The air was thick with smoke and screams. The crowd was being pushed by armed soldiers, and the ground beneath their feet seemed to collapse uncontrollably as all the civilians, packed together, crossed what remained of the city, straight into the quarantine zone. Large patrols surrounded what remained of the free streets, scrutinizing every civilian with their respective instruments for checking body temperature and other idealized tools for monitoring a possible infected. The sky seemed to want to cry. The clouds almost entirely covered any glimpse of the sun while dust rose everywhere as piles of feet trampled over each other to move quickly.

«Move!» A shove. I lifted my eyes to the sky as a drop of water caressed my cheek gently. A dirty hand pushed me from the shoulder, covered by a beige dress reaching halfway down my calves, whose heels prevented me from walking faster. The hands behind my back pressed against cold steel handcuffs, making me want to break free at all costs. One wrong step and my social standing would mean nothing to anyone in that crowd.

«Move, I said!» Another shove. The agent behind me, a mustached man with his hands in his pockets and a cigarette between his teeth pushed against me, making me stagger forward, risking once again to twist my ankle. And all I could hear were only desperate screams, the cries of mothers who would have to be separated from their children to be placed in the respective imposed zones. I became so detached that everything became muffled. Then, suddenly, I heard a: «I'll take care of her.» Whose voice was hoarse, full of authority. A shiver ran down my spine, traveling along my entire backbone. It was as if a gust of wind had infiltrated my dress, sliding underneath, brushing my thighs and covering me with goosebumps. I squinted my eyes. There was silence for a moment, and I had the impression that the agent had taken off running or probably had scanned the figure in front of him from head to toe with a grimace before moving away annoyed. Then, when I turned my face, I met a woman slightly taller than me, whose height was not excessive, but her gaze was more inquisitive and cruel than any other intimidating physical feature. She held a stick between her lips. Her expression was serious, her hands behind her back, and a rifle ready on her tight uniform.

«You do know this isn’t a fashion show, right?»She addressed me in a gruff and formal tone, glancing at me from the corner of her eyes. My cheeks turned red with indignation, and I almost felt humiliated by that observation. I lifted my gaze towards her, my arms behind my back. Thank God, I couldn’t move.

«I would have gladly done without being here.» A hiss of anguish escaped my lips, my chest rising and falling quickly due to the circumstance I found myself in. I noticed the way her gaze rested on the pearl necklace around my slender neck and how her irises seemed to seek confirmation of a thought that crossed her mind for a moment. I then furrowed my brows, and at that sight, her face turned back towards the street ahead. In her eyes, I saw a spark of amusement, even though no emotion was revealed on her face. Was she making fun of me? Suddenly, I was escorted along with other civilians into the underground, whose cells awaited to host us. No one could leave there, not before they had made sure that no one was infected; her strong fingers pushed me from the hips with a light tap – it seemed she put little force into moving me from the ground – making me stumble. Then, her fingers stopped rough among the pearls I had around my neck. She tore them off me, pushing me into the darkness of the first cell, the most spacious one.

«What are you doing?» I was starting to get upset. I brought a hand to my neck, noticing the red mark she had left around it, with a gesture of challenge and innocent curiosity in my eyes. Then, she quickly closed the cell with her also inside. Then, she passed her thumb and forefinger along the barrel of the rifle, raising her gaze towards me.

«I'm starting to lose my patience.»