The Great Damnation

Jomardel J. Constantino @thejomable

It was midnight when I woke up from my mother’s voice. “Wake up, wake up, Damian. Pack up your things.”

I’ve never been so confused in my life as to why in seven hells my mother would tell me to pack up my things in the middle of the night. “The government is gathering up teens from our division. Go, hurry up!” she said in a loud yet worried manner.

There were so many questions running in my head at that time. It was just then when I realized that we no longer live the life we used to have, or so they said. It was almost twenty three years ago when this pandemic came called “The Great Damnation” which caused people older than eighteen years old to lose their sense of sight. They said that those who are under that age bracket are immune from this disease but still gradually lose their sight when they turn eighteen.

It was total chaos and a long journey of adjustment to survive from this pandemic. It takes years for the government to have a new system that would work long after the world economy already collapsed. Children were left of responsibilities and there’s nothing scarier than the idea of their parents not seeing their sweet faces again.

I am now here inside a huge aircraft together with other teens from my division. They never said anything about where to go. All I know is that if we do not obey, our family will not have rations for a week and I will never let that happen to my mom. She’s the only one I have now after my father died in an accident two years ago. I am wearing this black jacket he gave me with initials D.F.D. I assume that’s mine - Damian Froy Davis. How I wish I could still see him before I lost my sight two years from now.

It’s been almost an hour since we departed from Division III, and I can already feel that we are about to arrive at our destination in no time. Just when I thought of it, the door opened in a loud cracking noise.

“Gather up!” the bald commander said,

We fall in line and walk in the exit carefully. In my nervousness, I stumbled upon this small hump and fell into the ground. A robust soldier in uniform came to pick up my things and helped me to stand up.

“Careful, kid” he smirked.

“Welcome to Project Utopia!” poem

Manic Madness

Hydie Mariel M. Adarlo

@hydzmrl

Blood pumped to the chest

Picking up with speed

Heart racing with excitement

More than what I need.

After being happy for so long, The dread come so strong The feeling that tumbles down Painted the face with a frown

Through the curves and the loops. Emotions that are hard to scope. Being through the extremes Ups and downs exceeds