The madness continues! 20 writers are participating in a catastrophically crazy event, writing a chain flash fiction story about... *drum roll* ...the end of the world as we know it! Chapter 10 is upon us. (Read how it started here.)

Please welcome our 10th author, Aliaa El-Nashar, (aka @Aliaa_ElNashar). Aliaa is incapable of functioning without coffee. Procrastination is a life philosophy she usually goes by and for entertainment she just need a pencil and paper, whether to draw or write something. She also can't stop reading. 

Photo by Mueran Humanos

EASTER BUNNY APOCALYPSE

Chapter 10 Aliaa El-Nashar  

Easter.

Leslie was never fond of that particular holiday. After all, when your parents are both dentists, it’s highly doubtful you’d enjoy yourself on either Easter or Halloween. Wait, that wasn’t quite true. She enjoyed Halloween immensely. It was the only time she wouldn’t be scolded for scaring other children away and playing mean tricks on them as a form of revenge for all the times they’d teased her with their sweets.

She hated that all the children in her class had an amazing time on Easter—with their family traditions and mouth-watering treats. In her family, she’d be congratulated rather formally by her parents for being above all this nonsense, and that unlike the rest, she was healthier with much better teeth. They claim that in the future when all of the other children’s teeth became rotten, she would have the most spectacular smile. It would probably serve them right if she grew up to become like Willy Wonka.

Leslie halted. She wasn’t exactly like Willy Wonka. Unlike him, she had a most doting—albeit much older—brother. Malcolm would never disobey their parents enough to give her candy or eat some himself. However, he did find other ways to cheer her up whenever he was back from college, which was probably the only good thing about Easter; Malcolm coming home with a gift. Last time she’d seen him, he’d bought her a collection of Japanese ball-jointed dolls she’d been too embarrassed to ask for because of how expensive they were. Her parents never understood the appeal of having dolls you could never play with, but they drew her in. She knew it must have cost him a fortune, and she’d loved him all the more for it.

She paced around the living room. He was late, which was very unusual for him. Malcolm was almost always prompt and very presentable. When she finally heard his car pull up, she rushed to the door. As she flashed him one of her rare smiles she noticed there was something wrong. Malcolm was disheveled. That never happened.

He looked up at her uncertainly. What was going on?

“Les, I need to ask you for a huge favor, it’s really important.”

She nodded. “Of course, anything.”

“This might sound very bizarre, but I have a friend with me. We both need to take really good care of him, but we cannot mention a thing of it to mum or dad, okay?”

She nodded less certainly, walked up to his car, and looked in the back seat. There was a blanket that was thrown onto what appeared to be a rabbit toy of some kind. Malcolm opened the door and removed the blanket.

It wasn’t a toy rabbit. It was an actual living and breathing rabbit. Well, barely. The poor thing was so badly injured.

“What’s so wrong about nursing a rabbit back to health?” She tried to look away, and back to Malcolm.

“Didn’t you hear? Well obviously they wouldn’t tell you guys yet. A friend of mine is interning at the White House and says we’re actually being attacked by rabbits. The whole place is in an uproar, and if we tell anybody about him, they might take him in as a hostage.”

Malcolm had to be joking, but from the looks of it he was dead serious.

“What’s so special about this one?”

He actually looked embarrassed now. “He’s a childhood friend of mine, I used to go play with him in the woods when I was around your age.”

That actually surprised her. “Really? What’s his name?”

“His name is Peter.”

P.S.: This is the 10th Chapter of EASTER BUNNY APOCALYPSE. Here are other Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, and Chapter 9. Hold your breath! Chapter 11 will be published tomorrow.