Identical

Chapter 1: City Boy [REVISED]

Paalam ko lang sa inyo. Gagawin kong taglish si Caelum dito. Hindi ko kakayanin kung ipupurong englisero ko 'yan! Hahaha! Bawi na lang ako sa dialogues niya, pure english na 'yon. Geh, 'yun lang. Eto na!

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*Caelum

- Castrafort

A mist and scent of smoke greeted me as soon as I stepped outside of the apartment building. I roamed my eyes to witness a number of men in groups with each doing activities they usually do. Just in my left were two thugs taking turns to gain pleasure from a stick. It was obvious in their worn-out faces that their minds were somewhere else.

On a long wooden bench just a few steps in front of me were another group sharing good laughs with a bottle of beer on their hands. Nang malipat ang tingin ko sa gilid ng bench, my brows went up to my surprise upon seeing several empty bottles lying there. It seemed that they were having the time of their lives.

Seated on the wet floor at the corner were another group where loud sounds from the game they were playing on their mobile phones could be heard. Bahagya akong napasimangot dito. Hindi man lang sila naghanap ng magandang mauupuan to play. Well, maybe they've gotten used to the surroundings of this place. It's been a while since I stayed here, so I also should be, but imagining the feeling of my butt sitting on a wet floor was disgusting.

Letting out a sigh as I place my hands inside the pockets of my leather jacket, I took a step to finally get going. For more than a month that I've been staying here, I always see this exact same scenario whenever I leave around this time. I'm not even sure why I was sparing a few seconds of my time watching them do those things. Maybe it was due to my amazement. Just like me, they couldn't care less of the f*cking curfew. And it's not just them. Habang binabagtas ko ang eskinita ay may iilan pa akong nasasalubong.

This is Castrafort for you. A hellish city with strict rules made by a tyrant General. He and his cocky dogs run this city. As obvious as it is, they're failing miserably to control the whole city. Even simple rules like the curfew is being ignored by us. Well, at least for the people in the slums. However, these rules are well-observed in the main city. I saw that with my own two eyes when I used to stay there.

More than a month. It's as if that suddenly echoed inside my mind. Time seemed to fly so fast that I actually failed to realize that it has been that long since I left the main city, specifically his place. Which also means that it's been that long since I started a life of a hopeless rat just waiting for its prey to abduct him.

I made a sudden pause when I felt a vibration inside my pocket. Agad kong kinuha ang phone ko and accepted the call. "Hello?"

"Ano na, 'tol? Asan ka na? Kanina pa kami naghihintay dito ah," a man spoke in an angered tone.

I scoffed and replied, "Be there in a minute."

Hindi na ako naghintay ng sagot niya at agad ko nang pinutol ang tawag niya. What am I thinking? I told myself. Ako 'tong nagyaya to unwind to shake off these stressful thoughts. I should give myself a break I deserve and have a little bit of fun. That's what I should be focusing on right now.

*****

"Cheers!" hiyaw ko with a half full of glass of Tom Collins on my hand. The two men joining me in the table lifted their drinks with a wide smile painted on their faces. Uminom ako mula sa basong hawak ko and I just felt the alcohol flowed down my throat as it sent pleasure and satisfaction all over me.

"Mukhang ang saya mo na naman, p're ah!" bulalas ng lalakeng nasa kanang gawi ko. He has a black hair that accompanies his young-looking face well. Kung hindi ko lang siya kilala ay iisipin kong dapat ipinagbawal siyang makapasok dito.