A Nutty Night

Chapter 3

"Let them go!" Robert's voice rang out. His wrists strained against the cold, unyielding metal cables binding him to the massive tree trunk.

Jamie, tied to another tree trunk beside him, twisted and turned. "Please! They didn't do anything! This is between us!"

Their wives, bound tightly to a single tree trunk, huddled together with tear-streaked faces. The children were tied to smaller trees a few feet away, their sobs filling the air.

The squirrel stepped forward, emerging from the open chest cavity of the humanoid suit. In its tiny paws, it held a stick, its tip alight with flame. The glow reflected in the squirrel's dark, unblinking eyes as it paced slowly in front of the men.

"Please!" Jamie cried, his voice cracking. "We were just kids! Stupid kids who didn't know what we were doing!"

The squirrel stopped, turning its head slightly toward him. "Kids?" it said. "Ignorance is the human excuse for everything, isn't it? You act without thinking, destroy without care, and then shrug it off as a lesson learned."

Robert struggled harder against his restraints, his voice trembling. "Don't do this. Please. Just... don't hurt them. They have nothing to do with what happened!"

"Nothing to do with it?" It let out a low chuckle. "Do you think this is about hurting them?"

Robert froze, confusion flickering across his face. Jamie, too, stopped struggling, his eyes narrowing. "What... what do you mean?" Jamie asked hesitantly.

The squirrel's laughter grew, soft and bitter. "I won't take your life," it said, stepping closer. "You will finally understand. The pain of watching your loved ones suffer. The helplessness. The fear."

Robert's heart pounded as the realization sank in. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "No, please, don't—"

The squirrel cut him off, its voice turning cold and merciless. "Now you get it," it said.

It stopped in front of Robert and Jamie's wives, bound together on a single trunk.

"Stop!" Robert shouted, his voice breaking. He strained against the cables holding him, his muscles trembling with the effort. "They don't deserve this! Please, don't do this!"

The squirrel turned its head slowly to look at him with unblinking eyes. "Did my parents deserve to be burned alive?"

Jamie, his breathing ragged. "We didn't think! We were just kids! It was stupid and cruel, but—"

"Cruel?" The squirrel cut him off. "Cruel is what humans are best at. You act without thought, without care, because to you, the lives of animals are just meaningless."

The squirrel raised the burning stick higher, the flames licking dangerously close to the women. "Death will only free you," it said quietly. "But suffering... suffering will teach you."

"No! Please!" Robert's voice cracked. He thrashed violently against the restraints, the cables digging into his skin. Jamie joined in, pleading desperately.

"Order!" yells the squirrel.

They all go silent, as the squirrels all stand up straight. "My brothers and sisters! Why are they being punished?"

The squirrels in unison start chattering.

"Yes," it says. "For the murder of two innocent squirrels."

The squirrels start clapping and making noises that resembled cheers.

"What is their punishment?"

The squirrels continue to fill the forest with their cries.