They swung open the cage door, cattle prods at full power, humming with electricity. The man lazily lifted his hands in surrender. "Now, now." He said softly. His voice was like velvet. "No need. I'll do as you please." The man in the cage said, his...
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BANG! Dime and Theo leapt up from the couch, eyes still crusted with sleep.
BANG! Dime lasered in on the front door.
BANG! They waited for another strike, but the world remained still and silent as a grave.
"Stay there." Dime stepped up in front of her. His footsteps were careful and quiet. The door squealed on its hinges as he tore it open. A red arc flew through the air, splattering the carpet and the legs of her pajamas as she stood.
The blood was still hot as it seeped in, making the fabric cling to her shins.
Attached to the bright yellow door were a pair of rabbits, their throats slit. They hung from a rope snare, pinned in by a single nail that splintered the wood beneath it. Around one of the dead rabbits feet was a note tied by a red ribbon. Dime scowled at the carpet, but then looked back to the rabbits with an almost pleased smile.
"What are you so happy about?" Theo snapped at him, her voice rising an octave.
Dime looked back at her, confusion written all over his face. "It's good meat," he said, slow and deliberate as if that would make any of it make more sense.
An exasperated half-scream half-groan slipped from her mouth. She strode over and snatched the note, fighting not to vomit at the musky dead smell of the things and the squish of bloody carpet under her bare feet. Dime leaned over her shoulder to read.
"Tradition says that we leave a rabbit for every one of us that resides in the household. One for you, as it has been every year since you joined us, and the second for your sister. May it be as sweet and tender as she herself is. Tell her we'll catch her another after her commitments have been made. -VMK"
Tears blurred the words on the page as her head spun. "Why the fuck is this happening?" She asked, turning on her brother with renewed emotion welling up past her exhaustion.
He still looked confused, his brows furrowed and mouth twisted down. "They just left us meat. They do it every year. Relax."
"Relax? Fucking 'relax' Dime?" Theo shook her head and whirled, making her way to her room. "I'm changing, and then I'm leaving."
"NO!" Dime yelled out, and the demand in his tone made her freeze in her tracks. Seeming to notice this, Dime continued, softer this time. "Please, don't go. We can make this work. This can be your home!" Dime insisted, his breath hot on the back of her neck.
"No, I already have a home. I'm not abandoning everyone who cares about me to stay here Dime!"
His face darkened like a storm cloud had passed over it. "You're really going to call that house with father a home?"
"Yes, Dime!" She sucked in a few shallow breaths, trying to calm down.
"Please sister," he said, and she heard the echo of another him, in a far gone year. "Just one more night, at least. You shouldn't drive so late in the day. You must be tired." Suddenly, he looked too small for his clothes.
