Chapter VIII: Twilight ride part 1

MATTHEW CROSS

                Again, I find myself inside the familiar darkness. The eternal void swallowed everything, only the sound of my voice inside my head kept me company. The sense of time had gone out the window—I felt what they call eternity. Is this death? I couldn’t really tell.

                The memory of what happened during the last moments of my consciousness suddenly comes back like a flaming train wreck. The shooting pain was all in my head this time, yet I could distinctly feel a charred hole the bullet made on my Armani suit as my fingers ran through the fabric. There was a hole inside my heart no painkillers could ever get rid off—and like the bullet hole itself, I felt hollow.

               

Chapter VI: The Ball part 3

                “Babe! Look what I got for you!” Matt said as he hurriedly ran while his palm gripped the rings inside his coat-pocket. He saw Marian on the other side of the room, a smile on her face as she conversed with someone Matt can barely make out who. The crowd seemed to thicken.

                He saw her fiancé look at her, a pumped-up smile on her face as she excitedly waved at Matt. It seemed comical for him, the girl waving at the other side as the boy desperately tries to make his way across the sea of trials—only to find his worst nightmares waited for him behind the shadow of his lover. Matt found half of the truth on his thoughts for Marian was having a conversation with none other than Jack Santino.

Chapter VII: The Ball Part 2

               Standing by the bouncers, sipping what looked like some sort of cocktail, was none other than Frank Moreno. He wasn't in his regular tropical tourist look—he looked sharp as ever, just like any other gentlemen inside the party.  He glanced over each person that passed. The bouncers were doing their jobs, checking the invitations, frisking the guests. Some were a bit too happy copping a feel as their sleazy hands wandered over silken feminine skin.

Chapter VII: The Ball Part 1

                The night sky glittered like black velvet above the busy streets of Manila. Inside one of the oldest and grandest hotels in town, distinguished guests gathered like moths to a flame. The night was young and busy; valets took care of their guests as one by one, people dressed in silk and velvet treaded across the red carpet.  The streets sparkled more than the stars above as countless cameras flashed, capturing moments of what could be the grandest gathering of the year. Alphonse Santino, the head of Santino Corporation and rumored mob boss, hosting a charity ball attended by names everyone knew.

Chapter VI: Past and Present

                It was a lazy Sunday morning for the reunited couple. Marian, just in her night gown, was still asleep underneath the covers of the bed. A smile was etched on her face as she gripped the pillow beside her. The steady humming of the air-conditioner resonated inside the bedroom. Matt’s baggage laid carelessly by the foot of the bed.

Empire Streets Chapter III: Gumshoe Darwin

What's worse than Manila traffic? Manila traffic when you're in a fuckin' hurry. Those words ran through Detective Darwin Rodriguez mind as he drove down the bumper-to-bumper traffic near Pasig. A few minutes ago, he got a call from the chief-of-police. Some kid decided to swim in the god-forsaken river and as luck would have it, trash, muck and grime weren't the only things running down Pasig river's course. Chief said some kid felt someone grab his foot as he swam down the river. Turns out some poor dude got his feet cemented and was thrown down the river. Heh, someone's been watching too much gangster movies.

Empire Streets Chapter II: Marian

 The rural feel enveloped this hot Saturday morning. In  Imus, Cavite, just south of the Urban Jungle that is Manila, Marian Garcia was tending to her flowers just outside her house. As she watered the plants beside her olive-green home, the birds chirped a happy tune as they rested on the sturdy tree branches. It was such a peaceful ambiance... contradicting the loud pop music someone was playing inside her house.

Empire Streets Chapter 1: The Arrival

 At a brisk pace, he walked. His leathers shoes tippity-tapped across the carpeted floor as he made his way through the insides of the airport. It had almost been a day's worth of flying through the air, his body was weak and his mind was tired yet the nervousness and anxiety kept him going.

He wore black corduroy pants, a gray long-sleeved shirt tucked in, his hair slicked back reaching his neck, and a nervous smile on his lips. He was happy yet uncomfortable at the same time. The feeling of coming home to a foreign land engulfed him.