ALICE AFTER WONDERLAND: CHASING THE DRAGON
*This story follows the events of Burton's film many years later.
CHAPTER 11
The cave wasn't as dark as Alice had expected it to be but she knew it would soon become impossible to see with the light outside beginning to fade. It seemed as if the cave had been used as a short cut through the mountain, almost man made, Alice thought she could see what looked like carved path ways and tracks, she knew that following them would be her best bet to reach the other side. Alice caught herself thinking of the path she had travelled so far since setting out from the White Queen's castle, the forest with the Cheshire Cat, the meadow with the Churnworms and the Bandersnatch and now the cave with whatever dangers it held. Alice couldn't help but wonder how far she still had to go. Once she had emerged from the cave to look at the Outlands just how far would they stretch, what would she find there? Old enemies? New allies? She remembered that the Red Queen had been banished to the Outlands with the Knave, Stayne. Could they still be alive? Could they be the ones behind the poisonous affliction which Underland was suffering from? The only thing Alice told herself that she knew for sure was that a danger was waiting for worse than anything Underland had seen.
The cave had grown darker as Alice had ventured further in, still she could see where she was going, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness quite quickly upon entering the cave. Alice glanced behind her and wondered how much distance she had covered since entering the cave, she hadn't been in too long but already it felt as if she had covered miles; however the thought didn't comfort Alice as she knew if she were to find any dangers in the cave that it would probably be in the very centre, a place where she was headed.
Alice glanced up to the ceiling, she didn't know how but something out of her line of sight had caught her eye. Stars… in a cave? Alice thought to herself as she gripped the Vorpal sword tighter. Alice knew she was in trouble; the flickering stars above her weren't star but eyes seeing through the darkness. At once they eyes started to advance on Alice. Not wanting another fight so soon after the Churnworm Alice began to run in the direction she was headed, hopefully towards the exit. Behind her Alice heard small rocks falling from the walls and ceiling of the cave as the creatures moved behind her. Suddenly Alice hit the ground, the Vorpal sword bouncing into the distance from the force of the fall.
Alice turned; she couldn't move her right leg. Forcing herself to look down at the Damage Alice saw a thick leathery rope or… tentacle wrapped around her ankle. Alice's eyes widened as a myriad of thoughts flashed through her head as to what it was and what it belonged to. Soon Alice realised that she was surrounded by eyes and they were still approaching. Two pairs of large eyes in particular were walking closer to Alice; Alice saw the outline of their frames. Two short and very round figures stood in front of her. Her gaze followed from their bodies to the leathery tentacle around her ankle, they were one and the same. Something about the two bodies standing in front of her felt familiar to Alice but their leather skin, glowing eyes and tentacle sprouting limbs made any name she may have known in Underland from her last visit lost on the tip of her tongue.
Thinking quickly Alice unsheathed a dagger and cut through the tentacle with a speed and force that surprised her. Had she really moved that fast? She thought to herself. Alice looked at the creature in front of her which the tentacle belonged to. It took a moment to register the pain and then began screaming in agony. Alice knew she should to the opportunity to get up and run, the hundreds of eyes surrounding her were still relatively in the distance and above her, she could run under and passed them before they caught her. Alice knew she should run but she remained stuck to the spot, a familiar name tried to escape her mouth as she stared. Soon the creature had calmed down and was being almost bullied by the other, they began nudging and pushing each other like two young squabbling brothers trying to agree on something trivial.
Finally Alice came to her senses as the two short fat creatures both looked back towards her. Alice stood and ran, picking up the Vorpal sword as she passed it. The cave and eyes seemed to move passed her at an alarming rate, putting it down to adrenaline Alice pushed on and kept running. Soon she was forced to stop as she looked down at a chasm filled with more eyes staring back up at her. Alice swore in her mind at her situation. She looked around trying to find an alternate route to go forward. Alice felt a familiar feeling around her wrist, the same as she had felt around her ankle only moments before. A tension forced Alice to turn around lead by her arm which was being pulled up in front of her. Alice quickly attempted to slash at it with the Vorpal sword in her other hand only for another tentacle to wrap around that wrist too making and attack impossible to her now. A third tentacle wrapped itself around both of her wrists forcing them together in front of her. In the distance the two short fat frames emerged from the darkness; the tentacles protruding from their bodies. Alice felt the tentacles wrapping tighter around her wrists making her barely able to hold on to the Vorpal sword.
Out of desperation Alice thrust her body to the side; the force behind her whisked the two creatures from their feet and into a wall near Alice stunning them. Again Alice was amazed at the show of her strength… the tentacles loosened around her wrists, Alice promptly struggled free. Her body was changing, Alice could feel a strength inside her that she had never felt before, it wasn't adrenaline; it couldn't be. Lost in thought Alice was only vaguely aware of the two creatures getting back up. They attacked again, this time with force as their tentacles hurtled towards Alice at the behest of angry screams. Without thinking Alice turned, ran the short distance to the chasm's edge and jumped; putting faith in whatever mysterious strength shed had to catapult her to the other side. Alice made it; she landed with a bump but with no injuries, Alice righted herself and looked back at the two creatures. The tentacles had followed her over the chasm. Alice slashed away at them only to be greeted by more and more until a countless amount were surrounding her, all coming from the two shot fat creatures. Alice knew it was impossible but it didn't mean it wasn't happening. Alice felt a tension around her thigh and then her waist, her arms became harder to move as they were pinned to her sides by the tentacles. Alice tried as hard as she could to struggle free but the more she struggled the tighter the tentacles became. Alice knew she was going to suffocate if she couldn't break free but her body was becoming limp, her head began to pound with the lack of air her body was receiving and the blood that was being trapped under the tentacles making circulation difficult.
With a scream Alice jumped again into the distance. She landed on her back and glanced back at the other edge of the chasm to see the two short fat figures fall from the edge. Alice needed to struggle free, reach a dagger and cut away anything before it was too late but found that the tentacles were still too tight. Alice found herself being dragged from the edge of the chasm and into the dark pit below the hundreds of eyes down there raced to meet her as the darkness grew around her, Alice heard the sound of cracking as a complete darkness took her.