Chapter Text
The alert came swiftly, blaring from every screen in the city
New York City Is Under Intense Quarantine. The Spread Of The Deadly Virus Commonly Known As Influenza X Has Become A National Hazard. Stay Safe. Follow The Rules Of The Quarantine. This Will Pass More Efficiently If We Remain Calm
I looked over my two friends Maria and Alexander that I was walking with. “Does this mean school is cancelled?” Maria asked while me and Alex glared at her, wondering how she could be so small minded “We’re literally in the middle of a quarantine for a deadly virus- and you’re worried about whether or not we have school?!” I said “Well yeah- no school would be awesome, I’ve got a test on Monday” Maria added
“Again- QUARANTINE FOR A DEADLY VIRUS” I drilled into her head, causing her to roll her eyes “Oh whatever, it’s just the flu” she pressed while crossing her arms as if to challenge me “Yeah, A flu that has killed thousands of people so far” I shot back “Oh lighten up, they’ve got it under control, and we have technology” Maria shot back, clearly done with the argument
“WILL BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP?!” Alex asked and we all stopped walking after his request. We’d been walking around downtown and had already begun to notice the changes in people’s behavior. People stayed away from us, with many wearing masks wearing masks which wasn’t entirely new. It seemed police were everywhere, keeping a close eye and making sure that people didn’t get too close. “You two need to seriously chill the fuck out. That party is next week and I am not letting any ‘Quarantine’ stop me from going” Maria spat out
“Fine, it’s your own funeral” I shrugged and kept walking, pissed off by Maria’s stubbornness “Bitch you can’t just say that!” Maria called and chased after me “Oh god grief- will both of you stop acting like children!?” Alex called after us and grudgingly chased us down the street. I ran as fast as I could but Maria was quicker and had soon caught up to me with Alex not too far behind.
We all caught our breaths and looked around, which was when we heard the sirens. We decided to investigate after a brief argument
between the 3 of us and what we came across was enough to make my stomach churn. There had been a car accident after someone who presumably had been sick collapsed, resulting in a severe car pile up. There were no survivors. The police saw us and threatened to reach for their weapons even though we were still several feet away “Where are your masks. By rules of the Quarantine every citizen is required to wear a mask when going out” the head cop asked
We all raised our hands instinctively to show that we had nothing to hide “We just got out of school, and we just found out about the quarantine a few minutes ago” Alex covered for us and the police relaxed “Alright we’ll let this slide, but get masks ASAP” the female cop implored and we nodded before turning back towards the school to go away from the crash site
“Holy shit- guys they just threatened to pull their guns on us” Maria said. Alex and I shrugged, not really bothered by the encounter “Follow the rules” I said and Maria groaned “You’re no fun” she said “Just trying to survive” I said then turned down the street that would take me across the river “Where are you going?” Alex asked “I’m walking home- what does it look like? With the subways likely closed I gotta get to my house on my own” I said “Alright but be safe!” Alex called I nodded to him then crossed the bridge, popping in my earbuds as I did so
It was a long walk home but I needed the alone time where I could gather my thoughts. I would be alone during this as my older brother who was studying abroad in France would likely be stuck there until the Quarantine was lifted, which who knew how long it would take. I was lucky though, because my brother had been studying medicine, which I was also planning on majoring in so I knew how to keep myself safe and healthy, though I couldn’t help but he anxious as my brother would be on the front lines of this whole thing
I threw my backpack onto the floor then plopped on the couch and grabbed my phone, scrolling through my notifications as I settled down. Since January when this hell show started I’ve met people all around the country and even some across seas to help us all keep track of the
spread of the virus. I went to one of the chats and sat back as the people on were arguing what would’ve probably been something stupid
//Jesus Christ you guys- will you calm down?// I finally added after watching the shitshow go down getting a big fat //NO// as the most common response. //*sigh* My city just got put under quarantine, and there was an accident with someone sick// I replied //Major crash//. //Shit girl- I’m sorry// //Be safe// //Yay I’m not the only one in quarantine!// //I’m alone at my place, my brother is still in France so this whole thing will be a bit harder for me, though my idiot friends are most likely going to a college party next weekend// //wtf??//
//yo- they shouldn’t do that// //yeah I know, but they won’t listen. Even my friend Alex who's the voice of reason won't listen to well.. reason// //well you better not go bitch// // I’m not that stupid, besides, first opportunity if one even pops up, I’m flying to Paris to meet up with my brother// //Shit girl your brother is in Paris?!// //how did he even get there??// //by plane-// //well no shit- i meant with the virus//
//he left a few days ago before the quarantine went up// //ohhhhhh// //anyways i gotta go get a mask, i just had 2 police threaten to pull guns out on me// //shit man you ok?!// //they can’t do that!!// //well technically they can-// //oh whatever, America is messed up// //yes it is, anyways I’ll see y’all later// //Be safe!!// //Byeeee//
I logged off and sighed then began my search for a mask, praying that I didn’t have to go out to buy some. I wished for a heavier duty one, but all we had were typical hospital ones which would have to work, plus I didn’t wanna get caught without a mask and cause another run in with the police. I turned on some music and blasted it to try and lighten the mood before turning on the TV to watch the news
“Doctors have discovered the most common form of transmission is through the air, so the CDC has implored everyone to wear masks-” I switched channels since I already had a feeling about that and wanted to try and find something else “Scientists say there are other ways that the virus can spread such as through bodily fluids-” I groaned before switching again, was there any one answer to how this thing works?
“Here is a live map for the amount of cases and deaths caused by the virus” I sighed as I finally found something worth my time before taking a look at the map to see that it covered much of the United states and some parts of Asia and africa. South America was getting obliterated which makes sense since that’s where Patient Zero reportedly was, but Europe seemed to be holding out for the most part. I sighed and turned off the tv after a long look at the map “damn virus- taking over everything” I muttered before deciding just to listen to my music and just pray that this hell show would be over soon