Some Strange Type of Peculiar Love

The Devils Acre

Hugh's POV

I woke up when I heard Enoch yelling.  My head felt heavy on the ground. My eyes were grainy and I felt like I was hit by a train.
The train.
I shot up and felt myself over, but I felt normal. How did I not age forward?
"Hugh, Hugh." A bright orange blob was shaking me.
"Millard?"
"I'm afraid so."
I sat up and pressed my back into the wall. We were in a mud brown room with black bars. Millard, Horace, Enoch, and I were in a cage kind of like the gypsies, but the ground was hard and not made of hay. My vision was blurry and I struggled not to fall back asleep.
"Hugh, Hugh! Stay awake!" I looked at Millard.
"Why are you wearing such a bright shade of orange?"
"They want to see him at all times, which is why he's in such a dreadful outfit." Horace answered. Enoch started yelling again.
"When I get out I'll kill you, reanimate you, and make you eat your own feces!!"
"Where are the others?"
Horace shook his head.
"I don't know."
"What do you know?" I bit.
Horace looked at me smugly, "I do know that we get 2 meals a day and a bathroom break every 2 hours."
"Oh, sorry."
Horace's face softened, "You're alright champ."

6 hours and 3 bathroom breaks later, Claire and Olive were shoved in our little jail.
"Where's Bronwyn and the real Miss Peregrine?" Enoch asked.
"And Fiona!" I asked.
Claire immediately started to cry and my heart
dropped.
"W-Wyn is in a-a special j-jail so she w-wont get out."
"And Miss Peregrine?" Enoch asked. Claire stated to cry again and Enoch pulled her on his lap.
"Shhh..shhh... just tell us what happened." He patted her back and wiped her snot and tears on his sleeve.
"I d-don't know where Miss Peregrine is. But Fiona...."She started to wail again.
"Fiona what Claire! Was she hurt?" I shouted. Millard tried to grab my shoulder but I shook him off.
"They gassed us and killed Deidre, Grunt and all the chickens! Fiona tried to save me but the caught me anyways." She sniffed, "I'm so sorry."
"It's ok." I cooed. "Just tell us what happened."
"And who is they?" Asked Millard.
"The one from the train station!"
"But Hugh killed them all."
I didn't care enough to argue with Horace and tell him that I had to kill them. She started to hyperventilate again and Enoch told her to put her hands on her head for air.
"They tied our hands together and said they needed her for something special."
"Then what?" My heart was pounding in my ears and I felt like I might throw up.
"They started to lead us away, but then I heard them yelling."
"What about?"
Olive was sobbing at his point and also leaning onto Enoch—she already knew.
"She was by the cliff."
No no no.
"She panicked."
This is just a bad dream, wake up Hugh.
"I didn't know what to do! I couldn't help her! But then it was too late."
My stomach lurched, "What do you mean it was too late?" I asked.
"Hugh,"
"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" I yelled.
"SHE JUMPED! SHES DEAD." She yelled back. I'm She curled into Enoch and he held her head as she cried in his chest. His mouth fell open and his usually lifeless eyes stared at me. Everyone was looking at me.
"No, you're wrong."
"Hugh,"
Suddenly 3 guards ran in and yanked the girls and Horace out.
"Where are you taking them?" Shouted Millard. I was too stunned to say anything. My back slid down the bars and I sat there.
Fiona, my beautiful Fiona.

"Hugh?"
It was our 13th year in the loop. Everyone went outside for reset but Fiona and I.
"Yes my love?"
"Do you need anything?"
I was sick with an 102° fever and was shivering.
"No my love, I'm alright."
She pulled me closer into her chest and my shaking stopped.
"I made you some tea."
I didn't have to turn and look up to see that it was Emma. Fiona looked alarmed but I was too exhausted to move. Emma chuckled.
"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret, you guys are quite cute together."
"Thanks." I said through a stuffy nose.
Emma laughed and I heard her walk away.

Hours later I was lightly snoring and bees flew out of my mouth.
"Ms. Fraunfeld—" It was Miss Peregrine. I panicked and pretended to still be sleeping.
"I love him, and he's sick. Let me stay with him, please."
It was the first time she spoke to anyone in this house other than me. To my surprise Miss Peregrine chuckled.
"Door stays open, and this will not become a regular thing. Good night Miss Fraunfeld, if you ever want to talk I'm always here."
Miss Peregrine walked away and dimmed the light down. I cracked open my eyes, the room was a rusty orange color. Fiona was playing with my hair.
"I know you're awake, go back to sleep. I love you."

I couldn't breathe. I started to hyperventilate.
Millard strode over to me and Enoch just stared at me with tears in his eyes.
"I-if we find her I can bring her back, s-so you can s-say goodbye."
"No! I don't w-want her to hurt anymore." I sobbed.
Tears started falling down my face and Millard sat next to me as Enoch paced. I tried to stand but my knees buckled and hot saliva flooded into my mouth.
"Shh, it's ok." Millard held me like I used to hold Fiona when we snuck out back at the house. I only cried harder.
"I-I-"
"Shhh, it's ok." But it wasn't. I could feel water droplets hit my forehead, Millards tears.
I tried to pull away but he held me tighter.
"M-maybe she lived." My breathing wasn't as erratic
"Mhm."
"Maybe the tress caught her."
"Yeah...maybe."
Fiona could talk to tress, animals too. Maybe that broke her fall?

Hours later Horace and the girls came back. I was leaning against Millards leg now. I cried sometimes but I mostly just stared up at the ceiling.
"What did they need with you?" Enoch whispered.
"Why are we whispering?"
"Hugh's sleeping."
I didn't bother to correct them. My stomach was emptied about 3 times into an old bowl from lunch earlier. One of the wights came in later and gave me a bucket, he almost looked see like he pitied me. Millard kept the bucket close by and kept petting my hair.

Millard — despite being 3 years younger than me— has always been my best friend, and now he always will be.

"Have you had any dreams?"
"No."
"So nothing about Fiona?"
"Like I said, I haven't been sleeping."
"Do you really think she's dead?"
Horace didn't answer. A sob ached in my chest and Millard kept rubbing my head.
"Shhhh, shhhh, it's ok."

No it's not.

3/15/21

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