EPISODE 2: HIGH
Paolo’s phone rang at 7:00 in the morning, as his daily routine asks. He woke up, feeling dizzy and tired, and fell from his cushy sofa. A swipe on the phone silenced it as Paolo looked around the room, it was a mess, from a chair overturned to a broken webcam. Realizing how that must have happened, he unlocked his phone and looked at his email inbox and the spam with the attached video of him pleasuring himself remained unread, as if taunting Paolo to look at his embarrassing face once again. He shook his head and drank some water, before a knock echoed through his apartment. Paolo grabbed a knife in the kitchen and hid it behind his back as he opened the door. A tan man, who seemed fit to be a security guard or a bouncer, met Paolo’s eyes, immediately dropping his knife in fear. The man stepped in, pushing the trembling Paolo a few inches back. “Please, whatever it is, don’t leak it, don’t kill me, please.” Paolo stuttered.
“Grab your phone and powerbank and whatever the fuck you need, we’ll leave in five minutes.” The man said in a booming voice as he sat on the sofa previously occupied by a sleeping coward.
“And why are you doing this, if I may ask.” Paolo asked, taking his wallet and wearing his watch, still shaking from fear.
“Because fuck you that’s why. I’m doing this for money. Ask one more question and I’m going to leak the video.” The man snarled as Paolo went silent, organizing his knapsack.
“Ok, time’s up fap-face. It’s time to go.” The man pulled Paolo, who countered with little resistance as to lock the door to his apartment.
Midnight, in a park in Laurel City, often called Caste City by the locals, six teens are doing their usual Sunday routine, drinking some bottles of beer, sniffing some legal coke, and smoking tobacco and marijuana. For the five of them, this wasn’t a problem for their parents, who allow them to go about as long as they remain to have consistently high scores in school and as long as they aren’t arrested. As for the other one, who is named Nongnong Balisaw, is part of the Caste tribe, which means that he is not allowed to do any ‘vices’ such as legal narcotics like low-strength cocaine and opium, and typical drugs like tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis. This wouldn’t be a problem as he lived a bit far away from his parents, however, he shared his dorm room with his older brother, Balinong.
Balinong grew suspicious of his brother’s weekly “reviews” with the same people, so he decided to check on his brother. He took a short jeepney ride towards the park Nongnong always said. He walked towards the group and saw Nongnong’s eyes, red as blood. Balinong went from concerned to furious, slapping and punching his brother. “You are a disgrace to the tribe. You know what happens to you when you take that.” Balinong shouted, as the five other teens dispersed through the darkness. Of the night.
“Yeah, I escape from the bullhit of a belief you and Uma and Upa have. I can be freer than anyone who was born in this tribe. That’s why the Wewazkang is better” Nongnong snarled back, but the reply he had was not verbal but physical. Punches and kicks came one after the other, with punches that will make Pacquiao proud and pumped kicks that broke bones.
“You are no-one to me. Don’t ever come back!” Balinong shouted, leaving a blood-stained Nongnong on the pathways of the park. Nongnong limped towards an internet cafe, accessing the deep web. He covered his camera and in a public chat server, entered the address of the dorm his older brother was staying in and his phone number, to which he attached a ten second video he managed to take while being assaulted. Nongnong leaned back to the chair and took a deep sigh, feeling weak and realizing that he should have went to a hospital first.
