Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Alternate Endings Part 1


Keeping my mouth shut when dealing with the Stalkers in CHOICE #4 ends badly.


"You exchange a glance with Jason, but neither of you says a word.  'Look', says Raven.  'You're obviously part of a bigger group, and we want to know where you're staying.'  'No', says Jason immediately.  'There's no way I'm giving up the rest of my group'.  'I see', responds Raven.  'Well, you have a choice.  Give up the location of your group, or your friend dies.'


'Are you kidding?  You'll kill us either way', Jason says.  'You said it', says Raven.  He saunters over to you and removes the pistol from his waistband.  Jason screams at Raven as he hunches down to your eye level.  Without hesitation, he brings his arm back and swings the pistol around, hitting you squarely in the head.


'Maybe Raven was bluffing to get information', you think before blacking out.  But the Stalkers' reputation doesn't give you much hope that you'll ever wake up.  THE END".


Death by a single pistol whip.  Sauntering wasn't the only technique Raven practiced.  (He saunters at the beginning too, when he robs your cabin.)


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Alternate Endings Part 2


Staying at Jason's house in CHOICE #3 makes me tell them I'm exhausted after the Stalkers took most of my food.  Jason and Andi immediately become nervous, and Andi tells Jason to make everyone bring a gun for their next foraging mission.  Andi explains that they "had a nasty-run in with the Stalkers a few weeks ago", and suspects they're returning.


Before I can go to sleep, I hear a "SKREEEEEEE!"  (Number of "E"s may not match the original text.)  Andi warns me that this means an Echo is about to attack.  Echoes are "Bloodthirsty pantherlike creatures" of unknown origin.  CHOICE #5 is to look for a gun, or hide under the bed.


The coward's way out seems to be the path to victory in this book according to the CANONICAL ENDING route.  But not this time.


"You motion for Andi to go under the bed.  As soon as she does, you slide next to her and try to steady your breathing.  Andi grips your hand tightly when you hear sharp clicking approaching the bedroom.  With a crash, the bedroom door flies off its hinges and slams forcefully onto the bed.  You can't help but whimper when you see the Echo's scaly black feet.  The creature's claws click loudly against the floor.  Its head comes into view as it sniffs intensely near the bed.  Then it lets out a piercing shriek.


You instinctively cover your ears as they ring painfully.  That small movement grabs the Echo's attention.  It catches the sleeve of your shirt and drags you from your hiding place.  You try to roll away, but it steps on your chest with a heavy paw.  You see Andi dash out from under the bed.  You can only hope she makes it out alive.  THE END".


The "panther" description is odd considering the picture.  It looks too reptilian for cat comparisons.  The first animal that comes to mind for me is "komodo dragon".


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

2 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Alternate Endings Part 3


Rushing out from cover to look for a weapon seems like suicide, but the alternate CHOICE #5 scenario leads to victory.  Just not in the way the book implies.


"If the creature is the size of a panther, you'll need a weapon.  But the moment you step into the hallway, the creature's head emerges from around the corner.  Andi pulls you into the bedroom and slams the door.  She moves the bed in front of the door, and just in time.  You hear the Echo's claws clicking on the hardwood floor as it walks down the hallway.


Suddenly, gunfire erupts outside.  The Echo's loud footsteps shake the floor as it runs from the house.  Then there's a knock on the door.  It's Jason!  'We saw the Echo approach the house after we left', says Jason.  'They're getting more aggressive.  I hate to say it, but we have to leave town.'


That morning, the group packs up its belongings.  You stop at the supermarket and load up with supplies.  Although you're on the road again, the security of being with other people leaves you optimistic about the future.  THE END".


Whatever happened to the Stalkers?  Did Jason's team shoot them and the narration never bothered to mention it?  And are Echoes endemic to Jason's neighborhood in particular, or are they everywhere in this non-indicatively titled CYOA's world?  Why didn't Echoes attack Andi in the previous paths?


Results So Far


2 Good Endings

2 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Alternate Endings Part 4


Some of my questions are answered if I try to subdue Andi's attacker in CHOICE #2.  My attempt fails, and Andi ditches me once she has the chance.  He threatens me with a knife and suggests that I meet his "pet" at home.  If I run away, he says he'll find me, and I'll probably be Echo food anyway.  He's surprised to learn that I don't know what an Echo is.


He says Echoes are one of the few animal hybrids that managed to survive more than one generation after the apocalypse.  Why the government spent "billions" doing this, he doesn't say.  The funding probably came from a hidden rider in an otherwise boring bill passed when Congress barely cared enough to have a quorum.


In an As You Know moment worthy of M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender, Andi's assailant says "Everyone knows that the B193 virus is what led to this barren dystopia we call Earth."  This line would have been an honorable mention in the 2015 Lyttle Lytton Contest, where many of the bad sentence entries had a similar theme.


The government was stretched thin trying to contain the B193 pandemic, and couldn't stop the Echoes from escaping into the wild.  Andi's attacker knows all this because he used to travel with a "top-level military agent". 


CHOICE #6 is to either run away from the man, or follow him into his house.  "With only a few feet between you and the front door, your chance to escape is almost gone.  It might be all over once the door shuts."


Running away makes the unnamed man's prediction come true.


"You take a step around the car toward the house, looking up at the second story.  'This place is huge.  Can't be all that bad.'  You turn to look at the man who has walked up behind the cart.  'It's a nice place indeed', he says.  'It's too bad you won't get to enjoy it for long.'


As the last word leaves the man's mouth, you push the cart into him with all your strength.  The impact knocks the man over, and the cart flips onto him as canned food flies in all directions.  This is your chance!  You sprint through the yard next to the man's house, ducking under a swingset and cutting through a hedge.  SNAP!  You cry out as a bear trap bites into your leg.  Tears flow down your cheeks as you grab the metal teeth and try to pull them apart.


'You shouldn't have run', says the man.  'I might have let you live a little longer'.  He emerges from the hedges holding a long metal pole that ends in a thick collar.  The device is fashioned tightly around the neck of a bizarre creature with features of both a panther and some sort of reptile.  The creature's soft growl is somehow fierce through the muzzle wrapped around its mouth.  It creeps toward you low to the ground, sniffing your snared leg while keeping its yellow-tinted eyes on you. 


The man reaches out toward the creature, but a woman steps out of the shadows to stop him.  'You can't take his muzzle off-he'll signal other Echoes.'  'Relax', he says, undoing a buckle.  'It'll be quick.  It hasn't eaten in almost a week.  We'll have the muzzle back on before it can call for help.'  You kick at the creature with your good leg as it approaches, but you're no match for the vile beast.  THE END".


Chances are I'll die if I go to his house willingly too.  Keeping an Echo as a pet seems impractical for a world where most people barely have enough to eat, especially the amount of effort required to restrain it. 


Results So Far


2 Good Endings

3 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Alternate Endings Part 5


Going with the unnamed man in CHOICE #6 is still a bad idea, though there may be some chance of survival.  He yells at Vicki to open the door.  "Get out here and help haul in this food!"  She "cackles" at the prospect.  The Echo is described again, and the man, now introduced as Jake, has this to say:  "Beautiful, ain't it?  Specifically, that's my Echo.  These things are wild, but after a few thwacks with a tree branch, this one learned its place".


One odd feature of this book is that certain words are in colored font, likely to teach kids vocabulary.  "Captor" is one example.  It seems Can You Survive. . .? books are meant for a younger audience than the You Say Which Ways.  E-readers already come with dictionaries that activate when you highlight a single word, so this feature is pointless.


I notice that the Echo is poorly secured, and can be released by removing a single pin.  CHOICE #7 is to try to release the Echo, or go to the front door.


Freeing the Echo from its muzzle is not as suicidal as you'd expect.  It sniffs my arm and even licks my hand.  Jake isn't so lucky.  "The Echo pounces on him, pinning him to the ground.  Jake screeches in pain as the creature's teeth pierce the flesh on his right arm. . .You try to prepare yourself, but you instantly gag at the sight of the grisly scene.  The Echo is circling what's left of Jake and the growing dark red stain on the hardwood floor.  Vicki is nowhere to be found".


The Echo runs away without attacking me, probably because I'm the only human who doesn't abuse it.


Andi greets me and apologizes for running away from Jake without me.  CHOICE #7 is to go with Andi or reject her.


Andi takes me to Jason's house, but I'm not welcome here.  "Ramon's group already brought someone here tonight-a crazy woman".  This crazy woman is none other than Vicki, who claims I shot Jake and stole their food after being invited to their house.  CHOICE #8 is to either tell Jason's people the truth about what happened, or "try to trick Vicki".


The truth will not set you free.  Not in this post-apocalyptic anarchy "Dystopia".


"That is a lie!' you shout.  'Her boyfriend was killed by an Echo.  They kept it chained up in their living room.  I just let the creature loose.  If I hadn't they would have fed me to it instead.'


The room goes silent as people try to decide which one of you is telling the truth.  You walk over to Andi.  'Her boyfriend was the guy who attacked you', you say.  'She fled after I released the Echo'.  Andi gasps, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, including Jason.  His grip on Vicki loosens, and she snatches a handgun from a nearby table.


Jason tackles her as she fires the weapon at you, but the bullet finds its mark.  Andi catches you as you fall and lays you gently on the floor.  You hear someone say you're losing too much blood.  Then everything goes dark.  THE END".


There's no indication in the pre-CHOICE #9 text that telling Jason's group about Jake's pet Echo will kill you.  I checked.  For an "educational" survival-themed CYOA, some of the Deaths are as arbitrary as any other book in the genre.


 

Results So Far


2 Good Endings

4 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Alternate Endings Part 6


Trying to sneak away from Jake's house in CHOICE #7 results in a different outcome from the usual Good Endings and Deaths.  Jake and Vicki wrap duct tape around my ankles and wrists, take me to a moldy basement, and then lock me in "a dog kennel big enough for a German Shepherd".


Jake taunts me with "Sleep tight!  It might not be too comfortable, but don't worry.  You'll only be in there for a couple hours.  My Echo needs to eat, ya know".  He does this while chuckling and winking. 


"He climbs the basement stairs and slams the door, leaving the room in darkness.  Fading sunlight shines through the only window not completely covered with towels.  Muffled voices filter through the ceiling, but you can't make out what's being said.  After a few minutes, you hear chains dragging against the floor above you.  The front door slams, then nothing but silence-not even growls or whimpers from the Echo.


Without enough room to stretch out, the best you can do is lay with your head down and your knees tucked into your chest.  The exhaustion from the day hits you, and you fall asleep.  You wake up in complete darkness.  How much time has passed?  No light is coming through the window, so you must have slept for at least a couple hours.  You yell for help, even though you don't expect a response.


You doubt you can get free, but you have to try.  You work your wrists back and forth to loosen the duct tape.  It's a slow process, but eventually you pull free from the sticky bond.  You remove the tape from around your ankles and try kicking at the kennel wall again.  You reach through the bars and pull down on the padlock with both hands.  Nothing works. 


As you scan the room for anything that might help, your eyes land on a dull light coming through the partially covered window.  You wonder if something happened to Jake and Vicki-they've been gone a lot longer than a couple hours.


After another day passes, you realize no one is coming back for you.  Your stomach groans, and your back hurts from being confined in the kennel.  You yell out for help, but your voice cracks from dehydration.  You can only muster a tiny hope that someone will stumble across you while searching for supplies".


A cruel Inconclusive Ending worthy of La Isla de los Dodos!  Just enough false hope to keep it from qualifying as a Death.  And it is at least implied that releasing the Echo is the right thing to do in CHOICE #7.  I may think this is a step down from the better CYOAs, but I have to give Anthony Wacholtz credit where it's due.


Results So Far


2 Good Endings

4 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Alternate Endings Part 7


Trying to "trick Vicki" in CHOICE #9 succeeds.  I deny having a gun, or anything to carry the food she accuses me of stealing.  She gives herself away when she says "They were in a shopping cart, you know that!"  She could only have known that if she was involved with Jake, since that shopping cart was what he and Andi were fighting over.


Andi tackles Vicki, and the latter shouts "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"  Some familiar faces interrupt this scene with "You are a rowdy bunch, ain't ya?"  It's the Stalkers.  Maybe these are the bully trio from Dragons Realm after the apocalypse.  They're equally persistent.  CHOICE #10 is to either overtake the Stalkers, all armed with guns, or get out of Jason's house.


Overtaking the Stalkers gives us a short ending, but not as lethal as its brevity might suggest.


"Andi and Jason have the same idea as you.  As soon as you see Jason move, you're on your feet.  Jason lowers his shoulder and throws his weight into Bulldog.  Andi knocks the gun out of Raven's hand.  You charge Wolf and try to grab his gun, but he kicks you backward before you can reach him.  He swings the barrel around and aims it at your head.  you cringe, waiting to hear the gunshot.  But before Wolf can pull the trigger, three of Andi's friends jump on him and drag him to the ground.


Jason grabs Bulldog's shotgun and levels it at Vicki.  'Get over here!' he shouts as Andi ties up the Stalkers.  'Tie her up too, Andi'.  Then he turns to you.  'I'd say you earned a good night's sleep.  Second room on the left down the hallway.  We'll deal with these four.'


You don't argue.  It seems like forever since the last time you were able to feel safe falling asleep.  You're out as soon as your head hits the pillow.  THE END".


The Stalkers are out of commission, no thanks to my efforts.  Though I did convince them that Vicki was lying.


EDIT:  CHOICE #10 does have a bit of text saying all the Stalkers are focused on Vicki, giving you a chance to act.  But it doesn't really specify what "overtaking" means in this context.


Results So Far


3 Good Endings

4 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Alternate Endings Part 8


Androcles and the Echo, courtesy of running away in CHOICE #10:


"You back up slowly toward the front door.  Andi looks at you sternly.  She mouths the word 'no' and shakes her head slightly.  But you're already on the move.  You flip the lock and spring out the door just as a bullet whizzes past your head.  You jump off the porch and toward the gap in the fence between the two houses.  Just as you are about to slip into the neighbor's yard, the cold barrel of a gun presses against the back of your head.  'Not to smart, kid', says Wolf as he throws you to the ground.  'Say goodbye'.


You gulp hard and try to brace yourself.  But instead of hearing the blast of a gun, you feel a whoosh of air as an Echo leaps over you.  The Echo pounces on Wolf.  He tries to scramble away from underneath the beast, but the Echo lets out a shriek and latches onto his arm.  Wolf's screams draw Bulldog to the backyard.  He freezes when he sees the Echo.


'Raven!  RAVEN!' he yells, backing up toward the house.  He swings around at the sound of growling behind him.  Two more Echoes draw close to him from opposite directions.  One of the Echoes knocks him down before he can run.  The other Echo turns its attention to you.  The pantherlike beast crosses the yard in long strides, saliva oozing from its mouth.  But just as it rears back to pounce, another Echo jumps in its path with its back next to you.  You recognize the scars on its back and arms.  It's the Echo from Jake and Vicki's house!


The creature lets out a high-pitched wail, and the other Echo backs away.  Your Echo friend nudges your shoulder and helps you stand.  You walk to the front door together.  Inside the house, the others have subdued Raven and Vicki.  Jason's jaw drops when he sees you standing next to an Echo.  One of the other survivors raises a gun at the beast.


'No!'  you shout.  'I saved this Echo from Vicki and her boyfriend.  And it just saved my life.'  You scratch the Echo behind the ear as it lets out a forceful purr.  It pushes you playfully with its head before turning and running away from the house.  When it's half a block away, it lets out an ear-splitting shriek.  You jump when the Echoes from the back yard dart forward from the sides of the house and catch up with their leader.


'That's amazing', says Andi, putting an arm around you.  'You've gained a powerful ally.  With the Stalkers out of the picture and the Echoes at bay, we could have a chance at a peaceful life.  THE END".


Always be sure to befriend genetically engineered monsters.  That's a realistic and practical survival tip!


Results So Far


4 Good Endings

4 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Alternate Endings Part 9


Rejecting Andi in CHOICE #8 makes her apologize for running away during the fight with Jake.  Then she tells me about the supermarket stockroom.  The vending machine is there just like in the other timeline where I went to the stockroom with Jason's gang.  While I'm looking for a container to carry supplies, the Stalkers show up.  Bart, Bax, and Becks Wolf, Raven, and Bulldog are about to loot everything.  CHOICE #11 is to either "confront" them, or try to barricade the room.


Barricading the room isn't successful.


"You creep quickly but quietly back to the storeroom.  There's no way you can move the machine back in place without being heard, so you enter the room and shut the door.  Just my luck-no lock, you think.  You begin to move some boxes in front of the door.  The bottom breaks out of one of the boxes, and cans crash noisily to the ground.  Within seconds, one of the Stalkers pushes against the door.  The boxes hold their ground temporarily but soon begin to budge.  You look frantically around the room for something to defend yourself, but Bulldog crashes into the stockroom before you can act.


'Hoo-wee!  Look at all dis stuff!'  exclaims Bulldog.  Raven sticks his head in the room, examining the supplies.  His eyes rest on you.  'We'll have our hands full carrying all this back to our place', he says.  'We don't need to take the kid too.  THE END".


I'm counting this as a Death even though this fate isn't as explicit.  Apparently the author couldn't afford to include a proper murder.  The Stalkers kill the player character in other endings.



Results So Far


4 Good Endings

5 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Alternate Endings Part 10


Confronting the Stalkers in CHOICE #11 produces the final ending in the "Stay hidden until Stalkers leave your house" CHOICE #1 branch.


"As Raven and Bulldog continue talking, you sneak through the aisles, away from the stockroom.  The two Stalkers walk to the west side of the store, picking through the smashed and tattered remains of the shelves.  You make your way to the entrance, carefully step around the glass, and emerge outside.


'Didn't you get enough supplies when you stole my food?'  you shout into the store.  Before the Stalkers can react, you turn to run, confident you can lose them in the dark.  But before you can take a single step, the handle of an axe is rammed into your stomach, causing you to double over.  You look up weakly at Wolf's smug face.  Raven reaches you first.  'What were you doing in there, kid?'


You cough hard and wheeze as you try to catch your breath.  'Just looking. . .for shelter', you murmur through gasps.  'I find that hard to believe', he scoffs.  'So here's the deal.  You can tell us where the supplies are, and we'll let you go.'  'I've heard stories about you', you reply.  'You never let someone go'.


Raven lowers his head and chuckles.  'Well then I guess our reputation precedes us.'  He looks at his companions.  'Take care of the kid'.  'Not so fast!'  A group of seven people runs through the parking lot.  Each of them is carrying a gun.  Bulldog reaches for his shotgun, but Andi fires first.  The bullet barely misses Bulldog's feet.  'Don't even think about it', she warns.


The Stalkers curse a sthe group makes them put down their weapons.  They are forced to their knees and one of Andi's men duct tapes their hands behind their backs.  Then Andi turns to you.  'You saved my life, now I'm saving yours.  We're even', Andi says coldly.  'But you're right, there is no trust between us.  Grab some supplies, then leave.  I don't want to run into you again'.


You nod without saying a word and go back into the supermarket.  You find a laundry basket in one of the aisles.  It will have to do.  You head to the stockroom.  After loading up with some food, water, and a first-aid kit, you walk back through the store.  The survivors are discussing what to do with the Stalkers.  You want to learn their fate.  But after receiving a glare from Andi, you head down a random street.  You wonder if you'll ever find a home with other survivors".


The last line makes me want to add this to the Neutral Ending column.  Sure, the reincarnations of Dragons Realm bullies are defeated, and I get some valuable supplies, but I'm still wandering solo much like in the beginning.


Results So Far


4 Good Endings

5 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings