Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15 But the blast had not come from Kohl's pistol. It seemed to have come from somewhere above, somewhere deep within the zeppelin. Kohl himself looked startled — and confused. Had the zeppelin been struck by lightning? Hugo looked out the windows, but he saw no clouds.

What he could see were the faces of the men standing on the ground. They were gaping at the Hindenburg, their eyes wide with shock and horror. Some of the ground crew were actually sprinting away, as if they were running for their lives. And then came a violent jerk. The tail of the zeppelin suddenly dropped down, dumping Hugo and everyone else onto the floor. They all went

sliding back, a wave of frantic people rolling down the sloping floor. Elbows jabbed at Hugo. A sharp heel kicked his forehead. Someone's knee pressed so hard on his neck he couldn't breathe. He wound up against the back wall, mashed behind at least ten bodies and a jumble of overturned tables and chairs. He squirmed and rolled and pushed until he freed himself from the heap. But he had barely caught his breath when he glanced up toward the ceiling and saw something that made his blood freeze. It was a sight more terrifying than a cobra coiled in his bed or even a Nazi with a pistol. It was fire. Fire on an airship filled with millions of cubic feet of flammable hydrogen gas. And then, with a thundering whoosh, the room exploded into flames. The blast of searing heat knocked Hugo back. His head hit the floor with a sickening thud. Oily

black smoke rushed up his nose and down his throat. Hugo gagged and coughed. His mind screamed in panic, Get out! Get out! Get out! In just seconds, the Hindenburg would burst into a giant ball of flames. Where were Mom and Dad and Gertie? People were running out of the lounge, screaming and shouting. "Hurry!" "We're crashing!" "It's the end!" Hugo felt as if he were caught in a stampede. Then someone grabbed Hugo by the back of his jacket and freed him from the crushing crowd. It was Mr. Singer, with Marty right behind him. Hugo had lost sight of them, but now Marty clamped hold of his hand as though she'd never let go. Hugo hoped she never would. Mr. Singer looked frantically around.

"This way," he said, pushing them both back toward the windows. "Sir, I have to find my family!" Hugo said. "They'll find a way out, Hugo. And they'd want you to get out, too. There isn't any time." Mr. Singer grabbed a toppled chair. "Duck!" he called out as he swung the chair up and smashed it against the windows. The glass shattered. They were close to the ground, Hugo could see, about fifteen feet up. Scraps of burning fabric filled the sky. It looked as if it were raining fire. He could see that some people from the zeppelin had already escaped. Sailors from the crew were braving the flames to help them get away. A young sailor stood just below them, looking up with open arms. "Jump!" he cried. "Hurry!" Mr. Singer helped Marty climb up to the window ledge. "Go! We'll be right behind you!"

Marty took one last look at Hugo and her father. Then she closed her eyes and leaped. The sailor caught her and ran away carrying her in his arms. "Your turn!" Mr. Singer shouted to Hugo. But just then a dark shape appeared from out of the smoke. It was Kohl! Hugo had been right. Nothing was going to stop Kohl from finding his prey. And now he really did look like a vicious predator. There was blood dripping from a gash in his cheek. His eyes looked almost bright red — like his fury was boiling inside him. Kohl pointed his pistol at Mr. Singer. This time Hugo had no doubt he was going to shoot. "I know what you did!" Kohl bellowed, his voice rising up above the crackling fire and the groaning of the airship. "Hand the papers over to me now!"