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"Oh, one of Those ones," said the bird self-importantly. "A Shade."

It blinked its beady eyes, though it's positioned so Rabbit can't see it so I guess that's kind of a pointless thing to share. "You gotta help," it squawked, "We gotta go to the Big Nest. We gotta help!"

(It probably meant Town Hall.)

"No," said the bird. "Just the ones She dreams of."

It flung out a wing, bonking its feathers against Rabbit's head as they approached Town Hall. "Oh no," it moaned. "Too late!"

The building was covered in... squirming... black things. It undulated like the sea, like some awful living thing, steady as a heartbeat. "We have to go get the eggs," the bird said. "Before it spreads any further!"

"It'll stain you 'cause you're only part from here, but it'll eat the eggs entirely!" The bird took flight, describing tight circles several feet above Rabbit's head. Its frenzied flapping echoed its voice oddly. "Please!! Hurry!! Follow me!!"

The bird dove through an open space between black goo-monsters. They began to roll faster, reacting to its presence.

Once Rabbit entered the strange building that had replaced Town Hall, he would note three things.

Firstly, the black things covered only the walls here. Where the wall met the floor there were varicose things that extended into the cracks between tiles, but no further. It was quite possible for Rabbit to pass over them if he watched where he stepped.

Secondly, the room normally had two exits: right and left. The right hall would usually lead to the DMV, and the left to the mayoral offices and courtroom. Now there were three doors, one to the right, one to the left, and one straight ahead. The right door was open, and beyond it there was a burning light. The left door was open just a crack, but beyond it seemed black as pitch. The door in front is closed, but the key is in the lock.

Thirdly, the bird lies still on the ground in the grasp of several tendrils of black vein.

It was fairly obvious which door the bird meant to go through. However, with his opposable thumbs, Rabbit has options the bird did not... one of which is to leave...

If he turns to look, though, the way out has been subsumed by the black fleshy... stuff.

Looks like the only way out is forward.

The goo did not respond to Rabbit's entreaties. Instead, it seemed to draw energy from being nudged, and began to do... whatever it was doing... to the bird even faster.

"The eggs," the bird croaked. "The eggs..."

Then it was gone beneath the squirming stuff.

Rabbit went to the right, towards the blinding light.

Pros of this choice: The black stuff couldn't seem to stand the light. As it grew stronger, the stuff grew thinner on the walls until it was almost entirely gone. Where it remained was within sharp-edged shadows, carefully self-contained. Whatever 'stain' the bird had been concerned about was likely no danger here.

Cons of this choice: The light was really ******** bright, and it was nearly impossible to see because of it. It didn't gain much temperature as Rabbit approached, which was odd, especially since the entire hall smelled strongly of smoke.

At the end of the hall, in the middle of the waiting room, was a man who appeared to be actively on fire. Despite the blinding brightness, he is easily spotted, the easiest thing in the room to look at. He hadn't yet noticed Rabbit, engrossed in whatever chore he was doing, but that could change.

The man held an egg in his hands, and was turning it between his palms. It was far too massive to have been laid by the bird who had awoken Rabbit in the bar, and yet... the bird had requested Rabbit's help. It could be one of the eggs.

The man hadn't yet noticed Rabbit.

The man looked up. His face was... not unfamiliar... but certainly not one that Rabbit could have named. "My dear boy, it is so rude to sneak," said the burning man. He stopped examining the egg and turned to face Rabbit, insomuch as his head was literally on actual fire and thus his face was basically only discernible by guessing based on where his jaw kinda seemed to be.

"What is it you've come here for," he asked, his genteel tenor quite loud over the crackling of the... it was probably once his skin.