Nexus City, the Bermuda Triangle...

I pulled into the parking lot of MegaMart. I was lucky to find a spot among the thousands of other vehicles. I heaved a sigh, bracing myself, as I shut then locked the door. I hated coming into town the day after Christmas. It was a madhouse with everyone trying to get the After Christmas sales or returning unwanted gifts (or trying to buy batteries for that toy because batteries are never included and you always forget about that). But if I wanted to push along and get another five chapters written for my current novella, I would need supplies.

I mumbled my list while stepping through the superstore's front door. After a couple steps, I paused. Something was amiss. I looked up. Where was that annoying greeter who always gripes at me for not saying "hello" back? I glanced around the store. In fact, where was everyone?

The checkouts were barren; their "open lane" lights flickering. The returns line was likewise empty; there wasn't even an employee looking extremely bored while playing the latest mobile game. I listened for a moment to the silence and really became worried—there wasn't even a comical cricket chirping noise to indicate silence. I gulped. The lack of noise (there wasn't even mood music playing) was uncomfortable.

Suddenly, I jumped as the opening notes of a news program played. The TV in the MegaMart restaurant was on and broadcasting.

"This is Wolf Barker for Nexus City News with breaking news," said the anchorman. "Every fictional character across the Omniverse has gone on strike. Tired of being manipulated and tormented by Creators for the entertainment of Fans, they have left their various posts. Until their demands are met, there will be no more characters for video games, movies, comic books, TV shows, or artwork. This crippling strike has even spread to sports, cooking, educational, and commentary genres. Even foley artists, special effects artists, and..."

Wolf Barker paused for a moment just staring at the screen. "What am I doing here? We're all on strike! See! This is exactly our point! These Creators force us into strange or deadly situations for entertainment. Here I am being forced to tell the news in order to explain the plot to the readers!" Wolf Barker stood. "I am not some small-time character to be mentioned for a brief time and then forgotten! I have a family! I have goals and dreams of my own! I never wanted to be a news anchor, but I was forced into it because I made for a funny Wolf Blitzer joke!"

Wolf Barker threw his papers into the air and stormed off camera. The screen went blank.

The Fiction Rebellion begins (eventually)...