What's with the train today? I'm freezing cold here, being sandwiched by all these people - yes, sandwiched, but imagine a sausage with four to five loaves of bread used to wrap it, then squeezed so hard the sausage almost presses out of shape, and the sausage is me - and with this cold sweat I'm having, I can only imagine anyone can see it through my white Iskolar t-shirt, despite it being thick and comfortable compared to other clothes out there. And the price is even affordable, I only bought it for 150 pesos. And I had extra money, so what's to hurt me from going to an ukay-ukay store later, eh?

          What's an ukay-ukay you say? Well, think about it as a kind of store in the Philippines where secondhand items, commonly and especially clothes, are sold at a very cheap price. And in our language, the verbs hukay or halukay, with which the term was derived from, means "to dig " or "to sift through", also which you'll be doing when the clothes are piled unarranged in a container, thus the term ukay-ukay or "dig-dig".          

          A monotonic female voice then came out the speakers.

          "Arriving at Santolan station. Paparating na sa Santolan station." Ah, finally only a few seconds, and this sandwich session I'm getting inside this train will meet it's freaking end.

          The train stops, the doors open, and passengers struggle to get out all at once, some pushing nearby people trying not to make it obvious, some brisk-walking almost stumbling from time to time. We all get down the stairs, and passengers counter-flowing us, which obviously are to board the train to go opposite our travel, got frowns on their faces while waiting for our gigantic wave of heat and sweat to pass and get down the stairs already. "You're the ones who counter-flowed while another set of stairs is there, stoopiiid", I thought. Good luck boarding that train though, fellow Filipinos (and some foreigners, maybe). I brought out my Beep card, pressed it on the machine and ran, ready to get out the station and go home. Well, go to an ukay-ukay, try a jacket, hopefully buy one then go home.

          Long lines again for boarding jeepneys, then tight spaces since a supposed ratio of 10:10 on both seats inside became freaking 13:13. Yes, I'm being sandwiched again by now only two loaves pressed against me by four more loaves from my left and six loaves from my right. And yes, I'm hurting my ass right now, sitting through all this heavy traffic, thank you.

          After almost an hour ride, I'm finally at Antipolo, and it seems just about to get dark, with the sun now only peeking behind the Antipolo Cathedral, barely lighting the busy streets and sidewalks.

          I go to the ukay-ukay store me and my friend went to before, where I bought a green varsity-styled jacket that made me look like a cool guy (not to mention I'm not really one) and guess what? Only 30 pesos! That's like buying a Gucci for the price of a Jolibee solo-meal, so I felt like trying my luck again this time. 

          The store's cashier-guy was very into his mobile game, his earphones on, as before. I'm surprised he wasn't fired yet, I could literally just grab anything I want then go out without a care, if I would though. Anyways, I go unnoticed to the jackets' section. Effortlessly enough, something immediately caught my eyes, and there it was,  a tattered, dark denim jacket with Wearing-this-will-kill-You art in red paint at its back. I swear it looked so cool, it's supposed to be mine. I touch the jacket, look at it with excited eyes and smiling lips, and remove it from the hanger it was from. I lift the jacket with both hands to look at how cool it looked with the art on it again and went to a nearby standing mirror before wearing it. I slip my left hand and arm in its sleeve, and oh man did it feel so good. I adjusted the jacket so I could slip in through the right sleeve, and as soon as the jacket rested on my shoulders,

          a dreadful figure appeared standing beside me in the mirror.

          "Oh shi-!"

          I jolt and almost scream the moment the figure appeared. It surprised me entirely my eyes and mouth were very wide open even as I looked around, only to see that there is no one except Mr. cashier-guy in the whole store, still very invested in that game. What if I die here, what'd y'do huh? 

          So, no one around me, but figure's still there. But damn I'm looking good, ain't I? But the figure, not that much. Scary, even. Imagine all worlds' nightmares given flesh - yes, that's it, that's how it looked. It had distorted parts, eyes, ears, mouth, noses, feet and legs, and what seemed like an intestine, all around its torso - no, its whole body's covered by it. But its hands, about five of them, stretching from random spots on it, are trying to reach out. To me.

          An urge to see what happens when I take off the jacket came to me, but I can't keep myself from noticing more how the figure doesn't look like a reflection, but someone - something, that's inside the mirror. So I go closer, slowly reach the mirror with my right hand, anticipating what'd happen when I do.

          And to my great regret, it wasn't something you could just impromptu anticipate. Wasn't something you'd even anticipate at all.

          I don't know where I am now. What I've become. But the feeling of being crushed, compressed - sandwiched, it's here again. Only more hurting, more unbearable, more

          painful.

          I cry and scream, no one to see and hear. Why did this have to happen? Why me? Why now?  

          ---

          "Defeat!"

          The cashier-guy removed his earphones, frustrated. Then he heard something drop.

          The Wearing-this-will-kill-You jacket.