The virus was spreading more and more with each passing day, and some parts of the city looked the emptiest they had ever been. Putting into consideration how the streets were normally packed with traffic, the idleness of this particular portion of the metropolis was an unusual thing.
Holding a paw against the glass of the apartment window, Judy sighed as she stared out at the city. With everybody trying their best to stay inside and avoid going out unless necessary, she could only spot two or maybe three mammals on the sidewalks every so often.
At the apartment complex that was nearby, she could see signs that spreaded kindness to those who saw them hung up on some of the windows. The words "Everything Will Be Alright" were written in bubble letters on a bright yellow poster, and taped to some other windows were some other signs with similar cheerful words on them. The few that she saw had crosses drawn on them, and another had a doodle, presumably done by a kit, of a rainbow against happy clouds.
Looking away from the window, the gray doe turned her attention back to the television, which continued to play the news. ZNN's Peter Moosebridge went on to repeat what had already been covered before the last commercial break, and the current death toll displayed itself on the right side of the screen.
As the channel switched to a tanuki reporting from another district, Judy turned around in time to see her fox walking into the room. "Still watching the news, Fluff?" he asked upon seeing what the television was playing.
"Just seeing if there was any new information about all this," the bunny responded.
"It's not good to keep that on all day, though," the fox replied.
Judy sighed, evidently concerned with everything that was happening in the city she loved. "I know, but… we need to stay informed, you know? This is all just really scary."
Nick stepped closer to the couch and placed a paw on Judy's shoulder. As she turned her around to look at him, he said, "I know this is a scary situation. Heck, being a fox with an immune system that naturally isn't too strong, it's terrifying. But the news is just gonna get more depressive the longer you watch."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"We're gonna get through this, Carrots. After everything that's been thrown at it, this city's always stayed strong. We just gotta stay positive." He pointed the window the doe was previously looking out of. "And when we're in doubt, we just remember what that brightly colored sign out there says."
"Everything will be alright," the leporine replied, repeating what the sign Nick had mentioned said.
"Yep." The vulpine nodded his head. "Besides, if we're all supposed to stay inside as much as we can, I can't think of a better mammal to spend time with during all of this." Turning around and walking towards another spot in the apartment, he said, "Anyway, I think I've got something we can do to take our minds off of all of the news."
Judy turned the volume down on the television, looking away from the screen completely. A few seconds later, she saw the fox walking back to where she was sitting. In his paws was a long box with the name of a very familiar board game printed on the top and sides of it.
"Zoo-O-Poly?" she asked with a smile.
Nick replied, "One of my all time favorites. Thought it'd be fun to play, don't ya think?"
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get this game started, Slick."