A Desert Execution

The sun blazed down on the hot desert sand, its heat scorching every rock and shrub for miles around.  Middle summer heat is the worst any living creature could imagine, and even though many had adapted to survive in these conditions, all felt the searing heat of the blazing star.  All except for two groups, foreigners to the desert, who had come here for a very express purpose.

One of these groups were two men, who trudged through the desert brush, sweating profusely as they did so.  One man carried a small wooden box, which rattled with every step he took, as well as a small camera, with tripod attachment.  The other carried a series of boards, and a large machine gun, loaded with .50 caliber bullets.  Both men walked with a grim determination, though they were clearly excited by the events about to take place.

The other party were the baby rabbits and chicks contained within the box, shaking with fear as they were brought ever closer to their final fate.  For as far back as the memory of their species went, they had been hunted, tortured, and eaten by the men who dominated their world.  There was no memory of a time when they were free.  Some lucky individuals escaped their ultimate destiny, and were merely put on display for the world to mock.  The vast majority, however, ended their lives in the gullet of a human.

But there was no way for these young creatures to know any of this.  They had not lived long enough to hear of the fragmented history of their kind from the elders who passed it down.  They were newborns, not even a week old, their yellow and pink coats still freshly grown.  Man was a creature to be feared, they knew that much.  Beyond that, they were not equipped to know their destiny, much less the far crueler fate awaiting them under the desert sun.

The men reached their destination, and began to unpack their cargo, preparing for the cruel sport they were about to partake in.  Boards were arranged into a small thin table, level and perfect for a firing range.  The camera was set up and tweaked with, so as to capture the perfect angle of the shots.  The man carrying the gun positioned himself and began to load several rounds of ammunition into the chamber.  And the rabbits and chicks were set up on the board, one at a time, all facing the same direction.

If the heat served as a discomfort to the animals accustomed to the desert, imagine how it must have felt to these poor creatures!  It pinned them to the board, unable to brink or breath for the sweltering heat glaring down on them.  Many felt as if their very insides were melting, and their coats turning sticky.

The men had expected a cooler day, and realized they wouldn’t have long to perform their tasks before their targets expired.  They needed to move fast.  Nodding to each other, one turned on the camera, while the other lined up his sights on the defenseless creatures brought to this God-forsaken place to be executed.

There was still no way for the young creatures to understand what was happening.  They saw the glint of the camera, felt the heat of the sun, and heard the click of a trigger, but had no basis of understanding for any of it. They didn’t even hear the bullet before it struck the first chick.

It all happened so fast that the survivors couldn’t even remember the events at all.  The .50 caliber bullet tore through more than a dozen chicks before it trajectory was changed enough for it to sail harmlessly past the others.  Even though they were spared the fate of a cap through the head or torso, the sheer speed and power of the bullet knocked the board over and sent the lucky ones flying all across the desert sands.  No screams came from the young ones; even if they had cried out, the sound would have been drowned out by the crack of the bullet.

Having filmed the shot they wanted, the men strolled over to the mangled bodies, and began to count just how many the bullet had managed to penetrate.  Satisfied with their number, they stood up and faced each other.  One of the men said to the other, “16 Peeps with one bullet.  Not bad, huh? You wanna try the Cadbury Eggs now?”