N0 B0DY, N0 CRIM3 | Bang Chan

Fragmentize

In his dream, he was waving from the top balcony of the white house. An overstretched smile spread across a row of pearly white teeth. He waved to the crowd below. Deep-belly laughter brewed from his stomach. He was on top of the world and there was nothing nobody could do. 

At least, not until a member of the crowd pulled out a pitchfork. First there was one and then there were hundreds. The smiles of the crowd morphed into sneers and scowls. Willie paused mid-wave as his own smile melted into a frown. 

He scoured the area looking for someone still smiling at him. Pitchforks bobbed and the crowd began to yell. They screamed and chanted, but Willie couldn't hear what they were saying. Their mouths opened and their jaws gnashed together. Eyebrows furrowed and fists shook up at him. 

Shaking woke him up. Willie's eyes groggily opened to Philip leaning over him. His hand shook his shoulder relentlessly. "Get up! Wake up! Come on!" 

Willie shoved Philip's hand off his bare shoulder. "What the hell do you want?" He huffed and began to rub his eyes. Willie had plans to sleep in today. 

"Kiera made another video and sh-" 

"What is that?" 

Willie's attention turned to the window. There were voices outside the thick wall. It was muffled, but his ears picked up on it. He shoved himself off the bed and his attention found the beige-curtain window. Philip's weight shifted and he shoved his hands in his pockets. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek. 

"What the hell is that?" Willie's eyes found Philip's. 

"Like I said, Kiera made another video." 

"What does that have to do wi-" 

"She said a lot of interesting things about you and your late wife." 

"What the fuck are you getting at? I don't have time for games! Why is there a goddamn riot happening outside my window?"

"They're calling for an internal investigation." 

"What?" Willie's voice raised. "For what? What the fuck did I do?" 

"I think you should just watch the video yourself." Philip pulled his phone out of his back pocket. He quickly pulled up the latest video and handed the device over to Willie. 

At some point, down in the white house bunker, a soft groan fell from Felix's lips. His eyes squeezed shut as his whole body throbbed. The last thing he could remember was a fist flying towards his face. He blinked rapidly and reached up to rub his eyes. 

The zip ties secured his wrists to the chair again. His foot shot out in a burst of anger and slammed into the underside of the table. Hidden beneath his jeans and t-shirt, he could feel bruises forming. How much had his body been beaten? 

His right cheekbone hurt the worst. The dull throbbing sensation was pulsing beneath his eye. It must have been the spot where the man's fist slammed into him to knock him out. In Felix's head, it wasn't fair. The guy must have been a coward because he left Felix strapped into the chair while he began beating him. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to take a deep breath. 

The sound of a door slamming open caused him to jump in his seat. His head jerked over to the door. Willie stormed into the room with his hands balled into fists. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, gripped the front of Felix's shirt, and jerked him towards him. Felix's eyes narrowed as he glared. 

"Where is she?" Willie growled. "Where the hell is my daughter?" 

"I don't know." 

The sharp burning slap to the side of Felix's cheek made his eyes widen in shock. Willie let out a laugh, gripped his collar again, and began to shake him. The force caused Felix to rock back and forth in the chair. 

"You better tell me where my daughter is or so help me I-" 

"I'm shocked you didn't come in here yesterday with this much rage. Something must have happened for you to become desperate, didn't it?" 

Willie shoved his face forward. His nose was only a few inches away from Felix's. His breath was an overpowering cinnamon scent. "Tell me where my daughter is, you bastard." 

"Are you always this much of an idiot?" 

Felix's calm demeanor sent Willie over the edge. He reached out again with an open-hand. He jerked his arm back to swing, but Felix's words stopped him. 

"Do you really think they'd keep Kiera in the same place? They're always on the move. Always moving. Always traveling. Always going to new places and meeting new people. You'll never find her among the hundreds of members of Stray Kids. You might have me, but I'm only one of thousands." 

Willie's hand dropped. His eyes hit the side wall. All the rage he worked up disappeared entirely at Felix's words. As much as Willie hated to admit it, Felix was right. If Stray Kids was so large, he'd never be able to find Kiera. Without meaning to, Willie spoke. 

"She released another video." 

"The one about how you treated her?" 

"She's a lying bitch. I never harmed her and I never screamed at her. I never yelled at her and I'm not the monster she's painted me out to be. She's childish and immature. She just wants to bring me down because she can and now the public is on her side." 

"Have you considered that maybe this is Kiera's revenge?" 

Willie blinked a few times and pulled away. Lost in a slight daze, he suddenly snapped out of it. His hands collapsed together and he glanced back down at Felix. "Are you lonely down here?" 

"What?" Felix's face fell. 

"You're right. If there's thousands of members of Stray Kids, then one of you isn't enough. I need more than one of you to make an impact." 

"What are yo-" 

"Don't worry, you won't be so lonely soon. I think I know exactly where to find another one of your members. When they get here, the two of you can talk." 

A chill crept down Felix's spine. He stayed quiet and he kept his eyes on Willie. His face remained neutral while a grin grew on Willie's face. His stomach twisted in knots at the realization that he might have just dug himself deeper into this mess. 

Willie nodded his head, "consider this my revenge." 

And with that, he walked out of the room as if nothing had ever happened.