You're in the parking lot. (if: $checkout)[The parking lot filled up while you were inside to match the crowds of people you saw in the building. Time passes differently in there.](else:)[The parking lot may seem empty when you arrive. Don’t trust it. The other cars are there, they just don’t want you to see them yet.] Your car is lost somewhere behind you.
(if: $checkout is false)[ [[Go inside]] ](else:)[ [[Go back inside->Go inside]] ]or [[look for your car.]]
(set: $milk to false)
(set: $bathroom to false)You walk in the store. There are people exiting out from the entrance and vice versa. Where is the exit? Where is the entrance? Nobody knows. It's just an Opening. An employee talks to you. Do not make eye contact.
[[Do you have your card?]] [[Are you a member?->Do you have your card?]](if: $checkout)[There’s a car parked right next to yours that looks exactly like it. Actually, upon closer inspection, there’s a lot of them nearby. Make sure you know which one is yours. Opening one of the others has dire consequences.](else:)[There are no cars anymore. They are lost.]
(if: $checkout)[ [[Open the left car.]] [[Open the middle car.->Open the left car.]] [[Open the right car.->Open the left car.]] ]The building expands inside when you show it your membership card. You’re not sure how everything fits inside the building it appeared to be from the outside. You don’t know where all the people shopping come from, since there were so few cars outside. Or if they’re people at all.
[[Approach someone]] or [[go right.]]You might see someone(if: $milk)[. How do I get to the checkout? You ask someone, exhausted. They smile and shrug, saying nothing. You wonder how long you’ll be trapped here.](else:)[ you recognize and approach them. Don’t do this. Nobody is the same person as they were on the outside.]
(if: $milk is true)[[Find the wine instead.->You're tired.]]You see halloween decorations. It’s the middle of summer.
[[Check your shopping list.]]* (if: $milk is false)[ [[Milk.]] ]
* [[Laundry detergent.]]
The rest of the list is irreparably smudged. You cannot remember what comes next. (if: $bathroom is true and $milk is false)[You seem to have lost your milk.]You walk through the milk dungeon and get a gallon bottle from the fridge. You have never been colder than in this moment. You see empty space behind the shelves. You could've sworn you saw a hand.
(set: $milk to true)[[Check your shopping list.]]
(if: $bathroom is false)[ [[Go to the bathroom.]] ]There are no signs. You are lost somewhere by the sodas. Everything seems to be in the same spot except the laundry detergent. You get hungry and notice all the samples. You've been here a while.
[[Go to the bathroom->Go to the bathroom.]] or [[go check out the samples.]]You walk into the bathroom. There are strollers everywhere. No babies are in sight.
[[You're hungry.->go check out the samples.]]
[[Check your shopping list.]]
(set: $milk to false)
(set: $bathroom to true)You go to check out the empty free sample carts that are perched at the end of every other aisle. When you get closer, you realize you’ve never seen this product on the shelves before. No one knows where the samples really come from. You look around for an employee but there’s no one nearby. You turn around for a second, only to find the cart is gone.
[[You're still hungry.]] [[You're tired.]]You want to leave but the checkout lanes seem to get farther away with every step you take towards them.
(if: $milk is false)[ [[You don't have any items.->Check your shopping list.]] ](else:)[ [[Approach someone]].]You head to the wine section and grab the biggest wine bottle. You take a seat on one of the couches on display and remain there for an hour, cradling your new wine baby. (set: $wine to true)
[[Checkout.]]Your cart is suddenly full of things. Where did they all come from? You don't remember putting them in your cart. Did you find everything you needed? Asks the employee at the exit, checking your cart.
[[Yes]] or [[No]]You nod at them and smile politely, a slight feeling of unease lingering when you push your cart forward again. Did you find everything you needed? It doesn’t matter anymore.
[[Go outside.->Costco]]
(set: $checkout to true)They know what you needed, and you didn’t find it. It doesn't matter. You have many things now.
[[Go outside.->Costco]]
(set: $checkout to true)You must go shopping. There is only one place to go. [[Costco]].
(set: $checkout to false)You carefully drive through the hordes of people pushing carts that suddenly flooded the parking lot. What happened inside is already fading from your memory, but you’re satisfied with your shopping experience. You know you’ll return again. It’ll be sooner than you think. It’s too late to escape the pull of Costco now. They have fed on you, and are hungry for more.