“What happened?”
“Dunno,” Mr. Boots said. “Found it like this. Maybe a coyote.”
Dave wasn’t sure he believed that. He gulped.
“You think Mr. Bunny wants to live this-a-way?”
I don’t think he can live like that, Dave thought. Not much longer anyway. But he didn’t say anything, only shook his head.
“This right here is worse than death. We’re gonna help this creature best we can.” He nodded his head toward the ax.
Dave said he understood and went to get the ax. He pulled it out of the stump and held it out to Mr. Boots.
Mr. Boots smiled. “No, boy. You’re gonna do it.”
“Wha…me?”
Mr. Boots nodded.
“Can’t you? Please? I don’t want to.”
“I know you don’t.” He laughed, brought the animal to the stump, and pressed it against the scarred wood.
“Don’t try nothing funny,” he said. “If I catch you eyeing my arm instead of this thing’s neck, that wood won’t be the only thing gets split today.”
Dave closed his eyes and shook his head. “Please.”
“Trust me now,” Mr. Boots said. “If you don’t do this, you’ll be all kinds of regretful.” He nodded toward the squirming animal and made a chopping motion with his free hand. “Let’s go.”
Dave stepped up to the stump. The animal writhed, scratched at the wood with its remaining hind leg. It turned its head toward him. Its black, tar-drop eyes flicked back and forth, not seeming to see anything at all.
“It’s hurtin’,” Mr. Boots said. “See that?”
So you left it tied in a bag all this time?
Dave raised the ax over his shoulder.
Mr. Boots nodded.
Kill him. Forget the rabbit. Kill Mr. Boots.
Dave considered it, but the idea of swinging the ax into Mr. Boots’s neck made his hands tremble. He wasn’t sure he could pull it off. And if he tried and failed…well, he couldn’t risk it. He wasn’t sure what Mr. Boots would do to him, but he knew what the man had done for much less severe disobediences. Knew. Remembered. Sometimes cried about.
And although the thought of slaughtering the animal was repulsive, disgusting, wrong, Dave was also a little curious. What would happen when he cut off the thing’s head? Would it die immediately? Or would it hop and kick and squirm until the blood drained out? Would it scream? And what if he chopped only partway through? Or wiggled the ax back and forth through each bone and strip of sinew? Slowly. Carefully. What if he really savored it?
Savored? Seriously? What’s wrong with me?
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I can’t,” he said.
And before he could open his eyes, Mr. Boots had wrapped a hand around his throat and started squeezing.
“You can,” he said. “And you’d better.”
His fingers flexed, squeezed, choked. Dave’s throat burned, and his eyes watered, and when he dropped the ax and tried to pry the fingers loose, he found he couldn’t move them an inch. He opened one eye, saw Mr. Boots still holding the rabbit against the stump.
“kkkkkkkkkkkkkk”
“What?” Mr. Boots squeezed harder before finally loosening his grip. A little.
“O…okay,” Dave said. His voice was a frog’s croak of a thing.
Mr. Boots let go and said, “Pick up the ax.”
Dave grabbed his throat, sucked in three or four agonizing breaths, doubled over and coughed. And picked up the ax. What choice did he have?
Mr. Boots kneeled by the stump and pressed on the animal. It thrashed. One of its back claws caught Mr. Boots’s forearm, but he didn’t seem to notice. Or care. Blood oozed into the crease of his elbow and from there to the dirt below.
He nodded toward the stump.
Dave coughed again, hacked out a wad of phlegm, and lifted the ax over his shoulder.
Better do it. If your choice is killing a half-dead rabbit or getting choked to death, that’s not really a choice at all, is it?
The rabbit’s side vibrated. It was practically hyperventilating.
This is your fault, he thought at the rabbit.
But how could that be true?
He didn’t know. And no longer cared.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, wondering if he really was, and swung the ax.
The ax head thunked into the wood. It was a perfect chop. The rabbit’s head slid down the stump and into the dirt. Mr. Boots let go of the animal’s body. It did keep kicking for a few seconds, but then it flopped off the stump and into the dirt beside the decapitated head, pumping gory juices across the ground before finally stilling.
Warm blood dripped down Dave’s face and shirt. He let go of the ax handle and turned away from the kill.
Mr. Boots got up and put a hand on his shoulder. “It was the right thing, don’t you guess?” he said. “The only thing.”
A tear slid down Dave’s cheek, but the corners of his mouth curled up just a little. He felt like he had no control over his face whatsoever.
“Killin’s a chore,” Mr. Boots said. “Why don’t you go for a walk. Clear your head.”
Dave frowned. “A walk?” The words burned their way out of his throat. He coughed again and wiped tears from his eyes.
“Sure,” Mr. Boots said. “Clear your head.”
Dave turned to face him. “Walk where?”
“Wherever you want.”
What kind of trick was this? He thought maybe he could choke out one more word: “Wherever?”
“Sure,” Mr. Boots said again. “I trust you.” He flashed his gap-toothed grin.
Dave raised his eyebrows.
“Yep.” Mr. Boots nodded. “I do. Because I know that you know that if you ran, I’d find you. And if I didn’t find you—which I would—I’d just find another boy to replace you. And that would be on you. And I know that’s nothing you wanna live with.”
Dave stared, said nothing.
“So, go on. Take a walk. Think about why what you just did was nice and righteous.”
Dave took a few steps away. When Mr. Boots didn’t follow, he turned and ran.
After plenty of running and scrambling through the undergrowth, he reached a road. He’d never been this far. Not since…before. He stopped and wondered how long it would be before someone drove by. If someone would drive by.
Does he really think I won’t run?
Who cares what he thinks. This is your chance. Finally. The best chance you’ve ever had.
He touched the sides of his throat. It felt like there were still fingers there choking the life out of him. He gritted his teeth and thought about walking up the road. But he was tired from chopping, from running, from choking. He decided to wait.