HUMSS 1 Group 8

Members: Casela, Jack Reginald

Del Rosario, Bea Monique

Larin, Princess Alyssa

Tiquia, Carla Marie

Perez, Emmanuel

L’APPEL DU VIDE

INTRODUCTION:

Grim air spiralled through the rustic bridge towards the light, there he stood still;

contempt rushes through his body. His fingers, fidgeting as his blood rises up yet he is

suffocated, by world, by his own self.

"Es Em, Es, Em, Es Em Tondo oh!" the thick Filipino accent of the barker was evident as

his raspy voice battled with the honking cars.

Max awakened to the early traffic sounds of Tondo. The noise of the morning jeepneys

and shouting barkers filled the polluted air of the poor cityscape; yet his mind is calm
and collected, for he is bound to a routine he never broke free. He wandered the

crowded streets but he always felt lonely—from his conception up to his maturation, he

was alone. Living through the macabre reality caused by his parents and society.

He was abandoned, left to die in the streets, for he is a product of a teenage pregnancy.

Crying as soon as he was thrown on the cold, hard ground.

Soon, he was discovered and sheltered by Tomas, a henchman of a syndicate known to

force children to beg in the streets who gave him the name Max, after the infamous

drug 4-MAX.

The syndicate controls the black market—they sold everything. From drugs like 4-

MAX, Cocaine and Meth to human sex slaves, they are the lords of the underworld, the

literal scum of the society.

There, he lived under inhumane conditions—he was beaten, starved and left to rot

while forcing him to beg for alms just to fund the syndicate itself. He was whipped,

kicked, and deprived of love. The sparkles of his eyes have grown dull overtime and his

once clean smile has lost itself, just like his will to live.
Just like his name, he was considered only as a source of income by the syndicate—

teaching him how to steal and forcing him to do so.

L'appel du vide, the unbroken yarn that binds Max with his grim fate. His constant

hunger to end his life yet never satisfied—for he always reaches the light before

completely engulfing himself to nothingness.

After years of suffering in the hands of the demons of his past, he amassed enough

willpower to escape. It was in midnight when he decides to free himself from the

syndicate. Once the henchmen were asleep, he grabbed the opportunity to run—so he

ran, fast. His stomach was churning as his heart pulsed as if he was going to die.

He stopped. As he thought of the word die. He felt something inside of him, an urge to

do something.

He realized that the long stretch of concrete that his feet were clasping against was the

bridge where he used to beg.

"Die, die, die." a voice crept inside his ear—like a parasite, slowly killing its host.
He walked towards the railings of the bridge, an ominous breeze of air whistled as he

stared to the dark, polluted waters of Tondo River—he felt an urge to join the trashes, to

jump to his doom. Slowly, he vaulted on the barrier and his mind, cloudy as ever while

he tasted copper and coins.

Clarity came in a flash and he was back to his usual self—a lonely man he is. He

realized what he was doing, he backed off, and shaking as he almost lost his life.

"Puñeta naman oh!" the loud cursing of a jeepney driver reawakened Max—for he was

lost in his own thoughts of his past.

He was back to where he is now—wandering in the streets of Tondo. Apparently, the

routine which he experienced in the bridge hadn't stopped.

Now in clear mind, he knows what to do with himself; he wanted to let it all out—to

scream at the top of his lungs. Or so he thought, for a mirage of Mary appeared in a

sudden—he was trapped again by his own mind.

RISING ACTION:

Bit by bit, the voice inside his head urges him to commit suicide, yet he held his ground,

and always saving himself before killing himself.

He has always wanted to escape—to be free from the constant call of death. He realized

what he need.... belongingness—a something which he never experienced before, until

he met Mary.

After his adrenaline-filled escape from the syndicate, he travelled from places to places

on foot—often stealing money from unsuspecting victims, seems like the skills he got

were useful after all.

From Tondo, his foot brought him to the slums of Malabon. The slums were covered by

hazy fog that permeated between the fractals of the unplastered walls, the smell was

unbearable yet people adapted to it—they don't have any choice but to endure it.

The towering skyline of Malabon conceals the harsh reality of poverty; a city where

capitalists exploit the poor, where rich people does nothing to alleviate the societal and
economical issue of the marginalized.

Midnight befalls the filthy slums of Malabon. Drops of water started to fall like the tears

of the poor.

"Tulooooong!" a scream resonated from a dark alleyway. Max heard the scream and ran

to the alley—he saw a girl being mounted by a man. Max quickly shouted for the man

to stop but that didn't help to defuse the situation.

The shout only made it worse, the man towered Max—he was a giant compared to

Max' frail and weak physique; as if it was the reenactment of the famous David versus

Goliath.

With such vigor, the man grabbed Max by his shirt—lifting him up and punching him

repeatedly before throwing him off to the side.

Max winced in pain as the taste of blood flooded is mouth; he was wanting for more

pain—he loved the feeling of getting beaten up. He immediately tried to stand; he was
stumbling—struggling to gain balance. He knew he was facing death himself, he loved

the feeling but he wants to survive.

Max held on to a piece of stick and threatened the man—pointing it towards him. The

man stared at Max in confusion, chuckled as he knows that a piece of stick will not do

anything to hurt him.

Slowly, the man advanced towards Max, wearing a mischievous grin that hints that he

would go to such extent to silence the frail man. As the man's footsteps clicked on the

sticky concrete, there goes Max' heart, pumping ever quickly.

The man grabbed the stick and broke it into two—throwing it aside and readies a

punch to launch to Max' bony face. Then boom, like a slingshot—the man's arm

extended inwards.

Out of reflex, Max' eyes closed itself as he wait for his impending doom—he was

conflicted if living is really for him. He didn't know what to do—to dodge or to just

accept the punch, hoping it would kill him. He took the latter; he stood still and readies

himself for the blow. "1...2...3...4..." Max' mind counted—but something's off, why hasn't
 the punch connected?

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw a bloody mess of a man who plotted to kill him once

—a long shard of glass penetrated through the man's skull to his left eye; bleeding

profusely as his body slumped on the cold, hard ground.

"Mary nga pala." the gal extended her sultry hands to Max. For the first time, Max felt

something—a rush, a churning in his stomach; but is unfamiliar. Max' exploits with

thievery and outright felony trained his willpower—it made him impervious from

being flustered due to nervousness but this one's different—he was nervous, flustered

yet he felt peace.

CLIMAX:

The two left the scene together—running through the cold streets of Malabon; under

the calm shine of the waning moon.

Max and Mary stopped by the earthy shore of Dampalit River—they sat on a weathered

bench as the salty morning breeze welcomes the twilight—the sun, a new hope after a
dark evening.

Max knew that something was born, a new desire; a new hope he would hold on to.

Everytime he glanced to the seductive face of Mary, an electric shock follows deep

inside his body; for him, she was a lone scops owl deep inside the untamed forests

Catanduanes—for her voice was with depth yet serene, an urban music brought by the

cruel cycle of life.

The morning sun has risen completely, lighting the city up; while casting shadows to

the slums as buildings surrounded them. A nostalgic music rang—it was the sound of

an old Nokia phone. Mary hurriedly grabbed her worn phone from the pocket of her

shorts and answered the call.

Mary's emotions shifted as she answered the phone; sounding seductive but her face

and eyes conveyed differently—her eyes were sad, and were welling up; it reverted to

being dull and dark. The call died and Mary wiped her tears—she faced Max, bidding

him farewell.

Max stood still, unmovable as he stared at Mary's silhouette, he thought she was
something new; someone that who will not leave him; she was just like the others.

In all of a sudden, Mary quickly turned and ran towards Max, kissed him in his left

cheek and handing him a card before leaving for the second time.

The card read: "Pag-asa Street, Tondo. Look for Juana Club." Neon pink laced the outline

of the card while a seemingly naked silhouette of a woman clinging on a pole was

stamped at the left-hand side of the ominous card.

Max heard the name of the club before—but he can't seem to remember when or

where. He felt that he should go and meet with Mary. He set a goal, for the first time in

his life, he felt loved; he felt belongingness, it was addicting—it was euphoric. He now

has his eyes on meeting Mary, and he was unstoppable.

The he traversed the rough streets of Malabon under the heat of the tropical sun, he

was determined to survive—begging for food from the passerbys or stealing malunggay

pandesal from bakeries that stood against the test of time. His malnourished muscles

were aching as stress build up by his tens of miles of walking; but he endured it, he

never wavered.
Once, Malabon's skies started to darken—heavy rain dropped from the skies like mini

meteors ready to pound Earth's expansive terrain. Open rain flew through the damp

atmosphere of Malabon, due to Max' thirst, he involuntarily opened his mouth just to

replenish his body. He longed for water, and the girl he felt belongingness from. He was

poor, an outcast, a lowlife, who was determined to achieve his dream—Mary.

With every step, Max gave his best, as it was the only way to meet again with her.

Max endured three days of excruciating heat and two nights of lonely, freezing night

and alas, he arrived in front of Juana Club—loud rave music resounded from inside

through the roughly placed brick walls that surrounds the establishment.

There was a wooden door with a poster poorly stapled on it, the girl looked familiar. As

Max lined for the queue along with the human-filths of Tondo—unfaithful spouses,

widowed fathers with excessively rich pockets and lonely people who just wanted to

feel...wanted. Max knew he was the latter, Max knew he wasn't alone.
Tondo's Pag-asa Street stood out from the others, its unusual lively nights and ecstatic

evenings slowly subside after sunrise—for most people working in the club are asleep

during the morning, especially the females.

Max felt agitated. Really agitated. He started scanning everything, from the various

footwears that the people in the queue were wearing to the small yet seemingly heavy

pistol that the bouncer was carrying. Max' eyes fell at the sight of the gun; thinking

how painful it would be to be shot by it—thinking about how great it would be to be

killed by it; to be freed from life itself. Max' mind was now trapped but there follows a

mirage of Mary.

"Mary?" Max muttered under his breath. It turns out that the woman in the poster was

Mary herself—she seemed seductive, almost naked wearing only a red, velvety

brassiere and a crimson red bikini that hides a pearl underneath—her bread and

butter.
Max entered the door and he felt like he was transported to another world. The

spotlights beamed their light to various direction; lighting the bare women that danced

across the room.

Max immediately looked at the dancers—there was Mocha, a dark beauty that came

from the mountains of Cordillera; her tanned skin was adored by many hungry guests

as her thin physique bears plump chests that attracted the vicious eyes of many. A true

chocolate; sweet with a hint of bitterness.

The cheering of the people grows stronger as the main stage's curtains opened—

revealing a woman in her 20s. She was wearing tangerine fur coat highlighted by

streaks of crimson that extends up to the girl's knees. Spotlights shifted their beams to

her.

The roaring stopped as a jazzy rendition of Ain't No Sunshine started to play. The

woman's body moved with the rhythm of the song—turning the heat up with every

tease that she made. Soon thereafter, she was completely naked. Her brunette hair
cascaded as if it was a waterfall falling to an intimate sea of wonders and pleasure.

But there's one thing about the girl on the center stage—Max turned his head towards

the stage and realized it was his love—it was Mary.

Without hesitation, Max shouted her name relentlessly. The bouncers soon followed

and tried to restrain Max.

Mary looked anxious, as she saw Max wailing from the distance.

"Mary! Mahal kita Mary! Bumaba ka diyan!" Max exclaimed harshly as he struggled to

regain balance because of the arms of the bouncers pounding his body.

The bouncers forcibly threw Max outside the club and delivered huge blows into his

skeletal face—overpowering him and beating him as much as they can.

Unlike before, Max didn't like the feeling of being beaten anymore; for he now has

hope—Mary, he now has something to live for.

Max proctected his body and head from the punches until a familiar voice echoed from

the distance.

"Tigilan niyo yan!" Mary commanded as she walked towards Max.

"M-Mary, tara n-na. M-m-magsama na tayo." Max stated weakly as Mary knelt and

held his left hand.

"Hindi pwede Max. Ayoko sayo." Mary stated as tears fell from her face.

"Pero....bakit?" said Max, he was shaking.

Mary didn't respond and released Max' hand and stood up—turning away and walking

towards the inside of the club—visibly sobbing.

"Bakit?!" Max shouted as he saw the love of his life—walking away from him. He
 clutched pebbles that are scattered on the ground. He started questioning why while

throwing the pebbles everywhere as rage filled his heart.

The bouncers soon had enough and stomped at Max' thin arms

"Pokpok kasi iyang jowa mo diyan. Laspag na yan." the bouncer said.

"Utang kasi utang ng utang tatay niyan eh." added the other bouncer before spitting at

Max' bruised face and leaving him alone.

There, Max realized something—that hope is not real. It is but an illusory concept that

humans are continuously making just to suffer repeatedly. Mary was his hope, but he

never was hers.

FALLING ACTION:

He stood up, sobbing, but his eyes show no emotions—no sadness, nothing but glass

orbs—he was...emotionless.
He wandered as his will was completely broken; everything was harsh, was cruel—and

love is inexistent.

He was never happy until he met Mary, but now that Mary's gone, happiness is nothing

but a past dream—a dead star in the middle of the blackened skies of Tondo.

Max regained his thoughts after the long flashback on how he met Mary—he didn't

realize he was walking mindlessly as he reminisced about her—cars almost hit him yet

he don't care—living was not really for him.

He was begging for death—he declined its calls before, but now he's the one who's

calling.

Soon thereafter, he was back to the bridge where he first fall victim from the curse—

like before, he stared at the trashes of the black Tondo River—it was like a void, calling
 him to his doom.

Denouement:

Ominous air danced around him as he vaulted on the rusty railings of the bridge. The

edge of the bridge comforted him; the feeling of l'apple du vide flushed his thoughts, he

was ready to jump...but his feet was frozen.

There, a flashback on how Mary kissed his cheeks cascaded into his memory—

repeating the moment itself; making him smile but then it shifted, images of how he

was beaten, maltreated and starved dominated his mind, the suicidal thoughts that

never left him and the instances of how close he were to death readied his will.

Shaking, he stood on the edge and with every inch of willpower he had, he jumped.

It was quick, but he felt like it was forever—he was happy for once, he was contented

for once. He now answered the void; he is now together with something that never left

him—death.