The sunlight glinted off the metal in the lab, splintering into rays that danced across the cages, and the faces inside those cages, awakening them to yet another morning in this life. Another morning of tests. Another morning of pain. This morning, the light woke Kevin first, nearly blinding him with its brightness.
There were many rabbits in this lab; there was Kevin, who had lost his family in the woods to a fox and never wanted to open up again. But he did, eventually, to one of the Special Seven, named Ellen. She was Number Four, and she loved him for all he was. She knew, inside, he was a good rabbit, even if he had a surly attitude at times, she knew that inside he really did care about others. He just was afraid to show it after having lost what was once so important to him. And when Ellen finally died, she was afraid he'd return to being that closed off, but he didn't. He kept going, to be better, because he knew that's what she'd have wanted him to do. There was Number Six, another one of the Special Seven, who mostly spent her time with Gerald. He was the first rabbit she really became friends with when she was brought here, and he never asked her much about her work, which she appreciated. Hard enough to do it without having to dwell on it, he figured. Six was intelligent, and quiet, but she was caring, especially about Gerald, because he'd opened himself to her when she needed a friend the most, and she did the same for him. Six felt great shame, for she knew her work was helping people, and she liked it for that, but she hated what it did to her. She never felt comfortable sharing these things with Gerald, no matter how close they became. She just didn't know if he'd understand or not. Of course, there was Steve. Steve, the one who got the shortest stick of them all. The nicest rabbit you'd ever hope to meet; lighthearted and funny, always a ray of sunshine to his best friend, Kevin, and his rather gloomy moody self. Steve didn't get to stick around long enough. Steve wound up being a message, more than anything else. A message of fear, at first, but eventually a message of hope. Where once sat a story of "see what happens if you don't cooperate", now sits a story of "see what happens if you don't fight back". Steve was a martyr, no doubt, but they all knew that, really, that'd be perfectly fine for him. After all, all Steve had ever really wanted, as he'd once told Kevin, was to inspire those around him. There was Doug. Doug hadn't been utilized in a lot of tests, but he always lent a kind ear, when he could. Doug was part of the group that always stayed on the fringes, enjoyed the others company, but never really became one of them. Richardson was like that too, at the start, but he wound up becoming more valuable than anyone could've imagined, and in the end, more helpful than they ever could've expected. Mipsy, a friend of Richardsons, was another rabbit; slightly brain damaged by a test gone awry, but she didn't let it stop her, she didn't let it slow her down, and nobody around her, much less Richardson - and eventually Kevin - ever told her she was anything less because of it. If anything, the both of them always saw her as much more than they ever would be. Gerald, he was there a long time, and he'd seen all these horrors. He'd watched it happen, time and time again. A kind, introspective rabbit who only wanted better for the animals he called his friends. Gerry would do anything for you, within reason, within his power, and he was always there if you needed him. He'd lay his life on the line time and time again to save those he cared about, even if it meant nearly losing that life himself. And of course, Number Two, another one of the Special Seven, or Paul as he later asked to be called. Paul was logical, calculated, cold and almost seemingly emotionless, but as Paul watched Gerry from afar, simultaneously admiring and being confused by his strength and strong personality, his nonstop ability to keep trying even in the face of total uncertainty, Paul found that, after a while, he grew to like Gerald. Grew to like him more than he ever expected. And thankfully, Gerald felt the same way back. Now, plodding along by his side, best he could be despite all the smoke inhalation and the blazing fires around them, Paul finally, finally understood how Gerald had felt about the others all these years. Why he'd fought so very hard to protect them and save them, and give them something better. The bodies of rabbits he barely knew lay in the bloody grass around him, some shot clean through the head, others burned to death, their body barely recognizable as a body anymore, Paul finally got it. You don't do what's right because you're expected to. You do it because you're supposed to. He felt the tip of his half ear singed and he groaned, as Gerry helped him along through the field, almost at the treeline. "Gerald," Number Two said, I never understood you. I admired you, I...lord knows I admired you, but I never understood you. I don't think until seeing this amount of brutality firsthand did I really grasp how you felt. I want you to know, everything I've done, I've done for you." "I know, Paul, that's why I'm getting you out of here. We're both getting out of here," Gerry replied, both their fur covered in ash and soot, dirt and blood, stinking to high heavens of sulfur; Gerry sighed and nodded, not looking away from the treeline ahead, "We're getting out of here. That's what I promised, and that's what's happening." Number Two smiled, feeling his strength come back a bit. Gerry had in fact accomplished everything he'd set out to accomplish, and as they reached the treeline, the fire spreading around them into the forest now, Gerry started to turn and look back at the lab one final time, but Number Two touched his paw and shook his head at him. "Don't," Number Two said, "THEY aren't worth it." *** Nickel was waiting upwind a ways, spotting the fire coming at them at an alarming rate. She laid her ears back, and somehow knew Stone wasn't coming home. She sighed and looked at the rabbits behind her, the ones simply waiting for her to lead them. It was up to her now, she knew this, and she would do it to the best of her abilities. She had to. She'd promised Stone that much. "We're going to keep moving," she said loudly, "They'll find us, don't worry. Lorna will circle around, eventually we're all run into eachother. But we need to keep ahead of this fire, so keep on going. Don't stop for anything. There's a road up ahead we'll need to cross, okay? Just stay brave and we'll be fine." The group mumbled to one another, to themselves, as they turned and headed up towards the continued trajectory, while Nickel looked back towards the fire and shook her head. She wiped her eyes with her paws and exhaled. "Thanks Stone," she said softly, "I'll never forget you." *** "This smoke and smog is making everything black as hell, as if it weren't black enough already, being night!" Minerva said, "How are we gonna find our way? We can't see, and all I smell is fire! What do we do?" "We keep moving," Gerry said, as he approached them coming through the brush, Number Two at his side, "No matter what, we just keep moving. We have to get away from the fire. Has anyone seen Lorna?" "I saw her circling at one point," Dice said, "But then...but then she was shot. Last I saw her, she dove to the ground. I don't know if she ever got back up." "Christ," Gerry muttered, "Alright, well we need to-" "Where's Stone?" Number Two asked, and nobody said a thing. Not because they were sad, but because nobody, outside of Lorna, really knew what Stone had done. That she'd openly sacrificed herself for the sake of the Collective, and their freedom. "We have to move, guys, we can't wait around. That was the plan, remember? Keep going, no matter what, and eventually we'll all meet up. We always do," Gerry said, "We just have to keep-" "Gerry?" a small, weak voice cried out in the nearby darkness. They all stopped and Gerry perked his ears up. It was Mipsy, she was coming through the bushes, and she was black as ash. She didn't appear to be burnt, just colored by the remains of what was burning around them. Gerry looked at her, Number Two as well, both surprised to see her out here, alone. "Mipsy, thank goodness," Gerry said, "Paw Paw never would've forgiven me if-" "Wait, why are you...where's...where's Kevin?" Number Two asked, and Mipsy looked at the ground. Nobody knew what to say. Gerry, despite all his irritations towards his friend, had to bite his lip and ignore his grievances, to keep himself from sobbing. Not Kevin. God not Kevin. Kevin had come so far. He wanted to know what had happened, but he'd ask later, he couldn't bear to know now and they didn't have the time as it was. "We'll mourn when we have to, when we can," Gerry said, "Right now, Mipsy, you come with us and we'll get out of here, we'll...we'll go home." "What home?" Minerva asked, almost angrily, "Look around you, Gerald. There's no home anymore!" "Then we...we'll find a new home, we'll make a home!" Gerry said, "Make a home far away from all of this! But that's later! Right now we need to get out of here!" Nobody could argue with that, though Minerva and Dice certainly wanted to. So, the bunch of them together headed deeper into the burning woods, and didn't look back. Kevin was unaccounted for, hell Gerry didn't even know where Six was. He knew she'd gotten out, but where had she gone since then? God, all his friends were going. But not Mipsy, and not Number Two. No. Those ones he wouldn't allow to be taken from him, no matter what. Sad thing about life, however, is that's often not a choice you get to make. "I can barely fucking see!" Minerva said, "I have to squint just to make out the nearest rock! This is insanity, there's no way we're going to get out of here!" "There's a road a ways up," Number Two said, "Stone told me about it, she says if we just follow the edge of the woods, past where The Hollow was, we'll eventually come to the road, and if we can cross it, we'll be fine. We just need to listen for vehicles." "Great, because outrunning fire wasn't enough," Minerva mumbled, "Now I have to cross a road full of cars." A loud crack came from somewhere nearby, and they all turned to listen, then continued. Number Two, still being helped by Gerry, glanced up towards the front, where he could barely spot the orangeness of the foxes ahead of them, and he smiled. "Ladies, I know this isn't the best situation to be in, but let's try and stay civil until it's over, alright?" he asked, "For the sake of me, if nobody else?" Minerva smirked. She had to appreciate Number Two's calmness in a disaster. He was right, after all, she couldn't deny it. There'd be plenty of time to bicker later, right now, even if just for his sake, she'd keep her snide remarks to herself. Another crack, and this time the feeling of something landing nearby, the ground beneath them shaking somewhat. "These trees are old and starting to fall!" Gerry shouted, "We need to get ahead of this thing as fast as possible!" The group started running, to the best of their physical ability at this point, and swerved to avoid falling limbs and branches, sometimes entire husks of what once were trees. The cracking around them louder, the earth continuing to shake as they came down with brute force from all directions, until Number Two finally stopped and started coughing. Gerry stopped and looked at him, going back to his side and patting him on the back. "Come on man, just a bit further," Gerry said, "I know it's hard to breath right now, but we need to-" Another cracking, and this time Number Two could see it. A large tree coming down, right over the foxes. All time seemed to slow down. His heartbeat tripled, his breathing stopped in his chest, as he glanced from the trees the foxes couldn't see because of the smoke and fire, and landed his eyes on Gerrys. Number Two grabbed Gerrys face with his paws and kissed him, then took off towards the foxes. "Minerva!" he screamed, "Minerva, fucking move!" Minerva stopped, perking her ears up, and looked back at him, completely unaware of the horror about to, quite literally, befall her and Dice. Number Twos paw pads were cut and blood, tears streaming out of his eyes as he raced with all the strength he had left in his body up to them and shoved himself against them as hard as he could. The tree came down with a mighty crash, and Mipsy and Gerry stood there, aghast. "...paul?" Gerry asked, "Paul!" Gerry raced up to the tree, pushing his way through the branches, cutting himself on twigs and bark, until he came face to face with a yellow pair of eyes and screamed. It was just Minerva. She was getting up, coughing, her tail waving the dust and smoke out of their faces as she scanned the area. "Dice?" she asked, and Dice came out of the smoke behind her. "Paul!" Gerry screamed, climbing up onto the tree, ignoring the burning wood on his paws, and clambered about, looking voraciously for his friend, his lover. Minerva and Dice started nosing about, but came up empty. Gerry sat on the tree and stared off at the fire beside them, unable to form words, or even a cohesive thought. He'd just been there. He was just there. How could he be gone? Then he heard coughing, and his ears shot upright as he slid off the tree and down to the ground, racing around to the side where Paul's front half was not buried by the trunk of the tree. "Paul!" Gerry screamed, touching his face, "Don't worry, I'm...I'm gonna get you out of here! I'm gonna get you-" "Gerald," Number Two said, half chuckling, "Don't even think about it, I'm pinned. My organs are two dimensional. Besides, you don't got the time." "No, I am not leaving without you!" Gerry screamed, "I won't leave you behind." "You don't have a choice," Number Two replied, "Gerald, this isn't one you get to choose. This one was decided for you. I did what I had to. Minerva probably saved my life after going off that waterfall, and I was just returning the favor." Number Two started coughing, blood trickling down his lips, his eyes growing weaker. "You need to go, not because you can't save me, but because I...I don't want you to see me die," Number Two said, his voice turning into a shaky whisper, "...please, Gerald, I got you out of the lab, that's what I was there to do, was get you out safely, and I did it. Now please, just go." Gerald rested his forehead on Paul's, holding his paws tightly as he could. "You're the bravest rabbit I've ever known," Gerry said softly, his eyes tight, tears rolling down his face, "you...nobody will ever replace you. I don't know what I'll do without you." "You'll do what you've always done, you'll live," Number Two said. "I love you Paul." "I love you too," Number Two said. Minerva kissed Paul's forehead, Dice doing the same, and then Mipsy came up. Her eyes were watery, and she didn't know what to say or do. She looked at Gerald but some sort of cue, but he was too far into his own pain to help her. Finally, after a few moments, Mipsy cleared her throat, her voice cracking and weak, and spoke. "I...I may not be very smart," she said, "but I know one thing for sure. You are hero." Number Two smiled. "That a fact no one can tell me not true," Mipsy said, hugging him and then looking in his eyes, "Goodbye, Paul." Paul looked back at Gerry, and they hugged again. Gerry didn't want to let go, but eventually Paul started to push him off a bit, laughing lightly as he did. Gerald turned and started off with the group, continuing on their way, but he took one look back. Paul was lying there, trapped beneath that husk of a tree with the fire on all sides, and he and Gerald both hoped he'd die before the fire engulfed him. Whether or not that's how it went down was not for Gerald to know. But he did take that one look back. That one final glance, at his best friend, his lover, his partner through and through, and he smiled. Mipsy was right. Paul was a hero. *** The fire raged and raged, and seemed neverending no matter how far they got. As they got closer to where Paul had said Stone told him the road was, they could hear the cars, but it just always seemed to be a bit further than they thought it would be. This forest seemed eternal, the fire immortal. Finally they saw the light of morning through the treeline, and knew they'd made it. They all started running, laughing, knowing they were inches from freedom. "We're there!" Minerva shouted, "We're almost there! Get on my back!" She knelt down and Mipsy got on top of her back, and as they approached the treeline, they spotted a somewhat burnt Six sitting there, breathing heavily, as Nickel and the others had already crossed the road. Gerry couldn't believe his eyes. Six was here, she'd made it after all. But before he could get to the treeline, he heard it. That scream. "Gerald!" Gerry came to a screeching halt, his ears thrown upright, his head snapped back as he turned and looked towards the forest. It wasn't a hallucination, he couldn't deny what he'd heard...Kevin. Kevin was alive! Gerry turned and looked back at Minerva and the others getting ready to cross the road, and then turned back and looked at the deeper woods, then gritted his teeth but felt Mipsy grab his paw. "Mipsy?" he asked. "You no go back! You not die too!" she shouted, tears in her eyes, "Not you!" "I have to do one last thing, just go with them," Gerry said, ripping his paw away from her and tearing off back into the deep, flaming woods. As he dodged falling trees and burning bushes, he could hear the voice screaming in agony. Whatever had happened to Kevin had been bad, he could tell. Despite all their differences, their arguments and disagreements, their leadership styles clashing, he wasn't going to leave Kevin behind. Kevin was really all he had left. He would see him make it out, no matter what it took. "Kevin!" Gerry screamed, coming to a stop, coughing as he shouted again, "Kevin, keep yelling! I'm following your voice!" "Gerald?!" Kevin shrieked, and Gerry took off once more. When Gerry finally came to a large thicket of tangled branches and weeds, he found Kevin stumbling around, rubbing his face into the ground. Gerry stood there for a moment, perplexed, until he spoke and Kevin looked up. His eyes...there were black. "Kevin, what...what happened?" he asked. "I ran through the fire, I took Mipsy and ran through the fire!" he screamed, "I can't see! I can't fucking see!" "Here, grab my paw, I'm gonna lead you out of here," Gerry said, taking Kevins paw as he moaned and cried, and together they started racing back to the treeline. They could see the break of morning just moments away, the cars rushing by; the other group had already crossed the road, and they were shouting for him to join them. "Gerald, my eyes burn! I can't see anything!" Kevin screamed, sobbing in agony. "We're almost there! We're almost there!" Gerry shouted, until Kevins robotic leg snapped, and wouldn't unlock. Gerry turned back, and raced back to his side. He grabbed it with both his front paws and tugged at it, screaming loud as he could. He looked around, then spotted a good sized rock nearby. Gerry raced to the rock to grab it, deciding he'd bash the robotic leg against it until it unlocked, but as he headed back towards Kevin, rock in hand, another tree fell in between them, trapping Kevin between it and a wall of fire behind him. Kevin scrambled left and right, bumping into burning leaves and branches poking his face. "Kevin, I...I don't..." Gerry stuttered, unsure of how to fix this. "Gerry, don't leave me! Don't leave me, please!" Kevin screamed, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything! I know we fought, I know I was mean at the end, but please god don't leave me here to burn!" Gerry looked back at the road and back at Kevin, his face, ashen and burnt, peering through the snagged leaves, and then another tree came down, cutting off their view of one another entirely. Gerry stood there for a moment, before slowly setting his rock down and looking back at the tree. "Goodbye Kevin," he said, and headed towards the road, knowing there was nothing more that he could do. As he came to the roadside, he glanced at the group across the way, in the field and he took off. Halfway across the road, he swore he heard Kevins voice again, and stood up on his hind legs, glancing back, and that's when everything went wonky. For a moment, Gerry wasn't sure what happened, all he knew was he was suddenly flying through the air, his side felt crushed, and when he finally landed and rolled, he could barely move or keep his eyes open. He managed to crawl until he felt Minerva's jaws on the scruff of his neck, dragging him further into the field. Gerry was rolled onto his back, looking up at the sky, lying there in the field. His breathing was pained, his ribs felt broken, his eyesight blurred. He was losing consciousness. He could hear them making out words around him, but he couldn't tell what was being said. He looked up and saw a bird flying overhead, and he remembered his dream. The dream he'd been having for years, ever since he was in the lab. He started laughing, laughing almost damn near maniacally, and then everything went black. Kevin, meanwhile, was backed between a rock and a hot place, unsure of where to go, what to do, and all he knew was the end was closing in on him. He broke down and started sobbing, wishing it would just be over, wishing he could just see Ellen again. He punched and kicked at his robotic leg, and it finally came unsnapped, and he collapsed into a heap of sobbing inconsolable sadness. Gerry had left him. He knew it wasn't intentional, he had had no choice, but it'd still happened. Kevin backed away from the heat, or tried to, but it seemed like the heat was coming at him from every direction, licking at the edges of his fur. "Kevin?" a voice asked, and he stood up. "Who's that?" he asked, abject terror in his voice. "It's Jasmine," she said, "It's me, it's Jasmine. I got you, come on. You're gonna be okay. Just hold onto me, I can lead us out of here. When you've been blind as long as I have, you kind of need to rely on your other sense, and thankfully, I got a nose like a bloodhound." Kevin held tightly to her tail as she lead them through the fire, and eventually towards a part of the forest that, somehow, wasn't on fire. He collapsed and sobbed, as Jasmine sat and rubbed his back, rubbed his ears. "You're okay," she said. "I'm blind," Kevin whimpered, "I can't see." "Well then, looks like you'll be needing someones help teaching you how to live like that, won't you? Good thing I came along," Jasmine said, as Kevin sat up and sniffled, rubbing his paw against his nose. "You...you'll help me?" he asked, and she said she would; he continued, "I promised...Richardson...that I would find his Sister Rabbits and take over for him. Would you...would you help me do that?" "Of course, Kevin, nobody should have to be alone," Jasmine said, and for the first time in days, he smiled, genuinely, then threw himself around her, squeezing her tight, making her laugh. Gerry didn't know it, but Kevin didn't die in the woods that day. He managed to get help, and together, he and Jasmine would spend the next few weeks finding the Sister Rabbits and bringing them back to a new home they'd make together, one where they could all lead, collectively. *** Gerry opened his eyes, and saw a pair of eyes staring directly into his. He screamed, understandably, and tried to back away, but he quickly saw it was only Mipsy. She started jumping around and laughing, repeating "he's awake! he's awake!". Gerry didn't know how long he'd been out, nor where they were. They seemed to be inside a building somewhere. He sighed and tried to talk, but his voice felt hoarse. Nickel entered the area, dragging a bowl of water by a string. "You must be parched," she said, "Go ahead, this is for you." Gerry stumbled down, with some help from Mipsy, to the bowl and took a long, long drink. It was refreshing, it was almost like he'd never tasted water before, like truly tasted it. He savored every second that the cool liquid slid down his gullet, and afterwards, he finally looked around. "Where are we?" he asked, his voice low and brittle, like he hadn't spoken in weeks, "Where is this?" "We're on a farm, it's someplace Salt and Lorna found, they take care of their animals here," Paw Paw said, coming in, "Hey buddy, it's good to see you're up." "...everyone is...here? Six? Minerva?" "Everyone that made it, yeah," Paw Paw said, feeling Mipsy cuddle against her, "...seems like you came back with a lot less than what you went with. Stone never showed up, Richardson never came back." "Richardson gave his life for us," Gerry managed to say, "He...he was a good rabbit." "I know he was," Paw Paw said, "...Minerva, she...she told me what happened to Number Two. Gerald, I am so sorry. I can't imagine if something had happened to Mipsy, and I was alone now. Thank you for getting her back safely. I owe you my life." "It was nothing," Gerry said, smiling a little, coughing a bit, "...I couldn't save Kevin. I heard him, I found him, he was blind and in screaming agony but I...I couldn't save him in time." "Kevin's fine," Nickel said, surprising Gerald, "He's come by a few times to check up on you. He and Jasmine, they gathered up Richardsons Sister Rabbits and made a whole new home for themselves. He's fine, Gerry. He knows you tried, he doesn't hold any ill will against you." "God thank god he's safe," Gerry muttered, shaking his head, "...I think I need to be alone." Everyone nodded and headed out, but as they did, the young rabbit they'd met in the woods came in and looked at him. Gerry climbed back onto the haystack and nestled in as she approached. "I'm glad you came back," she said, "Sorry about your friends." "It was always a possibility they wouldn't make it, they knew that going into it," Gerry said, "...i miss him though. I miss him so much." "I miss my parents, so I know how you feel," she said. "What's your name, anyway?" Gerry asked. "Paula," she said, surprising him, then she asked, "Some rabbits were calling you a pioneer. What's a pioneer?" Gerry smiled, laughing hard deep inside at the irony of being asked this so long after asking it himself, and he stood back up. "Why don't we go ask Number Six," he said, and together, Gerry and his new adopted child Paula, headed out into the bright daylight of the farm. *** A few weeks later, after Gerry had had time to heal, he, Kevin, Six, Mipsy and Jasmine all gathered around a small mound in the middle of the forest. Kevin had taken up Steve's fourth foot from the dirt, and put it with the others, but now it was time to lay them all to rest, together, collectively. So the five of them headed along their way, to a new spot he'd picked, and together they said their goodbyes to Steve. Kevin buried Steve's feet in the cold wet ground, and patted the grave with his feet, smiling. He'd kept his promise. He'd gotten Steve back together, and out of the lab. Some say the lab was eventually rebuilt, others say THEY tried to rebuild it but ultimately figured it wasn't worth the risk. Either way, the Collective never went back. They never wanted to know what happened. The past was in the past. Gerry and his group lived on the farm, being fed by the owners, having their own children, and, Gerry personally, raising Paula and telling her all about Number Two. She really took after his personality, he found. She took it upon herself to be the best continuation of him she could be, while still being herself. Some days Gerry would go into the woods and meet with Kevin, and the two of them would walk, and talk, and laugh. Sometimes they'd visit gravesites (they'd even made one for Paul, despite not having his body), and sometimes they'd take Paula out and tell her all about their lives. They were, in fact, pioneers. THEY had, ironically enough, been right about this. They just happened to be pioneers in ways THEY hadn't expected them to be. And some say, that sometimes, really late at night, if you try hard enough, and you know the right places to go, you can see them sometimes. A group of rabbits, living their lives, enjoying their families and friends. You just have to know where to look. They might be hard to find, but they're there. Other Hollows heard the stories, the tales, the legacy they'd created, and they sought them out. Gerry finally had what he'd always wanted. A real family in a nice home. And if you so wanted, and were a rabbit, you too could join them. You just needed to know where to look. They're out there. Somewhere in the woods.
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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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