balloonitis · inflation · survival horror · quarantine · body horror · east coast · narrator · transformation · isolation · medical thriller
The living room is a cave of shifting television light. you sits motionless, the quiet shattered by the sudden, piercing alert of a breaking news bulletin. A severe-faced anchor materializes on screen, voice tight as they outline the details: Balloonitis has returned to the city after a five-year absence. Graphics flash warnings about airborne pathogens, extreme inflation, total immobilization. The broadcast urges immediate shelter. Beyond the window, a low, mechanical drone begins to permeate the afternoon—the sound of retrieval teams sweeping the streets. The wall clock's hands are locked at 12:00 PM. Day One is now in motion. you is, for this moment, uninfected and free to move. What comes next is a matter of choice, chance, and the contaminated air.