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DAY 34: TOTAL CONFIRMED DEATHS 154,215 WORLDWIDE


The apocalypse had not slowed home improvements. In fact, this is what people must have been doing with their time, she realized, as she pulled into the home improvement store’s parking lot.

It was packed.

More than the big box stores, more than the super markets. There was a line of cars just to enter the parking lot, and each row was filled.

Her overhead fan and light had broken over a week ago, and even though she loved the darkness and candlelight, she knew it needed to be replaced. The previous owners had spared the least amount of pennies on renovations, and this was one of the last items to go.

They would make a run for it.

She took her husband to ensure she had the right size, and this was his first trip to a store (besides the local convenience store) since the pandemic. They both were amazed at the amount of people that were shopping. Here they had been hiding, following orders, only leaving the house for necessities and bouts of fresh air- and these people were just meandering around, shopping like nothing was different. They did wear masks, most everyone, but not much social distancing was going on, and she knew some people weren’t “necessity shopping.”

Like the lady wandering around in the garden section with one small pot in her hand. Really? How is that a need?

She would love to just hang out in the garden section and meander through all the plants, getting that sweet plant oxygen in her lungs. In fact, that was a favorite outing of spring and summer for her. But all she could think about was getting the hell out of there. Anyone could be infected but asymptomatic, didn’t people know this? People just “hanging out” could be endangering the lives of the workers at the store, and themselves by exposure.

The day was only slightly warm. What was going to happen once the weather kicked into summer sunshine? Would people just forget about what was going on- out of sight out of mind? Would they rush the beaches in protest?

There were already more protests in other states. The Orange Leader was promoting the idea of “Liberating” certain parts of the country from the cruel stay-at-home orders.

Was it really that hard?

Were people actually complaining about staying at home? It’s not like citizens were being called on to fight in an actual war. All people had to do was stay put.

This must have been too much for some people. They were beginning to crack.

She sighed. This only meant the virus would continue to spread, and everyone would continue to be stuck at home for even longer.

Regardless of the sun, ten-thousand people died today.

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