" Oh no," he sighed.
He buried his head in his hands and gazed at the mess, nearly the exact same mess as his friend had come across. Some chickens were ripped apart, and at least five more had been a little hurt, but enough that it was deadly. Ten chickens had been killed. As he stepped in the blood running from the carcasses, he got disgusted and a little nauseous by seeing this horrific massacre.
But the danger was gone. Whatever or whoever did it, had left. James looked around, but despite the moonlight, he could not see anything or anyone that looked suspicious.
" Is that all you've got?!!" he shouted. "Come and show yourself, stupid animal!”
It was dead quiet, so after a while, James went back and reported the dreadful news. The predator had struck again.
Chapter 2: The Way You See It
The next morning, half the town came to watch James's poor dead chickens. Dylan appeared and saw a big crowd standing around in James's yard. They were looking at the body parts that were spread right across the chicken coops. James had gathered everybody to take a look and examine the criminal offense. The discussion had just started when Dylan arrived.
" Does anyone have an idea who or what may have done this?" James asked.
" Well, I can tell you one thing," a young man says, "this ain't no ocelot, nor a wolf. They do not attack anything unless they eat what they kill."
" If it isn't a regular predator, as you are saying, then what is it?" James asked.
" What if someone in the town did it, just to get people upset?" lady suggested.
" That could be true," James said. "But I can't think of anyone who would do such a thing."
Dylan was listening intently, since his chickens had become the victims of this abhorrent criminal offense 2 nights ago. The people thought of ideas, suggestions, and even some accusations, but none of them understood the nature of the crime, nor the motive anybody or any animal could have to just kill chickens and after that leave them there. Everybody was stunned, and after some more pointless arguments, they all became silent.
All of a sudden, a voice from the back of the crowd broke the silence.
" I've been telling you," it said. "I have been telling you for many years."
Everybody stepped aside and turned to the man who claimed to know more. He was wearing a hoody and was leaning on a walking stick. And although his face was somewhat hidden beneath the hoody, his eyes were piercing and intense.
" What have you been telling us?" lady wished to know.
" I told you about the killer bunnies," he said. "But nobody listened. And now it struck again."
Everyone looked at each other for a second, and when the time out was over, they all break out laughing. Some were cracking up so badly that they almost tipped over.
" A killer bunny?" someone asked.
" Bunnies don't kill, old man. They eat carrots and lettuce. Have you ever seen this so-called killer bunny?"
" I have seen it," the old man validates. "But I wouldn't look for it if I were you. It's dangerous."
" Ha-ha-ha!”
The crowd scolded him. It seemed like an outrageous principle. Predator rabbits were unusual, but the man firmly insisted that he knew what he saw.
" Mark my words," the old man cautioned. "It will not be the last time it will kill. It will be back."
" Then we'll just kill it," Dylan said. "Where do we find it?"
" Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," the old man said. "You cannot fight this beast. Its teeth and claws are sharp, and it has a bloodlust you are not knowledgeable about. My best guidance: Stay inside and put better fences around your animals. Maybe even set some traps, but I question the killer bunny will be silly enough to step into them."
" Thanks," Dylan said, a little dissatisfied that he could not get more information out of him.
Chapter 3: The Confrontation
Dylan returned home. He knew everybody was laughing at the old man with the hoody, but for some reason, he believed him. What a ridiculous idea! A killer bunny? Who had ever heard of such a thing? But what if the man was right? What if it held true? He could not think of any other predator that would murder his and his friend's chickens this way.
A killer bunny? Really?
He poured himself a cup of tea again and sat there, thinking of what to do. "Those are my chickens," he said in a low voice. "I have to safeguard them."
That night, Dylan put down right outside the chicken pen. His axe was next to him, so he could quickly grab it if he had to. The sun was setting and it was practically dark. Crickets were chirping, the wind blew, and an eerie fog came over the farmlands. But Dylan was ready.
" Let come what may," he said.
He waited and waited. The moonlight illuminated some of the ground, yet Dylan stayed in the shade, hidden from any trespassers that could come that night. The waiting made him tired. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He got comfortable and lay back, with his head leaning sideways.
He fell asleep.
The hours passed, and nothing occurred.
Nothing for hours and hours ...
All of a sudden, Dylan heard a sound. It was a chicken. He grabbed his axe and ran towards the pen, but he was far too late.
One of the chickens was dead, slashed through by some predator. Dylan's heart began beating much faster. He knew the predator was still around. He looked to the right and to the left, he ran into the field, regardless of the misty air, and scanned the horizon.
There!
In the distance, there were too glimmering eyes, looking straight at him. Dylan ran towards the creature and stopped. In front of him was a white bunny with red, glowing eyes. Its facial expression was wild and vicious. Its claws were long and sharp, and the bunny was showing its teeth and roaring a little.
" Whoa," Dylan said. He had never seen anything like it before. He stared at it, and it looked back. Then Dylan performed at the bunny with his axe, but as soon as the bunny saw him coming, it hopped into the bushes. Dylan kept looking.
" Come back, you coward! Afraid of an axe?!" he screamed.
But there was nothing else he could do. Dylan looked a bit longer and after that gave up. The killer bunny was gone.
Chapter 4: Taken by the Wind
When Dylan went to James the next day, his good friend could hardly actually believe it. "So the old man was right then?" James asked.
" Yes, he was. I saw it with my own eyes."
" Wow. Who would have thought that those things existed? Anyway, what are we going to do now?"
" Kill it, of course," Dylan said.
" I agree, but how?"
" I do not know; just bring a weapon and enough supplies for our trip. The old man would not tell me where to find the bunny, but perhaps he can give us a general direction."
" Sure, but how do we find the old man?" James asked.
" You don't have to. He found you," a voice said.
They turned around and saw the man with the walking cane. A little shocked that he would show up like this, out of the blue, they asked him where to try to find the killer bunny.
" Do not say I didn't alert you," he said. "I am certain you will die if you go try to find it, but if you want, I can still tell you where I think it hides."
" That would be extremely handy," Dylan said.
" I've heard they live at the foot of the mountains. That way," the man said, pointing in a certain direction.
" They?" Dylan asked. "What do you mean? Are there really more than one?"
" Oh, I do not know that," the old man said. "Perhaps not, but I can't ensure that there is only one. Who knows how many of those monsters there are?"
" Okay, thanks," Dylan said. "Come on, James. Let's get going. We will find the killer bunnies and make them regret what they did."
James followed Dylan to his home. They got as much equipment together as they could carry, but they still tried to keep their bags light. James brought a net to drag the bunny back when they would capt
ure it, and he put some food in his bag as well. Dylan loaded a bow and arrows, matches, and his axe.
They took off, walking through the forest into the mountain areas. Initially, everything appeared peachy. There was no risk, there were no wild animals, and a path led them to the foot of the biggest mountain in that area.
" What did it appear like?" James asked after a while. "You got a look at the killer bunny, right? What did it appear like?"
" White with red eyes," Dylan answered. "It was as if the devil himself had seized that bunny's body. When it looked at me, it was as if it was looking right through me with those hollow, red eyes that shone in the dark. Creepy, I tell ya."
" The more reason to get rid of it," James said. "I don't want such wicked things around my house, even if they do not kill any chickens."
" It shouldn't be too far," Dylan assumed. "The old man said the bunny went into the mountains. Sure, that may be so, but I don't think it went too far away, only to make a long trip to the farms each time."
" I think you're right," James said. "We must keep our eyes open. Its home could be anywhere near here."
They kept walking, and the wind ended up being stronger. Some branches were already zipping and the soft breeze became heavy gusts of wind, pulling bushes out of the ground and making the environment unsafe. A storm was coming, and it wasn't going to be fun.
" This is just going to get even worse," Dylan said. "Do you see the clouds? We need to find some shelter."
" Well, we're nearly at the foot of the mountain," James said.
" Perhaps there is a spot or a cave where we can hide. Some rocks, some ledge, or something else ... what do you think?"
" I think that's an exceptional idea. Let's keep moving!”
The 2 of them headed into the direction of the mountain and found a cavern in the mountain. It took them a while to find it, but with the strong wind, they figured they had no time to lose, so they hurried and went inside as quick as they could.
There they were, sitting and watching the storm do all sorts of things to the trees, the bushes, and the sand at the bottom. The 2 friends weren't certain if they could call this a "hurricane," but it sure came close to it. They had never seen a wind as strong as this, and James said that if he didn't know any better, he would have seen it as a bad omen.
" Shall we go inside the cavern?" James asked after several minutes.
" Let's just hide behind this rock," Dylan suggested. "There is only a small chance something will blow our way, and the cavern is pitch black."
" Then just light a match and make a torch," James said.
" I would rather wait till the storm is gone," Dylan said. "The wind could burn out the fire."
" I guess so."
They waited and waited. It took several hours, and the farmers ate a little snack. Just for fun, James told some jokes he had heard from his kids, who had heard them from good friends at school.
The storm was nearly over. Quickly, they would go inside the cave.
Chapter 5: No Ordinary Rabbit
" Now, can we light a torch and go inside the cave? I am extremely curious," James said.
" Naturally," Dylan said.
He took the matches out of his pocket and used some dry branches to light a torch. When he was done, he held the torch up and handed it to James.
Dylan put the matches back and took his bow and arrows. "You never know what is in this cave," he said. "Proceed and light the way. I'll be prepared if there is a bear or a cougar or something in this cave."
They snuck farther and farther into the unfamiliar cavern. They felt the rocky ground beneath their feet. In some cases they looked at each other, and James moved the torch around a lot. He was a little nervous.
Suddenly, he stepped on something. "What is that?" he asked.
He moved the torch to the ground. It was a pig skeleton.
" Whoa!" James said as he stepped back. When he held the torch in front of him, at a low level, he saw that this was only the tip of the iceberg. Dylan' and James's mouths fell open when they saw a big pile of animal bones and skulls, scattered all over the cave. There were horse skulls, bones from wolves, and cat cadavers.
" There must be lots of them," Dylan said. "Have you ever seen such a thing?"
" Never," James said. "This is shocking. Bunnies don't do this. What triggered these charming, fluffy animals to become huge murder machines? It's a massacre. Look at all these skeletons!"
" There is only one thing that could have made them this way," Dylan said. "It's pure evil, that's what it is."
" Let's get out of here," James said. "I do not feel comfortable staying here. I am glad we found their hideout, but I am a little hesitant to combat this bunny after seeing this."
" You still think it's only one killer bunny?" Dylan asked.
" There must be more of them. This is insane!" James exclaimed.
They moved back to the entrance of the cavern, wishing to get out of there alive. But when they left the cavern, they stood face to face with something frightening ...
Chapter 6: Murderous and Fluffy
The two farmers couldn't actually believe their eyes. It was like they were waiting for them ... waiting ... to damage!
In front of the duo were about twenty bunnies, all with radiant, red eyes, sharp claws, and grinding teeth. Their appearance was sloppy and wild. The destructive appearance in their eyes was both cooling and sickening at the exact same time. Bloodthirst appeared in their temperament, and they were all set to attack.
But none of them were white.
They were all brown, black, and grey.
" These are not the ones I saw," Dylan said while leaning over to his good friend.
" What do you mean?"
" I mean that I saw a white bunny, remember? There must be another one."
" Oh come on," James said. "You must have seen it wrong. It was dark. It was foggy. You said so yourself."
" I know what I saw. There is another one."
" Well, I do not see it now," James said, "so let's just focus on these, shall we?"
" You got it," Dylan said as he put an arrow on his bow and extended it back. James took the axe and was all set for battle as well. There they were, standing face to face with more than a dozen killer bunnies who were drooling and gnashing their teeth, anticipating to devour some flesh.
" Come on!" Dylan all of a sudden shouted. "Come on, if you dare!"
He shot an arrow and killed one of the harsh bunnies. The other bunnies didn't think twice and hopped towards the two farmers. Dylan kept stepping back and shooting more arrows, and James swung the axe he was holding at the monstrous rabbits.
" Take that! And that! And that!" he said whenever he killed another bunny.
Some of the bunnies came too close and scratched the 2 heroes, triggering them to bleed. They tried to ignore their injuries and finish the predators off. Hacking and slashing, shooting and kicking, the 2 managed to kill the majority of the bunnies. There were only three left.
" Duck!" Dylan said.
James ducked and evaded Dylan's arrow that way. After that, James swung back his axe and made it land in the other two bunnies.
" That was that," James said. "We're done here."
" Don't be so quick to celebrate," Dylan said. "I told you there was another one. But where is it?"
They took a look around for a minute.
" There!" James suddenly screamed.
Chapter 7: Eating It
James was pointing at the white bunny, which jumped from one of the rocks that became part of the mountain. Before it landed on the ground, beside Dylan, it scratched him with his claws.
" Ouch!" Dylan said, dropping his weapon.
" Dylan!" James screamed. "Foolish bunny. You're going to pay for that!"
" Go get him, James!" his partner screamed. He was injured, but he was okay, only bleeding a little from his shoulder.
James held his axe in front of him. The white killer bunny was
bigger than the other ones. It looked at James, aware of the weapon he was holding. Then it jumped at him, trying to cut him open with its claws.
James ducked again, but this time, he thought of the idea of doing so himself. He watched the bunny dive over him and swung his axe at him.
Tsyaaaaaack!
It hit the bunny, which died quickly. James had killed the killer bunny.
" That's disgusting," Dylan said when he looked at the dead bunny on the ground.
" Yes, but it's dead," James said.
" Certainly it is," Dylan said. "Well, what now?"
" Have you forgotten why I took the net?" James asked.
" Oh yeah, why did you take that net anyhow?"
" In contrast to the bunnies' bloodlust, I do not mind eating the victims I kill," James said.
" Ha-ha-ha! Good one! You're going to eat these bunnies? What if they have some evil force in them that made them the way they are?"
" I am willing to take that risk. You?"
Dylan thought for a moment. Although he had not the slightest idea why these bunnies had become so wicked and relentless, he wasn't superstitious enough to think that there was an actual wicked force in them. So he shrugged and said, "Sure. Let's get them into the web. We'll cook them in the house."
They gathered all the bunny bodies and put them into the net. After they were done, they headed home.
" Hey, James," Dylan said. "Do you know any bunny dishes?"
" I am certain my spouse will know some," he said. "We haven't had bunny for supper in years. By the way, I heard it complements peppermint leafs, so you should be great. The question is: Who is going to take the huge, white one home? That one has one of the most meat on it, doesn't it?"
" Ha-ha!" Dylan laughed. "You can have it."
" Thanks. I really appreciate that."
THE END
The Standoff
Anthology of Horror Stories Page 13