His Reflection

Chapter Six • The Easter Bunny

NIALL (2 weeks ago)

I take a swig of my drink, and stare up at the sky while swinging my feet above the still water. The stars twinkle against the darkness, and it's honestly beautiful. This place is so perfect, it's somewhere I always come back to. It's nothing unique, just an old wooden bridge, but it's such a special place to me. There's never anyone around, and I always find myself here when I need some peace. Somewhere to escape the anguish of the world around me. Why is a world with the potential to be so beautiful like this all the time, filled with such horrible people?

Including myself.

I don't know what to do with this new information. I don't know how I'm supposed to try to be normal, pretend nothing is wrong, and go about my life. How am I going to act like nothings wrong every single day? I mean, I have to. With Marie moving in.... shit.

Marie. I'm supposed to meet her at the apartment tonight. Frazzled, I pull out my phone. 8:14. As of right now, I'm 14 minutes late.

Just as I'm about to get up, I hear the bridge creak. I rarely see anyone out here, especially when it's nighttime. I don't know why, but it's making me feel a little uneasy.

Hesitantly, I turn my head to see a tall figure walking toward me. I can't quite make out what they look like. As they come closer, I start to notice that whoever it is, is wearing a mask.

I squint my eyes a little, and see that it's a rabbit mask. What the hell?

I start to get up, feeling uneasy. I hope that whoever this person is, doesn't want anything to do with me.

"Hey there, where are you off to?" The voice behind the mask is eerily high pitched. It's clearly a male, speaking in some sort of squeaky voice.

"Oh I'm just leaving," I say quietly, staggering a little as I step forward.

"Oh? But I just got here," the person replies, pulling a small bag out of their back pocket.

I look down at the bag in their hand, and it's filled with little white pills.

Apparently they catch me looking, because they speak again. "Oh this? You can have some. The Easter bunny always brings treats."

"Uh.. I.. no. Thank you," I mumble trying to get past them as they come closer. "I really have to go." I'm really hoping this rabbit mask person is just a little unstable, and not here for me in particular.

As I try to walk past, a large hand grips my arm. "Not so fast there little boy," the voice is so sickeningly sweet. "I have a question for you. Spare me a minute?"

Clearly they aren't going to let go so I just sigh. "Fine."

"I think you might know something, something that no one else knows..."

I shiver. "Oh do I? I dunno what you're talking about," I say as casually as possible.

"Mmhmm. I think you do," the person in the mask pulls out a knife. A big one. "So you better start talking Hm? I hate to hurt people."

"I... I.." I swallow. There are so many things that I know right now, that I have no idea what they're trying to get out of me.

"Let me help you a little," the grip on my arm becomes tighter, and the sadistic person, whoever they are, presses the tip of the knife to my chest. "Something about... some videos perhaps?"

Shit. Not the videos. I wish they could ask about anything else.

I stayed silent, and the person tilts their head so that I'm looking at a nearly sideways rabbit face. There's definitely dried blood on the mask, and it makes my stomach churn. "Hmmm?"