American Checkout

Greg feels like anything but a leader today: his 9-year anniversary stocking shelves at Good World, a big box store in the American heartland. He never meant to stay there, but when the recession killed his job as a newspaper columnist, Good World paid rent and child support (but doesn’t guarantee closeness with his teenage sons), and he lost the drive to get out. Now his days are filled with sorting inventory, stocking shelves, dealing with customers and trying to get his career back - and the unshakable feeling that he is being watched. At work, Greg sees the usual crowd: his prankster friend Ron, assistant manager Jacky (known as “frigid bitch”), conspiracy theorist Gloria and a sea of others. Throughout the store are televised messages from Good World CEO Sofia, an all-seeing Orwellian eye. A child of Latin immigrants, she embodies the American Dream. Gloria doesn’t trust it. "Neither should you," she warns. The vibe is off on today’s night shift: Jacky is evasive, Gloria has nothing to say, and Ron isn’t there to gossip. He finds his assigned pallet with 9 boxes and opens the first box to see a message: “Follow the instructions in these boxes, or your children will die.” He opens box #2: “Tell anyone what’s happening, and your oldest dies first.” What follows is a diabolical game that morphs into a terrifying hunt and full-blown anarchy, all in the confines of an American big box store. Who will get out alive?