Home.
Home to him is a square of five meters made of driftwood. The windows are made of old tarpaulins from a previous candidate of a local election. The face of the man printed in the tarp is already weathered, not old, but weathered. It said, "Iboto ang maka-Diyos at maka-Tao." That man whose photo was printed on the tarp was jailed five years ago, took a million-peso bribe from a construction company. But, nonetheless, was set free after a few days. For reasons he cannot understand. He himself was jailed a year ago. Languished for two years inside a dark, stinky cell within the Muntinlupa Bilibid Prison for stealing P3,000 from a shop. He cannot understand why he must suffer for a measly P3,000 while that man on the tarp must not.
A jeepney screeched its brakes from the corner. Its rusting steel roof dumping rain water on the pavement as its mechanical belly reached to a halt. A small yet robust lady went down the running board holding a brown leather bag -- its fake logo "Louis Vuitton" screaming from its side. It is she that he awaits!
He stood up quickly from his position and slowly approached the lady with the fake LV bag, his right hand reaching for a small knife inside the back pocket of his dirty maong pants. He waited for the jeepney to speed past him and fixed himself at the back of the LV lady. As the LV lady enters a dimly lit portion of the street, he pounced upon her and strangled her neck from behind!
"Don't scream or my knife will slit your neck..." he whispers to her ears.
He grabbed the lady's fake LV bag and reached for the insides. He saw a black cellphone, two gold bracelets and, a wallet containing a couple of P1,000's and several bills lesser in denominations. He took them out from the bag and slid them all in his pocket. The LV lady might have sensed he got busy with her things that she suddenly released herself from his grope and shouted hard, "HELP!!!"
He was startled! His hands shook as he remembers himself sitting inside a dark cell. He has vowed never to return again to jail. He must not be caught!
He pulled on the LV lady's hair and plunged his knife to her chest, her blood spurting as the blade goes even deeper into her body. He pulled the knife and plunged it again into her chest, over and over again. The LV lady stopped screaming. She cannot move anymore as her life slowly ebbed out from her, her face quivering as she lets go. Her body fell on the street, blood spilling like a dead river.
He didn't waste time. He ran as fast as he could, going inside dark alleys to another. He must reach home quickly. He knows too well the police will discover the body and he knows they'll be looking for him as the suspect. His record is tainted as a wall splattered with tar. He knows he had murdered the lady and he must flee.
"WEEEeeeeeee" a police siren rang out from afar. He stopped for a while as he ducked for cover in a dark footbridge. Nobody can see him there. He panned his views under the foot bridge and saw a small boy sleeping, its frail body covered with large cardboards. A broken styropor pack with small chicken bones is beside him resting on top of a small plastic bag containing what he thinks is contact cement "rugby". The sight is ugly as is the sight of the LV lady when he left her all bloodied in the streets. He did not mean to hurt the lady. All he wants is her money. But she screamed. It's not his fault, he told the lady to keep quiet but still, she screamed. She deserved what happened to her. After all, he's just getting his fair share of the money.
That lady promised him a job in Saudi. She said she'll fix all the paper works, his NBI clearance, his employment certificates, everything. The fee is worth P75,000 but he only paid her P5,000 as initial deposit for these papers, said he'll pay the rest once the job order is out. He decided to make an honest living when he got out from jail last year. Going abroad is the best idea he got. And being introduced to this lady is a miracle to him. He thought of finally having a comfortable life if he gets to work in Saudi.
"But it's all a mistake. The lady is one greedy dirtbag. She just took my money and disappeared. She must've thought I'm an easy victim. She was wrong. I am a tough guy even before I was jailed. I have stabbed a few men during my prime. Men who have belittled my abilities, stepped on my pride. They cannot beat me. I am a wall. I am he who will not fall. I am king of the shanties, prince of the garbage mountains and duke of the stinking rivers. I am invincible. I am Genghis Khan! I am...
BLAM
His senses seem to fly up in the twilight clouds. His body floats as if time has warped in an endless tunnel of darkness. He feels a metal slug embedding deep in his nape, his shoulders catching all the wetness of his own blood. His fingers start to get numb as his kness start to shake by themselves. He did not move those knees yet they move on their own. It is then that he realized he is already convulsing, spasming deep from the bowels of his life. Finally, he lies still. He is murdered.
"It's him. These are the money and jewelry he got from that dead lady," a man in police uniform said.
"Nobody saw us, man, those are ours now. That sleeping "rugby" kid is so stoned he didn't even hear your gunshot."
The two policemen looked around. The place is dead as a ghost town. It was just a single shot and they know noone heard it. And if somebody does, they know that person won't even dare to play witness against uniformed policemen. They're scared of them. Why not? They're the police. They're gods. They're invincible.
The duo policemen climbed into their patrol car and sped away from the footbridge, their blinkers flashing wildly from end to end. One policeman grabbed the police radio and spoke:
"M223 to 500. Zero visual on subject. Returning to standby location asap. Situation: Quiet and peaceful."
The radioman from the other end gave out a sharp crackle then replied, "10-4, noted. Base!"
END
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