20 Years Later

The rising sun shoots a luminescent ray through the apartment window. A new day. Barry shoots up from the bed, coughing so loud it wakes Daniel up.

"You good?" He says, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

"Okay.. you scared me there. Thought you were catching."

"That's not funny. Go back to sleep."

Daniel chuckles and peels over. Like a light, he's out. Barry is wide awake. Daniel's joke got to him.

What if he is catching?

He gets up from bed and stares out of the window. He peers at the world of yesteryear. The buildings still intact, the billboards still working, life is progressing like it should. Except the streets are empty. It isn't time for them to come out yet.

Barry peers down and reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a heart-shaped locket and stares at the picture.

Angela, she looks so beautiful. He still remembers her face like she was standing in front of him. All those years ago. Twenty years to be exact. When they all took the vaccine. Barry closes the locket and shudders. He puts it back into his pocket and mumbles to himself.

"Why didn't she listen?"

He fights back the tears and goes back to bed with Daniel. It's just them now. Everyone is gone. But not really, just corrupted. As soon as they flipped the switch, they became lackdogs to the powers that be. The ones we elected, the ones in generational standing, the ones who ruled or dictated over their countries. They were supposed to protect us.

And now, the whole world has gone to shit.

Barry wraps his arms around Daniel and hugs him close.

He shuts his eyes.

*

Barry is startled awake by the banging sound of falling aluminum. He quickly grabs his mask and puts it on. He grabs his spray bottle and blindly aims it.

It's just Daniel.

"Sorry! I was just making us breakfast."

Barry sighs and lowers his weapon.

"Thank God I wasn't them though. You would've missed badly."

Barry realizes he was aiming in the wrong direction. He was aiming towards the sun.

He rubs his eyes.

"What are you making? We're out of milk and eggs."

"I'm being resourceful. Does spam sound good?"

Barry sighs.

"And you know we have water a plenty!"

Barry gets up and starts getting dressed.

"I'm gonna make a run."

"What? You can't. It's only thirty minutes before their replenishment time."

"Thirty minutes. Ten to the grocery. Ten back."

Daniel doesn't look assured.

"I can make it back."

"It's not worth it. Just for milk and eggs? I'm sure I can find something else if you're not feeling spam."

"I haven't been feeling spam since the last fourteen times we've eaten it."

Daniel stops cooking.

"Just wait. The patrols have gotten worse, they're cracking down hard and they're far more saturated in the city. We really are the only ones left."

Barry looks irritated.

"We've gone through this before. Just don't show emotion, and wander. I can pass."

"But you won't have a mask on. You could bring it back."

"At this point, I'd rather die with real food and an infection in my chest than slowly fade away with a stomach full of spam and water."

Daniel relents.

"Fine. But I'm going with you."

"No you aren't. Didn't you just hear yourself? We're the only ones left. You have to stay here. Or.."

Barry struggles.

"Or what?"

"Or humanity is gone."

Daniel fights back tears.

"It isn't already?"

Barry gathers himself. He approaches Daniel.

"Twenty-five minutes at the most. I'll knock when it's here."

"No. Twenty-five minutes and two weeks."

Barry can't hold it in anymore. He cries. Daniel cries with him. They both hug each other tightly.

"Daniel, we can't keep living like this."

Daniel pauses.

"I know."

He kisses Barry softly on the lips.

"You'd better bring your ass back here."

Barry forces a smile.

"I love you." He says.

"And I love you."

They break their embrace, and Barry rushes out of the door. Their hands depart.

When Barry closes the door, he throws his mask out and tucks his spray bottle under his shirt. He peers down the apartment's hallway.

No one.

He remembers when he and Angela last arrived here. When he kissed her for the last time. He shudders, then gathers himself. He leaves the apartment complex.

*

Barry is walking down the street. Aimlessly, walking down random streets and alleys. Seemingly no direction, but with a desired destination. He's still keeping a bead on time. No one wanders the streets with him.

They are much cleaner than back then. Not a single piece of trash litters the ground. He passes the billboards, but the slogans make it hard for him to stay emotionless.

The World is Saved! Be happy. When it's time to feel, feel life as we all do!

Barry walks on.

Eventually, he reaches the grocery store. A plain white building. No fancy signs or lights. Just a grocery store. The automated doors slide open and Barry walks in. The shelves are fully stocked with food. And just that, food. None of the fun stuff. No candy, chips, soda. Just fruit, vegetables, produce and dairy. The human body doesn't need all of those sugars and preservatives.

No one in the world does.

Barry checks his watch. Fifteen minutes passed. Behind schedule. He eyes the milk and produce section. Yet he doesn't directly approach it. He blindly walks a few more aisles before ending up at the freezer aisle. He walks in and stops. The cameras are working, and he knows.

But he doesn't care.

Barry breaks character.

He immediately snatches three carts of eggs and shoves them into the bags adjacent. He runs down to the milk and swings the bag of eggs over his shoulder before grabbing two gallons.

By now, he's been noticed. He makes a break for the doors. They're closing, slowly.

Barry sprints towards the doors before they close on him and he's trapped. Trapped until they wake up.Or until the military finds him.

Both result in the same fate.

Miraculously, Barry makes it through the doors. A split second puts him in the clear.

Until..

SNATCH!

Barry's arm is caught in the door. He can't fit the milk through. He struggles to try and pull the gallon free.

No good.

In his struggle, the milk begins to leak. Barry has no choice but to let go. Before he does, he waterfalls some of the leakage into his mouth. He gasps in light of replenishment.

That taste.

Anything but water.

Barry eventually drops the gallon and runs away. Directly towards the apartment. No misdirects, all emotion.

*

Barry is running as fast as he can. He checks his watch. Twenty-five minutes passed.

He's late.

Barry tries to disregard and runs faster. He crosses a street and nearly stops in his tracks. A patrol, coming his way. But he can't stop.

What about Daniel?

Barry continues running down the alley. He makes it midway through and slows down.

He peers back to see if they are in pursuit. The truck rolls past the alleyway.

None the wiser.

Barry sighs in relief, but he isn't paying attention.

THUD!

Barry trips on the curb, falling face first into the ground. He drops the bag of eggs. His face is horrified. He crawls over to the bags and peers inside the cartons. Two of them are completely shattered, nothing to salvage.

He checks the other one. Most are shattered, some aren't. Barry bows his head and roars into his chest. He gets up and gathers himself, then runs out of the alleyway.

*

Barry makes it to a clearing where he can see the apartment complex. He checks his watch. At the same time, the watch beeps.

Time's up.

Barry readopts his act and paces into the complex. Nevermind his dirtied clothes, scraped knees, and rugged plastic bags.

*

Barry walks inside as the Corrupted are walking out to eat, drink and feel. Barry haphazardly strides pass them. But they aren't stupid, they all synchronously glare at him as he passes by. Adopting faces of confusion, anger, envy.

Suddenly, Barry's pace turns into a run as he makes it for the stairs. None of the Corrupted stop him. They just glare.

Eventually, Barry makes it to the seventh floor. He runs to the door, but realizes something. He can't knock. They'll know where Daniel is. He runs past the door.

He drops something.

Inside, Daniel can hear a commotion from the hallway. He cowers and hides.

Barry has no direction to go. All of the rooms are occupied by the Corrupted. They know he's there, and they know what he is:

Unvaccinated.

He stops at the window and peers down. It's a long way to the ground. He turns back as the Corrupted approach. They plead with him.

"Please, it's okay. We're all safe now."

"What are you so afraid of? The world is saved."

"Who do you think you are? You think you're better than us?"

Barry is cornered. He has no choice but to climb through the windowpane.

I won't be anyone's servant. Not anymore.

Barry leaps.

He consequently bangs his head on the exterior wall. One of the Corrupted caught him. Barry looks up, tears in his eyes.

"You don't have to do this, Barry. The world is saved. Yes, we are controlled. But it's for the better. Do you remember how it used to be? How selfish and wasteful all of us used to be, when there were those who had nothing? We'd throw away half eaten meals, sell things we didn't think were 'fashionable'. While others would kill for a shirt riddled with holes, or just a clean glass of water. We were a mess. Now, there is enough. For everyone. We are all equal. Our freedom wasn't sacrificed. It was reinforced, shared. Isn't that what the ideal vision is to be? For any and everyone to be happy? To be equal?"

Barry is in absolute denial. He won't give in. He whispers.

"They should have told us that from the jump."

The Corrupted individual frowns.

"Let me go." Barry demands.

"No." The Corrupted responds.

"We're trying to save you, save humanity."

Barry becomes furious.

"I said.."

He reaches under his shirt.

"Let me go!"

Barry pulls his spray bottle and shoots the Corrupted with a stream of Lysol.

The Corrupted doesn't flinch. It looks confused.

"Barry? That's what the vaccine was for."

POW!

Barry kicks the Corrupted in the jaw and he plummets seven floors down.

The rest peer out the window and watch.

As he falls, Barry remembers that day. The day he called it in.

"We did it! It works!"

He remembers the cheers of joy, the cheers of relief. Then he remembers when they seized it from him, when he didn't know why. Then Angela. Then Daniel.

He shuts his eyes.

*

Hours later, Daniel finds the courage to open the door. Slowly. He looks down the hall. No one. But something catches his attention. Lying on the floor, there is a dented, leaking gallon of milk and a carton of eggs. Holding back tears, Daniel opens the carton.

They're all cracked. All except one.

Daniel lowers his head and cries hysterically. Suddenly, he hears a noise. His gaze shoots down the hall.

"Barry?" He whispers.

Barry steps out from the elevator.

"Barry!"

Daniel wipes his tears and runs to hug him. But Barry is still. Daniel stops dead in his tracks. Something is wrong. Barry has a bandage on his head.

"Barry?"

Barry is emotionless as he gazes into Daniel's eyes.

"Daniel?"

Daniel is speechless. Finally, he musters:

"What took you so long?"

"Daniel.." Barry says, emotionless.

Daniel soon realizes.

"They were right."

He gasps.

"And we were wrong."

Barry then pulls a syringe out from under his shirt. Daniel looks on as Barry approaches.

Emotionless.

*