LITERATURE
NEON ANGELS by Lucas Tabuena
The dark, thick clouds drifted apart as Lao descended into the ruined city. It was a long fall in the airship, and though he had been to the city several times over the last few months, he was always curious at the sights of the past. Though his reconnaissance missions were short, he always tried to take in as much of the environment as possible. Lao never travelled far, and he usually landed his airship in different sections of the city, framing it as a way for his superiors to check certain areas. Today he would go to Section B, one he hadn’t explored yet. NAVIGATE THE AREA, he was told.
As the clouds passed, Lao marked his landing zone on a small screen before standing up to look over his equipment. In a bag held binoculars, a large flashlight, and a small pistol. Although he never found much use for the weapon, they were mandatory to bring. But he couldn’t think about that. No - he shouldn’t. Lao knew what had happened to the two that encountered those “beings”, as the others described, and what they may do to him if they got the chance. He heard how the two agents’ limbs were split apart in several places. Even with the armor, which Lao now wore, they were still found shattered as if it were nothing but thin glass. But Lao did not think much of this. All he knew was that he had something to do, and that that was all that mattered. It was EVERYTHING
As he looked over his equipment, Lao’s ship broke through the dense clouds, a bright streak of sunlight followed him and shone through the dark city.
As soon as he saw this, Lao went back to the front of the ship, gaining control of the aircraft and maneuvering it as best he could to his landing zone. He pressed a button above him, and a small screen displayed a map of the area as he attempted to land. It slowly zoomed in closer as he shifted towards the roof of a worn-down skyscraper, various bits of the surrounding nature - moss or vines - crawled up within the interiors through holes in the walls and windows.
The map disappeared suddenly, replaced with a camera view of the ship’s keel, helping Lao to land it safely. He inched the control stick downward and the ship began descending at a slower pace. By his thumb, he flicked a switch, and activated the landing gear. He saw on the small screen as the wheels slowly emerged. He was sure then that nothing could happen. He’s done this several times, and knew what to do. But even then, he couldn’t help but feel something about