6:15:20 PM, AIA
Kaleb heard faint chatters as he took off his earphones. The aircondition above his head released a chilly blow as his heavy eyes started to adjust from the bright light. He just woke up from a 2-hour flight from Canlona. The people inside the plane were already taking their bags from the cabin but were advised to settle down for a moment. He looked outside the window and saw the bright facade of Abigon International Airport - he had finally arrived. He saw a smiling flight steward wearing a face shield walked towards the aisle, handing out boxes of face mask. He then remembered the advisory from the Health Ministry of Maharlika which was released earlier: enforcement of a 14-day quarantine for all people entering the island of Abigon. He heaved a deep sigh as he took his face mask out of his bag and lazily wore it. His phone flickered as it displayed a notification:
(1) New Chat from Mom
He ignored the message and clicked the Twitter icon instead to check for some updates. Kaleb saw:
Coronavirus
521,374 tweets
#EndOfTheWorld
145,884 tweets
Quarantine
10,456 tweets
...and the list went on. He closed the application and opened his mom's message:
Mom: Saw the news. You'll be quarantined. Just tell me where so that I can deliver you things you need. Miss you! Keep safe.
Kaleb smirked and placed his phone back inside his pocket. Passengers seated in the front were already guided to exit the plane. He looked outside the window and saw vans and buses waiting outside.
"This is going to be hell, boy," an old man suddenly talked to him. Kaleb just knodded as he looked at the old man stood up, carried with him a brown leather bag. Others seated at the back already stood up and followed the flow of people towards the exit.
"Sir..." a beautiful steward talked to him.
"Oh– I'm sorry," Kaleb hurriedly stood up and retrieved his lone bag in the upper cabin.
Cold maharlikan wind caressed his face as he made an exit from the plane. A man in hazmat suit was holding a signage, a direction towards the profiling tent. Kaleb walked a speedy pace as he neared the table and presented his passport. He was then directed to enter the next tent for his temperature to get checked.
"You're good, sir," said the woman in hazmat. "You may enter the blue bus."
Kaleb knodded and proceeded to the blue bus. Another person in hazmat stood outside, supervised the entrance of people in the bus. Kaleb rushed to locate a seat and saw that most of it were already occupied. His eyes panned inside the bus.
Wait... Oh, there's one!
He saw a vacant seat at the backmost part of the bus. It's a seat for two but the other side was occupied already.
"Excuse... can I sit here?" Kaleb asked a guy in a black bomber jacket leaning towards the window. His face was covered by the brown cap he's wearing. Kaleb stooped down to see if the guy could hear him; he was sleeping.
Kaleb did not bother anymore and sat down directly. No one was talking inside the bus. The sound from the TV attached near the front seat was the only thing reverberating inside Kaleb's ears. The anchor was interviewing the Governor of Abigon.
Kaleb heard the bus' engine rumbled and then felt it motioned to the right, towards the exit. The cold air inside the bus seeped through his thin jacket. He turned his head towards the window and saw the orange lights in Abigon's lonely streets. He hadn't seen a single person wandering outside.
He positioned himself comfortably in his seat and stared at the TV - the anchor was still interviewing the governor. He was looking at the TV but his mind was somewhere else. As the bus continued to traverse the gray highway, Kaleb suddenly felt a heavy thing thud on his shoulder. He looked at his left and saw the guy's head rested on his shoulder. He was snoring loudly. Kaleb slowly moved the guy's head back to where he was leaning before, in the window. The guy woke up.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he apologized.
Kaleb just gave him a light smirk.
6:50:21 PM, Blue Gaze Apartments
The bus stopped at a shabby apartment about 15 kilometers away from the airport. Just like in the airport, people in hazmat suits were seen at the premise.
Kaleb was given a number tag and was advised to follow upstairs, third floor. As he neared his room, he noticed how poorly lit the hallway was. The light, a dim yellow, made the place extra gloomy.
The personnel in hazmat unlocked his room and guided him inside.
Not bad... his mind spoke.
His quarantine room was pretty similar to his own room in his house in terms of space. It has one comfortable bed, a shower, a table, a telephone, and a sliding door which leads to a balcony overlooking the beautiful business district of Abigon.
"This is going to be your home for the next 14 days, sir," the personnel spoke. "Food and supplies will be delivered shortly."
Kaleb knodded and scanned the bare walls of his room.
"Okay..."
"You're not allowed to go out, sir without permission from us downstairs," the personnel added. "And also, you will be tested tomorrow, sir so don't worry. This is going to be just a short stay."
"Thank you," he spoke.
"Sir, it would be best if you take a bath later just to make sure..."
The quarantine personnel smiled then went outside after she spoke.
Kaleb dragged his suitcase near his bed. The bed was so inviting, Kaleb's tired self gave in – dived directly unto it, face down.
He gazed at the balcony overlooking the skyline of Abigon. The shimmering lights from the towering buildings slowly faded
as his eyelids suddenly felt heavy. After a moment, Kaleb's eyes made a close.
The wall clock ticked and made a duet with the young man's snoring.
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YOU ARE READING
𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗬𝗔 (DISTANCE) - A Quarantine Boys Love Story
RomanceAFTER the city of Abigon was placed under public state of health emergency due to the rapid spread of the deadly coronavirus, Kaleb, who just got back from an educational trip abroad has to undergo a fourteen-day quarantine in a shabby apartment awa...
