Have you ever felt the dread of being buried alive, where no one can hear you even if you shout your heart out? Never knowing if you’re going to die the next second, never knowing if someone out there is angel enough to breathe you back to life. Constantly scratching as if it will lessen the thick boundary that separates you to the world you once walked on.
My life has never been smooth. I had to stay awake for the last hours of the day for a few bucks and get snide remarks from the people who grew up sleeping in a bed of roses. I sell myself to strange men in order to survive. I am the charity case in the society, but a parasite in the eyes of others. Isn’t life wonderful?
I would wake up forgetting what had happened last night. That’s how my life has been. It spins in a boring cycle, just like my world spinning in a lost universe. I paid my way through college and promise not to use my body for money. I got hired in a fast food chain.
First week of March, on my last year of being a college student, when my professor told me that I won’t be able to graduate this year. My world almost stopped.
“Why?” I asked him. He told me that my grades were really bad. I didn’t know what to do. I cannot afford to add another year of hard work. I cried on his office until I felt the emptiness inside me. “I don’t know why I’m crying. This is my fault, right? If I had just studied really hard..” My voice was shaking and tears won’t stop coming.
I can see the pity in his eyes. “I will support your finances, or even at least make your grade higher,” I was stunned by what he said.
He wanted my body. I hesitate at first, and then we had a deal.
We did ‘it’. Something happened that night.
After how many weeks, I graduated but I can’t say that I’m proud. I paid it. I didn’t play fair.
Weeks turned into months. I found out that I’m bearing a child, all thanks to the infirmary. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to abort the baby, but my conscience is killing me. This is my fault. I called my professor and told him everything. He didn’t care. Of course, I couldn’t blame him. We had nothing serious going on between us and neither of us loves each other so I made a decision. I will keep this unborn child.
I work in a hotel as a receptionist. Then the manager decided to put me in a cruise ship.
It was cold that night, and the ship were solemnly sailing. Everything was fine not until we heard a loud bang. It’s from the bottom part of the ship where the engine is located.
I was just standing there, and in a moment, I found myself panicking. The people went incongruous as the water enters the ship. One of the crew pulled me and said that there is a rubber boat waiting for the crews. I didn’t get it at first but I just found myself looking at the sinking ship.
The boat stopped at the shore. Everyone’s faces were filled with confusion.
The rescue men didn’t dare to speak when we asked them; instead they lead us into the center of the island, where a circular glass can be found. It’s just a plain glass, and nothing more. There’s an entrance. We entered it and got surprised when the rescue men shut the door.
“Hey!” Johann knocked on the glass but they just turn away and started walking away from us.
We sit there silently, trying to digest why we’re here.
The metal floor went green, and I swear to Gods above, that made us jump in horror! The glass went downward, bringing us under on the ground that seems to have a small arena. My eyes wandered around. People cheered. We’re on the center of the arena-like, and it has a big screen.
