The Sound of Wind
Page 92
**
There was a knock at the door, which was peculiar, since Crysta was with him, and no one else ever bothered to knock. Crysta turned towards the sound, but Hugo managed to get up first. He touched the back of her soft hair, smiling, before heading over to the door and opening it. There was a tall man with short, dark auburn hair and sharp blue eyes. Who was he? The man’s mouth was pressed in a thin line, his expression a little dull, like he’d seen the end of the world. Oh, Hugo remembered, it was Thoth, and he could time travel. His body tensed up.
“What-” But Thoth was backing up several steps, so Hugo followed him into the hallway and gently shut the door, “What's wrong?”
Thoth paused, like he was having second thoughts, but then shook his head, “Boris dies in about an hour.”
Hugo sucked in a breath, quickly recognizing the scope of that statement, “His contingency plan. How? Why?”
Thoth shook his head, “I’m not sure, but there’s an explosion at Boris’ place. I saw you go in just before it happened”
Hugo blinked. “I’m working right now, I have no reason to go over to Boris’ place at all. Not yet anyway...” Thoth frowned, looked down the hallway absently. Hugo scratched the back of his head, “Well, now I do, I guess, don’t I?”
Thoth sighed, “I knew this was a bad idea.”
Hugo shook his head, “No, no it’s not. Let’s go to Russia. Just let me call CJ first.”
Hugo opened his eyes. It was cold and dark still and his head was pounding. He stretched out his stiff body in the bed and sat up very slowly. His throat hurt and his mouth was sticky and dry. He rubbed his eyes with his forearm, sniffling. Had that been a dream? Who was Thoth? It felt like a vision, or maybe a memory, but that hadn’t happened. He would have liked if it had happened. But his family…Crysta…had died instead. He sucked in a breath to hold in the bile that rose in his throat. He didn’t want to sleep anymore.
Hugo climbed off the bed and clumsily found his way outside of the side room and into the bright, florescent lighting of the hallway. His eyes watered and he waited until they adjusted before picking a direction, and then started walking. He felt slow, and was supporting himself with the wall as he went, but eventually he came across the main waiting area. Clem was there, but otherwise it was empty.
Clem glanced up as he entered, frowning, “You should go back to sleep.”
Hugo had to clear his throat a few times before finally managing to speak, “I don’t want to. Keep dreaming.”
Clem nodded sympathetically and stood, walking over to him, “Hungry?” Hugo shook his head. “CJ is out looking for anyone who is…left. We figured Thoth might be ok, what with the time travel and all.”
“...Thoth?”
Clem nodded, gesturing towards the row of chairs in front of a dark TV set, “Maybe. Sit down.”
Hugo obeyed, staring at the blank TV. Maggie. He couldn’t save her either. He shuddered and felt his chest getting tight. Hugo curled his fingers around the edge of the seat, squeezing hard. He needed to stay calm; Clem would make him go back to sleep if he started crying again. It was too late. Everyone was dead. He couldn’t do anything. Maybe Thoth…
“Hugo?”
Hugo blinked back at Thoth, then shook his head, “Sorry.”
Thoth frowned, but didn’t press the issue. “You should be here in a few minutes. We can’t stay long, the explosion will happen soon.”
Hugo nodded and glanced at his watch. He rang CJ.
Surprisingly, she actually answered, “Yeah yeah?”
“Have you found…me…yet?" Hugo's face scrunched up at his own confusing question.
“You’re in a car heading this way. Why are you driving?”
Hugo shook his head, “No idea. Why don’t you ask me?”
“I am asking you!” CJ said with a laugh.
“I mean-”
CJ giggled, “Yeah, I got it. I’ll call you right back.”
Hugo inclined his head toward Thoth, “Apparently I’m in a car driving up this way. CJ is gonna ask me what I’m doing.” Thoth looked a little appalled at the rather blunt tactic, but Hugo shrugged, “I’m beginning to think it's Patrick.”
The older man sighed, nodding in defeat.
Hugo shook his head, running the back of his hand across his mouth.
“Hugo?” Clem had tilted his head so that he was eye to eye with his friend, “What’s going on in there?”
Hugo shook his head again, “I keep seeing…the…past…but it’s not the way it happened. I don’t…know…” He stared at the ground as just how crazy his words sounded filtered into his brain.
“Uh-”
The room brightened briefly, and they both turned to watch CJ resolve herself into girl form, “Hey guys! I can’t find Thoth! I looked everywhere!”
Hugo could feel his heart squeeze and his breath was short, “T-Thoth is gone?”
CJ nodded, “Yeah. And I looked everywhere. I mean everywhere. Well, I didn’t check the past, do you think he went there?”
Thoth could travel through Time, they needed to find him, he would be able to fix everything. Hugo shivered, running his hands over his pants. CJ was shifting her weight between her feet, swaying a little. He felt sick watching her.