Even in his new surroundings Peter could not resist a drink. When the unimportant cellmate offered him a sip, Peter took a guzzle. When he awoke in a nightmare land of cartoons he knew the shine was on the jug. Feeling an urge to hunt a rabbit, he also knew it must be Easter. Wasn’t he supposed to do something on Easter this year?
Peter could not remember what his task was. The urge to hunt down the rabbit, the one that taunted while munching carrots and sometimes turned invisible, was all consuming. Though… his mind might be combining fantasy bunnies. That wasn’t important. He needed to kill the varmint. Something important depended on it.
Peter did not have a gun, but he found a hammer and some spikes. Not ideal, but better than nothing. He set out on the hunt, determined to take the rascal by hand. That would feel pretty good actually. It would feel… biblical.
He traipsed through the woods, whistling a jaunty tune. He almost skipped and felt like he was going in circles. Some small, rational part of his mind knew he was, around his sell. That part of his mind was lost behind the veil of inebriation though.
Finally, Peter saw the critter. He crouched, a sick smile sliding over his lips. He crept forward but knew the creature saw him. It did not chew his carrot and give some smart aleck response though. Instead, it threw Peter a look. It looked, terrified. That was new, Peter thought. Perhaps word of his association with the divine was spreading. It might explain the change. No time to wonder about that though.
It was much simpler than Peter anticipated. He pounced on the rabbit, pinning it to the wall. Mighty strikes of the mallet drove the spikes home. It squealed and begged for its life. It promised to convert and spread the word. Peter was beyond reason though. The task was more important than any one thing.
After nine months in prison most of the inmates found themselves swayed by Peter’s words. There were so many converts to the men’s army that the repercussions of Peter making his unimportant cellmate into an important figure were of greater benefit than keeping him in the cell.
Peter did not feel bad about crucifying the man on the wall of the cell they shared. Sacrifice was necessary. Besides, with that loss of one human, Peter’s ten to twenty stretch became a life sentence. Due to the manner of it and the fact that he really thought he killed a rabbit, for a long time anyway, he was transferred to a high security mental facility. There were more men to convert at the hospital and they were easier to sway. Their minds were already open to things that most could not comprehend. Besides…
With the change in venue, sometimes Nicole could come and visit him. She was proud of him. She told him so often.
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