God's Cage | WOTG #1

one | through the neon streets

CADE
Through the Neon Streets

—

I should not have let Zike haul my butt away from my bedroom. I should be sitting in front of my one-hundred-and-twenty-two-inch wall-mounted holoscreen, playing video games with maxed-out sound, maxed-out graphics, and maxed-out difficulty, and wasting the night away in solitude and fun instead of this.

Ngayon, tingnan niyo 'ko, tumatakbo sa gilid ng maliwanag na daan na punong-puno ng mga high school at college students na ang suot lang ay kapirasong tela at may sandamakmak na piercing sa iba't-ibang parte ng kanilang mga katawan. Isa lang itong normal na Sabado sa Alexandrite District.

Ang mga holo-advertisements na nagkalat sa buong distrito ay sapat na para makipagsabayan sa mga neon lights at neon holograms sa Tokyo. Kahit malalim na ang gabi ang kahabaan ng mga kalsada ay buhay na buhay pa rin. May mga malalaking speakers na nagpapatugtog ng mga malalakas na musika at may mga turistang masayang-masaya sa pagbisita nila rito habang sumasayaw sa tugtog sa gitna ng mga plasa na para bang walang pakialam sa iba.

My feet carried me through the thongs of people. I had no time to look back and mutter an apology when I bumped into someone lest they would catch me.

"Hoy!" sigaw ng isang lalaki sa likod ko. Isa siya sa mga humahabol sa 'kin.

"Ngayon ka magmatapang ngayon!" sigaw pa ng isa. Pinagtinginan sila ng mga ibang mga tao pero wala silang pakialam sa kanila at nagpatuloy lang sa paghabol sa 'kin. "Halika rito!"

Naka-focus lang sila sa paghuli sa 'kin.

This was what you got when you thought you were some kind of a knight in shining armor only to realize that the dragons were much larger than you had expected. I couldn't just let that small guy be harassed at the bar, right? He was clearly uncomfortable at the company of these two beasts and no matter how many times he had turned down their invitation to join their table at the bar, they persisted pestering him like a couple of two fat flies flying over a delicious cake. Not that I referred to the small guy as delicious. It was a metaphor, just to be clear.

And it happened to be that I was the one who swatted those flies.

Niyaya ako ni Zike kaninang hapon na sumama sa kaniya sa night out ni pinlano niya no'ng isang linggo pa kaya naman hindi niya mapigilan ang pagiging excited. Tinanggihan ko siya no'ng una dahil hindi naman ako fan ng mga malalakas na music, mga pawising katawan sa masikip na lugar, at mga mapangahas na kamay ng kung sinu-sinong tao. Akala ko okay na sa kaniya na hindi ako sasama pero maya't-maya ay nasa tapat na siya ng dorm room ko at walang balak tantanan ang doorbell hangga't hindi ko siya sinisipot.

Pagkabukas ko ng pinto ay nakita ko siyang nakatayo at nakapamaywang. Nakasuot siya ng kulay pulang button-down long-sleeves shirt na bukas ang unang talong butones at isang pares ng bleached straight fit na jeans. Isang ngisi niya lang ay alam ko na ang balak niyang gawin. Hahatakin niya ako papalabas sa dorm ko kung kinakailangan.

The nightclub was dark and the flashing light made my head ache. Zike had been flirting with the pretty bartender at the counter when I saw two broad men—probably in their mid-twenties—preying on a small guy wearing a black mesh tank top and shorts. Between the flickers of the light, I could tell he was uncomfortable.

And that was when I had inserted myself, feeling mighty and strong, only to regret what happened after.

The next thing I knew, I was bolting to the nightclub's exit, away from the crowd of sweaty bodies only to bump into a girl wearing a silver dragon dress standing outside the bar, laughing with her friends.