Zeo

The day woke gray with thick fog engulfing the hills on the horizon and a drizzle that soaked Zeo's new clothes, given to him to blend in with the crowd. He stood still under the tender water drops caressing his face and stared at the aircraft that had just dropped him, taking off from the Fallen Star Airport.

After informing Marakudra of their arrival, he headed toward the parking lot, where his chosen warriors awaited him: Arkor, Kristina, and Stella. The first two hadn't hesitated to join him, but Stella grimaced with hatred when her name appeared on his list. However, Zeo knew those three were the best choices, and the success of his mission depended on them.

Zeo scanned the crowded parking lot and spotted his companions next to two vehicles. They looked like ordinary teenagers in their casual attires, and other than their scars and melancholic eyes, no one could tell they were slaves of The Hunters.

Arkor smiled when Zeo stood before them and observed the two vehicles parked nearby: a black van and a blue sedan. Average-looking cars meticulously prepared by The Hunters to face the challenges of their mission.

"Not what I expected, but this will do," Zeo said, knocking on the hood of the blue car. He could feel the thick bulletproof layer underneath.

"I've not driven in so long! I wonder if I still remember how to do it?" Arkor turned to Kristina and Stella. "Unless any of you wanna do it?"

Kristina shook her head, and Stella ignored him as she shifted awkwardly and shot suspicious glances at every passerby.

"She's been like that all day," Arkor whispered to Zeo.

"I'm not used to crowds," Stella retorted, pulling up her hoodie to cover part of her face.

"Relax!" Arkor smirked, brushing up his wet hair to uncover his forehead. "This is nice for a change. The smell of people is captivating." He followed a pretty girl with his eyes and licked his lips.

Stella rolled her eyes with disgust.

"Don't worry," Zeo spoke calmly but bore his pupils on Stella, who glared at him. "This will be over before you know it. After that, you can return to your cage if that's what you want."

"We got no place to return," Kristina added, frowning.

Arkor put his finger on his lips, suggesting she remain silent.

"Alright, listen." Zeo straightened his back. "Our mission is simple. Arkor and Kristina will head to the town's outskirts and locate the two Hybrids hiding in that farm Marakudra mentioned. You already have the coordinates of that place on your phone, so it should be easy to find them. Once you do, let me know and wait for orders. Understood?"

"Roger, boss." Arkor saluted him, holding back his laughter, and Kristina nodded.

"Stella and I will head to the orphanage in the southern area of the town." She grimaced at his words, but Zeo had good reasons to take her with him. "I know that place very well, so it shouldn't take us long. Any questions?"

Kristina raised her hand. "Our Captain said those two Hybrids posed no threat to us, but how should we proceed if we encounter issues? They won't come with us willingly."

"Fair point." Zeo thought for a moment. "If you judge the situation could escalate and present a risk to our mission, wait for us. Limit yourself to monitor our targets and keep them from escaping."

"Now that I think about it, we have scarce information about the people we're dealing with," Arkor added, crossing his arms. "All they told us was 'two hybrids between twelve and eighteen.' Nothing else."

"Don't worry about it, and proceed as ordered." Zeo's voice cut through the rain. They had one mission there, and nothing would stop it.

Arkor shrugged and walked to the black van. Kristina nodded at Zeo and followed her companion.

The engine roared as they drove away, leaving a trail of water spray behind. When they disappeared, Zeo turned to Stella, who avoided direct eye contact and sulked over her impending fate.

"Let's go," Zeo said, opening the door of their car, and sat inside. The dashboard was modified with multiple buttons and switches, and a QLED screen was in the middle, displaying the interior of Arkor and Kristina's car. However, they had no idea about it or could see them.

Stella slammed the door shut as she sat on the back seat and crossed her arms. Zeo glanced at her through the rearview camera and turned on the car. Fortunately, he had practiced his driving skills before their mission and felt confident enough, unlike his last time.

Zeo took the main avenue and drove through the town he had once known. In almost two years, very little had changed. The same old big stores remained on each side of the pavement, the same street vendors and beggars on the sidewalk, and the reckless drivers cutting him off at every intersection. Even though he rarely left the orphanage back in the day, he still remembered his trips with the caregivers. He recalled Remnya had never been taken out but enjoyed hearing him talk about it.

As they drove south, the stores became scarcer and cramped neighborhoods with rustic houses popped everywhere. Even the smooth asphalt turned into a rough surface full of potholes Zeo had to dodge on every street.

When they passed by a landfill site, Zeo broke the awkward silence and asked, "What's the name of your hometown?"

She said nothing.

Zeo stopped next to a large dead tree and turned to her. "I already know your parents were killed by The Hunters and that you were forced to join." He observed how her eyes filled with hatred. "And I also know that as soon as I let my guard down, you're gonna stab me with the dagger you're hiding under your sleeve." He smirked and used his vectors to grab her arms and legs. She tried to react, but Zeo had already restrained all her movements.

Stella shook her body violently and let out a groan of anger as she tried to break free.

"If you think I am your enemy, you're wrong." Zeo glared at her, disappointed. "Do you really think killing me and running away would be a smart decision?"

"Shut up! I don't care what you say!" she roared as her cold face transformed into a tempest of fury and frustration. But his vectors wouldn't let her go.

"That's the problem with you!" Zeo raised his voice. "You think bottling it all inside and isolating yourself from the rest of the world will grant you freedom eventually? You're fucking stupid!"

"You're just Marakudra's dog! You have no right to tell me what to do!" The veins in her forehead bulged, and her face turned red like blood. "You have no idea what I've been through!" Stella managed to release her arm and tried to reach him with her dagger.

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Zeo snatched her wrist and stopped it in front of his face. It was too easy to kill her. His vectors could stab her head and chest easily at that distance. However, he still had something to say. "I might not know. You're right. But I do know what it feels to lose everything you love and be forced to swear loyalty to those you hate."

Her arm trembled before his eyes, slowly approaching him.

"I choose you for this mission for one reason." He took a deep breath, struggling to hold her arm. "I know you've not given up yet. I know there's something or someone out there for you to fight for, something keeping you alive! Otherwise, you would've died that day. Am I wrong?"

Stella hesitated for a moment, giving Zeo a perfect chance to disarm her with his vectors. She dropped the dagger, and he restrained her arms and legs against the car seat.

"I do not plan to return." Zeo stared deep into her irritated eyes. "I'll take my friend and run away. The Hunters can come after me. I don't give a shit because I am the owner of my fate. Now the question is, are you the owner of your fate too?"

Her pupils dilated, and her resistance seemed to waver. Stella lowered her gaze and remained motionless for long seconds.

Zeo's vectors aimed at her head and heart as he waited for an answer.

"I . . . " she murmured. "I still have my aunt out there." As she uttered those words, her voice cracked.

Silence.

"Is that why you want to live?"

"She's the last survivor of my family." Tears rolled down her eyes. "She thinks we all died that night. All I want, my last wish, is to survive and return to see her one more time. For the last time. Even if The Hunters kill me afterward!"

"Then do it!" Zeo scowled, pushing her away as his vectors released her. He let out a sigh of relief. "I didn't choose the three of you to help me on this mission. I just wanted to give you all a last chance to be free."

"Free?" She chuckled bitterly. "Don't be stupid. If we desert, we'll be hunted like animals by them, you know that, right?" She slammed her fist against the backseat. "We have trackers in our necks! Microchips to locate us wherever we go!"

"Why do you think Marakudra chose me as her pet?"

Stella widened her eyes as Zeo showed her a small hole in his neck. "She explained to me how the trackers worked and where they were implanted. You can use a special needle to remove it, but that'll cause serious damage to your body as it's specifically designed to self-destruct and trigger an alarm. However, with my vectors, I can deactivate it temporarily and shut down that alarm to remove it."

"Marakudra told you that?" Her jaw dropped. "Why would she?"

"You will know that when the time comes. However, I need to ask you something first." Zeo leaned forward, narrowing his eyebrows. "I can remove the tracker in your neck right now, and you can run away. Free. Or you can stay with me and proceed with the mission as planned. Whatever it is, I'll respect your choice, so I need to know, what will you do?"

Stella thought for a moment, fiddling with her clothes under the intent look of Zeo.

She finally spoke. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"During all this time, I could've killed you five times, or I could've just broken your nervous system, disabling your whole body." He unlocked the doors and turned his back to her. "I have no interest in harming you."

"Even if that's true." She bit her lower lip. "These cars belong to The Hunters. I'm sure they have microphones listening to everything we just said."

"I already took care of that."

"Does it have to do with Marakudra?" Stella leaned forward, gripping Zeo's seat, and spoke in his ear, "How can we trust her?"

Silence.

"Time is running out for us." Zeo scowled, starting the car. "Decide now, please."

She widened her eyes and leaned back in her seat, looking startled. Zeo understood all her doubts and concerns, but if she became an obstacle to his mission, he had no choice but to eliminate her.

Stella took a deep breath of resignation while her hands trembled on her lap. "Alright." She nodded hesitatingly. "I already died once, after all, and anything is better than living like a slave. So I don't mind accompanying you for a bit longer."

"It's decided then," Zeo said coldly as his vectors vanished, leaving marks on Stella's neck. He turned to face the wet street ahead and tightened his fingers around the steering wheel. "It's about time the hunter becomes the hunted."

*°*°*

The rain stopped by midday. Zeo parked in front of an abandoned house and told Stella to do whatever she pleased while he fulfilled his mission. He stepped out of the car and locked his eyes on the horizon before taking the first step.

It was a sight he knew well. The cracked asphalt glimmered under the dazzling white sky, and water dripped from the ancient trees on the sidewalk.

The fresh humidity in the air wrapped around his body with a nostalgic feeling.

A familiar yet distant smell of food lingered in the neighborhood as he passed by the open windows of an old restaurant. He recalled the few times the caregivers had been kind enough to bring them a meal from there and how much they had enjoyed it.

Zeo's boots splashed a puddle as he stopped by a massive wall stained by dampness and graffiti. He had arrived at the prison once called home. Standing before the rusted iron gates, Zeo looked into the front yard. Like a picture stuck in time, the place hadn't changed. Memories from the past taunted his mind like a weak tide. Happy moments he had never appreciated enough.

Despite all the pain, Remnya and Amy were with him.

If he could go back in time, it would be different.

Only if.

Zeo shook his head and shunned those stupid thoughts away. His mission there was more important.

He pushed the iron gates, once so heavy, now so light and feeble, unable to contain his orphaned will. He walked the long concrete path leading to the entrance, and the gloomy aura of the past fell over his shoulders. But unlike before, he could carry the weight of thousands.

Marakudra had told him that after the deaths of Orena and Coscu, Ronner appointed one of his men as the director of the orphanage. However, with his death, The Hunters had placed their own puppet there, and she knew Zeo was coming.

As soon as he stepped on the cracked stairs, an old lady welcomed him effusively.

"Welcome, young man! I was waiting for you," she said, smiling from ear to ear. She was a short, stocky lady in her sixties with short red hair and violet lipstick on her dry lips.

"Where is she?" Zeo asked, ignoring her antics, and entered his old home. The place looked different: the walls had been painted, the railing on the stairs repaired, and the musty smell replaced by a nasty citric perfume.

"Oh please, let me show you," the old lady tried to guide him, but Zeo grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.

"No." He scowled. "Tell me where she is. I'll find her myself."

She widened her eyes, displaying a hint of fear, and nodded. "The Hybrid girl is at the courtyard right now," she murmured.

"Thanks," Zeo said with disgust and strode toward the doors he had memorized as a toddler.

Kids ran past him, shooting curious glances at his eyepatch and messy long hair, and a few seemed to recognize him but didn't dare to speak. He was a shadow of his former self, but a part of him had been left in that orphanage forever.

In the courtyard, Zeo searched for familiar faces, and in a corner, he found the sweet person he longed to see.

"Amy," he mumbled and clenched his fists.

His little friend sat on a bench, eating with two girls and one boy, who exchanged laughs with her.

Zeo marched in her direction, swallowing through the knot in his throat, and halted in her sight.

The time stopped.

Amy took a while to notice his presence, but as soon as she did, her food fell on the floor. Her eyes grew like full moons, and her jaw dropped in shock. She froze while her friends asked her what was wrong.

Slowly, Zeo approached her and forced a smile. "Hi, Amy. Long time no see."

Her friends stared at him with fear and ran away, but Amy kept her beautiful, huge green eyes locked on him.

Silence.

"I know it's been a while, but—"

Before he could finish, she darted at him like a bullet and buried her face in his chest. She gripped him tightly like a press, her little arms reminding him of Remnya's strength.

Zeo's hardened soul and body broke for a moment, and like the old times, he hugged her against his chest, kissing her head. The warmth of her body melted his stone-cold heart, and his eyes burned with unshed tears he refused to set free.

No. Zeo said to himself as his will wavered. I can't let my emotions speak anymore.

His body trembled as he resisted the urge to be a kid again and embrace his lost innocence. The innocence he saw in Amy, the little friend he never stopped loving. His heart pumped life throughout his body again, showing him he was not the monster he thought he was. Despite everything, a trace of humanity was still in him.

"I missed you so much . . . " Zeo whispered. "So damn much."

"I missed you too." Amy cried and sniffled against his chest. "You left without saying anything! You're so dumb dumb dumb!

"I'm sorry." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't return sooner."

"I knew you'd come back, though." She leaned back to stare at him and smiled, her eyes full of tears and a reddened nose. "You never broke a promise."

Zeo was out of words and just nodded, knowing that no matter what, The Hunters could never lay a finger on Amy.

His life purpose was to protect her until the end.

*°*°*

Next Chapter: February 11