The Adventures of Alice and Max

Chapter 2: Alice Improvises

Max wasn’t sure what Alice had said but waited for a response. When none came, he nodded slowly.

Reaching into her supply bag, Alice pulled out a hammer she stole from shop class.

Max’s heart dropped. Alice, hammer in hand, waited for the guards to turn their gaze away from the house, and pounced like a lioness hunting for her prey. Max couldn’t watch, but he heard the screams of the surprised guards, he heard the crackling of bone and felt the cold steel on his face.

After a moment he turned the corner and saw two bodies on the floor; Alice triumphantly looming over them. He was relieved that neither of them sounded any alarm. No attention was drawn to the scene. He slowly crept out of the shadows.

“Alice! What are you doing? You-” Alice shushed him and grabbed him by his lapel.

“Don’t make a sound,” she said sternly through her teeth. “Come on.” She took one of the guard’s assault rifles.

Funny, why have assault rifles at an orphanage?

She ran in a combat stance ready to fire at anything that moved. When she said no mercy, she meant it. Max hesitantly lagged terrified, not certain of their fate.

A mile ahead they saw the gate of the orphanage, armored with three guards, one in the caged tower and two on top of the gate’s ledge keeping watch pacing back and forth slowly on alert for trouble. The night grew darker while the rain came down harder. Fog moved in to protect the children from being spotted. Alice used this to her advantage as she slowly walked on the far left side of the concrete platform. Max had stopped at that point and whispered to Alice pleading for her to return, but she was stubborn as an ox. She moved in quietly as a mouse. Climbing the armored staircase, she heard the guards talking about the City.

“You know, the Queen? She’s pretty good, she makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. I don’t mind workin’ for her. She doesn’t demand too much, just lets you be.”

“Nah, she’s fierce. I don’t like her. This City’s going crazy. Just last week I was stationed on the Outer section. People killing each other over nothin’. It’s nuts out there, man!”

Alice crept up behind the one who was talking and knifed him in the throat. Before the other knew what was going on, she slashed his throat. Blood spewed out.

She threw him off the ledge as the third sounded the bell and sirens rang all throughout the platform enlivening the silent night. He opened the door of the caged office as he sprang up, dagger in hand, ready for a knife fight.