Quarantine
Everything was a blur. My mind just went blank. The first thing I remember after being escorted out of my home was being locked in the back of a transfer van with other people. Their faces and how many of them there were I can't remember.
The ride felt as if it dragged on forever. The whole time I felt numb. I wasn't angry, I wasn't sad or scared; I was just.. numb. I felt nothing. I wondered if I ever would feel something again, but for now I couldn't.
After what felt like hours, the van pulled to a stop. Suddenly I could see the world around me again, but it didn't matter to me. Nothing mattered anymore. A woman and her husband sat hand and hand, a dark skinned man sat and stared blankly at the wall, an old lady stared at a picture in her hand. What stuck out to me most was a little girl about Ella's age who sat in the corner barely holding back tears. It was hard for me to imagine the pain her family must be going through and the horror she must be dealing with. She was so young.
For the first time since I left my home I felt something, compassion. My heart broke for this poor little girl who had lost everything. At least Ella still had our mom and dad, but this girl had no one now. I also felt a sense of defensiveness for her, almost like I had to take care of her now. Which I realized was silly because the odds of me even surviving quarantine were practically nonexistent. Yet, I still felt the same.
"What's your name?" I asked her.
She blinked and looked up from her focus- less gaze. "What?"
"I'm Olivia." I smiled. "What's your name?"
She sniffed and looked back downward. "Luciana."
"That's a beautiful name." She gazed intently, not responding. "How old are you?"
"Eight."
"I have a little sister that age." She then looked at me with a look that broke my heart.
The tears welled up in her eyes again. "It's not fair." She wiped her eyes. "Why do the other kids get to stay home when I have to leave?"
I didn't know what to say. There was nothing to say that could make this better. "I- I don't know." I looked at the floor. "It's not fair. I do know that that you will be taken care of here though."
"You don't know that."
She was right; I didn't know that. She clearly knew what was going on, and there was nothing I could do to comfort her. No matter how much I wanted to.
The doors were opened by two men in surgical masks who then ordered us to follow them. We stepped outside to see a massive white building. The bottom floor had large windows that nearly covered the entire walls, but the top twenty something floors had smaller windows dotting the sides of the white walls. The smaller windows likely led to the cells where they would be keeping us. The whole building was perfectly designed. It was clear that the building had been created exactly for this situation.
They led us into the main entrance, which was ironically decorated with plants and fountains to create a peaceful atmosphere. They then separated us into groups by age. I was placed with the other teenagers, a couple of which I recognized from my high school. I didn't know their names, I wish I did now, but I never cared enough before. They then separated us into four more groups and took my group to a large elevator. We crowded in. I was shoulder to should with other people but I still felt alone. Lonelier than I had ever felt before.
The elevator came to a halt at the twelfth floor. The door opened to a guard who instructed us to follow him. I was the last one to be taken to my "room."
The guard and I stopped at an open door. "This is yours." He said. I walked to the doorway and hesitated. Since I likely wouldn't be leaving here again I wanted to stay out as long as possible.
"Just six weeks till quarantine is over." He said with a sense of false optimism in his voice. I assume he realized my fears and wanted to give me something to hold onto. "Then if you are a carrier you get to go back to Earth."
I nodded. 'Get to?' I thought it ironic that somebody who got to stay here and live the rest of his life out without any concern would say I 'get to' go back to earth and fight for survival. If I'm even lucky enough that the disease doesn't kill me.
I walked in and he shut the door behind me. I heard the locks latch, that was it.
It wasn't a big room by any means, but it wasn't tight either. The walls were white. There sat a twin sized cot covered by white blankets. Next to the bed was a small night stand with a reading lamp and an alarm clock. Next to it sat a leather journal with a pen.
On the ceiling was a usual ceiling light, nothing special. A window was on the far wall above the bed; it sat perfectly to where anybody could see through. It wasn't huge but it was big enough.
On the other side of the room there was a small, open bathroom. The door was painted grey. There was an opening at the bottom likely where I would get food from. At eye level there was a small glass window that allowed me to see the hallway outside my room.
Next to the door a piece of paper was posted. It read: "Welcome valued citizens of New Eden. We would like to sincerely apologize for your situation. We would also like to remind you of the great importance and thank you for your sacrifice. We will be in contact with your families concerning your well being.
"On your night stand a note book and pen are provided to use as you please. The lights will be turned off every night at 9:00 but a lamp is provided also on the night stand.
"If you have any requests or complaints please leave a note on the next meal tray provided.
"Meal times are 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 5:30 PM. Once again, thank you for your sacrifice and please enjoy your time here."
I scoffed. Thanks for wishing me well I guess.
"Might as well get comfortable." I murmured and sat down on the bed. I didn't feel numb anymore, I was angry. Not just because I was stuck here but because instead of trying harder to find a cure, the Head Council decided to lock us up here to die.
I tried to convince myself that it was for the greater good, that there was no time to find a cure before everyone else on New Eden got killed, but I couldn't get past the hopelessness and fear. All I could do is wait. I told myself that I just needed some more time to accept the situation.
I looked at the time; it was 5:03. Dinner would be soon, but I didn't feel like eating. I just laid down and stared at the ceiling. I forgot about the time, I just stared and remembered my family. Ella, my parents, my friends at school who I never got to say goodbye to. I tried to remember each of my favorite memories so that I would never forget; that way I have something to hold onto.
The time passed and before I knew it the small opening on the bottom of my door opened and they slid a tray through. I just looked at it. There was a sandwich and a cup of water. I think it was peanut butter, but I didn't check.
It opened again and they slide a stack of folded clothes through. There was a white shirt, grey pants, and a thin grey jacket. I haven't changed since this morning so it will come in handy later to have a change in clothes.
My attention got pulled to a sort of hissing noise coming from the hallway. I left my pondering and walked to the window of the door. Outside two people in hazmat suits were spraying the walls and floors, probably disinfecting the outside from the virus we could have transferred.
I sat back down on my cot and stared out the window. I hadn't looked at the surroundings of the building until now; there was a high concrete wall with guards stationed on top at about every thirty or so feet. On the far side of the wall barbed wire sprung up from the sides, keeping any curious invaders out. On the other side of the wall was the capital city. It's funny to think that I had wanted to visit here for so long but never had the time, now that I was there I just wanted to go home.
I wanted to sleep but I didn't think I could. I decided to try but I didn't expect to fall asleep any time soon. There were blinds to close the window I noticed, so I closed them and laid down.
I wrapped the stiff but warm blanket around my shoulders and curled up into a ball. I felt numb again; I didn't want to move or breathe or shut my eyes, so I faced the wall and stared. Eventually I just cried, more than I ever had before.
If I felt anything I felt scared. I was terrified that this was the last place I would ever see, that I would spend the rest of my life alone in this room, doing nothing but staring at the wall.
In between sobs I started coughing. It wasn't hard or anything, but when I looked at my hand I noticed speckles of blood. I remembered hearing that this was a semi-common side effect of the virus.
I quickly wiped it away on my jeans. I didn't really care about laundry at this point. My breathing got even shakier than it was. Seeing the blood made it all even more real for me. I really did have the virus, and now it was beginning to take its toll on me. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and just continued to cry, not caring about whether I looked weak or not.
Nothing made sense. How could I just get the virus while nobody else in my home did? How could I have even have it? Why was this happening? My mind filled up with endless questions that I didn't have the answer to. All I could do was lay down and cry until I finally fell into a trouble-less sleep.