DON'T GET DISTRACTED.

Your name is Jeffrey Brown, thirty two years old, brunette, shoe size 10.5, male. It is your first day at your new job. You have been working up to this job for your whole life. You are going to work for The Government. You are very excited. You got an envelope in the mail last night that told you your exact schedule that you were supposed to follow, starting from when you woke up. The alarm goes off at exactly 6:30. You don't want to mess this up. You've waited for this day a long time. [[Turn off alarm and get up.]]

You get up and shower for five minutes, then put on your work-issued suit and tie. You go into the kitchen and make yourself a bowl of cereal. You arrive at work by 7:20. Your job is to shred papers that The Government deems inappropriate for public consumption. You enter the main room and nod at your coworkers, who are standing by their paper shredders. You find yours, number 234, and stand beside it. At exactly 7:30 you turn on your shredder and pick up the first piece of paper. [[Shred it.]]

You move to shred the piece of paper, however, you see the article is titled 'The Government eliminates local family who were caught playing restricted board games'. [[Don't get distracted.]] [[Quickly read it and try not to get caught.]]

You shred the newspaper, and pick up the next piece of paper. It is so nice to do something routine. So nice not to have to worry about all of the clutter in life. So nice to have someone else there to sweep it up for you, so you never have to worry. [[Look at the next document.]]

<div class="doc">On Sunday evening Mrs. Nottham of Pillsbury Road reported that she saw the family of three who lived next door to her (names have been forgotten) playing a board game. They were three minutes into the game when the father or mother or child (Nottham doesn't recall whom) became irritated from losing the game. They let out a groan and the other family members laughed. Approximately thirty seconds later, they all disappeared, along with the board game, house and patch of sidewalk with the child's chalk drawings on it.</div> After reading it you shred the paper. THings like thIS are Fake and Not REal, you think. Your mind starts to hurt the more you consider the implications behind that peculiar article. You decide to move on. [[Look at the next document.]]

You let the memory pass without thinking about it and continue on. You shred the crossword and pick up the last piece of paper on your table. It is a photograph. A picture of a strange building with the word 'hospital' on it. What on earth does that word mean? You can't recall. [[Shred the photograph.]] [[Ask your coworker what 'hospital' means.]]

There isn't much you can grasp. It feels as though it happened a very long time ago, but you were the same age as you are now, which is confusing. You and Samantha were sitting at the table in the kitchen. SHe was reading yoU were LooKing at the NEWSpAPer. Samantha? Who is Samantha? I RemEmber I LovE SaMAntha, you think. Samantha doesn't exist. Yes, Samantha doesn't exsist. Samantha is fake. [[Shred the crossword.]]

The next document is a crossword puzzle. You have a long-forgotten memory of doing one of these puzzles. [[Forget the memory and don't get distracted]] [[Remember.]]

You shred the crossword and pick up the last piece of paper on your table. It is a photograph. A picture of a strange building with the word 'hospital' on it. What on earth does that word mean? You can't recall. [[Shred the photograph.]] [[Ask your coworker what 'hospital' means.]]

You shred the photograph. A bell rings. It is time for your break. [[Go to the breakroom.]]

You turn to the woman beside you. "Excuse me, M'am?" "Yes?" She says. "What does the word 'hospital' mean?" Her eyes search yours, but her expression is blank. "I've never heard of such a thing." She says. The colour disappears from her cheeks. "Oh, oh no." She says. Her mind is somewhere far away. She is remembering. She clutches the table, her body trembles. She starts to cry. Look what you did! You shouldn't ask questions like that in the future, Mr. Brown. Thankfully, your coworker disappears, as does her table and shredder. You vow to never bother people again. A bell rings. It is time for your break. [[Go to the breakroom.]]

You check your schedule. It is 10:00. Time flies when you're having fun! Your schedule reminds you that first you want to pour yourself a cup of water. You remember not to get distracted. [[Pour yourself a cup of water.]] [[Take off your shoes.]]

You pour yourself a cup of water in a small white paper cup. You drink the water and put the cup in the garbage. You look out the window. A jogger is going by. She has long chestnut hair in a ponytail and wears a blue shirt. Samantha. [[Don't get distracted. -> Keep it up]] [[Go outside.]]

You take off your shoes. You are filled with pleasure at the thought of knowing you can control your body. You start to laugh. You cannot remember the last time you laughed. It feels like eternity. You disappear. [[Everything is different.]]

What am I? It is all falling away, like some sort of elaborate contruction being torn to pieces. My eyes burn. Where I am? Am I? I? ? Where? I am in a dark room. The floor is made of cement under my feet. Everything is dark. I feel the wires digging into my temples. My face is no longer clean-shaven, as it was two minutes ago. It feels like some awful dream. I remember who I am. Who I REALLY am. I remember what it is like to have uncorrupted thoughts. Samantha. I need to see Samantha. "Brown." A man's voice speaks from somewhere close by. I think that the room is lit, only I cannot see. "What?" My voice is raspy. "You broke the rules." "No I didn't. I only lived like a normal person should. I felt." "If you broke the rules you are not a normal person." "Where is Samantha?" "Samantha is in her cubicle. She is happy." This enrages me. I need to see her. I can't die without seeing her. I try to stand up, but my wrists are bound to the arms of the chair. "Samantha is NOT happy! She is just like everyone else in that place now. You made her average! Why can't you unplug everyone's wires? Why can't you shut everyone else down and bring them back to reality?" I shout. I know what his answer will be. This is The Government's way. The 'new system'. They plug everyone into a perfect old-fashioned Utopia where you don't see the smog and the sadness and the war. You don't comply? You die. I remember my father. I remember how he tried to fight them, how he wouldn't let them take him to a cubicle. I remember how they stuck a needle into his arm when he punched a doctor in the throat. I remember crying, and being dragged away from him. I remember them making me blind, and waking up in a new bed with a haircut and an alarm going off. I only lived half a day in that world, and yet I have been in this cubicle with these wires on my head for months. "They ARE in reality. The New Reality." The voice says. "A reality where no one feels pain, and no one feels joy, and time moves through molasses." I say as I grit my teeth. "Brown, you are mistaken. The New Reality is heaven." "Perhaps it would be if people weren't put there against their will. Instead, it is a prision. One day, each and every one of those people won't comply, and The Goverment is going to kill them all. And what'll happen to the human race? We will go extinct." "Brown." "Let me see Samantha!" I cry. I hear the doctor come forward. I struggle, I sob, I beg him not to. I feel a sharp sting in my forearm. [[Die]]

You run outside. Your heart pounds as you chase after her. "Wait!" You cry. "Samantha!" She stops, gasping for air, and turns around. "Do I know you?" She looks at you like a stranger. "Yes, i-it's me." Your voice shakes. "Who?" "It's me, my love, it's James." She wrinkles her nose at your words of affection. "Creep." She says. Samantha turns around and jogs away. You drop onto your knees. "Samantha." You whimper. A tear drops onto the grass. And then, you disappear. [[Everything is different.]]

You check your schedule. Next you are supposed to have a conversation with your co-worker. You go to the couch, where an old man sits. [[Say hello.]] [[Ask him what a hospital is.]]

**The End.** a game by amelia mccluskey. thank you for playing!

You say hello to the man. He says hello back. You ask him how his day has been. He says it has been good. He asks you how your day has been. [[Tell him it was good.]] [[Tell him about the strange articles.]] [[Don't reply.]]

"Could you tell me what a hospital is?" You say. The man stares at you. "I don't know." His eyes widen. He breathes heavily. "I remember." He whispers. "They took us." He curls his knees into his chest. "They took me and they took you." His head shakes violently. "I'M GOING TO DIE!" He screams. Then he disappears. Oh dear, Mr. Brown. You cannot just go about asking people questions about things that they aren't allowed to remember! Next on your schedule it tells you to grab something to eat from the vending machine. You go to the vending machine and press a button. Luckily, it doesn't cost you any money. A chocolate bar falls out. You cram it in your mouth. It tastes like absolutely nothing, but you feel satisfied, nonetheless. The bell rings. It is time to go back into the shredding room. [[Go back into the shredding room.]]

He is happy that you had a good day. Next on your schedule it tells you to grab something to eat from the vending machine. You go to the vending machine and press a button. Luckily, it doesn't cost you any money. A chocolate bar falls out. You cram it in your mouth. It tastes like absolutely nothing, but you feel satisfied, nonetheless. The bell rings. It is time to go back into the shredding room. [[Go back into the shredding room.]]

You tell him vaguely about the strange articles. "Well that IS odd." He says. "Fake news these days is awfully strange." He walks away, muttering the word 'fake' over and over again. Next on your schedule it tells you to grab something to eat from the vending machine. You go to the vending machine and press a button. Luckily, it doesn't cost you any money. A chocolate bar falls out. You cram it in your mouth. It tastes like absolutely nothing, but you feel satisfied, nonetheless. The bell rings. It is time to go back into the shredding room. [[Go back into the shredding room.]]

You say nothing and walk away. He gives you a funny look and goes back to looking off into the distance. Next on your schedule it tells you to grab something to eat from the vending machine. You go to the vending machine and press a button. Luckily, it doesn't cost you any money. A chocolate bar falls out. You cram it in your mouth. It tastes like absolutely nothing, but you feel satisfied, nonetheless. The bell rings. It is time to go back into the shredding room. [[Go back into the shredding room.]]

You return to your shredder and stand beside it. You are going to wait until it is 10:30. It is 10:29. [[Wait]]

[[Continue waiting.]]

[[Continue waiting -> Continue waiting2]]

[[Continue waiting ->Go back to your shredder.]] [[Leave.]]

It is now 10:30. You pick up the first assignment. You realise this document is not a single piece of paper but a book. There is nothing underneath it, so it must be your last assignment of the day. [[Look at the book]] [[Shred without looking]]

You walk out of the room. You walk out of the building. You walk onto the street. There is music playing. [[Go to the music.]] [[Go home.]] [[Go back inside.]] [[Cross the road.]]

You go towards the music. Then you see it. An ice cream truck. A real life ice cream truck, like the ones from your childhood. A young boy eats an eyecream, his face blank. You ask the ice cream man for a vanilla cone. You get the cone and are filled with joy. "Doesn't this just warm your heart?" You say to the boy. Tears form in your eyes. "No. Ice cream is cold." The boy says. You shake your head and lick the cone. It tastes of nothing, but you're happy all the same. You are filled with joy. You grin at the man in the truck. You disappear. [[Everything is different.]]

You go across the road. [[Cross back.]]

You go home. [[Go into the kitchen.]] [[Go into the living room.]] [[Go into the bedroom.]] [[Return to work.]]

[[Go back to your shredder.]]

You go into the kitchen and sit at the table for a little while. [[Go into the living room.]] [[Go into the bedroom.]] [[Return to work.]]

You go into the living room and sit on the sofa for a little while. [[Go into the kitchen.]] [[Go into the bedroom.]] [[Return to work.]] [[Go into the living room]]

You go into the bedroom and sit on the bed for a little while. [[Go into the kitchen.]] [[Go into the living room.]] [[Return to work.]]

You return to work. You are late. Everyone is busy shredding their second file. You pick up the first document. You realise it is not a single piece of paper but a book. There is nothing underneath it, so it must be your last assignment of the day. [[Look at the book]] [[Shred without looking]]

You go into the living room and sit on the sofa for a little while. [[Go into the kitchen.]] [[Go into the bedroom.]] [[Return to work.]] [[Go into the bathroom.]]

You go into the bathroom and decide to vomit in the sink. [[Clean it up.]] [[Vomit again.]]

The book is an encyclopedia, full of creatures you've never seen before. Things like an 'elephant' and a 'giraffe'. You rip out every page individually and shred each one. When the bell eventually rings, it is 5:00. Your schedule urges you to go home and make some dinner. [[Go home]] [[Explore work.]]

You rip out each page and shred them, which seems to go on forever. When the bell rings, it is 5:00. Your schedule urges you to go home and make dinner. [[Go home]] [[Explore work.]]

You clean it up and decide to return to work. [[Return to work.]]

You vomit again. You start to feel very lightheaded. You can't see. You can't hear. [[It's all changing.]]

What am I? It is all falling away, like some sort of elaborate contruction being torn to pieces. My eyes burn. Where I am? Am I? I? ? Where? The floor is made of cement under my feet. Everything is dark. I feel the wires digging into my temples. My face is no longer clean-shaven, as it was two minutes ago. It feels like some awful dream. I remember who I am. Who I REALLY am. I remember what it is like to have uncorrupted thoughts. I open my eyes. I still can't see. I remember they blinded me. They didn't blind me fast enough to not see my father be killed. If they had made me deaf I wouldn't have known that my mother was killed soon after. I try to stand up, but my wrists are bound to the chair arms. I struggle, and slowly begin to wriggle free. I gather there is no one in the room, or they would've stopped me by now. I slide my arms out and rub them. They feel bruised and raw. There is something lodged in my wrist. A drip. I rip it out. I remember Samantha. I need to see Samantha. I get up. I feel my way forward. The cubicle is small, and the walls are cement, just like the floor. There is a monitor by the chair, which is beeping quickly. I pull the wires off my head. I reach the door. It is locked, as I expected. I hear footsteps. [[Hide.]] [[Prepare to fight.]]

[[Go back inside.]] [[Stop in the middle of the road.]]

You stop in the middle of the road. A red car comes barreling towards you. It hits you very hard. You don't feel a thing. Everything goes black. You can't see, you can't hear. [[It's all changing.]]

I stand by the hinges of the door, and when it opens, I hide behind it. The person walks in, and they turn on the light. As they do so, I bolt. I hear them scream when they see I am not in the chair. I am running down the hallways, my arms in front of me. I can only just recall where they took her. They threw her in a cell, then took me left to mine. I remember counting the number of steps. I don't remember how many I took. I turn the corner. I feel along the wall. A door. It is unlocked from the outside, I suppose because the only people who enter are the doctors. I go in. I close the door behind me. I hear slow beeping. [[Move toward the person.]] [[Don't move.]]

I grasp for something around me that I can fight with, but there is nothing. The door opens. I am standing empty handed in the room. I lunge at the doctor blindly, but they're too fast. They step sideways, and before I can think, a sharp cold sting sears through my forearm. I feel myself fall. [[Die]]

I move forward. I touch her face. It's Samantha. She is breathing lightly. I don't know how to wake her. [[Rip out the head wires.]] [[Pull out the drip.]]

I wait. I don't know why I'm waiting, because I'm sure this is Samantha's cubicle, but I do. I hear footsteps. The door opens. The doctor has found me. "Here he is." A voice says. "I told you, all we had to do was follow the trail of blood." The other chuckles. A hand firmly takes me by the wrist. I scream. A cold, sharp needle pierces my vein. [[Die]]

She starts to breathe more heavily. "Samantha?" "Jeffrey?" I can hear her panicking. "It's okay. You're back. I'm getting us out of here." "Oh, Jeffrey! I forgot this all existed!" She breathes deeply, calming herself. "We have to escape." I say quickly. "Can you wriggle out of the chair?" "Maybe." I hear her moving. "It's so hard to do anything blind." "We'll get used to it." She stands up, she touches my face. "Oh, Jeffery, it really is you." "Let's go." I say. I rip the drip out of her arm and take her hand. I feel the ring on her finger, and it feels my heart with a familiar warmth. We go through the open door, closing it behind us, and stumble down the halls. Footsteps are getting closer. "They're nearly at the doors." A voice says. The footsteps get louder and faster. [[Open the door.]]

I pull up the drip. She stops breathing. The machine lets out a low, long beep. What have I done? What have I? What? ? I hear footsteps. It doesn't matter. None of it matters. What have I done? The door opens. The doctor has found me. "Here he is." A voice says. "I told you, all we had to do was follow the trail of blood." The other chuckles. "Oh look, he unplugged her." What? A hand firmly takes me by the wrist. I hear fumbling. "There we go." Samantha's machine starts so slowly beep again. I scream. A cold, sharp needle pierces my vein. . . . [[Die]]

You are sitting at your computer. Enjoying a simulation about a simulation inside a simulation. [[You click this sentence with your mouse. -> Die]]

**The End.** a game by amelia mccluskey. thank you for playing!

You leave the shredding room and walk into the hallway. At one end of the hall is the front door that leads to the streets outside, at the other is the breakroom. All along the sides are other doors. [[Open one.]] [[Go home]]

Once you get home you get yourself some dinner. You eat a bowl of macaroni and sit in front of the tv, watching the static. When you have finished your meal, you stand up, unsure what to do. [[Put the bowl in the dishwasher.]] [[Go to bed.]]

You open a door only to realise that there is nothing behind it, only a wall. You open the next, and the next, and see that they are all the same. How could this be?! You're working for The Government! There has to be more than the Shredding Wing. You shake your head, full of confusion, and walk towards the front doors. [[Go home]]

You put the bowl in the dishwasher. [[Go to bed.]]

Goodnight Mr. Brown. Tommorow will be a new day. [[Wake up]]