Tourist Trap

Get back to your shop.

Do you know what you’re doing?

Excuse me, you’ve breached our contract.

We know where you live.

Are you stupid?

We can do this the hard way.

This is a breach of contract.

I see you out there on the steets.

Where did your tarp go?

I’ll take more from you than your money.

Do you value your life?

Tell me, which of your children do you like the least?

Are you not afraid?

He crumpled the useless piece of technology. All those messages, and not a single reply. He’d been reduced to nothing more than a spam caller as the people of this world- park, he quickly corrected himself- failed to take him seriously. 

This was humiliating.

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his diseased, lonely head. An example. An example needs to be made. If they wouldn’t accept his authority, maybe there was somebody whose power they would.

He pulled out a second phone and began calling.

“This is going awesome!” Percy smiled. “Frankie, you’re amazing!”

“D-Don’t thank me!” She laughed. “All these people are helping us!”

“What’re you talking about?” Her big sister jumped on her back. “Frankie, this is amazing! Almost as many people as you snagged in Mako, and you didn’t have to pay a single one of them!”

Frankie bashfully chuckled. Maybe she was, she thought… just a little incredible.

“Halt!”

She froze in her tracks, followed by the others as suddenly a knight stood in front of them. Not one of the King’s- but seemingly, judging by the badge on his chestplate, a cop, only forced to cosplay by the nature of the park. She shivered.

“What seems to be the problem sir?” Serah stepped in, noticing her hesitation. Her quick wits were well suited to these kinds of encounters, as they had been many times in the past whenever Percy got a little too invested in a swordfight and people got convinced it was real.

“We received a report about… a disruptive violent protest, parading all about town. By the looks of it, I’m guessing that was you guys.” The first of the officers explained. More were coming from around the corner to join him.

“No violence here.” Katie blinked. “Was it an old German man who called you?”

“We’re the ones asking the questions. You can answer them. Now why in this kingdom of peace must you create such a fuss?”

A twitch of her finger. Frankie noticed something- These cops were in character. Not just that, but they liked it.

“B-because an evil has infested this land!” She stepped into the line of fire. “Dark Emperor, Morgen Wolf, who was stolen so many dreams and parks from the masses to convert into cash-grabbing wastelands, palaces of boring gray sludge and exploitation, is in our homeland! And he’s trying to stop us- trying to stop the spread of hope for our world! I may be but a humble traveler… but will you try to stop me, sir Knight? Or will you join me, and fight for the just side?

A fire welling in his chest, the heart of a child still pounding in there- the armored officer’s growing excitement for something actually happening was only interrupted by a sudden call on his chainmail cell phone.

“Excuse me.” He turned away to accept it.

“I’m watching you. Remember what I said. Listen, and you can have more than you’ve ever known. Disobey… and I’ll take everything you have.”

He covered the speaker.

“Morgen Wolf… is it true he… threatens people often?”

“That’d be him.” Greg nodded.

The Knight hung up.

“I can’t idly stand by while such a devious villain roams free. I will join your cause, young traveler! Put us in line!”

“Aye!” Frankie saluted as he immediately lined up to march, his comrades following right behind him.

Katie giggled.

“That was great!”

Rocco nodded, the Verdant Inferno starting to continue ahead before he came right out of the alleys, weak and desperate.

A panicked, sweating Wolf… the Traumkäufer looked so pitiful holding his hung-up cell phone.

“It’s him! The Dark Emperor!” Someone chimed in from the back of the line.

Everyone started to boo.

Wolf’s psyche crumbled. Never before had he seen this- heard this- it was like long jagged spikes being driven into his body, hoisting it up for the birds to peck at. He wondered how this could happen to him when he was so special, when he was so different from all these people.

“You are fools!” He cried out, trying to hide his sobbing. “Do you lot understand? I will have your families’ LIVES! Do you not fear me? Do you not RESPECT my words?”

“Booo!” Children sang. Though nothing was thrown it felt as if he was being stoned by the entire population of the world. He crumbled under that terrible weight.

“I can’t… I can’t…”

“Give it up.” Frankie blankly ordered. “They won’t obey you anymore.”

“You…” He looked up at the girl and her crew. Now was the time. “You don’t even know.” He giggled, started to work up to a maniacal laugh. “You don’t even know how deep my influence goes!”

“Not very far, by the looks of it right now…”

His ugly laugh just kept going.

“That’s where you’d be wrong… because, you see… I’ve invaded your very party… your very friends.”

“Huh?” Frankie just thought he was desperately bluffing at this point.

“ROCCO! FINISH HER!” He slobbered.

Behind Frankie, Rocco raised his brand-new axe.