Gerry was asleep, his whiskers twitching, dreaming of better days gone by when he heard the sound of an air vent opening. He slowly woke up, stood and shook the hay from his fur and hopped on over to the side of his cage, peering out, only to discover Crisp doing the same in her cage. Nobody else seemed to be awake, but as soon as their eyes locked, they nodded and knew they were going to have to deal with whatever was coming their way.
Could it be Dodger? What're the goddamned odds of that, honestly. Salt? No. She hadn't really shown herself either since The Escape. The vent opened, and a rabbit slipped on through, tumbling onto the countertop and groaning. "Holy hell, be quiet," Kevin said as he climbed out of the vent behind Richardson, who was now standing up on the countertop. "Sorry," Richardson said, "Guess I'm just not as skilled at crawling through ventilation shafts as you seem to be." "Kevin?" Gerry asked, quickly making his way out of his cage and running across the countertop at him, full force, until they collided in a ball of laughter and hugs. Gerry stood back up and hopped around, excited out of his mind, "Kevin! What the hell!? What are you...what?!" "Hello Gerry," Kevin said, laughing, "It's good to see you too." "Guys, we don't have much time," Richardson said. "Who're you?" Gerry asked, making Richardson a bit angry. "This is Richardson, he's a friend, and he's not wrong. Much as I'd like to stand here and regale you with the tale of my escape and grand return, it'll unfortunately have to wait, cause we got shit to do. I need to hit The Sick and pick up some of the medicine they were giving to Number Four, and I'm willing to take you guys with me back to the outside world, but I need your help first." "I see," Crisp said, coming out of her cage now as well, "We're nothing but fodder to you? A bargaining chip? Once you get what you want, THEN you'll decide we're worth our weight?" "...hello, it's nice to meet you too?" Kevin said, making Richardson laugh. "Kevin, whatever you need, I am here to help," Gerry said, "You know that." "Where the HELL have you BEEN?!" a voice called out, as Six came stomping up to the group on the countertop. "Jeez, is everyone gonna yell at me?" Kevin asked, "Hello Six, nice to see you again. How have you been?" "Seriously, where the hell have you been?" Six asked again, her eyes almost seeming to burn with rage, "Do you have any idea how angry you've made us? You have been gone for months! MONTHS, Kevin! You never once sent anyone to see if we were even still alive? Did you just not CARE?!" "Six-" Gerry said, starting to interrupt, but she snapped him a look and he shut up. "The only reason we're not going to kill you right here and now is because Number Four deserves whatever it is you came to get for her, because she isn't a piece of crap like you," Six said, clearly annoyed, until Gerry finally piped up again. "Alright, listen," he said, "Kevin is not, by a longshot, the worst thing to come out of those vents." "Thank you," Kevin said, "Finally, some appreciation." "And while, yes, it would've been nice had he checked up on us, I understand why he didn't, because he probably didn't even know if we were still alive. After the stunt we pulled? I can't blame him. So I am not going to harbor any ill will towards this rabbit, and I will not put up with anyone else giving him shit either, alright? You got a fucking problem with Kevin? You take it up with ME." This seemed to shut everyone up. Gerry turned to face Kevin and looked at him sternly. "Now," he said, "Let's go to The Sick." *** Number Two found himself in need of a break from running. He was sitting by a stream, getting a drink and eating some berries while he took a break, but he was only going to give himself a few minutes before he had to continue on his way to catch Dodger red handed. He knew he was working within a finite amount of time. As he lifted his head from the stream, water dripping from his fur on his face, he heard a voice from a nearby rock. "Hello Number Two," Salt said, as he turned to face her, a bit surprised. "You NEED to stop sneaking up on people," Number Two said, making Salt giggle. "What're you doing all the way out here?" Salt asked. "Actually...I'm heading to The Lab." "...what?" "Yeah. I'm heading to The Lab. It's too long to explain, but Kevin and Richardson have gone there to get something for Number Four, and apparently Dodger set this up and, I'm sorry Salt, it's all a jumbled mess. Am I heading in the right direction you think?" "Yeah," Salt said, looking around and then pointing, "You want to go to the right a little, but you're basically on the right path. Dodger set something up? How did he do that if it's something for Number Four?" "I don't know, I don't have enough information," Number Two said, "I'm sorry, I REALLY have to be going." Number Two started hopping past her, but she quickly called after him. "Number Two!" she said, and he stopped to look back at her as she added, "...be careful, okay?" "Yeah, I...I will," he said, before turning back, continuing on his way; and as Salt watched him hop away, she had a deep sinking feeling in her stomach that she was seeing him for the last time. *** Gerry, Crisp and Kevin were heading through the vents, towards The Sick. Crisp had insisted on coming along, just to make sure Kevin didn't try and leave Gerry behind again, which confused Kevin because he hadn't been the one who'd decided to escape or had jumped into the water hole, that had been Gerry. Gerry had pushed Kevin to be a leader. Gerry had given Kevin his freedom. Gerry had started this entire thing, so why was Kevin the one being blamed for it all? Didn't make any sense to him. Okay, sure. He probably should've made sure they were okay, but he didn't want to risk being captured. He didn't want to risk being away from The Burrow. "Number Two took you to The Sick?" Kevin asked, "How romantic." "Heh," Gerry chuckled, "Yeah, well, he was doing it to prove a point to me, which backfired, by the way." "You know, he invariably digs himself into his own hole," Kevin said, "God love the guy, but jeez." "So did he say what exactly it is we're looking for?" Crisp asked. "He said they should be in red glass tubes, and that there will be a small box of them that we should manage to carry out, called them 'vials' I think," Kevin said, making Crisp nod. "Okay yeah, I know what that is, I've seen THEM use that exact thing on some of the rabbits," she said. "How're we getting these things out?" Gerry asked. "Well, Number Two and I got really got at gathering berries, and it's because we made these satchels, so I've brought along a little pack with some string and stuff so we can maybe make a temporary bag for them and then just, tie 'em to my back, I guess," Kevin said, "I'm not really sure." Gerry had to admit, he was rather impressed. This was NOT the same Kevin that had left The Lab so long ago. And this DEFINITELY wasn't the same Kevin that he'd first met so long ago, who was scared of everything and confident in failure. No, this Kevin...this Kevin had become the hero Gerry always felt he could be, and it made him proud. As they arrived at The Sick and pushed their way into the room through the vents, it all came rushing back to Gerry. That visit with Number Two and Number One, strapped to that slab, completely mutilated and abused. It gave Gerry a little shiver, which he tried his best to ignore as they got further into the room. Kevin immediately started nosing open cabinets and searching for whatever he could before he and Gerry heard Crisp calling to them. "What's up?" Gerry asked as they hopped to her side. "It's locked," she said sternly, and much to Kevins horror, she was right. The cabinet labeled "medicine" was indeed locked. "Well," Kevin said, annoyed, "This is not something we prepared for." "There has to be a key or something," Gerry said, looking around and finally his eyes caught on some keys hanging from the wall, "There!" "Alright, well, let's get to it then," Kevin said, as they got to work gathering the keys, opening the cabinets and stocking the medicine up in his makeshift satchel. *** "Clara?" Richardson called out gently, after having gotten all the remaining rabbits out the way he and Kevin had come in. He was now back in the main lab area, looking for his sister, "Clara?" He hopped a bit further in and glanced around nervously, uncertain whether something had happened to her while he'd been gone or what. Until finally, he noticed her, sitting in a cage, her back turned to him. "Clara!" he shouted, hopping over to her, "Clara, come on, let's go!" "How could you leave me here? You didn't even WANNA go," Clara said softly, "And then, suddenly, you're outside, with the rest of them?" "Clara, it was an accident, and now I've come back, and I've helped everyone else get back out, and now it's just you and me, so let's go okay? We have a really nice Burrow we can stay at for a bit until we figure out where else to go on our own, or if we even wanna go anywhere on our own, cause, these are good rabbits, honestly, and-" "If you wanted to come back for me, what took you so long?" Clara asked, hopping up to him, looking at him through the bars. "I...I didn't...I wasn't brave enough," Richardson said, lowering his head, "But I had an in with this, because Kevin had to come back and, and now I'm here, we can go! Isn't that what you wanted? To leave?" Clara nodded, coming out of the cage and standing in front of her big brother. "Then let's leave, Clara," Richardson said, "I really only came for you." Clara and Richardson turned and headed back through the vents, only to find themselves meet up with Kevin, Gerry and Crisp. Gerry looked at Richardson and nodded. "You get everyone else out?" he asked. "Yeah. Six and Melvin and everyone are just waiting outside," Richardson said, "Now, when we get out there, there will be a fox. Don't be scared of her, her name is Minerva, she's a friend, alright? She's not going to hurt anyone." "Sounds good," Gerry said. Everything had worked. Somehow they'd gotten in, gotten what they needed, were able to get what they needed even, got everyone else out and were leaving without a hitch. It seemed too good to be true, and as they came out into the main yard of The Lab, they'd discover it was, because standing there, beside Minerva, was Dodger. Everyone froze in their tracks as Dodger approached the small gang, and Gerry, not Kevin, took the initiative to come forward. "What are YOU doing here?" Gerry asked through gritted teeth. "I'm ALWAYS here," Dodger said, smirking, "When are you going to learn that? I am EVERYWHERE you are. I am everywhere you will ever be. Now, let's have a hand for Richardson, for implanting my idea into Kevins head. A round of applause, yes?" Richardson felt a swift punch to the gut as Dodger said this, and all the rabbits turned to glare at him. He looked at Kevin, his eyes wide, brimming with tears, burning with fury, his face contorted with confusion. "How could you do this?" Kevin asked softly. "You know how you're doing something for someone you love?" Richardson asked, "Yeah. Me too. I'm sorry, Kevin. I didn't have a choice, okay? He stuck me in a hole with other mice and...and bones and...I wanna help, I wanna stay and help prop up The Collective and make a home in The Burrow and give my sister a place to really grow up and-" "Get. Out," Kevin said, almost snarling at him. "W...what?" "Get. Out. Of my. Collective," Kevin said. Richardson looked at Clara, and then looked at Gerry and Six and everyone else, and knew he had no leg to stand on. He lowered his head, turned and began to hop away, Clara in tow. As they disappeared into the bushes and the dark of the oncoming evening, Dodger cleared his throat. "Now," Dodger said, "Let's talk about Number Four."
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
|