Tenth Shift.

Even at first glance, the rusted doors that open up into the dreaded meat department sends a sense of foreboding  down the spines of any who dare look in it's general direction.

The effigy of all that sins. Damned there are those who've displeased the store's benefactors or have somehow stumbled upon sensitive information that they do not wish to have leaked to the public.

Those who become damned to spend their days within the meat department are cursed to become 'meatsacks'. Hollowed bestial creatures that are more meat than man.

The transformation process that afflicts the employees working in the meat department is known as 'The Meatening'. In which the victim's flesh melts off of their body and is replaced by refuse meat by products, usually to such a degree that they will double, even triple in size. Becoming monstrous behemoths with little left that would identify that it was once human.

They say the store's most darkest secrets are hidden away deep within the bowels of the meat department. And many who have wandered in there who doesn't work in that department are never seen again.

And so four brave (Or utterly stupid) employees set forth into this desolate land. Tourniquet, Ear Ache, Cutter and Jimmy. Together they will venture farther than any employee has gone before. and recover the secret to the most darkest secret this store has to offer!

And so we join our heroes as Tourniquet asks one very vital question.

"And WHY are we bringing Jimmy along with us again?" He asks with an annoyed look pasted upon his face. Cutter laughs, "Plot development of course!"

And with that suddenly a giant meaty arm bursts out from the depths of the mountainous pile of pig feet they were currently scaling, wrapping it's razored claws around poor Jimmy''s throat.

Jimmy simply squeaks in terror before being dragged towards the horrific death that obviously awaited him.

Silence....

Lastly Tourniquet speaks up, "Okay. Can we leave now? I need to go change the next six weeks of pants..."

Ninth Shift

Early into the shift, While hacking babies in half for the coming weekend's half off sale, Tourniquet notices a peculiar sight just out of the corner of his eye.

A man, tall, thin, imposing, was striding through the store on his way towards the Manager's office.

Simply looking at the man sent cold chills up Tourniquet's spinal cord, causing shivers to rack his body and goosebumps to explode all over his skin.

Ear Ache was banging his head against the wall next to him in an attempt to kill a fly that had long since flew away.

Tourniquet pokes his shoulder, "Ear Ache.... Ear Ache!"

Ear Ache stops bashing his skull against the slightly dented post and turns to look at Tourniquet, his eyeball slightly lolling.

"Bunnies?"

Tourniquet points at the man, "Who the hell is that guy?" He asks and Cutter walks out from the Barbie aisle.

"The guy is none other than the store proprietor's son. He comes in here every other week to check up on the going ons and seeing where we stand on the global market. He also likes the coffee here."

Tourniquet leans over to Ear Ache, "Since when has Cutter started hanging out with us?" He queries curiously and Ear Ache shrugs, "I don't really know, I just work here." He replies and Tourniquet nods.

After a second Tourniquet's eyes widen and he looks back at Ear Ache, "What did you just say?!?!?!?" He gasps and Ear Ache licks his eye, "Hehe bunnies." He giggles.

Cutter jumps right into Tourniquet's face, his long beakish nose barely scraping Tourniquet's.

"DO YOU WANT TO KNOW EXACTLY WHO OUR OWNER IS!?!?!?!?" He shrieks and Tourniquet stutters, "Umm...uhhh... not really..."

"DO YOU WANNA KNOW!?!?!?!?!" Cutter's eye twitches and leans in until they're eyes are barely touching.

"Okay okay okay I want to know." Tourniquet shouts, his heart beating out of his chest in fear.

Cutter stands tall with a triumphant smirk peeling apart his chapped lips. "Then we must hurry!" He shouts, "For this shift is short, and the journey before us shall be long and arduous!" Cutter theatrically raises his finger towards the sky, "Tonight we shall uncover the truth behind this store's deepest, darkest secrets!" He looks right into Tourniquet's eyes with such intensity, Tourniquet felt a few veins burst.

"Tonight, we journey into.......

The meat department."

Eighth Shift

Navigating through the maze-esque 'employee's only' area would reveal a faint voice. And following that faint voice to the source would reveal the meating room, where most of the graveyard shift were perched sleepily upon rickety chairs, their attention somewhat aimed towards the voice speaking clearly and loudly before them.

The manager was showing schematics for current sales and holiday predictions ratios. While also including official statements inciting the following callbacks for potentially harmless items.

But right now, the manager was introducing the new repertoire of items that Ever Mart has excitedly added to it's many rusting shelves.

"Now employees, this next item is a particular favorite," the manager explains and holds up a small packet reminiscent of Kool-Aid packets.

"This is Dryer's Brand Powdered Water." She introduces with an extravagant hand gesture.

Tourniquet's eyebrow raises and his hand is thrust high into the air.

The manager, already having gotten used to Tourniquet's obviously mentally challenged questions, simply sighed, "Yes Tourniquet?"

"Umm yeah, exactly how does the whole 'powdered water' thing work?" Tourniquet asks with squinted eyes and the manager smiles, "Good question, now all you got to do is add water!" She declares.

Even Ear Ache was scratching his head. "Powdered water..... just add water.... to get.... water?" He stutters and his eye twitch's. Tourniquet pats his shoulder, "Your power of understanding is baffling my dear friend."

Unperturbed, the manager sets the item aside and grabs the next one.

"Now this next addition is extremely nifty." she begins.

"And by 'nifty' you mean 'completely useless'?" Tourniquet asks and the manager just looks at him a long, uncomfortable moment before finally continuing.

"Now this," She holds up a box of what could most probably be a box of tissues. "Is Flem's Brand Edible Tissues. Extremely useful when you blow your nose and then realize that there is no waste basket around!"

This time Cutter is forced to raise his hand.

"Yes Cutter?" She asks warily and he stands up.

"I'm making bagels." He announces proudly.

Silence.

"Umm....... okay....... Now this last item is an amazing invention." She holds up a small microwave dinner. "Behold! The newest innovation to quick and easy meals for home! Self-Chewing Food!" She proclaims and many are in shock and awe.

With Tourniquet's hand was waving like a helicopter blade in the back.

"Grrr, what is it THIS TIME Tourniquet?" She spits venomously and the shaking Tourniquet stands up, "Can I ask what the advertising is going to be?"

The manager blushes, "Well, it's still in need of improvement, but for now the ad will say 'Cummin's Brand Self-Chewing Micro Meals' with the slogan, 'All you've got to do is swallow'."

Tourniquet just stands there.

"I...... really don't need to say anything do I? It sort of condemns itself doesn't it?" He says, slightly lost.

Suddenly the fire alarms start blaring and smoke begins to billow in from the other room. Cutter bounces to his feet with a gleeful laugh, "Bagels are done!"

Seventh Shift.

Tourniquet was taking a delightful stroll through the store during one of his ill-gotten breaks.

"Ear Ache will be fine handling that box compactor by himself. I mean how complicated could it possibly be for him?" Tourniquet thinks to himself.

He stops in his tracks as an enormous explosion erupts behind him.

The intercom comes to life in a panic.

"Emergency in the compactor room! Emergency in the compactor room! Seriously who the fuck tries to make a grilled cheese with propane tanks and a compactor?!?!?! Emergency in the compactor room!"

Tourniquet adds a little more speed to his steps and starts heading away from the commotion. And instead stumbles upon Cutter greeting people at the front door.

"Hello there little girl..." He coos at the child who giggles. "Would you like some candy?" He smiles happily and the little five year nods excitedly.

Cutter's smile degrades and falls off to reveal his rage stricken face and he takes one deep, long breath,

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He roars into her face. "Go buy your own fucking candy you snot nosed FREAK!"

The little girl just stares at him slack jawed for a second before bursting into tears and running after her mother who wasn't bothered by the incident one bit.

Tourniquet walks up and gives Cutter a disdained look. "Picking on little kids again?" He asks and Cutter smiles innocently.

"They're so much fun. I stuck a kid in soda machine earlier and made his sister spend seventy-five cents to have him dispensed." He proudly says and Tourniquet shakes his head.

"Sometimes I wonder why they haven't carted you out of here yet." He muses and Cutter's face splits open in a malicious smile. "Oh they tried. But I nibbled off the straight-jacket peoples toes and drove the ambulance into the side of a Denny's. They haven't tried again since..." He chuckles.

Tourniquet raises an eyebrow. "They said that was a terrorist attack....."

Suddenly Cutter's jaw drops and his eyes center upon a doctor entering the store. "YOU!!!" Cutter screams and rushes forward, throwing his weight into pinning the man into the wall.

"What the hell?!?!" the man shouts and Cutter screams the intro to the twilight zone. Tourniquet runs up beside him. "Dude what are you doing!?" He shouts and Cutter's head twists around to face him. "It's HIM Tourney, it's HIM!" He screams and Tourniquet grimaces. "Please don't call me that." he replies sourly

"Seriously guys this is NOT proper customer service!" The man squeaks and Cutter focuses upon him again, "Silence you asylum spy!!!!" He roars and the man looks at him quizzically. "What?"

Tourniquet looks between the two of them. "This is better than television." He chuckles.

"I'm not a spy!" The man screams and Cutter rolls his eyes. "Yeeeaaaah right, that's what the last guy said." Tourniquet leans in and whispers, "Umm the last guy was telling the truth..."

"Yeah!... Well this isn't that guy! Isn't that right..... Jimmy!?!?" Cutter screams and aptly rips the man's head off, expecting it to be a mask.

Blood explodes everywhere in a horrific flood and continues to spurt out as the head is completely severed from the body.Cutter grows silent and releases his grip, letting the body and head to fall lifeless to the ground, still oozing rivers of blood.

A moment of terrified silence ensues.

"........umm. I don't think that was..." Tourniquet trails off and Cutter sighs, "Dammit not again...."

Sixth Shift

Tourniquet was standing idly by the front door, anxiously awaiting Ear Ache to arrive so that they can start yet another night's work.

The static consumed intercom wheezes to life, "Can I get the manager to Sporting goods. Manager to sporting goods. Also, John Benjamin, the baby's yours."

As a horrified scream echoes through the store, Tourniquet sees Ear Ache being dropped off by his father, the eccentric Doctor Prostate.

The Doctor was a tiny little goblin compared to the behemoth that was somehow Ear Ache. He barely stood passed his creation's waist.

"Family eh?" Cutter says suddenly and Tourniquet feels his heart explode out of his eyes. Yet somehow he miraculously remained completely still in front of the madman.

Ear Ache hugs his father goodbye before stumbling on over and taking his place next to Tourniquet like a strange, eight hundred pound, hairless puppy while Tourniquet shrugs, "Never had one."

Then looking at Cutter, he continues, "You?" Cutter thinks for a moment, "Had a mother." He says and Tourniquet waits a long moment before realizing Cutter wasn't going to continue.

"And?..." he asks.

"Well apparently she wanted me to stay awake twenty four hours a day, reply to heinous texts from my sleep, cut off my dick, become a girl, quit my job, share her exact same beliefs, stay at home, and sit around the house all day ranting about the evils of men while scrapbooking and religiously watching The View."

Tourniquet's eyes widen. "Wow...." and almost too afraid to ask... "What did you do?"

Cutter smiles that wicked smile, "I cut her head off and used it as a makeshift lantern for when I explore the meat department." 

Tourniquet stands there at a complete loss for words.

"Wanna see it?" Cutter then asks eagerly. "Umm no thanks." Tourniquet replies quickly. "Heh, your loss." Cutter chuckles and then wanders off on his merry, insane, way.

"I like The View." Ear Ache smiles.

Fifth Shift.

The first rays of sunlight were peeking just above the jagged horizon. Eating away at the edges of the quickly retreating darkness, and replacing it with the first decrepit rays of light.

Victims were starting to pour in by the masses. Taking the dreary new day in stride to complete errands of all shapes and sizes.

And all the employees were slowly finishing up the last of their tasks and shuffling off to clock out, and thusly head home to the comfort of their cozy coffins.

Tourniquet and Ear Ache were two such employees. Shambling towards that rusty old timeclock that hung ever so loosely from the wormy wall it was impaled too.

Unfortunately, a horrid sound did thus strike their ears, piercing their eardrums with the high pitched squeals emanating from a young baby's mouth as it was fruitlessly being shook and cooed at by it's mother.

This horrific event drug on from seconds into minutes before lasting the apparent father walks up and sticks his thumb in the thing's mouth.

"See that is why I don't ever want to have children..." Tourniquet says with a scowl.

A passing employee smiles a straggle tooth  grin, "That's why I eat 'em."

Tourniquet smirks. "That too." And continues on his way with Ear Ache somehow getting lost in the women's intimates department.

"He'll be fine." Tourniquet says to himself before an ear splitting shriek sounds out behind him and he adds a bit more speed to his steps.

Moments later, and obvious incident diverted, Tourniquet smiles at himself as he finally clocks out after a long hard night of work and starts looking forward to the comfort of his cozy coffin.

With a flick of his wrist he throws on his cloak and thus turns to leave.

But before him stood a scraggly looking man. His eyes staring directly at Tourniquet, completely devoid of any life or competence.

Unnerved, Tourniquet then realizes the man's lips were moving...

"You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave..."

Tourniquet's eyes widen, his heart rate quickening with each frightened breath, "I... I can't?" He gasps.

The man blinks in surprise, then pops out his earphones, the sounds of the Eagles obviously emanating from the minuscule speakers, "Did you say something?"

Fourth Shift.

"It is a fun fact that during the holidays, sales within the suicide department spike drastically. Hence why we tend to assign more employees to stock that section during those months."

Employee meatings...

Tourniquet tries not to snore as he drifts in and out of sleep, caught between this heinous reality, and being snugly set between two very fine ghouls in dreamland.

Ear Ache bumbles up next to him. Stopping and then staring at him intently.

A long moment transpires...

"Whaaaaat?" Tourniquet grumbles and Ear Ache leans into his ear, "I can hear my hair moving...."

Tourniquet sighs, "Good for you." Then drifts back off into thought before furrowing his brow, "But Ear Ache... You don't even have hair..."

A raspy, unsettling breath replies "exactly..."

Tourniquet curiously opens an eye and casts it's stare over at Ear Ache to reveal a struggling raccoon duct taped to his head.

".... I.... I just.... I can't...." He stammers, at a loss for words and Ear Ache smiles that disturbing, toothy grin.

The manager continues unperturbed, "We consist of 665 hard working employees that span a wide variety of jobs and positions with Every-Mart..."

Tourniquet's ears perk up at that comment and his hand is thrust high into the air, "Why not hire one more person?" He laughs with that mischievous smirk playing like a playground full of demons across his face.

The manager scowls, "Every-Mart is a family oriented place, and we do not want people to start thinking that we have affiliations to Hell or Satan. Now let's wrap this meeting up I need you to go restock the crucifixes in the toy department, we're running low."

Third Shift.

The store was bustling with un-life as employees and victims alike shuffled around hopelessly aimed at completing the pitiful tasks set before them.

From collecting groceries to organizing shelves not one soul was saved.

Meanwhile overhead, the static ridden intercom crackles to life.

"Attention victims, if you own the blood stained minivan with the baby strapped to the tailgate, you left your lights on."

Tourniquet snickers, who in their right mind would have their lights on in the first place?

Now Tourniquet returns to unpacking an ungodly amount of toilet paper with Ear Ache miraculously assisting him.

From out of the corner of his eye he spies a victim rolling her hearse haphazardly down the aisle towards them.

She reaches out a clawed talon and picks up a particular brand.

"Angel soft.... such a sickening name..." She spits and crinkles her nose in disgust.

"Well the name helps promote what your arse will feel like after you use it." Tourniquet informs her wearily.

"Well couldn't they have used something a little less... holy?" She replies sourly and Tourniquet shrugs.

"Well what would you like it to be called? Arse Rape?" Tourniquet chuckles and mocks making a call, "Hey hun, can you get Arse Rape on the way home? haha."

The ghoul stays utterly silent in response to his utter stupidity.

"Hey come on that was funny! Right Ear Ache?" Ear Ache looks intently at Tourniquet, one eye slowly trailing off to the side. "Heheh, Bunnehs." He responds happily.

Tourniquet looks back at the ghoul, "Umm yeah, I like to assume that he's saying yes..."

Second Shift.

The lack of employees working the floor was one of many signs that the lunch hour had commenced with full force.

The majority of employees were huddled close together like rotting sardines in a too-small lunch room. Exchanging the latest gossip or casting off colored jokes around like cheap confetti.

Meanwhile, Tourniquet had taken to inhabiting the electronics department.

Knowing that he was now on the verge of owning money again, Tourniquet found himself standing in the videogame aisle, during lunch, looking over all the games he wanted and whispering "Soon my pretties...."

Suddenly a commotion from the aisle over catches his attention and he finds himself drawn towards the noise.

Standing before him was Cutter. A man of such insane repute you'd wonder how he even managed to get through the front door of this strict establishment.

Some sources claim that he does not even work in Every-Mart. But in fact he is an escapee from the nearby insane asylum who's made this damned place his home.

If he's not screaming at innocent victims, sleeping in public restrooms, or loading shelves, you can usually find him wandering the aisles, stroking his razor knife whispering "I like pointy things..."

Now the situation at hand was a strange one, Cutter stood dramatically before two remorseful teen beauties. They had nothing about them that would make them out to be the cause of such a conflict.

Except for they weren't wearing shoes.

"No shirt. No shoes. NO SERVICE!!!!!!" Cutter shrieks and points a long ragged finger at the two shoeless ghouls.

The pretty one with raven hair smirks, "Who needs shoes when we've got boobs?"

Her blonde companion nods in eager agreement.

Cutter just stands there, mouth hanging open, looking like an idiot in the face of such smooth retaliation.

Tourniquet slowly reaches out and pokes Cutter's arm, his eyes cemented upon the raven beauty's chest.

"Dude.... They're not kidding..."

First Shift.

"Here at Every-Mart, we strive to provide our victims with everything they could possibly need for any and all occasions. Hence or slogan,  Your Every Need For Your Every Deed." The many low hanging televisions proclaim audibly while the screens emit pictures of horrific sales and subliminal messaging.

Meanwhile Tourniquet stares adamantly at the cockroach skittering amongst the potato salad in the window of the Deli Department, imagining the delightful feeling of ripping off it's legs one by one...

Suddenly a fist slams down upon the insect, crushing it beneath it's weight and spraying it's juices upon the rest of the potato salad.

The employee responsible then raises his bug-spattered fist and smiles and, leaving the defiled potato salad untouched, walks away, licking the remains of the roach from off his putrid claw.

Tourniquet sighs and turns back to his current task.

Now Tourniquet was loading the shelves of the paper department with many miscellaneous bath tissues and toiletries, making sure they looked nice, disposing the emptied boxes and then starting the process again on the next shelf.

Rather repetitious. But it's better than janitorial.... Those bathrooms......

Being his first night though, Tourniquet had been paired up with another, more experienced(?), employee.

And he was known only as Ear-Ache, because he always had a pair of headphones on his head that amplified his rapidly deteriorating hearing... or because he couldn't finish a proper sentence without trailing off on the subject of bunnies or truffles...

Seriously what goes on in that head?

Unfortunately Tourniquet was never the sociable or befriending type.

He had always been the more alienated, black sheep of the community.

So Ear-Ache, as maddening as he was, was Tourniquet's only shadow of a friend here in Every-Mart.

Orientation.

"Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah."

Drool hung idly from Tourniquet's half open mouth. The words spewing from the manager's mouth wandering in one ear and falling out the other.

He and six others sat in uncomfortable metal husks of chairs, the table before them littered with countless forms and waivers, everything lit up in excruiatingly painful flourescence, providing even more pain to the already torturous atmosphere.

"Blah blah blah blah blah."

The words skittering around Tournequet's mind like headless roaches. A quick glance around the dismal room provided the sight that the other five people weren't fairing well either. One was picking his nose. Another scarwling violent words across his paperwork. And another was pulling her teeth out. 

Nobody was safe from this barrage of mental corrosion.

Tourniquet feels a nudge from behind, pulling his attention away from the slow and agonizing death and hopefully into the throes of a subject at least even an iota more interesting.

The man who nudged him was looking at him with feverish eyes. Accentuated only by apparent lifetime of acne scars that made his face home.

"Do you even understand what half of this witch is babbling about? He whispers with an almost ghostly voice.

Tourniquet raises an eyebrow, curious, the thing CAN speak. More astonishing is the fact that he can understand the human language...

"Not at all." was Tourniquet's curt reply.

The man's face slit open with a wolfish grin.

"At least she's hot. Gives me something else to think about while I sit here..." He chuckles and Tourniquet's mouth is distorted with disgust.

What looks like a pig, smells like a pig, and talks like a pig, probably is a pig.

"Blah blah blah blah blah."

A rather ghoulish character sitting across from Tourniquet finally snaps. Screaming, he pulls out a gun, shoves it in his mouth, and aptly proceeds to blow his brains out in a cascading rainbow of reds, blacks and gore.

Speckled with blood, the manager continues, "Blah blah blah and with that let me be the first to welcome you to Every-Mart!"