Pandemic: Theft of a Nation

Chapter 1: Solitude

I woke up more tired than usual in the inky darkness of my housing unit. Fumbling in the blackness I powered on the TV. It hesitantly flickered to life, providing enough dim illumination for me to move about freely. On the screen the date read March 24, 2030. I realized that today marked ten years since Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic.

"Has it really been ten years?" I thought as I rubbed the grogginess from my eyes.

It's crazy to think how much things can change in that amount of time. It didn't seem so long ago that I was driving my car or running to the store to grab something to eat for supper. Simply being outside every day used to be normal. I remembered grilling out with friends and family, all of us laughing and happy. Back then things were simple. Well... those were all just nostalgic memories now I guess. I reminded myself not to think about it too much. It would only make it harder to carry on. Dwelling on the past too long often pulled me into a deep state of depression that was hard to get out of.

In an attempt to curb my thoughts I flipped on the news. The man on the TV was halfway through announcing the fifth mutation of the virus. They said it was even worse than the last one. The death rate had increased by almost twenty percent. Some videos followed that depicted the condition of the infected victims but it was nothing new. They always looked the same. Defeated eyes glanced toward the camera, tubes protruded from their mouths. The machines breathing life into their withered bodies. Grotesque skin deformities covered their faces in dry red patches. Their hands were fastened to the bed to keep them from scratching. Of course, I didn't believe that was what they were really for.

"It's the mark of the virus." I remembered one of the expert virologists had said. 

"A new symptom of the mutated virus."

That's what they told us anyway.

"Stay inside and away from people. Follow the rules. Obey the health officers."

And above all else.

"It's all for your own safety." They would say...

I had seen this video before. Or at least, another recording of the same scene. Two years ago if I recall correctly. It was obvious they had tried to make it look convincing. I thought they might have even given the patients a real disease to make them look this way. Not that it mattered. The people watching would believe anything they were told and those that didn't believe. Well, it wouldn't change anything anyway.

"They're getting sloppy." I thought to myself.

As I did, a shrill pang of fear struck me. Did I say that out loud or just think it? I glanced frantically around the room for any indication that they had heard me through the microphones. To my relief nothing happened. The flashing red warning light did not appear. I let out a sigh of relief.

"I need to be more careful." I reminded myself.

They were getting more aggressive lately after all. In the past week alone three families from my building had been taken to quarantine. I could still hear the pleading and the fear in their voices. They knew what came next. Everyone did. Everytime it happened I wanted to help. I desperately wanted to burst out of my room and run to save them. I wanted to beat down those evil brutes and whisk them away to safety but there was nothing I could do. Weapons were banned a long time ago and I wouldn't have a chance against armed officers with only my bare hands. I was helpless. Everyone was helpless.

Everyday life now was a perpetual lie. We all knew the truth. It had just taken too long for us to realize it. The virus had been a scam from the beginning, despite how it believable it was at the time. It was a carefully plotted scheme to control us and indoctrinate the masses. The first one in 2020. The virus I mean, it was the real deal but it was just a weak strain. It was designed to have a high infection rate but a low death rate. Highly infectious but not very dangerous. Everyone would get sick and fast too but most people survived. The government and media worked together to make it stronger though. What was metaphorically a little chihuahua they told us was a pack of wolves at the door just waiting to barge in and tear us apart. They tried so hard to convince us how scary it was. World and national organizations, celebrities, and social media influencers convinced us of the horror. They told us if we would just listen and do as we were told it would go away.