CHAPTER 15
RABBIT 15: Vital Sense
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Leaning against the wall, Konsako-san began to grow worried about the situation outside the power station.
Konsako Akihi: “How’s it looking? How much longer till they're filled?”
Kuro: “Five minutes, at most.”
Konsako Akihi: “You can’t go any faster?”
Kuro: “No.”
Kuro-san was busy filling the generators with fuel, handed by Ishimasu-san, who was carrying each can towards the centre of the room to quicken the pace. Not even half of them had been filled yet.
…
The blade that had entered Daikubara-san’s side was swiftly removed, spraying blood across the basement floor. In an attempt to fight back, Daikubara-san pressed his right hand against the fresh wound, and swung the netted cement block in his left hand towards where he assumed the assailant stood. The attack was delivered with a soft blow against the creature.
Michifuku: “D-Daikubara-san, what happened?!”
Daikubara: “Quiet a minute!”
Michifuku: “Are you hurt?!”
Daikubara: “I SAID SHUT IT!”
Daikubara-san silenced the confused girl, knowing that any sound would only give them away. And so, he began to think. Given the lack of impact from the swing, the assailant was undoubtedly still responsive. It must have connected to muscle - perhaps the arm or stomach. But something good did come from the impact; it told Daikubara-san that the assailant had failed to dodge his attack, if not failed to read it in time. With how obvious of an attack it was, it was far more likely the former. This eliminated the possibility of the assailant being a fox, due to their night vision. That is how Daikubara-san was able to determine the assailant was none other than the rabbit.
If he can come to understand what is running against the rabbit, then he can surely understand what is running for it; its hearing and blade. The rabbit’s correct prediction of Daikubara-san’s position had to have come from its strong sense of hearing, and the single puncture wound in his side was undeniably that of its knife. I assume Daikubara-san was able to guess so from his earlier wound.
And so, with a deep breath and a shaky attempt at calming himself despite the circumstances, Daikubara-san grabbed hold of Michifuku-san’s arm and whispered into her ear, commanding her to follow him out of the basement. The outside streetlights would give them enough vision to fight the rabbit at an advantage. But again…
…The rabbit had its hearing running for it.
Halfway up the basement stairs, the blade had once again punctured Daikubara-san’s muscle; this time his lower back. The rabbit could easily read the two’s movements, their feet colliding with the concrete stairs. The rabbit thought they had been panicking.
But, Daikubara-san was expecting this exact outcome. Once the knife had punctured the first layer of muscle, he had released a strong kick from his hind leg, much like active machinery, sending the rabbit to the bottom of the basement. However, what Daikubara-san failed to predict was just how much pain he would find himself in as he found two new punctures in his body.
The second the knife had left his body, Daikubara-san fell forward, then toppled back, falling down the stairs with the rabbit. Although Michifuku-san reached out to him, he didn't even have the vision to grab hold. Rolling down the steps, Daikubara-san hit the ground hard, landing next to the rabbit.
Michifuku: “DAIKUBARA-SAN!”
The rabbit quickly picked itself back up in search of the blade it had dropped. Although Daikubara-san could not see the rabbit, he had a good idea of what it was trying to do, and so he quickly laid out his options as his body writhed. He knew he could battle the rabbit for the knife, but thought that heading for the exit would give him the best chance at defeating it, despite his injuries. However, he soon realised that escaping was not an option.
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The pain in his right knee was overshadowed by that in his torso, but he could tell something was wrong as he applied the slightest pressure to it when attempting to flee. It was fractured; possibly broken. So, he began to crawl towards the light, shouting towards Michifuku-san for a hand. She dragged him upwards by the shoulders, trying to reach the light before the rabbit could locate its weapon.
Michifuku: “Crap, we need to find the others!”
Daikubara: “Ghh…”
Ignoring the intense pains circulating through his body, he listened for the slightest sounds from the bottom of the basement. In mere seconds, he would surely reach the light… but at the same time, the rabbit wouldn’t struggle to catch up to them once it found the knife. And if it did, they would have no choice other than to deal with it then and there, with Daikubara-san’s injuries playing against them.
But, they hadn’t even the chance to reach a levelled floor.
The small clinking of metal against the solid floor had been picked up by both the rabbit and the prey. That was enough of an indication for Daikubara-san to make his next move.
Daikubara: “Michifuku… can you… do something stupid for me?”
Michifuku: “...Huh?”
The rabbit spun the knife in its left hand, and began strutting towards the commotion. Without being noticed, it made its way up the steps one by one to finish off Daikubara-san, without an ounce of effort needing applied.
Daikubara-san allowed seconds to pass after the knife’s collision had been heard, and then acted.
The rabbit had no time to react, as it didn’t even know what had hit it. Mere seconds after setting its front foot on the third step, heavy mass had fallen on top of it, sending it back down the few steps and onto the cold floor again. Desperately trying to shove off whatever had landed on it, the rabbit quickly realised that what pinned it down was no object, but rather a person; Daikubara-san.
Daikubara: “OVER HERE, MICHIFUKU!”
Having already pinned the rabbit down to the floor once, Daikubara-san knew of its tricks. Before the knife could pierce him once more, he had grabbed hold of the rabbit’s left arm, holding it against the surface below. Whilst the rabbit struggled to move, Michifuku-san took hold of the blade and raised it above its head.
The rabbit didn’t require sight to see what was coming, and so, swiftly, it had managed to pop one leg into position.
What Daikubara-san had also failed to estimate was that the rabbit wouldn’t rely solely on offensive weapons, as it had proved it was willing to use its ears for its advantage… as well as this time; its legs.
With a charged kick, Daikubara-san was sent flying back against the wall, much more than before in the apartment. His head bounced against the concrete basement wall, surely sending the brain inside his skull flying. Michifuku-san was next, being swept under the leg by the rabbit before she could successfully stab it. And with the clinking of the knife against the concrete floor, the rabbit knew exactly where to look this time.
Perhaps Daikubara-san’s fault was focusing too much on the hidden blade of the rabbit, as it had inflicted the most damage on him… but the kick was far more powerful, as it presented the rabbit the opportunity to flee. However, the rabbit wasn’t planning on running. It wanted to finish off its prey.
Moving towards the groaning Michifuku-san, who would be able to escape if given the chance, the rabbit prepared to end her new life. Not aware that the beast was directly above her, she called out to her only companion in the room, who was out cold.
Michifuku: “Daiku… bara-san… wake up…”
Michifuku: “Daikubara…”
The knife hung above her, ready to fall–
–Flicker.
It wasn’t for a long duration of time, but it was long enough to give Michifuku-san the opportunity to move. Upon the wall she was facing, the shadow of the rabbit was casted, telling her its exact location.
And so, she moved.
The rabbit pierced vertically, its blade clipping against the concrete floor and being flung into the dark.
The room remained in darkness. Was the light’s flicker by chance, or something more divine? No matter what, it presented an opportunity.
Michifuku-san kept silent, lowering her breath to the point it was absent to even herself, waiting for the chance to make a move as she had no clue where the rabbit was.
The remaining advantage of the rabbit, the darkness, had been burnt once more, as the lights in the basement flickered not once, not twice; but permanently, lighting the room in its yellow-white hue. The preys and predators had been unveiled, as well as the blade they both relied desperately on.
And as if on their side, the knife had been spotted by both parties next to the feet of Michifuku-san. In an instant, she lowered herself to reach the weapon without presenting vulnerability in her stance, pointing the tip of the blade towards the threat. The rabbit grasped its injured right arm, and with little intention of risking a loss by playing with its prey further, it scoffed at it before abandoning the basement, shooting itself upwards to the exit using its hind legs.
Falling to her knees, Michifuku-san began crawling towards the unconscious Daikubara-san, who had put his body on the line to defeat the rabbit. They could take a moment to breathe once again, with the threat of the rabbit currently bare. They had fought for another chance, but…
…They hadn’t even set foot in the sewers.
…
Wiping sweat from her brow, Ishimasu-san dribbled the remainder of a fuel can into the sixth generator, filling it to near max. Kuro-san had soon enough connected the cables to the outlets, turning the generators on. And one by one, sections of the town breathed. The power station, the apartments, the buildings in the centre of the town, the factory and the storage building… as well as the basement of the apartment.
They all lit with a flicker, before coming to life in a near instant.
Konsako Akihi: “Thanks, you two… looks like the whole town’s alive.”
Konsako-san had opened the doors to the power station, looking outwards at the buildings enclosed in the town.
Konsako Akihi: “Wanna get that gate open?”
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BIND GAME