Hush

Chapter Four

Hush could barely sleep that night, and when he woke up the next morning, Halloween's words echoed through his mind.

"They're Gathering."

The last time that happened... Hush looked down at his hands, the white scar that ran across his palms a permanent reminder of what had happened that day. He could still feel the searing hot pain of the spell he had used lancing up his arms sometimes.

"Why so soon?" he had asked. She had shrugged, saying that maybe it was to deter the Magi. Hush didn't think so, and he could tell that Halloween didn't either.

So why? he thought to himself as he walked past the house after school. Why haven't they started to Gather in this house? It's old, no one lives here, it'd be perfect.

"Except for the presence," he muttered, laying a hand on the old stone wall, years of it being pummeled by weather turning the stone white, and causing parts of it to crumble.

The gargoyle was still there, but Hush could swear that it had moved a bit, which wasn't unlikely. A lot of stone sculptures and carvings were alive, but the humans simply didn't realize it.

Hush thought about it for a second, then put one leg over the wall. He knew it was a bad idea, a terrible one, actually, but he had to. He needed to know. It might help stop the Gathering. Unlikely, but it could.

Hush swung his other leg over, and pulled himself up and over. He landed gently on some leaves, making them crunch. The air was somehow colder over here, making Hush glad he wore a sweater.

There were stones leading to the house, old and broken. Hush didn't see the need for them, and didn't want to break them any more than they were, so he walked across the yard, carefully avoiding twigs and weaving his way through the line of trenches that hadn't been visible before.

As Hush neared the house, the cold from the ground started to seep through his shoes. He still couldn't see inside the house...

It was then that Hush realized that, Yeah, um, no light... and turned back towards the wall. As he was walking, though, he thought he heard another set of footsteps. He paused and held his breath. It was like something was pulling him towards the house, encouraging him to turn back and go in, light or not, as if it didn't want him to leave...

And with that thought, Hush sprinted. he was not going in there without a light. he wanted to bring someone along, but he didn't want to drag someone into the house. He'd already been responsible for one death-

Hush stumbled. Not the time to be thinking about that. He swung himself over the wall-

"Oh my-" Rune was cut off by Hush crashing into him, knocking them both to the ground.

"Ow..." both boys groaned. Hush's head had collided with Rune's.

"Hush, what in Ronad's name were you doing?" Rune asked, his cheeks coloring. Hush lifted himself up and off, holding the side of his head. He was going to have both a headache and a goose bump later. Rune had stood up as well, gingerly rubbing the side of his own head. "Seriously, Hush."

Hush looked back at the house and there was nothing out of the ordinary, of course. He slumped against the stone wall, sighing.

Rune crouched down, meeting Hush's height. "Hush, are you alright? You look like you've seen a navi." He pressed the back of his hand to Hush's forehead. "And you're warm. Were you running?"

Hush met Rune's eyes, knowing that he'd get worked up with worry if he didn't answer. He took in a long breath, then said, "There's something inside the house."

"Something inside the- Hush, what are you talking about? We've never seen a soul go inside or come out of it," Rune stated.

Hush closed his eyes for a moment. He weighed the possibility that he had been hallucinating- it had happened before -against the possibility that there really was something inside the house. The hallucinations weighed heavier.

"Sorry," Hush muttered. He sighed again. "I was probably just hallucinating... again."

Rune was silent for a moment, then gently patted Hush's, cheek, prompting him to open his eyes.

"Hush, you looked terrified," Rune said gently, his eyes, full of worry. He was always worried for Hush. "What did you see?"

Hush looked down again, embarrassed, but Rune wouldn't let him go without an answer. Rune placed his hands on both sides of Hush's face, forcing him to look up. Hush held his gaze, then sighed and said, "I didn't see anything. I felt cold, colder than it is out here. I felt something trying to pull me back, trying to make me go into the house. Then I ran."

That was the most he had said at once. He couldn't stop himself from feeling a little proud that he didn't stutter.

"And why didn't you go into the house?" Rune asked.

"I-" Hush started. He thought about it, then thought about it again. He kept drawing blanks. "I can't remember."

Rune studied him for a second, trying to determine if he was lying. "Honestly?"

Hush nodded. "Honestly." Then with a split second decision, he puffed out his cheeks, keeping his face neutral. Rune looked confused, then his cheeks colored again and he started laughing. He squished Hush's cheeks, causing them to deflate like a balloon, along with the proper noise.

Rune laughed again, and Hush grinned. "I don't understand you sometimes," Rune said through his laughter.

Hush stood and offered his hand. "Come on, we should go."

Rune took his hand. "Right." He smiled again and ruffled Hush's hair, then they both started down the street.

The memory was still haunting Hush, though. He still wanted to go in, still wanted to figure out what was inside.It was like a pressure against his mind, taunting him, trying to reel him in-

"Hey, uh, Rune?" Hush started. "Would you come inside the house with me?"

Rune turned to look at him. "That's why you were there?"

"Yeah," Hush said, a little worried that Rune might say no. Despite Rune's playful attitude, he was still cautious. Sometimes Hush thought that was the only reason he had lived this long.

"Mmm... why not?" Rune said, smiling. "I think it'd be a cool little adventure. We used to have those all the time when we were little." He nudged Hush's arm. "Remember?"

Hush nodded. He did remember. "Yeah. So tomorrow, after school?" They used to wander through forests and climb into vents in their houses.

"Sounds good," Rune said, clapping Hush on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow." Then he turned and walked down his street. Hush smiled a bit. He was glad Rune hadn't changed all that much.