In a near-future world still recovering from the memory of pandemics past, a new and mysterious virus emerges, not one that attacks the body, but the human need for space.

Dubbed the ProxiVirus, it begins with a whisper: victims compulsively seek physical closeness, politely at first, then with increasing desperation. As the Centers for Disease Control scrambles to contain this contagion of connection, lead virologist Dr. Elara Sinclair discovers that the virus doesn’t destroy humanity, it enhances it.

The infected called Proxies develop stronger empathy, deeper bonds, and a primal, almost spiritual need for community. They eliminate violence and poverty through shared care. But they also abandon individuality, privacy, and ambition. It’s not just a pandemic, it’s speciation.

With society collapsing under the weight of enforced distance and emotional longing, Elara faces an impossible choice: cure the infection and restore humanity’s old identity, or embrace the virus’s evolutionary gift and reshape what it means to be human.

From the abandoned subways of New York to playgrounds haunted by caregivers tending to invisible children, Closer: The Pandemic is a poignant, mind-bending exploration of intimacy, fear, and what happens when love itself becomes contagious.