WARNING: There are graphic depictions of violence and cruelty in this chapter. Read at your own risk.
It was quiet in the lab that morning. They could hear rain falling on the roof, and knew they'd probably be having a rather uneventful day. Gerry and Six were huddled to the edges of their cages, their noses almost touching through the bars, both asleep in the warm hay. Doug was passed out in the middle of his own cage, on his back, his ear twitching. But Kevin...Kevin wasn't getting any sleep. He sat there, staring at the doors, wishing he could make any sort of attempt to run. To run as far away as possible. Would he even come back for them? He didn't really consider them his 'friends'. No, he probably wouldn't, he decided, he'd just hop until his legs could hop no longer.
He'd been up all night again, trying to process what he'd seen a few days before. Steve's feet. Just dangling around the lab workers necks, like pieces of gaudy overpriced jewelry. One even put it on their bag, with a clip on. It was enough to make Kevin sick...and all he wanted to do was rest but everytime he shut his eyes, he could see them again. He heard the lab doors open, and he saw Fern plod her way inside. He glanced down at her, and she wouldn't look up at him, her ears low and back.
"What's wrong?" he finally asked, and she mumbled.
"I hope you can forgive me," she said softly.
"Forgive you?" Kevin asked, "You haven't done anything to us. You've been our friend."
"Just promise me you'll forgive me," she muttered, "I have to do it. I have no choice."
"Do wha-" Kevin started, but that ended quickly as it began because a scientist swept into the room, opened the top of his cage and reached in, wrapping their hand around him and lifting him out. He kicked and struggled, as everyone else woke up and looked around, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. Six was the first to wake, and she scrambled to the front of her cage, watching this sight. She turned and looked at Gerry.
"They have Kevin!" she whispered, and his eyes fluttered open.
"What?" he asked.
"They have Kevin! They're taking him somewhere!" she repeated, and Gerry rushed to the front of his cage. He looked around for any way to get out, but knew there was none. He watched the scientist reach for the door that led to Jasmines room, and he knew that if he didn't get out now, he wouldn't be able to follow them through that door once it closed. They held the door open and Fern walked into the room, and they started in. Just then Dodger scrambled up onto the cage from the air vent and started to pull the front cage door latch open. It unhinged, came loose, and the door swung wide open. Gerry nodded, thanking him, as he and Dodger raced down the lab counter as quietly as they could and hopped onto the floor, then scrambled in right behind the scientists feet as the door came closing behind them. They quickly hopped behind a nearby counter. The scientist walked across the room and put Kevin into another cage, and told Fern to sit and wait. Gerry looked up at the cage on the counter above them, then down at Dodger.
"Scurry up there and talk to the girl rabbit. Her name is Jasmine. She might know what this is about," he whispered, and Dodger nodded, then hurried up the counter. He stopped at the bars of the cage, clinging on with his paws, and looking through.
"Hello?" he whispered, "Jasmine?"
Jasmine turned and looked in his direction.
"Who's that?"
"My name is Dodger. I'm a friend of Gerrys," Dodger said, "They've brought a friend of ours in here, along with the dog...what is this about?"
Jasmine shook her head and lowered her ears.
"You shouldn't have come," she said softly.
"What?"
"You should've stayed in your cage," she said, "This was a mistake. You don't want to see this."
The scientist leaned down to Fern and scratched behind her ears, then put a needle to her neck and slowly injected her with something. Dodger grimaced, and looked from this sight back to Jasmine.
"What are they doing?" he asked.
"Something very, very bad," Jasmine replied.
The scientist took Fern by the scruff of her neck, and led her into a small pen that was in the back of the room. She waited, as he closed the door to the pen, and within seconds she started growling and snarling and scratching at the pen door. The scientist walked back to Kevin and picked him back up. He struggled and kicked, and his eyes met Gerrys. Gerry lowered his ears, knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do for his friend. The scientist opened a small slot on the pen door and reached through, plopping Kevin down. He didn't move. He just sat there, shuddering, looking at the bared teeth of a dog he once considered his friend.
"Fern?" he asked quietly, "Fern, it's me. What's wrong? What did they do to you?"
She approached slowly, not speaking a word, just continuing to snarl and slobber. Kevin backed up against the pen door, and within seconds she lunged at him and Kevin took off under her legs and through the pen. Dodger looked away from this sight back to Jasmine, who'd laid down now.
"There has to be something we can do!" he said, and she sighed.
"Don't you get it yet? There's nothing you can do," Jasmine said, "You just have to let it happen."
Kevin skidded across the pen floor and slammed into the back wall, just as he looked in time to see Fern lunging at him again, and he took off in another direction. She turned, her claws scraping against the floor, and her jaws snapped shut around one of his back legs. Kevin screamed in agony as he felt her teeth sink in through his leg, past the bones. He kicked at her with his other back leg, begging her to stop, but she held him down with her front paws and started gnawing his leg clean off, pulling and chewing, blood spilling out onto the floor. Gerry and Dodger watched in horror, mortified that they could no nothing to help him. Jasmine laid on her side.
"It's times like this I'm glad I'm blind, but the sounds still are hard to listen to," she said.
Through the pain, and his failing eyesight, Kevin looked down at Fern as she was now working on his other leg, his first one laying bloody and discarded on the pen floor, and he remembered what she'd said right before he'd been taken from his cage. This wasn't her fault. THEY made her do this. He was starting to lose consciousness, and could barely move. A few seconds later, the pain subsided, and he could hear the scientist dragging Fern away. A few seconds after that he could hear her crying, whining, asking how she could've done this. Asking why THEY make her do these things. A few seconds after that, Kevin was picked up and he passed out. Dodger looked back into Jasmines cage.
"What did they do to her?" he asked.
"They gave her rabies, and then they gave her a shot to to clear it up," Jasmine said, "They do this every now and then, trying to better vaccines for the public. Seems your friend was the unlucky one this time."
Dodger shook his head and climbed back down to Gerry. Neither one said a word. They just waited for the scientist to open the door back up, and they quickly scrambled back into the other room, Fern plodding out in front of them and sitting down in front of Kevins cage. Gerry got back up to his cage by a few hops on small countertops, and Dodger quickly scrambled up next to him, as all the rabbits looked at Fern; blood dripping off her snout and down her legs.
"What the heck happened?" Six asked.
"Fern is a murderer," Dodger said, "This dog you all think is your friend is a killer."
"No!" Fern said, "I'm not! THEY make me do it! I don't want to hurt any of you! You are my friends!"
"Don't believe a single thing she says," Dodger said, "She'll tear your legs off too!"
Six and Doug went and laid back down, while Gerry stood and looked at Fern. Their eyes connected, and for a moment, she thought she still might have an ally. Then Gerry too lowered his head and headed to the back of his cage. Dodger crawled up to the air vent as Fern looked up at him. After he disappeared, she laid on the floor and cried for hours. Nobody saw Kevin for days. Nobody even knew if he was alive.
Fern didn't come back into the lab for a while.
It was quiet in the lab that morning. They could hear rain falling on the roof, and knew they'd probably be having a rather uneventful day. Gerry and Six were huddled to the edges of their cages, their noses almost touching through the bars, both asleep in the warm hay. Doug was passed out in the middle of his own cage, on his back, his ear twitching. But Kevin...Kevin wasn't getting any sleep. He sat there, staring at the doors, wishing he could make any sort of attempt to run. To run as far away as possible. Would he even come back for them? He didn't really consider them his 'friends'. No, he probably wouldn't, he decided, he'd just hop until his legs could hop no longer.
He'd been up all night again, trying to process what he'd seen a few days before. Steve's feet. Just dangling around the lab workers necks, like pieces of gaudy overpriced jewelry. One even put it on their bag, with a clip on. It was enough to make Kevin sick...and all he wanted to do was rest but everytime he shut his eyes, he could see them again. He heard the lab doors open, and he saw Fern plod her way inside. He glanced down at her, and she wouldn't look up at him, her ears low and back.
"What's wrong?" he finally asked, and she mumbled.
"I hope you can forgive me," she said softly.
"Forgive you?" Kevin asked, "You haven't done anything to us. You've been our friend."
"Just promise me you'll forgive me," she muttered, "I have to do it. I have no choice."
"Do wha-" Kevin started, but that ended quickly as it began because a scientist swept into the room, opened the top of his cage and reached in, wrapping their hand around him and lifting him out. He kicked and struggled, as everyone else woke up and looked around, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. Six was the first to wake, and she scrambled to the front of her cage, watching this sight. She turned and looked at Gerry.
"They have Kevin!" she whispered, and his eyes fluttered open.
"What?" he asked.
"They have Kevin! They're taking him somewhere!" she repeated, and Gerry rushed to the front of his cage. He looked around for any way to get out, but knew there was none. He watched the scientist reach for the door that led to Jasmines room, and he knew that if he didn't get out now, he wouldn't be able to follow them through that door once it closed. They held the door open and Fern walked into the room, and they started in. Just then Dodger scrambled up onto the cage from the air vent and started to pull the front cage door latch open. It unhinged, came loose, and the door swung wide open. Gerry nodded, thanking him, as he and Dodger raced down the lab counter as quietly as they could and hopped onto the floor, then scrambled in right behind the scientists feet as the door came closing behind them. They quickly hopped behind a nearby counter. The scientist walked across the room and put Kevin into another cage, and told Fern to sit and wait. Gerry looked up at the cage on the counter above them, then down at Dodger.
"Scurry up there and talk to the girl rabbit. Her name is Jasmine. She might know what this is about," he whispered, and Dodger nodded, then hurried up the counter. He stopped at the bars of the cage, clinging on with his paws, and looking through.
"Hello?" he whispered, "Jasmine?"
Jasmine turned and looked in his direction.
"Who's that?"
"My name is Dodger. I'm a friend of Gerrys," Dodger said, "They've brought a friend of ours in here, along with the dog...what is this about?"
Jasmine shook her head and lowered her ears.
"You shouldn't have come," she said softly.
"What?"
"You should've stayed in your cage," she said, "This was a mistake. You don't want to see this."
The scientist leaned down to Fern and scratched behind her ears, then put a needle to her neck and slowly injected her with something. Dodger grimaced, and looked from this sight back to Jasmine.
"What are they doing?" he asked.
"Something very, very bad," Jasmine replied.
The scientist took Fern by the scruff of her neck, and led her into a small pen that was in the back of the room. She waited, as he closed the door to the pen, and within seconds she started growling and snarling and scratching at the pen door. The scientist walked back to Kevin and picked him back up. He struggled and kicked, and his eyes met Gerrys. Gerry lowered his ears, knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do for his friend. The scientist opened a small slot on the pen door and reached through, plopping Kevin down. He didn't move. He just sat there, shuddering, looking at the bared teeth of a dog he once considered his friend.
"Fern?" he asked quietly, "Fern, it's me. What's wrong? What did they do to you?"
She approached slowly, not speaking a word, just continuing to snarl and slobber. Kevin backed up against the pen door, and within seconds she lunged at him and Kevin took off under her legs and through the pen. Dodger looked away from this sight back to Jasmine, who'd laid down now.
"There has to be something we can do!" he said, and she sighed.
"Don't you get it yet? There's nothing you can do," Jasmine said, "You just have to let it happen."
Kevin skidded across the pen floor and slammed into the back wall, just as he looked in time to see Fern lunging at him again, and he took off in another direction. She turned, her claws scraping against the floor, and her jaws snapped shut around one of his back legs. Kevin screamed in agony as he felt her teeth sink in through his leg, past the bones. He kicked at her with his other back leg, begging her to stop, but she held him down with her front paws and started gnawing his leg clean off, pulling and chewing, blood spilling out onto the floor. Gerry and Dodger watched in horror, mortified that they could no nothing to help him. Jasmine laid on her side.
"It's times like this I'm glad I'm blind, but the sounds still are hard to listen to," she said.
Through the pain, and his failing eyesight, Kevin looked down at Fern as she was now working on his other leg, his first one laying bloody and discarded on the pen floor, and he remembered what she'd said right before he'd been taken from his cage. This wasn't her fault. THEY made her do this. He was starting to lose consciousness, and could barely move. A few seconds later, the pain subsided, and he could hear the scientist dragging Fern away. A few seconds after that he could hear her crying, whining, asking how she could've done this. Asking why THEY make her do these things. A few seconds after that, Kevin was picked up and he passed out. Dodger looked back into Jasmines cage.
"What did they do to her?" he asked.
"They gave her rabies, and then they gave her a shot to to clear it up," Jasmine said, "They do this every now and then, trying to better vaccines for the public. Seems your friend was the unlucky one this time."
Dodger shook his head and climbed back down to Gerry. Neither one said a word. They just waited for the scientist to open the door back up, and they quickly scrambled back into the other room, Fern plodding out in front of them and sitting down in front of Kevins cage. Gerry got back up to his cage by a few hops on small countertops, and Dodger quickly scrambled up next to him, as all the rabbits looked at Fern; blood dripping off her snout and down her legs.
"What the heck happened?" Six asked.
"Fern is a murderer," Dodger said, "This dog you all think is your friend is a killer."
"No!" Fern said, "I'm not! THEY make me do it! I don't want to hurt any of you! You are my friends!"
"Don't believe a single thing she says," Dodger said, "She'll tear your legs off too!"
Six and Doug went and laid back down, while Gerry stood and looked at Fern. Their eyes connected, and for a moment, she thought she still might have an ally. Then Gerry too lowered his head and headed to the back of his cage. Dodger crawled up to the air vent as Fern looked up at him. After he disappeared, she laid on the floor and cried for hours. Nobody saw Kevin for days. Nobody even knew if he was alive.
Fern didn't come back into the lab for a while.