“Red, red, red. Oh, I so love the taste of red,” the Queen said as it dripped into her mouth.
All around, the people trembled as they looked up, dozens of feet up, watching as the Queen drank from the skull, avoiding the body laying a few feet away.
For minutes that felt like hours, the lords, ladies, knights, and commoners all knelt frozen while the Queen finished and, finally, the last drop fell.
They held their collective breaths until, “You’re dismissed,” was heard from the Queen, then in an orderly fashion, they all left as the grand doors closed silently.
They all ran.
***
Day turned to night as the assembled people watched the rats scurry away and their leader finally arrive. When he entered, his hops sounded like thuds, disturbing the otherwise silent room. When the clock struck midnight, the meeting began.
“What happened this morning?” the rabbit asked.
“The Queen left early for her walk and saw John painting one of the white roses red,” said Harry.
“Begin the evacuation plan. The Queen will only be satisfied with her recent meal for a few days,” said the rabbit.
“He wasn’t just a meal! How could you say that?” said a woman.
Harry turned to the woman. “Now, Mary—”
“We only have a few days before the Queen finds a reason to kill again. Right now, we can’t focus on the dead, Mary. I understand he was your husband, but right now the living have priority,” said the rabbit as he looked at his pocket watch.
It was a quarter past twelve. They had to hurry before the guards discovered them, but before they could continue, the door slid open and a line of guards entered.
Rabbit jumped up and slammed into them, causing them to fall like a deck of cards. Everyone scrambled to get away, then disappear into the night.
Before the rabbit can escape, one of the guards grabs him. “Take him to the Queen!”
