Rachel Round 2
Round 2: The Confrontation
Two weeks went by, and Joe and I got to know each other a bit better while we tried to survive in the now desolate wasteland that used to be Sim City. From what we could tell, the Social Bunnies killed everyone in their path, leaving bodies to rot where they had died... Then we realized something: there were no dead children! I suppose they could have hidden or escaped, but if the Bunnies really meant to kill everyone, they would have gotten hold of some kids. I knew, when Joe told me they kidnapped his little brother, that the Social Bunnies had a goal. This further evidence just confirmed that fact.
Eventually, we came across an old warehouse or factory, and happened to spy one of the Social Bunnies through the window. The place was completely surrounded with a chain-link fence, making it quite suspicious. I handed my gun to Joe and started climbing.
"Wait! Wh-what are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" I said, rolling my eyes. Joe was a nice guy, and pretty tough physically, but he was such a baby! I got up to the top and jumped down on the other side. "There, now toss me the guns."
"We can't go in there! It could be dangerous!" protested Joe.
I sighed. "Do you want to find out where your brother might be, or not? There must be something in there that will give us some clues."
Joe frowned, but did as he was told. When he climbed over, too, we tiptoed up the front steps and looked in through the door. There was no one to be found. I passed the pistol to Joe.
"Coast is clear," I whispered. "Let's go."
There were bars on the door, but ironically, it was unlocked. Guess they weren't expecting visitors.
The place looked like it hadn't been used in years. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere, and the whole place just looked pretty much trashed. I kept my gun cocked, just in case.
"How come I get the girly one?" asked Joe, looking sadly at his weapon.
"Because you also have a knife... And, because you can't shoot for beans."
"This is true," he agreed.
In the middle of the room stood two rusty old work-benches used for making mechanical parts and machines. Though they looked practically ancient, there was less dust on them than on everything else. Looking down, I noticed round footprints in the dust on the floor. Bunny tracks.
(Resists the urge to say, "I'm hunting wabbits!")
They led out one door and into the stair-well. I beckoned to Joe and we went down together. At the bottom, there was just one door. It had a "no entry" sign on it. The footprints clearly led into this room. I could hear rustling. Something was in there.
"The door's locked," I said. "Here, hold my gun, and I'll pick the lock."
It took a few seconds, but I got it open. Beyond the door was not what I expected.
Besides the Social Bunny, there were two kids in the room: a little boy with dirty brown hair, and a little black girl who looked like she had busted her lip.
"Jake!" Joe gasped, pulling both guns on the giant pink rabbit.
The Social Bunny turned to face us with its hand on the switch. Then it spoke, with a mechanical voice that made my blood turn to ice.
"Don't move, or the boy dies!"
Both of us froze. I had never heard a Social Bunny speak. I didn't think they could! Usually, they just mimed stuff and stayed silent. It made me wonder... what were Social Bunnies, really? I had a feeling I didn't want to know the answer.
I fumbled for my gun, then realized I had given it to Joe. Damn. I could feel him behind me, shaking with fear.
"Joe! Just shoot him!" I yelled.
"Jake! I found you! I thought you were dead!"
Jake didn't respond. He looked pretty much out of it.
The Social Bunny smirked, a truly evil look. "Kill your friend, and I'll let the boy go."
I didn't think Joe was capable of such a thing, but I guess I didn't know him well enough. He turned the gun on me, aiming right at my face.
"Joe, he's lying!"
"But... Jake... I--I have to! I'm sorry, Rachel..."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of pink.
"Joe, look out!!"
Joe turned to look, but he was too late. The Social Bunny grabbed him and slammed him to the ground. His head hit the cement floor with a loud, sickening crack. He lay there, not moving.
It was too much for me. I grabbed both guns and pumped that pink sucker full of lead, screaming at the top of my lungs! I kept firing until my brain finally realized that the clicking noise meant there were no more bullets. Then, I dropped the guns and fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face.
Joe was such an idiot, but I had grown attached to him. It hadn't really bothered me much when my family died, because I wasn't close to any of them. Sure, it was sad, but this was different. This was like ripping out pieces of my soul! An actual, physical pain, deep in the center of my body. I don't know how long I sat there, sobbing. Time sort of disappeared.
Finally, there were no more tears to cry. When I looked up, the two kids were staring back at me sadly. Jake, too, was crying, but the tears were dried on his face now. I didn't really know what to do.
"Um... Hi, I'm Rachel," I said numbly.
Jake nodded. "I'm Jake."
"I'm Lacey," said the little girl.
I couldn't leave them there, so I decided to take them with me. Now I have two kids tagging along wherever I go. They didn't know anything about what the Social Bunnies were doing to them, but I'm much closer to solving the puzzle. The question is, at what price?
Two weeks went by, and Joe and I got to know each other a bit better while we tried to survive in the now desolate wasteland that used to be Sim City. From what we could tell, the Social Bunnies killed everyone in their path, leaving bodies to rot where they had died... Then we realized something: there were no dead children! I suppose they could have hidden or escaped, but if the Bunnies really meant to kill everyone, they would have gotten hold of some kids. I knew, when Joe told me they kidnapped his little brother, that the Social Bunnies had a goal. This further evidence just confirmed that fact.
Eventually, we came across an old warehouse or factory, and happened to spy one of the Social Bunnies through the window. The place was completely surrounded with a chain-link fence, making it quite suspicious. I handed my gun to Joe and started climbing.
"Wait! Wh-what are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" I said, rolling my eyes. Joe was a nice guy, and pretty tough physically, but he was such a baby! I got up to the top and jumped down on the other side. "There, now toss me the guns."
"We can't go in there! It could be dangerous!" protested Joe.
I sighed. "Do you want to find out where your brother might be, or not? There must be something in there that will give us some clues."
Joe frowned, but did as he was told. When he climbed over, too, we tiptoed up the front steps and looked in through the door. There was no one to be found. I passed the pistol to Joe.
"Coast is clear," I whispered. "Let's go."
There were bars on the door, but ironically, it was unlocked. Guess they weren't expecting visitors.
The place looked like it hadn't been used in years. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere, and the whole place just looked pretty much trashed. I kept my gun cocked, just in case.
"How come I get the girly one?" asked Joe, looking sadly at his weapon.
"Because you also have a knife... And, because you can't shoot for beans."
"This is true," he agreed.
In the middle of the room stood two rusty old work-benches used for making mechanical parts and machines. Though they looked practically ancient, there was less dust on them than on everything else. Looking down, I noticed round footprints in the dust on the floor. Bunny tracks.
(Resists the urge to say, "I'm hunting wabbits!")
They led out one door and into the stair-well. I beckoned to Joe and we went down together. At the bottom, there was just one door. It had a "no entry" sign on it. The footprints clearly led into this room. I could hear rustling. Something was in there.
"The door's locked," I said. "Here, hold my gun, and I'll pick the lock."
It took a few seconds, but I got it open. Beyond the door was not what I expected.
Besides the Social Bunny, there were two kids in the room: a little boy with dirty brown hair, and a little black girl who looked like she had busted her lip.
"Jake!" Joe gasped, pulling both guns on the giant pink rabbit.
The Social Bunny turned to face us with its hand on the switch. Then it spoke, with a mechanical voice that made my blood turn to ice.
"Don't move, or the boy dies!"
Both of us froze. I had never heard a Social Bunny speak. I didn't think they could! Usually, they just mimed stuff and stayed silent. It made me wonder... what were Social Bunnies, really? I had a feeling I didn't want to know the answer.
I fumbled for my gun, then realized I had given it to Joe. Damn. I could feel him behind me, shaking with fear.
"Joe! Just shoot him!" I yelled.
"Jake! I found you! I thought you were dead!"
Jake didn't respond. He looked pretty much out of it.
The Social Bunny smirked, a truly evil look. "Kill your friend, and I'll let the boy go."
I didn't think Joe was capable of such a thing, but I guess I didn't know him well enough. He turned the gun on me, aiming right at my face.
"Joe, he's lying!"
"But... Jake... I--I have to! I'm sorry, Rachel..."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of pink.
"Joe, look out!!"
Joe turned to look, but he was too late. The Social Bunny grabbed him and slammed him to the ground. His head hit the cement floor with a loud, sickening crack. He lay there, not moving.
It was too much for me. I grabbed both guns and pumped that pink sucker full of lead, screaming at the top of my lungs! I kept firing until my brain finally realized that the clicking noise meant there were no more bullets. Then, I dropped the guns and fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face.
Joe was such an idiot, but I had grown attached to him. It hadn't really bothered me much when my family died, because I wasn't close to any of them. Sure, it was sad, but this was different. This was like ripping out pieces of my soul! An actual, physical pain, deep in the center of my body. I don't know how long I sat there, sobbing. Time sort of disappeared.
Finally, there were no more tears to cry. When I looked up, the two kids were staring back at me sadly. Jake, too, was crying, but the tears were dried on his face now. I didn't really know what to do.
"Um... Hi, I'm Rachel," I said numbly.
Jake nodded. "I'm Jake."
"I'm Lacey," said the little girl.
I couldn't leave them there, so I decided to take them with me. Now I have two kids tagging along wherever I go. They didn't know anything about what the Social Bunnies were doing to them, but I'm much closer to solving the puzzle. The question is, at what price?