BY RACHEL ABNEY
She walked down the driveway stepping around a small snail making its way to the grass. The car door creaked as she pulled it open, stopping to glance across the street. The neighbors were both home midday on a Tuesday. She realized her company might not have been the only ones to switch to working from home so quickly. It was only the second day.
The black hatchback started with hesitation and she rolled down the driveway planning out her route. The huge shopping center to the north would be a side show, she decided to take a back road south to a smaller grocery store. The farm homes and large oak trees lined the road with familiarity. Cows dotted the fields, unchanged, unaware. She gripped the steering wheel and looked ahead. Her mind began to race with the passing tree lines. What if he gets sent home too? What would we both do in the house together all day long, how could they avoid each other? Avoid the truth. She started to picture her husband sitting on the couch watching TV loudly. His phone alerts invading the noise, invading her thoughts.
She shook her head roughly, refocus she told her mind, she began to go through a mental list of supplies. I do not want to come back out, after all, there is no telling what this thing is like, what its capable of. Would anyone else really stay home if they felt sick? She thought about people, needing to work who cannot miss a day and once they were out of sick days, what then? Would people follow these rules to protect others? Do we live in that kind of community? Does the group matter over the individual? So many questions that outline the American dream itself. In the end what is the dream about. What does it embody? A better life for society or the individual?
She glanced at the clock. I have got to get myself in order. I should get some canned goods and nonperishables, toilet paper, maybe batteries, flashlights, and ammo, in case this thing goes to apocalyptic levels. She thought back to the last day in the office, everyone nervously joking, visibly unsure of the gravity of the situation. Thinking back at how strange her coworkers had looked suddenly smaller and more vulnerable. Doubt in themselves and the company all within an instant. The air we breathe had something in it. Something that would kill some people and leave others with just a bad sense of taste. It was the unpredictability that made it maddening. Would I be one of those people with small symptoms? Or would I be on a respirator fighting for my life?
“How did we get here?” She whispered the words out loud.
We are all on separate edges of the cliff and yet the same illness will shove us off one by one. Never taking names, never caring about how fair or how cruel. Just…one…by….one.
The grocery store parking lot was packed, people walking hurriedly with carts full of supplies. Massive cases of waters and huge packs of toilet paper piled high as the tension. She parked way off in a corner spot and began walking towards the store. There was a panic in the air, the fear of the unknown in everyone’s eyes. Children looked around confused and almost in amusement at the mass chaos. She stepped up to the automated doors and noticed a handwritten sign on the door.
‘MASK REQUIRED FOR ENTRY’
She checked her pockets for a second even though she knew she did not own one.
“Shit” she muttered backing away.
