UPSTAIRS, ALICE WONDER’S HOUSE, 7 FOLLY BRIDGE, OXFORD, 11:00 A.M.
T he picture is a live video of a young girl, wearing an Alice-like dress. The girl is sitting among her friends in what seems like a kindergarten. She is holding a white rabbit in her arms. Other kids surrounding her are playing and patting the cute rabbit.
When the rabbit hiccups, it glows slightly red. However, the children seem to think it’s cute. They’re infatuated with the rabbit in the absence of teachers.
I grit my teeth at the Hatter’s cruelty. How can he do this to the children? It’s only five minutes to the explosion. My heart sinks into my stomach. I feel this unexplainable haze in my mind, pressuring me again. Should I have taken my medication before leaving the asylum today?
It’s only a moment before my phone beeps again. A written message this time. The sender’s name: The Hatter.
The kids will explode in about five minutes from now. I can reset the bomb, give you another 24 hours to find it if you do as I say.
Without even thinking or consulting the Pillar, I message him back. My hands are trembling as I do. The picture of the kids about to be blown up by a rabbit already haunts me.
Stupidly, my phone slips from my anxious fingers. It drops to the floor and scatters in pieces. Looking at it, I feel my jaw hurting from the tension in my body. I have screwed up.
What have I done?
The clock on the wall says it’s 11:02 a.m.