The Dusk Outside the Windows

Sunrise.

It is 6 am in the morning and here I am drinking my almost expired ready to drink coffee at the balcony of my apartment. I bought this canned coffee last week from the grocery store and sadly, this is my last stock. The store from my place is so far and I think, it is the only store in all of our three cities combined.

Having a unit in a fifth story building is so calm and quiet, especially when you are in a former busy-city. Seeing all the abandoned buildings around you, while imagining how they are structured only for ghosts and rats to live in, is so relaxing. They are much safer now than, when there were people inside.

It is just me and my best friend living here and every morning this is the scenario. Me, drinking coffee or tea while reading the same novel for the nth time and him, watching me do it.

I caught him looking at me so I asked, "Rico, what do you want to eat for lunch?" He did not reply and continued to stare at me. I did not bother as we both witnessed the sunrise. Usually, when the sun goes up, we stay for awhile to get some vitamin D. Why not!? It is the only nutrient we are getting these days.

7:15 am - We went inside the house, I started to clean while Rico began to walk around. "Today. 7:15am, February 15, 2030. Errands. 8:30, meeting with your therapist. 12:15 online class. 4pm---" I cut off my virtual assistant before it even mention the only thing I do not look forward for today.

I proceed to take a bath.

It was five years before now when we were finally freed from the virus, Valeska. It mostly targeted old people ages, 60-80 years old which made them lost 90% of their generation. They are endangered.

The symptoms were having measles and severe hiccups. There were no cure, not until 2025 when everything was over for me..

I am an only child and my parents died because of the virus. My mother was a teacher in a public school while, my father was a chemical engineer. There was an uncontrollable outbreak that is why, most of the people left their job due to them not being paid correctly. On the other hand, most students did not go to school because the system were already broken.

My parents being a hero, did partake in helping these people. They raised a campaign against the injustices in the workplace and demanded for a quality education to be back. They soon helped these people to build their own livelihood and businesses by having a free classes in economics with my mom. While my dad continued to work with the aspiring engineers and also, science.

We had a small lab and a classroom in our garage. They invited these people for sessions. Different people, almost everyday. This was somehow, illegal because people weren't allowed to meet in large groups. Since my mother and father were both unemployed, they did not have enough budget to even pay for the internet in order to have an online meeting. It the same with the people they had an appointment with.

I was thankful to have them as my parents because they are still giving me the things that the government cannot even provide that time. The world was in chaos. The government took advantage of the pandemic and corrupted the people's taxes. It was the worst since they focused more on that than to actually help these people to adapt and be healed.

The knowledge, the skills that they do not teach anymore in schools were provided to me by my parents. They were intellectuals and really kind hearted people. But, eventually I felt so far from them while they are being so close with their collueges.

Until....

One cold summer night of March 2024

They both died.

It was so heartbreaking.. i didn't even knew until I woke up at 12pm, the next morning. I did not even had a chance to see them, to mourn.. All the victims are always being delivered to morgue right away because the virus will still have a chance to spread even though they aren't breathing anymore...

Sometimes, I still blame them for being so selfless, they became selfish. In a way that they do not care about themselves anymore which seems that, they do not care about the person who always wanted them to be safe. That was me and they are the only people I had but now, they are gone.

I was still in shocked. The authorities had to put me into custody and provide me a therapist. For some reasons, they were so nice to me.

It was after a year of their death when we were freed from the virus-Valeska and when I found out that my father, was one of the major contributors of the cure. It was a vaccine.

It is so ironic how the people were jumping around in joy while I mourn and still longing from my parents' presence. If they did not die, the authorities wouldn't find my father's lab and the chemicals that helped the vaccine to be a thing.

Do my parents really had to die to continue the lives of these people?

This tragedy in my life made me hate the people more and more everyday. I was so traumatized that I always want to be awake before the sunrise come..

Today, Generation Z, a generation I am a part of, is made up 3/4 of the population on earth. I still couldn't trust them. When I see people my age on the street I always began to act like a boomer around them but, when I meet older ones which is rare, I suddenly became sad and instantly bring flashbacks of my parents..

Five years had passed and I am still unemployed. I did not even continue college. I am just so plain unproductive. Living in the apartment provided by the government with my best friend, Rico whom I just stumbled upon on the street.

***Riiiing ****Riiing***
Time check: 12pm

Ffuuu-- I forgot the appointment with my therapist, I fell asleep for so long and now I had to get ready for 15 minutes since I still have my online class and nope, I am not enrolled in a school.

I brushed my teeth, washed my face, changed my fit real quick and prepared my laptop. "Sorry, I am late!"

12:30 pm - "As always!" my boyfriend chuckled.

"Shut up, boyfriend" I said, as I notice that I am the only one they are waiting in the room. There are six people here, we are seven in total, me and my online friends together with my boyfriend. I forgot to mention that I only like people when they are virtual so I built this mini virtual relationship while we do our small classes. We don't even know each others' real names so, it's all good.

We are learning alternative stuff that is not being taught in schools nowadays. Life skills from cooking to how-to-build weapons and gears to protect yourself.

Today, our generation are trying to learn basic skills from each other since most of us lost our parents at a very young age.

***Grooowl*** ooops! That is my stomach, I remembered that I haven't eaten any solid food yet and I haven't even feed Rico yet!

"Woof! "Woof!" Rico shouted at my stomach. "I know Rico, you're hungry too, sorry."

I went to the kitchen while my friends are discussing some stuff on guns. I opened my last canned corn and carrots and began to chop some potato.

"Today. 1:30 pm, February 15, 2030. Errands. 4pm meeting with Doctor  Suzy for actual e-f-f-i-n online class."

I frowned while continuing to prepare our lunch, I didn't even had a chance to stop my virtual assistant to say that e-f-f-i-n name.