The birds chirped peacefully, the night was coming soon, and a cool breeze blew through the trees, wafting the leaves softly. Everything was serene, beautiful, peaceful. And then, through the bushes broke two rabbits, racing quickly as shouts could be heard behind them.
"Where is he?!" Gerry screamed, as he and Kevin quickly turned and dashed through another number of bushes, the vial strapped to Kevins back, "Where did Number Two go?!" "I don't know! I saw him go in another direction, but I don't know, I lost him!" Kevin shouted back. "Did you hear that scream?" Gerry yelled, "That was him! That scream a few minutes ago! That was Number Two! Where did he go?!" "I don't know, Gerald, just run! JUST. FUCKING. RUN!" WEEKS EARLIER "Kevin!" Number Two called out, as he waited and finally spotted Kevins ears pop up over a nearby hill. "Yeah?" "I found some!" Kevin came bounding over the hill and the two of them start gathering up some of the berries and plant life they'd come to grow fond of since being in this area. Number Two would stand still, with the satchel attached around his back, as Kevin picked the stuff up in his mouth and put it all inside. "God, sunlight feels good," Number Two said, "You know, they say it's the little things you take for granted until they're gone, but I don't see sunlight as being a 'little thing'. That's the goddamned sun. That's a pretty important part of living. Being out in it now, ooh boy, it feels nice on the fur." "How's your ear?" Kevin asked as he dropped another load into the satchel. "It's alright today, I guess," Number Two said, wriggling what was left of the ear he'd had ripped off, "Still stings a bit, but I've grown accustomed to it. No medicines now, man. Now we're responsible for our own bumps and bruises." "You're tellin' me," Kevin replied, "Alright, that's a good amount, let's get these things back to The Burrow. I'm sure everyone is starving right about now." Kevin turned and started to head off when he stopped and glanced back where Number Two was standing. He slowly approached him and waited, and then he noticed what Number Two was staring at. A few hills over, standing still and on their hind legs, was a dark brown female rabbit. She hadn't noticed them, she was grazing on and off, looking out into the distance the other direction. Kevin and Number Two lowered themselves to the ground and whispered. "She's not one of ours is she?" Kevin asked. "No, I've never seen her before," Number Two responded. "We need to get back to The Burrow," Kevin said, and Number Two nodding, following close behind as they headed back. Hopping along the trail they'd blazed over the last few months, it was hard to imagine that the life they'd left behind had ever been the life they'd even lived. The Lab felt so far away now, when really it was just through the trees somewhere, just far enough removed that it seemed nonexistent. Everything felt strange, and unreal. "So..." Number Two said, "Is she feeling any better?" "Number Four? Nah. She's still feeling under the weather, but it's to be expected I suppose. You leave one environment you've grown accustomed to for so long behind, it's hard to adjust to something else with absolutely no problems." "I guess," Number Two said, "Well, here's to her improving health." "Hey," a voice said from a nearby rock, and the two froze instantly, terrified as they turned to see...a mouse. "Oh, god, it's just Salt," Kevin said, approaching her, "Don't sneak up on us like that, come on. What're you even doing out here?" "Checking in," she replied, "How're things going?" "Going as well as can be expected," Number Two stated, "Thanks for the satchels by the way, they've really come in handy." "Ah, you know I like to work with my paws," she said, blushing, "So, any news?" "Not really," Kevin said, "Been pretty tame, quiet...you know what? It's been downright relaxing." "That's great to hear," Salt said. "Hey Salt, have you seen other rabbits around? Like...like rabbits that aren't from our group? We spotted this brown female rabbit just a few hills back, and she didn't see us but she's definitely not one of ours, so-" "You're gonna run into that, yeah, you're sort of, ya know, outside now," she said, snickering, "But no I haven't seen anything. I try not to venture too far through the woods, being prey and all. But listen, I'm sure any other rabbits you find are just going to be wild and will be nice to you if you're nice to them. Law of the forest, all that crap." "Sure," Number Two said, "Wanna walk with us back to The Burrow? I'm sure everyone would love to see you." "I can't, I have other things I have to get done, but tell everyone I said hi," she said, "It was nice talking with you guys!" And with that, the little mouse hopped down from the rock and skittered off into the woods somewhere. Kevin and Number Two continued their walk, taking their morning feast back to the rest of the Collective...or what had made it out anyway. *** The Burrow, as it had come to be known to The Collective, was a cozy hole hidden under a tree that had been pulled by a storm to the right, thus allowing animals to dig holes underneath it and create a safe home. Since their move in, The Collective had furthered The Burrow, allowing them to all have their own little sections for privacy and comfort. Number Four was sitting in hers and Kevins area at that very moment, thinking about those last moments months ago in the lab...the last time they'd seen Gerry and Six and all the others... Just then Kevin popped his head in, Number Two right behind him and his eyes met Number Fours, making her smile. She coughed, as she hopped over to meet him, while Number Two started to empty his satchel onto the floor. Number Four rubbed her nose against Kevins, making him blush. "You guys were gone for a while, is everything alright?" she asked. "Yeah, we ran into Salt, she says hey. How're you feeling?" Kevin asked. "Eh. I guess I'm okay," Number Four said, "Did you guys find much?" "Found enough," Number Two said as he yawned, "I'm going to lay down for a bit." Number Two turned and exited towards his own area, leaving Kevin and Number Four alone. "I've been thinking a lot about...you know," Number Four said, "I just wonder how they're doing. It's not right that they're not with us right now. We don't even know IF they're okay, for god sakes." "Well wondering and worrying yourself even sicker isn't going to help anyone, so have some food and try and relax," Kevin said, pulling some of the berries and leaves out of the satchel Number Two had dropped off. Just as she started to eat, another voice spoke from the entrance of their hole. "Kevin?" it asked, and he spun around to see an older grey rabbit looking at him. "Hey Meadow," he said, "How're you?" "I'm okay. I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment," she said, and he nodded, leaving Number Four behind while she ate. He followed Meadow into the hall of The Burrow and she lowered her voice. "Is she feeling any better? I have two babies to take care of, and I need to make sure they don't get sick too," Meadow said, and Kevin rolled his eyes. "Meadow, I understand your concern, but trust me, this illness came from THEM. Nobody is going to catch it from her, okay? Everyone is totally safe here, I promise you that," Kevin said, "Besides, after all we've been through, do you think I'd let anything happen to you?" "Well...no, you're right," Meadow said, "I'm sorry, this has all been such a tough adjustment." "Tell me about it," Kevin said, chuckling, "But trust me on this, Meadow, nobody is going to get hurt here, I promise." Meadow seemed satisfied with that, and she nodded, turned, and headed back down the hallway, back towards her spot where her little ones were sleeping. Kevin then went to another hole further down The Burrow, where he and Number Two kept most of the food they collected, and he grabbed a satchel and started dragging it throughout The Burrow, giving food to all of The Collective, keeping them happy and fed and comfortable. Gerry had been right all along. Kevin WAS a leader. *** That night, Kevin was sitting outside, watching the stars, when he felt a presence nearby. Number Four came hopping up beside him and coughed as she stopped, leaning against him. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asked. "My cough is keeping me awake, and I was lonely. What're you doing out here?" she asked. "Just admiring the night sky. Been a long, long time since I've seen it. It's gotten a little hard to get used to again. You shouldn't stay out here too long, you don't need to get any sicker," Kevin said. "...I miss them," Number Four said. "I know. I do too. I think we all do. And you're right, we don't even know if they're okay," Kevin said, "But Ellen, I promise that we will see what we can do, okay? We won't just leave them hanging, even though it's been a few months, we WILL rescue them, because it's what they'd do for us." "Kevin-" "No, I know nobody really believes it, but I am telling the truth, we are-" "Kevin, look." Kevin looked up and saw fireflies lighting up around them. They made a big smile break across Number Fours mouth and she nestled herself closer to Kevin, who finally just exhaled and relaxed. He always forgot he was allowed to let his guard down now. When you spend so long being on edge, it's hard to let yourself just BE sometimes. But this...this comfort that Ellen gave him, that was what he really needed most, and he appreciated it so very much. "We will get them back," he whispered. "I know. I believe you," she replied. "...I love you," Kevin said, and she shut her eyes, smiling as she buried her face in his warm fur. "I love you too," she said. They used to go to sleep listening to the hum of machines, and now they went to sleep watching the glistening lights of fireflies. Life did get better.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About
The Rabbit Collective follows a group of lab rabbits struggling with their purpose, and hopeful eventual escape. Archives
October 2020
|