IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
ALM No.94, October 2026
SHORT STORIES
Congratulations. You have been chosen. You must choose who will live and who will die. Only one may live and only one may leave. You have one hour to decide. How you decide, is up to you.
Paul stared up the TV hanging from the ceiling of the laundromat. The sound of the washers and dryers and the smells of detergent and fabric softener faded into the background. Two other people stood there, staring at the TV in disbelief. One, a young woman, college age. The other, a large man with a tank top that showed off all his tattoos. Paul was familiar with both, though he’d never spoken to them before. They usually came in, did their laundry, and went on their way. A sort of unspoken rule. Now, they had to decide which of them lives and which ones die.
The girl was the first to attempt an escape. She ran to the doors and pulled, causing the glass to rattle but no luck.
“We’re locked in,” she said.
“Try breaking the glass,” said Paul.
“Let me do it,” said the man. He yanked on the doors so hard his muscles bulged. Nothing. He picked up a nearby chair and sent it flying towards the glass windows. The chair bounced off the glass, sending it across the room. “Damn it,” said the man. “What now, genius?”
“What are we going to do?” asked the young girl.
“Maybe we can call for help or get someone’s attention,” Paul suggested.
The three went to the windows hoping to see anyone outside. Normally, it was a bustling neighborhood, but tonight, there was no one in sight.
The three stood leaning up against the washers and dryers that lined the room. They sat in silence as the clock ticked down.
“Only 30 minutes left. We should decide soon,” said Paul.
“Can you really do that? Decide who should die?” asked the girl.
“No, but do we have a choice?” said Paul. “We should at least introduce ourselves, make an argument for who should live and then vote.”
The other two exchanged glances and agreed.
“Fine, on one condition,” said the man, “I don’t want to know too much about either of you. Otherwise, I don’t think I can kill you.”
“Okay, just names for now then,” said Paul.
“I’m Emily. I’m a college student. I just moved here from a small town. I’m studying to be a nurse,” said the girl.
“Hi Emily, remember we don’t want to know too much,” said Paul.
“Oh yeah, sorry,” said Emily.
“My turn. I’m Joe. I work construction,” said the man.
“I’m Paul. I don’t work currently. I lost my job. I used to work in IT and I have a cat.”
“What happened to not too much info?” asked Emily.
“Right,” said Paul, “sorry.”
“Same,” said Joe.
The three sat staring at each other for another few minutes.
“Should we play rock paper scissors?” asked Emily.
“Not sure that’s fair. What if you cheat?” said Joe. “We could vote.”
“There’s only three of us. What if we each vote for each other. Even if we did vote one person to die, then the other two would only vote for each other,” said Paul.
“Okay, what do you think we should do?” asked Joe.
“We can draw lots,” said Paul.
Paul walked over to a nearby table and grabbed a piece of paper. He ripped it up into small pieces and put a black dot on one of them. Then, placed them in a small basket. Each person grabbed a piece of paper and opened it. One, Two, Three. All blank.
“Okay, next round,” said Paul.
They drew again from the remaining papers. One, Two, Three. Once again, all blank.
“One more time?” asked Emily.
“One more time,” said Paul.
They all drew again. This time, there were only three pieces left. Whoever had the dot, would live.
“Ready, One, Two…”
“Wait! I don’t want to die. I just started school. I’m only 18. I have a little sister. I’m a good person,” said Emily. Tears filled her eyes.
“You think I want to die?” asked Joe. “I have a life too. I have kids.”
“So, because I don’t have kids yet, I should die?” said Emily.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. You, Paul, right? You’re single and unemployed. Why should you live?” asked Joe.
“I don’t think I’m any more deserving than either of you, but you’re missing the point,” said Paul.
“Okay, enlighten us,” said Joe.
“None of us want to die,” Paul said, trying to calm the impossible situation. “We don’t have a choice. If we don’t choose in time, we all die.”
The clock ticked down. Only five minutes left. The three looked at each other one last time. One, Two, Three.
“I won,” said Paul.
A celebratory tune played from the TV followed by a strange robotic voice. “Congratulations to the winner. You may leave. The others cannot.”
The room was full of loud, quick explosions, gun shots. Paul ducked, crouching against the wall covering his head and ears. He stood slowly as the sound faded. Smoke filled the laundromat. On the ground, his two fellow captives, Emily and Joe, lay in a pool of their own blood. Paul fell to the floor, sickened by the sight.
A click was heard at the door. Paul gathered himself and made his way towards it. His legs felt like jelly underneath him. He pushed slightly, opening the door just a crack. Before stepping outside, he noticed a note on the glass.
“Earn it.”
Outside, the sun shone and the bustling street was as it usually was. Paul stepped outside, still clutching the note in his hand, and took a deep breath, grateful to be alive.
Kendall Kellogg has been interested in writing from a young age. She has studied writing on her own for many years and is now a student in the Creative Writing program at Full Sail University. In her free time, she loves watching scary movies, playing RPG games like Dungeons and Dragons, and spending time with her cat Loki.
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