Purgatoryo

EPISODE 1
Adam woke up one morning, wondering why everything was so quiet at the apartment he shares with his brothers. Usually, when he gets up at seven, Rodrigo and James’ bickering would already be at its peak. Usually, the sound of heavy traffic outside the building would already be banging on his window.

Something was quite different. He clutched his arms, chest, feet and other parts of his body. Everything felt okay. But still…

He got out of bed, as if in a stupor. Was he awake? Was he in between dreaming and consciousness? Adam was quite certain he had a dream last night. He was almost sure that it was scary and forbidding, but he could no longer remember anything about it.

He went to the kitchen. Strange – nobody was there. The table was also empty and clean. None of the usual dishes from the previous night’s dinner that he’d be compelled to wash because his brothers never have the initiative to. And there was also no sign of Rodrigo or James. Where are those bozos?

Adam checked the living room. Still the same – empty. The clock on the wall says it’s already half past eight. He’s already late for work, yet he feels no urgency to rush. He decided to call his secretary, an alibi already made up in his head. But when he put the receiver on his ear, he heard no dial tone. He tapped the plunger several times. Still nothing. He checked the wires. They’re all in place. Damn! James must have forgotten to pay the phone bill again.

For several minutes, Adam just sat there, staring blankly at the floor. Then, he turned to the clock again. He was confused. The time was still half past eight. This prompted him to come closer and examine. Aha! What do you know. The clock’s also busted!

Adam switched the television on, but it doesn’t seem to be working too. He turned the radio on, and was dismayed to find out that it was likewise kaput. Is there a power outage or something? For the first time since he got up, he noticed that it’s quite dark inside the apartment. He turned towards the window and saw the curtains weren’t drawn yet.

He opened the curtains and was aghast at the sight that greeted him. The sky was dark and the sun was nowhere to be found. It was like dusk already. Or was it? He looked down on the streets. The cars were on the road, alright. But they weren’t moving. They all seemed to be parked there. Weird! Adam also noticed a lot of people on the streets, just milling around, like in a mardi gras or something.

Okay, now I’m officially freaking out! I wasn’t drunk last night, I couldn’t have overslept. And what’s the deal out there on the streets? Is there a parade or some- thing? Damn it! Where the heck are my brothers?

He put on a shirt and his jeans and went out of their unit. The hallway was empty. No sign of the kids from 305 playing hide and seek. He stood in front of the elevator and pushed the down button. Alas! It was also out of order. Adam had no choice but to use the stairs.

When he came at the lobby of the building, he saw three people. One was an old lady, around the age of sixty. She was sitting on one of the benches, her eyes looking absently on the floor. The other one was a girl dressed in a funny looking dress. She was cheerfully humming and dancing, oblivious to everybody else around her. The last person horrified Adam.

It was a tenant who used to live three doors from their unit. He wasn’t sure whether it’s Rolly or Ronnie, but, certainly, a name sounding like that. What shocked him at the sight of this former neighbor is the fact that he died of a terminal ailment over a year ago. Adam stepped back, scared out of his wits. Right then, the guy looked at him. It was enough to have Adam running out of the building.