A Fork in the Road

In this story, you choose your fate, so read carefully and choose wisely. If you make a wrong choice it will say “Game over,” If that happens skip to the bottom of the story and read the last paragraph. Before we begin, you must know the characters in the story, in order to help you make the right choices. The first character I’ll be introducing to you is Aliyah Harris, the main character. Aliyah is a 22-year-old beautiful, strong, hardworking African American woman and is studying to be a cop. Aliyah does target practice every afternoon, and on Mondays and Wednesdays, she helps out her mom who is a teacher. Aliyah often visits the classroom and plays with the kids. All the kids in the classroom are crazy about Alyiah and Alyiah loves helping them. In fact, the whole reason she wanted to become a cop is because of one of her mother’s students, Ashley. Ashley would come to school with bruises. She was suffering from domestic abuse by her parents. It was then Aliyah realized she wanted to dedicate her time training to become a cop, so she could help people like Ashley. Aliyah is kind but doesn’t let people walk all over her. Being African American and growing up in the poor side of town, she realized at a very young age life won’t just hand things to you. You must work for it. She didn’t want to keep living her lifestyle, so she worked her butt off and got a scholarship at Riverside High in a ritzy neighborhood. People would judge and discriminate. They didn’t believe in her, but instead of moping and feeling bad for herself she worked and exerted herself. At her previous school, Aliyah got the best grades, but it was new territory when she went to Riverside High. The kids there were very smart. Aliyah was smart too, but since she couldn’t afford an expensive school in the beginning, she didn’t learn as much as the other kids. That’s why Aliyah had to work 10 times harder at Riverside, and though people didn’t believe in her, she proved herself. She accelerated and got better grades than the rich kids. Some people were envious, but that didn’t matter to Aliyah, for she knew how much work she put in and that she deserved it.

Here are the other characters in the story...

Name: Tia Jones

Age: 24

Weakness: Can’t see good at night

Title: Aliyah’s best friend

Skill: Can tell when someone’s lying

Occupation: Studying to be a lawyer

Personality: Loud, goofy

Name: Brody Myers

Age: 22

Weakness: Heights

Title: Aliyah’s friend

Skill: Strong

Occupation: Car mechanic

Personality: Mysterious, keeps to himself

Name: Melissa Bennett

Age: 21

Weakness: Spiders

Title: Brody’s girlfriend

Skill: Seductive

Occupation: Studying to be a fashion designer

Personality: Bubbly, social

Name: Simon Gray

Age: 21

Weakness: Slow runner

Title: Aliyah’s friend

Skill: Intelligent

Occupation: Studying to be a doctor

Personality: Quiet, nice

Aliyah won $20,000 on a jackpot and decided to blow some of the money on a vacation with her friends. They were on summer break and decided to go to West Virginia, where they rented out a small cabin in the middle of the woods. The car ride there was fun. Tia was singing a song to the radio at the top of her lungs. Brody was driving the car, rolling his eyes. Simon was reading his little black Moleskine book, and Melissa was checking her phone every 5 seconds hoping for a signal. Aliyah takes another sip from her Pink Elephant cocktail that she was finishing up.

Tia shakes her head "You shouldn't drink that on an empty stomach." Aliyah shrugs "It's okay. It's not like I'm driving."

"You'll be sorry." Tia says almost in a whisper.

Aliyah rolls her eyes, and they continue driving. Everything was going fine until suddenly they hear a loud thud. The car jolts, immediately gaining everyone's attention.

"What was that?" Melissa asks, rubbing the back of her head.

"We must have run over an animal... Damn this was a brand new car!" Brody exclaims while banging the front of his dashboard.

"You did bring that spare tire I asked you to bring, right?" Simon asks hesitantly.

Brody scowls at Simon. "Of course nimrod."

Simon says nothing, and nonchalantly grabs his Moleskine book and continues reading.

Brody sighs. "I'll check everything out. You guys stay on the lookout in case a car comes."

Melissa nods. "Sure babe,"

Brody swings open the car door and steps out. He walks to the front of the car, examining under the hood. He starts to swear and curse. Tia, Melissa, Simon, and Aliyah all look at each other, wondering what was wrong.

Brody storms back to the car. "Some asshole left barbed wire on the ground, all 4 tires are out." :

"What the hell! What type of Ted Bundy psycho shit is this?!" Tia yells.

Melissa panics "What are we going to do now!? We don't even have cell reception!"

Brody looks at Aliyah "What do you suggest we do?"

Here's your first choice... Choose wisely.

choice 1) Wait on the street, until another car comes for help

choice 2) Find somewhere to camp out outside

if you chose choice 1 read-only section 1A. If you chose choice 2 read section only 2A

1A-

"How about we wait here until another car comes?" Aliyah suggests.

Brody shrugs "Not a bad idea."

"Great, now we have to wait here for who knows how long." Melissa snarled.

Simon rolled his eyes "Oh poor you. You have to be without your phone for a couple of hours."

Melissa glares at Simon. "Don't you have a book to read?"

Simon sighs and doesn't say a word. They wait in silence for what feels like hours, and there was no sign of luck.

"I don't get it. There should have at least been one car by now" Tia says.

"Yeah welcome to Virginia. Let's wait a few more minutes. If we still have no luck, we'll have to walk by foot."

Melissa shakes her head "I'm not walking out there alone. It's night. There are spiders in the forest."

Simon sighs "The only spider you have to worry about here are the Black Widows, and they don't attack unless they feel threatened. Plus it's below 70 degrees so they aren't active now anyway."

Melissa takes a deep breath "Please let's not do that unless there's no other option."

Just before anyone could answer, suddenly they see bright headlights from a distance coming their way. Someone was coming! They were saved!

"It's about time. I'm starving. A big girl like me gotta eat." Tia says.

The car gets closer, but something feels off. It doesn't stop. It was coming full speed right towards their vehicle.

"Oh my god, that car is going to hit us!" Exclaimed Melissa.

"No, they just don't see us yet. Once they do, they'll slow down."

The car continues to drive full speed. It was only a few feet from running into them.

Simon yells "Everyone get out now!"

Not taking any chances, they all ran out of the car. The car plows right into their car, causing it to crash into a tree. They all watch in horror. Then a man gets out of the car with a knife. He stares at them menacingly. Terrified they all run. Tia, Simon, and Aliyah run one way, and Melissa and Brody run another. They are running past the trees, pushing branches, trying to catch their breath. They quickly look behind them, and Aliyah sees the man chasing us with the knife.

"Come on Simon!" Aliyah yells. Simon is only a few feet in front of him. Simon tries his best to run, but he's just not fast enough. Then Simon trips and falls to the ground.

2A-

"Let's find somewhere to camp out. We've waited long enough." Aliyah says.

Everyone shrugs. "Not a bad idea," Brody replies.

Melissa shakes her head "No way there's spiders out there!"

Simon sighs "The only spider you have to worry about here is the Black Widows, and they don't attack unless they feel threatened. Plus it's below 70 degrees so they aren't active now anyway."

Melissa looked at Aliyah with uncertainty.

"Alright, let's get moving," Brody says.

They all get out of the car, feeling uneasy. They explore the forest, going deeper and deeper into the woods.

Simon starts putting empty water bottles on the tree branches.

"What are you doing?" Melissa asks.

"Just leaving marks, so we know how to get back the way we came from."

"Smart idea," Aliyah says.

They continue to wander through the woods. It's getting darker outside. After minutes of roaming around, they find an isolated spot outside to camp out. Simon suddenly gets up.

"Where are you going?" Aliyah asks.

"I'm going to gather wood so we don't freeze our asses out here." He stammers.

Now it was just Melissa, Brody, Tia, and Aliyah. They sit on the ground and start talking. Eventually, the conversation gets deeper, and they realize they’ve been talking a while.

"Shouldn't Simon have been back by now?" Aliyah asks.

Melissa shrugs "You know him. He's probably taking lame pictures of birds or something.”

Aliyah furrows her eyebrows. She had a bad feeling in her gut.

Aliyah stands up, dusting herself off.

"Where are you going?" Tia asks.

"I'm going to look for Simon."

"I'll go with you" Tia insists.

"Ok, thanks..." Aliyah says.

Tia and Aliyah wander the woods. No sign of Simon. Then suddenly they hear a rustling sound. Someone was there. Frightened they both jump. The sound was getting closer until suddenly Simon jumps out.

He says breathless "We need to leave!"

Tia and Aliyah look at each other confused. "What are you talking about?" Aliyah asks.

Simon says barely able to talk "No time to explain. We're not alone. We have to leave NOW!" Tia and Aliyah jump at Simon's tone of voice.

Before they can say anything, Simon quickly limps to them. He pushes them, trying to get them to walk. That's when they realize it. He has blood dripping down his leg.

"Oh my God! What happened Simon?!" Tia exclaims.

"We need to keep moving" He yells.

Tia and Aliyah don't protest. They walk, trying to find the others.

Then they spot a water bottle hanging from a tree. The area looks familiar. They were getting closer to the camping spot.

Then suddenly they see a man lunge from behind a tree. He's holding a knife and stares at them menacingly. Not taking any chances, they sprint away, but Simon trips and falls to the ground. Tia and Aliyah gasp.

1A/2A) The man is right behind Simon. "Get up!" Aliyah screams. Simon tries to but falls back down. "Just leave without me" He shouts.

"No!" Aliyah yells. "We aren't leaving you behind!.

Simon grunts in pain "I'm already a slow runner, and now I sprained my ankle. I would just be taking you down with me."

Tia and Aliyah panic. They didn’t know what to do. The guy gets closer. Simon was right, but how could they just leave him like that?"

Here's your next choice...

choice 3) Save yourself and Tia. Leave Simon.

choice 4) Attempt to help Simon. Risk yours and Tia's safety.

if you chose choice 3 read-only section 3A. If you chose choice 4 read-only section 4A.

4A)

Aliyah runs over to Simon and forces him up. The man is only a few feet away. There's no way they’re going to make it, but she rather die a good person than a coward. Aliyah tries her best to move Simon, but it was pointless. Before she knows it, the man is already behind them. Aliyah’s heart beats fast and everything turns black. GAME OVER . Scroll down to the bottom of the story and read the last paragraph or start all over.

3A)

"I'm sorry." Aliyah whimpers.

Simon looks up at her with defeat in his eyes. It's now or never. Aliyah takes Tia's hand and runs. They can hear Simon scream in the background, but they keep running, tears running down their faces. They continue to run until they bump into Brody who has tear-stained cheeks.

"Where's Melissa!?" Aliyah shouts.

Brody says between sobs "She's dead..." He cries.

Aaliyah’s heart drops. "We need to find a way out of here". She says.

Tia nods.

Brody is in too much distress to even talk.

"I think I saw an old used car not too far from here. I can get it working, but I would need a jumper cable"

"Where are we going to get a jumper cable?" Tia yells.

Then it clicked. They had an extra jumper cable in the back of their car, but their car was way back where they came from, towards the killer.

"I think there's a jumper cable in our car, but it's in the opposite direction," Aliyah says.

"One of us needs to get the jumper cable, and one of us needs to stay by the car."

Aliyah nods. "I will wait by the car".

"Good, but who's going to get the jumper cable ?"

You're encountering your next choice.

choice 5) Let Tia get the jumper cable

choice 6) Let Brody get the jumper cable

if you chose choice 5 read section 5A. If you chose choice 6, read section 6A.

5A)

"Tia, why don't you get the jumper cable?" Aliyah suggests.

Tia nods and runs off.

Aliyah waits with Brody by the old car. Finally, Tia arrives. They sigh in relief. Brody reaches for the jumper cable and freezes.

"What's wrong?" Aliyah asks.

"This isn't a jumper cable! This is a computer cable!"He yells at Tia.

Aliyah feels her stomach drop.

Tia panics "I'm so sorry I can't see at night. I could have sworn that was it."

Then suddenly they hear someone coming. It's the guy with the knife. They‘re trapped. He storms their way. Aliyah’s heart races. Suddenly everything goes black. GAME OVER . Scroll down to the bottom of the story and read the last paragraph or start all over.

6A)

"Brody, why don't you get the jumper cable since you're the car mechanic?"

Brody nods. "Okay."

Brody runs off without saying anything.

Tia and Aliyah wait for Brody's return. They stand there in fear. Their only hope is Brody now. Suddenly they hear the leaves rustling someone is coming. Then a man jumps out from behind a tree. It was Brody. Aliyah sighs in relief.

"Got the jumper cable," Brody says.

"Thank God," Aliyah answers.

Brody fixes the car and finally gets it started. Right when he gets it started, they hear the sound of twigs breaking. Someone was there. Then they see him, the sinister man with the knife. They scream. Tia and Aliyah are in the car safe. Brodys still outside. The man lunges at Brody and starts fighting him. Tia and Aliyah are frozen in fear. They don't know what to do. "Leave!" Brody yells. Aliyah starts the ignition. She has two choices...

You're entering you last and final choice. Choose wisely.

choice 7) scare the man away by driving the car towards him

choice 8) save yourself and quickly drive off with Tia.

If you chose choice 7 read-only section 7A. If you chose choice 8 read section only 8A

7A) Aliyah drives the car slowly to the man. His eyes widen in fear. He then runs away. They’re saved. Brody hops in the car, and they drive off to safety when suddenly Aliyah starts to feel weird...GOOD JOB YOU WON. Read the last paragraph in the story.

8A) Aliyah takes a deep breath and drives away. She didn't know if the guy had a gun, and couldn't risk scaring him with the car, and him shooting them, so she turned the wheel and began driving off. Aliyah was in so much panic, that she wasn't paying attention and crashed into a tree. Everything goes black. GAME OVER. Scroll down to the bottom of the story and read the last paragraph or start all over.

Read this at the end when it says game over or when you won-

Suddenly Aliyah hears her name being called. "Aliyah!" Confused she looks around. "Aliyah!" Then suddenly she is awoken and brought to reality. Aliyah flutters her eyes open. She’s in the car. Simon is reading his book. Brody is driving, rolling his eyes. Melissa is checking her cell phone reception and Tia looks at her funny. "You okay?" She asks. Confused, Aliyah nods. It was just a dream? Then ahead of the road Aliyah sees the same barbed wire from her dream. "Stop!" She yells. Everyone looks at her startled. "Let's go home. I feel sick." She lies. After some convincing, they finally drove back home. They were disappointed but they were safe and that’s what mattered. Aliyah learned her lesson that day. Never drink Pink Elephants on an empty stomach.