Oh, the fear you must feel. I feel it too. How will we survive? What will we do? Oh, where will we hide from Easter Bunny Apocalypse? Maybe Chapter 8 will tell us? Maybe? (Read how it started here.)
Please welcome our 8th author, Dustin McKenzie, (aka @duecenage). Dustin broke free of the shackles of his small town to embark to the west coast, mainly to pursue a career in animation, but also to not have to shovel any more snow. His career is not enough for him to purge all the zany story ideas from his mind, and so he'd also like to take up writing as a hobby.
Photo by Paulo Costa
EASTER BUNNY APOCALYPSE
Chapter 8 by Dustin McKenzie
Darkness. He was consumed by it. He glanced around the room but could not make heads or cottontails of anything. Peter had no idea where he had awakened. He felt sticky all along his back, not unlike a candy wrapper on the floor of a theatre. His leg wanted to thump, but every time it twitched it was like all the fur was tearing out of his flesh. The thumping of his own heart, however, more than made up for it.
“Aw, are we frightened my furry little friend?”
Peter’s heart stopped. That familiar, putrid smell of decaying marshmallows filled the air. The Peeps King was somewhere in the room. Peter held his breath as though it would help him hide from the crazed king.
“No need to hold your breath. I know exactly where I stuck you.”
At these words, Peter panicked. He tossed and turned, every inch of fur on his back pulling and tugging. Individual hairs popping out at the roots. A sticky wing caressed his cheek. Peter froze once again, the liquefying sugar causing his facial whiskers to clump together in uncomfortable mattes.
“I also wouldn’t recommend you trying that either.”
“Wh-what do you want with m-me?” Peter’s voice trembled.
“Oh, just to have a little fun, is all. You do understand your purpose in this whole agreement, do you not?”
“Yeah, but...” A wing clamped his mouth shut. Peter gave a muffled cry.
“Good, good. Now, we’re going to play a little game. It’s long been stolen by the humans, and their summer camps and drunken frat parties, but I’m sure you’ll quickly learn of its ‘true’ origins,” whispered the disembodied voice into Peter’s ear. The smell of the Peeps King at this proximity was overwhelming. Peter fought back his gag reflex as his eyes watered.
“Now, repeat after me...Chubby bunny.”
“Ch-chubby bunny?” Peter said with more than a hint of sarcasm. He winced, fearing what would happen if the Peep King caught his tone.
“Chubby Bunny!” The Peeps King’s voice increased in ferocity. “Go on, try it again. With feeling!” he commanded.
“Chubby bunny.”
As if on cue, a chorus of Peeps started chanting, “Chubby bunny. Chubby bunny. Chubby bunny.” Peter couldn’t tell how many there were out there in the dark. It sounded like thousands, but it could also have been the echo of mere dozens.
“Haha! Now on with the show!” bellowed the Peeps King. The wing grabbed Peter by the cheeks and forced his jaw open. A soft, sugary ball was jammed into his cheek. It was a marshmallow.
“Now say it, again.”
“Chubby bunny.”
“Chubby bunny. Chubby bunny. Chubby bunny.”
“That’s one!” Peter’s jaw was forced open and another marshmallow was jammed into his other cheek.
“How about now?”
“Chubby bunny...” Even at just two marshmallows, Peter could see how this was going to go. He wondered how many of them he could fit into his mouth, or how long until ‘chubby bunny’ was nothing more than muffled cries. Amidst these thoughts, The Peeps King jammed another marshmallow in, and another and another. The chorus of Peeps rising in volume.
“Chubby bunny. Chubby bunny. Chubby bunny.”
“Come on, say it again,” said the Peep King goading Peter on.
“Chbnmphy bunnmph!”
“Haha! Excellent. Now let’s try for ten!”
As the next marshmallows were being forced into Peter’s tiny mouth, he receded far into the depths of his mind hoping to escape the reality of his situation.
P.S.: This is the 8th Chapter of EASTER BUNNY APOCALYPSE. Here are other Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, and Chapter 7. Swallow your marshmallows! Chapter 9 will be published tomorrow.