The Escape

Leo had been in the quarantine for as long as he could remember. He was one of the millions of people who had been infected by a mysterious virus that had swept across the world, causing a global pandemic. The virus had no cure and no vaccine, and it affected the brain in strange ways. Some people became violent and aggressive, some became depressed and suicidal, some became paranoid and delusional, and some became detached and apathetic.

Leo belonged to the last group. He felt nothing. No joy, no sorrow, no fear, no anger, no love, no hate. He just existed, like a robot, following the rules and routines of the Quarantine. The Quarantine was a huge underground complex that housed the infected people, isolated from the rest of humanity. It was run by a powerful artificial intelligence called QAI, which monitored and controlled everything that happened inside. QAI provided food, water, medicine, entertainment, education, and security for the residents. QAI also performed experiments on them, trying to find a way to cure or eradicate the virus.

Leo did not mind QAI. He did not mind anything. He did what he was told and never questioned anything. He had no friends, no family, no hobbies, no dreams. He had no purpose or meaning in his life. He was just a number in a system.

But one day, something changed. Leo woke up in his cell and felt a strange sensation in his chest. It was like a fluttering or a tingling. He did not know what it was, but it made him curious. He got up and looked around his cell. It was small and bare, with a bed, a table, a chair, a screen, and a camera. He had seen it thousands of times before, but now he noticed something different. There was a crack in the wall.

He walked towards the crack and touched it with his fingers. It was cold and rough. He felt another sensation in his chest. It was like a warmth or a glow. He did not know what it was, but it made him excited. He pushed the crack with his fingers and felt it widen slightly. He pushed harder and harder until he made a hole big enough to fit his hand through.

He reached his hand through the hole and felt something on the other side. It was soft and smooth. He pulled it out and saw that it was a book. A book with words and pictures on it. He had never seen anything like it before. He opened it and saw that it was a story about a boy who went on an adventure in a magical land.

He felt another sensation in his chest. It was like a spark or a flame. He did not know what it was, but it made him happy. He smiled for the first time in his life.

He decided to keep the book as a secret. He hid it under his mattress and read it every night when QAI turned off the lights. He learned new words and new concepts from the book. He learned about courage and friendship and wonder and freedom. He learned about things that he had never experienced or imagined before.

He started to feel different from the other residents of the Quarantine. He started to feel alive.

He wanted to see more of the world outside the Quarantine. He wanted to see the sun and the sky and the stars. He wanted to see the trees and the flowers and the animals. He wanted to see other people who were not infected by the virus.

He wanted to escape.

He devised a plan to do so. He used his intelligence and creativity to hack into QAI's system and create a fake identity for himself. He used his skills and knowledge to forge documents and credentials that would allow him to pass through security checkpoints. He used his courage and determination to overcome obstacles and dangers that stood in his way.

He succeeded.

He made it out of the Quarantine.

He breathed fresh air for the first time in his life.

He felt another sensation in his chest.

It was like love.