GAME OF THE DEVIL

CHAPTER 30

LŌTOS RENTALS, PLAETA, VOROSS

NOVEMBER 17, 20** (2 MONTHS LATER)

1:09 AM

"Fuck," Noah cursed, pressing hard on the controller. His forty-three inches flat screen television displayed a glitching image. A distorted audio resounded in the room through the surround sound system.

He tossed the controller on the floor before slouching on the couch, "The game's busted."

"Tweet, tweet."

He tilted his head to the side, his greasy hair covered by the hood of his jacket. His dead eyes encircled with deep and dark eye bags diverted to the small and red bird inside a hanging stainless steel bird cage.

It's a red Orpheus.

It lightly jumped multiple times on the wooden perch, "Tweet, tweet."

"Yeah," he pursed his lips. Nodding his head as if he's agreeing to what the bird is saying, "Ang tagal ko na ngang naglalaro. Bumigay na yung console," he chuckled.

He looked to the table beside the couch filled with empty cans of beer and water bottles. When he didn't see what he was looking for there, his eyes roamed around the scattered junk of more water bottles, soft drink cans, beer cans, noodle cups, fast food, and other food packaging surrounding him.

His blue eyes squinted at a black rectangular device hidden underneath one of the fast food paperbag piles. Like a sloth, he lazily crawled from the couch, the sleeves of his blue hoodie touching the dirty floor as he made his way to his phone.

Habang nakadapa sa sahig (ang kaniyang mga binti ay nakapatong sa couch habang ang pang-itaas na parte ng katawan niya'y nasa sahig) ay inabot niya ang kaniyang cellphone na natatabunan ng mga basura, causing for it to fall as he pulled it out from there.

When he opened it to check the time and date, nanatiling blanko ang mga titig niya nang makitang ala-una pa rin ng madaling araw ng ikalabing-pito ng Nobiyembre.

May ilang daang notification pa sa lockscreen ng cellphone niya na hindi niya na inabala pang buksan bago ito patayin.

"Man, how long have I been here?" humiga siya sa sahig, letting out a sigh. He placed his arm on top of his closed eyes, thinking back to the first day he went here at a homely and cozy airbnb in Plaeta, Voross to isolate himself. It is a 400 sq ft. studio type room that has its own mini-living room area, a small kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom. He has this whole place all to himself.

When he first came here, it was all so clean and warm. But after weeks of staying in, he turned the small living room part of the place into a junkyard. The other parts of the place aren't that messy as the living area because he rarely went in there pero may mga kalat pa rin.

He even paid the owner to not visit him and the place until he gets out by himself first with a huuuge sum of money. It was so huge, that even though the owner was suspicious ay hinayaan niya na lang ito.

Well, even if the owner didn't agree, he might've forcefully brought the whole building and land without a hitch just so no one would disturb him.

He doesn't exactly remember but he's been here since... the date was still a single digit, before November 5? He doesn't exactly remember.

No wonder the console broke dahil simula nun ay dire-diretso ang naging paglaro niya hanggang ngayon. He's not even sure if he had any plans on stopping if it didn't malfunction.

"Hmm," he hummed, embracing the silence surrounding him accompanied by the low and heavy buzzing sound of the air conditioner.

It has been weeks since he last saw the sun and anyone.