Shade

Prologue.

Overseer.

Ahhhh. Breathe it in, breathe it out. Now keep going till you choke on it. Know what that is? The city air. Yes. The air that will make you puke if you know what's in it. That intoxicating mixture of hot asphalt, pungent smog, sweat, piss, garbage, rotting garbage, burning tyres, the local street guys and all that other dank shit. Yes sir (or madam), this is the air that you breathe in daily-if you ain't from the city, I don't give a damn what you breathe.

Sucks to suck, huh?

If the bad air ain't shit to you, let's get to the ground level, shall we? The one element that makes up a grand city. The streets. The one you walk on. You never know what happens in the streets. You just walk on it, get here to there. Well, aren't we all? The streets have its own stories to tell. In the dark alleys, the common homeless sleep, piss and take a shit there and made it their abodes. In other cases, they make the streets a brothel in terms of having street sex on them-don't get me started on Night Street. Other days, people piss on them, to avoid paying for a public toilet, some bleed on them, either from being shivved by a thief or a thug, or eating a bullet by bad luck or whatever the fuck I care. Hawkers and shopkeepers align their wares on it, making their livelihood from them. Cars never fail to pass through them. Other personal vehicles drive and park on them. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda, you get the shit Im trying to say here. Point is a city ain't one if the streets ain't buzzing with life. Some say legends were born the very same streets. Okay, moving on before I bore you with a lore.

Okay, not interesting for your taste?Well,the common people are sure to get you good. The fine citizens of the buzzing Star city. Let's see. From a street kid to the highest man in the country,the hustlers and the wealthy folk,the locals and the foreigners,from the humble to the proud, we have them all. A funny thing about the common people though is that they are as easily susceptible and gullible. Go on, start a stupid trend online or grab a gun and start spraying in the air and watch the magic happen. Some motherfuckers I like to call the cops, are ever ready to take a man in for not greasing his palm and he later finds himself sleeping in the shittiest cells to date. A lady could easily be stolen from in broad daylight and no one will do shit about it,except if they start a mob justice. That shit is hilarious. Think about it, people killing a man for taking a woman's empty purse. Then, they are the worst of all people. The fucking politicians. Yes, the person who you vote for, if he or she says the right words or lines some people's pockets to start a rally up for them. Soon, they sit at their high seats of power,not even giving a damn about their empty promises and lies.

Again, sucks to suck, huh?

Okay, okay. What am I coming across here? What I'm trying to say is that the city is just one gigantic game of power grab. You either get some and feel your right to use it or don't and get trampled by tbise who do. Survival of the fittest. Then welcome to the urban jungle,where predators eat you alive on the daily. Live or die, do or die,the dog-eat-dog, cruel city in its terrible beauty. Don't even dare to think about being fooled by the blinding lights or the high towers. Trust me, unless you wanna get chewed up and spat out like miraa leaves, don't trust the city.

There is a certain story I like to tell that says more than what people listen to.

One time, there was a certain tree that looked beautiful to open eyes-don't disrespect me, blind people. It was immaculate and majestic. It bared fruits which looked ravishing. They were set high on the tallest branches. The bark of the tree however was very hard and rough. The roots however, sitting exposed on the surface of the soil, were soft and were baking under the heat. Some people struggle to climb up the rough barks and made it all the way to the highest branches. They plucked the thickest, juiciest and the most ripe fruits their grimy hands could grab on. Looking down below, they saw others pleading with them to pluck some fruits for them. A few did, but to most, their selfishness grew as they thought of their own hard work, climbing the tree and suffering for it, so they climbed down and went away with their spoils.

"If you want them so bad, go get them yourselves." The selfish ones spoke. And sure, others tried but their skins were too soft that they ended doing more harm to themselves. Few others made it to the near top but the fruits they plucked were almost ripe. Most never made it to the top, so they climbed down and skinned the bark so they could eat it. It felt so hard, against their teeth which felt like sponges, though they had no choice.

Others saw the bark eaters' pain, so didn't even wanna try. They cut off the exposed roots and sucked on them. Their tongues felt satisfied,for it had sweet sap juice in them. This particular roots however, were to be feared. This 'sweet' sap juice is actually a toxin - a poison if ingested. The effects depend on the person. It can end you quickly or you will suffer slowly. So the root suckers eventually went six feet under.

That is how this damn city works. That is what it thrives on. The city is the tree. The selfish ones are the high and mighty asshole-not that I'm saying everyone is. Some help the community. Others just flex on those who aren't their class. Those who made it to the almost ripe fruits are the workhorses of the city. The bark eaters are the common people who survive with what they have. The root suckers, well, they are the ones who picked the easy way out, knowing they are no shortcuts in life. Like I said, a game of power grab.

So sure, you get the easy way out, you'd be satisfied for a time but soon, you will suffer for it, harshly. That is why I say, here and now,don't kill yourselves for a short time of satisfaction. Best be a lying, cheating politician than, who'd survive with a nearly ripe fruit than than be killed by a root. The urban's roots are what these four characters sucked on. It might as well lead te to their graves, but who am I to care for people I never knew? Anyways, enjoy the fucking show.

I know you'll learn a thing or two.