Yesterday Used to be Tomorrow

“Attention all citizens of Cottleville, This is an announcement from your local Greater Good Services. *short pause* For the Greater Good” an android-like voice spoke through the PA system.

A more human-like voice began to speak.

“Everyone, the time is now 5:18am. Mandatory Curfew is in 12 mins. So when the sirens sound; 10 minutes from that, mandatory curfew will be in effect. So Please be inside of your homes by 5:30am. Those out after curfew will be transported to the quarantine facilities, immediately!

Remember large gatherings of 10 or more are illegal.

Its been 565 days since the last case of the Sun Flu.

We will continue to provide free vaccines, as long as needed. We are all in this together. Continue to fight the fight!

  Your Daily dose of vaccines will be administered during breakfast hours.

Remember to stay vigilante; and report any coughing, sneezing, fevers or any signs of flu-like symptoms to your local Greater Good authorities.

Report to your local Greater Good stations about any unauthorized gatherings exceeding the max capacity of people or any other restrictions.

All authorities are to be Respected at all times

Continue to do your part, so we can do ours.

Do not be selfish

Reminder: that Masks must be worn the entire time when outside of your homes. NO EXCEPTIONS. Our mouths may be covered but we still smile.

.... *short pause*

“For the Greater Good” – announced the high pitch monotonic speaker  

*sirens begin*

*knock knock*

“What’s the point of telling us the same twisted lies every day?” a woman shouts.

“Well hello to you too honey.” said a baldheaded man as he opened the door with a smile.

In walks a slim woman with long puffy hair. Leaving her shoes outside on the door, to keep from tracking the cold clunky mud on the desert colored carpet in the living room.

The man shuts the door behind her.

“Every day they get on that damn broadcast system and feed us their bullshit.” Grunted the woman. “Im sick of it.”

“My day was great, thanks for asking” the bald head man sarcastically said

In a muffled voice the woman says “It feels like they are taunting us and lying to us like we are children.”

“Babe you still have your mask on, its hard to understand you” the man says jokingly.

“Sorry Eddie, it just feels like they are taunting us” sighed the woman while pulling off her mask off and tossing it in the mask filled trashcan. She then leans forward and kisses the large bronze-skinned man on the cheek right above his scruffy beard.

Eddie smiles

Eddie eyes sparkled as he stared at the woman in amazement. Her puffy hair reminded him of a bunny’s fluffy tail in the snow. The woman noticed the look in his eyes and began to blush. But she is still hung up on the nightly announcement. So her face went from seeing fireworks exploding various colors across the sky, her face squished up and expressed signs of irritation.

Eddie notices this. He reaches out and grabs her hand and said “It's okay. That is just how things are now.”

Slowly the woman looks into Eddie's eyes as if she was confused. Yanking her hands from him she says in a intense tone “everyone is acting like this is okay, like we are okay!”

“Are we not okay, Yeva?” asks Eddie “you’re starting to sound a little selfish.”

“Selfish!? Eddie its been 565 days since the last case of the Sun Flu. What are we still fighting?” Yeva slams “the curfew that was once temporary, over time turned into mandatory.”

“Again I ask you Yeva, are we okay?” Eddie asks.

“ARE we Eddie? We receive shots in the arms daily. For 565 days we have been getting stuck with a needle. I remember the days when you were considered a junkie for this shit.”

Eddie begins to pace the room. Back and forth, from one end to another.

Yeva goes on and say “once upon a time we could be outside holding hands, eating ice cream, and enjoying the sunlight. Now we run and hide from the Sun, we don’t interact with our neighbors. Our humanity is being stripped from us.”

“This is not okay” Eddie says

Yeva shouts, “Of course its not!, Our friends and familes have became strangers. I don’t even feel human anymore”

“Oh my….” Eddie suddenly says with a sound of distress, signaling Yeva to come and have a seat on the milky white sofa. “Remember when the Shaws were transferred to one of the quarantine facilities on the 9th of this month?”  

“Yeah I do, it was for being out passed curfew. RIGHT?” Yeva answers eagerly to hear more

“Well today is the 29th and thats more than two weeks of quarantining.” Eddie points out

“Where are they Eddie? What have they done with them? Has this happened to others? Eddie, we have to do something! We have to tell someone. Eddie!”

“Yeva , take a deep breath.” Eddie whispers

Yeva takes deep breath and calms down.

Eddie then grabs ahold of Yeva’s hands and stares into her big, beautiful hazel eyes. Giving her reassurance of his presence. She smiles. And hugs him.

“We are going to do something right?” Yeva asks

Of course we are, but first we have to keep playing along, so no one gets suspicious. Alright?”

Yeva nods her head.

Eddie then looks into Yeva's eyes and says “trust nobody. For all we know, is some of the people we think we know, are the ones we don’t know at all.”

Yeva nods and heads out the room, but before she does, she put her right hand across Eddie's heart and her left on the heart-shaped locket around her neck.

Yeva says with a smile “Remember who you are.”