The Crimes of Alice: An Underground Prequel

by ERIN BEDFORD

  Standing up, I noticed the rabbit had stopped next to the little pond my sister and I used to fish at when we were younger. It wasn’t a very big pond, and to our dismay, it had more frogs than fish in it. It did have a great little hiding spot. There was a cave where water from the Missouri River trickled into the pond, and sitting right outside the cave, taking his time as he enjoyed my carrots, was the long-eared fiend.

  He munched away at one with every confidence he had lost me. I took a moment to try to get the jump on him by moving across the field toward where he was sitting. Luck was not on my side, however, because as soon as I was about to sneak up behind him, he saw my reflection in the pool and panicked. He shoved the carrot into his mouth and darted toward the mouth of the cave.

  “Shit.”

  The rabbit was more trouble than he was worth and a lot smarter than he seemed. I had tried everything to keep him out of my garden. Animal repellent, traps, even wire fencing. It still didn’t keep him out. He had somehow even cut a hole in the fence big enough for him to get in and out with my carrots.

  No clue how he pulled that one off.

  I once mused he was a runaway lab rabbit that the government had been doing experiments on him. As a result, he’d become a superfied genius rabbit. Though, if that were true, nothing short of a high-powered security system was keeping that rabbit out of my carrot patch. So, since I couldn’t afford that kind of tech on a librarian’s salary, I decided to take him out.

  In order to not spook my prey again, I inched my way toward the cave's entrance. It wasn’t very big. At ten years old it had been quite easy to go in and out as I pleased, but as a moderately chested grown woman, it was a tight fit.

  I tried to be as quiet as possible as I sucked in my stomach. Think thin. I was as thin as a rod, as skinny as a Victoria Secret model. This wasn’t making me claustrophobic whatsoever. Finally, I got through the entrance and blinked as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting in the cavern.

  The cave I remembered was usually pretty dark with only a sliver of moonlight coming through the opening, but to my surprise, it was brighter in the cavern than it was outside. As my eyes adjusted to the cave an ominous feeling washed over me. Weird, neon-white painted symbols covered the walls.

  What the hell?

  My fingers traced one of the symbols, and I realized it was not paint at all. It was as if they were part of the wall itself. I didn’t remember them being there the last time my sister and I had ventured into our little hideout. I would remember mysterious nightlights, wouldn’t I?

  As conspiracy theories started to circle my mind, a sneeze from the back of the cavern reminded me of my purpose. I turned away from the mysterious symbols and moved toward the sound. Every step I took felt heavier than the last, and a chilling thought came to mind—what if something, or someone, was in the cave?

  With that disturbing thought, my footsteps became more cautious, and my eyes darted around. No one was going to get the jump on me. I had read enough horror novels to know I was a prime candidate for being abducted or killed by some lunatic with a skin fetish. I really should work on my sense of self-preservation.

  More symbols started to appear on the walls the further back I got. In the front of the cavern they had only been on the sides, but as I progressed deeper into the cave, the symbols began to run all along the ceiling and the floor. They were angled in the direction of something in the center of the back of the cavern as if they were being drawn in.

  I followed the spiral of symbols until I ended up in front of a basketball-sized hole in the wall. That had definitely not been there before. Turning around in a circle, I searched the walls for any other changes. There was not really anything different, besides the weird nightlights and the hole, and there was no sign of the rabbit anywhere.

  I gave the hole a wide berth as I contemplated what to do next. I knew the only exit to the cavern was the one I came through, so the rabbit must have gone through the hole. Then again, I could be in a horrible version of some mummy story, and the moment I stuck my arm in that thing, it was going to get eaten off.

  I wasn’t the bravest person. I didn’t agree to work in a library just because I loved to read, and I’d admit, a little desperate. It was quiet, making it easy to get lost in one's thoughts, which I was known to do on a semi-permanent basis. There was also the seclusion from the lack of employees, which made it an anti-social's dream job.

  Though, sometimes being so alone could have consequences, such as not being good with people, or more specifically, guys. I usually became either a stuttering mess or a sarcastic asshole when faced with an attractive specimen. That’s why I liked working with David so much. He was plain enough I could be myself.

  Mrs. Jenkins knew how I felt about men and people in general. She could be as bad as my mother when it came to me dating. I could just imagine what she would have to say about my hesitancy to stick my arm in that hole. "Dear, everything worth having comes with a leap of faith. Just hold onto your panties and take the plunge."

  I had only been working at the library for a day when she said that to me. I had been so shocked; I had fallen out of my seat from laughing so hard. Yes, she was a little eccentric. She takes the whole 'I'm old so I can say whatever I want' a little too far, but she had a lot of great advice, and I already loved her for it.

  I took a deep breath and let it out. "What the hell."

  I stepped back up to the hole and placed one hand on each side of it. I bent at the waist and squinted into the hole to see what waited.

  Darkness.

  While the cavern was lit up with the glowing symbols, the hole was nothing but complete blackness. I couldn’t see a damn thing. I blew out a shaky breath between my teeth, all that lead up and nothing.

  “Fuck it."

  I threw up my hands and moved away from the hole. That rabbit was not worth becoming some creepy crawlies food. Studying the symbols as I walked away, I made a mental note to dig into the language section when I got back to work in the morning.

  "Does Mop think Lady is gone, does Mop?"

  I turned an ear back toward the hole at the squeaky voice’s question. I took large strides, well as large as my short legs would let me back to the hole.

  Who was that?

  "I don’t know! Ye shouldn’t have led her here in the first place!" A low rumbling voice growled in return.

  I inched my face down to the hole and peered in again. Instead of darkness, there was a fading light coming from inside the hole. Come home, whispered against my face. I twisted around to look behind me. As usual, no one was there. Shoving down every part of me that screamed to just go back to the house and crawl into bed, I reached into the hole.

  The warmth of the light engulfed my hand and tugged me toward it. I tried to retract my hand, but it was too late, it had its hooks in me. I remembered wondering if this is what it felt like to be sucked through a straw before everything went black.

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