I woke up early that morning and checked my phone. To my surprise, my SocialPass had flipped back over from red to green sometime during the night. It had been nearly 3 months since I made that controversial post on social media. Long enough ago that I had forgotten what it even was about.
I wouldn’t forget the last 3 months though - they made sure of that.
I thought back to when this had all started. If only everyone had heeded the warnings being clearly pointed out by those minority groups.
“It won’t stop at the masks,” they said. “If we comply now, this will never go away.”
That was years ago now and only a distant memory. They were right, though. The masks didn’t go away, and everything only got more restrictive as time went on. To think these people could see what was coming and we all just ignored them or made fun of them even though, deep down, we knew they were right. We just couldn’t admit we were wrong at that point.
Swinging my legs out of bed, I rested my bare feet on the cool floor and looked over at my mask on the nightstand. How I hated those things. They really did have a way of messing with one’s mind after having to wear them for the last 3 months straight while most didn't have to. But, since my SocialPass was now in the green, I no longer needed to wear it and things were already looking up for the day. That’s how they get you. Drag the misery of losing your rights out long enough so, when they allow them to be returned, it feels more like a privilege than a right. Then, when they take them again, they are sure to take a little bit more and only give back a portion of what they initially took. Each time a little more. Each time giving back a little less. Most didn’t even notice it was happening.
I stood up for the first time without the mask in nearly 90 days and took a long deep breath. The cool morning air blowing in from the slightly cracked window filled my nostrils. I had been missing that and boy did it feel good.
I double-checked my SocialPass to confirm what activities were now permitted so I could make a plan for the day. It looked like my bank account was unlocked and I was granted some carbon credits. Fifty kilometers this week for my car. It would be tricky to stretch that out, but much better than the zero vehicle ability I had while my SocialPass was in the red. I was also granted a half kilogram of chicken this week to go with the food credits for the local grocery store.
Most of society ate lab-grown vegetables now as their main food source. Once the large corporations lobbied the governments to make natural farms and home gardens illegal, there really wasn’t much of an option. The SocialPass did a pretty good job of keeping track of what everyone was eating and managed to distribute the rations fairly well, considering there was never enough to go around.
“It’s for the greater good,” they said. “We’re all in this together. Stop being so selfish.”
They never really let up on repeating all those nonsensical phrases. Anyone with any logic could easily see these phrases were specifically designed to sound good but didn’t really make any sense if you put any thought into it. My mind always seemed to drift back to George Orwell’s Nineteen-Eighty-Four and the language they used. Doublethink and Newspeak were alive and well in this new Orwellian nightmare of a world. The general population, for some reason, didn’t even realize they were repeating these phrases. Most times when confronted with explaining what they meant, people would get all triggered and have a little tantrum. The name-calling would start and any attempts to have a rational conversation would be lost. This is how you knew they weren’t thinking for themselves.
There was no sense fighting it openly now. They had killed off most of the dissenters during the fourteenth wave. Those who still didn’t agree with the way we were told things were, just tried to keep to themselves, or at least make it appear that way. Nobody could say anything out loud anymore. There were too many instances of Alexa overhearing the conversation, which led to the SocialPass turning red pretty quick. Mandating Alexa be in every home and syncing it with the SocialPass took some work on their part. Once the food and finances of dissenting individuals got cut off for so long, most came around or at least appeared to go with the new narrative in order to get those “rights” back.
I headed out fairly early after getting up. There was barely any food left in the house and I had become accustomed to going long stretches without food. I had decided to leave my car for now and to just get an Uber back home from the grocery store. That would only use half the kilometers of driving there and back at least, which would help stretch the rest out for the week.
It seemed lonely walking down the street these days. There was nobody really outside anymore. No kids playing in the parks that had now begun to fall apart. They had become more of a hazard than an enjoyment. We were told it was too risky to allow kids to play on them. There was never a full explanation given. Just as long as we were told it was unsafe was all they needed to say after a while. No people were out running or walking for exercise. Any exercise was all tightly controlled in designated areas now, if your pass allowed you access. I would be able to get access in another 2 weeks as long as I could keep my SocialPass in the green that long.
I was about halfway to the store when my phone started vibrating with an alert. I pulled it out of my pocket to see what it was. An alert was displayed on the main screen:
A new update of the SocialPass criteria has been added. You are required to visit your local inoculation center within the next 14 days to receive your latest Methemoglobinemia vaccine. Please press your finder on the sensor to acknowledge receipt of this message.
Remember, we’re all in this together for the greater good.
These things were becoming more and more common as time went on. Booster shots for covid, the cold, flu shots, and cancer prevention vaccines. They were all mandated shortly after the initial covid shots and by then it was too late to object. Then it started getting really out of hand with these diseases nobody had even heard of. What was Methemoglobinemia anyway?
I pressed my finger on my phone’s sensor and continued on. You sort of got used to it after a while. The corporations were in control now and they sold whatever they wanted to the governments around the world as they pleased. Why bother spending money on advertising when you could just spend less on lobbying to mandate it for everyone and get much higher returns?
I had gathered everything I needed from the grocery store and approached the checkout. The poor older lady behind the counter was covered from head to toe in safety equipment. A non-medical mask, visor, glasses, hair net, safety gown, and gloves. She looked absolutely drained from having to put up with all the new mandated precautions to keep her safe.
“How are you doing today?” I asked. I loaded my groceries on the conveyor belt and looked at her for a response. Her eyes were glazed over and there was not a hint of facial expression. It was the look of a truly beaten person. I knew her pain. There was no way she could quit her job and find something else. Changing jobs was only something you could do with a SocialPass score of 90 or above. Unless of course, your social score was going down. Those kinds of job changes were not the most desired.
“I’m just fine, dear,” the lady replied as she began scanning my groceries across the bar code scanner. “It’s been a long day and my shift is almost done. I’m looking forward to a nice quiet evening.”
She was obviously not fine, but I left it at that. Most people gave those generic types of responses more so these days. You never knew when Alexa would overhear and report you for being negative and you’d lose another few points on the SocialPass. It was safer just to pretend.
She finished scanning my items and looked up at me with her hand out.
“Your SocialPass, please.”
I unlocked my phone and handed it to her. She scanned the QR code over the same scanner she used for the food. My heart sank as I heard the unmistakable error chime ringing out of the cash register. She swiped it again but the error chimed again.
“Oh come on!”
I took my phone back and looked at the SocialPass display.
ERROR: MAX FOOD CREDIT EXCEECED
“This has got to be a sick fucking joke,” I said to the cashier. “I haven’t bought any food in months.”
“I’m sorry sir, you’ll have to remove some of the items.” The cashier’s eyes looked extremely apologetic. I could tell she was nervous about my reaction. Too much attention wouldn’t be good for anyone.
“Yeah, alright. I’ll take out that pasta. See what that does.” I handed back my phone as she punched a few keys on the cash register and rescanned the pasta box. “I’m so tired of this fucking passport bullshit, you know? There has got to be a better option.”
Then there was the unmistakably soothing Alexa voice from the cash register. “Social negativity detected. Reducing SocialScore 3 points for user 15879.”
I quickly grabbed my phone out of the cashier’s hands and looked at the screen. My score went from 50 down to 47. The background went from green to red and a 2-week timer appeared at the bottom of the screen.
“FUUUUCK!”
“Social negativity detected. Reducing SocialScore 3 points for user 15879.”
I quickly walked out the door of the store with nothing. It was all that I could do to keep myself from going completely berserk in there. I knew there was nothing I could do and the angrier I got, the worse it would get.
I placed the mask back over my face and began my long walk back to the apartment. Without the green SocialPass, my bank was frozen so Uber was again out of the question. It would be a long few weeks of dumpster diving for food, but what could I do? We were all in this together.
Excellent very close to the bone Science Fiction that will become reality if we don’t fight it now.
Obviously, you are not Stephen King, but you are very close to his literary style. I plunged into reading.
One moment can be considered erroneous: the cashier should have first checked your social pass, and only then scanned your products. This is logical. However, this moment on the contrary adds more realism to your story. This is exactly what happens in life.
Well, I am Stephen King. Just not The Stephen King you're thinking of. Good point on the pre-scanning of the pass. It should have capped out when too much was scanned, I suppose. Hopefully, we never have to find out if it would really work that way.
Well, the Chinese, to some extent, are close to this. At least before the approval of % on the loan, your social rating will be checked.
Bruh, this is too real... Thanks for the glimpse into the future.
Hopefully we can find a way out of this mess and this little story stays as fiction. People are starting to realize at a faster rate, but will it happen fast enough is something only time will tell.
I don't want to sound grim but I don't think that the majority of human beings have what it takes to make a change from doing as they are told. It has been instilled in them at an early age by manipulation from authority figures that they trust and corporate brainwashing. Those are hard shackles to break.
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Excellent piece of fiction Stephen! To many of us you are 'The Stephen King.'
Hello I am Fallowing you now to help support the Canada front end on Hive, a room which you have joined. I hope to interact more and soon in the room.
Your words grabbed me and held me. I hope that this is not at all reality, that you have food and are not jumping into the dumpster like i am.