Tevun-Krus #80 - WattPunk 2.0

Part Five

16

Rick rubbed his eyes. Too much to take in at once... Ree wasn't the only killer in Lord WattPad's employ, evidently. And there was no doubt this "@Paro" character had been lying about his motivations—or perhaps he himself had been manipulated and only thought he was acting alone and for selfish reasons. And @Paro had died. But Rick couldn't be sure Ree was the only one left. Knowing Lord WattPad, the psycho owned numerous murderers—not for hire, just owned them.

He hoped The Chosen One would take the bastard down soon.

The TV turned on automatically and Lord WattPad delivered his morning missive, this time proclaiming Fanfiction was officially legalized again, but only on a case-by-case basis. The TV turned off on its own.

His WattPhone rang. Rick went to grab it from his bedroom. He didn't recognize the number and it didn't list a name. Even still, he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Step outside your apartment and wait by the curb. Do it, or the person I send will also kill you."

"Lord WattPad."

"The one and only. Go now, peasant."

The line went dead. Shaking with a mix of anxiety and genuine fear—what was coming?—Rick left his apartment and went downstairs to the street.

The air was heavy and foul today. People went about their business with their faces staring down at WattPhones, not a care in the world, just happy little consumers. No idea something big was about to go down.

Rick's mind went through all the possibilities. Maybe someone would come by in a van, open the door and tug him inside. He'd be gone forever, and nobody would know why or where. Maybe someone would come around the corner and shoot him, or stab him. Maybe a building across the street would explode, and he'd see his name and face pop up on all the screens as being the main suspect. There were other ideas, too, but they were so bizarre and his mind was in such a state of turmoil they tended to blend together and he couldn't separate one from the other.

He waited.

And waited.

And then a white van squealed its tires as it went around a corner, pulling onto Rick's street. Its windows were tinted orange and he couldn't see if there was a driver at the wheel. He took a step back, reflexively, worried his kidnapping vision would prove true. The door slid open and, as the van went past, someone inside tossed a large sack, which landed with a sickening thud at Rick's feet. The van sped off.

Not a sack. A person.

Horribly mutilated, beaten, bruised, disfigured. Rick tried hard to keep himself from vomiting. It was awful. It was The Chosen One, wearing his usual costume aside from the mask. Stapled to the man's swollen face was a note: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCK WITH POWER. A severed dick had been jammed into the dead man's mouth, and—based on the circle of blood down near his crotch—it was safe to say it had come from the dead man himself.

Rick tried hard to study the man's features, and he thought he could see the resemblance to @MadMikeMarsbergen, but it was difficult to tell. The skull was so swollen, discoloured. Rick ripped out the stapled note—there was no reason for it.

His WattPhone rang again. Expecting to see Lord WattPad's number again, he was surprised when it said @OutrageousOllo.

"Olive, listen," he quickly muttered, forgoing the username.

"Rick, have you seen Mike? I dropped the manuscript off before but you weren't home and he never came home last night and I'm worried sick."

Rick looked to the corpse. "Olive, I think Lord WattPad just dumped his body right in front of me."

"What—"

"Listen. I read your story before it happened. Does the FAME thing really work? If so, get over here now with all you've got. Maybe it will help. Though I don't think it'll fix his penis..."

"What? WHAT? WHAT?"

Another number tried to get through to him. "Olive, come quick. My apartment. You know the place. I've got another call from Lord WattPad." He switched over to let Lord WattPad through. "What do you want, you monster."

"Play nice, peasant," said Lord WattPad. "Or I'll change my mind about the big family reunion."

"Wh— What are you talking about?" Rick paced back and forth. The wheels of his mind wouldn't stop spinning. People passed both him and Mike's corpse without a second glance.

"Get to Section B-3. You know it?"

"Of course. Part of the HQ." 

"Get there fast, Rick," Lord WattPad said softly. "You don't want to miss your brother—Phil."