"𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐦 𝐈? 𝐀𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞."
-𝐿𝑒𝑤𝑖𝑠 𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙, 𝐴𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑊𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑
Being the Arisu's little sister had never really been a blessing. Stuck after the pride and t...
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Deserted streets look even more terrifying at night. Not reassured, you play with the strap of your backpack to occupy your hands. The air is not cold, yet shivers run through your skin. A feeling of danger hangs over your head like a sword of Damocles.
You start to wonder if you wouldn't have been better off staying at home. After all, that flash of light you saw through the window might as well have been a figment of your imagination. The electricity always seems to be out everywhere. No light behind the windows of the buildings, the advertising panels are turned off and so are the street lamps. You light the way with a flashlight, so you don't trip by accident.
You're not sure what you're looking for. Answer? People? Your only certainty is that you can't stay still. Your body is on autopilot, and you let it guide you through the night.
Musical notes begin to rise.
All your muscles freeze. You look around frantically to find the source. You moved away from residential areas. No sign is visible around you to indicate exactly where you are. Office buildings surround you on both sides of the main street. You follow the musical notes and go around one of the buildings to find yourself facing the entrance.
The facade is lit.
Instead of a glimmer of hope, a cold shiver runs through you.
The music continues to play from a speaker attached to the facade. The notes are familiar to you. A flash of memory comes back to you.
This is the theme of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland.
I have always been afraid of this cat.
This stupid thought doesn't even make you smile. The last time you saw this movie was a year ago. This was the first time you heard the soundtrack. You remember getting chills. The melody, both mystical and tinged with anguish, seems all the more terrifying in this context.
You look up at the front of the office. The darkness prevents you from reading the name of the company despite your flashlight. You tighten your arms against your chest as you stare at the entrance, wondering if you should really go there. You have goosebumps. If there are people left here, you're not sure they mean well.
The melody speeds up along with your heartbeat. You think about turning around but your feet are nailed to the ground. You don't remember the last time you felt such fear. The end of the music approaches as a voice sings in English "you'll find your way" before fading out again.
A hand rests on your shoulder.
You jump violently, freeing yourself from its grip. A girl is facing you. The light from the building illuminates half of her face, revealing a white eye crossed by a reddish scar. Her valid eye stares at you in the darkness. She doesn't move.
At this moment, another figure passes you. She turns her back to you, letting you only see her hair cut short above the shoulders. Without hesitation, she enters the building.
