N0 B0DY, N0 CRIM3 | Bang Chan

Rewrite the script

A/N: Trigger warning for mentions of depression and suicide. 

_ _ _ 

Willie Campbell tapped his fingers against the cherry wood of his desk rhythmically. Over and over again, they landed one by one. He stared across the camera in front of him. Behind it, Philip sat with his hands collapsed behind his back.

"I have some unfortunate news," Willie frowned as he looked at the camera. "Marvin Wilson, director of the secret service, has been pronounced deceased." He paused to let his words have an effect. This video would be edited and broadcasted out to multiple Americans after all.

"His body has not been discovered, but we do believe Stray Kids had something to do with this. Speaking of Stray Kids, I am not happy with your group. Whoever you are, however many of you there are, I don't appreciate you exploiting my daughter."

Willie didn't want to believe Kiera was alive, but it was getting harder and harder to disprove. She was a nasty little fly that wouldn't go away. He could swing the fly swatter as much as he pleased, but she always came back with her constant nagging.

"I tried to keep my family's issues out of the public light. I owe it to them to keep our personal matters private, but it seems this causes for an explanation. Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is my daughter is very unwell mentally."

"It's been very hard," he continued. "It started when Kiera was in high school. She fell into an intense pit of depression. As most of you know..." He trailed off. "As you know, Kiera attempted to take her own life when she was sixteen years old."

"I did my job as a parent. Beverly and I both did. We hired a therapist and with the help of a doctor, we got Kiera the help she needed. We pulled her out of public school, so we could keep an eye on her and prioritize her mental health. We did the best we could, but the journey to healing your mental health is not a straight slope. There are setbacks and hurdles. It's clear Stray Kids has decided to exploit my daughter for political gain."

He leaned forward towards the camera. "Whether my daughter has been threatened or she is believing these delusions she's being fed, I'm not sure. All I know is that the words coming out of her mouth have no factual evidence to back them up. You could see it clearly in the last video posted to that YouTube channel, Kiera is spiraling and having some sort of breakdown."

Willie let out a sigh. His body slumped forward in his leather chair. His hands found his face and he rubbed his face a few times. "Kiera was getting better until the situation with Jennie Matthews happened. For those of you who have seen Kiera's latest video, Jennie Matthews was Lawrence Matthews daughter, the two were close friends."

"She couldn't believe it," Willie went on. "She loved Jennie so much, she was in denial that Jennie had set her father up to fail. It was tough on her. The two of them were close throughout their childhood, it was one of the roughest things Kiera has ever had to face; watching her second father figure get cuffed and thrown in prison."

Willie sniffled. "With months of therapy and medication, she was starting to do better. We were helping her and she was making such good progress. That situation happened nearly three years ago, but with my political campaign for the white house in full force, the death of another family member, the recent death of Kiera's mother, Kiera's kidnapping, and the recent death of Lawrence Matthews; it's too much."

Willie forced himself to unclench his jaw and collapse his hands together on the desk. "Kiera has been through so much these past few years, so it's no surprise she's snapped. With that added looming threat of Stray Kids kidnapping her, we have no idea what they're doing to my daughter."

"Stray Kids, if you truly think you're helping make the world a better place, bring my daughter home to me. Let her come back to me, so I can get her the help she needs. Please. You took my wife, you've taken my daughter, you've had your fun. You vandalized white house property by trespassing. I understand you don't like me, you've made that very clear. If you have any morals, any empathy at all, you will bring my daughter back to me."

"Is there something you want?" He continued. "Do you want to work together on something?" He threw up his hands. "Whatever you want, you can have it. Just bring back my daughter, please."

Behind the camera, Philip frowned while he watched his friend spiral. He couldn't lie, he missed Kiera too. He knew how dearly Willie held Kiera close to his heart. The sight of Willie's pleas to the camera sent aches through his heart. He bit his lip and continued to watch.

Little did Philip know, Willie didn't care much about his daughter. He only wanted her home, so he could silence her. He was thinking he could have someone assassinate her, but something put a stop to his plans. Sure, he could easily hire another hit man and blame it on Stray Kids, but where was the fun in that?

Kiera would die, people would express their sympathy, and then they'd move on. Eventually, she'd just be an occasional blimp in his past. As the years went on, nobody would care. However, if he kept her alive and had her admitted to a mental hospital, people would be forced to remember his daughter.

He could use that story to his advantage. Stray Kids mentally destroyed his daughter and she was left a shell of who she once was in her grieving father's care. Not only would it make him look like an empathetic father, but he'd be able to use it to his advantage in the next presidential run.

Perhaps with the right cocktail of medications, Kiera could turn into a zombie. If he was able to get her to put her guard down, to lose the stubbornness and hell-fire she suddenly gained while away from home, he might be able to truly figure out who Stray Kids were.

When Lucas Marvin explained everything to him the other day, he let it slip that Kiera might be willingly working with Stray Kids. Sure, she might be, but the public didn't know that and they never would. The less the public knew about his daughter in this situation, the better it was for his image.

"So please," Willie went on, "please pray for my daughter. If you know anything, anything at all, call your local authorities. A single tear slid down his cheek.

"Together, let's bring Kiera Campbell back home and get her the help she needs."