The burning trees // twentyonepilots

The Missing

Tyler woke up suddenly, to his door being kicked open. He cowered under the bed. This had never happened before, not even the bishops had ransacked his room.

"Where is he" Tyler heard a voice say in a loud whisper. He shuffled closer to the wall so that there was no chance of him being seen under the bed.

"Well why don't you have another look" another voice said in a annoyed tone. Tyler shuffled.
"What was that" the two said simultaneously. Tyler's heart was beating out of his chest. He had no idea wether these people were going to hurt him or save him. Maybe they were sent by josh. Maybe by the bishops. All of these thoughts race around Tyler's head. Then he turned over to see a small girl with a beaming grin on her face "I've found him" she said

Tyler was breathing heavily and didn't know what to think. The thoughts started again
She didn't look like a banditeo. But she didn't look like a Dema agent either. The bed was lifted up from over him to reveal another child. a boy this time he was smiling too.

Tyler wasn't sure what to do. Like a rabbit in the head lights.
"It's you it's really you" the boy said in an amazed tone. Tyler was still unsure. The boy seemed innocent enough.
"We need your help" the girl said with hope in her eyes. Tyler sat up and moved out from under the bed. The boy set the bed back down and Tyler sat down and finally got a good look at the two.

The teens were skinny and pale they wore grey, all grey everything other than their shoes were grey. This didn't surprise Tyler as all the citizens of Dema wore grey. Apart from him.

"We need to get out" the boy said slowly sitting down next to Tyler
"No one gets out of dema. Trust me I've tried" Tyler replied in a monotone miserable voice. He was still staring at the shrivelled flower he was still clutching from since he went to sleep.

"But the others did" the girl said with hope
"Yes but no one has escaped since, not since the weather" Tyler gestured towards the storm that was still raging as It had been for the past 4 months.
"Tyler take us with you next time you go... please?" The girl said pleadingly as if she really thought Tyler would allow it
"There isn't going to be a next time" Tyler replied "I've done everything I can. There's no getting to Trench... A-A-And you should just except that."
"What do you mean?" The boy asked. He sounded as if he were going to cry. Tyler wasn't sure whether to console him or just state the facts.
"I mean that you guys should stay here, you have your families, food and a roof over your head." Tyler let out a big sigh as he remembered that all of his family and friends were in Trench. "Anyways you two are so small you would never last 5 minuets out there. That's why the food rations have gone down. to make you all too weak to make the journey, keeping you all trapped here."

"We're desperate Tyler" the girl said leaning towards him "our parents have gone missing and all we know about our brother is that he escaped with the others." The two looked as if they were going to give up trying to get help from Tyler.
"Go back to your home. I'll think of something. But if you stay here you'll be locked in with me so you Must go now." Tyler said all the time still staring at the delicate dead flower. The two teens slowly walked out of the room and before closing the door the girl whispered a small "thank you" and slammed the door behind them.

It had only just occurred to Tyler that he never asked the kids there names. How would he ever find them again. He didn't want to care about them, but for the rest of the night he couldn't stop thinking about a way to help them. Tyler knew what "missing" meant in Dema. It happened all too often to relatives of people who breached the border. The kids are never told what happened to their parents in the end, but they normally end up dead in a ditch on the outskirts. Tyler would see the people who were reported missing normally a day or two after the report. They were always dead, and always on his path to the forest.