VIP System

Chapter 1 - Life on Earth

The warm sun baked the road of Parañaque as Eman weaved through the congested streets on his trusty scooter. He carefully navigated the sea of vehicles, avoiding colliding with a dawdling pedestrian or a sudden turn of the Jeepneys into a line of waiting passengers. The sun was scorching hot, and sweat covered his skin as he swerved left and right, trying to reach his destination on time. He glanced at his scooter's time: 11:23 am, an hour more before his shift.

He parked in the open parking lot a few blocks from their office. A deep sigh of relief escaped from his dry lips as he completed securing his ride. He grabbed his towel as he walked out of the place. When he reached the edge of the street he wiped out the sweat from his face, neck, and arms. He crossed the street when the pedestrian light turned green and headed towards a mini-mart.

Eman bought the usual chicken sandwich, a bottle of water, and a can of milk. One of the staff curiously looked at him as he went outside the store and saw him turn into a corner down the street. The staff continued stocking the shelf, but after a minute, she saw him walk out from the corner and enter the building just across the street. The store owner saw her and asked if she wanted to check what it was. She enthusiastically nodded and rushed to the place. She saw a pathway right after she turned; it was wide enough for three people to walk side-by-side. She tilted her head as her forehead slightly curled.

She was about to go back to the store when she heard a muffled "meow." Carefully scanning the area, she saw a plastic box with a makeshift curtain. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that the box was well-kept due to the neatness of the curtains. There was another soft meow, and she pulled the curtains aside and saw two small white kittens. Beside them was a bowl filled with fresh milk. A smile lingered on her face as she returned the curtains, she stood up, looked at the building where Eman went, and then returned to the store.

###

It was 12:30 pm when Eman entered the building's cafeteria. He was about to sit when another sat in front of him. It was Sheila, his colleague and the one who guided him when he was just starting at the company. They were eating their lunch and chatting as usual. Sheila was asking him the usual questions about his plans in life. He answered her the usual answers about making money and buying a house for his future family.

"You already own a house, right?" She asked as she mixed her curry rice.

"Why not adopt the kittens then?" She added, before eating another spoonful of rice.

"You already know..."

She swallowed the food in her mouth and cut Eman's answer.

"But that's a long time from now! You have a house now, and caring for them will be much simpler if they are with you anyway."

"I don't want to risk it, you know, my situation," he replied.

Sheila was about to continue the conversation when someone called her. She scooped all the remaining curry rice from the box and tidied her side of the table. After taking the food box to the trash, she waved to her colleague and ran back towards their table. She leaned towards him and whispered, "You will regret it if something happens to those kittens. Get them while you can."

She then tapped the table and walked towards her waiting colleague. Eman looked outside the glass wall beside him, and a wave of thoughts surged upon him, but he decided to avoid any new commitments. He opened his food box and finished his lunch. Once his food was completely gone, he crumpled the bag, stood up, and walked to the office elevator.

###

Back at his desk, Eman settled in for the afternoon. His colleague, Alex, who worked in the next cubicle, leaned over.

"Hey, Eman," Alex began, "how's it going with your investments and life insurances?"

Eman glanced at him, a slight smile on his face. "I don't check them that frequently, but it seems they've been quite profitable these past years. It's all part of the plan, you know?"

"That's good to hear," Alex nodded. "You always seem to have everything figured out. It must be nice to have that safety net."

"It is," Eman admitted, turning back to his computer. "But it's still a lot of work to keep everything in balance."

The two continued working in companionable silence. Eman occasionally glanced at the clock, mentally counting down the hours until he could head home. An hour later, as he was engrossed in testing a particularly tricky piece of code, he saw Sheila walking past the hallway. Her words about regretting not taking care of the kittens echoed in his mind.

When the clock finally struck 5:30 pm, Eman packed up his things and clocked out. He decided to stop by the mini-mart again to buy more food and milk for the kittens. The staff from earlier gave him a knowing look but said nothing as he paid for his items.

Eman retraced his steps to the alley where the kittens were. They were still there, nestled in the box. He refilled their food bowl and added more milk, watching them for a few moments as they eagerly ate.

"Stay safe, you two," he murmured again before heading back to the parking lot.

As he walked, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw a notification from his game, reminding him to claim his offline VIP rewards. He smiled, briefly relishing the small victory in his virtual world, then locked his phone as he reached the parking place and mounted his scooter.

While driving, Sheila's words kept replaying in his mind. He thought of turning back and picking up the kittens, but memories of his family's struggles and his own fears of not being ready for such responsibility clouded his thoughts. The argument in his mind was intense, but ultimately, the fear of failure won out.

He continued driving, lost in his thoughts. Suddenly, a bright light shone on his side mirror, catching his attention. He turned, only to see a white van speeding towards him. The impact was immediate and brutal. His scooter smashed into the center aisle, and he was thrown several meters away.

The force of the crash was so intense that despite wearing his helmet, his neck twisted gruesomely. Eman lay motionless on the ground, his last thoughts a swirl of regrets and unfinished dreams. He died on the spot, the noise of the bustling city around him fading into silence.