Dash Dash Dot Dot

And so it begins

Willow woke mid morning and stretched, it was somewhat nice not having to worry about work like usual, but considering the reason behind it and the fact that it was the best way for survival made it a bit upsetting. She really didn't want to get out of bed and see the news, but she would have to, she wanted to stay aware of the situation and know how far into the country the virus had spread. Considering the size of the country and the size of the population, compared to the other countries that had become infected, she assumed that it would probably take a little longer to reach Canberra. That's what she hoped at least. She flicked on the TV while peeling a banana. The northern points of Australia now had that telltale red stain. And so it begins. She turned the volume up to listen.

"The first reported infection in Australia came from Darwin, last night a group of young men from the Charles Darwin University campus came across a woman acting strangely, they thought that maybe she had hurt herself in the dark as she was coming from the direction of the Casuarina Beach Dog Park so they approached her to see if she needed help. One of the men turned on his phone light and that's when they realized that she had blood all down the front of her running outfit. One of the other men called the police while the first kept the phone light fixed on the woman; they didn't want to lose sight of her. When the police arrived they subdued her and put her into the back of a paddy wagon. The Royal Darwin Hospital had been informed and quickly set up a contamination room for the infected woman. The police who arrested her were kept in another contamination room and are being thoroughly examined. The men that found the woman were also examined but since none of them had any physical contact with her, they were released." The reporter read off the TelePrompTer in front of her.

“A curfew has now been enacted; the general public must be inside by nightfall in the Northern Territory and Queensland; and will more than likely extend to the rest of the country in the coming days. Police patrols have been set up and they are calling for volunteers to help patrol. Volunteers will be given a codeword to use if they need to travel and are stopped by a patrol, if you don’t have the codeword you will be escorted back to the premises you are staying at. If you are caught again without a codeword you will be given a warning and taken back to your premises. And if you have three violations you will be taken to jail and held for twenty four hours. You can also apply for a travel or work codeword by contacting your local police station. This situation will evolve as the virus becomes more prominent, but for now the curfew is in effect. The police and government thank you for your cooperation during this time.” The reporter paused and took a sip of water.

“The locations and information about the community shelters are available on your local policing social media pages, as well as the pages for your local news stations and councils. Physical copies will be posted at any community notice board, post office and police station. There will be food, water and bedding available at these sites, you are asked to bring with you only the essentials or anything that will fit in a backpack as a suitcase would be too cumbersome to move around. The shelters will also be accepting donations of any kind of food, if you require transport to your closest shelter please contact your local police station.”

Willow turned the volume down on the TV, she figured that since she would be stuck inside for the next however long she wanted to get out of the house for a bit, take advantage of the last of the uninfected areas. She changed into a pair of jeans and pulled on a hoodie, slipping her feet into a pair of sneakers and shrugged on a backpack. It was the beginning of winter so the days still had warm enough weather, and the nights were beginning to leave dew on the ground. She dragged her couch away from the door and stepped out into the stairwell. She made sure to lock all three locks, which she didn’t usually do, but considering how desperate people were becoming she decided it would be the best option. She made her way downtown to the shopping centre, curious to see what places were still open and trading and if any had fallen victim to raids. Police patrolled the streets on foot closer to town and by vehicle further from the town centre. She got to the local Kmart. A line of people stood waiting outside the door to enter. Because less and less people were going to work the management and staff that were present were only letting in a handful of people at a time. They had a pair of police officers standing at the doorway and another pair strolling through the shop keeping an eye on those shopping.

Most people were thankful that the place was still letting people in the doors rather than not opening at all so patience was observed. There were one or two whose patience was waning. The police officers told them if they didn’t settle down then they would be forced to the back of the line or would be refused entry completely. The impatient people huffed to themselves, mumbling about how stupid it was. The police officer standing right next to them piped up and reminded them that the entire situation was more than stupid but this was how it would be for now. A few claps went through the crowd gathered. Willow nodded in agreement. A group of people exited and the police let in the next group. Willow wondered what kind of stuff was left. All of the electrical items would probably not be touched. After almost forty minutes of waiting, Willow finally got to enter the store.

She was let in with three other people that were standing in the line with her. She grabbed a wheelie basket and went straight for the manchester section. She wanted to get an extra comforter or a couple throw blankets with the winter months starting now, especially when the electricity eventually got cut off. She settled on two fluffy throw blankets, with what she already had at home they should be fine. Willow did a quick lap of the rest of the store, seeing if anything else would jump out at her before she finished her shop. She grabbed a couple tubes of toothpaste and a pack of toothbrushes; she also grabbed a cricket bat on her way past the sporting section. The store was eerily quiet only having a handful people in there at the time; the staff either forgot or chose not to turn on the music.