The Eye Of The Ankh #Wattys2016

Chapter Forty-Three

A hurried knock at the door woke me in the morning. "Alice, get up. Come on, you need to see this." More knocking.

I moaned and the door opened. "Alice I'm serious." Anna pulled at my sheets. It felt like I just fell asleep.

"What do you want?"

"You need to see this story on the news."

I moaned and pulled myself out of bed, following sluggishly behind Anna. I could hear the TV at the bottom of the stairs, the morning news. National. Walking into the living room, the TV had pictures of dozens and dozens of the Eota murders. Then the picture changed to a video, silent. It was Hugo.

I gasped as I watched him walk out of his house, hands cuffed behind his back, down the sidewalk to a cruiser. He was being escorted by multiple different officers. The anchor was saying in the background: "Seventeen year old, Greyson High School student, Hugo Kress arrested this morning for the murders of over 43 people under a group called Eyes of the Ankh, Eota for short. Police haven't released whether they have suspects for the others involved. It is still unknown what ties all the victims together."

Anna turned off the TV. "Alice, did you know about any of this?"

What was I supposed to say? Yeah, Anna, I was actually a part of it for a while. I started to sob.

Why?

You said I wasn't going to get caught. But you weren't supposed to get caught either.

I walked into the police station, heading straight towards the front desk. "I need to talk to Hugo Kress." I said it all in one hurried breath.

"And you are?" The lady said, raising her eyebrows at me.

"His girlfriend."

"Well, listen here, Miss: only officers and his lawyer are allowed to speak with him. So you can demand things all you want, but you're not going to talk to him."

"What if he wants to speak to me?"

She looked at me then sighed. "I'll be right back." She stood up, going over to a cop. She talked to him in a hushed voice. He glanced at me, a disgusted look on his face. He stood up and went through a set of doors. After a few minutes, he came back, the same disgusted look on his face.

"Come with me." I followed him back through the station. He took me down a hall with doors and big one way windows.

He stopped in front of a door where two other cops stood guard. "Girlfriend." He said. They nodded and opened the door.

"Hugo!" I ran to him. He stood, lifting his arms to hug me. There was a metallic clatter. He was cuffed to the table.

I wrapped my arms around him, breathing in the familiar smell. "What happened?"

He looked over my shoulder at the cops. "I pissed off Boss. When I said I wanted out she called me her most valuable asset. She skipped town after failing to murder me. She left evidence though. Evidence that pins Eota against me. I think she called in as an anonymous tip and got me arrested."

"Oh my god."

"Mom thinks I did it. She has every reason to. They've got too much pinned against me. Lawyer says unless I know something I'm not saying, I'm screwed."

"Hugo," cold tears started to form in my eyes. One fell.

"Don't cry, Alice, please."

"No! When you said I wouldn't get caught that meant you couldn't either."

"I'm sorry, Alice. You won't get caught. I made that promise to you and I won't take it back and I won't break it. Soon enough they'll find the machine and I'll have to tell them why I did what I did."

"You didn't do anything. You didn't kill anyone, right? Hugo you're innocent."

Hugo looked at me, his eyes glossy. "There ain't much hope, Alice. I'll be okay. I'm still seventeen so they won't try me as an adult. Trust me, I can handle it."

"No, Hugo, what about when you're eighteen?"

"Wipe your eyes."

I shook my head. Hugo kissed my cheek.

"Time's up, Miss, we've got questions to get to." An officer grabbed my elbow on the arm that didn't get shot.

I pulled against him, trying to stay with Hugo. My arm was starting to hurt with the tugging. I just needed another second. I was right by his ear. "I love you."

Another officer was on me, pulling right where I got shot. I yelped. Hugo looked pained. I watched Hugo watch me go, a look on his face I've never seen before and never will again.

Amazement.

Sorrow.

Bewilderment.

Despair.

Love.