Lethargy

Chapter 1

"What do you consider the most important thing in your life?"

"My family."

"Olivia, answer me honestly – are you happy?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything missing for you?"

"I've never been better."

"Have you come to terms with the death of your father?"

"I still mourn him. That pain doesn't just go away."

"Brave girl. How's your studies going?"

"I enjoy it. I'm finishing the first year."

"At the Police Academy..."

She gazed intently at her curator, Flip Serviz, who looked as if she had done something shocking. Nervously, he leaned over the records, pretending to study them in detail again. Olivia knew that this friendly twenty-five-year-old guy didn't have much to go on, but it was his job, and he had to follow the protocol. In the corner of the room, a light blinked on a security camera, monitoring her every move.

She sighed.

"I don't have a glassy stare," she quietly remarked.

He recoiled. "No, of course not... you can go. See you in four weeks at the same time."

At that moment, two hundred thousand clinics worldwide were doing the same thing. Massively examining the population and looking for any signs of lethargy. The Earth's population had reached fifteen billion by the year 2080. For over sixty years, shortly after colonizing the Moon, an inexplicable weariness of life had rapidly developed in people. It led to deep depressions and suicides. Initially, everyone tried to pretend the problem didn't exist. They were wrong. Experts called this problem the Glass Eye Syndrome.

Symptoms manifested similarly in everyone. Growing aversion, nervousness, until a person became completely indifferent to themselves and their surroundings. Some people went to sleep at night and didn't wake up. In most cases, however, they committed suicide in the most horrific ways.

Scientists, doctors, and psychologists – all of them spewed various theories, but no one could figure out why people decided to give up on life. Glass Eye Syndrome could affect anyone. The wealthy were just as vulnerable as the poor. From the statistics, it appeared that only children who hadn't reached puberty were safe.

During her first internship, Olivia encountered a secretary at a microchip manufacturing company and experienced a shock. It wasn't so much due to the sight of her sagging, withered face and eyes that stared blankly at her. They were covered with a gray veil of mist, looking into the eyes of a dried corpse. She was wearing crumpled and shabby clothes, chipped nail polish, and there was no sign of makeup on her face. Olivia was even sure she saw some kind of beetle crawling in her hair.

No, the worst experience for her was how the woman spoke. Almost in a whisper, she provided information she had requested the day before. Her voice grated monotonously, unintelligible words oozing through cracked lips, merging into a thick mush. In Olivia, the desire to silence that woman rose; she even wanted to hit her but stopped in time. Disgust flooded her like a tide, and her hands trembled so much that she had to clench them into fists.

She ran away from her like a scared little child.

She didn't see how clinic workers came for the secretary because, at that time, she was crying hidden on the toilets a floor below. After the meeting with the curator, she learned that her reaction was not exceptional. People reacted badly to the lethargic; there were cases where they were attacked, and there were even a few dead. The lethargic often couldn't even defend themselves, just watched the falling blows with a tired expression. In some, the syndrome developed extremely quickly, within a few hours. All of this was widely known.

Every four weeks, Olivia underwent a checkup with her curator. Each person on Earth had an assigned confidant who ensured they led a content and trouble-free life. Of course, their main job was to detect emerging signs of lethargy and intervene promptly. Not because it could be treated, but to prevent endangering other human lives. If a bus driver suddenly tried to steer off a bridge, he would endanger not only himself but also his passengers. Everyone had accepted this measure.

The curator usually didn't require such frequent visits. Olivia was an exception because her father had committed suicide a year ago. He showed no symptoms, days before the tragedy, he seemed completely normal. Until a sudden turn came. Right in front of his daughter, he cut his wrists and throat. He died in her arms, almost causing her to collapse mentally. It took weeks for her to somewhat recover; nightmares continued to haunt her for a long time. Over time, she reintegrated into normal life, but a huge hole remained in her heart, refusing to heal.

Her mother, unlike her, was more resilient. She wouldn't be broken by her husband's death. She had three children to take care of. Olivia also had younger siblings, fraternal twins - William and Monica.

They were thirteen years old and completely inseparable. They went everywhere together, and regular visits to the clinic caused confusion in them. The questions seemed nonsensical to them; they didn't understand why they were asked the same things all the time. Sitting with the curator couldn't be done together, and the separation, even if only for a short while, they hated the most. Olivia tried to convince them to spend some time apart and also focus on their friends.

In vain.

Olivia walked briskly down the street, eager to get home as quickly as possible. The curator's questions had angered her that day. It always seemed to her that she was unnecessarily delayed there. She was quite hungry, and a glance at her watch revealed that it was already past eleven o'clock.

She cursed and turned back. A short distance away was a pizzeria; she decided to bring joy to everyone and shield them from her culinary skills. Along the way, a huge shadow from the elevated highway and the tracks of the high-speed train, which had towered over Hlohovec for decades, fell on her. She never got used to that structure. It was well soundproofed, and you couldn't even tell that something was passing over it, but its appearance spoiled the whole town.

The only ones who didn't mind were the lethargic.