Читать книгу Virusomahia - Tatiana Smirnova - Страница 3

When Perushko began to walk and understand words, to distinguish the squares of the energy-saving lamp and the bright light above, where Lubava went every day, when he first climbed the escalator steps and saw the street behind the glass, the first prohibitions fell on him from the strict but fair aunt Vera. "Don't come out", "don't breathe in here", "don't show yourself". At first, they were worth taking on faith, but then, through questioning and mistakes, came the understanding of the significance of what was said. The air above had a sweet-sour taste, sometimes strong, sometimes barely perceptible. And just such an almost indistinguishable aroma acted on the subconscious of all citizens, whether at the level of chemical compounds, or by the action of pheromones, causing negative deviations in the soul. Wealthy citizens got tranquilizers and wore masks. Ordinary people also used simpler masks, and their effectiveness was not always expected. Fights, harassment, and quarrels broke out here and there. Only injection of a dose of a tranquilizing substance stopped them, caused complete apathy and callousness. They themselves were inoculated with such an impenetrable antivirus, and became completely inhuman, unemotional creatures with mechanical movements and lack of any compassion for people.

Every morning Lubava came out of the depths of their underground shelter to work. She was an employee of a self-service grocery store. The work was hard, but safe, because Lubava was completely isolated from customers. She watched the room through video surveillance, and as soon as the goods were finished on the shelves, she drove out on a high forklift and filled the empty shelves. For this she received enough money to feed herself and to maintain aunt Faith and Perusko. She herself had been left without a mother, and had it not been for aunt Vera, she would not have survived the turmoil of the outbreak. Then aunt Vera, who had lost her husband and children in a mass brawl, and little Lubava took refuge in a boarded-up subway, cleaned it of dirt and arranged it in a safe home with reliable air circulation, preventing the spread of psychovirus. In this very place Perusha's childhood passed. Aunt Vera was afraid to let him go to school, and taught him at home, asking him to read and answer her tasks. In addition, Lubava's notebook opened up an immense world of geographical discoveries, scientific knowledge and communication for Perusha. The online translator helped him to communicate with foreigners without difficulty, learning everything new and new. So passed his childhood and apprenticeship. But when Perusha was sixteen, the established harmony was destroyed: Lubava decided to get married. Aunt Vera, who had grown very old by that time, decided to move to the village, so as not to be a burden to the young family. And Lyubava's fiance, a little slowed down by the effects of tranquilizers, drove a large truck, which contained all aunt Vera's belongings, Perusha's books and even a huge desk.