When Our Time Stops (On-hold)

1

I had just returned to the city after a week-long solo camping trip. I was so stressed out at work that I decided to take a quick break. I frequently go solo camping, but this time I stayed in a mountain for a week. It's difficult because it's like turning off the entire world around me. There is no phone signal up there, so I can only contact the rangers at the bottom of the mountain. I lost contact with them two days ago, thinking it was a signal issue, but when I went down to their cabin, it was empty.

My phone began receiving messages and missed calls that I had received while my signal was down. When I get close to the city, I pull over right behind a car and pull out my phone to see how many messages I have. When I look up at the signal, it's quite unstable, which is unusual.

I look up to see that the car in front of me has turned off its engine. When I look at the other cars in front of me, they are all turned off. I take off my seatbelt and open the door. There are no cars coming this way, so I look behind me. Except for mine, it appears that every car entering the city has its engine turned off.

When I see what's ahead, I take a step closer to the car in front of me and stop walking.

As if there had been a major traffic accident ahead. Some cars have collided with others, some have flipped, and some appear to have caught fire because they are all burned out. What the hell is going on?

I take my phone from my pocket and search for my mother's phone number in order to call her, but the service was poor and it did not connect. I went through my mother's messages, and she had spammed me with messages that said:

'There is some chaos outside. I 'm trying to figure it out.'

'According to the news, it's some kind of flu, but I don't think it'll be too bad.  We've had a lot of flu over the last few years.'

'I'm not sure if I should be concerned...I can hear our neighbors coughing.'

'I tried going outside to see what was going on, and this is terrifying me.  Some of our neighbors are already concerned because it appears to be a severe case of flu.'

'Lisa, some of our neighbors and my coworkers are dying... This flu is spreading so quickly, and I don't know what to do about it.'

'Baby, don't leave, I got the flu.  It's difficult to breathe, and I just keep coughing. I'm not aware of any treatments or cures.'

'Please remain where you are right now. I solate yourself, stay safe, and know that I love you.'

That was my mother's final message. She sent those messages over the course of a week while I was away. While reading the messages, my hands began to shake. My mind can't process everything I just learned from my mom's message. It's as if time has stopped and I have no idea what I should or can do.

When I look at the emergency message, I see that it is also about the flu. There is no new information, only a warning about the spread of the flu. I approached the driver's seat in front of me, but there was no one inside.

"Hello?" I tried tapping on the window, as if someone else would appear. As I walk towards another car, I let out a shaky breath. I froze once more when I noticed a dead person inside the car. My hand shakes more as fear, sadness, and confusion wash over me.

"What are you doing?" I heard a voice next to me say, "we've been calling you multiple times." I look beside me, but I can't see the woman's face because my vision is blurry due to the tears that want to fall. I look away to wipe my eyes with my sleeves before returning my gaze to the woman beside me.

"Do you not have any mask? It's been a week, you should know that already" Another woman says from a few feet away

"She must've been out of reach. Explains why her car came from outside the city and all the confusion in her face" the girl next to me says

"We should take her in," says the other woman as she approaches my car to look inside.

"Aren't you nice... I am the owner of the house we're staying at, and you seem to have forgotten," she says as she hands me a mask and motions for me to put it on.

"Does the property even recognize you as its owner when we're in the middle of an apocalypse?" asks the woman who has surrounded my car.

"Apocalypse?" I ask, perplexed.

"Oh right... she's unaware. It's a lot to take in, but for now, I need you to drive us back to my house because our car broke down unexpectedly and the house is outside of town," the girl next to me says.

"I need to see my mom... She texted me and I need to make sure she's okay," I said, pulling out my phone with shaky hands.

"Most people inside the city are dead. It's a hard pill to swallow, but it'll sink in more if I say it to you directly. Those who survived either search for their own place or are out there trying to survive," she explained.

"What if my mother is out there?" I wonder.

"What was your last message from your mom?" inquires the woman in my car.

" She told me to isolate myself... She said she had the flu, but what if she survived?"

"No one survives the flu. If you get it, you just get it. I'm sorry for your loss, we all lose someone. I understand you'll dwell on it, but it's been a week... You can't help your mom anymore."

"We can help you find your mother's body if she's in your house, but I recommend you stay with us for the time being... It'll be nighttime soon, and it's never safe out here," the other woman says.

"You make it sound like we're in a zombie apocalypse, but we're not," she says. "It's as simple as getting the flu, coughing and having difficulty breathing, then death. No resurrection or anything, it's just that those who are still alive and infected can still infect you. Those who are dead can also infect you, but the ones who are alive are more dangerous."

"Can you help me in my search for my mom?" I ask.

"Yeah, but help us get home for now. Stay for the night and we'll go tomorrow if you want." I nod my head, causing her to nod as well. "My name is Jisoo, and the woman in your car is Jennie."