Choose.
The little boy screams at the man. “NO! STOP! I CAN’T... WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?”
The man waving the gun points it at the boy’s parents. “Mom? Or dad?”
The parents are kneeling on the floor, their hands and feet tied tight, gags in their mouths. They squeal, trying to make any noise they can.
The boy’s eyes dart back and forth from mom, to dad. Tears and snot run down his face as he screams, “HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE?”
“Thats not my problem.” The man laughs. “But you don’t have much longer.”
The father stops making noises, staring at his boy. His eyes, once frightened, are now stone cold. His gaze meets his sons as he nods his head. “Me. Shoot me,” he tries to tell the boy.
The boy knows what his father wants to say, but it’s no use. He can’t willingly choose to kill his own dad. Instead, he cries even harder as his knees give out, knocking him on his butt.
“Time’s up.” Says the man. He points the gun at the mother, then the father, then the boy.
BANG
The boy’s body drops, blood spilling from his forehead.
The parents shriek as they try to squirm over to their son’s body.
The man steps in between them, squatting down so they can clearly see his face. “You know, it didn’t matter who the boy chose. I was gonna kill him first anyway. It’s always more fun to see the parents’ reaction.”
The parents try to flail and scream, but all tied up, they’re unable to do anything at all. The mother stops moving, silent tears streaming down her face.
The man looks at her, then her husband, whose eyes are full of rage. “THAT’S IT! Those eyes, those are what I was hoping for. Now, let’s see what they look like after this.”
BANG
The father’s head turns, seeing his wife’s body spasm, then stops moving altogether. He watches as the life leaves her eyes. He turns back to the man, not making a sound. Lowering his head to the floor, he’s given up. First his son, now his wife. He has no more reason to live. He just wants to be with them, wherever they are. He closes his eyes, waiting for the man to shoot.
“BANG!” The man screams.
The father flinches, his eyes opening. He sees the man now face to face with him, so close that their noses almost touch.
The man whispers, “You don’t get to die quite yet. One day, when you finally find another reason to live, that’s when I’ll come find you. Until then, don’t get yourself killed.” He then stands, leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.
The father, laying on the ground, tries to inch closer to his wife and son. He no longer sees life in their faces, only frozen looks of pain. He screams as hard as he can, still muffled by the gag. He swears to himself that he’ll avenge his family, that one day the man will know what true pain feels like. He hears a door squeak.
BANG
“Just kidding.” The man laughs, this time leaving the house for good. The three bodies lay motionless on the floor, their blood all pooling together. “What a nice family.”
