Chapter Text
The booming bass of some dated pop song blasted over the speakers at the amusement park. A field just outside of the town centre (if it could really be called that given the size) had been totally taken over by Cullens, broadcasted in a bright, light up sign. There were deep fried food and game stands along with a dodgy looking collection of rides including, sure enough, a carousel.
The rides were all operated by bored looking teenagers, and there was the slight fragrance of sick in the air, likely from an unfortunate rider after a deep fried snack.
(Regrettably, Jon instantly knew the location, colour and texture of it)
“Well, I didn’t say it’d be glamorous.” Martin offered, the two hovering by the entrance.
Jon chuckled, taking Martin’s hand. “Given our recent alternative, this seems just right.”
Martin snorted, and the two walked into the grounds.
The line for the carousel was the longest and full of families, as it was the only ride at the park actually appropriate for young children. A laminated sign announced the wait to be twenty minutes.
Martin frowned. “Hmm, maybe we can circle back once it clears,” He suggested, glancing around for remotely safe activities. “We could get some food first? There’s a burger stand a bit back there, we might as well have something in us that’s not too likely to upset our stomachs.” He laughed a bit at that. “Ooh there’s also some of those cinnamon donuts, I’ve always been a fan of…”
Jon nodded as Martin continued, when out of the corner of his eye, something caught his attention. Someone.
A young man nearby, in a battered grey hoodie and jeans, stood out from the cheery patrons as he leant against the side of one of the ticket booths, bloodshot eyes scanning the crowd. That wasn’t what made him stand out to Jon, though.
Jon could See the cloying, desperate hand of the Buried surrounding the man. He then noticed the dirt smudged on his knees, and the dark, cracked fingernails as the man pulled out a box of cigarettes and moved to go to the back of a trailer in order to smoke one.
His hunger churned painfully at the sight of him. Alarmingly, the word fresh was the first thing to come to mind.
He could so easily feed right here, right now. This final time, just to tide him over…
“..do you think? Jon?” Martin elbowed him lightly to get his attention.
“Wha- sorry?” Jon snapped back into focus with that eloquent answer.
“Jon are you sure you’re alright?” Martin probed, brows furrowed with concern. “We can just head home if it’s a bit much, especially after yesterday-“
“No no, I’m fine Martin, I promise.” Jon assured him, patting his arm. “Though I am a bit hungry actually, yes. Tell you what, if you stay in line, I’ll go get us some burgers and we can eat and wait, two birds with one stone eh?”
“Oh, oh okay!” Martin smiled, surprised. “Yeah that works. Ooh um, just no tomato on mine, yeah?”
Jon grinned, “Got it. Extra tomatoes.” He winked at Martin, who laughed, and Jon could visibly see his shoulders untense as he moved into the line.
Jon smiled back at him until he turned away, where it faded instantly. He let himself get lost in the crowd, moving vaguely in the direction of the food stands, as he chewed his lip and weighed his options.
He could take a statement from the man and buy himself crucial time. That was undeniable. There wouldn’t be this kind of crowd around here in a long time. Even if he found someone else marked by the Fears, the kind of cover this event offered would be very hard to come across. As he walked, Jon felt his legs tremble slightly as his stomach cramped. He was getting undeniably weaker. Martin had, of course, contacted Basira as soon as the ruined package had come, but it had taken weeks for the first one to arrive, and that was when she had ready access to the institute. Lord knows how long it would take her to even collect the statements now, let alone securely get them up here. And, Jon thought, keeping him fed wouldn’t necessarily be her top priority right now.
In the best case scenario, it would be three weeks before he would have access to statements again. Jon had no idea how bad his hunger would get before then. He was already feeling urges to Know things about Martin in a way he hadn’t before. On multiple occasions, he had had to stop himself from compelling Martin when he just wanted to ask if he wanted a cup of tea. Jon didn’t need the Eye to tell him that if he got to the point of extracting a statement from him, the one person he truly lo- the one person who had kept him tethered to humanity, he would never get that trust back.
And how do you think Martin would feel about you extracting that statement from an innocent stranger? His mind countered. He has been down this path before. When he was truly desperate, at that coffee shop. Jon Knows that man is still getting nightmares about the tunnel, still having panic attacks when encountering the slightest cramped space. Because of him. Scarred, maybe permanently, because of him. If Jon did this now, and Martin found out about it (he doesn’t even know you’re Hungry, his mind added), then that trust was also gone.
He’d have to make his mind up fast; he’s bought himself five, maybe ten minutes before Martin is likely to get suspicious…
“What can I get ye?” A gruff voice shook him out of his thoughts.
Oh. He had ended up in the burger line after all. In fact, he was at the front of it, as a balding Scottish man was staring at him impatiently.
“Ah, sorry. Can I get two cheeseburgers, one with no tomatoes please.” Jon asked politely, earning a brusque nod as the man added two patties to the grill. Jon fumbled for his wallet, when he could sense the man walk past, causing him to look up immediately. Jon locked his gaze onto him, hands shoved into hoodie pockets and head down. He seemed to be walking towards the donut stand. He was so close to the exit. If the man left now, Jon could lose his chance. He could lose everything-
“Oi, your burgers mate.”
“What? Oh! Yes, thank you.” Jon hastily swapped his cash for the burgers wrapped in paper, moved out of the line, and started walking.
The theme park was bright. Impossibly bright. The whole place was lit up, even though it was only early evening. Good.
People were screaming joyfully around him. Maybe that should have scared him; all that noise, all the yelling. If anything it was just nice to be around so many warm bodies again. Didn’t mean his nerves weren’t wrecked. And hey, when cigarettes fail, sugar is always good to fall back on.
Standing in the queue for donuts, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking up, he was suddenly meeting the very intense gaze of this weirdo. He leaned back in surprise, and instinctively went to tell this dickhead where to shove it, when the weirdo spoke first.
“Tell me your story.”