Why did he feel so cold and stiff, especially in his left leg? His leg hurt. He stared at it for a moment, trying to remember what had happened yesterday. When it finally came back to him, he let out another sigh and got up, walking unsteadily to the bathroom to wash up.
By the time he came back downstairs, he could already feel the effects of the pills kicking in, making his stomach lurch uncomfortably and making his head spin. He couldn't stand upright anymore without stumbling and falling. Nevertheless, he managed to grab the newspaper from the dining table and opened it. The headlines screamed "Tiny Earthquake Hits New York City!" He read the article twice before lowering the newspaper again and staring blankly at nothing. A tiny earthquake… That's not possible, he thought. An earthquake doesn't happen here.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind. Could it be an earthquake caused by a meteorite hitting Earth? But if that was the case, why wasn't it reported in the news? No matter how curious he was, he didn't dare look at the weather channel again. Instead he went outside and started jogging along the path which led to the river. If there had been an earthquake, he wanted to see where it had hit. It wouldn't do well for him to miss the impact.
As he continued to jog, Hugo began to notice signs of damage to buildings along the way. There were broken windows, smashed street lamps, and holes in the sidewalks. It seemed as if the earth itself had split open just below ground level.
The sun shone brightly overhead, warming his skin. His head was pounding again, but he forced himself to keep going, determined to reach the river. Soon enough he spotted a trail leading through a field of tall grasses and he followed it. Just beyond a large group of bushes, he saw the water. It was sparkling blue like liquid glass.
Hugo approached the bank of the river. As his shoes sank into the mud, he noticed that it was also filled with loose pebbles and gravel. The surface of the water was littered with rocks and debris as far as the eye could see. On closer inspection, he found that some rocks had fallen into the water, creating small waves, causing ripples in the otherwise smooth surface. He wondered how such a huge rock would affect a small area like this. He shook his head as he thought that he should ask someone about this. But first, he wanted to check on the source of the noise he heard before deciding whether or not to investigate further.
Making sure to avoid the rocks that were littering the bank, he carefully climbed over one and sat down. In front of him lay a small mound of dirt which formed a small crater, as if something had crashed into the ground. He leaned forward to peer into the pit, frowning slightly as he realized that there were no visible signs of life. Then again, this was New York. What did he expect?
He looked around, observing his surroundings. He noticed a pile of leaves lying nearby, some kind of plant material sticking out of them. Curious, he reached down and picked up one of the leaves, examining it closely. It was dark brown in color. He raised it to his nose and breathed in its scent. He had never smelled anything quite like it before.
Then he heard a sudden gasp behind him. Looking back over his shoulder, he froze. At first glance, he could barely spot a figure standing behind him. A small form, hunched over and crouching low in order to hide among the grass. But then his eyes focused in on the figure. Slowly, he realized who it was.
The kid.
He had a hoodie covering most of his head, shielding most of his features. His blond hair had grown longer, but the tips still stuck out awkwardly and his bangs covered half of his face. The boy was shaking violently, holding a single hand tightly wrapped around something.