Chapter 1// Saglit
Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. – Gen 2:22
She was running as fast as she could. She looked over her shoulder to see it, but there was nothing. But her ears did not deceive her. Distant but heavy footsteps could be heard amidst the electric frenzy of neon lights of the Tanghalan district. Her bare feet were burning up already as they ached with every land against the gritty pavement.
I hate running.
Her eyes blinked furiously while they darted from left to right, trying to find a way to lose her shadow. All she saw were closed up shops and boarded up buildings. What else could she expect? Who in her right mind would take her in? That would be an instant death sentence for anyone harboring a Marilag, and a rogue one at that.
Marilags.
Also known as the entertainers and sex slaves of the Tanghalan district.
She was coming in close towards a busy intersection.
Fuck. I have no time to wait for the pedestrian light.
She dashed forward and gritted her teeth as she threw her body across the street, praying to random gods that were listening to her at that moment that she survive the crossing. She felt her feet both landed safely on the other side of the street. She had the urge to look back to finally see her pursuer, but she would rather spend those precious seconds moving forward and seeking a safe haven. She turned left immediately to the first corner she saw. Instead of moving further forward the main street using the alley, she decided to circle back where she came from. She slithered beside the wall of the building and hid in the shadows while she waited for the man to show himself.
Seconds felt ages when she finally saw the back of the man who was hunting her down. Her eyes ran down his right arm and took a mental note of the series of numbers and letters that were tattooed on it.
Of course, he’s a Maharlika, Maginoo’s spies.
She thought he was finally going straight towards the other alley, but he paused and looked over his shoulder.
Shit. Did he see me?
“Did you see where she went, Mapulon?” a voice suddenly emanated from the alley.
She almost choked on her own saliva when she heard the man’s name.
“It seems that she went straight towards the Tahanan district. Contact the men assigned there and make sure they have all exits blocked.She stole something from a Timawa and killed a few from the Tanghalan district. Unfortunately, we still need her alive. She knows more than she should about things.”
She ran her right hand underneath her black dress and felt her way in between her thighs. Her face made an uncomfortable look as her fingers found the end of a plastic-wrapped thumb drive and slowly pulled it out of her vagina.
This. Who would have thought that in the year 2202, a thumb drive will still be relevant?
She watched them silently as they moved out and headed for Tahanan district using the alleyways which they thought she used to escape.
“Diwa should be goddamn sure that this should work. I didn’t get rammed by that dirty, old man for nothing.” she said underneath her breath as she inserted the thumb drive back into her. She retraced her steps back to the Tanghalan district and went deeper into the urban maze.
“Why is it taking so long for Sinag to arrive? I hope nothing bad happened to her.” A woman clad in blue overalls with a patch sewn into it that says, “Tahanan”, was pacing back and forth inside what it seems to be a small makeshift house. Its shabby roofing is made up of various materials of wood, plastic, and metal.
“What do you mean Cielo? You think this isn’t bad enough?” Another woman who was sitting on the floor right across Cielo was fiddling with an ancient laptop with her grimy fingers. She was also wearing blue overalls.
“The female population was forced into servitude by nullifying our brains and extracting our hard-earned intellect, wisdom, talents, and skills, and used them to elevate the dwindling male potential by injecting them into their brains. They thought they were still merciful enough by giving us essential syngens that will serve our purpose by exquisite cooking, immaculate organizing, and pristine cleaning. Unfortunately, unlike Sinag, we aren’t beautiful enough to get orgasms instead.” Diwa continued on as she tried to clean the dirt from her nails.
“Sexual intercourse doesn’t always equate to orgasms for women.”
“Actually.” She looked up and found herself staring at Sinag’s face.
“Sinag!” Cielo rushed to Sinag’s side and gave her a tight hug. “What happened?”
“The Maginoo sent a few men after me right after the alarm went off at the club. I wasn’t really able to control myself a while ago. I might have killed a few regulars along the way.” Sinag bit her lip as she revealed her confession.
“I told you to learn to handle your emotions. They shouldn’t be aware that we were able to get a hold of some syngens. That mod you are currently enjoying is still too strong for your body to manage its real strength. How’s your spinal puncture?” Diwa stood up and faced Sinag.
Sinag felt for that metal ring embedded underneath the nape of her neck with her fingers.
“It still stings, but nothing I can handle. I wonder who was the previous owner of this neural mod. Probably a former member of the military academy.”
“Back then it wasn’t called a syngen. It was called: years of hard work, patience, and experience. The thumb drive?” She held out her palm to her.
Sinag cocked an eyebrow at Diwa as her lips drew a smile before drawing her skirt up and started feeling herself in between her thighs. Cielo tried to muffle her gasp as she watched Sinag remove the thumb drive from inside her.
“Do you really have to hide it there?” Cielo couldn’t keep the question to herself. Sinag only smiled at her in reply.
“Should I wash it first for you?” Diwa rolled her eyes before snatching it from her hands. “I’ll do it myself. Thank you for your hard work.”
She walked across the room towards a murky sink that was attached to the wall on the far left side. The sound of rushing water echoed briefly until she turned it off. She wiped the wet plastic against her overalls before flipping it and allowed the thumb drive to drop onto her hand.
“Now let’s see where the rest of these are and take back what was rightfully ours.”
She dropped back to her previous sitting position and inserted the thumb drive into her laptop. Cielo and Sinag stood behind her and witnessed the screen being slowly filled up by a schematic map.
“Welcome to Genesis Manila.”
1178 words
Writing Under the Influence
A monthly writing prompt project with Jeff
