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Hermes tried hard not to become frustrated with his cousin. Catching the bit of attitude that coated her movements as she signed to him. He knew it was stupid, pointless to ask given that nobody knew what was going on because the government was keeping so much from them. But that didn't help stop him from asking, the panic of the unknown. His uncle suggested a military encampment as an option, but Hermes didn't trust that one bit. The government was already hiding from them, lying to them, who was to say they wouldn't just round everyone up and quarantine them by firing squad. His stomach churned like tumultuous waves as he pressed his legs to his chest trying to calm himself.

”Can we do the rural areas? I don't trust going to those encampments.” Hermes voted as they finally turned into his place. The front door cracked as others left their places around them. He called out to one of his neighbors as they made their way out. ”Did anyone catch my mom and Nonna? See why their doors open?” Hermes asked, signing with one hand to keep his family in the loop of the conversation taking place as he stood before the open doorway. The kitten left behind in the car, now placed within its carrier so that he'd have both hands free to pack and go.

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Mandy flicked her middle finger out at the mention of the government and encampments. "Agree. Let's go somewhere rural."

She parked the car and pulled the kitten and its carrier into her lap, giving the kitten pets through the open flap as her cousin ran into his home. With her other hand, she opened her phone and sent a text to her friend, Kristian. She had done a couple of projects with him the previous semester and he seemed alright. They had been texting when things started getting weird. She hoped he was following the news still.



She then sent a message to a group chat she had with several Deaf locals. He friends. It was a quick message that surmised everything that she knew. It was normal in Deaf culture to share information when one had it. During COVID a lot of information was passed around that way. It had gotten more complicated in the years since paper newspapers went out of style to keep up to date of what was going on in the news cycle. And not every president made sure they had a certified interpreter for press conferences. One of the main ways Mandy got news was through YouTube where she followed Daily Moth news.

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"That should get us by for a few days. Or at least until we get to wherever they plan for us to evacuate to. They haven't mentioned anything about shelters on the news, right?" Kali replied to Isaac, listening as she walked over to the refrigerator. She reached inside the door and grabbed a small glass jar filled with a reddish berry sauce before returning back to the living room.

"Didn't want to leave without it." Kali explained as she slipped it into her bag. "I know it's refrigerated, but if we're evacuating, one small comfort away from home won't hurt. Lingonberry isn't cheap, you know."

Once they were finally ready to leave town, Kali followed Isaac to the front door. However, her boss suddenly stopped in his tracks, and offered Kali the keys to his car. "I haven't driven in awhile," She stated, hesitant to take the keys at first. Liana was usually the one who drove the two of them around, owing to the fact that it was her car to begin with. "But I can get us there, sure."

Eventually taking the keys from Isaac, Kali followed him out the door and to his car. Placing their supplies in the back, she climbed into the driver's seat and began to drive away once the two of them were buckled and ready to go.