Chapter 77: Hello?!

The warehouse suddenly felt much quieter.

Gene stared at Mary.

Mary stared back.

Bo slowly rubbed her forehead.

Emily looked between everyone.

Finally Gene broke the silence.

“…The rabbit?”

Mary looked horrified.

“The fact that you don’t know is somehow worse.”

Selene folded her arms.

“I feel like we’re missing important information.”

“You are.”

Mary immediately walked toward a nearby table.

“Come on.”

Bo sighed.

“We might as well show them.”

The sisters led the group deeper into the massive warehouse.

As they walked, Gene noticed something strange.

The farther inward they traveled, the heavier the security became.

Workers disappeared.

Guards appeared.

Large reinforced doors blocked several hallways.

Some of the doors looked less like farm equipment storage and more like prison cells.

Gene frowned.

“That’s a lot of security for a farming company.”

Mary laughed.

“We stopped being just a farming company years ago.”

Bo nodded.

“Now we’re mostly a survival company.”

That answer somehow created more questions.

Several minutes later they reached a heavy steel door.

Gene immediately noticed deep claw marks covering the surface.

Some looked old.

Others looked disturbingly fresh.

Mary unlocked three separate locks.

Then she opened the door.

“Welcome to our biggest headache.”

The room beyond was enormous.

Gene initially thought it was another warehouse.

Then he realized what he was actually looking at.

A prison.

Rows upon rows of reinforced pens filled the chamber.

Each enclosure had thick walls, heavy restraints, and observation windows.

Some stood empty.

Others did not.

Gene slowly approached the nearest occupied pen.

Inside sat a man.

Or at least he looked like a man.

His clothes appeared normal.

His posture appeared normal.

Yet something was wrong.

Very wrong.

The man’s eyes never blinked.

Not once.

He sat perfectly still while smiling at nothing.

Gene felt chills run down his spine.

The smile never changed.

Never moved.

Never twitched.

Just remained there.

Frozen.

Waiting.

The man suddenly turned.

His head rotated almost completely around before stopping.

The smile widened.

Gene stepped backward.

The prisoner began laughing.

A low giggle.

Then another.

Then louder.

And louder.

Until he was screaming with laughter.

The guards nearby didn’t even react.

Apparently they were used to it.

Emily moved closer to Selene.

“What happened to him?”

Mary’s expression darkened.

“The Rabbit.”

Gene immediately looked back.

“The Rabbit did this?”

Mary nodded.

“One of many.”

They continued walking.

Each cell contained something different.

A woman endlessly writing in a notebook despite having no pen.

A man attempting to drink tea from an empty cup.

A soldier who saluted every few seconds.

Over and over.

Over and over.

Over and over.

Never stopping.

Gene didn’t like any of it.

Not even a little.

Bo stopped beside a larger enclosure.

“This one was one of the strongest.”

Gene looked inside.

The occupant sat quietly.

A knight.

Massive.

Broad-shouldered.

Covered in cracked armor.

Unlike the others, he appeared sane.

At least initially.

The knight slowly raised his head.

His eyes met Gene’s.

For a moment Gene thought he might speak.

Instead the knight whispered:

“Don’t be late.”

Gene froze.

The knight repeated himself.

“Don’t be late.”

Again.

“Don’t be late.”

Again.

“Don’t be late.”

His voice never changed.

Never varied.

As though reality itself had become stuck.

Bo looked away.

“He was a hero once.”

Nobody spoke for several moments.

Finally Selene asked the obvious question.

“What exactly is the Rabbit?”

Mary and Bo exchanged a glance.

Neither seemed eager to answer.

Finally Mary sighed.

“Long ago…”

The warehouse seemed quieter somehow.

Even the prisoners grew still.

“The Rabbit was the keeper of order.”

Gene immediately thought of the note from Selene’s grandmother.

Do not trust the rabbit.

The warning suddenly felt much more serious.

Mary continued.

“The Rabbit’s job was simple.”

“Maintain balance.”

“Guide travelers.”

“Protect the roads.”

“Keep the stories functioning correctly.”

Gene frowned.

“Stories?”

Mary nodded.

“This entire realm runs on stories.”

“Fairy tales.”

“Legends.”

“Dreams.”

“Nightmares.”

The explanation sounded absurd.

Unfortunately, Gene had already seen enough to believe it.

Mary continued walking.

“The Rabbit kept everything moving.”

“Beginning.”

“Middle.”

“End.”

“Everything followed its proper place.”

“And then?”

Mary’s expression hardened.

“Something changed.”

They stopped before the largest pen in the facility.

The enclosure stood empty.

Yet the walls looked damaged.

No.

Destroyed.

Massive gouges covered every surface.

The steel had been twisted like soft clay.

Burn marks blackened the floor.

Gene felt Athena activate inside his helmet.

WARNING

RESIDUAL REALITY DISTORTION DETECTED

UNKNOWN PHENOMENON PRESENT

Gene stared at the empty enclosure.

“What was in there?”

Mary looked at him.

“The Rabbit.”

Silence.

Gene slowly turned back toward the cell.

The Rabbit had done this?

The Rabbit had been imprisoned?

The Rabbit had escaped?

Questions piled up faster than answers.

Bo folded her arms.

“We held him for exactly twelve hours.”

Gene looked at the ruined walls.

“Twelve?”

“Twelve.”

“What happened?”

Mary laughed.

The sound contained absolutely no humor.

“He convinced the walls to open.”

Gene blinked.

“What?”

“He convinced the walls they were doors.”

Nobody spoke.

Eventually Emily quietly asked:

“Can he do that?”

Mary looked at her.

“Unfortunately.”

The group stood staring at the ruined enclosure.

The prison.

The prisoners.

The damage.

The warnings.

Gene finally understood why the sisters looked nervous.

This wasn’t simply a dangerous monster.

This wasn’t even a powerful enemy.

The Rabbit sounded like something much worse.

Something that could twist the rules themselves.

Something that could change reality.

Mary turned toward Gene.

“Listen carefully.”

Her voice had become completely serious.

“If you see a white rabbit.”

“Run.”

“If he offers help.”

“Refuse.”

“If he offers directions.”

“Ignore them.”

“If he asks a question.”

“Do not answer.”

Gene frowned.

“Why?”

Mary’s expression turned grim.

“Because every person who answers becomes part of his story.”

A cold chill ran through the room.

The prisoners seemed quieter now.

Watching.

Listening.

Waiting.

Mary looked toward the road outside.

Toward the direction Gene and the others would eventually travel.

“Unfortunately…”

Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper.

“The Rabbit already knows you’re here.”

The warehouse doors suddenly shook.

A distant bell began ringing somewhere outside.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

A guard sprinted into the room.

His face had gone pale.

“Miss Mary!”

Everyone turned.

The guard swallowed hard.

Then pointed toward the main gate.

“A rabbit is asking for directions.”

The entire warehouse fell silent.