Karma (The Exodus)

P etey jumps onto my lap, and I stroke his big ears. I’ve never loved anything the way I love this rabbit. Hands lift him off my lap, and his big back legs kick in defiance. Soft skin replaces his warmth as Allister drapes her calves over my thighs. She sets Petey on her lap. He settles into her, spreading out with a contented sigh.

I kiss Allister. She’s the only other thing that I love and the only thing that bumped ahead of Petey. She whips open the curtain behind me, letting in the country light.

We had to leave the small city of Vail. We couldn’t stay in Colorado. I sealed my fate when I killed an elder, then brought another to her on a silver fucking platter. It wasn’t safe for either of us.

Now we live in Wyoming in the middle of fucking nowhere. We rent a cozy country cabin, nameless, for a month at a time. I was happy to leave everything behind because everything that mattered was with me. Petey. Allister. I thought it would be harder for her, but she was packed before I even decided where we would go.