Common Sense Hijack System-Chapter 136

Evelyn’s Provocation

The dim emergency lights flickered weakly in the hallway, casting long shadows against the peeling wallpaper. The air inside the apartment complex was thick with the scent of unwashed bodies, desperation, and the faintest traces of mildew. A few residents lingered in the corridor, their faces gaunt, their eyes sunken with hunger.

Evelyn stood in the center of it all, her voice sharp as a blade.

"We’re all starving, and yet he walks around like nothing’s wrong," she hissed, pointing toward Karl’s apartment door. "Have you seen his face? Does he look like someone who’s been skipping meals? No. He’s hoarding food while the rest of us suffer."

Some of the residents shifted uneasily, casting glances at one another. The idea had been whispered among them before, but no one had dared say it outright—until now.

Julia, standing near the stairwell, frowned. "We don’t know that, Evelyn," she said, arms crossed. "Maybe he just prepared better. Maybe he had supplies from before everything went to hell."

Evelyn whirled on her, her eyes flashing with frustration. "Oh, of course you’d say that. You always play the moral high ground. But tell me, Julia, does your so-called morality fill your stomach at night?" Her lips curled into a sneer. "Does it stop the hunger pains?"

Julia pursed her lips, her face tightening. "Breaking into someone’s home isn’t right. It’s not our food, Evelyn."

Evelyn scoffed. "And what’s right? Sitting here waiting to die while Karl eats like a damn king?" Her voice rose, and the crowd stirred. "We’ve seen the signs. He’s fine. No panic. No hunger. No desperation. That’s not normal."

A man from the group, Emmet, a once-stocky maintenance worker now reduced to skin and bone, muttered, "I did hear something the other night. Like pots clanking."

"And I swear I smelled meat last week," a woman added, her voice hoarse. "Like something roasting."

Evelyn seized the moment, her voice dripping with venom. "There you have it. We know he has food. We know he’s keeping it all to himself." She stepped forward, locking eyes with the crowd. "So why are we still standing here, starving, while he feasts behind a locked door?"

Julia clenched her fists. "You don’t know that for sure. You’re just—"

"Just what? Paranoid?" Evelyn barked a humorless laugh. "Look at us, Julia! We’re wasting away. Children are crying themselves to sleep because they haven’t eaten in days! But sure, let’s worry about being polite."

The crowd murmured uneasily. Some of them looked away, unwilling to get involved. Others, though, nodded. Hunger had a way of making people listen to things they normally wouldn’t.

Evelyn pressed on, voice lower now, more insidious. "How much longer are we supposed to wait? Until we collapse in the hallways? Until we start turning on each other?" Her gaze swept across the group. "Karl owes us. He’s part of this building, same as us. If he has food, he should share it. That’s only fair, isn’t it?"

Emmet nodded grimly. "Fair’s fair."

"Exactly," Evelyn said, her voice like silk. "We’re not thieves. We’re just looking for what’s rightfully ours. If he won’t help us willingly... then maybe we should help ourselves."

Julia took a step forward, her expression hard. "This isn’t the way."

Evelyn smirked. "Isn’t it? Tell me, Julia. How much longer are you willing to suffer for principles? Because I’m done waiting."

The crowd shifted. Some still hesitated, torn between fear and desperation. But Evelyn could see it in their eyes—doubt cracking, resolve forming.

She had planted the seed.

And soon, Karl’s door wouldn’t be enough to keep them out.

A heavy, ominous pounding rattled Karl’s door.

Jane’s eyes darted to Layla, who had already pressed herself against the nearest wall, her breath quick and shallow. The sound of muffled voices outside sent a shiver through both of them.

"They’re here," Jane murmured, tightening her grip on the knife she had stashed earlier.

Layla swallowed hard. "What do we do? We can’t fight them all."

Karl sat calmly at the small wooden table, his fingers lightly tapping the surface. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes held a sharpness that Jane recognized.

He wasn’t afraid.

He was thinking.

"Relax," Karl said smoothly. "We’re not going to fight anyone."

Layla’s voice shook. "But they’re—"

"I’m going to let them in."

Both women turned to him in disbelief.

"Are you insane?" Jane hissed. "They’ll tear this place apart!"

Karl met her glare with an unwavering calm. "Let them."

Layla clutched her arms. "But they think you have food! What if they—?"

"They won’t find anything," Karl interrupted. "Because I made sure there’s nothing to find."

Jane stared at him, realization dawning. "You... you moved the supplies?"

Karl smirked slightly. "Let’s just say I had a feeling this would happen."

The knocking turned into a more urgent banging.

"We know you’re in there, Karl!" Evelyn’s voice rang through the door. "We’re not leaving until you open up."

Jane’s jaw tightened. "This is a bad idea."

Karl ignored her and stood. He walked toward the door at a casual pace, as if answering a friendly neighbor instead of an angry mob. With a deep breath, he unlatched the locks and pulled the door open.

A dozen faces stared back at him—hollow, desperate, and expectant.

Evelyn stood at the front, her arms crossed, a triumphant glint in her eyes. Emmet loomed behind her, and several other residents hovered anxiously, shifting their weight from foot to foot.

"About time," Evelyn said, stepping forward. "We need to talk."

Karl leaned against the doorframe, tilting his head slightly. "I figured."

A flicker of surprise crossed Evelyn’s face at his nonchalant response, but she recovered quickly. "No point in pretending, Karl. We know you’ve got food in here. We’ve smelled it. We’ve heard it."

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

Karl shrugged. "Smelled what? Heard what?"

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t play dumb. We know you’re hoarding."

Karl sighed dramatically and stepped aside. "Then by all means... look for yourself."

The crowd hesitated.

Evelyn’s brow furrowed. She hadn’t expected him to be this cooperative.

"Fine," she snapped. "Don’t mind if we do."

She pushed past Karl, leading the others inside. They spread out quickly, rifling through cabinets, pulling open drawers, shoving furniture aside.

Layla stood stiffly near the window, her nails digging into her palms. Jane stayed close to her, knife hidden but ready.

Karl, meanwhile, simply leaned against the wall, watching with mild amusement.

Evelyn tore open the fridge and scowled.

There was barely anything inside.

A few nearly empty cans. A couple of shriveled vegetables. Half a loaf of stale bread. A nearly empty bag of rice sat on the counter, next to a single, unopened can of beans.

Emmet pulled open the lower cabinets. "Nothing but dust here."

Another man checked under the sink, as if expecting some hidden stash. "Nothing."

A woman yanked open a closet. "Clothes and blankets."

A few people exchanged uncertain glances.

Evelyn spun around, frustration flashing in her eyes. "This... this isn’t right. There’s no way this is all you have."

Karl spread his arms. "See for yourself. I eat just like the rest of you. Barely enough to keep going."

Emmet rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe we were wrong..."

Evelyn’s head snapped toward him. "No, we weren’t."

She turned back to Karl, stepping closer, her voice lower, venomous. "You hid it, didn’t you?"

Karl smiled faintly. "If I had a stash, don’t you think you would’ve found something?"

Evelyn’s jaw tightened. "This doesn’t make sense."

Karl let the silence stretch.

The others, now visibly uncomfortable, started shifting toward the door.

Emmet sighed. "I don’t know, Evelyn. Maybe we jumped to conclusions."

"We didn’t!" Evelyn snapped, but her voice lacked its earlier confidence.

Jane decided to twist the knife. "Or maybe, Evelyn, you just wanted to be right so badly that you convinced yourself of a lie."

A few of the neighbors exchanged wary looks.

Evelyn clenched her fists, her face dark with anger.

She had come here to expose Karl. To humiliate him. To force him to share.

Instead, she was the one looking foolish.

Karl exhaled slowly and walked toward the door, holding it open.

"You’ve seen everything," he said smoothly. "So unless you’re planning to take the dust off my shelves, I think we’re done here."

The crowd hesitated.

But one by one, they started leaving.

Evelyn lingered, her teeth grinding together. Finally, with a final glare, she stomped past Karl, shoving his shoulder as she went.

But before she left, she turned back.

"This isn’t over."

Karl just smiled.

"I’m counting on that."