Common Sense Hijack System-Chapter 148: Word

Karl and Curtis were out the door before anything else could happen.

They weren’t cowards, but there were things in this world you didn’t need to witness.

This?

This was one of them.

The air outside was cold, sharp. But it was better than whatever the hell was about to go down inside.

They stood in the hallway, the distant murmur of the other residents filing out in disgust. Some still whispered in shock, others just walked away, their expressions blank.

No one wanted to be here.

From inside the apartment, Greg’s weak voice trembled. "No—please—someone stop this—!"

Then—

A wet, meaty slap.

A sharp gasp.

Emmet’s laughter.

Low at first. Then louder.

Then hysterical.

Karl grimaced.

Curtis stared at the floor.

They could still hear the muffled begging.

And then—

A sound that shouldn’t have happened.

A sound that made Karl’s stomach turn.

Greg’s cries, once filled with panic and rage, were now...

Different.

It was subtle at first.

Then clearer.

Soft.

Then sharp.

A choked, half-strangled moan.

Karl’s eye twitched.

Curtis tilted his head. "Uh..."

More breathing.

More shuffling.

And then, clear as day—

Greg’s voice, weak, broken—

"N-No... don’t stop..."

Curtis immediately turned around.

"NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. I’M OUT."

Karl followed instantly.

Neither of them wanted confirmation.

But as they walked down the hall, the sounds of pained moans, shaking laughter, and wet, rhythmic impacts still echoed.

They were never going to be the same.

---

A few minutes later, Julia emerged.

She wasn’t rushing. She wasn’t flustered.

She was perfectly composed.

In her grip, Maria.

Emmet’s wife.

Her face was still swollen, bruised. But her eyes...

Her eyes weren’t empty anymore.

She looked...

Afraid.

Not of Greg.

Not of Emmet.

Of Julia.

Julia didn’t say anything at first. She just walked, dragging Maria forward.

Then, she spoke.

"Let’s have a chat."

Maria shuddered.

And Karl knew, right then and there—

She wasn’t making it out of this conversation the same person.

*****

Karl and Curtis sat in Curtis’s dimly lit apartment, the tension of the last hour still lingering in the air.

Neither of them spoke for a while.

Karl, arms crossed, stared at the ceiling.

Curtis, sitting across from him, just stared at his drink.

Then, finally—

Curtis sighed. "So..."

Karl glanced at him. "So."

Curtis let out a long exhale, rubbing his face. "We just witnessed one of the worst things to ever happen in this apocalypse."

Karl nodded. "Yup."

Curtis took a sip of his drink. "Greg’s gonna be walking funny for the rest of his life. If he even survives."

Karl snorted. "You mean if he even sits again."

Curtis grinned, shaking his head. "Nah, man. He ain’t sitting for months. That dude’s gonna be farting like a broken trumpet."

Karl cracked a smirk. "If he farts, he’s gonna sound like a damn flute."

Curtis cackled. "Man’s gonna be out here playing a whole symphony every time he tries to walk."

Karl leaned back, rubbing his temples. "That was... horrifying."

Curtis nodded. "Yup."

Karl exhaled. "Wanna play cards?"

Curtis blinked. Then grinned. "Fuck yeah."

He grabbed a deck of worn-out playing cards from the shelf and shuffled. "Alright, same stakes as usual?"

Karl raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

Curtis grinned. "Winner gets bragging rights. Loser has to refer to the winner as ’Your Majesty’ for the rest of the day."

Karl smirked. "You’re on."

And just like that, for a brief moment, they could pretend the world wasn’t a total nightmare.

Just two guys.

Playing cards.

Laughing about a man who just lost his dignity in ways no one ever should.

Curtis shuffled the deck, his smirk still lingering as he passed Karl his hand of cards. "You know," he mused, "after tonight, I really think you should keep that netori fantasy of yours strictly on paper."

Karl raised an eyebrow, picking up his cards. "What?"

Curtis tapped his temple. "You know exactly what I mean. You saw what happened to Greg. You wanna end up like that? Bent over, playing an ass flute for the rest of your life?"

Karl froze.

A long silence.

Then, slowly, he placed his cards down, laced his fingers together, and looked Curtis dead in the eye.

"Of course," he said, voice smooth. "That was the plan from the start."

Curtis narrowed his eyes. "Karl."

Karl’s expression didn’t waver. "Everything is under control."

Curtis leaned back, studying him. "...That sounded like something a guy who is definitely not in control would say."

Karl picked up his cards again, completely unfazed. "You’re overthinking things."

Curtis snorted. "Bro, you’re the one who likes a genre where dudes steal wives. I have every reason to be concerned."

Karl exhaled sharply. "It’s fiction."

Curtis raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Well, Greg thought it was fiction too. And now look at him."

Karl paused.

His eyes flickered toward the window, as if expecting to still hear the distant, defeated whimpers of a man who had just had his entire worldview forcibly reshaped.

His grip on his cards tightened.

"...Noted."

Curtis grinned. "Good boy."

Karl rolled his eyes. "Fuck off."

And just like that, the game continued.

With Karl being very, very sure to never, ever, EVER make Greg’s mistake.

Curtis lazily tossed a card onto the table, watching Karl with mild amusement. "Alright, so let’s talk about the real issue here."

Karl raised an eyebrow, placing his own card down. "Which is?"

Curtis leaned forward, voice lowering slightly. "Julia."

Karl’s expression didn’t change. "What about her?"

Curtis exhaled, shaking his head. "Dude. She’s a fucking sociopath."

Karl didn’t even hesitate. "Yeah."

Curtis blinked. "Damn. No argument?"

Karl shuffled his cards. "What’s there to argue?" He glanced toward the window, his voice steady. "You saw what she did today. She didn’t just control the situation. She orchestrated it. She let people do what they wanted, but only because it suited her goals."

Curtis nodded slowly. "Yeah, and that’s the part that’s kinda terrifying. Like... it’s one thing to lead people. But she makes people want to obey her."

Karl leaned back in his chair. "That’s what makes her dangerous."

Curtis frowned. "You think she planned all of that? Like, even the big guy showing up?"

Karl tapped his fingers against the table. "Maybe not every detail. But the way she handled everything? That wasn’t improvised. She let things spiral on purpose. She let the crowd beat Greg. She let Emmet have his moment. And when it was time to stop?"

Curtis shivered. "She stopped it with a fucking joke."

Karl nodded. "Exactly."

Curtis ran a hand through his hair. "That’s what gets me. She didn’t even seem bothered. Not by the mob, not by the beating, not by the... uh..." He cleared his throat. "You know."

Karl sighed. "Yeah. I know."

Curtis studied him. "Doesn’t that freak you out even a little?"

Karl’s grip on his cards tightened slightly.

"Of course it does."

Because Julia wasn’t just powerful.

She was inevitable.

And the worst part?

Everyone was okay with it.

Curtis tossed his cards onto the table, leaning back with a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "You know," he said, rubbing his chin, "back when I was still working a normal job—y’know, before the world turned into a fucking nightmare—I actually knew someone who claimed to know Julia."

Karl set his cards down, narrowing his eyes. "Really?"

Curtis nodded. "Yeah. My old boss. Some big-shot corporate guy who was always flexing about the people he ’networked’ with. One time, he mentioned Julia by name."

Karl exhaled, crossing his arms. "And?"

Curtis hesitated for a second, his smirk fading just a little.

"And..." He looked toward the window, his voice dropping slightly. "There was this rumor about her. A really fucked-up one."

Karl stayed silent, waiting.

Curtis finally looked back at him. "Apparently," he said, voice casual but eyes sharp, "Julia had a thing for young guys."

Karl’s expression didn’t change. "Not exactly shocking."

Curtis shook his head. "No, I mean—young guys she could control. Fresh hires. Interns. Guys who didn’t have power." He exhaled, rubbing his temple. "The rumor was that she’d coerce them. Press them into situations they couldn’t really say no to."

Karl didn’t blink. "You mean—"

Curtis nodded. "Yeah. Exactly that."

A tense silence stretched between them.

Then Karl, still perfectly calm, picked up his cards again. "And how reliable was this rumor?"

Curtis shrugged. "No idea. Could’ve been total bullshit. But my boss swore he knew one of the guys. Said the poor dude practically disappeared after working under her for a year."

Karl sighed. "And now she’s the de facto ruler of a survivalist community."

Curtis let out a dry laugh. "Yeah. Fucking terrifying, huh?"

Karl didn’t respond immediately. He just stared at his cards, expression unreadable.

Then, finally, he muttered, "Makes sense."

Because after everything they had seen today?

That was the least surprising thing about Julia.