Mutually Assured Attraction Part 1

"... you can call now or visit any of these official distributors," A list of store locations flashes up on the screen. One of the locations is near the plant Max worked at. Perhaps he could hit on the hippy chicks that shop there. At the very least they would know where to score some pot. Max laughs to himself at the thought before a wave of nausea washes over him and he begins a desperate sprint for the bathroom.

*** Never Drinking Again

Max stares at the ground through his sunglasses. The bell-ringer in his head would stay quiet as long as he didn't look at anything bright, like the sun or any lights. Somehow he had made it into work today and survived until lunch, although he now resembled some form of long-dead zombie.

Despite the immense, painful effort required to move, Max has resolved to use his lunch break to try to get some variety of hangover cure from the mall near his work. Max continues his trudging around the mall looking for the pharmacist, only looking up to check store names. The mall is unusually full today, causing him to bash into other shoppers as he walked.

Just as Max is beginning to think he wouldn't find anything suitable, something catches his eye. He is standing in front of a strange black-walled shop. A black sign hangs over the entrance to the shop with bright, illegible pink writing that almost looks like English, but is not discernible to Max. Against his better judgement, Max enters the store.

Walking through the store's front entrance, Max immediately notices the contents of the store. Bizarre crystals and mystical symbols hang throughout and a strange fragrance permeates the air. This must be the store that sells the hippy bullshit from the television last night. Perhaps they sell something for hangovers.

Max's hopes are low and he peruses the shop quickly, but his eye is caught by shelves full of vials containing strange-coloured liquids. He walks over towards them and notices the labels with strange names attached to the vials: "Enlightenment Serum", "Liquid Esteem", "Steel Member", "Girl of your Dreams"