All right, folks, this is the story that I am writing for 0-Blazing Sun-0. I hope you enjoy it. This is just the beginning of a bizarre little adventure that, in all honesty, I've had in mind for a while now. Have fun!
-o-
The rain poured heavily upon the ground. Its drops created light thumps as they struck black umbrellas. A dozen sets of eyes lay upon a pair of large boxes that lay in the wet earth, each of them decorated with several assortments of flowers. Tears ran down the faces of all present as a preacher gave last rites to those who had passed.
None were more stricken by this loss than the youngest person present, a young man, barely past sixteen, who was utterly motionless at the sight of the two boxes. The minutes dragged on like hours to him, and hours felt like days. A hand fell on his shoulder. He turned to the owner. A man, well into his forties, stood with a woeful, melancholic look in his eyes. The boy could tell that it wasn't genuine. He turned away, once again staring at the boxes.
Eventually, the preacher finished. Two men, each equipped with shovels, began to dig into a mound of dirt and dropping the soaking earth onto the boxes. Once more, time dragged on for what was an eternity to the boy. It hurt to see this. It hurt even more, knowing that there was nothing he could've done to save them. The pain was far greater than anything he had ever felt before. He remembered vividly the last words that they had shared with him.
"We'll be back soon," she said with a bright smile, hugging him tightly. "We wouldn't want our little boy to be alone for any longer than he needs to be."
"Come on, honey," the man standing behind her said, checking his watch. "We're going to be late." The woman nodded and released the boy, who stepped back wiped his clothes in annoyance. The man walked over to him. "We'll only be gone for a few days. Don't burn the house down, all right?"
"Yeah, yeah," the boy replied irritably.
The man and woman looked at each other, and the man sighed. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's not like we want to go, son," he said reassuringly. "But this is important. We'll come back as soon as everything's settled, okay?"
The boy crossed his arms and looked away. "Yeah, I get it. I'll try not to throw any wild parties."
"Good boy," the man said jokingly, tousling the boy's hair some.
The woman gave one last hug to the boy. "We love you, sweetie. BRB, all right?" She giggled slightly at that, to which the boy rolled his eyes. The man and woman waved their goodbyes, then walked out the door and got into the car.
-o-
The house seemed so much bigger when he and his father's so-called "friend" came back. The hall seemed longer than before. The kitchen's scent was plainer. The living room wasn't as lively as it should've been. The television was black and empty. He didn't dare set foot in the one bedroom on the first floor. It was their room after all. He never went into their room. After several minutes, he made his way to the second floor to return to his own bedroom.
There were more stairs than he remembered. The hallway here was cold and more expansive than he recalled. He walked forward until he reached the end of the hall, turning to the right to face a closed door. He opened the door, then hesitated for a moment. He stepped into his bedroom.
It was simple in here. He liked simple. A bed, a dresser, a nightstand, and a closet. That was all he ever really needed. He walked over to the dresser, upon which a small collection of books was gathered. He trailed his finger across them until he came across one that he hadn't read or heard in years.
Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.
He flipped to the first page, old memories flooding back to him as he read. Hi mother read this story to him a lot when he was young. He related pretty well to Alice. His family was fairly wealthy, but his life was dull. He might as well have been living in a rut all his life. He sometimes wished that he, too, could go to a place like Wonderland. Have an adventure filled with excitement and danger.
But growing up had broken those dreams, and recent events had given him even greater evidence. There was no place like Wonderland. No magic. No excitement. Just dull, short, gray life.
He shook his head and placed the book back. No point in living in the past. It would only hurt more.
He left his room, and went outside, towards the nearby woods. He would often go there and hide whenever he was upset. His parents always found him, though. Now…
As he wandered through the woods, he struggled to keep… certain thoughts out of his head. But they always came to him. They wouldn't go away. Eventually, he stopped and sat on an old stump where he knew a large tree once was.
The woods were quiet, save for the sounds of birds singing and small animals scampering about. He tried to fight back the sense that they were mocking him. They were so happy, and he had just lost the only family that he had.
He got up from the stump, and was making his way to leave. A he walked, he heard something. The bushes behind him were rustling, like something was in them. From them, a small white rabbit bounced out. He didn't think much of it at first, but then he realized something: it was summer. Rabbits don't turn white unless it's winter, or if they've been in captivity their whole lives. It was odd.
What was stranger, however, was that the rabbit looked straight at him. Its unmoving glare was more than a little disturbing. Its ears twitched slightly when he took a step back. He turned to leave, but stopped when he saw another white rabbit sitting just a few feet away from him. He looked back. The first rabbit was gone. He looked down to the second rabbit – could it have been the same rabbit? – which looked off to the right. It made strange motions with its forelegs, as if to tell him to follow it, and it hopped away, into the brush. Curious, the boy followed.
The rabbit always made sure to stay at least five feet ahead at all times. Whenever the boy got too close, it hopped off further away. The boy followed it through the woods for what felt like an hour. A part of him wanted to just call it a day and go home, but most of him didn't want to go back to that house. There were too many thoughts, too many memories.
Eventually, the rabbit stopped. It stood waiting for him by a tree that had a large hole in the trunk, right on the ground. It continued to make those motions as if saying to follow. It jumped into the hole, its snow white form disappearing in the darkness. The boy stood there, unsure. Should he go into the hole? It seemed like a stupid idea. It's not there'd be anything in there.
He shook his head and turned to leave. Why did he even follow that stupid rabbit in the first place?
There was a sudden breeze. The leaves shook, rustling in the light wind. "Dustin…"
The boy flinched at the sound of his own name. He looked around, trying to find the speaker. He was the only one there. "Hello?" he called out.
"Follow the hare," said that same voice. It was a man's voice, and it had something akin to a British accent to it. "Follow the hare."
The boy faced the hole again. He could almost swear that the voice was coming from there. But that was crazy. He stepped back, and the breeze stopped as suddenly as it had begun. There was a moment of total silence. Not even the birds were singing. It was as if they were waiting for something to happen.
The boy shook his head. He must've been hearing things. That was the only explanation.
He turned and began to leave. Just as he did, however, the wind picked up. Heavily. It blew against him pushing him back towards the tree with the hole. He began to panic as he realized the he wasn't being blown towards the hole. He was being pulled towards it.
His feet slipped, and he landed on the ground face first. He grasped desperately at the grass, trying to hold onto something, anything, but the flimsy blades just broke under the stress. Before he knew it, he was already halfway into the hole. He held onto the fringes of the hole for dear life, his grip gradually giving way. He closed his eyes tight as he heard that voice speak again:
"Follow the hare, Dustin," it said. "It will guide you forevermore."
At that, he lost his grip, and he fell into the hole screaming. As he fell, he felt his body shift painfully, like he was becoming a different species or something. He couldn't be sure. He was blinded by flashes of unnatural light.
Just when he thought that this was a nightmare and that he would wake up any second, he landed on hard ground. He could feel the grass and dirt scratching against him. His vision, dazed and blurry, was flooded with green foliage. Was he still in the woods? He had no idea. He lifted his head slightly, but it felt heavy. He let his head fall back to the ground.
He could see tendrils of black clouding up his view. With a heavy groan, he closed his eyes, letting the darkness take him.
Just before he tuned out completely, however, he heard a new voice. "Oh me, oh my, what is this that I've stumbled upon?" a male tone asked cryptically. It chuckled lightly. "It would seem that my old friend has had a plan all along. Worry not, dear little boy, and perhaps you won't wind up the Devourer's chew toy." With that said, the voice faded with an eerie laugh, and the boy passed out completely.