Rabbit Hole

A Symbol of Hope and Revenge

In those hours, we'd thought it was hopeless.
But in those moments, we'd met living proof that it wasn't.

"Oh my god. Some of you finally got out."

The figure welcomes us into the cabin. It isn't as run down as we were expecting, there's a TV, sofa, a few beds, and a working kitchen with food. The floorboards are a little worn, but that's the only sign this was abandoned at one point.

"So, who are you?" Kat asks.
"Why are you in the forest instead of back home?" Liv asks.
"How did you know about us?" Pat asks.

"Alright, I'll My name is Jules. I was the 7th Dormouse, but I escaped, 1 year ago. While I was in there, I'd figured out everything. What they were planning, how they could have ruined me, and most importantly, how to escape. So I warned everyone, and we all tried to escape. It was a bloodbath. We took out all but one of them, Lewis, but I was the last survivor of that fight. Everyone else died. As I ran, I had a thought: I could stop this for good next time. They were gonna bounce back. I knew they were. That's when I came across a man with a cabin. He was with the facility and wanted me dead. Luckily, I won that fight. Since then, I've been watching and waiting for one I thought could beat them. Enter, cycle 13. You. I'v constructed multiple successful break ins in the past, it's how I can get the CCTV on that TV, and I got to the files of the new group this time - well, some of them, Liv's was missing - and I just knew that this was gonna be the one. So I sabotaged it. Mark- so what they do is strap you down to a chair before trying to fuck with your brain, right? So I broke the straps on the chair enough to be unnoticable, but noticable enough for Mark to realise and break out. He could have done it, if he didn't trust Cole. Cole told him to run to the pool, he drowned minutes later. That same day, I remember: there is always the Alice and Queen confrontation and power cut. And I was gonna wait. But this one went way different than previous times, because you two teamed up." she points to me and Liv. "You told her about your issues and she accepted you. And when the power cut happened, since you knew the deeper reason she wanted to help, you didn't listen to Cole. And not only did you break the system, you also FINALLY put an end to Cole's manipulation. I've seen him doom hundreds of kids, so it was satisfying to see karma finally catch up with him. And when you escaped, you all ran to the right door, and even when it looked bleak, one of you sacrificed herself to save the others. When you got out, I instantly turned the lights on in hope you'd find here. Luckily you did, and only lost one person doing it."

"One?" Liv questions, "What about Bill?"
"Oh yeah, the White Rabbit. He's still alive. They're still planning something with him."

"So what do we do now?" Pat asks.

"Well, you got two choices. A: you can leave. Be safe, get out of here, never have to come back again. Or B: We get all the help we can get and go in there. We take out the entire operation, save your friend, and stop Wonderland for good. So, your choice."

We all stay in silence. Liv looks at me and I look back, confirming we both have the aam answer to the question already. Kat and Pat do a similar confirmation. Then we decide.

"All in favour of leaving?"

Nobody raises their hands.

"It's settled. We fight."

"Huh, perfect. All of you are in. There's 4 beds, change of clothes, and enough food to last us a month, but I can always get more.  One final thing, all 4 of you had phones when you were taken, right?"

We all nod. Mine was on me when I fell.

"Well I got them back. So anyone got something they think would help?"

Pat goes first. "Yeah, I know a guy. Ace. He's amazing at fighting and would love to take a hellhole like here down."

Then Kat. "My girlfriend, Harriet. She's probably been worried sick for the last few weeks, and she wouldn't let a place like this run."

Then to me. "I got two. My friends, Nick and Jade. They know I went somewhere and they've been waiting for a situation like this."

"What about you?" She turns to Liv.

"Oh, uh, nobody. Sorry."
"No-one?"
"Yep."
"Oh. Well, I can get contact with a few others, Mark had a brother, Elliott, and he'll want to fight. I doubt Bill's girlfriend Nyla will want to let him get brainwashed, and i found the file of who was supposed to be the original Hatter in your cycle, and hopefully they'll be in on this mission too."

Meanwhile in a nearby town...

"Shit guys, my phone's ringing, can we take 5?"
"Sure. We got a few weeks before this needs to be ready. We got time."

I step away from the microphone and go outside the garage. This better not be a scam caller.

"Hello?"
"Is this Blake Lloyd?"
"Yep, speaking. Is this about the band?"
"No. You were due to go to conversion therapy two months ago, right?"
"What? Yeah, nah I ain't fucking going, you can't make me-"
"No, we're not with them. We're against them."
"You are?"
"Listen. You were about to go to a facility in the middle of the Pennines. You ran away, though, and they never found you."
"Right?"
"They're trying to brainwash kids like you. Some of them escaped, but two died."
"What? So, they'd have killed me?"
"If you were lucky."
"There's worse things than death happening there?"
"Yes. So we need your help."
"How could I help?"
"We're tearing this place down ourselves. Would you want to fight with us?"

I think about it for a brief second. Could I fight?

Eh, I've won a harder fight before. This shouldn't be worse.

"Send me the location. I'm in."