you put your head on their shoulder, though, you wonder what they answered for the last question. But you’re too scared to ask.
That night, while you prepare to go to bed, your phone buzzes with a message from an unknown number:
Do not go on Vacation Roulette. It’s a trap. You will not make it home.
The next message says:
You will find nothing but death.
Um, what the fuck?
Your head is spinning from this warning message. Is this a scammer? Is it legitimate?
Maybe you can discuss with your partner what to do. Or you can keep this to yourself and go on vacation anyway.
What do you choose?
Note: As mentioned in the blurb above, Linden Schneider wrote the original chapter. I wanted to cross post Vacation Roulette to my Ghost website, so that non-Medium member readers can access the game without a paywall.
However, I was unable to reach Linden, as she has left Medium and has not responded to my messages or emails. Hence, I will write new beginning chapters (alternative beginnings), which I will cross-post to my Ghost site. The basic plot will be the same, but many of the details will be different.
