Consequences Can Haunt You

Mr. Baker's normal life is turned upside down when he is visited by a mysterious cowboy one day. With a gun to his head, Mr. Baker is given until midnight to make a drastic choice. Either kill his wife,or kill his daughter. If he doesn't choose one, the Cowboy will kill them both. Mr. Baker has only a few hours left to figure out what the hell is going on. If he can't solve the mystery, people are going to die.

Choose by Ryan C. Thomas is a twisted story of revenge. I felt sorry for Mr. Baker because he honestly doesn't know what he could've done to wrong the cowboy. At one point in time, I wondered if the Cowboy was real or imaginary...I don't feel the answer is ever clear. Maybe the Cowboy is a manifestation of a guilty subconscious.

In any case, this short story is a great social commentary on the consequences of choosing to look the other way, instead of choosing to stop someone from hurting others. The Cowboy is not the real source of horror...the most frightening part of this story is Mr. Baker's choice.

As always,
AstraDaemon