Quarantine: Stories from the Inside (Intro)

Part I: Trapped Inside

It has been a month since the CDC has warned about a potentially deadly virus that causes delusions, paralysis and, eventually death. Many rumors are swirling around about the origin of the disease: some say that the NGE virus was manufactured and was released in an accidental exposure, others assume that this is a form of biological warfare. Whatever the cause, the residents of a small mountain town have been fortunate enough to avoid infection, and they intend to keep it that way. Therefore, the town has required that everyone stay inside their homes, coming out only for their weekly grocery shop every Friday morning. Because no one knows if the virus is airborne, the residents are required to wear masks and dispose of clothing worn outside. Hazmat crews from the next town over immediately burn all clothing worn by residents during their grocery shopping appointments on Fridays. Even though this seems extreme, it is this way of the law that has prevented the residents from contracting the virus. The residents still have electricity, water, and even luxuries like cable and internet. However, sitting in the house and hoping for this epidemic to finally be over has exposed some skeletons, true personalities and intentions of some in this tiny town. Each part of this series will feature a household of this town and give a sense of reality to their quarantined lives.

Household 1: Jennifer and Antonio Rossi

Jennifer and Antonio have been married for 10 years and have three children: Angel (6), Margaret (Maggie, 7), and Tony Jr(9). Jennifer is the town’s only dental hygienist and Tony runs the local garage. They are considered one of the families that are better off than their neighbors. Despite this, Jennifer (Jenni) and Antonio (Tony Sr.) are well-liked in the town. They are friendly to their neighbors and participated in numerous volunteer activities before the virus hit. They are managing to keep their household calm by keeping the kids occupied with various activities, but both are fully aware that things could go left any second. Tony has slowly started stockpiling their cellar with food and weapons, citing the events he’s seen in the metropolitan areas. Jenni is not thrilled with his stockpiling but tolerates it, as long as the kids and the rest of the town aren’t affected.

Household 2: Holly Lane

Holly is not a native to the town, but her downtown burger restaurant stayed full during lunch and dinner time. She is highly involved in the community, even volunteering to cook meals when the quarantine first came about. The town heads suspended her services once the virus took over the nearby metropolitan areas. She still did what she could, donating all the unused meat, veggies and bread to the needy. Holly doesn’t mind helping, but she’s a little resentful of the mayor, Kenneth. After their relationship fizzled, he seemed to be highly motivated to piss her off at every turn. Even when news of the virus first came out, he was nonchalant, citing that all viruses came and went. He frequently blamed the media for the anxiety of the townspeople. However, as the virus continued to spread and the horrific effects began to be filmed and shared, he became very quiet, not knowing how to meet the situation head on. He seemed to be even angrier that she had been right when she had warned him that this wouldn’t turn out well. She spent her time reading numerous research articles and watching medical videos indicating that this virus wasn’t going anywhere soon, and that the infected could easily make their way past the feeble blockades set up around the town. She could only quietly stockpile supplies, ammunition and keep her pick-up truck running and full of gas. She knows that everything will soon come to a head, and she is ready for it.

Household 3: Deidre and Mark Hammonds

Deidre and Mark are newlyweds, having only married this past fall, only to come to grips with the virus ruining their plans for a spring honeymoon. Deidre is a labor and delivery nurse at the local hospital while Mark is the head mechanic at Tony’s Auto Shop. Because Deidre works in the hospital, she has to participate in a rigorous disinfection procedure after each shift, even though there aren’t any cases of the NGE virus in the town. Mark understands, though he has asked her repeatedly to take a hiatus until this “virus thing” blows over. He strongly believes that the media is totally exaggerating this virus and doesn’t think there’s anything to prepare for even though his boss has been stockpiling supplies in the garage. Deidre, on the other hand, understands medical crisis and spends her time trying to convince her husband that this is not something he can take lightly. Since she feels like she can’t get through to him, she’s been secretly buying extra groceries and hiding them in the trunk of her car. She sincerely believes that when, not if, this virus hits the town, the aftermath will be devastating.

Household 4: Cami, Dustin, Jake, and Leslie

These four rambunctious teenagers have decided to stick together after all their parents, who commuted to the nearest city, never came back from work a few weeks ago. They are hoping that it is only because the city is quarantined, but, day by day, their hope dwindles. Luckily, their neighbors have made sure that they are taken care of until their parents return. Since Cami’s house is the largest, they stay there, initially cleaning out the liquor cabinet. Now that they haven’t heard from their parents, the partying has dwindled, and the doom of an uncertain future is like a dark cloud over their heads. Cami’s father is a doctor and single parent. As the only child, she is spoiled rotten and everyone knows it. Though she has her moments of generosity, she is usually out of touch with reality and doesn’t understand why her dad had to work those extra shifts at the hospital anyway. Dustin and Jake are adopted brothers. Their mother is the CEO of a pharmaceutical company and hasn’t been heard from since the virus first came about. She warned them of this and left them both with enough finances to last them a month. They are still frightfully anxious that the worst has happened as they haven’t been able to reach her. Leslie is Cami’s best friend though they are obviously mismatched. Leslie’s parents are both lawyers and initially went to the city to close their office once the city mandated a shut down in response to the virus. Leslie, unlike Cami, is humble and modest. She spends most of her days attempting to contact her parents and fending off Jake’s advances.

Overall, most of the citizens know that an imminent danger is approaching and are attempting to prepare in advance. However, there are some skeptics who are convinced that this is simply a “scheme” by the government to assert control over the population. The local doctors and nurses know that it is very real and are waiting anxiously for the day that their precious town will be hit. All they can do is make the townspeople aware of the damage it could cause…whether they believe it or not.