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34. Jackalopes

34. Jackalopes

Morning had broken, putting an end to the strange night which had affected so many in somewhat different and chaotic ways.

Ali didn't care about any of that as she packed a bag of extra clothing to take with her to Cornwall. 

She then threw the clothes she wore the night before into the trash bin, then she jumped back into the shower and tried to let the water wash away her troubles,  this gave her a moment's pause to collect herself as she washed away a long week of frustration and confusion.

 Quickly dressing in casual jeans and an old flannel shirt, clothing she knew she wouldn't miss if they got damaged Ali grabbed a handful of cash from the illicit bag she'd hidden in her closet and was ready to leave.

Quietly sitting by her front door watching her odd behavior was the dog, Maple, it had been there for a while simply following her with its eyes unless she got close. Ali wasn't quite sure how what to with the dog at the moment but bringing it with her was her simple plan for the time being. 

She double checked everything was okay in the house before she left as quickly as she could, momentarily realizing that she still hadn't turned on the heater for her entire stay at the house.

Grabbing an old cricket bat from her cubboard under the stairs and the bent frying pan she she remembered using the night before, she took a firm hold of the dog's makeshift strap made from her torn clothing and left the house.

The early morning commuters were already coming out in droves as Ali walked down the street with the dog.

It was a surreal morning for most of the people around Ali and it looked like for most as if they had gone to an old years bash and drank too much or didn't get any sleep. The coffee shops she passed were all full to bursting with people. 

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Ali made two stops on the way to the train station, there was a small open face phone shop where she could just buy a phone, it took her a few minutes but she got a decent phone with credit and a headset, she let the vendor set up the phone installing everything along with some credit for calls and the Internet. She also managed to stop a neighbor and got him to buy some dog food tins just in case. 

"30 pounds for dog food!" Ali could be seen complaining on the walk to the train station.

Even with the dog in tow and the stops Ali felt it took her a shorter time than her usual walk that a few weeks before would have left her a little worn out and ready to sleep on the train. 

After that time she'd woken up on the moors, everything changed. 

The train station was full of people going to Cornwall in the middle of the week but without too much bumping and pushing to get into the train Ali managed to find a seat for l herself and the dog. "Maybe people are taking a long weekend? "

Pulling out her new phone she proceeded set it up to her liking, technology was never her strong suit but she managed.

"Mary, I'm on the train, I'll call again when I get off and in the meantime I'll try to find out what we are dealing with. "

Ali finished sending the message, she then began checking on rabbits with antlers on her phone and got a wide list of myths and legends mainly stories based in America, tall tales from trappers and hunters in the early years of the country founding and then popularized by taxidermy in the 1930's. 

They were other tales as well in certain areas of Europe but mostly it seemed in recent times it was called cottontail rabbit papilloma virus which wasn't that common for one rabbit to be found with much less a colony of them. 

The fact that in these stories the horned rabbits had a connection to the moon along with the other tales where they protected a territory or kept out things from something that was dangerous had Ali concerned. 

Almost as concerned as the other passengers on the train around her.

The train had left the station at this point but while it built up speed and then remained constant this time the speed increased in bursts, most could feel the pressure as they were pulled into their seats or had to hang on not to be pulled out of them. 

When the train rounded corners it's wheels left the tracks from time to time.

A man threw up only to be hit in the face with his sick as the train again speed up, which in turn lead him to be sick again.

Ali however, noticed none of this as she continued to read on the ride to Cornwall.