Quarantine

Chapter One

"Have you seen?" The sound of Hero's deep and familiar voice fills the room as he approaches me.

"Seen what?" I put my phone down; giving him my full attention.

"The news!" He gestures to the large TV to the side of us.

"What? No.. Why? I don't really watch-" I start to say.

"Well you need too." He snaps, interrupting me.

"Whoah, okay? Calm down.." I frown.

"Calm down?! Calm! Down?" He grabs small tufts of his hair and begins to pace back and forth.

I continue to frown at him; not understanding what could be that bad that would make him react like this.

He's usually always so calm and collected.

If anyone, it's me who loses their shit.

"Okay, just.. Sit down. You're making me anxious." I half laugh.

"Sorry." He takes a seat beside me on the large corner sofa.

I reach for the remote that's in between us and quickly unmute the TV.

"Oh my gosh, guys! Have you heard?" I hear the sound of Anna's voice enter and drift across the room the same way Hero's just had.

"Heard, what?" I smile and widen my eyes; shaking my head.

"I mean seriously, what am I missing here?" I throw my hands up and slap them noisily against my thighs; hoping Anna will come to the rescue and explain the obvious to me.

"Fuck sake." Hero says, grabbing the remote from my hand and turning up the volume.

"Hey!" I scold.

What is with him?

"Here!" He knits his eyebrows together and uses his free hand to gesture to the TV.

"Wow, Hardin much? No one told me we were rehearsing today.." I tease with a smile.

My smile soon fades as I realise how anxious he clearly is and so I decide it best not to say anything else and just focus on whatever it is he is trying to show me.

It's strange seeing him like this. I've never seen this side of him before. Clearly, something has really upset him..

I decide I will let his little outburst go. Even if it is full of attitude, much like the fictional character he depicts and portrays so well.

The sound of the TV booms and penetrates my thoughts; forcing me to give it my full attention.

"....Global lockdown will be coming into effect as of 7pm tonight, therefore, the public are being strongly advised not to make any unnecessary trips unless absolutely vital.

All those abroad wishing to return to their homes and families are advised to do so now as roads, train stations and airports are expected to see a large increase in traffic.

If you or someone you know are planning on travelling by plane or train before 11pm this evening, it is advisable to check with the airline or station first due to the limited amount of departures and to avoid both disappointment and exposure.

For some, they may also be able to claim a refund on tickets so it is worth checking where possible.

Although the following guidance has not yet been officially released, we at Star News can exclusively reveal that an announcement with further updates and details will be issued later today, local to your area.

It is also understood that the president of the United States of America will also be addressing the nation, shortly.

All remaining planes, trains and other forms of public transport; will be grounded as of 11pm this evening in order to prevent the spread and reduce the amount of deaths that we are already seeing in so many other countries.

Time will only tell if our efforts will prove effective in stopping the spread of Covid-19.

And now, back to you in the studio."

Hero switches off the TV and as I turned around, I could see both his and Anna's eyes are fixed and trained completely on me.

"What the fuck was that?" I rarely swear but I am so confused right now and can feel the fear starting to spread and course throughout my veins.

My eyes still on Anna, I follow her silhouette as she comes to sit down on the other side of me.

"Josie, there's this.. Virus going around. And it's.. Killing people. A lot of people." She avoids my gaze.

I clasp my hands to my mouth. "What? How. Why?.." I stutter; trying to take it all in.

"No one really knows.. But what we do know is that we all need to get to where we want to be, for the foreseeable future." She looks up at me and smiles a little.

"Foreseeable future?" I repeat her words. "I'm. I'm so confused." I look down at my hands.

"My husband is on his way, we are going to give Hero a lift to the airport." She places her hand on mine.

"It goes without saying that Taxi's aren't the safest method of transport right now.. Anyway. Why don't I help you pack some things and then we can drop you at the airport too?" She tilts her head and smiles a little.

I look to my right at Hero. His head is in his hands still, he is clearly just as anxious as me if not more so.

"Thanks, that's really kind of you but I still don't understand.." I look back to Anna.

"What is it that you don't understand?" Hero snaps his head up to look at me.

I turn to face him again but say nothing. His attitude is really starting to grate on me now. I don't understand why he is being like this?

"Okay.. Obviously.. This is some sort of joke, right?" I look back at Anna but she shakes her head with a sympathetic smile.

"Joke?!" Hero stands and moves so that he is stood directly in front of me, towering over.

"How is 100,000 dead people a joke, Josie?" He glares at me before disappearing from the room altogether.

Tears quickly form and pool around my eyes.

"What is his problem?" I say to Anna without actually looking at her. Instead, I continue to stare at the doorway that Hero had just disappeared through.

"He's.. He's probably just scared. We all are." She places her hand on my knee.

"But I still don't understand what's going on. And whatever it is, it doesn't give him the excuse to be a jerk! Ugh. It's so unlike him.." I shake my head.

"Come on, let's make some coffee and then we can go and pack. I'll explain the rest as best I can. Jordan will be here soon." She stands and holds her hand out to me.

I take it and follow her out of the AirBnb living room, wondering if this is all somehow a dream.

A really vivid, dream.