Breaking the Beast - Volatile Times Book 1

5 - Commanded by Voices

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January 3rd, 2021

Production was in full swing just a few days after Jimmy's return. The boys, and in particular Chandler, assumed that Jimmy would want a little longer to rest and get himself back together but after that short amount of time, he still wanted to just record again. Typical MrBeast he supposed. However, Chandler was on higher alert. He spoke less and paid attention more. To help fulfill this, Chandler even asked to be put on cameras instead of being an actor for some of the stores. As Jimmy, Chris, and Karl began clearing out the shelves of a clothing store, Chandler simply observed. However, Chandler felt like he was a bit of a disadvantage considering he never knew Jimmy at his lowest. He never got to study how he behaved so Chandler had no basis of whether or not Jimmy was acting normal. The only bit of evidence he had was the harsh tone he hit Karl with when he jokingly asked if they could pay full price for what was on the clearance rack. Still, every brain cell in Chandler's being told him to dig deeper. Why would the police not go looking for him when it's against the law...?

"Chandler!"

"Huh? Sorry I was zoned out, what's up Jimmy?"

"I was asking why you wanna be off-camera so much. Come on, we're gonna give away cars! You've gotta be on camera for this!" The bright smile drawn across his face spoke of the Jimmy he knew before this.

"Um, ok sure. Sounds like fun!" Now forced into the 'Chandler MrBeast' persona, he barely even noticed the panic in Jimmy's eyes as he was told he should probably wear a mask.

***

Now don't twist his words! Jimmy was in no way an anti-masker, at least in the traditional sense. It's just ever since being waterboarded, he preferred being able to breathe without any restriction. He knew he could breathe normally with it on but to him, it felt as if every single breath he took was his last before they put a soaked towel back over his nose and mouth. Even the breaks they took in the waterboarding, they would put two dry masks over instead. Now wearing a mask was a bit... anxiety-inducing... to say the least. There was a tenseness in his posture as he dished out cars. Even the joy of giving it all away for free still couldn't take his mind off the most important thing then. He needed this video to do well. If it didn't he wouldn't have the money he needed to pay off D-Company. His first payment was expected by the 13th and just a few days after 'I Bought Everything in 5 Stores' was uploaded, the tune of 60 million views just wasn't enough.

To many YouTubers, this was a dream come true. 60 million views is a viral masterpiece for almost anyone but to Jimmy, it was above average but not the 80 or 70 million he was needing. Before anything, he had employees to pay and investments to keep afloat. If 60 million views only got him 60k, that was already a huge chunk of cash he was taking out. He had other revenue streams, but those were unpredictable. Merch sales are never consistent, and brand deals have to go right back into the channel mostly due to contract stuff. It's what he did with Quidd at the start and most partners wanted the same treatment.

Despite everything, Jimmy did what he had to. 10 grand left his bank account and was sent to a different one. His head of accounting was kept silent with a handsome check and a new car and Jimmy felt just awful that night. What would the internet think of him if they found out how shitty of a person he was? He basically was a money launderer now, threatening anyone close to his secrets with cars he could take away at a moment's notice. The only thing keeping him from crying himself to sleep was the fact that even if the entire world knew just how much of a fraud he turned into, nobody could hate him more than he already hated himself.

***

February 17th, 2021

Selling houses for one dollar seemed like a good idea on paper but Jimmy regretted how many expensive videos he planned to kick off the start of the year with. He wasn't sure how long he had to keep doing this and he knew his accounting team would get suspicious soon and he'd need to offer out more bribes- ...But what would happen if someone didn't take the hint and was vocal about it? There were too many variables out of his control which alone probably was raising Jimmy's average heart rate every day. He wondered if he should get on anxiety medication to chill the near-constant shake in his bones, but he deemed it a necessity. It was a reminder that he wasn't ever going to be safe again.