Socially Distanced: A Quarantine Novella Page 2

  “And I did not volunteer for this!” She laughs again, and the sound flitters over the balcony and into the air, making me smile and chuckle, too.

  “I might have,” I say after a minute.

  “Might have what?”

  “Volunteered. I didn’t get the chance. I’d already tested positive after my family…well, after they were gone. I was sheltering in place, not going out, but I guess enough people were violating the orders that no one was to be trusted anymore. They broke into my house, tranked me, and I woke up here.”

  “Your whole family?” Kendra says in a low whisper.

  “Everyone but my sister, yeah.” I swallow hard. I don’t want to think about this, but it might be best to just get it out. “My parents and my kid brother were with me when we took the subway to see the local children’s theatre do their winter show. That first guy—the one who escaped the original quarantine—was on the subway with us. My family was all gone five days after we were exposed.”

  “Oh, wow! Sean, I’m so sorry.”

  “I was the only one who didn’t catch it, so I put myself in isolation at home like they told us to. I waited to get sick, but it never happened. Then when they figured out the treatment for the infected didn’t seem to stop us from being carriers…well, I’m here now, so you know how that goes.”

  “Yeah, I do.” She quiets for a moment, smoking slowly. “I’d already left the city and was doing classes from home. My mother died on the way to the hospital and my father the next day.”

  “You an only child?”

  “Yeah. My parents thought one kid was better for population control.” She laughs without humor, and my stomach tightens a little.

  The last time I listened to the news, the number of deaths had been staggering.

  We fall into an uncomfortable silence, and I wonder if I’ve lost the ability to verbally communicate with people. I remember hanging out with friends in college, easily talking about whatever topic was at hand, but now I can’t seem to think of anything to say at all.

  “So, the weather is nicer today,” Kendra says.

  I glance over at her, eyebrow raised.

  “Well, talk of the weather is better than silence, right?”

  “I guess it would be a lot worse if we were quarantined in a cold climate.” I chuckle a little, but Kendra goes silent again. Eventually, she speaks again.

  “Sean?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I have no idea where we are.”

  “Atlanta.”

  “Near the CDC?”

  “Depends on what you consider near. We’re downtown, which is a few miles from the CDC. The whole area was quarantined early on, and for the most part, the city is still empty.”

  “I’ve never been to Atlanta before.”

  “It’s a pretty cool town.” It was, anyway, but I avoid using the past tense.

  “Are you from here?”

  “About an hour east, but I came here a lot as a kid. Always loved the Coca-Cola plant and the aquarium. I went to Georgia Tech.”

  “Oh yeah? For what?”

  “Engineering. I was working at a cell tower production company before all this.”

  “Did you climb up those huge things?”

  “No, I designed the circuits they used.”

  “Oh, wow! You must be really smart then.”

  “I think I just studied hard,” I say with a shrug. “It’s not rocket science.”

  “That seems like a decent job.”

  “It was. Not much going on there now, I guess. I don’t even know if cell phones work anymore.”

  “Mine did,” Kendra says. “At least, it did a few days ago. You can still find some active social media but not a lot else. Service is spotty, and calls drop a lot. At least, they did. I haven’t had anyone to call in a while now.” She pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath before she speaks again. “When I woke up here, I didn’t have it anymore. Why is that?”

  “I would assume it’s to keep us from being able to devise escape plans with others.”

  “Really?”

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense. People who know we’re carriers assume we’ve been isolated, so they aren’t going to contact us anyway, and my family is dead, so it’s not like anyone would come looking for me unless I was able to contact them. That was Jake’s best guess, anyway.”

  “Jake?”

  “The guy who used to live in your pod.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “I have no idea. He was there one day and then gone the next.”

  “Do you think he got sick?”

  “I kinda assumed so, but he’d been here about as long as I had, and he never said anything about feeling sick.”

  “They wouldn’t have just released him,” Kendra says softly.

  “No, they wouldn’t have.” I close my eyes for a moment, not really wanting to think about what might have happened to Jake. I have my suspicions. Shortly after he disappeared, my razors were replaced with an electric shaver, which I hate.

  “I guess that makes it all kind of obvious, huh?”

  “Shut up!” My muscles tense, and my hands ball into fists.

  “What? I’m just saying that the possibilities are limited.”

  I close my eyes and grit my teeth. I hadn’t known Jake well or anything, but he’d been my only real companion in the beginning. We’d talked a lot, shared a lot, and even though in my heart I know what he did, I don’t need some fucking runner spelling it out for me.

  ”It’s a good thing they keep us socially distanced,” I mumble.

  “Why?”

  “Because right now, I really want to punch you in the face.”

  Chapter Three: Day 133

  I pace the room. I want a cigarette, but I also want to reserve my stash. It’s dwindling a little faster than I’d like it to, and I know if I go out to smoke, I’ll end up giving one to Kendra too. Yeah, I’d threatened to punch her—sort of—but being able to actually talk to someone is a need that far outweighs my concerns about a diminishing supply of nicotine.

  I’ve already read the book I was sent this week, and it wasn’t interesting enough to read again. I end up paging through the booklet that was provided to me in the beginning about quarantine. Half of it just deals with procedures for when medical staff comes into the quarantine pod, which hasn’t happened in forever. They used to come in every week and check my vitals. I’d have to stand with my hands on the wall while a group of people in hazmat suits poked and prodded me. As much as that sucked, I realize I miss the interaction.

  The fact is, talking to someone—anyone—is better than nothing, and my options are extremely limited.

  I sigh, stand up, and step out onto the balcony.

  “Hey,” Kendra says as soon as I slide open the door.

  “Hey,” I reply. I pull out an extra cig and lean over the rail to throw it to her before she even has a chance to ask.

  “Thanks!” She smiles, but her eyes are wary.

  “What?” I ask, sounding more tense than I want to.

  “I didn’t think you’d be so magnanimous,” she says. “You were a bit upset yesterday.”

  “Yeah, well…” I light my cigarette and take a couple drags off of it. “I don’t like thinking about all of it. Thinking about it makes me pissy. Don’t throw the obvious in my face—I don’t need that.”

  “Sorry,” Kendra says quietly. “I’m used to just saying what’s on my mind. I wasn’t thinking. Maybe we should stick to other topics of conversation, hmm?”

  “Like what?”

  “Honestly, I don’t care. It’s been so long since I’ve really talked to someone, I’d even listen to old western stories.”

  I laugh. I can’t help it. I look over at her tentative smile and realize I’ve been a bit hard on her. She has her reasons for running even if I don’t agree with them. Our world is fucked up, and judging people on how they deal with fear isn’t helping much.

  I give her a genuine smile, and she returns it. Her face lights up for a moment, and the tension she’d been holding in her body melts for just a few seconds, and I feel my own anxiety fade. In this relaxed state, I finally take a really good look at her.

  She has an oval face with soft, pale features. Her eyes are a lighter color of brown now that the sun shines on us, and the curve of her lips is quite enticing. She’s really quite attractive, and I don’t think I see her this way because she’s the first woman I’ve seen in months.

  She glances away, and I think I can see a faint blush on her cheeks. I lick my lips and take a deep breath. I really want to hear her laugh again.

  “Your admitting to being a fan of westerns then, huh? Fabulous! I’ve been wanting to bring my horse out here and spit a bit.”

  Kendra laughs and shakes her head. The sound warms me, so I keep pushing it.

  “Once you’ve been here for a while, you get other choices for luxury items. Farm animal options show up after three months.”

  “And you didn’t get a sheep?”

  “Hey now!” I glare at her. “That is not my kink!”

  “Oh yeah?” She tilts her head at me. “And what is your kink?”

  I look away from her quickly as my muscles tense, and my skin tingles a bit. I hadn’t really planned on the topic of discussion going in this direction, and I’m unprepared. I don’t know how to answer her question.

  “Sorry,” Kendra mutters.

  “What for?”

  “I think I embarrassed you.”

  “No, you didn’t,” I say as my face heats up anyway.

  “Oh, really?” She raises an eyebrow at me, and I glare at her.

  “I don’t think I have a kink,” I finally say.

  “Everyone has a kink,” she replies nonchalantly. “Most people don’t call it that, but they have one anyway.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like…being into underwater porn. That’s still a kink.”

  “Underwater porn is a thing?”

  “Of course it is. Everything you can imagine is a thing.”

  I start to imagine quite a lot. I’m not sure how much of it is considered kinky, but for the first time in quite a while, my cock is interested in what’s going on around him and takes notice of the woman on the next balcony.

  I do not need this.

  I shift from foot to foot, looking out at the empty streets and buildings around me, breathing deeply and trying not to think about the woman on the next balcony tied to a four-poster bed, spread-eagled and waiting. I swallow hard and wet my lips.

  “I think this topic might be a little too intense for me,” I admit.

  “Is that bad?”

  I dare to look at her. She leans casually on the railing, intense eyes staring into mine and making my heart beat faster. The sun catches her hair, making her look like she’s wearing a shining halo, but I imagine little devil horns on her head would be more appropriate.

  “It’s bad when I can’t do anything about it,” I finally say.

  “Maybe we could do something about it.” Kendra tilts her head slightly as she bites down on her lower lip.

  My thighs clench, and my heart starts to beat a little faster. I feel like my throat is trying to close up on me, and I have trouble getting words out.

  I’m not used to women coming on to me. Even before all of this, I wasn’t the most socially active person. I hadn’t dated much since college, choosing instead to focus on my career and my male friendships. It’s not that women made me overly uncomfortable, but I’m not much of a one-night-stand kind of guy, and a relationship just took more time and energy than I had been willing to give.

  But now…now everything is different. Now there is a woman a few feet away from me, clearly making sexual advances, and I can’t even touch her. The inaccessibility of her has apparently made the whole idea far more appealing than I might have thought under other circumstances.

  “Like what?” I finally manage to ask. I’m not sure I want to hear the answer, but I also can’t help myself.

  “Ever have phone sex?” Kendra bites her lips again, and her eyelashes flutter at me.

  “No.”

  “Well, just follow my lead, okay?”

  “Are you serious?” I stare at her, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, trying to figure out if this is some kind of joke.

  “Yes.” Her gaze drops slightly, and then she looks into my eyes and smirks. “You’re obviously interested.”

  I glance down. My cock, in his efforts to leap right out of my sweatpants, is actually poking out between two of the balcony rails. I take a quick step back, and Kendra chuckles softly.

  “What are you suggesting?” I ask. “I mean, how does that even work?”

  “Mutual masturbation,” Kendra says bluntly. “You do whatever it is you do to get yourself off, and I do the same, but we do it at the same time. And we talk while we’re doing it.”

  “Talk?”

  “I’ll tell you what I’m doing to myself, and you tell me what you’re doing. Make sense?”

  “I guess so. I’ve never done anything like this.”

  “It’s easy,” she says. “So let’s try it, okay?”

  I can’t refuse.

  Kendra instructs me to sit with my back against the shared wall between our balconies. I turn my head a little to hear her better.

  “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now,” she says. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been this close to anyone.”

  “Me too.”

  “I’d normally suggest a little verbal foreplay,” she says, “but I have the feeling neither of us needs that right now.”

  “Whatever you want.” My voice sounds hoarse and breathless.

  “Pull your cock out.”

  “What? Right here?”

  “Do you really think anyone is watching?”

  All right, she has a point there.

  “I’ve already ditched my bra and panties.”

  “You have?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  I abruptly turn my head to face the wall as if I might be able to see through it. I can see her in my head, at least. I see her leaning against the wall, practically naked. I swallow hard, and my cock pulses.

  “Now take that cock out and stroke it for me.”

  I reach to my hips and push my sweats down my legs just enough to release my dick. I try to ignore the rough cement floor against my ass as I take my cock in my hand and stroke it a couple of times. I wish I had some lotion or something, but with no other lubrication available, I quietly spit into my hand, hoping she doesn’t hear exactly what I’m doing.

  “Tell me what you’re doing,” Kendra says.

  “I’m, uh, rubbing my dick.”

  “Details, Sean. Give me details. How are you rubbing it? What are you thinking about?”

  “Um…with my hand.” I’m stammering, but I really have no idea what to say. I feel like an idiot teenager. “I’m…I’m thinking about you and wishing I could see you over there, naked.”

  “I’ve got one hand up my shirt, pinching my nipple. It’s so hard. I wish your lips were wrapped around it.”

  “Fuck…” I shudder, and my hand tightens around my cock. “I’d like that.”

  “What would you do?” she asks.

  I can almost see that coy smirk on her face.

  “Lick them. Suck them. Run my thumbs over both of them while kissing the base of your throat.”

  “Oh yeah…there you go! Keep it up!”

  “Oh, it’s up. No doubt about that.”

  “Just that little glimpse through your sweats has me throbbing,” she says. “I can practically feel that impressive shaft sliding between my legs right now. That’s what my other hand is doing…sliding down between my legs, rubbing my clit and thinking about that cock of yours.”

  “Jesus!” My head knocks against the concrete behind me, but I barely notice. My fingers tighten a little as my hand slides up to the tip and then back down to the base of my dick.

  “You like that idea?” Kendra asks.

  “Fuck, yes!”

  “Can you feel it? Would you go slow or fast?”

  “I’d start out slow.” Though I’m starting to get the hang of this, I can hardly get the words out and breathe at the same time. My stomach tightens and my legs start to shake. “Slide in nice and deep. See how much of me you can take. Then pull out slow, slam in hard. I’d make you beg for more before I move fast.”

  “Oh, I’d be begging. No doubt. I’m fingering myself now.”

  “Shit!”

  “Just one. I’m going slow, but I can hear how out of breath you are now, and I want to feel that cock so bad…”

  “You’re driving me crazy,” I say through my panting breaths. “I’m not going to last very long at this point.”

  “Don’t hold back, Sean. I want to hear it when you come. I’m nearly ready.”

  I close my eyes. I’m breathing hard now, my short bursts of breath keeping time with my hand stroking my dick.

  I wish I could see her.

  “Oh, fuck! Sean! I’m so close!”

  “Jesus!”

  “I’ve got two fingers inside of me, and I’m pushing up, thinking of you on top of me. I can practically feel you inside. Come in me, Sean. Do it!”

  “Fuck!” I gasp, my balls tighten up, and my hand works furiously. A moment later, I unload on the floor of the balcony in front of me.

  “Oh! Sean! Shit!” Kendra lets out a moan. “Oh my God!!”

  Leaning back against the cement wall, I can hear her panting breaths over the sound of my own. I’m completely unable to move though my legs are still shaking a bit.

  “Wow,” Kendra says breathlessly. “That was pretty good, huh?”

  “Oh, fuck yeah!”

  “I thought you might like it.” She laughs. “Better than being completely on your own, huh?”

  “Definitely.” I lean my head forward a bit, finally releasing my cock and yanking up my sweatpants. It’s all the effort I can manage before I lean back against the wall again.

  “How long has it been for you?” she asks.

  “Well before all this shit,” I reply.

  “No girlfriend then?”

  “Now you ask?” I laugh.

  “I kinda assumed but wasn’t really sure. You haven’t mentioned one.”