Chapter Two - Fire and Lightning, Literally
Half the people in the bar poured outside to see the source of the boom, Hugo included. A cloud was growing beyond the buildings that led towards the pier, a charcoal mass choking out the city lights beyond it.
For a brief, panicked moment, Hugo was reminded of the dream, but he was still alive, so it couldn’t have been the explosion he’d seen so many times. The sound of sirens filled the surprised silence and then speculation erupted into a chattering hum. Some people followed the ambulances and fire trucks. The more sensible people retreated to the bar. The TVs were switched over to King 5 News with closed captioning.
Hugo watched the TV. There wasn’t much to report yet, beyond what they’d already seen, but the police would be arriving on the scene soon and they would relay any news as it happened.
An arm fell across Hugo’s shoulders and he looked over, startled. His brother’s expression was flat, “The department wants me to head over there since I’m nearby. Need fare for a cab?”
Hugo shook his head. He didn’t want to go home; he wanted to know what had happened. The knot in the pit of his stomach told him this could connect him to the explosion he’d seen. Completely irrational, but he couldn’t push the thought away. “No, I’m fine. I’ll get a ride with Steve.”
Lewis casually tapped the back of his head, but Hugo still pitched forward a bit. “Alright, I’ll see you later.” His older brother pulled his jacket on and left. As Hugo turned back to the TV, he caught the fact that there had only been a few people at the shipping yard and there were two survivors in critical condition and-
There was what looked like a yellow oil drum. Before Hugo had time to examine the extensive collection of labels on the surface everything was a rolling mass of red and black that was near blinding; an explosion. As the fire spread outwards, having consumed the barrel and its contents…wait. Amongst the black smoke was a figure, red with full body burns, but breathing weakly. He was alive, but that was impossible because that was exactly where the exploding barrel had been “-rushed to Harborview Medical Center.”
Hugo glanced numbly around the bar. A lot of people with their drunken attention spans had stopped watching the report. He was drunk too, he shouldn’t give a shit, this exploding man wasn’t his business, so why was he walking out of the bar, picking up speed and on his way to Harborview? He wouldn’t know what to do when he got there. He wouldn’t be able to talk to the guy who was probably dying. There was no excuse to touch him and maybe see what had happened. But that man had exploded, or was super resistant to fire; there was no other explanation for the man’s survival. Hugo had found someone else with abilities, and he had to talk to him.
The Sound of Wind Page 8