The Crocodile's Jaws: An Alice in Deadland Adventure (Alice, No.7) by Mainak Dhar Page B
Authors: Mainak Dhar
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suspected that some
larger force was coordinating the efforts of the bandits in locating pills, and
now they had got their first glimpse at what that force looked like.
They all started when one of the radios came to life.
'Where are you?'
Then came chattering in a language Alice had never heard.
Cheshire muttered to himself.
'Russians. What the bloody hell are Russians doing here?'
John pulled a map from one of the men's pockets.
'This map has locations marked. I guess areas they've
scouted, but one area is marked in a different color, and it has arrows leading
out of it, indicating routes to the other locations. I'd guess that's where
their base is.'
Cheshire took a look.
'Karachi.'
Alice didn't know where that was, but as she looked around
at the terrified faces of the children in the settlement, as she saw Zohar
cling to her arm, shaking at the narrow escape they knew they had just had, and
as she thought back to the massacre at his settlement, she knew one thing.
She was going to Karachi.
She had fought for many things—her family, her friends, the
people of Wonderland. People called her a freedom fighter, but the freedom she
most fought for lay not in rising up against any particular tyrant, but in
freeing herself from being haunted by the paralyzing, numbing guilt of losing
everyone she had cared about. A part of her still blamed herself for bringing
the wrath of the Red Guards and Zeus onto her people, and she had never really
stopped making amends by fighting to free others, to atone for her reckless
adventure down a hole in the ground that had triggered events that had killed
her family and destroyed her settlement. Now she saw another settlement,
another group of people who had just been trying to get by and create a better
life for themselves, threatened by forces well beyond their means to defend
against.
This was why Alice had left the stability to Wonderland.
Everyone had a path they must follow, and Alice's path did not lie in enjoying
the comforts of the world before the Rising that her old friends in Wonderland
were trying so hard to restore—electricity, running water, canned food,
entertainment. She had little to contribute there, and she knew nothing of the
world before the Rising. However, what she could contribute was to help those
who still did not enjoy the stability and peace that the people of Wonderland
did. People like the ones at this settlement.
Some people really came into their own when the darkness was
dispelled and they got an opportunity to create a better world by the light of
day. People like Aalok, Danish, Doctor Edwards and others like them. However,
some people's purpose lay in slaying the monsters that lay waiting in the
darkness of night and keeping that darkness at bay. People like Alice.
She picked up her rifle and nodded at Bunny Ears.
'We're going to Karachi, old friend.'
***
Of course, it wasn't quite as simple as that. Alice had
started out the gate when John walked behind her.
'I'll come along. I can be of help.'
Alice shook her head even before the words were fully out of
John's mouth.
'Bunny Ears and I don't need food or water and we are a bit
harder to kill than an average human. So we'll be much faster on our own.'
John smiled, wondering how to put into words what he had in
mind without offending Alice, but then he just said it.
'That may be true, but the two of you won't exactly blend
in. I can help get intel and link up with any humans we find out there. As for
food, we used to be called Snake Eaters for a reason. I don't need a fancy
table set for me—I can live off the land.'
Alice looked at Cheshire, hoping he would talk his friend
out of this, but she found little support there.
'Alice, I asked John to come along. Whatever's out there
threatens us as well, and we need to contribute. I have a bad back and can't
really go out playing cowboy any more, but John here is the fittest of us all,
and back in the day, he went into all kind of
larger force was coordinating the efforts of the bandits in locating pills, and
now they had got their first glimpse at what that force looked like.
They all started when one of the radios came to life.
'Where are you?'
Then came chattering in a language Alice had never heard.
Cheshire muttered to himself.
'Russians. What the bloody hell are Russians doing here?'
John pulled a map from one of the men's pockets.
'This map has locations marked. I guess areas they've
scouted, but one area is marked in a different color, and it has arrows leading
out of it, indicating routes to the other locations. I'd guess that's where
their base is.'
Cheshire took a look.
'Karachi.'
Alice didn't know where that was, but as she looked around
at the terrified faces of the children in the settlement, as she saw Zohar
cling to her arm, shaking at the narrow escape they knew they had just had, and
as she thought back to the massacre at his settlement, she knew one thing.
She was going to Karachi.
She had fought for many things—her family, her friends, the
people of Wonderland. People called her a freedom fighter, but the freedom she
most fought for lay not in rising up against any particular tyrant, but in
freeing herself from being haunted by the paralyzing, numbing guilt of losing
everyone she had cared about. A part of her still blamed herself for bringing
the wrath of the Red Guards and Zeus onto her people, and she had never really
stopped making amends by fighting to free others, to atone for her reckless
adventure down a hole in the ground that had triggered events that had killed
her family and destroyed her settlement. Now she saw another settlement,
another group of people who had just been trying to get by and create a better
life for themselves, threatened by forces well beyond their means to defend
against.
This was why Alice had left the stability to Wonderland.
Everyone had a path they must follow, and Alice's path did not lie in enjoying
the comforts of the world before the Rising that her old friends in Wonderland
were trying so hard to restore—electricity, running water, canned food,
entertainment. She had little to contribute there, and she knew nothing of the
world before the Rising. However, what she could contribute was to help those
who still did not enjoy the stability and peace that the people of Wonderland
did. People like the ones at this settlement.
Some people really came into their own when the darkness was
dispelled and they got an opportunity to create a better world by the light of
day. People like Aalok, Danish, Doctor Edwards and others like them. However,
some people's purpose lay in slaying the monsters that lay waiting in the
darkness of night and keeping that darkness at bay. People like Alice.
She picked up her rifle and nodded at Bunny Ears.
'We're going to Karachi, old friend.'
***
Of course, it wasn't quite as simple as that. Alice had
started out the gate when John walked behind her.
'I'll come along. I can be of help.'
Alice shook her head even before the words were fully out of
John's mouth.
'Bunny Ears and I don't need food or water and we are a bit
harder to kill than an average human. So we'll be much faster on our own.'
John smiled, wondering how to put into words what he had in
mind without offending Alice, but then he just said it.
'That may be true, but the two of you won't exactly blend
in. I can help get intel and link up with any humans we find out there. As for
food, we used to be called Snake Eaters for a reason. I don't need a fancy
table set for me—I can live off the land.'
Alice looked at Cheshire, hoping he would talk his friend
out of this, but she found little support there.
'Alice, I asked John to come along. Whatever's out there
threatens us as well, and we need to contribute. I have a bad back and can't
really go out playing cowboy any more, but John here is the fittest of us all,
and back in the day, he went into all kind of
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