"The hell do you mean a grave marker?" Kevin asked, stepping off the mossy mound and walking toward Number Two, who, for whatever reason, refused to look him in the eye.
"Gerald asked me to help him make one, okay? I...I did it so he could have peace of mind," Number Two replied quietly, "He felt terrible about having Dodger killed, and...and while you and I recognize it had to be done, as did he, he had a much different relationship with Dodger than we ever did, so I can't blame him for it." "That tiny bastard does not deserve a single piece of remembrance!" Kevin shouted, "Does Gerry come here to talk to him, the way I do with Ellens grave? Because if so, that is SICK. Dodger was a monster, and now he gets regular visits from the rabbit who's supposed to be our leader? What's wrong with-" "Hello," a voice said from behind them, making all three rabbits scream and jump back in surprise. As they turned to look, they saw a female rabbit, a brown piece of fabric covering her, standing between them and the treeline behind them. She backed up, feeling bad for having startled them, and shook her head, adding, "Sorry, I...I didn't mean to spook you." "Can we...help you?" Number Two asked, stepping in front of Kevin and Mipsy, taking a protector sort of stance. "I see you're here looking at the lab," the rabbit said, "I'm sorry, where are my manners. My name is Paw Paw. What are you doing out here?" "We're from the lab," Number Two said, "We were, anyway, before we managed to escape. We're looking for our friend. What are you doing out here?" "Just taking a walk outside of my community," Paw Paw said, "If you'd like, you can come with me back to my home and talk to our founder, he might be able to help you find your friend." "...I suppose that couldn't hurt," Kevin muttered, walking past Number Two, who tried to stop him and whispered. "How do you know we can trust her?" he asked through his teeth and Kevin shook his head. "Man, at this point, we can't afford not to trust someone," Kevin said, continuing past, Mipsy following close behind. Number Two exhaled and followed close behind, keeping a keen eye fixed on Paw Paw for any instance of suspicious behavior. "So, who founder?" Mipsy asked. "His name is Richardson," Paw Paw said, and this stopped everyone in their tracks with shock. *** Gerald followed Richardson through the enormous burrow that had been constructed, and was still being constructed in some places, gawking in awe at their efforts. Female rabbits passed him nonstop, and Gerry realized this was what he'd hoped The Hollow would become one day if only he worked hard enough. He began to imagine if he could just somehow migrate everyone over here, they might not even have to worry about THEM or The Black Snakes or anything else ever again...just a life of peace. "You're so lucky," Gerry said softly, making Richardson chuckle. "I suppose, sure," he replied, "But it didn't come without great pain. Every wonderful thing comes at a price of one kind or another. That's why, if you want to be safe and protected, you need to pay that sort of price, Gerry. It doesn't happen without payment." "I still have work to do," Gerry said, nodding, "I know. I just...I wanted so badly to be finished with it, but I know that I will be, soon enough. We're going to burn the lab down, burn THEM to death inside of it, after we get all the new rabbits out of it." "Are you sure that's wise?" Richardson asked, "Aren't you afraid you'll be just as bad as them if you go down that road?" "Sometimes you have to pay a price," Gerry said, making Richardson nod in response, "Sometimes you have to do something someone else may consider unthinkable to be free of the horrors done unto you. THEY don't deserve mercy. We're past mercy. THEY did enough horrible things to us that, at this point, THEY'LL be getting off pretty easy, all things considered." "You realize if you do this sort of thing, you can't take it back, you know that right?" Richardson asked, stopping in the tunnel and looking at Gerald. "I killed Dodger," Gerry said, surprising Richardson; he continued, "I lied to him, I laid a trap for him, and then, using his trust, I betrayed him and led him directly to his death. I...I hate myself every single day for what I did, but it's what I had to do. But Dodger was only the stepping stone to the rock in the pond, you know? I had to do that to him, so I could do this to THEM." "Seems you've made up your mind. So long as you can live with yourself," Richardson said. "I can. It's whether or not the others can, too. I'm going to do what I'm going to do to protect my friends, and my family. And once that place is ashes on the dirt, we'll turn around and we'll walk away and we'll never have to think about it ever again." "Then it sounds like you know what's best for you," Richardson said, "That's how you get a community like this, Gerald. You...you do what you have to, you protect them at any cost, but you also don't be a leader. You be a guide. There's a difference. A leader gives off an idea that you're somehow in control of them, and people don't like to be led, they like to be taught to lead for themselves. So the real question is, are you a leader, or a guide?" Gerry had never considered this. He'd always told himself he was a leader, because he didn't realize there was any other option. He'd conditioned Kevin to believe he was a leader too, and Kevin had done what it took to keep The Collective safe once outside, even if he made mistakes. But a guide? That...that sounded a lot more palatable. "Leadership is just another form of ownership, you just don't feel guilty about it," Richardson said, breaking Gerry from his thoughts, "To be for the people, you need to be with the people. Leadership removes you somewhat from their actions, because you can claim they misconstrued what you said. You can shift and assign blame. You're not a leader, Gerry. You're a guide. You've only ever taken the blame for the things that have happened, even when they weren't your fault, even when...even when they were my fault..." Richardson looked at the floor and sighed, shaking his head. "I've felt so bad for possibly letting Number Four die," he mumbled, continuing, "Had we not gotten in your way, maybe Kevin would've-" "Don't, just don't. She was gone before we even had left the lab again, I guarantee it. There was nothing anyone could do for her, it was all well wishing, and, as you said, you'd do anything for the one you loved. Kevin was acting out of heart, not mind. He was doing the right thing, certainly, but he also didn't recognize that the time to do the right thing had long since passed. You wanna blame someone for Ellen's death? Blame THEM for making her sick in the first place." "Thanks Gerry," Richardson said, smiling a little, "That makes me feel better." "What are friends for, right?" Gerry asked, smiling back. *** "What do you mean your 'founder' is Richardson?" Number Two asked, "Founder of WHAT, exactly?" "Our home," Paw Paw said, "The Order of the Hare, where all the Sister Rabbits live together in peace." "I...am I having an aneurysm?" Kevin asked, making Number Two chuckle. "He lost his sister," Paw Paw said, "And in the process, feels he had a hand in killing another female rabbit. Since then, he's repented, shunned his past acts and sworn to dedicate his life to helping female rabbits be safe in this world, no matter what it takes." Richardson...felt bad about Ellen? Kevin genuinely didn't know how to handle this information. But if that's where Gerry was, and what Paw Paw was saying was true, then they had to take her word for it and follow her to The Order of the Hare, wherever the hell that might be. Number Two was having trouble buying it himself, as the last time they'd seen Richardson, he was an absolute muddy mess, cowering in the bushes, begging for forgiveness. He could see Richardson coming to terms with what he'd done, maybe even bettering himself because of it, but leading an entire colony of female rabbits? That...that part Number Two was having some real trouble wrapping his head around. Mipsy, however, wasn't really thinking much about any of this, and was instead focusing on Paw Paw's coloring, and how pretty her eyes were. "How much of this are you buying?" Number Two whispered to Kevin, slowing them down a bit so they could talk further away from the girls, and Kevin shrugged. "At this point in my life, it's hard to know what to question and what not to, if we're being honest," Kevin said, "Haven't we been in this sort of situation before? You, me, a female rabbit leading us to a group of rabbits?" "Hah, yeah, real deja vu there, huh," Number Two said, "Kevin, whatever happens, just follow me, okay? I'll make sure you two get out if something goes down." "You got it, chief," Kevin said, not one to argue with Number Two when it came to lying his life on the line for him. "Really does feel like old times," Number Two said, "Wonder how many times we'll do this again." Kevin thought about it. How very true it was. How often they had just blindly followed someone under their word that they would be lead to something better, somewhere safer. Dodger, Nickel, and now Paw Paw. Hell, even Gerald, to some extent. And while most seemed to keep their word, the Dodger incident had affected them all so tremendously that those involved could never be anything other than wary and cautious, erring on the side of suspicion. Understandably, as anyone involved would tell you. Mipsy hopped up right alongside Paw Paw, keeping pace with her. "So you from Order of Hare?" Mipsy asked, "How you meet Richardson?" "I was lost, alone, and stumbled across him back when he had just started up the group," Paw Paw said, "He needed help keeping the place going, and I was more than happy to volunteer my time for a safe place to live, it was the least I could do. I would often find other lost rabbits in the woods and bring them to the Order, so they could see for themselves if it was something they too would like to be a part of." "It safe there?" Mipsy asked, "Richardson hurt us." "He acknowledges what he did, he admits how wrong it was, and he mentioned you specifically, by name and markings and speech pattern," Paw Paw said, making Mipsy feel self conscious, before Paw Paw added in a low sweet voice, "But he never told me just how pretty you were." It took everything she had not to giggle. *** "Dodger and I, we would stand at the treeline, looking out at the lab, and we would fantasize about saving all these new rabbits and taking them somewhere safe, somewhere like this, though I don't think the two of us could've managed what you've accomplished here," Gerry said, as he and Richardson made their way into the largest chamber of the burrow and sat on the padded moss covered floor. "You're never really sure what you're capable of until you do it and find out. Take me for example. Sure, the argument could be made that I'm capable of great things because I created the Order, but the argument could also be made that I'm capable of heinous things because I betrayed you all. Until you're pushed to make that decision, you're never really sure what the outcome will actually be, and if you're able of following through on it or not." "How the hell did you get so wise?" Gerry asked, the both of them chuckling at this statement. "I guess when you spend a lot of time on your own you do a lot of introspection, and you learn a lot about life and yourself," Richardson said, "You must be hungry, I'll have someone bring in dinner for everyone." Richardson turned and, about to leave Gerry alone, stopped at the doorway when he heard his voice. "Richardson," Gerry said, "Thank you." "...we're family, as you said," he replied. *** "I'm just saying, what if he doesn't WANT to come back?" Kevin asked, and Number Two scoffed. "Listen, I know the boy's been weird lately, kinda mopey and stuff, but he wouldn't just upright abandon y'all, you know?" Number Two said, "He just...I know him well enough to know he wouldn't do that, out of anything else." "You can always claim you know what someone might do, but you're not them, so you don't really know what they-" Kevin tripped and fell face first into the dirt. After Number Two regained his composure and stopped laughing, he helped Kevin up. "You alright?" he asked, and Kevin shook himself free of dirt. "Goddamn, I guess, thankfully I tripped on it with my metal leg instead of anything real," Kevin said, "Looks like some kind of big black log." "Well, we don't have time to inspect it, we don't wanna lose the girls, come on," Number Two said, and the two of them turned tail and rushed to keep up with the ladies. But if only they'd inspected it. If only they'd taken the minute to see. To see just how very close they were to The Black Snakes.
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The Rabbit Collective follows a group of lab rabbits struggling with their purpose, and hopeful eventual escape. Archives
October 2020
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