Between Grocers

It's been another day of sitting at home and doing nothing, waiting with fingers crossed for a reply from any of the seventeen places you've applied to for work. It's about to turn midnight and the last application was almost two weeks ago now... Maybe you should get some sleep and apply to more places tomorrow? [[Throw in the towel for tonight.|Sleep]] [[No! What if I get a really really limited offer for a position?|Stay up]]

You decide maybe it's better to just get some sleep. I mean, seriously, what are the chances you'll get a reply at this hour? [[Head to sleep.|End.]]

What harm could staying up a few more hours juuuust to be sure do? Surely it's worth the potential benefit! While you're prepared to wait out the rest of the earliest hours of the morning, your eyes drift to the clock on your monitor and watch as the minutes count up until finally the clock strikes twelve, and midnight arrives. Almost immediately, you see something appear in your inbox. A scam that somehow escaped the claws of the junk folder maybe. Upon closer inspection though it... reads like a job offer? Wait, is this real? You don't quite recall applying for whatever 'Between Grocers' is and that alone makes you suspicious. [[I'm feeling desperate. Might as well look.|Open email]] [[I don't have the energy to be disappointed, it's just junk mail.|Throw away]]

You went to bed and woke up only to see... a rescinded email..? Looks like you missed your chance. Well, time to dust off the resume again. [[Roll back time?|Between Grocers]]

What do you have to lose? If anything, just don't click any links. "Hello, we are emailing you about a position at Between Grocers, specficially as a cashier! We're willing to offer $30 an hour with the working hours being 1 AM to 7 AM, Mon-Fri. Please reply to this email with "Accept" or "Decline" within the next hour, as this offer will be revoked after that timeframe." "Please note: your first shift will be a paid trial period to ensure you are suitable for the job." Well that's... something? It certainly sounds interesting... Maybe it is worth checking out. Even if they don't decide to hire you, at least you'll still get some sort of pay. [[Reply with "Accept"|Accepted Offer]]

No, you're good, is what you think as you send it to the folder it should've gone to initially. [[i worked hard on this and you threw it away what the heck )))):|Between Grocers]]

Within seconds of your response, a followup email arrives: "Thank you for your response! The standard cashier uniform has been emailed to you and can be found in your closet. Your shift will begin at the time stated in the previous email." They emailed the uniform? You're pretty confident that isn't how things work but sure, why not check? Might as well you suppose. Strangely enough, there //is// a new uniform hanging in your closet, one that you're certain was not there ever in your life. [[Oddities aside, better get ready. Best to not be late to your first and hopefully not last shift.|Get ready and go to work.]]

Arriving, there's nothing all too special about the store; it looks like a regular grocery store, although the size of it looks more fitting for a convenience store. Not to mention you don't recall seeing or hearing about it despite living here all your life. The parking lot is well lit and tidy, though notably vacant. Sure it looks like it only needs one or two people to run the place, but is there nobody there to help you get into the swing of things? [[Whatever, you got this. It's just helping people find what they need and checkout anyways.|Park and head in]] [[Maybe they just parked in the back or something? Either way, better hurry.|Park and head in]] [[Blah blah blah you worry too much.|Park and head in]]

The door is unlocked oddly enough and the interior quite literally looks like if someone had tried to fit a grocery store into the layout of a convience store. Already you can see the glass doors off the fridge and freezer section in the back while produce is against the far left wall, the opposing one being where the deli section lies. The register is near the door, a small, spinning stand with gum and giftcards and the like atop it. [[Check out the produce aisle.|produce]] [[Check out the fridge/freezer section.|fridge]] [[Check out the aisles in the middle.|middle]] [[Check out the deli area.|deli]] [[Just get behind the register.|register]]

The produce section is well organised and bright with the greenery and saturated colours of the fruits and vegetables. Water droplets are visible on the product, freshly misted. You can instantly recognise the bell peppers, mushrooms, and carrots amongst the available options, but near the end of the aisle, just a bit too far to make out finer details, you swear you see some fruits and vegetables that you've never seen before. Then again, maybe you just have a more limited knowledge on plants than you thought. [[Go back to the front.|Park and head in]]

It looks like the cold section of any other store. The fridges are on the left while the right side is where the frozen section begins. A quick look behind the glass doors is all it takes to notice the shelves go incredibly far back, more than the building should allow. You're fairly certain the store isn't //that// long, but maybe you just didn't get a proper look at it. [[Go back to the front.|Park and head in]]

Despite the cramped nature of the store, the middle aisles don't feel claustrophobic. They carry whatever doesn't fit the other main sections. Chips, soda, paper towels, etc. At a glance, everything looks normal. Upon closer inspection though, some of the text seems a bit... odd, to say the least. It looks like it should be readable, but the words don't quite make sense when you stop to read them. Some of the brands you aren't sure are even real. [[Go back to the front.|Park and head in]]

The deli section looks relatively bare bones compared to a normal grocery store. There's no counter with equipment behind it, just shelves and racks of meat ranging from packaged salami to raw steaks. There is what you assume is a tank for lobsters, but it's empty apart from the bubbling water. [[Go back to the front.|Park and head in]]

You set your bag down under the counter and get yourself familiar with the space. There's an analogue clock behind you that lets you know your shift starts in about ten minutes and beside it lies a hand-written bingo card. The options look like mundane things you'd expect from customers or parts of the store itself, probably something made to help keep you busy. Quite thoughtful! In the middle of the counter there's a piece of notebook paper with writing in a list format: "Welcome to your first shift! We hope it isn't your last and that everything goes smoothly. Here's some things to keep in mind during your shift." [[Read the list.|list]] [[It's a cashier job, who needs a list? You'll manage on your own.|Don't read]] [[Look at the rest of the store first.|Park and head in]]

You decide to read the note now. Good choice, maybe there's some niche rule that could get you in trouble? 1. Make sure to press the green button to the right of the register to turn on the OPEN sign outside. 2. Do not enter the shelving area of the frozen section. 3. If you must leave the register for any reason, please turn off the OPEN sign and turn it back on when you return. 4. If someone comes in asking about pears, do NOT speak to him until he has retrieved them himself. You won't get any work done! 5. Only one customer is allowed in the store at a time. 6. When They enter the store, do NOT make eye contact with Them. "P.S. This note will delete itself once your shift officially starts at 1 AM, so please be sure to copy its contents if you are not confident in your memory." Half of these make no sense to you, especially number four and six. And a what so they mean it'll delete itself? Ok... Surely it's nothing. They would've warned you if your life was at risk. Surely. [[Maybe this isn't worth it. You should just go home.|go home]] [[Sure, it's a bit strange but hey it still seems easy enough!|Open store]] [[You're on edge, but maybe you should just do the trial shift and see.|Open store]]

You decide to ignore the note and instead get comfortable behind the register. Looking out the window at the parking lot you see only your car parked under one of the street lamps close to the door and a plastic bag rolling across the ashphalt. As your gaze wanders, you notice a small green button to the right of the register. Is it a panic button or something? Maybe the note explains it? When you go to look for the note left on the counter however, it is inexplicably gone without a trace. Hopefully there wasn't anything too important on there. Back to that //enticing// button though... [[Just look at it, waiting to be pressed! Find out what it does!|Open store]] [[You probably shouldn't press it... What if it does call the cops? You don't think that'd be a good first impression on your potential employer.|Don't open store]]

This is all way too strange for your liking. Sure, it might just be your sleep-deprived self playing tricks on you, but you don't think it's worth the risk and instead head home before ever even starting your first shift. You never hear back from whoever gave the job offer to you, and when you drive by to check the store the next morning, you can't seem to find it. Where it should be there is instead an empty lot. [[Retry?|Between Grocers]]

You press the button and out of the corner of your eye see a light turn on out front coming from an OPEN sign. [[Time to wait.|First customer]]

Better play it safe. The last thing you want right now is the potential situation of explaining to the cops that you weren't in any trouble and instead pressed a random, unlabelled button. You notice that the clock has hit 1:04 AM and so you ready yourself to wait for anyone to come by. Nobody does though. The whole night, you don't see anyone even approach the store. At some point you walk around the desolate aisles, getting a closer look at the unreadable text on products and labelling. You even sit on your phone for a while without interruption until eventually it's 7 AM, the end of your shift. You hesitantly grab your bag and leave, pulling out of the lot and driving home to immediately collapse onto your bed and sleep for a long while. When you wake up, you check your email again and see one from an unnamed messenger. "Unfortunately due to your failure to open the store, you do not meet the requirements to receive the trial period payment. We have decided to find someone else for the position, best regards." [[Retry?|Between Grocers]]

After a while, you see soemthing move outside before the door opens and a man walks in. He wears a wide-brimmed brown hat that shadows most of his face, though you swear you see one of those fake disguise glasses and moustache sets on his face..? You can't make out many details besides that as a trenchcoat hides the rest of his round figure and his hands remain stuffed into the pockets. He lumbers to the register, head tilted forward in a way that fully hides his face with the brim of his hat. "Excuse me, do you have any pears?" His voice sounds low, maybe slightly forced, though not quite with the same degree as a kid pretending to be an adult. [[Greet and answer him.|pear ending]] [[Ignore him completely.|pear cont.]] [[Act busy.|pear cont.]]

"Hello, yes we should have those in stock over in the produce section." There's probably pears, you didn't exactly look for them specifically earlier. He stands there for a while before any response comes from him. "Do you like pears?" You fail to see how that's relevant, but sure, what the heck, might as well play along. "Yeah, they're good." Is where you leave it. But he doesn't. The time goes by agonisingly slow as this stranger continues to talk about pears; all the different types, the history of them, anything and everything. You're pretty sure you could write a whole book on them by the time he's done. He doesn't even buy anything, he just leaves all of a sudden without another word. [[Your eyes finally tear away from in front of you to check the clock.|death via pear]]

You act like he isn't there, ignoring him completely. Mmm, yes, the parking lot is very interesting. Eventually the man steps away from the register and heads for the produce section, returning with a plastic bag of what might be all the pears the store had out on display. You stare at the bag for a few seconds as he sets it on the counter before typing in the code and weighing the bag. "So... you like pears?" you ask as the weight steadies. He stares back at you and when you look up to try to see his face again, you swear the parts of it you can see are a dull, pale green with some blemishes. It almost looks like the skin of a pear in and of itself. "Yes." Is all he says as the silence carries on. You're quick to get the total and he's equally as swift in setting the exact amount in cash on the counter before he snags the bag and practically scurries out of the store, leaving you entirely confused and a bit concerned. At least the cash is the right amount? [[Time to sit and wait for the next customer.|Them]]

It's 7 AM, the end of your shift. He talked that entire six hours about pears??? You rest your forehead on the counter with a groan until you can finally bring yourself to shut off the OPEN sign and grab your bag to leave. The drive home, all you can think about is pears, and it's all you dream about until you wake up. They're still in your head, but thankfully it's mellowed out a bit. Checking your email, you see a new one from an unknown sender; "Hello, unfortunately we have decided to not keep you on the Between Grocers team due to unsatisfactory work. You will still receive the payment for your shift in the form of a check in the following days. We wish you luck in your future endeavours, and implore you to read when something is left for you." [[Retry?|Between Grocers]]

A few more customers stop by, each a bit peculiar but not as strange as the pear man. Before long, the clock reads 6:30 AM. Just another half an hour and you can go home. The chime of the door opening plays out for the umpteenth time and as you go to look at the stranger, you feel a sense of overwhelming dread. You can't make out much of Their shape, your eyes instead aimed at the ground and counter as the dark figure shuffles towards the aisles and the back of the store. A few minutes later, They return, approaching the counter and causing a long shadow of Their towering form to cast across you and the register. There's a quiet dripping sound as They stand there and set a tub of orange nad black licourice ice cream down, allowing you to see a completely black, grotesquely long and thin hand with too many fingers slipping off the edge of the counter to hang by Their side again. [[You should greet Them, but maybe keep your eyes down on your work.|speak, don't look]] [[Just scan the ice cream, don't say anything or even look at Them.|don't look]] [[You should always look a person in the eyes when you greet them.|look]]

You keep your head down and scan the ice cream, sliding it back towards Them. "That'll be $8 please," you say quietly as They presumably stare down at you, watching. They slowly reach into the void of Their body and pull out some cash, slowly thumbing through it before setting down the amount on the counter and moving with the same sluggish pace as They drag the ice cream off the counter and exit the store. You notice as you watch the back of Their head that they have to hunch to leave. A sigh of relief leaves you and you pray for the time to go by faster more than you have for the entire night combined. [[Just a few more minutes, you can do it.|normal ending]]

You reach out and bring the ice cream closer before moving to scan it while raising your head to look up at the customer. "Did you find everything alright?" When you look at Their face, you realise you can't actually see anything. Part of your brain knows there //is// something there-you can feel that same dread as before, now worsened from staring at the potential source-but it's like its being blocked from your actual vision. What you do notice though is the subtle flinch once you look at Their face and the way their body almost seems to start shiver as They nod slightly. "Glad to hear. Your total is $8, if that's everything." They seem to reach into the void of their body and remove a handful of crumpled cash, shuffling through it before setting it down on the counter as dragging the ice cream tub off the counter and hunching preemptively as They leave. "Have a good day," you call only to immediately slump against the counter, feeling as if your remaining energy has been drained. Thankfully, nobody else comes in and your shift ends without issue. As you hurry to your car, you nearly miss the note and crumpled cash under the wiper of your car. Despite it being a horrible idea to retrieve it and be caught unaware, you snatch it and dive into your car, locking the door. [[You're free, now get home quick and sleep.|good and kind ending]]

"Did you find everything alright?" They don't respond, all you hear is the wheezing of Their breath as you scan the ice cream and set it back on the counter. "...That'll be $8 please," They slowly reach into the void of Their body and pull out some cash, slowly thumbing through it before setting down the amount on the counter and moving with the same sluggish pace as They drag the ice cream off the counter and exit the store. You notice as you watch the back of Their head that they have to hunch to leave. A sigh of relief leaves you and you pray for the time to go by faster more than you have for the entire night combined. [[Just a few more minutes, you can do it.|normal ending]]

Finally your shift ends and after turning off the OPEN sign and grabbing your bag, you leave the store and look around the parking lot cautiously as you hurry to your car and lock the door. The drive home is uneventful, and the moment you collapse onto your bed you fall asleep. You have been awake for probably almost a full day by that point. When you wake up, you lay and contemplate whatever last night was before checking your email for anything new. There, you see an email from an unknown sender: "Hello, congratulations on completing your trial shift! We have decided to keep you on our team, should you so wish to accept. Regardless of your decision, the cheque for your trial shift will arrive in the coming days. We thank you for your hard work and look forward to your response!" [[Play again.|Between Grocers]]

When you get home, you finally look at the note from your car and the $5 that had been left with it. It reads "tHAnK yoU" with a shaky smiley face next to it and some black smudges that almost look like charcoal. Although you can't say for sure, the much, much fainter dread that lingers on the paper leads you to believe it was the last customer. You're still not entirely sure how to feel, but at the very least They don't seem malicious, maybe They're just anxious with people. Other than that, your morning is uneventful as you hit the hay while most of the rest of the city wakes up and clocks into their own shifts. When you finally do wake up late in the evening, you see a new email from an unknown sender: "Hello, congratulations on completing your trial shift! We at Between Grocers are satsified with your work and even received a glowing review of your performance from a customer! We would like to have you on the team as a permanent member. Regardless of if you accept or not, the payment of your trial shift will arrive to you within two business days. If you do not receive it, please reach out and let us know!" [[Play again.|Between Grocers]]