It made sense now; why the boy had been willing to risk his life for them. Even though he seemed frightened and upset, he was sure that Pegasus didn't regret helping them.
Hugo frowned, wondering whether to voice his thoughts aloud. Perhaps he shouldn't mention it to the other boy – if the others could survive, surely it wouldn't be a problem. But if there was someone else who might have been in danger…
Suddenly he gasped. "Where are your parents?" he asked, jumping to his feet. He hurried towards Pegasus, staring intently into the darkening sky overhead. He must have missed the helicopter by a few minutes, so it must be close. Not too close, though, otherwise, they would've come by now.
Pegasus followed him closely as he hurried along the path, eyes wide with fear. "W-what? Why do you ask?"
"Because if your parents are missing," he explained impatiently, "then we'll need them to get us to safety. We can't stay here. Something bad will happen if we do," he insisted urgently, glancing at the boy. "I promise."
"Your parents are dead," Pegasus whispered after a brief silence. "They died in an accident. I'm the only one who knows where they are."
Hugo blinked at the response. How could anyone have survived that? A car could hit them or something. He had never heard of any accidents occurring during a storm. Maybe that's why they never left.
He nodded slowly, trying to process everything. The fact that the boy believed what he told him was strange and unbelievable to him. However, he didn't question it. If he was correct about what happened earlier, then there must be some reason why they stayed and why he was able to find them.
Hugo decided not to push the subject. He wanted to believe that Pegasus was telling the truth, but he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that something was wrong. Still, he didn't know what it was. All he knew was that he wanted to see Pegasus and the others again as soon as possible.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed Pegasus pulling his backpack off of his back and tossing it aside before grabbing his phone and starting to type.
"Whoa, whoa, hold up," Hugo objected, moving forward to block the other boy's way. "You're going to leave it here? What if something happens? Someone'll probably come searching for it later."
Pegasus shrugged, shoving the device deep inside of his pocket. "There's nothing they can do about it. It won't do them any good. Besides, if they try to look for it they'd probably miss it already. I doubt they'd bother, anyway, considering how fast time is passing."
"Yeah, but...what if they do find it? It's dangerous out there. What if something happens to you? What if you can't make it home?"
"Then at least someone needs to get the message to my parents somehow," Pegasus responded confidently. "My dad would probably tell them what happened if we both went missing. I don't think I'd be very helpful right now."
Hugo sighed in exasperation, taking a step forward. He grabbed the boy by the upper arm tightly, dragging him away from the entrance and further back into the corridor. "Why are you so reckless?" he muttered, shaking his head in frustration. "You're supposed to be smart, aren't you? What if you get hurt?!"