Story 1 chapter 1: Welcome to the city

Note: cliche just because I can't think of anything. This is more of an intro that sets the mood so eh. ignore it if you don't like it. It's not completely necessary to the story, but still... I would appreciate it.

New York. The city that never sleeps. Busy people being busy, working their tails off just to earn a living.

Tak tak tak

There's a lot of interesting sights and smells; some awe-inspiring, some plain disgusting. The city is over glorified, yet undermined. Walk downtown, what do you see? Shops, city lights, restaurants, and people. Walk towards an alley, though, and there's trash and graffiti everywhere. Hell, there's even a few bags on the main road. The sweet smell of food is mixed with the acidic stench of waste and smoke. Here, people are loud, boisterous, and conversational. This is where the tourists flock.

Walk towards the business area, and you'll see beautiful tall buildings, covered in shiny steel and large windows. People here are elegant and sophisticated, wearing business suits except for the occasional tourist who wandered into the wrong place. Turn the corner, though, and you'll see groups of homeless people struggling. They're tired, hungry, and willing to do anything to survive.

Tak tak tak

Ding!

*indignant curses*

People seem to forget who they are and why they are doing what they do when faced with the rush of daily life.

Slam

Ah. the slamming of a door: a sound that signifies anger and displeasure. Or it could just be the wind.

Tak tak tak

Plap

*sigh*

Let's see what's going on, shall we?

~~~~~~

Albert Lam, an office worker at a large company, has just been fired from his job. He had one too many complaints about his boss' shrewd behavior and power abuse, who did not take kindly to it. Now he's sitting outside the office, sulking about the unfair treatment. He's not too upset, though, as he always hated his job and was waiting for a chance to escape it.

Tak tak tak

"Here's your things. Now sign and leave."

"Wh-"

"You have ten minutes."

"But-"

"Nine."

*Sigh"

Fwip

Shk shk shk shk shk

Fwip

Shk shk shk

Plak

Paperwork. A menace to society, no matter how important it is. It seems we go through torturous school just to be stuck with it, stripping us of our time. Why must we do it?

Tak tak tak

Ding!

Stepping out of the Elevator, the receptionist took the form and sent Albert a dirty look, as if he was the scum of society. All Albert could do was sigh and leave.

Clack clink

Tak tak tak tak tak tak

Honk honk honk honk

The road: one of the most infuriating places in a busy city. Traffic is never-ending, with drivers contemplating if walking is a better option- which, in all honesty, probably is. Angry drivers honk at each other, each hoping to get to their destination on time. On the sidewalk, people stare at their phones, ignoring their surroundings and any possible dangers. A pickpocket steals a wallet, the owner busy playing on their phone. The foul stench of gasoline and smoke permeates whatever mask or covering one is wearing, giving some a coughing fit.

Tak tak tak tak tak tak

Exhausted by the exchange with his boss, Albert wanders around the city searching for relief, bumping into people every few seconds. Out of boredom, he opens his phone

Ding ding ding

'So many damn messages. Ugh.'

Unlocking his phone, he checks his social media.

~Company suspect worker of power abuse and underpaying employees. Investigation is now underway(2 days ago)~

'Eh? Two days ago? That's a long time.'

~Company manager being investigated for fraud and power abuse(8 minutes ago)~

Albert realized exactly why he was fired then. It wasn't because he was simply annoying to deal with or his co-worker was jealous of him, but his boss would have been replaced if he stayed any longer. His phone kept buzzing, though, due to the large amount of text messages he received. Mostly from his boss.

Out of curiosity, he decided to check his messages.

~You Son of a %$#@

I bet it was you

It was you, wasn't it?

How dare you!!

Because of you, I'm under suspicion!

I will make your life a living hell

You're gonna regret that, you little shit~

…

'Wow. she's crazy.'

That was all he could think. Ignoring the messages and feeling a sense of triumph and satisfaction, he decided to reply.

~If you didn't do all that, you would have been fine. You brought it on yourself.~

He then immediately blocked her.

'Haha. she got what she deserved.'

It didn't help him find a new job, though.

Sighing, Albert continued waking around the city.

Tak tak tak tak

fwah

*children giggling*

*Parents chatting, occasional laughter*

~Da dun dun dun dun dada dun da dun~

Children screaming, running up to the ice cream truck

A park. A great place to rest and watch children play. Occasionally, the homeless gather here for rest, making it sometimes unpleasant. Sighing, Albert sits on a bench, staring at the sky. He's tired. Not just physically from all the walking, but also mentally. The job was repetitive, but it paid the bills.

'Now what? I've spent most of my life studying and working. I didn't save anywhere close to enough to pay off college debt, and I don't have enough money to start a business. Did I go through all that just for nothing?'

Reminiscing his past decisions, he mentally kicked himself for his own stupidity. College was practically useless: his teammate, who didn't even go to college, had a higher pay than he did simply because of his connections. All he had were a few fancy degrees to show off and a few thousand dollars of debt. He had a high GPA, but nobody cared about it.

'What's the point in life? We all work and study, just to die at the end. Why am I here?'

Albert sat on the bench for quite a bit of time, staring at the innocent children playing and the bright blue sky. The surrounding joy and brightness were a complete contradiction to his current emotions: dark, depressed, and overall unhappy. At that point, the parents were collecting their children and walking back home, some of them giving him a strange stare. The sun was starting to set, covered by the high buildings everywhere.

*Sigh*

Albert got up, deciding to wander the city. There had to be something that he could do, right?

Tak tak tak tak

The street lamps turned on, enveloping the city in a false white glow. Day shop lights turned off, only to be replaced by lights from night clubs and fancy restaurants. People left their homes to work the night shift or to eat dinner, while others went to sleep. Albert didn't notice these changes though, as he was lost in thought.

Tzzzt tzzzzt

Looking up, Albert saw a flickering neon sign. He turned around, finally realizing how far he wandered. In front of him was a small, dingy bar.

'Might as well, right?'