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(Edited)
Luckily, everything on his body had also shrank down to his size, so his flashlight was still usable. The distance between himself and the hole also became greater, so it took him a bit of time to get there. Li Yan flipped the switch to the flashlight and started heading towards the hole in the wall. Before the hole was the size of his foot, but now it’s almost half the size of his body. All he needed to do was lean down a bit to get in.
After entering the hole, all he could see was a small passageway that had no light. There were cobwebs everywhere and huge dust bunnies that greeted him every time he walked. Other than a few mousetraps randomly strewn around the entrance, there was nothing else in here as far as he could see.
There were two ways he could go, left or right. He decided to go to the right first and see where that would lead him. Fortunately, he didn’t have to lean down anymore after getting through the hole, so he could normally stand and walk. Although it was a bit cramped vertically, at least he had enough space horizontally.
Thunk
Li Yan frowned and looked around but he couldn’t see anything. He wrote it off as the sound being from other players since he was in the walls now. He figured that he should be going around the outline of the building, and it wouldn’t be too odd to accidentally stumble across people he knew. But, there was no way to confirm this since there were no more holes that he could see out of like before when he entered. Either way, he slowed down his pace a bit just to be cautious.
Thinking back to his earlier theory, it was most likely that these worlds were made by Alice and Bunny but based off of real things. The amusement park was themed around Alice in Wonderland which is reasonable, but everything that has happened so far is like a fever dream. Most likely this was a world in which Alice and Bunny made up. That was the conclusion he came up with as he was walking down the bland passageway.
Finally as he was walking, he saw another hole that he could exit. He left the hole, but he was still the same size. He wasn’t sure if this effect would stay forever, but he hoped it wouldn’t. As he left the hole, he saw another place similar to before except everything was flipped. Almost as if he walked into a mirror. The table he got the drink off of was now on the opposite side, and weirdly enough the bottle he drank out of was now on the ground. It also said “Drink Me!” on it.
The bottle was shrunken down to his size, and it would probably let him get back to normal, but instead of drinking it he decided to tap the circle on his neck and throw it in the system inventory. Afterall, the only way to get out of here may be through the hole in the wall.
He walked out of the partitioned area that wasn’t blocked unlike reality, and saw the familiar mattress and toys in different areas. The only difference was that there was no longer a pink furry diary, it was a newspaper article instead. The newspaper was slightly burnt at the bottom, and the front headlines were blurred out.
Since he was smaller, he had to use some effort to climb onto the mattress, but there was no bed frame so it wasn’t that difficult. He leaped onto the newspaper, but no matter how close he got the blurred words wouldn’t make themselves clear. The only part of the newspaper he could read was the bottom right corner which was slightly burned off.
Two girls from an orphanage go missing at Wonderland Amusement Park- located at XXX
If found please call the girls Orphanage at XXX or visit the Orphanage at XXX
The first thing he noticed was that the Amusement Park and Orphanage were not too far away from each other. Both had the same street address, but the Orphanage just looked a few blocks down from the Amusement Park. The common consensus from this might be that the two girls ran away to go play and got lost or ran away, so it wasn’t likely that a lot of people would pay attention. Especially because their spot in the newspaper was so small and insignificant as compared to the other sections. It was also more likely to be ignored if it was normal for kids from the Orphanage to run away to the Amusement Park. The missing person ad was probably just put there for formal reasons rather than either side wanting to actually find the children.
The picture consisted of two girls standing side by side, obviously twins. One had a blonde side ponytail on their left, and the other had one on their right. Both also had matching outfits, maybe because of choice or lack of. The girls' names were fittingly, Alice and Bunny. Bunny seemed to be one with the ponytail on their left while Alice was the other. Bunny stood at a taller height and if one didn’t look closely, Bunny could be taken as the older sister while Alice was the younger.
Bunny had an arm wrapped around Alice in a protective yet familial embrace. The two were probably very close. Considering this newspaper and from what Li Yan already knew about the park, these two girls are probably not alive.
Running away did seem like the obvious answer considering that they had apparently set up a base in the mirror maze, but Li Yan felt that there was more to the story. The park was huge, so obviously all the clues were unlikely to be placed in one area.
He couldn’t take the article with him since it was simply too big, so he just left it and jumped off the mattress and continued to search.
Thunk
The sound he had heard earlier echoed again. He looked around but saw nothing. The entrance where he first came into the tarp covered area was now blocked, so if he were to have drunk the potion earlier, he would have been stuck here for eternity. Fortunately, he took precautions.
As he was double checking the area, he started to smell a terrible scent. It was rotting, and whatever it was was the worst thing Li Yan had ever smelt. He followed the smell a bit, but a horrible feeling started to settle at the bottom of his stomach. Going against his unwillingness, he walked back towards the partition and found what the sound came from. A piece of Yona’s dead body was thrown over from inside the hole. It was a small piece of her body, but it was easy to identify because the outfit she wore was of the same material as on the chunk of flesh. It seemed to be a part of her torso, and whatever was in the hole had eaten it a bit. Perhaps because it wasn’t tasty, that thing in the hole had thrown it out.
The flesh was flowing with blood and a small puddle formed around the spot where it was thrown. Li Yan had it even worse than it would be if he was in his original size, since the “small” chunk was actually up to his waist. To make it fit in the hole, the body was sliced up to fit it just enough to not get it stuck on the archway of the hole, but the cutting of the body was not very neat. Looking at it was more sickening, especially because the jagged edges of the flesh from being cut was quite eye-catching. The smell got worse, but Li Yan needed to get past it to leave. But, he didn’t necessarily want to meet with whatever ate that. If it eats flesh, it will most likely eat his, especially because he was the perfect size for a small snack.
Li Yan held back the urge to throw up, and tiptoed past the chunk of flesh lying by the outside of the hole. He slowly walked towards the hole and slipped in. He was too scared to use his flashlight, but he also couldn’t see. He decided to just use the small light given by the hole in the wall to inch his way through the walls. He used his arms to find the edge of the wall, and slowly used that as a guide for where to go. Before, he had walked in a straight line to get here, so he only needed to walk in a straight line to get back, but he didn’t dare be as carefree as before. Especially now that he knows he isn’t alone.
Everytime he heard the slightest sound, even if it was from him stepping on some dirt, he held his breath and waited. The original route that only took a few minutes now took around 20 minutes just to get to the halfway point.
Squeak! Squeak!
The sound…was a mouse? A mouse that can eat human flesh? A cold sweat formed on Li Yan’s spine as he pressed his body against the side of the wall, hoping that the mouse wasn’t too fat.
Squeak! Squeak!
The sound of the mouse got louder, closer to him. He held his breath, pushing himself more into the wall as if hoping he’d become one with it. He clenched his eyes closed as his hands were drenched in enough sweat to make a small kiddie pool.
Squeak! Squeak!
Piece of dirt flew on his ankles from the mouse walking. Luckily, the mouse wasn’t taking up the whole space, but it was close. He felt the fur of the mouse touch his ankles, and he tried to reduce his sense of presence as much as possible. Unfortunately, his good luck ended there.
SQUEAK! SQUEAK!
The mouse got louder, sounding almost as if agitated by the smell of him and Li Yan felt the mouse’s swift turn. He quickly crouched down, and where his face once was now had the mouse’s teeth. From the dark lighting Li Yan could only see the mouse’s dark blood red eyes, unlike the normal mouse they looked more like feral rats. But, the space of the body was undoubtedly a mouse.
Drool from the mouth dripped onto Li Yan’s head and he wanted to cry in desperation. Getting chased by monsters and ghosts is okay, but it’s slobber on your head is not! It felt horrible, the slick feeling of liquid on him was warm yet held an iciness that froze him to the bone. Don’t even mention the smell. It had the remains of the smell from the piece of flesh from before mixed with a horrible stench that probably came from rotten teeth.
Before the mouse could bend down and bite his head off, Li Yan used all of his power to try to push the mouse’s body aside. It didn’t work how he wanted it to. Instead of moving the mouse, the mouse started making more violent squeaks and became even more aggressive. Li Yan constantly continued to dodge, moving out of the way of the mouse’s teeth. But, it was dark and Li Yan’s flashlight was thrown into the system’s interface and he couldn’t stop to grab it. He inevitably hit the wall many times. Bruises formed on his arms, splinters got in his hands, but at least he was alive.
He wondered that if this was an Easy level then he was also a freaking piece of bread!
From running around in circles, he gradually lost his original orientation and he no longer knew which way was the correct way. He held his breath as he just sprinted towards the direction that was open, the mouse chasing directly behind him.
He never worked out a lot, and he was a slow runner. Of course he wouldn’t be able to be miles away from the mouse, so he easily felt the mouse’s breath on his neck. He wanted to sit and scream, but time didn’t love him anymore.
Li Yan ran randomly in a straight line, hoping not to trip or get stuck in a cobweb, before eventually seeing the light. The light of the exit hole! He wanted to cry in joy.
He raced out the hole, and just before leaving the hole he felt the mouse bite a piece of his hair, making his scalp tingle. If he had to run any longer, he would have truly died once again. He swore to himself that after this room he’d work out more.
BAM!
He looked back towards the hole and saw the mouse’s face in the light. The mouse had black fur, completely unlike normal mice, it also had blood red eyes and yellow crooked teeth with blood staining them. His drool was also red, making Li Yan look down at his red-slobber-covered body. He shivered in disgust and looked back at the mouse.
The mouse was unable to leave the hole. He didn’t know exactly why, but the mouse just kept staring at him hungrily and banging into the wall next to the hole as if he wanted to break it. The world’s rules apparently kept the mouse stuck in the walls.
Sighing in relief, Li Yan looked around at his surroundings to see him back in the correct room. All the toys and furniture were in the right place and the table with the “Drink Me!” bottle was rightfully empty. The partition that forced him into the hole receded, so he was now able to leave.
He tapped his neck and grabbed the bottle to enlarge himself and his flashlight out. He put the flashlight back in his pocket where he had it before learning of his system space, and he drank the bottle of liquid quickly. After giving it a few seconds, he was back to his normal field of view.
He looked down to see that the mouse’s disgusting saliva was still all over him. He walked around the partition to the mattress and grabbed a dingy blanket to wipe himself off, holding his breath while doing so. The smell was simply intolerable.
After feeling that he was clean enough, or at least as good as he could get it, he threw the blanket down and walked out of the tarped area. The maze now had no light whatsoever, so he used his flashlight to try to navigate, even though the mirrors made it a bit blinding to use.
He eventually felt his way around and finally felt the cold air of the outside world. He had made it out.
“Li Yan!” Li Bao yelled, running over. “It’s good you’re alive. We were worried.” Hailey by her side gave a hmp, and the elevator man also nodded to Li Yan.
“Aren’t we missing someone?” Li Yan asked.
“Nikolas?” Ji-Yoo asked. “He’s over there.” He threw his hand to point towards where Nikolas was throwing up in a trashcan.
Li Yan nodded and told the others about what he found. “Are the escape rooms made based on pre-world settings? Or are they made by IER?” Li Yan asked.
“Well, IER is more like a host to these small subworlds that are made based off of the owner’s original world. Usually, the world is similar to their original except more warped due to their desires and own interpretation of the world. In this case, if what you said is right then Alice and Bunny should be the owners of this room. They are both young children, so it makes sense that the park is a little crazy and magical.” The elevator man explained. He seemed to have gained a bit more patience with Li Yan after their bonding moment in the mirror maze.
Li Yan nodded while the others started to discuss the possible scenarios and backstories of Alice and Bunny’s story. While talking, they walked back to the meeting spot where they had piled the body parts they collected before. Li Yan saw the body parts still there and threw them into his system storage space along with the others.
“Be careful of your space, you only have so much.” The elevator man said. “I think we will need these later.” Li Yan said. The elevator man just shrugged and all of them sat down to take a break. Unlike how they felt near the rides and attractions, they felt safer here outside by the food stalls and entrance.
“Where did you get the leg from?” Li Yan asked him. “The game stalls.” The elevator man said. “I encountered the bear too, but I just punched it and left.” The man added on.
“...” Li Yan decided to ignore him. While resting, Li Bao and Hailey interacted with their livestream while Ji-Yoo was leaning on Soren and resting. Nikolas was sitting by the trash can, no longer throwing up but looking as if he wanted to still.
“Where is Adonis?” Nikolas asked, getting impatient. He felt that being in this room made him restless.
“He went to the hedge maze alone?” The elevator man sighed. “We probably have to go there next to get the other arm. Knowing him, he’s most likely dead.”
“Dead..” Nikolas paled at the mention of it and stopped talking. He seemed to be a bit traumatized from seeing Yona being chainsawed, especially since he was the one who had pushed her this time. Before, he had blamed Adonis, but now he had done the same thing. He trembled slightly looking down at his hands, and then at the pocket that elevator man had put the key pieces in.
“Well, we might as well go to the-” Right before Li Bao said that everyone’s vision went dark and they all fell to the ground.
“What happened?” Li Bao asked, opening her eyes and holding her head. The elevator man seemed to have already gotten up with Li Yan. “It’s night 2.” Li Yan said, looking at the security guard walking over.
“We don’t get to do anything during the day?” Nikolas frowned as he also got his eyes opened fully.
“We are night guards though, it makes sense.” Li Yan said. “At least we don’t have to actually do work quotas.”
“I guess so.” Nikolas shrugged and looked warily at the approaching NPC.
“Oh, you’re alive.” The man sighed, rubbing his stomach. “Okay, well it is night 2, be careful. Tomorrow the owner will be coming to inspect you guys.” The guard didn’t acknowledge the ones that died, almost as if they never existed.
Li Yan finally had time to get a good look at the guard and saw that his name plate said “King.” Li Yan instantly thought of the King of Hearts.
“Is the owner a man or woman?” Li Yan suddenly asked, making the others turn to look at him in questioning.
“A man.” The guard seemed unbothered by the odd question and led them inside. “Ok you guys can-”
“AHHH!” Nikolas tried to run out, but got easily caught by the guard. “Hey, we don’t like people who leave their jobs before it even starts, boy.” The guard tossed him in on the ground and the others walked in without resistance.
“Damn.” Nikolas sneered, looking hatefully at the guard. He seemed to have grown more desperate for escape.
“Don’t even try. NPCs like that aren’t easy to win against, especially if you do something against the rules.” The elevator man sighed and watched as the guard locked the gate.
“Day 1 passed so fast.” Li Bao sighed.
“This really doesn’t feel like an easy level.” Ji-Yoo cried out.
“Maybe it’s not.” The elevator man frowned. “I haven’t experienced it yet, but I heard a lot of the rooms are having some glitches going on.”
“Maybe it’s just a small bug.” Li Bao shrugged. “I’m sure the rooms will fix them soon enough, it’s not like those haven’t happened before.”
“Maybe.” The man looked off into the distance. “We should get going to the hedge maze now. We have a limited amount of time.”
“Can’t one of you use a hint?” Nikolas asked. “Maybe it will give us the location.” The elevator man looked at Nikolas in disdain.
“Once you get enough coins you try buying hints. They aren’t worth it, especially in a world of this caliber.”
“How much do hints cost?”
“1,000 coins.” Ji-Yoo popped in to answer. Nikolas sucked in a breath and became quiet once again. “Let’s just go find Adonis.” Even though Nikolas had hated him before, he felt that now he better understood his actions. He realized that in order to live he needed a thigh to hug onto, and maybe if he apologized enough Adonis would take him in again to see his brother.
Everyone agreed and they headed towards the hedge maze. Like yesterday, the lights were all off until they reached the entrance of the hedge maze. The lights suddenly flickered on, and the whole place gave off a dim romantic glow.
On the aged looking sign in pink letters it said, “Alice’s Way Home.”
~~~
