Follow the White Rabbit

“The world will come to an end in two years this day,” whispered the man.

His words almost inaudible, yet the only sound that penetrated the gray open space. He was standing underneath a streetlight that was suspended in the middle of nowhere. His presence was merely a shadow, features unidentifiable except for his height which was around six feet and his eyes. His irises were a piercing shade of vibrant sapphire. After he relayed his message, he turned around and began walking towards a forest of thick trees that spawned up behind him. As he did so his body began morph, distorting with every movement as he suddenly transformed into a small white rabbit. The rabbit paused underneath its spotlight before staring back as if waiting for it to be followed. It took off as the sound of loud booms resonated through the atmosphere, ripping everything apart.

–

Two years ago, Fern had that precognitive dream. It had resonated with her for a while as it had been one of the many vivid dreams she had whilst pregnant with her daughter Fleur. It had been unsettling waking up with hypnagogic hallucinations as her hands grasped against her protruding belly. The dream had been confusing, subliminal, and caused her discomfort.

No one wanted to give birth to a child that would soon...die. No, that wasn’t fair they didn’t even get to have a future. It bothered her, though her husband brushed it off as another one of her weird dreams. Dreams meant nothing to him anyway, they were just that, the wild imagination of the unconscious mind. Eventually upon the birth of her daughter and her new tasks as a first-time mother, the dream was buried away in the back of her mind.

Two years later Fleur was nearing two years old. The American government was engaged in biological warfare after an attack on an ally country. There was retaliation and an unknown disease began ravaging the American South. The spread then expanded all over the country and everyone began to panic. Fern had been horrified, the dream uncovered itself for her to remember and she had felt sick to her stomach.

That had been a month ago. Within that time her husband had been deployed with his medical reserves unit to the South to help combat the spread and provide help for overwhelmed hospitals. It was proven to be a nightmare.

The disease was highly contagious and spread through the air. It could attack the human immune system through the eyes, nose, and mouth. It was aggressive and took down most that caught it within a day or two, healthy or not. It was imperative to wear protective face coverings and take the necessary hygienic precautions if one had to go out in public. The death toll had taken a dramatic rise, it was all scary watching chaos unfold her very eyes. It was only a matter of time when things went south and when the first murder sprees began to hit close to home in a nearby city, Fern knew she had to leave and somehow find Atlas. She wasn’t going to stick around and be killed in her own home trying to protect her daughter. Being on the move seemed like the best option.

Hwy 41 was deserted in both directions minus the appearance of disabled vehicles every now and then. Fern was headed out to an electric vehicle charger to top off her cars charge before sundown. It was best to take advantage of charging before the electrical grid went down anyway. She looked in the rear-view mirror at her daughter sound asleep in her car seat. Her brown curly head was drooped to the side as her pudgy little lips were in a frown. It was such precious moments that broke all the anxiety and fear that plagued her. Fern chuckled before turning up the volume to the music by thumbing up the scroll wheel on the steering wheel.

Music was a reminder of times before the panic ensued. The peace all seemed so long ago, like years instead of a mere month. World War 3 was imminent, and the pale horseman was drawing closer. The end was nigh.

Perhaps her dream alluded that the world once knew had come to an end.

A whimsical tune filled the cabin of the car as the mother peered down at the screen located at the middle of the dashboard. At the middle of music bar was the display name of the song, “Follow the White Rabbit”.

Something suddenly in the side mirror caught her eye as she kept her hands firm on the steering wheel and the car navigated the deserted stretch of endless lined asphalt. Her brown eyes flickered to the rear view as a white car in the same make and model as her own was racing towards her.

Fern watched, her heart beginning to pick up and race inside her chest as the car moved into the left passing lane and flew past her– it was easily going over one hundred miles per hour. The occupants of the fellow car were hidden by the dark tint that clung against the windows. She was confused and afraid before the sound of rumbling caused her to look in the rear view once again. A large red truck was closing in on her. Its body was modified with a lift kit, and sported enormous tires, with a menacing chrome looking grill in the front, decked out with off-road lights. Black smoke clouded behind it as it revved its engine sending out a loud mechanical growl.

It was the epitome of trouble. Whoever it was had nefarious actions in mind. Whether it was something silly as rolling coal towards an electric vehicle or something much worse that Fern didn’t want to find out.

Ahead of her, the white car was still speeding. She did what she could only do, for the safety of her daughter. She disengaged autopilot and slammed her foot on the accelerator. The car lurched forward waking Fleur who babbled a bit before giving out a soft cry. Fern calmed her down as best she could with a wavering voice.

On the screen they were approximately ten miles away from the exit to the charger. The fast speed would take away range at a quicker rate, but Fern wasn’t taking any chances.

“I dreamed of butterflies

Or the butterflies dreamed of me

I recognized the wings

I realized the dreams never reply” x

The electric vehicle charger was deserted. She had lost the white car on the highway when it sped off after they both lost the red truck that meant trouble. Most likely it had been a performance version with how it sped off with ease, putting her standard range plus to shame. Fern had taken the exit for the charger and had sat scared for the longest thinking that the truck would somehow find her. After ten minutes of her hands glued to the steering wheel and eyes wide looking around her surroundings, she was in the clear.

She quickly tucked the 9mm pistol she had placed in the center console into her belt before placing a mask over her face, disposable gloves on her hands and small backpack on her back. She got out of the car after kissing Fleur on the forehead, promising that she would be back quickly. After placing the charger into the charging port, she disposed of the gloves in a nearby trash can before replacing them with a new pair and checked that dog mode was engaged at a proper temperature comfortable for her little one. Fern took off to the deserted gas station nearby.

The town was quiet. No one seemed to be around, which meant she had to work fast because it could quickly change. Food was low and she was getting hungry as well as Fleur. It would’ve been smart to stock up beforehand, but she had been thoughtless, so driven by anxiety and fear to get going and find her husband.

His unit was getting overwhelmed and around the country service members were contracting the disease and losing their lives. It was scary and she worried a lot but wouldn’t feel safe until she met her husband.

The doors and windows to the gas station was broken. She quickly looked around before listening. Everything was quiet. Peering around the place, it was trashed with overturned shelves and wrecked machinery. She took a last look back towards the car before slipping inside the building. She worked fast; heart pounding inside her chest as her breath quickened. She was worried about Fleur being safe, as well as her own safety as her eyes scanned the mess before working through sorting it carefully with her hands. There were a few smashed bags of chips and candy, forgotten sodas and untouched water shoved in her backpack before she headed back out, satisfied with what she managed to loot.

Her heart dropped instantly when she stepped back outside.

There was a man standing at her car peering inside. Anxiety kicked in and Fern felt like she would vomit. It was every mother’s worse nightmare that their child was in danger. The man’s identity was masked by the navy hood he wore over his head. His khaki cargos were dirty, and sneakers caked with mud. There was a bag slung over his back as he peered in the back passenger window where Fleur was sitting tucked into her car seat. In the reflection of the window Fern could see he was wearing a white mask; his hands were bare revealing tanned skin.

“Don’t move or I’ll fucking shoot!” she hissed as she drew closer holding up the SIG Sauer like Atlas had taught her. It was loaded with a single bullet in its chamber ready for dispatch.

Her hands were shaking so bad. She was scared for her baby. She cursed herself for being so reckless, suddenly regretting ever stepping outside of her house. There were so many what ifs at that moment. What if she shot and missed and somehow ended up hitting her child? What if the guy somehow got the gun away from her?

The man froze in spot before slowly turning around. Fern swallowed, her mouth suddenly filled with thick saliva, adrenaline rushed through her veins.

His eyes, they struck her as odd. They were a vibrant blue, and wide as he put up his hands, voice shaking in fear.

“Please, please don’t shoot.” It came out like a scared whisper.

“Get away from my car.” Her hands shook violently as her pointer finger hovered over the trigger. The man seemed to hesitate as if he wanted to say more, but Fern wasn’t having it. She wanted him gone. “Now!” she screamed.

Something metallic fell to the ground as the stranger took off running. Fern watched him before rushing to the car throwing open the back passenger door to check on Fleur. Strangely the toddler was quiet, smiling up at her mother.

On the ground had been a small bronze heart shaped locket. The chain was broken when she picked it up. She didn’t open it until she was back in the car waiting for the final minutes of full charge. In the tiny locket was a picture of a small child smiling. Her heart dropped, perhaps it was the stranger’s only remaining picture of their child left. There was so much to infer, and wonder about, but she had to focus on her own journey. She didn’t know the man’s intentions, just that he was intimidated by her having a gun. Fern closed the locket before opening the door and stepping out. She tossed the necklace back onto the ground just in case he returned.

In the distance there was a white seagull floating idly in the air as she removed the charger from her car. Fern took it as a sign.

She would follow.