4. Leave Mitch Alone

"Mitch…, Mitch…," He heard. Over and over, he heard his name. It was Luanne. He opened his eyes. It was dark. He couldn't move! Why couldn't he move! He had been tied up. "Mitch, wake up, please wake up. Mitch…"

"I'm awake," he said in a gruff voice. "What…" he cleared his throat. "What happened?"

"Mitch can't you see them?" Luanne said almost hysterically.

"Wait, my eyes haven't adjusted yet," he said. He knew what they were. He almost prayed for his vision to stay away. "Oh God!" he cried as he saw them. They were the nightmare that had haunted him and his sanity.

"What are they?" Asked Luanne.

*=*=*

When first looked at, it looked like a grown up in a cute blue Easter bunny suit. But even then something seemed… off. If you looked for even one moment longer than necessary you would have seen the eyes could move. The nose was wet and the face had expression. It was real. It had real facial expressions and it could move every which way. There were five of them. One was smiling. But Mitch knew the sick thoughts that hid behind that smile. And more importantly, he knew the sharpness of the rabbit's teeth.

"Let her go!" Mitch begged.

"…No," Said the rabbit calmly. "Why should I?"

"I'm begging you please!" Mitch cried out.

"Why should you beg me?" The rabbit replied calmly. "I'm just a figment of your imagination after all."

Luanne whimpered when he said it. She knew it was directed at her, even if it was said to her husband. How often had she said that to him herself? "You're just stressed out dear. Don't worry; it's just a figment of your imagination. I'll make an appointment for you tomorrow."

"SHUT UP!" The rabbit screamed at her; showing an intense look of rage through his eyes, and Rows of sharp teeth as he screamed at her. "You are not allowed to have ANY input into this conversation. I don't care if it is just whimpering. Do you know how we have suffered without your 'Mitch' here?"

Luanne tried to quiet her voice down.

"Leave her alone!" Mitch cried out. "Please….Just leave her alone"

"Why? You didn't" the rabbit replied. "You know how the light hurts us and what did you do? You tried to seclude yourself in this place. Make it so we couldn't see you. We see you now then don't we. Or did you think we were just in the city?" The rabbit looked at Mitch's crestfallen face. He looked so defeated. "Oh you did. Isn't that sweet?" He tilted his head in the direction of the pink rabbit. The reply was a laugh that would make the vilest of villains shudder.

"You want us to leave her alone?" the pink rabbit said. "He said no…" She pointed to the blue rabbit. "That gives me an idea…." She tugged at Luanne's ropes and hoisted her on her shoulder like she weighed nothing. Luanne tried to kick her way free. She was trying so hard to fight back. Suddenly the blue rabbit had the bat in his hand.

"NO!" Mitch screamed. The blue rabbit hit her head with it so hard she may have died.

"We'll just have to leave 'Mitch' alone then." The pink rabbit grinned showing off her teeth.

*=*=*

"No…no…no," Mitch was alone, and crying. The rabbits had walked toward the house; carrying the limp body of his beloved wife. Tears ran down his face freely as he struggled with the ropes binding him.

Just as he broke free, he heard his daughter scream.

"Judy!" Mitch cried out. He was racing toward the sound of her scream like a madman. There were no lights to guide him. Oh God no! They're in the house!

Mitch was close now… so close to the house. He could see it in the moonlight.

"Leave her alone!" Jonny his son cried as he reached the yard.

"You sound just like your father…" It was the voice of the blue rabbit.

Mitch reached the door. "Doesn't he?" The blue rabbit looked at Mitch. Mitch could see his children next to the limp body of his wife. She still wasn't moving. His daughter was slumped over her. She was still breathing he could tell.

"Get her again," the pink rabbit said. "We're supposed to leave 'Mitch' all alone."

Mitch leapt at the blue rabbit as he started to swing the bat. Suddenly a green rabbit leapt upon him. He could do nothing but watch as his children died before his eyes.

He screamed and cried, his eyes were now mad with rage as he was held down by the green rabbit. They were laughing enjoying his pain.

"What's the matter?" said the green rabbit while continuing to hold Mitch down. "Didn't you like our game?"

Mitch could no longer speak. He was in shock.

"Oh no," said the blue rabbit. "You can't die on us yet Mitch. We still have to frame you."

"Look what I found," The pink rabbit said. It was a gun. Mitch's whole body was limp. The shock of having his family murdered by a mere figment of his so called imagination had gotten to him. How could this have happened? He didn't feel a thing as the bullet went through his head.