CYOE - A Decision Needs Made
#1 of CYOE
I've decided to do something new. I'm not sure if it's been done on here, and if it has I've never seen it. I'm going to write a choose-your-own-ending story. After this, I will post two more chapters - each a branch in the direction that the story could go. I'll have to make some of the options end the story, or else it would just infintely go on. XD However, I think this could be interesting and fun. I hope you as the reader will agree. Let me know what you think! :) Enjoy. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
It all happened so fast, no one was even aware. In the year 2200, Earth was attacked by an ancient alien life form. It had apparently been watching for centuries, but had never done anything because Earth wasn't considered a threat. That was, until we discovered a way to travel intergalactically in a timely manner. That earned us some attention.
First came the air strikes. The citizens thought they were under attack from other countries, or from terrorists. But soon they had proof to dismiss that - alien ships coming down through the atmosphere. We battled for a long time, and we did what we could to survive. It's sad that it took a threat to the human race to bring together so many people. Eventually the battle turned biological. In the end, it's how we won. The invaders blanketed the world with a pall of mist. Whatever they did, and whatever it was, it changed us. There's speculation that they wanted to turn us into the same simple animals that would be completely harmless, or helpless against them. And it did change us, or at least the ones that survived. But we didn't turn into the animals; we only started sharing some of their traits. We grew characteristics of them, but not immediately. It happened over decades, and was noticeable in births.
And while our diseases ended up killing the beings off, they didn't die without a plan of last resort. Our population was decimated, and our access to electricity and technology had been completely obliterated. I'm not sure how. I never really liked history, and so I didn't pay attention much to it in school. I admit it isn't the smartest thing to do. But I can't undo it now. What I can tell you is that the world spiraled into its second Dark Age. Humans panicked, and grieved, and became ill. Another large percent died off. We started noticing that the animals were affected as well. They mutated into large beings. Things that weren't ever considered dangerous before were attacking and killing people. They all turned aggressive. The world was a dangerous place. That was 70 years ago, and it's still true.
My name is Trent Malone, and I'm a white tiger. I was born in the year 2245, and I'm 73 years old. I'm currently a patient in a hospital in a small town. Although, compared to how I hear it used to be, every town is small now. I'm dying, and I've accepted that. Everyone has their time, and I've lived a long life.
I hear the days are a lot like medieval times. We brandish swords, and we wear protective leather and metal armors. Granted, I hear our medical knowledge is much more advanced. We have vaccines, and we have surgeries. School is still in place, and so are politics. The countries haven't changed much. There's not a whole lot of animosity between us. We're still trying to accept the sudden change, or so I was told. As long as we're not at war, then I'm fine with that.
To whoever is reading this: I'm telling my story because I believe writing is good for the mind. It may not be the most exciting tale. I may not have the best vocabulary, and my memory isn't perfect. I'm writing this mostly for myself. And if it interests you, then I'm glad. If you learn something, or feel anything, then I'm happy for that too. I loved, and I lost. I fought, and killed. I just wanted to live my life.
I'll start this with the summer of my 23rd birthday. That's when things really picked up for me. I had graduated school, and wasn't necessarily going anywhere with my life. I worked picking crops, and I was staying at an inn. I'd help them with chores to get a discounted price. It wasn't a terrible life, but it was quiet. It was too quiet. I wasn't happy, and I wasn't living with a purpose. I was just being. Oh, looking back now, I was a bit foolish. I would at the skyline, and think of adventure. I would think of brandishing a weapon, and being a hero.
One night, coming back from work, I stopped to talk to Andy. He was an elderly ferret, and he ran the inn. The inn wasn't anything spectacular. It was dilapidated when he found it, and he and the misses fixed it up. They live there, and they rent out the extra rooms. It has a large downstairs, with several tables for serving food and refreshments. He was standing in the kitchen when I walked through the front doors.
"Hey, Andy. It was a scorcher out there today. Thought I'd die of heat exhaustion." Sweat was rolling down my face, and my fur was matted down.
"You can't go and die on us, Trent. You're our only regular income. If you die, how can we afford to buy and eat those crops your pick?" He chuckled, and then started to wipe down some of the wooden tables. I flashed him a smile. He looked at me sincerely, and stopped wiping.
"Trent, what do you plan on doing with your life?" His gaze was serious. I could tell he was worried about me. "You can't just do odds and ends forever. It's not much of a life. You do the same thing every day, and it's going to break your spirit son." The cloth in his hand was wet, and started dripping on the floor. He balled it up, and placed it on the table.
"I know, sir. I'm not sure what I want. I've barely been on my own for very long. I know I need to start somewhere, but I earn enough money to survive now. That seems like enough to me." An apron hung from the ferret's waist, and he wiped his hands on them. Walking over to me, he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You're like a son to me. And, as a father figure, I take it as my responsibility to tell you to go out there.. and get your ass a REAL job." He laughed, and turned back to cleaning. "Now go get a shower, you smell fierce."
I started thinking about what he said while in the shower. There were two things I was interested in, two jobs that I could learn to be proud of. One was a guild of warriors. They trained to fight beasts in the wild to make earth a safer place for people. They were admired as they would walk through town, a banner carrier leading them out. Their armor would shine, and they would hold their heads high. They seemed fearless and brave. They were known as Slayer Wardens. That appealed to me. I can be that, I thought to myself.
I washed myself and got out of the shower then. My feet carried me to my room, and I dressed. I just put a pair of shorts on. It was too damn hot for anything else. I opened a small wooden box on my dresser. There was a silver chain inside, and on it hung a locket. Opening it, I saw the face of my mother. I sighed, and thought of my other option for a career: a healer.
I wanted to have the knowledge that could save a life. I wanted people to come to me to be helped. While medicine was ahead of its time, doctors were still rare. They were honored, and respected. They always got treated well, and they had seen things that no one had ever seen before.
My father was a Slayer Warden. He died in battle when I was a boy, and his armor was left to me. And when I came to be an older age, an age that I could stand on my own in the world, my mother fell ill. Her doctor did everything she could to save my mother, and I could see in her eyes a real feeling of personal loss. She tried her best and I could feel it. I wasn't upset with her in the least.
I had reason enough to want to do either profession. I struggled to sleep that night, not sure which to choose. In the morning, I would know. Yes, that following morning I would get determined to be something more than just a crop picker. I would be something more than just an inn keeper's servant. I would definitely be something.. but what?