Author's note: This is the first time that I've ever submitted anything to this site. I've written many different stories that I never completed. But for some reason this contest piqued my interest. So... constructive criticism is very welcome.
I use two forward slashes as quotation marks to indicate internal monologues. I try to continue to use standard English forms to remind the reader of the internal nature of the text. Additionally, the diary format is not something that I normally use but it seemed to be the best way to convey the passage of time especially since that has been a major issue for everyone quarantined.
Obviously, all sexually active characters are 18 years old and over.
Forced Quarantine
Day 0 - Lock down begins
Robyn was trying to remain as calm as she could with the red and blue lights flashing in her rear view mirror. She runs through a mental list of things that she could have done to get pulled over. Glancing at her brother, she asks, "You don't have anything stupid on you right now? Do you?"
Grunting, he replies, "No, I don't. I left that back at the apartment."
"Good. Just let me do the talking." Robyn instructs her brother, as she tries to keep the anxiety out of her voice. "Get my insurance and registration out of the glove box. Please." He leans forward and pops the glove box open. He hands her the two documents sitting on top. Robyn pulls her license out of her purse in the center console. She hears the crunch of boots on the loose gravel spread out on the shoulder of the highway. She grabs the steering wheel with her documents laced in between her fingers. A bright light shines on her hands and the wheel.
"Do you know why I pulled you over, miss?" the officer asks as he looks down at her. Robyn smiles sheepishly, hoping that her bright pink, lavender, and turquoise dreads don't go against her. Nor the snake bite piercings, or septum ring, or the tattoo on full display on her left shoulder because she decided to wear a tank top.
Looking up, she sees the officer is wearing a helmet that looks like it was part of a SWAT team uniform. She can barely see the cloth face mask that he's wearing. Robyn notices that his voice is muffled by the mask. "No, I don't, sir. I'm trying to think of any traffic law that I broke," she responds as she holds up her papers.
"I only need to see you driver's license, miss. Your friend needs to show his to my deputy on his side of the car," he states as clearly as he can through the mask. Robyn glances at her brother, worried. He is complying with the officer's orders. He attempts to hand his license to the officer on his side of the vehicle. "Don't hand them to us, kids. We just need to read it," he says as she turns the face of the card him. Her brother does the same. "Now the reason why I pulled you over is because you're in violation of the quarantine orders from the governor, county sheriff, and judge."
"Wait. What?" she stumbles across her questions.
"Have you not seen the news? There is a shelter at home order for everyone that is not an essential employee. The Corona virus pandemic has become that serious. You do understand that, correct?" the officer asks sarcastically.
"Yes, sir. I didn't know that it went into effect already."
"Young lady. Do you seen anyone else out here on the road?"
"No, sir. I was just trying to ..."
"Just stop, miss. We're going to escort you and your friend..." the officer says.
"Jaxson, sarge." the second officer says loudly.
"Your friend, Jackson, and you are going to one location. Together. All I need to know is where am I going to follow you to? Your address or his?" the Sargent finishes.
"Mine." Robyn states unequivocally.
"Wait," Jaxson mutters. "I have no clothes over there."
"You live in a shitty little apartment, Jax. I live in a house. And I have pets. You don't."
Before Jaxson can respond the Sargent says loudly, "Good, now that's out of the way. Here's what you're going to do..." The Sargent gives her clear instructions of how she is to drive to her home with them following her.
***
After Robyn pulls into her driveway, she turns the car off and gets out. Looking over her shoulder, she can see the second officer is out of the car and watching them walk towards the house. Robyn opens the door for Jaxson to enter first. She watches the cops leave through the window in the door. Once they're out of sight, she turns to Jaxson. "Dear gods. What has happened to the world. Anyway, I've got some of Brian's old clothes in the closet. For once, I'm glad that I didn't burn them like I had planned."
"Bleh. I don't want to wear freak flags," Jaxson says dismissively.
"Seriously?" Robyn glares at her brother. "You're never out of your stupid heavy metal t-shirts and ripped jeans," she retorts as she motions with her hand to emphasize her point, by making mention of the black band shirt, ripped jeans, and work boots. "I think you can survive a few days in 'freak flag' clothes until we can order you new clothes."
Jaxson's mouth curls into a sneer, "Fucking hippie shit. Does it still stink of patchouli?" he rudely asks.
"Jax. Seriously?" Robyn barks out at him. "They're fucking clothes! If anyone should want to destroy them, it would be me. You're literally going to be wearing fucking reminders of my abuser. I think you can shut up and live with it for a few days!" Robyn shouts. She's moving her hands in an effort to release some of her emotions. "Is that clear? Little Brother?"
"I'm bigger than you. By a lot... but I understand. I'll go get them, I'm assuming they're in a box in the back of your closet, and wash them," he begrudgingly replies. "I'll leave you alone for a while so you can figure out the sleeping arrangements. We also need to figure out the hygiene situation."
***
Jaxson comes back to the common room after spending an hour dealing with his problem of getting the stench of 'asshole attempted rapist ex-boyfriend' out of the clothes he is supposed to wear. He sees Robyn sitting on the couch with her laptop open and talking on the phone. He sits down next to her and slouches into the couch cushions. After a few minutes of listening to a conversation that he is not interested in, he sits up to find the remote control. Jaxson keeps the volume low while he surfs the channels.
"Hey, stupid! Are you listening to me?" Robyn asks Jaxson as she slaps shoulder.
"Ow. No. No, I wasn't. What do you want?" he demands angrily, rubbing his shoulder, looking at the red welt on his skin.
Thrusting a phone into his face, "Mom wants to talk to you... Asshole."
Taking the phone from Robyn's hand, Jaxson glares at her. "Hey, Mom."
"Hi, sweety. Robyn told me what happened. Sorry, we won't get to see each other for a long while."
"It's ok, mom. It could be so much worse. At least I'm stuck with someone that I actually like," he grumbles as he continues to flip through the channels.
"Oh? I'm really happy to hear that."
