The Golden Age

Chapter 1

Omnicron meteoric rise sees the city prepare for closures. Restrictions are in place, but are they too late to stop the explosive growth of coronavirus?

Lisa fluffed up her hair and killed the news feed with an impatient hand. Her wine-colored bangs seemed to droop before her very eyes. The clock above the mirror read 11:50 am.

Bummer these limp locks. She wished she could have more body to her hair. No time to deal with it now.

She threw on her heavy black coat she'd got at the Thrift store and took the stairs two at a time. She sped up Chapel and down Laurier in Sandy Hill, being careful to put her mask on. It'd been freshly washed last night. A lot of reports went around of people breathing in dirt and bacteria and other contagions on the mask fabric. Not a good time of year to get sick. Yikes.

Before long she reached the university and paused to catch her breath. Hands on knees, she experienced a wave of nausea: either she was out of shape or the extra-thick mask was killing her. A big honking sign stood posted at the entrance, 'Visitors must be vaccinated to be on campus'. Apparently the same applied to visitors at hospitals. She'd recently had her jab. Nothing to worry about re being stopped by campus security.

She walked faster through the courtyard past a small group of protesters near the library steps. Many were waving provocative signs. 'No VAX for STUDENTS', 'END the TYRANNY'. None of them were wearing masks.

Lisa stepped by, disguising the sharpness in her tone. "You're all supposed to be wearing masks."

One of the taller girls turned around to examine her with an amused look. "Take a pill, Jill." She gripped her 'No vax passport' sign as she ruffled the shapely shoulders under her jean jacket. "Try taking off your mask too, you dumb git, you'll breathe easier."

Lisa turned, incensed. She was stung with an urge to snap out something equally toxic, but fell short, almost a sense of shame washing over her. Re-enrolling at Ottawa U in September had been tough, what with the vax passport and mandatory vax requirements for students. The landscape had changed dramatically. A part of her knew that what was happening to society, this obsessive mask-wearing even in the streets and this lockstep mass vaccination, was unnatural, but everyone was doing it and it was no secret that it became harder and harder not to follow the herd. She stepped up her pace.

"That's it," quipped another, "keep hustling by, pretty girl, stay muzzled like the other sheep. Baa! Baa! Cat got your tongue?"

Okay that was it. Lisa squared off, hands on hips. "Don't you know you guys are a health risk? Standing there elbow to elbow. You're not even social distancing."

The lead girl, the tall one who'd originally insulted her, probably in her early twenties, scoffed along to the sniggers of her four other companions. "Yeah, health risk, like standing outside in the fresh air? That's a good one. What planet are you from?"

"I could ask you the same thing, morons. At least, I'm getting my next shot. You guys probably haven't even had one yet. I'm surprised security hasn't kicked you guys out of here."

One of the young men in the group piped up in a jocular voice, "Oh, they will. They're a little late on the draw today. Slackers."

That brought a few laughs from the others. "Let her go, Mickie. Little Miss Priss's got to run off and do her civic duty and report us."

Lisa fumed and stomped off, glad to be away from the group of miserable fools. The slogans on their signs burned in her memory. 'Vax tyranny, reject it. 1984 is here. Forcing masks on children is child abuse.'