Moving On

A long night full of drink and joy has passed, and Alex finds himself in an empty bar where he's about to wake up with only the left eye open. His head swirls everywhere as if dragged by a thousand miles. His stomach is churning and his neck is sore from a bad sleeping position. He observes his surroundings and nothing in sight except Gustav cleaning the bar, putting the chairs on the table, and then using a vacuum cleaner to clean the waste. Alex tried to sober but kept failing and lay his head on the table again.

"Wake up, boy. Don't you have a job to do?"

"Mmm... five minutes." He is mumbling in his sleep.

"And in five minutes, I'll close this place."

Alex's head moves to the right and left, takes a glance at the digital clock and the number hits 8:23 A.M.

"Here, take some water," Gustav said while handing him a glass of sparkling water. He knows it's not the first time he ended up in the bar again.

He slowly lifts his upper body, forcing his head to stand, his right hand grabbing a glass with caution, as it is still weak. He drinks it, and some spill from his mouth. His eyes now opened, still blurry from the high alcohol last night.

"Damn, my head," Alex said, caressing his head. Then he shakes his head to make sure he is fully awake. As he regained his vision, he went straight out of the bar, seeking breakfast to sate his hunger. When he first steps outside, the sun's ray immediately greets him, illuminating the city with natural beauty; it's a unique view from the night it was. Despite most neon lights being off, many people still crowd the streets and remain busy.

Alex made his way through the downtown; it was the most hectic area in the city. He then spotted a small food stall, a place where people usually seek cheap but delicious food. The stall was not full at the moment, as there were only a few people within, about five to be exact. He sat in front of the counter and decided his meal would be a nasi goreng out of the menu. A comfort and signature dish from Indonesia, as the owner was from there, though. A few moments later, a plate of delicious fried rice arrived; The smoky aroma of the rice combined with the complexity of spices made the food truly special. Alex enjoys every single bit of the grain and leaves the plate clean, then proceeds with the payment and it costs only 7 Creds and might be the best food you can get in this ever-expensive city.

When he was about to go, suddenly, a phone notification appeared directly in his vision; it was Gustav. What could he possibly want from Alex?

"Hello, boy, are you still there? I hope you've not gone too far already." Gus said.

"I'm at the Waroeng Jadoel stall. What's the matter?" Alex replied.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you something; looks like there will be a job for you if you are interested."

"What kind of job?"

"Headhunter."

"Huh? You want me to hunt down people for money?"

"Look, I'm just trying to help you, okay? It is not a request from me. Just after you leave my bar, a bunch of guys in black suits come inside. He asked something about you—well, about this job."

"Who are they? What did they look like?"

"Three men in black suits, like some execs, two huge dudes as bodyguards on left and right, I assume, judging their size and looks. The middle one is the boss; his face is unrecognized, and he put a black glass and a fedora hat."

"What did they say about me?"

"Nothing much actually, just stupid fancy words and asking if there's any of my friends who need a job. Something like that."

"Hmm... let me think, I can't just take it from an unknown group. It's too risky."

"I understand, but if you're interested, I'll send you the details, ok?"

"Yeah, thanks, Gus."

"No problem."

The call ended with Alex's left with options and questions. Who's this guy exactly? Of all people, they look for him. Something surely is off, but for now, Alex just wants to relax at his home. He moves his way to the west part of the downtown, where he stops by a small shop. The shop was neatly organized; every product was in its perfect spot, making it easy for customers to find what they needed, just as Alex easily found the cigarettes he wanted when he first looked at the display case.

"Hey, I'd like to buy a pack of cigarettes," Alex said.

"Which one?" The vendor asked.

Alex put his index finger on the left corner of the cigarette brand. "This one, please."

"That would be 8 Creds, cash or digital?"

Alex's eyes widened as if he was looking at a ghost. Unbelievably, when he heard the price rose while yesterday was still normal.

"What!? Are you kidding me? Yesterday, it was still 6 Creds! And now 8? Are you trying to rob me?"

"Relax, buddy. Don't you see the news?"

"What news?"

"The factory which is responsible for your cigarette production was burned down yesterday, it makes the scarcity of this item. Not many stores have this product at the moment, besides, I'm still putting the price at the low range and if you look at the other place, it would be around 10-12 Creds. So... you take it or leave it?"

Alex contemplated his choices while scratching his head. "Fine, I'll take it." He continues his payment with digital money and walks away.

After some time, he finally arrived at the subway. His home was not that far. It takes around 30 minutes from downtown to the suburbs where he lives. Alex finds his seat that is next to the window, leaning his head on it, thinking about this rough day. How could a day change every single thing in his life, from the biggest things to the smallest. Ready or not, change will always happen at any time. Just like what people said, the circle of life exists, sometimes high—sometimes low. He tried to compare his life back then, how he used to be a renowned officer among his peers, having a perfect life with someone beloved. But everything's gone, starting from his love, his job, and even his cigarettes—though is it something worth mourning? He used to think life would be alright as long as he stayed at the same page, but he now knows. When the pages were turned, he had nowhere to go.

His eyes are heavier, and finally he takes a nap. A few minutes have passed, and the voice of the female operator can be heard across the carriages. He woke up—got up then walked outside the subway. Several blocks comprised his decent neighborhood, with a large central plaza forming the commercial heart. Despite the center of this region being a veritable paradise, in fact, the outskirt was worse and disgusting. As Alex sweeps his way through the small street filled with homeless and drug users, this place is also renowned for how a gang would show up.

Not long after, he stands in front of his apartment door and gets inside. It was not a vast room, quite simple as it only consisted of a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. The place is also a little of a mess where his laundry left piles up inside the basket on the corner of the kitchen. He throws his jacket to the chair and leans down on the couch, watching TV as his mind is still swirling to decide what he will do in the future. Suddenly, his AI assistant appears and delivers a message from his landlord.

"Hey, Alex! The landlord has just left you a message, would like to hear it?" The AI said.

"Yeah, whatever he says."

The AI then plays the recorded voice message. The AI playback resulted in his landlord, as usual, demanding rent or eviction, but this time using abusive language besides the threat. Alex had enough to listen to his blabbering about payment. He turns off the assistance and, with the final decision, he takes the job and becomes a headhunter.