CHOICEthe forest

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You are preparing to hike through a forest. You pause at the edge of the trees. Three paths lay ahead of you. From the right path, you hear the soft rushing of water. The center path is dark and heavily overgrown. The left path is littered with rocks. Which one do you take?

The right path

The center path

The left path

You start walking down the path to the right with a purposeful stride. The sound of water grows louder as you continue. After an hour or so of hiking, you come to a large river.

You tentatively start down the center path. As you walk, the forest becomes darker and darker and everything is eerily silent. Suddenly, it becomes pitch black. You stumble around blindly and are soon lost.

Feeling a sudden burst of energy, you take off down the left path at a steady jog. A cool breeze blows through the trees and you pick up speed. Suddenly, you stumble over a rock and hit your head on the ground, unconscious. ContinueRestartRestart

The river is fast and wide and the banks are covered with treacherous moss-covered rocks. The river is filled with small stones. On the other side of the river the path continues. The river stretches as far as you can see in both directions. You see a large tree next to the river that you may be able to climb. What do you do?

Climb the tree and try to jump across the riverStep across the river using stones in the water

Follow the river and look for a better area to cross

You lift yourself up to the lowest branch of the tree. It’s solid. You make your way to the top without problems. It looks like you can easily jump the river. You leap from your perch, fall short of the bank, and are swept downriver.

You cautiously put a foot onto the closest rock in the river. It seems stable, so you head farther out into the river. As you try to step onto one of the rocks, it gives way and you tumble into the river.

You start walking down the river, looking for an area where it is calmer and shallower. After a little while, you find a place where the river is barely a foot wide. You step across with ease and head back to the path.

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You find your way back to the main path and continue walking. The sun shines brightly through the trees, birds chirp in the trees, and a cool breeze stirs the leaves. As you hike, you look all around and admire the scenery. Suddenly you hear a scream in the distance. What do you do?

Run off the path in the direction of the screamClimb the nearest tree to look around

Continue along the path while keeping an eye out

You sprint into the brush in the general direction you think you heard the scream from. Before long, you become lost in the forest.

You quickly scale a nearby tree. You reach the top and look around. You notice what looks like a person lying in the bushes along the path ahead. You crane your neck to get a better look and the tree snaps. You fall to the ground.

You follow the path, scanning the trees for any sign of a person. After a few minutes, you see a shred of fabric on a tree.

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A shred of bloodied, brightly colored fabric clings to a tree branch a few feet off the path. The brush around the area is torn up. You see drops of blood in the dirt and deep claw marks scar the trees. What do you do?

Keep following the path and looking for signsHead off into the brush toward the fabric

Run away in fright

You make your way carefully toward the fabric. You see large paw prints in the mud, as well as human footprints. You reach the fabric and examine it. It’s wet with fresh blood. You look around and see a body lying in a clearing.

You follow the trail, looking for any more signs of a struggle. The forest seems strangely quiet. After hours of searching, you find nothing.

You dash back along the path, too afraid to continue. You stumble headfirst into the river and are swept away before you could stop.

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You look into a nearby clearing and see a mangled, bloody body. You are shocked when you hear rasping breaths coming from it. You are unsure how to handle the situation. What do you do?

Go and see if you can help the personRun back along the path to get help

Search for the creature that did this

You sprint back to the entrance to the forest and call the police. You guide them to the body. By the time they arrive, the person is already dead.

You rush to the person’s side. You see that it is a young man. The man sees you and a small smile crosses his face. His breaths are raspy. “Water…” he groans, then gently closes his eyes. He continues breathing.

You follow the tracks on the ground, looking for the animal. You go deeper and deeper into the forest and it becomes darker. Suddenly, a brown blur leaps from the bushes. The creature knocks you to the ground. ContinueRestartRestart

The man asked for water, and his lips look dry and cracked, but blood is pouring from numerous wounds along his body. What do you do?

Go to the river and fetch waterCarry the man back to the river

Carry the man farther up the path

You lift the man up and carry him toward the river, straining under his weight. Before you reach the river, you collapse from exhaustion.

You run back to the river. Once there, you realize that you have no container for water. Angry at yourself, you rush back to the clearing. The man has stopped breathing.

You hoist the man over your shoulders. He’s heavy, but you can support him. Struggling, you carry him back to the main path and follow it at a determined pace.

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You follow the path for a while, carrying the wounded man. Soon you reach a lake. A few kayaks rest on the shore near you, and you can see a house on the other side. The man’s condition seems to be worsening. What do you do?

Give the man a drink from the lake and wash out his woundsLeave the man here and kayak to the house on the other side

Kayak to the house with the man on the back of the kayak

You lower yourself into the kayak and start paddling toward the house. Suddenly the kayak overturns and you fall into the cold water. The kayak hits you on the head and you are knocked unconscious.

You cup your hands and scoop a little water from the lake into the man’s mouth. He seems to awaken. You give him a little more, then use lake water to cleanse his wounds. You see deep scratch marks on his back. He seems to get better.

You drag the man onto the back of the kayak and climb in. You start paddling quickly toward the house. Halfway across the lake, you hear a splash and see the man’s body sinking beneath the surface. It’s too late to rescue him. ContinueRestartRestart

After giving the man some water and cleaning out his wounds, the man seems to be getting better. He opens his eyes and looks at you. “A bear…” he whispers, then drifts back to sleep. What do you do now?

Take the man back along the path and leave the forestKayak to the house with the man on the back of the kayak

Secure the man to the kayak, then paddle to the house

You drag the man onto the back of the kayak, then get in and start paddling toward the house. Your pack falls into the water and you reach for it. You tip the kayak and fall out, dumping the man off, too.

You hoist the man over your shoulders and carry him back along the path. His weight slows you down greatly and it soon grows dark. You collapse, exhausted, and fall asleep. When you awaken the next morning, the man is dead.

You drag the man onto the back of the kayak and use a strap from your pack to secure him. Then you get into the kayak and start paddling toward the house. The kayak rocks a little, but you make it safely to the opposite shore. ContinueRestartRestart

You reach the house on the other side of the lake only to realize that it’s abandoned. The man seems to be doing fairly well. What do you do?

Paddle back across the lake and back along the pathSearch the area around the cabin for help

Go inside the cabin and look around

You leave the man on the lakeshore and search the area around the cabin for anything that could help. When you return, he is dead.

You drag the man back onto the kayak and head to the other shore of the lake. You reach it and start along the path with the man on your back. Soon it grows dark and you stumble over a tree root, dropping the man.

You walk up to the cabin door and find that it isn’t locked. You cautiously push it open and step inside.

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Inside the cabin, you see some cabinets and drawers. On a small table sits a telephone. One of the cabinets is open and you see that it contains food of some sort. You realize how hungry you are. What do you do?

Search the cabinets for foodUse the phone and call the policeSearch the cabinets for medicine

You walk over to the table and pick the up the old phone. A cloud of dust rises from it. You see that it has a rotary dial. You dial 911 and the phone starts to ring.

You walk over to the cabinets and look inside. You find an old, sealed can without a label. You manage to pry off the lid. Inside is some sort of brown mush. Starving, you try it. It tastes horrible. You begin to vomit and fall unconscious.

You look through the cabinets for any sort of medicine. You find a tin box marked with a faded red cross symbol. You pry it open and find a tube of ointment. You go to put some ointment on the man’s wounds, but he’s missing. ContinueRestartRestart

You tell the police as best as you can where you are. In a few minutes you hear the wailing of sirens in the distance. A police car and ambulance stop outside the cabin. You rush out to meet them. The wounded man is quickly moved into the ambulance and taken to the nearest hospital. The policeman runs toward you and you collapse to the ground, crying tears of relief.

A week later you visit the man in the hospital. He smiles and recognizes you. He’s propped up in bed, covered in stitches and bandages. He tells you his story.

He had gone out for a hike that day, much like you had. He heard a rustling in the bushes and went to investigate. He was attacked by a bear. He tried to run, but the bear was faster. It mauled him then suddenly ran off. He had lain there for about half an hour before you arrived.

The man tries to thank you, but can’t find the words. Instead he leans back in his bed and cries.

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