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gunwithoutmusicSaturday, March 30th—11:22 a.m.
1,142 words. Approximate reading time: 5 minutes, 42 seconds.
Leon looked out of the window of his train car, watching the landscape go by as the train continued its steady roll down the tracks. The view was surprisingly nice; trees and other foliage grew right up to the tracks, blanketing the entire train in a light shade. Every now and again, the trees would open up to show large pastures, all tall grass and broken fences, dotted with wildlife. It was bittersweet for Leon, who in all of his thirty years had never before ridden on a train.
He was enjoying the ride and the new experience, but was feeling nervous about his destination. Just the day before, he had received a notice that his weekly test had come back positive, and that he would need to quarantine. Despite the fact that Leon lived alone and had no real reason to leave his house, the notice included a round-trip train ticket, and informed him that he would be quarantining in QC 24, Zone 5, with a brochure detailing the amenities at said Zone. A car would come to pick him up at 8:00am the next day to take him to the train station so he could avoid any unnecessary contact. He was told to bring two weeks’ worth of clothing and any other personal effects that would fit in a standard duffle bag.
Initially, Leon was terrified to learn that he had tested positive. He wasn’t exactly sure where he might have picked up the Disease, but he knew how serious it was to have it. After looking through the brochure, he felt a little better. The news had talked a lot about the QCs when they were first being built just a year or so before. The idea was to have centralized places where Positives could quarantine with other Positives, and put less people at risk overall. The brochure showed neatly manicured lawns, small private cottages with their own swimming pools, and even people congregating together for activities like ping-pong and darts.
He wasn’t happy to have the Disease, but at least if he had to go through two weeks of hell, he’d be in a nice place surrounded by nice people.
Finally, the train began to slow. Through his window, Leon watched as the train passed through a gate in a thirty-foot high fence. As strange as that felt, he understood the need for the high security. A recent news report had mentioned a few people trying to flee from a QC, and while they were thankfully swiftly dealt with, it only made sense, for everyone’s safety, that security had tightened up around the QCs in the last few months.
Any worry that he may have felt dissipated the moment that the train came to a stop and he saw the Zone where he would be quarantining. It was absolutely beautiful, and he thought that the brochure hadn’t really done it justice. The small cabins were near each other but still a safe distance apart, and looked from the outside to be well-maintained. It really looked very similar to Leon’s own Neighborhood, and he found himself excited to meet the people that would be his neighbors for the next two weeks.
Tinny speakers set in the roof of the train car sounded a chime. “QC 24, Zone 5,” a robotic but friendly voice announced. Leon and one other passenger rose and made their ways to the front of the car. A person in a head-to-toe hazard suit checked both of their tickets, nodded to them, and slid open the door of the car.
Leon and his new neighbor stepped out of the car onto a plush lawn, where several people were standing waiting for them. One, a woman around Leon’s age, moved toward them with a bright smile on her face and a clipboard in her hands.
“Welcome, welcome!” she said to them. “This is QC 24, Zone 5, and we are so happy to have you here! I’m Tricia, your Quarantine Counselor and Zone Administrator. My cabin is the one right in the center of the Zone, and the only one with a door painted red. That’s how you can remember where I am! If you ever have any questions or need help with anything, my door is always open.
“Now I’m sure that you’re anxious to check out your cabins, but you’ll need to wait just a little bit while our staff puts away your clothing and toiletries and meticulously cleans every nook and cranny just for you! In the meantime,” Tricia continued, her smile never fading, “we’ve paired you up with one of our other current residents so they can give you a tour of the Zone and help answer any questions you may have.”
Tricia glanced down at her clipboard. “Carl Sweeney?” The man that had arrived with Leon raised his hand silently as Tricia glanced up and smiled. “Perfect! Carl, your tour guide is going to be Lana.” With that, a middle-aged woman stepped forward. She didn’t look particularly unpleasant, but Leon noticed that she didn’t have the same bright grin as Tricia. Lana led Carl off toward the center of the Zone, but didn’t start talking to him until they were both almost out of earshot for Leon.
Tricia checked her clipboard again. “So, that must make you Leon Harden, right?” She smiled at Leon, and Leon nodded, returning her smile. “Perfect! Leon, your tour guide is going to be Alistair.” A young man who seemed to be in his late twenties stepped forward and gestured for Leon to follow him. “You two have fun!” Tricia said, as everyone else scattered, slowly walking back toward their respective cabins.
Alistair led Leon toward the center of the Zone, as Lana had done with Carl. As they got closer to the cabin in the center of the Zone, Alistair said flatly, “Okay. So this here is Tricia’s cabin, like she said. See the red door?” Leon nodded. “Great. So I guess if you have any questions or whatever, you can go knock on the door and Tricia will come out and talk to you. Most of us don’t really bother, though.”
Before Leon could ask why, Alistair started walking along a path that stretched across the front of several cabins on one side of the Zone. “These are the cabins,” he said. “Yours is gonna be the one at the end. For now, anyway.”
“Wait,” Leon said. Alistair stopped and turned to look at him. “What do you mean, ‘for now, anyway’? We’re only here for a couple of weeks; why would I have to switch cabins?”
Alistair laughed heartily. “Oh, man, you newbies are all the same. It never gets old.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Leon responded with an incredulous look on his face. “What never gets old?”
“Geez, man, don’t you get it?” Alistair asked. Leon shook his head a little bit, and Alistair laughed again. “I’ve been here for six months!”
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Date: 2022-06-24 02:12 am (UTC)I think your first paragraph could use a little finessing; at the very least you might consider adding the word “before” to the end of this sentence: It was bittersweet for Leon, who in all of his thirty years had never ridden on a train.
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Date: 2022-06-24 01:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-06-24 02:20 pm (UTC)I really enjoyed this piece, and definitely would be interested in reading an expanded version.
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Date: 2022-06-24 10:10 pm (UTC)For me, the biggest thing I need to think on is, "Is Leon really Positive?" The answer to that changes things a lot.
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Date: 2022-06-24 10:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-06-24 11:56 pm (UTC)I like your surprise ending. Great job :)
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Date: 2022-06-27 01:42 pm (UTC)- Erulisse (one L)
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