Horrors of Reality

Chapter 1:School

Waking up unconcious,Albert still resting on his bed with his eyes half-shut. Checking his digital alarm clock on top of his drawer just beside his bed, he stretched out his arm slowly to shut down the buzzing noise of his clock. Albert knew,it was time.

Of course,he immediately went out of his bed.He prepared breakfast by boiling a kettle of water and brushing his teeth,mixing Listerine and toothpaste.Albert's mother usually prepared these things for him when she was around,as she passed few years ago,Albert could not rely much on his father due to being a drug addict.Thus,he has to be independent. 

 While pouring a sachet of 3-in-1 coffee into his favourite mug,his father,dozing off lying on the couch mumbled,"Albert....get me my..."the rest was just gibberish to him.Stirring the mug of coffee gradually turns slower as his eyes start to shut until he moved his eyes towards the clock reading the time,"Oh no!It's already 6.30!" Albert hasten up his actions,grabbing his school bag while munching down on some toast.

He left his house immediately and close the gate without locking the door as he assumed it was safe enough for security. Rushing to the lift lobby of his flat,he had a feeling of something he had forgotten. He pondered about it until the elevator arrives. "Probably I left something at home,nothing important for today." he mumbled to himself as he enters the empty elevator.

His eyes start to water slightly due to the smell of urine in the elevator,the place had faeces on the corners of the lift,newspaper advertisements  clogging up the walls of the lift from head to toe,to touch it up,minor spray paint vandalism was on it.Stopping on the 4th floor,a woman of foreign descent about his height entered,she smelt of cigarettes and alcohol.Unfortunately, Albert has to adapt to the Detroit-like environment.Apparently, he could not as this was not how he liked it to be,in the past. He used to have such luxuries,like living in a decent neighbourhood with a friendly community.

Due to monetary problems,he and his parents would eventually degrade.Off he went to the bus stop,as usual,he would give some shillings to the beggar at the void deck. "I can see the gratitude in you,young man." he replied as Albert stood for a moment and looked back. He gave a nod and began to continue his journey. All around him,his eyes could not resist. Children as young as seven learnt how to swear,being defiant and even saw a child slapped her mother while shouting at her. She was yelling about the pack of cigarettes her mum did not place in her lunch box. Turning his head to the other direction, saw a group of secondary school students,one of which came from his. They were making out in public. Some of them were making out with the same gender. Continuing the walk,Albert's face was blank. What he saw was not in public order.

Ever has he wondered that the government law enforcements even showed up. It turns out that they are weak in number and fresh,new and amateur policemen replaced most of the veterans. While walking along the busy road of the dawn,Carbon Monoxide was hovering the air 5-feet above from the ground just like Phosgene and Mustard gas in the Great War. Upon arrival,the bus stop was surprisingly empty. 

"Albert.Albert." He looked around,no one was there calling his name.He was starting to get a headache as he clutches his hair."Oh gosh,I'm starting to have hallucinations," he talked to himself. It was a way to get him feel good. As an introvert himself,Albert has a rather small group of friends with a common nerdy interest. His school referred to them as the "Cult of the Dweebs". He was the typical loser movies showcased.

As the bus arrived,he saw a gorgeous girl,wearing the same school uniform.She was a few inches shorter,had an untidy bun on her hair.Unlike many others,she was rather,an exception from the other girls. She was well-dressed and what caught his attention is that her eyes sparkle like a star.She was obviously taking the same public transport to school with him.She approached to him,"Morning,I'm Irene.Pleasure to meet you!" she gave a cute smile Albert couldn't hold blushing and offered him her hand."Hello,my name's Albert," he introduced nervously revealed his hand from his pocket and shook it gently. Little that he knew the bus doors were long open.

"Hey kid!are you hopping in?" the bus driver asked after seeing Albert having a conversation with no one.It was as if he was talking to someone. "Yes,uncle,yes," he promptly answered and hesitated into the bus. As usual,the bus was crowded but not as crowded as he experienced for the past few days.Sadly,Albert wasn't lucky enough to grab a seat henceforth,he had to stand like the others on the wheelchair-bound area and either hold on to the railing of the side or just tightly clutch on the top and cold metal bar.

The bus was moving like a truck.It was not as smooth and quiet like the car he used to take to school. It was noisy,apart from the heavy chatting from the passengers. The sound it made was deafening enough to tell him that the amount of fuel the vehicle churns down is monstrous.

During the ride to school,he was tinkering about something that occured to him. Something quite strange like Irene. She was good-looking and talked like an intellect but concurrently she looked naive. Albert was pondering in-depth,further and further in till his eyes start to flick and eventually close. What snapped him from his mind is he heard the ' Bus Stopping' bell and the sign glowed, displaying that phrase. He turned behind towards the window and knew he needs to stop. 

He was struggling to take out his bus pass from his pants with small and tight pockets. Simultaneously, he was trying to balance,holding his ground as the bus moved hoping not to get thrown off and fall. Once the bus arrived,Albert finally managed to took it out from his pocket and joined the other many students,tapping their passes to a small machine before exiting. Gathered like a flock of birds,they make their journey to the school side gate which is the gate nearest to the bus-stop where he dropped.

Author's Notes:Alright,so this is the very first story I've posted in years and for this platform. Please,I do apologise for my lack of vocabulary and good English.You know,I'm quite rusty and needs a bit of oiling. So I hope the wattpad community doesn't kill me or something because it is very different here just like another planet. Also,I do not think writers/authors here do this kind of little messages like "Waddaya think of this chapter?" so I apologise once again for my etiquette here.Anyway,give me a little feedback,advices or point off something I lack of other than what I've stated above. -Fadzrin2001