Story arc #5: Vacation roulette | horror | supernatural
Vacation Roulette: Is It Too Good To Be True?
The start of a ‘choose your own’ story
This is a collaborative choose your own adventure story. Click here for the chapter guide.
You scan the advertisement again, trying to find something wrong with the idea. You look at your partner.
“I really don’t know. I mean, vacation roulette? Any vacation for this price seems too good to be true. And anything too good to be true, well…” You trail off, hoping your partner will pick up when you’re laying down.
“I know, but there’s enough information here. It will be to a tropical place, guaranteed 4-star accommodations, inclusive. We’ve been talking about going on vacation for years! This is the perfect opportunity to try something new and get some sun!”
The look of hope and excitement on your partner’s face is enough to convince you. Besides, they’re right. It could be a pretty awesome trip.
“Okay,” you agree, “let’s do it!”
You go to the website and enter your information into the sign-up form. The first few pages are typical; they ask for your name, address, phone number, and email. The second page asks the same questions for your partner. You fill it out on their behalf, knowing they won’t mind.
The next page is for you again, this time asking for a little bit more personal information. Birthdate, if you have flown before, and some preferences about accommodations and vacation type. When it comes time for your partner’s turn, you call them over and get them to answer their questions. You can’t help but peek over their shoulder, happy to see that their answers match yours.
The next page is a set of instructions. It reads:
Thank you for your interest! In order to ensure that all participants are mentally fit, we require customers to fill out three tests. The first one is a personality test. Please ensure you have 30 minutes available to complete the test, as your answers will not save, and if the test times out, you must start over.
Below is a check box labelled “I have 30 minutes” next to a button that says “Continue,” but is greyed out. You click the check box, and the continue button turns green. You click ‘continue’ and are taken to a page with multiple-choice questions, which are typical personality-test questions that you’ve seen before. It doesn’t take you the full 30 minutes to complete.
You aren’t given any results, only a page indicating that the results had been received and that the test was ready for your partner. You stand up from the chair to let your partner have the computer to complete the test. You try to hover as you did before, but your partner shoos you away.
“It’s none of your business!” they say teasingly.
Fifteen minutes later, they call you back over. It’s your turn again. Another set of instructions:
You have 5 minutes to answer as many questions as you can.
And a green continue button.
You click it, and the first question comes up:
You are on the beach, and you see a person out in the water who is clearly having difficulty. You stand up to get a better look and notice that a shark is circling the person in the water. Do you:
A. Do nothing
B. Call for help, which may arrive too late
C. Go into the water, putting yourself at risk to save the person
D. Take out your phone to record what happens
What the hell? You were expecting logic or problem-solving questions. Not this.
You click ‘C’, and submit. The rest of the questions are the same — moral questions with strange options. The questions aren’t numbered, and you get so focused you jump when the site plays a sound and goes to a page that says, “Time’s up!”
Shaking your head, you let your partner take their turn. You’re still feeling weirded out, so you don’t even think to tell your partner what to expect. When they finish, they turn to look at you with huge eyes.
“What the hell was that?” they demand.
“I have no idea,” you respond. There’s only one more test left.
You sit down. This time the instructions read:
Please ensure you are alone when you are taking the final test.
‘Weird,’ you think to yourself. Your partner went to make some tea, so you click continue.
There is one single question on the screen.
Would you kill your partner if it meant saving ten people?
What? You look at the question. There are only two answers, yes and no…