Editing DbS (section)

== TWENTY-NINE ==
⚇乂⚇

'''I ESCAPE (BUT JUST BY A HARE)'''

THE BASEMENT’S FIRE ALARMS WERE not in fact top-notch. They were very quiet, actually, which I guess was bad, but it gave my ears a break. It’s not like I ''chose'' to pull the fire alarm. … Okay, so maybe I did, but it gets annoying.

Down one flight. My breathing was still fine. Down another. Yeah, we’re cool. The third flight. Whew, that was a bit of a stretch there.

But I did not have time to waste. I needed a sample.

And so, I directed my energy into running as fast as I could to the room where I had been kept. It was sort of at the end of the hall— if you could call it a hall— and wasn’t more than ten feet both length and widthwise.

As I got into the room, I noticed the heart monitor was off, but a new sound had filled its place.

It was almost like a squeaking sound, something like a baby’s cry.

''Not a child…'' when I looked, I found a furry creature with long ears and surprisingly long legs.

''Definitely not a child. A hare.'' The animal was trapped in a cage which looked as if it had never been cleaned, no trace of food in it, and even less room for it to jump around.

And so, I decided to unlock the cage. Out jumped the hare, slightly smaller than I would expect a full-grown one to be, somewhat-timidly loping about for a moment.

Then, quick as a flash, he grabbed a wire. Following the wire’s course, I saw it was connected to the hat thingy that had been on my head when my vision had cleared.

''Evidence..?'' I glanced around and found no trace of one of the Germanic darts. ''Evidence,'' I decided.

Slowly, I came towards the hare, whose nose twitched as he gave me an all-knowing look with his odd, strangely human-like eyes.

''Shouldn’t be too hard to catch him. At the very least, I need that hat.''

The hare was backing up towards my backpack. ''I need to get Jed to add, like, carrot smell thingies to the bag.''

Slowly, slowly, I came closer, the hare backing up into the corner, eyes wide, mouth clamped firmly around the wire.

And then he lunged. He was quick, making a feign to the right but really going left.

''No wonder Bugs was never caught…'' and so I grabbed my blue backpack and ran after the hare.

It struck me that I had never checked to see how much time was left on the blue dynamite. I figured it didn’t matter anyways—it would be a miracle if I could get out alive.

''Focus.'' I willed my legs to move faster, following the hare up the stairs and into the lobby, going much faster than I had originally thought I could. ''I didn’t escape Shakespeare to die by some blue dynamite.''

The thought spurred me on, and I ran out the large, glass, doors.

I grabbed for the hare, fingers brushing his white-flecked brown fur, before my world was rocked… quite literally.

Shockwaves rippled through the ground and I saw my life flash before my eyes.

Screams echoed around me, terrified civilians running around, parents clutching their kids, grown men crying like children, hiding behind or in their cars.

The building came down on itself, imploding, floor by floor toppling down. As it fell, I felt an odd peace. ''At least I saved these people….''

When it was all done, a cloud of dust was coming up from the destruction site, the wailing of ambulances sounding in the distance.

I found myself on my back, a stray chunk of rock under my head, spread out almost in a free-fall position.

''I’m having déjà vu…'' I looked up at the sky, squinting, trying to avoid looking at the bright sun. The sky was a vibrant blue, clouds lacing it, floating gracefully about, their fluffy forms sometimes passing the mass of incandescent gas known as the sun.

The dust was clearing, although still thick, the sound of coughing about me. Screams were still heard, although somewhat muted, and I wondered to myself if I were to die.

''I guess so.'' And so, I closed my eyes, perhaps for the last time.