Young Writers Society

" It was my pleasure to stand in front of you and receive this medal of Valor. This is, definitely, too much for a policeman who had served the police department for only 5 years."
Everybody fell silent. In the public plaza, hundreds of people witnessed the awarding of the medal of Valor to Holdreth Williams. The president was sitting on a wooden chair with curved designs on it. Beside him were the other higher ranked police officials, sitting on wooden chairs too.
Holdreth coughed and placed a hand to his chin. His brown eyes scanned the crowd of people. Beyond his happiness, he felt the tears, stinging his eyes.
"To the Filipino people," he began as he held the microphone attached to the speech table. "A medal of valor can be a solid evidence of a man's bravery, but it doesn't mean that a specific person deserves it. I even wondered, why this medal has to be granted to one person? Don't you know that a man cannot be brave without this person, who served as their source of courage?"
Holdreth's wife, sitting beside the president, pulled out her white handkerchief to wipe her tears. She knew what her husband had been through before he achieved this medal.
"I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a story about the man, who I think, deserves this medal," he said as he removed the medal pinned on his chest. He placed it on the top of the brown, wooden speech table, under his hand.
"One look at this man, and you'll think that he's a bullshit criminal," he choked. "But no one knows, that for the people who loved him, he was a brother, a lover- a friend. His name is Dieter Bautista."





PART I. HOLDRETH

chapter 1

"In the count of three, we'll get inside that junk house," SPO3 Jahlan Salvador uttered beside him. SPO2 Holdreth Williams nodded, holding tight to his 45 calibre and waiting for the signal.
They heard the buzzing sound in Jahlan's walkie-talkie.
"Move! Move! Move!" SPO3 Salvador commanded. Swiftly, their group crept inside the abandoned warehouse where illegal drugs were stored by a notorious drug syndicate.
Following the lead of the other policemen, Holdreth crept carefully, his head kept turning around to check his surroundings until someone caught his eye. It was a man in black, carrying a big attache case.
"I saw the target," he whispered to the policeman in front of him, SPO3 Jared Imperial.
Jared looked at him scornfully, "You? You saw the target? Dream on, buddy. I will find that shit, not you," he scoffed.
Holdreth rolled his eyes. No one could rely on Jared, he was the annoying show-off in their headquarters. He wanted to tell this to the other policemen with them, but he didn't want to break the line, neither create a noise. He turned to follow that man in black.
As his feet made a soft thudding sound, Holdreth followed his target. He could never be mistaken- this man was the drug lord of the syndicate. Before his dark-haired target turn around a corner, a loud noise created by gunshots echoed everywhere. His target turned to look behind and noticed Holdreth's head behind one of the crates.
The man's smirk spread across his face as his left hand reached inside his pocket.
"In the count of three, show-up, you goddamn shit, or I'll bomb your head with my gun!" he dared.
Holdreth grimaced, as he got himself ready to come out.
"One," the man counted. "Two," he said after a minute. "Three!"

Chief Police officer, Lucas Dela Bueno patted Holdreth's shoulder. "I know that you're a cunning one, Holdreth, but you shouldn't have separated yourself from the group."
I've thought of that, Chief, but Jared won't tell the others- he didn't cooperate with me, he thought as he lowered down his head. The fat police chief turned to ride on his police patrol car and left.
When Holdreth saw that, he turned to look at the warehouse. The NBI were already there, also the SOCO team- inspecting the drugs and compiling evidences for the case to be filed against Joshua Macaraig, the man that Holdreth caught, who was also the drug lord of the Maria Juana Drug Syndicate.
"Good job, Holdreth," Jahlan said, as he patted his shoulder. The curly, brown-haired tan guy was seveteen-years younger than Holdreth. Yes, Holdreth graduated late for a reason that he temporarily stopped his studies on hs second year in college. Everybody were famiiliar with the major reason why a student stopped studying- lack of financial support.

Still wearing his police uniform, Holdreth came home that very same night. As he entered their small bungalow, a head of curly, short black hair popped out behind the door of their room.
"H-Holdreth?" a female voice asked. He walked to the door of their bedroom, close to his wife. Felisa went out to embrace him.
"Why are you still awake?" His hand ran though her hair. Felisa couldn't stop the tears to stream down her cheeks.
"I-I'm so worried! Thank God, you're alive, Holdreth!"
"Hush, hush. I'm okay, you see?" This scene kept on happening since Holdreth worked as a police, but he didn't get tired of comforting his wife and telling her that everything was going to be alright.
"Why don't you just find another sensible job, please, Holdreth? Please?" she begged in a shaking voice.
He cupped his hand to her heart-shaped face and looked at her teary, brown eyes, as pretty as a doe's eyes.
"Look, Felisa, my dear," he spoke in a baritone voice. "This is my dream, to protect the people."
"What about you? What about me and Justin?" she choked as she mentioned their five-year-old son's name.
He gently pressed his lips against her lips before he replied, "I am also doing this for you and Justin, darling. This is also work, I earn money for our expenses. Justin's going to have his first day in school next month."
"It wasn't about money, Holdreth. How if you die? What is going to happen to me and Justin?"
He shook his head and embraced her, pulling her head close to his broad chest. "I will never die. I will never ever leave you," he murmured.

Pasig City Police Department

9 A.M.

When Holdreth arrived, a round of applause welcomed him. Chief Lucas, holding a green wine bottle, stepped close to him.
"Congratulations, Holdreth!" he chuckled.
"W-Why? What's going on?" His eyebrows pulled together as he looked at him with curiousity.
"You are promoted, SPO3 Holdreth Williams!" It wasn't a formal announcement from Chief Lucas, but it was natural for the police chief to act like that. This served as an evidence that he really liked going to gatherings and parties.
Holdreth shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't appreciate this kind of promotion, which was granted in that manner. It seemed like Chief Lucas didn't appreciate the significance of being promoted as Special Police Officer 3. Now, Holdreth wanted to go to Jahlan, his only friend in that police department. He noticed that he wasn't there, maybe, he was in his table.
"Hey!" Chief Lucas called. "Your table is next to SPO3 Salvador!"
Holdreth nodded without looking back as he entered the door of the room where his table was.
"Now, who wants some wine?" the chief asked. The men hooted and cheered. All wanted some fun and wine.

Holdreth saw Jahlan, typing on the keyboard of his computer. When he patted the young man's shoulder, he looked up and smiled at him.
"Hey, congratulations," he greeted before he returned a serious gaze at the computer monitor.
"I kinda don't deserve such promotion," he shrugged his shoulders.
Jahlan stopped typing and turned his swivel chair to face him. Holdreth remained standing with his arms folded across hi chest.
"That was fair, y'know. You deserve everything that you get," he stood up slowly, "You caught the drug lord in there, man!"
"I guess you're right," he sighed, "But Felisa cried to me last night."
"Geez, your wife always wanted you to resign."
"She was just worried about me."
"But they should understand that this is not just our work, man. We dreamed of being in here since we were young."
Holdreth nodded. He really dreamed to become a policeman.
"Why? Your woman got you convinced?"
"Convinced?"
"Convinced to resign."
He rolled his eyes. Jahlan knew that it means 'yes'.
"Look, that's why I don't wanna get married. Females try to dominate, and make decisions for you."
"So, what should I do?" Confusion was written in his eyes.
"You should decide on your own, man," Jahlan shooked his head, "A fourty-two-year-old asking me advices make me feel like I'm already fifty-five."
Holdreth snickered.

His second day as SPO3 Holdreth Williams came out to be one of his ordinary days. Nobody were congratulating him like what they did yesterday. Everything went back to normal again. Well, not really normal. It turned out of the ordinary when Chief Lucas called Holdreth to his office.
When he arrived, he saw Chief Lucas, sitting on his swivel chair. His white hair were slightly tousled and he was talking to a man in black shirt and camouflage pants. On his black shirt, there was a boldy printed NBI in white fonts.
"Take a seat, Holdreth," said the chief. He sat on the chair in front of the NBI agent.
"Holdreth, I would like you to meet Franco Eclesta, an NBI agent."
They stood up to shake each other's hands. After that, they sat on their chair.
"I guess it's your part to tell him what you're here for Franco," Chief Lucas said casually.
Franco looked at Holdreth with his ebony eyes. He was square-jawed, but didn't had a cleft chin. His hair was cut short, which made it look a little spiky.
"I am Franco," he smiled. "And I am here because of the drug raid that you had on that warehouse, which was broadcasted on TV."
Holdreth nodded. He could foresee that this was about how he caught the drug lord.
"Our NBI chief, Marcelo Javier, wanted you to be a part of NBI."
He could have grinned, or smiled, at least, but Holdreth held the serious look in his eyes. His lips slowly moved.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because of your cunning skills. Did you know that the NBI even tried to catch that creep?" he rested his arm on Chief Lucas' table which was right beside him.
"Well, we didn't even know that that warehouse where the drugs are found, belonged to Joshua Macaraig's Maria Juana Drug Syndicate," the chief said to Franco. "A concerned citizen just pointed out what he saw in that warehouse."
Franco nodded. "Not ever our best NBI agents caught that man, but you, Holdreth. Will you be a part of NBI?"
"Can I tell that tomorrow?"
Franco and the chief exchanged glances before the NBI agent sighed. "Okay, I'll give you my phone number. You can call me tomorrow, but if you made up your mind this afternoon or tonight- call me."
Being a part of NBI was something that no one could ever reject. It was a great privilege, but what made him hold back from accepting the offer?