STORY ARC # 5: VACATION ROULETTE
Risking Your Lives on Vacation
You still don’t know what to believe, but hell if this warning could intimidate you.
This is part of a Choose Your Own Adventure story, ‘Vacation Roulette’ by Linden Schneider. Click here to go back to the beginning. Or here to return to the previous chapter. Find out how to contribute to our Choose Your Own Adventure stories here!
A mysterious texter warned you that the Vacation Roulette organizers will kill you. But they can’t give you any proof. Before you know it, the texter deletes their number, presumably to escape notice from the organizers.
You still don’t know what to believe, but hell if this warning could intimidate you. You debate whether to tell your partner about it, but you decide not to disturb their peace. Surely, with how resourceful and clever you both are, you can get out of whatever trouble you may find.
Maybe it’s foolish, but you don’t want to lose this chance of a lifetime just because of a strange threat. You don’t have a lot of money, so such a cheap price for a tropical vacation with 4-star accommodations is amazing.
A few days later, Vacation Roulette sends you the air tickets via email, and you beam in spite of yourself. Your partner pecks you on the lips. “Let’s make the most of this. They got us first-class seats, too. Sweet!”
It’s odd how generous the organizers are, but you’re not going to complain. You’ve only flown on first-class once, and it was during a much sadder time in your life.
On the morning of the vacation, you drag your partner out of bed, and before you know it, you’re at the airport, and then piled into a fancy jet and luxurious seats. Even the flight attendants look amazing. You thank whatever deity out there that your partner isn’t too interested in them, and is more interested in the food. You never expected to enjoy such a gourmet lunch!
You suddenly think of how a convict gets a grand feast before their execution. But you refuse to indulge such dark thoughts, not now that you’re stuck on a plane. You might as well just enjoy the meal, the movies, and your partner’s presence.
Afterwards, you doze off, only to wake up moments later. Your partner grumbles. “What the hell? Turbulence?”
The pilot announces just what your partner said, but he sounds cool and collected, as if this were an everyday occurrence for him.
Indeed, you feel the uneasy sensation of riding on an unstable plane. Idly, you wonder if you’ll die before the vacation. The organisers won’t even have time to kill you!
But your partner doesn’t seem daunted. They curse and mutter, but they gradually grow absorbed into the movie they picked–Oppenheimer, out of all movies.
You’re not in the mood for bleak flicks right now, so you choose Barbie, even though you’ve watched it already. At least it’s fairly lighthearted and entertaining, with more or less a happy ending.
The plane lands with a jolt, but otherwise, you, your partner, and the other passengers are fine. You clutch tightly onto your partner’s hand. Your original excitement for the trip, has already dissolved into a puddle of nerves. What if that mysterious messenger was right, after all? What have you done to yourselves?
In the waiting area of the airport, you huddle on the couch chairs, while your partner repeatedly tells you not to worry. “It’ll be fun, you’ll see,” they say. “We’ll have the time of our lives!”
Hopefully you’ll still have a life after this. And maybe this was Karma’s way of paying you back for all that you’ve done, regardless of your repentance.
A few minutes later, a lady with shoulder length, wavy chestnut blonde hair shows up. She smiles widely when she sees you two and stretches out her hand. “Hi, you must be here for Vacation Roulette. I am Sandra, one of the organizers. We’re excited to see you here!”
She looks like a sweet and sincere woman, right?
- Hell, no! Time to run away while you still can.
- Maybe…You’ll play along for now. But you’ll be on alert for anything strange.
If you enjoyed this story, check out my other Choose Your Own Adventure tales!