Then the pig man spoke, and his voice was just as gruff and unwelcoming as Brendon had expected. "Who the hell are you?"
Brendon swallowed, trying his best not to breathe through his nose. He didn't know what to say. Was he supposed to tell the man his name? Or what he was doing here? All ability to speak had suddenly abandoned him; even Jynx stared at him worriedly, her amber eyes wide in the darkness of the alley.
"What, did ya forget how to speak?" the man scoffed, his eyes still narrowed as he eyed Brendon. "What the hell are ya doin' here?"
Brendon had never feared for his life more. "I'm, uh, lookin' for a friend," he said hesitantly. He hoped the man couldn't hear his heart rapidly drumming against his ribs.
The man didn't speak for a long while. He only stared at Brendon with a gaze so cold it threatened to freeze the blood in his veins. The yells continued to echo out in the distance; the barking dogs never stopped. Brendon felt so exposed in the alley, so vulnerable to attacks, and he feared the man wouldn't hesitate to be the one to do so.
Then, a wicked smirk crossed the man's dirty face; the mere sight of it alone sent shivers down Brendon's spine. "You're here for Jon Walker, aren't ya?"
Jynx's whiskers twitched. Brendon's stomach dropped. He'd had a hunch that they'd come to the right place. He never doubted Jynx, but that didn't ease his worries in the slightest. He was still standing in front of the most menacing man he'd ever seen, and the man knew why he was here. That wasn't concerning at all.
He didn't dare keep the man waiting, though. He nodded, his fingers twitching with nervous anticipation. This was it. He'd discovered Jon's whereabouts, but the game wasn't over yet. Brendon couldn't even imagine what kinds of horrors were behind that rusted door.
The man's smirk only grew as he stepped aside with a grand flourish, allowing Brendon and Jynx to enter the building. "Come on in," he drawled, his lip curled. Brendon tried not to look at him as he stepped inside.
He was instantly greeted with a rickety staircase, spiraling down into the darkness of the basement. He much rather would've tussled with the angry dogs outside than descend those stairs, but with the pig man behind him and Jynx at his feet, he was left with no other choice. He sucked in a trembling breath, the blood roaring in his ears, and started down the old staircase; the rusted door slammed shut behind them.
Brendon couldn't help but feel like he was marching right into a death trap. He didn't trust the pig man in the slightest, and the fact that he was practically shoving him down a sketchy staircase to an even sketchier basement made it all the worse. Even Jynx stuck close to his heels, her head low and her eyes narrowed. He was grateful she was with him, at least. He wasn't sure if he could do this alone.
The muffled sound of voices soon became audible, and Brendon saw the dim lighting of the basement pool out onto the last steps of the staircase. Hesitantly, he and Jynx entered the musty basement; what they saw before them was something Brendon hadn't quite expected.
A large poker table sat in the center of the room, and gathered around it were two other grimy men and Jon Walker himself, a burning cigar hanging out of his mouth and a hand of cards in his grasp. His eyes widened to the size of baseballs when he saw Brendon and Jynx.
"Excuse me for a second, gents," Jon told the two men, placing his cards and cigar down on the table. However, his calm attitude instantly vanished when he approached Brendon. "What the hell are you doin' here?"
"I found your note," Brendon explained. He still couldn't quite believe he'd really found Jon, all thanks to his celestial cat. What a wild day. He didn't know what to think anymore. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."
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Mad as Jazzmen |1930s Ryden AU| ✔️
Fanfiction"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing." * * * The Great Depression was, by far, one of the worst tragedies in the history of the world. People drowned in debt. Banks were ruined. The stock market was broken and unreliable. But one...
