Tales Of The Macabre

Push The Button

Paul had 300,000 reasons to push the "Red" button, sitting in front of him. Even without the money, he had two big reasons to push the button. Paul looked at the "Blue" button. He couldn't think of one reason to push it. Not even the pleading face of his dear wife. The woman he had been married to for over 10 years. His childhood sweetheart. The mother of his three children 

A video of his beloved wife cheating on him with his best friend played on a continuous loop above the gas chamber that held his wife and the one person he thought he could trust. Paul looked down at the missing leg he lost saving his friend from an IED when they were stationed in Europe. 

Tears rolled down paul's face as he watched the man he risked his life and sacrificed a part of his body for, passionately kissing his wife. 

Information on the affair was called out over a speakerphone. 

"They slept together in your marital bed while you laid wounded in the hospital." 

"They slept together in the car not ten minutes before they picked you up from the hospital the first day you got out."

"One of your daughters isn't yours. Which one could it be?"

Paul's hand hovered over the red button. A feeling of anger washed over him as details of his wife's infidelities permeated around the studio. Push the "Red" button and kill his cheating wife and her lover. Or push the "Blue" button and save the two people he thought he trusted the most and walk away with nothing. 

But then anger turned to sorrow. After everything his wife had done to him, he still couldn't bear seeing pain or fear in his wife's eyes, as she pleaded for her life. Something inside him couldn't bring himself to push the button. And his kids, he couldn't take their mother from them. 

The audience sat in silence. You could hear a pin drop as everyone held their breath. They came to see someone die and they were sure they were not going to be disappointed.

Paul slammed down on the blue button. The door to the gas chamber swung open, freeing the wife and lover. 

The audience left out a disgruntled moan as Paul's wife walked from the chamber. Paul stood there with his arms outstretched ready to embrace her. She walked over to the table and instead of embracing her loyal husband, she slammed down on the "Red" button. A trap door opened up behind Paul. A masked gunman appeared from behind a red screen and shot him in the head. His body went limp, falling backwards into the hole.

The studio audience erupted into rapturous applause as the cheating couple danced around the stage celebrating their winnings.

 NEXT WEEK ON CHEATERS: Karen confronts her mother for sleeping with her husband. Who will come out on top?

"This show always surprises me. Dumbass should have taken the money, " I laughed as I changed the channel.