Plague-ish (2021)

In the early days of the pandemic, Buddy, a single, big-city apartment dweller, engineers a life in isolation. Making full use of his anthropomorphic tool kit, he gives voice to his chairs, tables, and general household items. When an irresponsible neighbor leaves the virus outside Buddy's door, he is forced to fully enlighten his in-the-dark anthropomorphic roomers to the existential threat. The news falls hard on the group. Rather than deal with the anxiety of impending doom, Buddy decides to go proactive. He MacGyvers a plan, using the resources at hand, and captures the virus through a straw slipped under his door. Once inside and safely secured, Buddy tapes the Covid trophy to his kitchen wall. He interrogates the virus, probing its motives, its goals and explains to it the futility of its efforts, as human ingenuity always has the upper hand. His discourse reaches out to larger world issues only framed by the pandemic, and explains how the pathogen's appearance might fit into big-picture thinking. Ultimately the discourse circles back and shepherds the virus to a "dead man's walk" and its ultimate demise, restoring calm and reflection to the apartment.