BUNNY RUNS AS FAST AS SHE CAN. The moonlight filters through the trees, casting an eerie, silvery glow over the mossy ground. Bunny's heart pounds in her chest like a frantic drum, each beat echoing in her ears. She sprints through the woods, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as if the air around her was thickening, conspiring to suffocate her.
The trees loom over her, their branches reaching out like gnarled hands, ready to snatch her away. Their leaves whisper sinister secrets in the wind, and shadows dance malevolently at the edges of her vision. Every rustle in the underbrush, every snap of a branch, sends a wave of panic through her. She is certain that something is chasing her, something unseen and evil.
Her mind races, spiraling into chaotic thoughts. The world is ending, it has to be, she thinks desperately. The stars above seem to swirl and pulse as if they were about to fall from the sky and crash down upon her. The ground beneath her feet feels unstable like it could give way at any moment and swallow her whole. She stumbles over roots and rocks, her limbs trembling with exhaustion and fear. Tears stream down her face, mingling with sweat as she ran, her cries for help swallowed by the vast, indifferent wilderness. She feels small, insignificant, lost in the enormity of the forest and the chaos of her mind. The moon above seems to mock her, its pale light a cold, distant witness to her despair.
Finally, like a lighthouse in the fateful sea, she reaches the clearing. Her heart feels like it's about to explode as she looks around her friends who are lying on the ground, unmoving, unresponsive.
"Bunny", Lottie calls for the girl, her voice echoes as she stands up from the ground. Her face is draped in something malicious, something mischievous and mysterious as she grabs the blonde's hands. Bunny's eyes are watery, tears streaming down her face as she feels her lungs compress, "Have you seen Nat?", her voice is hoarse and dry, just like her throat.
"He and coach are friends", Taissa replies from the ground, staring at her hand as she moves it slowly in the air. Bunny glances over at the tall girl on the ground, her brows furrowing as she hears their distant murmurs. Lottie grabs the girl's face, forcing her to face her dominating gaze.
"Can you feel it", Lottie's voice is like venom, dripping down from her tongue like honey as it fills Bunny's ears. Bunny lets out a sob, this all feels too overwhelming. Lottie only smiles as she looks at the girl, her grip on her cheeks tightening as she brings the girl's forehead against hers. "Can you feel me, Bunny", Lottie asks as their slightly sweaty foreheads touch, closing the girls into a bubble that is only meant for them.
Bunny closes her eyes, protesting the odd feeling that tingles down from her head to her toes. "No, Lottie, stop", Bunny begs, as she tries to jiggle out of the girl's touch. It is too sharp, too controlling, it only pushes the crippling anxiety that is roaming through Bunny's body.
"Lottie, stop", Bunny asks again, pushing the girl off as she stumbles back herself. Her butt hits the ground as she falls back, earning a few mocking laughs from the girls that are surrounding them. It's all too much, she can't take it anymore. Bunny brings her hands to her ears, covering them as she tries to shield herself from the compulsive heartbeat of the universe.
She doesn't even notice the girls leaving like a pack of wolves, howling into the night as they run. The girl only rocks back and forth, trying her best to calm herself down. Her resistance finally coming to its limit as she feels something inside her snap like a branch.
"Bunny", Javi's voice is distant as he crouches next to the girl. Bunny's eyes stay glued to the ground as she mutters something to herself, her breathing uneven as she rocks back and forth. The young boy sets his hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to snap her out of the trance. Bunny doesn't react, her eyes watering even more as she doesn't blink. The boy, unsure of what to do, gets up and goes to find any of the girls for help.
As Bunny is left alone, her eyes flicker to the sky that peeks its head between the trees above her. She feels her heartbeat quicken as the distant screams echo to her ears. There's no use to fight it, Bunny thinks, her mind is made - Lottie is right. She has to feel it. That is the only way.
Lottie looks beautiful as she sets the antler crown to her head, her eyes gleaming with something animalistic and primitive. Her eyes flicker to Bunny who is standing next to her, staring into the fire as they wait. Lottie lifts her hand to Shauna who hands the queen the knife before she brings it to Bunny's arm, slicing it open with a clean move.
The girl doesn't even flinch as the knife cuts through the fabric of her mother's dress and her skin. She feels the warm liquid run down her forearm and to her fingers, dripping to the ground as she brings her hand up to Lottie. The dark-haired deer dips her three fingers in the blood before swiping them across the girl's cheeks, coating the girl's skin in the dark substance.
"Blood marks the instrument's heart", Lottie announces as she locks eyes with the blonde with a wild grin on her face. Bunny's face is still serious, but she feels calm, she trusts Lottie. Lottie turns to look at Travis, who is tied to the dead tree's hallow stump. "Now let the Wilderness speak to us through you", the dark-haired girl says, her voice echoing through the clearing as the other girls holler in response.
Lottie walks around the fire to Travis, who looks at the girl with a scared expression. "Stop fighting", Lottie orders the boy, who shakes his head confusedly, "Lottie?" The girl only stuffs a pine cone into the boy's mouth, hushing him as she takes a step back. She looks at Shauna as she walks back to frozen Bunny, "You know what to do."
As Shauna hesitates to slice the boy's neck she turns to look at Lottie and Bunny. Lottie's expression is sure and calm as her hand is wrapped around Bunny's trembling shoulders, "It's okay. It wants us to", the dark-haired girl promises.
"Lottie-", Bunny stutters, but the dark-haired deer only hushes the rabbit, "It's only his fear. It will be gone soon."
Just as Shauna is pressing the knife into the boy's throat, Natalie runs alongside Jackie to the clearing, "What the fuck!", the girl screams as she pushes Shauna off the half-naked boy. Bunny's brows furrow as she looks at the bleach-blonde girl, her mind was so cloudy, what was going on? Lottie's grip around her only tightens.
As Shauna drops the knife, Jackie calls for Natalie. The blonde launches herself at the weapon at the same time as Lottie. Natalie is quicker, her eyes flickering to the absent-minded girl who stands behind Lottie's protective arms. Natalie frowns as she holds the knife, "are you okay?", her voice is concerned as she looks at the girl, but Bunny doesn't answer. She doesn't hear Natalie.
As Travis is set to freedom he runs into the forest, causing Natalie to look after him. As the girl is distracted, Lottie launches herself at the blonde, grabbing her arm tightly as she speaks, "It is in all of us, y'know. Even him, even you, even her", Lottie points behind her, where she knows Bunny is still standing. Natalie's eyes flicker to Bunny who is still staring at the ground, her sleeve covered in blood as she stands there frozen.
Natalie pushes Lottie back, sending the girl to the ground. "That's enough of your weird fucking bullshit, Lottie! Haven't you done enough!", the blonde yells, but Lottie only giggles, her voice almost evil as she mocks the girl's fear.
Natalie looks over to Bunny before walking to her, she sets her hand on the girl's cheek and looks at her, her eyes filled with fear and concern. "We need to get you out of here, baby, c'mon", Natalie says, her voice soft as she speaks to the girl, pulling her by the arm. Bunny follows the girl blindly, trusting in the safety she feels as she leaves the clearing with her.
"What did they do to you, Bunny", she hears Natalie curse to herself, her hand still tightly wrapped around Bunny's arm as she pulls her back to the cabin.
YOU ARE READING
STRANGERS ♱ yellowjackets
FanfictionAM I MAKING YOU FEEL SICK ? Susann-Rose Hopper hated Natalie for stealing her brother away from her. To Natalie Scatorccio, Susann-Rose "Bunny" was only her best friend's perfect, angelic, over-achieving, and slightly neurotic twin sister who drove...
