Page 4 of Run, Rabbit, Run

As his voice faded, leaving a hollow silence interrupted only by her hiccuping sobs, Bunny felt herself crumple to the ground once more.

She had absolutely been trying to “play” him, after all. The first rule of survival was to humanize yourself to your kidnapper, or so the crime shows would have her believe.

“Why are you doing this? Why won’t you just let me go? I won’t tell anybody. I swear I won’t.” She whimpered softly.

“Because I want to.” He answered simply, “And it had to happen to somebody. Would you like to pick somebody to trade places with?”

Fury flashed through her chest, and she snapped her head to look him in the eyes.

“Actually yeah. I would. I can go ahead and name a few people I wouldn’t have any sympathy for in my position. Why? Are you offering to kidnap one of them instead?” She hissed, baring her teeth. Flashbacks to mean girls and bullies flitted through her mind, the objects of her ire through her younger years.

Bunny wasn’t sure where this feeling of bold defiance had come from, but the release of anger felt cathartic. It was like she was gaining ground in some way.

Her captor’s eyes darkened, and she began to suspect she had made a mistake.

“What a bitter bitch,” Even though his voice was still low, it had deepened significantly, “Wishing this upon a person is insane. ”

Before her better judgment could stop her, Bunny’s eyes bugged out of her head, and she let loose a bitter laugh. His eyebrow raised.

“Are you fucking serious? I’m insane? Me? You have me locked in a bedroom doubling as a sex dungeon after hunting me through the goddamn woods like an animal, and now you’re sitting there saying my desire for revenge against people who have actually done wrong by me is-” She stopped short as he stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

Her captor knelt, head lowering to look down at her as she sat, trembling with fear.

“I’m warning you, Bunny. I love a woman with a little fire in her blood… But I’m only going to put up with so much before I put you in your place.”

Bunny snapped her mouth shut with no intention of taking it any further. So much for gaining his sympathy.

The scent of cedar and smoke wafted off of him, and she imagined it was his cologne, spritzed lightly on the crisp black sweater he wore. The aroma was enticing, like something that called you home. She shifted uncomfortably.

His forearms rested on his knees, large hands clasped as he stared steadily at her. His deep, dark eyes were unreadable.

“I’m sorry,” She whispered through free-flowing tears, “I’m so sorry…” But it wasn’t just her captor she was speaking to.

She was sorry for so much more than that.

“May I ask something?” She whispered, eyes focused on the floor.

“Of course, Bunny. Just mind your manners.” He responded, sounding amused.

“Why did you choose me? Was it my looks?” The question had been nagging at her since the first moment she realized she was being kidnapped. Bunny had always been beautiful, often aware of the favors it earned her. Her captor let out a barking laugh.

“That’s quite the assumption, Bunny,” He murmured, reaching out to cup her chin in his hand. She stiffened but thought better of pulling away. “How incredibly vain.”

He stroked her cheek gently with his thumb, humming thoughtfully to himself. But he didn’t answer the question.

Suddenly, her captor released her and stood up, striding toward the door. After opening it, he turned around to look at her one last time.

“I’ll be back in a few hours, little Bunny. There’s food and water beside your bed. You should recoup your strength before our first training session, especially after our playtime in the woods.”

She could have vomited at his usage of the word, “playtime.” It was clear that’s all this was to him: a game. She was unlucky enough to be both his opponent and his prize.

With that, he slipped out of the door.

Bunny glanced over, noticing a box with water bottles and single-serving packages of snacks.

But she couldn’t possibly eat. She didn’t have the energy to do anything, and her stomach was turning as it was.

Instead, Bunny curled into a ball on the soft padding, pulled the blanket around her, buried her face in the pillow, and cried.

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