Quarantine with Alpha

Guidlines

It was a strange night; we didn't hear any dogs and the outside felt calm through the open window. The breeze was soft and darkness suffocated the trees and lake.

The first weekend of lockdown; we could go out for exercise and essential shopping. Shopping was weird with all the arrows and lines and not to forget the endless queues at ASDA. I was out for cleaning products since Anya had already bought grocery for the week. Before it was my turn to walk in to ASDA the security guard asked if I'd like a basket to which I said yes; I watched as he sanitised the basket and offered me hand gel too. Weren't supermarkets cleaning baskets prior to this pandemic?
Inside the store was fairly busy but everyone was instructed to follow strict directions within the store. I headed for the bleach and sanitising section, but all I could find was the overpriced hand gels. How ridiculous! A woman walked past with her basket full of toilet roll but a worker behind her called her and said that customers were only allowed to buy three of each product. Is this what society has come to now?

Since the night I'd met my neighbour I hadn't seen him anymore. He did ask about the lasagna but it was as if he'd forgotten or maybe he was having a laugh. I didn't think so much about it since I'd never even bought the ingredients to make what he'd asked for, not because I didn't want to but I'd just been overwhelmed with my training programme since we'd only been given brief guidelines on what was happening. I felt more relaxed now knowing that I'd be remote learning and be given a proper timetable.  University was officially closed but online learning was starting in a week, that gave me plenty of time to rest and digest the current situation.
"Sorry-" I'd completely walked into another customer being lost in my train of thoughts. It was silly that all this was beginning to take an effect on my mental state. Walking away, I fumbled with my car keys until I'd gotten everything I needed and paid so I could get out. Instead of driving home I drove deeper into the forest behind my apartment and parked right outside of the Lake District. The scenery was breathtaking and so quiet, although this space was open to the public, I only ever saw people from the apartments nearby come here for a jog or picnic, there was hardly any strangers.
"Sophia?" I turned towards the voice, it was Wang Yu. "Eyes are over here-" he waved in my face and I felt my cheeks flush bright red - was that even possible with my olive skin... well my cheeks were burning! Wang Yu was dressed in shorts and a grey vest, why would he dress like that! It's March, hardly summer! I looked down at my own sweats and oversized marvel t-shirt and felt myself flushing again.
"Are you ok?" I looked up again, startled.
"Yes, how creepy are you walking up on me like that!" I sputtered.
"Don't be mad at me, I'm the one who caught you staring..."
"I was just startled! What are you doing here?"
"Yeah yeah, what are YOU doing here?"
"I asked first, hey why do you always answer my questions with more questions?"
"I'm patrolling,"
"What do you mean? Are you a police officer?"
"Let's go for a jog just over there and back." He pointed towards the trees which were steering away from the gravel path.
I began sprinting as fast as I could but he sped past me and back whilst I was still running towards the trees. I froze and faced him with my mouth open.
"What!" I shouted. He walked closer and pushed my jaw up.
"I'm quite the Olympic aren't I? Come on try this time!" I trudged behind him still gobsmacked until I felt like I'd slammed into a concrete wall and came to a halt. My hands flew to my head, carding it in pain. I looked up and saw Wang Yu, no wait it wasn't him but it looked like him, almost identical. "What....-" maybe I'd hot my head too hard.
"Why aren't you patrolling? Aren't you on duty?" The body demanded at Wang Yu.
"Calm down, its been quiet all day. Why are you out if it's my duty here?"
"New scent by the lake,"
"It's just Sophia, she lives upstairs."
"No it smelt different, keep a close eye at the lake. Don't get distracted." With that he walked off and almost sneered my way. What a weird person.
"Do you know him?" I turned to Wang Yu who looked like he'd just heard an inside joke.
"That's Mason, he lives in the bottom apartment. Go on, you head back now." With that, Wang Yu sprinted off back towards the trees as I got into my car and headed back to the apartment. It wasn't a long journey, probably a ten minute drive but the path was just long and straight. I parked in the open car park and headed in, Anya was lying down on the sofa watching Netflix.
"Where've you been?"
"Needed cleaning products,"
"Oh my god, I forgot this lockdown is just going to drive your OCD up the wall! Please don't say you're going to clean the whole house..."
"Ummm and what?"
"I hate you when you're cleaning, I'll be in my room until you're done!"
"That'll be all day you slob! Anyway, do you want to go for a run this evening? I went to the back lake and it's gorgeous, would be nice running there before sunset."
"Yeah just tell me when to get ready, I'll be sorting my files anyway, and pleaseee cook some lasagna, I've been craving it since you made it last time."
"Okay, tonight."
During my cleaning spree I always open up the front and back door as well as every window in the apartment, it was habitual but the fresh air let all the dust out. After my spring clean I turned on all the humidifiers and noticed it was now four in the evening, the sun was setting around six today luckily. I went to get get dressed in some gym clothes and called Anya, we both headed out on foot towards the Lake District. It was nice, the air was cool and our bodies were already sweating.
"Hey, I'll race you to those trees" I pointed at the course Wang Yu had shown me in the morning. We both sprinted, Anya falling behind and I ran and ran until I'd reached the darker side of the trees. I could hear Anya call out saying it's not fair that I'd known the route already, I laughed and turned to make my way back. Before sprinting back a slight movement in the corner of my eye captured my attention. Anya was too far so it wasn't her, my head followed suite of my eyes and landed on a dog, no it looked like a bear . Do bears live near water? My mind was running but my body was frozen. If I walked would it see me? Bears aren't blind you dumb ass!
"Sophia! I'm heading back it's getting dark come on! I'm not running all that way to you!" Anya called out for me but I couldn't move.