It Cannot Get Any Worse
The Bunny Returns
Darrin awoke cold and hungry. The dumpster smelled like rotting flesh, and someone had dumped more garbage on top of him during the night without noticing he was there or waking him up. It was very cold. Darrin had crawled under the fuzzy bunny suit for warmth. He stuck his head inside the bunny head to keep his head out of the trash as much as possible, plus it was warmer inside. Yawning and stretching out his sore back, Darrin shoved the bunny suit aside and climbed out of the Dumpster.
Darrin was famished. He needed clothes and food. For that, he needed money. Darrin had no money, but he had an ATM card he always carried stuck in his sock for emergencies. This certainly was an emergency. The ATM card was for an anonymous account he was told was untraceable. He had seen a PNC bank right next to the Kroger before he crawled into the dumpster to hide. Did he dare try to use it?
As Darrin approached the bank, there was no one around. The town was empty and the sky was cloudy and dark. That was good, but he realized he did not want the ATM cameras making a record of his withdrawal. Thinking though his options, Darrin returned to the dumpster and donned the fuzzy bunny suit once again. The ATM cameras would record only that a giant fuzzy pink Bunny came up at 7 am on Sunday and withdrew $500 from an untraceable account.
To avoid attention, Darrin walked behind the buildings, climbed over the fence and walked up to the ATM from behind the building. Being tired made him a bit silly and Darrin spent a few seconds staring straight into the camera and then doing a fuzzy bunny dance in front of it after he withdrew the money. It was stupid, but he was a bit slap happy. He was done with this business anyway, there was no going back after this. He was a Canadian fisherman now. Darrin went back through the woods to the back of Kroger. He ditched the bunny costume in the dumpster again and went to the front of the store.
Kroger was already open. They had a Starbucks too. Darrin bought a Starbucks double frappachino and a scone. He also bought a razor, toothbrush, toothpaste two bottles of water and right guard. Kroger did not carry any clothing, only some cheap socks in the "Manager's Special” aisle. The clerk eyed his oversized pants and stained shirt, but did not say anything. The blood had dried and turned dark, no longer really red. The stains were mixed with dumpster dirt and whatever else Darrin had picked up, it was no longer recognizable as bloodstains. Darrin asked the clerk where he might be able to find some clothes he could buy this early on a Sunday. The clerk told him “Sav On across the street opens at 9 and they sometimes has clothing items. Otherwise probably Meijers over in Woodhaven. Nothing else on the island, unless there is a yard sale.“
Darrin returned to the woods behind the dumpster to clean up, shave, and eat. At 8:45 he walked over to the Sav On. He saw them just before reached the doors – Cameras! He turned and trotted back across the street. A police car was pulling out of the Kroger parking lot, so we went round the side and back to the woods.
Darrin once again pondered his limited options. He had to get some decent clothes and get a ride across the bridge somehow. He also had to come up with an excuse for not having any identification when he reached the police checking everyone crossing. He decided he would say he was out in a kayak and it turned over. He swam to shore and decided to hitch a ride back to his car. That would also serve to explain the way he smelled. He would just have to remember to dump water on himself before hitching a ride. Risky, but at least it was a plan. No one had seen him except a quick glimpse at the kid's party. The police may not even know there were still more team members around. Darrin wondered who else had gotten away, and whatever had happened to that idiot Noah anyway? It sure would be nice to have a boat to leave in. Well he no longer had access to a boat it seemed, but he had a plan and he felt much better. Now he just needed some clothing that did not make him look like a vagrant.
Darrin could figure no other way around the cameras at Sav On. He rolled up the now filthy bunny suit and slipped out along the side of Kroger to the road. After crossing the road, he put on the bunny suit and head and walked confidently into Sav On, giving the camera a nod on the way in. There was only one other shopper in the store and a pimple faced high school kid behind the counter. They had clothes, but not much to choose from. Darrin found a pair of shorts his size, some sandals, but the only shirt he could find was a hideous fake Hawaiian shirt. The prices were ridiculous. The clothing would be cold, but it woudl serve to get him across the bridge, then maybe he could find something else.
At the cash register, Darrin simply dropped the clothes on the counter and reached out his furry hand with four twenties for the clerk. The clerk rang up the clothing and Darrin scooped them up and headed for the door. A crackly voice jumping between high and lower pitches called out to him “Hey Mister . . . . uhh . . . Bunny, don't you want your change?” the clerk came running after him. The Bunny turned, looked at his furry gloved hands and muttered, “you keep it, tip” then turned and walked across the street.
After Darrin changed into the shorts and the remarkably gaudy and ugly Hawaiian shirt, he gratefully dumped the bunny costume into the dumpster for the last time. Now if he could just get off this hellish island and get to his stash of cash without being caught by the police or the Family, he had enough to get to Nova Scotia and then some. But how could he get off the island?. He considered calling Uber, but he had ditched the phone in the river after talking to Brandon. Hitching a ride posing as a capsized kayaker seemed the only rational option.
Darrin decided to walk back to the bridge. As he walked back along the trail through the woods, it began to rain, slowly at first then harder and harder. Wind picked up and thunder rolled through the sky like a train on a wooden bridge. Darrin was pleased, this was miserable and cold, but it would support his story about a capsizing Kayak and it would make him harder to recognize if anyone from the party happened to be around the bridge. Looking at the whitecaps on the water, Darrin was having second thoughts about his story. He did not know a lot about boats, but it looked unlikely anyone would survive in that water. He started trying to think of something better.
On the street to the bridge, the line was shorter now. Only one cop was at the bridge and she was just looking in the cars and waving people through one at a time. Darrin hung back towards the end of the line, out of her sight. He felt a bit silly holding out his thumb and staring at the drivers of cars that were not moving, but it was a good way to get a ride, especially in the rain.
Darrin was famished. He needed clothes and food. For that, he needed money. Darrin had no money, but he had an ATM card he always carried stuck in his sock for emergencies. This certainly was an emergency. The ATM card was for an anonymous account he was told was untraceable. He had seen a PNC bank right next to the Kroger before he crawled into the dumpster to hide. Did he dare try to use it?
As Darrin approached the bank, there was no one around. The town was empty and the sky was cloudy and dark. That was good, but he realized he did not want the ATM cameras making a record of his withdrawal. Thinking though his options, Darrin returned to the dumpster and donned the fuzzy bunny suit once again. The ATM cameras would record only that a giant fuzzy pink Bunny came up at 7 am on Sunday and withdrew $500 from an untraceable account.
To avoid attention, Darrin walked behind the buildings, climbed over the fence and walked up to the ATM from behind the building. Being tired made him a bit silly and Darrin spent a few seconds staring straight into the camera and then doing a fuzzy bunny dance in front of it after he withdrew the money. It was stupid, but he was a bit slap happy. He was done with this business anyway, there was no going back after this. He was a Canadian fisherman now. Darrin went back through the woods to the back of Kroger. He ditched the bunny costume in the dumpster again and went to the front of the store.
Kroger was already open. They had a Starbucks too. Darrin bought a Starbucks double frappachino and a scone. He also bought a razor, toothbrush, toothpaste two bottles of water and right guard. Kroger did not carry any clothing, only some cheap socks in the "Manager's Special” aisle. The clerk eyed his oversized pants and stained shirt, but did not say anything. The blood had dried and turned dark, no longer really red. The stains were mixed with dumpster dirt and whatever else Darrin had picked up, it was no longer recognizable as bloodstains. Darrin asked the clerk where he might be able to find some clothes he could buy this early on a Sunday. The clerk told him “Sav On across the street opens at 9 and they sometimes has clothing items. Otherwise probably Meijers over in Woodhaven. Nothing else on the island, unless there is a yard sale.“
Darrin returned to the woods behind the dumpster to clean up, shave, and eat. At 8:45 he walked over to the Sav On. He saw them just before reached the doors – Cameras! He turned and trotted back across the street. A police car was pulling out of the Kroger parking lot, so we went round the side and back to the woods.
Darrin once again pondered his limited options. He had to get some decent clothes and get a ride across the bridge somehow. He also had to come up with an excuse for not having any identification when he reached the police checking everyone crossing. He decided he would say he was out in a kayak and it turned over. He swam to shore and decided to hitch a ride back to his car. That would also serve to explain the way he smelled. He would just have to remember to dump water on himself before hitching a ride. Risky, but at least it was a plan. No one had seen him except a quick glimpse at the kid's party. The police may not even know there were still more team members around. Darrin wondered who else had gotten away, and whatever had happened to that idiot Noah anyway? It sure would be nice to have a boat to leave in. Well he no longer had access to a boat it seemed, but he had a plan and he felt much better. Now he just needed some clothing that did not make him look like a vagrant.
Darrin could figure no other way around the cameras at Sav On. He rolled up the now filthy bunny suit and slipped out along the side of Kroger to the road. After crossing the road, he put on the bunny suit and head and walked confidently into Sav On, giving the camera a nod on the way in. There was only one other shopper in the store and a pimple faced high school kid behind the counter. They had clothes, but not much to choose from. Darrin found a pair of shorts his size, some sandals, but the only shirt he could find was a hideous fake Hawaiian shirt. The prices were ridiculous. The clothing would be cold, but it woudl serve to get him across the bridge, then maybe he could find something else.
At the cash register, Darrin simply dropped the clothes on the counter and reached out his furry hand with four twenties for the clerk. The clerk rang up the clothing and Darrin scooped them up and headed for the door. A crackly voice jumping between high and lower pitches called out to him “Hey Mister . . . . uhh . . . Bunny, don't you want your change?” the clerk came running after him. The Bunny turned, looked at his furry gloved hands and muttered, “you keep it, tip” then turned and walked across the street.
After Darrin changed into the shorts and the remarkably gaudy and ugly Hawaiian shirt, he gratefully dumped the bunny costume into the dumpster for the last time. Now if he could just get off this hellish island and get to his stash of cash without being caught by the police or the Family, he had enough to get to Nova Scotia and then some. But how could he get off the island?. He considered calling Uber, but he had ditched the phone in the river after talking to Brandon. Hitching a ride posing as a capsized kayaker seemed the only rational option.
Darrin decided to walk back to the bridge. As he walked back along the trail through the woods, it began to rain, slowly at first then harder and harder. Wind picked up and thunder rolled through the sky like a train on a wooden bridge. Darrin was pleased, this was miserable and cold, but it would support his story about a capsizing Kayak and it would make him harder to recognize if anyone from the party happened to be around the bridge. Looking at the whitecaps on the water, Darrin was having second thoughts about his story. He did not know a lot about boats, but it looked unlikely anyone would survive in that water. He started trying to think of something better.
On the street to the bridge, the line was shorter now. Only one cop was at the bridge and she was just looking in the cars and waving people through one at a time. Darrin hung back towards the end of the line, out of her sight. He felt a bit silly holding out his thumb and staring at the drivers of cars that were not moving, but it was a good way to get a ride, especially in the rain.