Short Story - The Virus
It happened on a Tuesday. The year was 2050. The media began reporting on a virus that attacks your lungs and respiratory system. It sounded just like the Corona Virus of 2020. People were terrified. To compensate for Donald Trump’s abysmal response in the past, the government sent everyone into quarantine immediately. The police strictly enforced the lockdown by patrolling the streets with guns. No one would work, no one would leave their homes for any reason. Food and water would be sent to your doorstep. If you fell ill, a medical team would be sent to your home.
But this was only a cover up, the real virus attacked your mind. Quarantine mandates allowed the government to keep everyone contained, and to know exactly where each person was at all times. Food deliveries controlled what people consumed. As a picky eater, I had my own stash of food built up and would only begin eating the delivered food once my supply ran out.
I had been locked inside with my roommate, Katie, in our apartment from the day the virus was declared a pandemic. For about a week it was fun. Not having to work, learning to bake sourdough, and watching movies together in our pajamas all day. We talked to our friends and families through video calls every day. But slowly, everyone we knew began acting differently. They got a glazed over look in their eyes, like they were looking through you, not at you. I thought the the isolation was making people go crazy. Strange murders were occurring, unexplained disappearances.
I began blogging about how strange people were acting and how suspicious the government was. Nothing was a coincidence, it was all by design. People from all over the country were reading it, sharing it, and commenting about their own strange experiences. This was a mistake. One day, I turned on my computer to see my blog had been completely removed. In that moment, I felt myself become a target.
My roommate Katie thought I was crazy. She was the type of person to always take things at face value and never expect the worst. I was the opposite. She told me I was paranoid. I had always been a conspiracy theory buff, but this was different. I had seen people change with my own eyes.
Then one day, I woke up and Katie was gone. I searched the whole apartment for her. Katie was never someone to leave without telling me. And she was terrified of the virus. Something was wrong. I called her cellphone, but I heard it vibrating in her room. Now I was certain something was wrong, she would NEVER leave the house without her phone.
I sat on the couch in fear, clutching a baseball bat, staring at the front door. If someone came and took Katie, I had to be next. I shook in fear. Suddenly, I heard the rattle of a key in the door. I sprang up from the couch and hid behind it, as if that would conceal me for long. The lock turned and the door flung open. Silence. I peaked over the side of the couch nervously.
It was Katie. I stood up and ran to her and flung my arms around her.
“Where have you been?” I shouted. “I’ve been so worried about you!”
But Katie just stared at me blankly, her eyes glossy.
“Katie?” I asked quietly. Still, she said nothing. I reached out slowly to touch her face…
Then Katie grabbed me by the arm and threw me to the ground. I screamed and scrambled on my knees to grab the baseball bat on the floor. Katie grabbed the bat before I could and snapped it in half with her bare hands. This was not Katie. I knew the government did something to her. I knew she was trying to kill me.
I hurried to my feet and ran into the kitchen with tears streaming down my face. Katie marched toward me holding the sharp wooden half of the broken baseball bat. I fumbled through the kitchen drawer and grabbed the biggest knife we had. I ran out the apartment door screaming for help. No one was around. I looked in the apartment windows for signs of movement but none even had lights on. I was all alone. Katie continued towards me. I took a deep breath and found my strength. I stood still as Katie got closer. When she was just a few feet from me I lunged at her with the knife. I stabbed her in the chest until she dropped to her knees. Katie was my best friend, but this wasn’t Katie. She was already gone. With tears stinging my eyes I finished her off.
I laid on the pavement next to Katie’s body, trying to catch my breath, shaking and sobbing. I had no one left, but at least I was alive. Then I heard footsteps approaching. I barely had time to sit up and see them before they grabbed me by the arms and dragged me away.
Subject: Luxury Challenge #3 - Jury Duty