Rabbit Hole

Night Walk

I mean, I'd just got there, but I could feel something was off.
But luckily, I wasn't the only one who could tell.

Lights are out, and I'm in bed. It's painful, as I have to try to sleep as upright as possible due to the bruised rib, and I'm not getting to sleep. So, I do what I usually do when I can't go to sleep, I go to get a drink.

As I go to the door, it opens with ease. Mildly shocking, as I fully expected it to be locked. Walking through the facility at night for the first time is almost like walking through a labyrinth, there are so many doors and hallways that it can get confusing.

At one point, I walk past a room with the lights on, and as I get closer, faint shouting sounds start to reveal themselves. I recognise the two voices as Clyde and Mark, and Mark seems to be panicking while Clyde is getting him to calm down. I briefly consider stopping to listen, but I decide against it. It's a private conversation, and I don't want to be caught doing that.

But eventually, I trace my steps and come to the metal door and water fountain. I go to grab one of the paper cups, and-

"What are you doing?" someone calls out. I drop the cup, startled (luckily it was empty), and turn to see who was there. Had I been caught by the workers doing something I shouldn't have been doing-

No, thank god.

"Oh, hi Lloyd. Just getting a drink."
"You're not supposed to be here right now." he says, slowly walking towards me.
"Am I not? The door was open in my room and I was thirsty so-"
"Wait, you door wasn't locked?"
"No?"
"Mine was for the first few days. Wonder what changed."

Eventually, I back into the wall and Lloyd goes to the wall opposite me, about 2 meters away. As I go to leave, he warns me.

"Stay there."
"Why?"
"It's a blind spot. Camera can't see you." he says, nodding towards a camera in the other corner."
"Why did you get me to avoid the camera?"
"They'll see you, and also I need to talk to you about something."
"Ok then."
"So, I've realised something about the characters. I know that they're planning something, but I'm not sure what yet, but it's about to happen."
"How do you know?"
"I've seen a lot of things that they don't know I know about, and it doesn't look good."
"Like what?"
"You see that door? What did they tell you it was?"
"A surgery room?"
"Yeah, nope. Something else is in there. I'm not sure exactly what, but I do know there's a chair, and I don't want to be the one to witness what it's there for firsthand."
"Do you think they're planning to use that on us?"
"Probably, and we're in a lot of danger now."
"Why?"
"Because of you."
"What?" I take a step back, startled.
"Think about it, Alice is the main character, and we didn't have an Alice, until you, and we've not been doing much, really. But now you're here."
"So, they were waiting for the full set?"
"Yes. Well, working theory, but probably. I thought we had more time. We don't even have the fucking twins yet, or the hare."
"So, do you have any idea what to do?"
"Stall for now. We wait for something to happen, and plan around that. We're two of thje most relevant characters, so if my theory's correct, we'll have longer."
"Wait. I saw Clyde and Mark on my way here."

He suddenly drops his calm and collected tone and reacts with shock.

"Wait, what was he saying to him?"
"I couldn't hear, but Mark was getting angry."
"Oh god." he says with a tone of pure horror. "He's the Mock Turtle, the least known one of all of us. There's no way he wouldn't be first."
"So what do we do then?"
"Well we- I could- we could- you-" he's panicking. He can't get a sentence out. Eventually, he lets out a defeated "nothing. If we try to save him, we go down with him. Oh god. Why couldn't it have been one of the others? Why'd it have to be him? This has to have been aimed. They knew they couldn't take me yet, so they took my best friend. I-"
"Lloyd, breathe." he won't stop spiraling. He just gets more angry.
"DON'T TELL ME TO- oh my god. Amanda I'm sorry. I'm so-"
"It's fine, Lloyd. It's a tough situation. It might not even begin."
"Yeah, I guess it might not. Maybe I'm-"

At that moment, we hear a door open.

"Shit. RUN." Lloyd commands sharply, and we both scatter for our rooms.

Luckily, the rooms don't feel like a labyrinth the second time around, however it just feels like the halls get longer and larger the longer I run. Eventually, I reach m door, and as I get in, another worker rounds the corner, and I quickly run to the bed in my room. As she walks past, I see the name tag: Carol. I'm just about to go under the covrs, but I hear something that terrifies me.

"You got him, Wilfred?"

Oh god. Is it Lloyd? Did they catch him? Are they doing something with Mark? Are Bill or Kat involved?

"Oh, Clyde got him? Good. We can start the process. Did you get that, Wilfred? We are starting the process now."

So, Lloyd was right. They are planning something, and that room is the key to everything.

And that was the last day I remember before I was subject to some of the worst experiences you could imagine.
I may have been cautionary and cynical, but even with that, nothing could prepare me for what happened next.