Published at 3rd of April 2026 8:26 am

Chapter 19 Don't Want None, Unless You Got Buns, Hun

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

I've put it off long enough; I need to call Daniel. It's worse than I thought. Twenty missed calls and fifty-plus text messages from Daniel. The call connects before a full ring occurs.

Eryk? Is that you? Hello? Daniel asked worriedly.

Yeah, it's me, Dad.

Oh, thank God. Son, are you okay? My dad asked frantically.

Yeah, I'm fine, Dad. I wasn't anywhere near the attack today. I left my phone in my apartment while I was in class. Sorry to worry you, I said.

He's breathing slowly into the phone, trying to calm down. I didn't realize how upset he'd be. That was a mistake on my part. Daniel lost his wife in a freak accident, and he assumed he'd lost his son to a terrorist attack by an insane Cowl. He sniffles, coughing to try to cover up the noise. My father is shaken up, but he's also relieved that nothing happened to me.

I thought I'd lost you again. Eryk, I'm worried about you living in Quinstin. Maybe it's time to come home for a bit, he suggested.

Absolutely not, I said, shutting that idea down fast. I'm in the middle of my first semester, I can't just disappear. I've worked too hard to get here to just give up because of some crazy person. Besides, going back to New Farford won't necessarily be any safer. The world is a scary place, but I can't just hide back home.

It isn't just the terrorist attack, Eryk. Look at what happened to your friend Jean-Luc. For Christ's sake, I watched that boy grow up with you, and now he's dead because of some crazy Neuvohuman. I love you, son, and I want you to have the best possible college experience just like I did. But as your father, I'm concerned for you. You've been going through back-to-back traumatic experiences in a very short time frame. You need to talk to someone. And it doesn't have to be me. When your mom passed, you saw Dr. Lipzers for a few years, and it helped you a lot, My father said, and I can hear the concern for me in his tone.

Dad, I'm fine. I don't need a therapist, I argued.

Eryk, I really think that-.

Okay, okay. I'll think about it, I said, cutting him off.

Thank you. Before I forget, the DuPont's have decided on a day for the funeral. It'll be in two and a half weeks; the rest of their family is traveling to get here. We got an invitation in the mail. You should just stay overnight and take the Quickrail the next morning, he said.

The worst part of killing your friends is having to go to their funerals. I'm not doing a speech this time, Aubrey can do it if she wants to. If I remember correctly, Jean-Luc has over fifteen cousins. His dad is one of eight, so they have a very large family. An unexpected consequence of Maria's murder and subsequent cover-up is that it has brought Daniel and me much closer. He didn't even go to Marcus's funeral, but now he's planning on going to Jean-Lucs with me. He didn't have a single drink when I was there for Thanksgiving. Daniels sober and gardening now. It isn't just my life that was improved by Maria's death.

Sounds good, Dad. Listen, I gotta go, Im getting another call, I lied.

Alright, love you, Daniel said happily.

Love you too, Dad, I said, hanging up.

Tossing the phone onto my bed, I take a moment to bask in the wonderful silence of my apartment. Without Emma here, it's back to being as quiet as a morgue. Just the way I prefer it. The last twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind of activity, and it only slowed down a bit an hour ago. When Rorschachs summoned queen showed up with the vessel, I decided to head back here. The radiation is out of Miles' body, so there's no danger of him exploding, but it's on the Doctor to fix him up. Kai's got his work cut out for him. I took a look at him before I left, and Miles still looked terrible. Those glowing lines have spread all over his body, and his hair has lost a lot of color.

I got what I wanted. Now that the radiation is secure, we can look forward to the future and what we can use it for. I'll have to ask the others if they have any ideas for it. We could use it to power the apartments and the factory. Not having to worry about where the power comes from or following up on bills will reduce the cost to keep the housing complex affordable. Rorschach will be satisfied with charging less because of how much we'll save over time in energy costs. No one has to know how or why we aren't charging for electricity. When Miles is back on his feet, I'll have him start the process of getting everything to code and filed with Nicholas.

Classes have been canceled for the next two weeks, so I dont have much to do as Eryk Blakely. Emmas still out on her mission, and the rest of my minions are on their way back to Quinstin. I could check on Aubrey. We havent spoken since that night. But itll just be a pain. If I felt anything for her, I might make the effort, but I will gladly use the excuse of trauma to avoid talking to her. No, the person I should check on is Sy. I unwillingly led him into a holocaust of a dinner party. Rather than call him, I send a text to check in with him.

Not only did they succeed in finding a vessel for the radiation and steal classified data, but they even brought me a gift. Rorschach, Isaiah, and Tuesday broke into StarGaze Dynamics compound, caused untold levels of destruction on property and personnel, and abducted their Chief of Security. The man being a Neuvohuman was a delightful surprise. In an exceptional level of self-control, I havent gone to our base to retrieve the mans power yet. Ive waited, carefully monitoring the news myself and tasking Rorschach with it as well. But no press release has come, no missing persons report has been filed for the Chief of Security, no police presence at their compound, by all accounts, we are in the clear.

Its been six days since our raid happened, and it looks like I was right. They wont admit it happened. More like they cant. If they come out and tell people that three Cowls broke in, robbed them, and escaped without consequence, they would be dooming their company. Theyd have to kiss their government contracts goodbye, their stock value would plummet, and shareholders would be jumping ship. Its like stealing from criminals. What are they going to do, file a police report? The buss alert dings, bringing me out of my thoughts. I take a look outside at the snowy sidewalk, and it appears I have reached my destination.

Stepping off the bus, I turn right to head to my destination. The frigid December wind happens to be blowing toward me and buffets my face. I may be from New England, but that doesnt mean I enjoy the winter. The cold has a way of getting inside your bones and lingering. This kind of weather reminds me of Emmas hometown and that awful blizzard that buried the town. I havent heard from my girlfriend, but Id rather her not contact me if she hasnt succeeded. Its a harsh mindset to have, but her being my partner doesnt free her of the standard I hold all my people to.

Besides, I can still sense her even if shes far away. Shes the third farthest power bundle I have. Zero is even further away in Casper, Wyoming, working to liberate Hero. Im patiently waiting for her to come up with a plan of attack. I must continue playing the part of a calm God, allowing her to find solutions on her own. If shes going to grow to become a big enough problem to distract Technologica, then I need to build up her confidence. And if she cant, then I will discard her. I have no use for tools that dont work. Six, that treacherous gecko, is the furthest away from my position. Where Zero rightfully accepted the drug-induced, near-death religious programming, Sixcompletely rebelled against it. But from our brief exchanges, I can tell how hard he struggles against his monstrous nature. And it will only grow harder with time. Kais projections of how the growth through death showed that the personality pieces would also grow more prominent over time. You will fulfil your role involuntarily.

The snow on the sidewalk is hiding the ice beneath it, and I nearly slip on my way to the diner that Sy wanted to meet at. The Hunny Bun is an interesting name for a diner, but one that Ive heard about from Daniel. A Quinstin institution, he calls it. I didnt expect Sylvester to pick this place as a lunch destination; I had no idea he even knew about it. Ive never been here before, but the reviews I checked on the way here make it sound quite appealing. Founded by Arthur Jacks, its been family-owned and run for five generations so far. The current owner is Sammi, his great-great-granddaughter. As more snow is blown into my face, Im once again questioning if this outing is worth it. We couldve at least waited for the storm to stop. I pull my scarf higher, covering my chilly nose. There it is.

Located on the outer edges of the city, near the suburbs where the majority of residents live, it took me thirty-five minutes to get here. Now, I know that I chose to take public transportation and were in the middle of a snowstorm, but this place is far. Its bigger than I thought it would be. Its got a decent-sized parking lot, but there are only eight vehicles. The design is old; it wouldve been considered retro when it was first built. The lime green paint is faded and chipped, revealing the original wood shingle walls. Combined with a grey mansard roof, the color combination works from a design standpoint. The roof is too steep to have snow on it, but icicles have formed off the overhang. On top of the restaurant is a statue of a shapely woman wearing an apron with the diners name on it, and shes holding up a honey bun that is twice as big as her. Ah, thats where the name comes from.

I head inside, and a bell hanging above the door dings loudly. Immediately, Im struck by the sickly smell of sweet baked goods. After seeing the mascot on the roof and the name of the place, I shouldve expected to be assaulted by sugar. A girl around my age wearing the same apron as the statue tells me to sit wherever Id like. There are two couples eating, a collection of older guys at the counter, and a group of thirty-somethings who are all laughing at a joke one of them told. There are plenty of open booths and even space at the counter, but I look around for Sy and spot him at a table by the window. Hes doing something on his phone, so he doesnt notice me approaching him. I take a seat, scraping the chair against the floor as I get comfortable. The sound startles him, and he drops his phone on the table, bouncing it onto the floor.

FUCK, he shouted loudly. A few of the other diners look over at us, and he blushes in embarrassment. Damn it, Eryk, you scared the shit out of me. You cant just sneak up on a guy like some sort of ninja.

I didnt sneak; Im not a sneaky guy, I refuted.

I reach down to grab his phone for him, and he scrambles to beat me there, snatching it up.

Whoa, jumpy there, arent we? What kind of stuff were you looking at when I got here? I asked scandalously.

N-nothing, he stammered. He puts his phone in his pocket and buries his face in his hands. Shaking his head, he slaps his cheeks. Dude, sorry. Im being such a weirdo. I signed up for a dating app, and Im trying to figure out what to message this absolute babe I matched with. Shes a legit smokeshow, and its making me nervous.

Oh yeah? Just be yourself, Sy, and Im sure shell fall madly in love with you. I said.

Just be yourself, Sy, he mocked. Says the over six feet tall, classically handsome guy who keeps tripping over tens. You dont get it. All you do is smile and look brooding, and they flock to you like seagulls on a sardine sandwich. Eryk, shes a punk-rock Latina baddie, I cant just DM her hello. If Im going to pull the ultra rare, my opening has to be perfect. If I lead with Scholars Mate, thatll just get me a like, not a response. It needs to be witty, but not too wordy. I cant fumble the dialogue tree; there is no savescumming.

What?

Sy, I legitimately dont understand what most of that meant. But, seriously, you are a charming, dapper gentleman with exquisite taste and style. If she doesnt recognize that, shes fumbling, I responded.

He smiles at my compliment, letting go of the tension hes been holding.

Thanks, dude. Alright, enough about my dating life. That isnt why I asked you to grab lunch. You said youve never been here before, so take a look at the menu. The creme brulee, Nutella-stuffed, crunchberry French toast is in-cred-eeblay, Sy suggested.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but that sounds naus-ee-ating, I joked. I dont like sweet stuff like that at all.

Ah. Bummer. Well, they have a ton of good stuff, so theres gotta be something here for you. Maybe they have pancakes with raisins in them that form a frowny face that would match your vibe better.

Did you invite me here just to mock my lack of a sweet tooth?

No, he said, suddenly serious. I wanted to talk about what happened at Friendsgiving.

Share