I was introducing my girlfriend of three years, Chloe, to my parents when she shattered the dinner-table peace. “Leo,” Chloe asked, voice deceptively light, “if your mom and I both were drowning, who would you save?” I froze, caught off guard. It felt completely out of place to ask something like that in front of my parents. But then my mom, Eleanor, leaned forward, her expression serious. “I’d like to hear your answer, too, son.” The air instantly thickened, turning tense. Feeling annoyed and cornered, I blurted out without thinking, “You only have one mom, you can always find another girlfriend. I choose Mom!” Chloe’s face didn’t just fall – it collapsed. Regret surged in me, and I moved to comfort her. But before I could, she grabbed a fruit knife from the table and, without a moment’s hesitation, plunged it into her own heart. Blood erupted in a terrifying gush, splattering across my face. Chloe died right there, in front of us. That horrific moment became a relentless nightmare in my mind. After Chloe’s funeral, I stumbled back home, numb and exhausted. My mom suddenly turned to my dad,her gaze oddly intense. “Richard, I’ve always wanted to know…” she began, her voice soft and deadly. “If your mom and I fell into the water, who would you save?” …
The day Chloe was buried, the sky wept with a dreary drizzle. I stood by her grave, watching her parents clutch her tombstone, their wails tearing through the air. My mind was a complete blank. The police had closed Chloe’s case as an accidental death. I staggered back home, a ghost of myself, collapsing onto the sofa, my brain still trying to process the brutal reality of her sudden demise. Dad came over, patting my shoulder, telling me to try and move on, that it was just an accident. But then Mom sat beside me, her eyes fixed on Dad with an unsettling intensity. “Honey, actually, I’ve always wanted to know…” “If your mom and I fell into the water, who would you save?” I shot up, my blood turning to ice. The image of Chloe stabbing herself flashed relentlessly in my mind, painting my vision crimson. “Mom! What… what are you asking this for?!” My throat constricted, and my scalp prickled with dread. Dad looked horrified too, his eyes wide. “Why are you asking that out of nowhere? It’s creepy!” But Mom’s gaze remained locked on Dad, an empty, lurking something in her eyes. “Quick, tell me, who would you save?” she urged, her voice sharp. My heart hammered against my ribs, lodged in my throat. I couldn’t even breathe. This scene, especially Mom’s tone, the pauses in her words, her unnervingly serious expression… It was an exact replica of what happened before Chloe died! “Oh, come on, why ask such a boring question?” Dad said, a hint of impatience in his voice. “My mom passed away years ago. What’s the point of asking that now?” Mom ignored him, her stare unwavering, her words deliberate. “Just pick!” As far as I remembered, Mom and my grandma had a wonderful relationship when Grandma was alive. My grandma was incredibly kind to Mom, and Mom was very devoted to her. Mom had never been the unreasonable, badgering type. This was the first time she’d ever cornered Dad like this, demanding an answer. I couldn’t understand. Why had Mom changed so much after Chloe died? Dad didn’t want to answer, but Mom wouldn’t let it go. Her expression grew increasingly agitated, almost ferocious, as if someone was chasing her for an answer. Seeing Mom’s emotions spiraling, Dad finally relented, answering patiently. “You’re my wife, of course, I’d choose you!” I thought that would be the end of it, but the next second, Mom shrieked like a maniac. “You’re lying!” “You’re only choosing me because your mom is dead!” she screamed hysterically. Before Dad and I could react, Mom burst out of the house. We chased after her in a panic, only to see her grab a bottle of pesticide and chug it down. “Mom!” I yelled in terror. The next second, foam frothed from her mouth, and a strong, acrid smell filled the air. She writhed, her body curling, eyes rolling back, convulsing in agony on the ground. Dad was paralyzed with fear, his face ghostly white, as he lunged towards her. “Call 911!” I fumbled for my phone, but it slipped from my trembling hand and clattered to the floor. Then I heard Dad’s heart-wrenching wails. Mom was gone. I collapsed onto the ground, my ears ringing with the last words Chloe and Mom had spoken. “If your mom and I both fell into the water, who would you save?”
By the time Mom reached the hospital, she was gone. I stood there, numb, the lingering warmth of her body still on my trembling hands. Dad lay sprawled over her, sobbing uncontrollably. My best friend, Noah Miller, rushed over as soon as he heard. He patted my shoulder, his face grim, and sat with me, offering what comfort he could. When he heard about the bizarre behavior of both Chloe and Mom just before they died, his eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re saying both Chloe and Aunt Eleanor asked the exact same question before they died?” His voice was filled with incredulity. “How could that be such a coincidence?” “Isn’t that just the classic ‘mom or wife’ dilemma? It doesn’t usually end with people dying, does it?” I slumped to the floor, tearing at my hair, shaking my head frantically. The horrific images of Mom and Chloe dying replayed constantly. I was losing my mind. “I don’t know!” “They just suddenly asked that question, demanding that my dad and I choose who to save.” “I chose my mom, and Chloe died. My dad didn’t choose his mom, he chose my mom, and my mom died too!” Noah looked utterly perplexed. “But why? It’s not like… like that question carries a curse, right?” I froze, my mind a terrifying blank. In just two days, I had lost two of the most important people in my life. A sharp pain tore through my chest, and tears streamed down my face. Noah watched my agony, his own eyes welling up, and he wrapped me in a silent hug. Just then, my uncle, Walter Shaw, called, his voice a desperate, frantic plea. “Leo, you have to come to my place! Your aunt Joyce, she’s gone mad!” We hadn’t even had time to tell our relatives about Mom’s death yet. I was confused by Uncle Walter’s panicked call. But before I could ask for details, he let out a terrified scream, and the call abruptly ended. A chilling sense of dread surged through me. Noah, seeing my grim expression, immediately offered to come with me. “Did your uncle say what happened to Aunt Joyce?” Noah asked on the way. My head throbbed, and I felt dizzy and disoriented. “He just said Aunt Joyce went crazy. I have no idea what’s going on.” My uncle and aunt had visited me just two days ago after Chloe’s death. Aunt Joyce had seemed perfectly fine then. What could have possibly happened to them? Why did Uncle Walter say she was mad? The car quickly pulled into my uncle’s driveway. As we reached the door, Uncle Walter burst out, his hands covered in blood, his face a mask of terror. He saw me as if I were his savior. “Leo, help me!” He scrambled behind me, gasping for breath, his eyes wide with fear. “Your aunt, she’s trying to kill me!” Noah and I stared, stunned. “Why?” we asked urgently. But before Uncle Walter could answer, his pupils constricted, and he trembled, pointing ahead. It was Aunt Joyce! Her hair was disheveled, and she was covered in blood, emerging from the house like a phantom, slowly, holding a pair of scissors. Her gaze was chilling, her expression twisted. One sentence from her made my blood run cold. “Walter, I’m asking you one last time!” “If your mom and I both fell into the water, who would you save…?”
My pupils dilated in terror, and I instinctively recoiled, staring at Aunt Joyce in horror. “Aunt… Aunt Joyce, why are you asking that question too?!” My voice trembled. Noah was equally stunned. He tugged my sleeve, whispering urgently in my ear, “Leo, something’s seriously wrong!” Uncle Walter, still hiding behind me, flushed crimson and cursed angrily, “Are you insane?! Why are you forcing me to choose?!” He gestured with his arm, which was bleeding profusely from a slash wound. “Look what you did to me! You almost crippled me, you crazy woman!” “You… you’re trying to murder your own husband!” Aunt Joyce’s lips curved into a chilling, eerie smile. “Just choose!” “Don’t choose!” I almost screamed. I spun around, frantically looking at Uncle Walter, shouting in a panic, “Uncle Walter, you can’t choose!” “My mom, and my girlfriend… they both died because my dad and I answered that question!” “Please, don’t choose!” Uncle Walter stared at me as if I were a ghost. “What are you talking about? Your mom was fine earlier today!” Thinking of Mom, my heart ached, and my eyes instantly welled up. “It’s true, Uncle Walter, Mom died. You can’t choose.” “If you choose, Aunt Joyce will die too!” I thought Uncle Walter would calm down after hearing my words. But as soon as I finished, he exploded like a firecracker. “Then let her die!” he roared, shoving me aside. He then launched into a furious tirade at Aunt Joyce. “Joyce, just die already!” “I’ve had enough! You want me to choose? I choose my mom! You hear me? I choose my mom!” My heart leaped into my throat in terror, and I instinctively tried to cover Uncle Walter’s mouth. But he angrily slapped my hand away, spewing his rage uncontrollably. “My mom isn’t like you, trying to murder her husband! Why would I save you?!” “If you want to die, just do it already! I don’t want to be with you, you lunatic! Just die, don’t say I didn’t choose…” “Uncle Walter, stop talking!” I turned back in horror, only to witness a sight that made my blood run cold! Aunt Joyce, a few feet away, her eyes were filled with utter brokenness. Her pupils fluttered, and tears streamed down her cheeks, but they were blood-red. “I’m going to die!” “No!” An alarm blared in my mind, and I screamed, lunging towards her. But it was too late. Right in front of us, Aunt Joyce raised the scissors in her hand and plunged them into her own neck without hesitation. Pffft! Blood sprayed in an arc. She clutched her throat, stumbled back two steps, blood continuously oozing between her fingers. The next second, with a muffled thud, Aunt Joyce collapsed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Noah and I were both frozen in horror. Uncle Walter was so terrified he crumpled to the ground on the spot. “Ahh!” he wailed, scrambling on his hands and knees towards her. “Honey, what are you doing?!” He stared helplessly at Aunt Joyce lying in a pool of blood, then knelt to check for her breath. The next second, all color drained from his face. He slammed a hand on his thigh, then sank back, cradling Aunt Joyce in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “Honey, why did you kill yourself?!” “I… I didn’t mean what I said!” Everything before my eyes felt like a nightmare, choking me. My mind was a chaotic mess, threatening to explode. “How… how could this happen?!” Uncle Walter cried out, his voice hoarse, looking at me with helpless eyes. I stumbled backward in a daze, tripped over the doorstep, and fell heavily. In a blur, I saw two familiar figures walking towards me. It was Mom, and my deceased girlfriend, Chloe. Their expressions were sinister as they slowly knelt down. “Leo…” Their voices merged into an eerie overlap, grinning as they whispered. “If your mom and I both fell into the water, who would you save?”
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