The Rebel's Choice

[Episode 2- Down Inside The Rabbit Hole]

I kept my arms right around the little person in front of me. We were long past the point of no return. I burrowed my head into Fawns brown hair.

"Close your eyes sweetie," I whispered softly into her nape.

The thing was I knew we were long past the point of no return a year ago. I couldn't believe I let them drag this child into this, this child whom I had been the serogate mother to for two years. We let her be there, and I felt sick about it, and I vowed then and there to do whatever it takes to keep her alive and as unscathed as possible. I could feel the rush of cool air tickling the hairs on my arm, warning of the exit. I tightened my grasp around Fawn, who knows what these sick bastards have set up for us at the end of this tunnel.

My feet met the end of the cool plastic, and dangled for a millisecond in the air, I quickly flipped Fawn on to my back, which took a fraction of a second and then the slide fell out beneath me. Leaving me to fall, I made sure to fall away from my back, keeping Fawn safe. As quick as the falling sensations came they went, me landing on what seemed to be a soft surface. I lifted my head to meet the gaze of the others in our group. Fawns iron grip still tight on me, I stood up and looked around. Besides the obvious group of people in the room, the room was plain, and deep underground. It was quite large and in the center there was a table with a tablet in the center. The room had no exits, except for the huge hole above us, and there was a slight draft.

"Any body looked at that yet?" I asked gesturing to he digital tablet bolted to the center of the table. When no one spoke up. I walked over to it ready to study it and learn what I could about it. It was a plain older touch tablet. I slowly inched towards it. The screen lit up in a bright array of colors. In the center of the screen a bug red button flickered up with the big bold letters 'Press Me'.

'How convenient?' I thought sarcastically to myself. I poised my small delicate hands over the button and lowered it slowly to the center where I easily tapped it. Instantaneously a voice echoed through out the room.

"You have all gathered at the start. The actual start of the chase, when that door opens you have exactly five minutes to make it to the end before you become trapped and then it's game over. Might I suggest you run now," I whipped around to see the door already open. I ushered everyone through and for them to run. I tossed Fawn on my back and headed through, the door slammed shut behind me and I quickly sprinted forwards, ahead of Crawly, a thirteen year old boy. I came to a stop at a wall. I looked up. It was a climbing wall, I shifted my weight and started climbing, one foot in front of the the other. Hand foot hand foot hand foot, it seemed like forever and I was at the top, the door was maybe one-hundred yards up ahead, I could hear Crawly behind me, the slightly overweight boy struggled but was fine. I was almost there, the time on the clock was counting down, thirty seconds left on the clock. Then I heard a sound behind me, Crawly had tripped. I pry Fawn off my back and usher her towards the door, she takes off in that direction. I spin around to Crawly an help him up, I turn around just in time to see the door. Our way out, slam down, sealing my fate.

I glanced nervously around to see, my eye caught a possible way out near the exit at the same moment I heard the familiar hiss and the sound of several feet pattering all around me. I frantically turned to Crawly.

"Boy, can you fight?" I asked desperately, he nodded determined, "Good, because your going to have too,"

I glanced around the floor trying to find it. And the eyes of the Iron Millipede glared right me, fear climbed up my throat, a scream scratched to get out of me. The Millipede was known as a danger in the plains, it's bite poisonous would disarm you in seconds where the beast would feast on your flesh while you were still breathing.

I grasped Crawly's hand and ran to the door, I pointed to the crawl space and directed him in the direction, I turned around to face the beast. I got prepared to fight. I danced around to the behind of the beast, avoiding the mouth. I threw a few well aimed kicks and punches, wheeling my hand back I got ready to punch with all my strength.

"Kota I'm stuck!" I heard Crawly yell, I whipped around to see the young boy stuck in the small crawl space. I quickly scurried over there and started shoving him, hoping he'd pop through for the beast was nearing fast. I was starting to panic and my heart jumped through my throat, my blood was pumping hard. I had started to fear the worst when I felt the boy give and slide through, frantically I followed in after him, my small frame slid in easily and in no haste. I could feel the jaws of the beast snapping hungrily behind me. I shuffled on my hands and knees behind the boy and it wasn't long before I came out the end, in a large room. I looked up to see the rest of my group peering down at me fearfully. Then they parted in the center like the red sea and the fear built in me that was mirrored in the others eyes.

A large, colorful, faded sign with broken lights around stood over the door that said 'WELCOME TO WONDERLAND.'

It seems we fell down inside the rabbit hole.