Code Collector

"You're Allen."

Allen immediately froze after Jeremy mentioned his name. He gulped and looked up only for him to be wrapped up in the arms of the other boy. The warmth from Jeremy's body felt familiar yet weird for him. 

It was a different kind of warmth from Hilda's hug, like another feeling. When the woman made him feel like he was a son, Jeremy made him feel like a friend. Like someone was actually waiting for him, and that someone was his ally.

"You don't know how much it affected me after you were lost," Jeremy said. "I was made at Kyle and the others. It took us a week before I finally talked to them. Do you know how much I was worried?"

Allen was speechless. He looked at Jeremy to see the sincerity in his eyes, but all the boy could see were tears. Jeremy was crying.

"Alice was gone, and then you," Jeremy chuckled in sorrow. "You were the first person to ever talk to me, yet you– Allen."

"It's okay now," Allen returned the hug as he did his best to keep his tears at bay. He didn't know that Jeremy was bottling this much emotions inside, and he almost didn't care.

He was too filled with the rage of revenge and the fear of everyone knowing his identity, that he unknowingly disregarded the feelings of the people around him.

"I'm sorry," Allen whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It's fine," Jeremy replied. "And I'm sorry too. Believe me, I tried to look for you, but I didn't get the chance to succeed."

Allen shook his head and smiled. "That doesn't matter."

–

"What?" Jeremy slammed his hands on his desk. A policeman was standing in front of him, gulping as he saw the seething anger that was around Jeremy. The man was mad.

"There was a report that was filed not too long ago," the man said. "Allen Vermillion was lost in the forest at 4:47 PM, Haven Time. There was no trace left of the boy and his teammates are unaware of his location."

Jeremy fell to his chair, helpless by the fact that his friend was reported as lost. He looked at the other police officer in the eyes, trying to see if the man was lying to him and that the report was only a joke.

"Why did this happen?" Jeremy ran his fingers through his hair. "I need to know where he was last seen, Eric."

Jeremys stood, prompting Eric to stand in front of him and stop him. "I won't let you go out there right now."

"My friend is misisng and you really think that I'm just going to sit here and wait?" Jeremy growled. "Eric, get out of my way before you get hurt."

"No," Eric said firmly. "You know too well the dangers of the night brings. You can't just go out there."

"But–"

Jeremy paused after seeing eight more police officers stand. They all looked at him with smirks on their faces, proudly telling Jeremy their mind through their actions.

"You're not going there without us," Eric smiled.

Ten police officers from Camp Twyla were dispatched in search for the missing boy. Allen Vermillion, 19 years old, 164cm, white hair, pale skin, and mute. He can hear, but there's scratches on his neck that the doctors suspect to be the cause of his disability.

His build was frail and thin, can easily be mistaken as an early teens based on his build alone. His movements are soft and feminine, fragile to be exact.

Last seen was on Blue Ivy Marsh in the forest near Camp Anton. He was last seen by his teammates when they were hunting for Blue Ivy Mockingjay when Allen was suddenly separated from the group.

Time missing, 4 hours.

"I can't believe I'm part of the search and rescue operation," a woman groaned as she held the light for the path they were taking. "I wanted to enjoy my evening and eat something nice. Soon is my birthday and I'm on call that day."

"Cheer up, Gwen," Eric chuckled. "The world will be kinder to you soon. Get as much bad luck as you can now while you're young. If you don't, all bad luck will pile up when you're old and fragile. You want that?"

Gwen visibly cringed at the thought. "Of course, not. Who would want something like that?"

"Can we please focus on the goal?" 

Theie conversation was interrupted when Jeremy spoke. He was looking at the two, visibly frustrated and was narrowing his eyes. He looked like someone you don't want to mess with or it will cost you your life.

"Allen?!" Jeremy yelled. "Allen, I'm here! If you could try and follow the light, it will lead to me or my colleagues. We came here to rescue you!"

Jeremy kept on yelling as they walked on the dark path of the forest. The route they took was the one that would lead to Allen's camp, near the area where he went missing. 

There were also police officers that were dispatched in other camps around Allen's camp that searched en route to the said camp, hoping that they would meet Allen halfway.

This order was from the power of the Minister of Defense. Jeremy had to beg his father to do this in exchange for something. He didn't want to let his friend die just yet. He needed strength to go on and he will do anything to look for Allen.

"This is quite impossible," a police officer groaned. He moved a large leaf off of his face as his flashlight lit on a dark and muddy path. "A low level Hunter, lost at night. That's not something you would heard of a lot."

"And why not?" Another police officer asked him. "Is it that rare?"

"Of course, it's rare," the first officer said. "When a person like this went missing, he'll be reported as dead. That's why you don't get to hear that news."

"Is that so, Neil?" Jeremy asked from behind him. This startled the man, prompting him to take a deep breath after he recovered from the shock. 

"You surprised me," Neil chuckled nervously. He watched Jeremy clench his fist, making him quirk his brow up and cross his arms. "What seems to be the problem, Jeremy? Am I wrong?"

"Tell it straight to my face," Jeremy said. "If you had a problem with me, you can tell me. You didn't have to stand with the others to volunteer if it was against your will."

This made Neil scoff and looked around him, seeing the eyes of the other police officers on them. He spat on the side before looking at Jeremy, "You actually think everyone around here is trying to help you because they like you?"

"What?" Jeremy scrunched his face.

"We're only here because of your connection–"

"Neil–" the other police officer tried to hold Neil out, but the man shoved the other man's hand off of his arm. 

"No, Ferdy," Neil said to the other police officer. "He has to know this because he seems to be blinded with power."

"Stop," it was Eric this time who tried to stop them. "Neil, go back to your position. We still need to look for the boy."

"No," Neil said, his voice nearing the sound of a growl. "He has to hear this. Listen well, Jeremy. Everyone is only here because your dad is powerful. We don't actually like you or anything, but we know that you can pull a stunt like this."

"Like what? Search for a Hunter?" Jeremy quirked his brow up. "Is that so wrong to look for a Hunter?"

Neil shook his head and laughed, "Search for a Hunter. You actually thought that we don't know the sh*t you pulled just to let ten camps dispatch ten police officers each just to look for a boy that doesn't even worth anything–"

Jeremy slammed his fist into the side of Neil's face. The sound of a cracking bone echoed the silent forest, rendering most of the police officers around them gasp.

"Invalidating the life of a Hunter," Jeremy said. "You think that's reasonable?"

"You think trying to search for a dead person will make the world a better place?" Neil said. "Think, Jeremy. Your friend can't even talk. He must be dead by now. Think–"

Neil was cut off by a sound of slapping. This time, instead of gasping, the other police officers cheered. A beef that had long since boiled had just been heated again. 

"This is going to be good," Eric said to Ferdy, while the latter smirked and shrugged.

"He deserved it," Ferdy said.

"You're a wuss," Gwen said as she crossed her arms. He had the bravery of standing up agaisnt a man that was almost twice her size. She crossed her arms and sighed. "If you were a cat sitting beside you, everyone will think that you're the pussy. And you did not deserve that promotion. That position of being the team four's captain position was supposed to be mine. F*cker."