Down the Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones

43

So much dirt. The smell of decay is so strong I can practically taste it. Tears come to my eyes as I look up at the night sky. My breathing is too ragged.

Where the hell am I?

I try to look around at my surroundings. All I can see is pitch black darkness; the only light is the moon up in the sky. I'm in a hole, this I know. But how? The last thing I remember is Cora sinking the dagger into me and falling unconscious.

I'm supposed to be dead.

Does that mean Cora is still alive and possibly the Dark One?

I stand slowly, nearly falling over. I grasp 1the wet dirt wall to stay upright. My knees crack as I fully stand up. My boots sink unnaturally. I'm standing on something plush. I crouch, feel around blindly. My stomach rolls whenever I realise what I'm feeling.

A coffin.

I shake my head.

I need to get out of this whole.

I wrap my hand around a root sticking out of the ground. I go to pull, but the root rips free, spraying dirt all over me. I groan, stepping back, giving myself room for a running jump. My hands latch onto the edge of the hole, fingertips sinking into the lush grass. I hoist myself up with trembling arms.

I let out a shaky breath as I scan my surroundings.

A graveyard.

What? Did they bury me alive?

I look back at the hole I had just climbed out of. There, nestled at the foot of the grave, is a gravestone.

Here lies Alice Kingsley

Our Alice

I lick my dry lips, my breath quickening. I look down at my hands. I died. I look and feel fine. No pain in my back. How is that even possible? I think back to the prophecy. The White Queen said that she saw a light enter my body after Cora died.

My magic.

I press my hands to my temples, a headache beginning to form. At least they dressed me in something nice to be buried in. How long have I been dead? I guess I should go find out.

Great.

I have no idea where I am.