YOU ARRIVE AT THE MARKET

The umbrella connects with a satisfying THWACK! and the flaming squirrel goes tumbling off into the roadside ditch, still blazing like a tiny comet. You quickly roll up the window and try to peer through the streaked, rubber-smeared windshield.

You’ll need to deal with this mess—maybe the ice scraper in the trunk, or that utility knife in the glove compartment could scrape off the molten rubber. And definitely a new windshield wiper. Add it to the growing list.

Maple Ridge Drive stretches ahead, leading straight to Brookfield Market where Channel 7 reported people were gathering before the evacuation. You blow through a red light without even slowing—there’s literally no other traffic anywhere. It’s like the world just… emptied out.

Your dashboard glows: 3 MILES REMAINING.

Then you see it up ahead—the familiar green and white Brookfield Market sign. And there are cars!

But as you pull into the lot, you notice something unsettling. The cars are just… sitting there. This store should be full, but there are maybe only a dozen vehicles scattered across the parking lot. No movement around them. The store’s glass doors are closed and the store is well lit and inviting.

You face an immediate choice:

The store’s gas station is right next door, its pumps standing ready. Three miles of gas left might get you out of town, but it will certainly leave you stranded. Do you do this first?

Or do you investigate the store? Those cars belong to someone—surely people are inside. Maybe they know what’s happening with the evacuation. You need supplies anyway: food, water, a new windshield wiper, something to scrape off this rubber mess.

But every minute you spend deciding is a minute you’re not moving. And behind you, that neighborhood full of gasoline-drinking, fire-prone squirrels is still out there…

Gas first for a quick escape, or check the store for survivors and supplies?