Alice's Zombie Adventures in under City: Downward Spiral by Richard Schwarz - HTML preview

Alice’s Adventures in Under City: Downward Spiral

Alice sat in the park hovering over her digital device with a sheepish smirk that was only broken by the consistently shocked expression she made every time she received a message.  Her sister, Lorina, rolled her eyes and glowered, annoyed with Alice’s behavior; however, a reassuring glance from her mother reminded Lorina that she too had been there once and with an exhausted sigh she gave the unwitting Alice reprieve.  Edith, the youngest of the three daughters, giggled in her own youthful spirits at Alice’s behavior unsure of what was so important but curious to find out for herself once she reached Alice’s age.

Upon receiving the last text message, Alice looked up and scanned the tree line a short distance away visually appearing to be able to look straight through the other laughing and happy families that attended the function in which they were now involved.  Her father scowled, knowing that his daughter was coming of age and that it seemed, although not entirely true, that boys had occupied Alice’s cloudy thoughts more than her family or, rather, perhaps he was feeling the pangs of another of his girls dawning on the age to begin searching for someone to settle down with in her later years.

Regardless of the reason for her father’s disapproval, Alice detected the fleeting brown hair of her blue eyed romantic interest peeking over some shrubbery in the distance.  She smiled enthusiastically and with a finger on her chin, pondered a plausible excuse to get away from her family members. 

“Dear,” her loving father began in earnest, “You seem completely obsessed with that Robert Cole fellow.  Even though you may have intentions for him, I should like to remind you to keep your behavior as that of a lady.”

“But of course Father,” Alice remarked over her shoulder then looked down at the blanket she sat upon timidly hoping that when she abruptly excused herself she wouldn’t encounter resistance. 

For, you see, Alice was caught between the ages of blossoming into her own femininity like her sister Lorina. This was an event which her father often scorned because he was losing yet another precious daughter and because of the changes young women went through during this sacred time. To him she was still his little girl and to be forced to accept her independence through disruptive behavior and frustrated indifference was quite trying. Alice was a different matter altogether from Lorina’s stern temperament and often his derisive scowl was melted away by one of her youthful giggles like her younger sister, Edith, which caused him to grin like a beaming sun as he recalled Alice’s innocence.

The same could be said for young Robert Cole, with exception, who had taken quite a fancy with Alice.  Although not a middle child, he too was caught in the early stages of adolescent romance.   Alice’s present and most immediate concern was her first kiss despite the admonishing of her father.  As a productive member of Second City she had every desire to avoid being the last person in her class to receive a kiss.  Aside from her feelings of utter dread over the act of kissing a filthy, repulsive boy, her social standing had never been of so much importance to her and the butterflies in her stomach told her she wasn’t sure whether or not she was quite up to the task.

In her heart; however, she was anxious to have a greater understanding of love.  Of course the Second City state schools had tried, miserably of course, to explain and define love which came across rather dull as it was delivered in rhetoric as another lesson on the duties of a consumer rather than a true explanation.  Overall the lesson was related in a manner that was altogether quite confusing.  While they were expected to have their first kiss in the near future, many of the girls were also preparing for their vows of celibacy until after marriage.

Alice decided that propriety was her main concern.  She wanted to do what was proper and ensure the happiness of her father while meeting the demands of her consumermanship, no matter how confusing.  Summoning up her reserves she prepared to deliver her alibi to the family.  Calming herself as best she could, she felt her shoulders relax as she exhaled deeply. She looked about furtively, sighed once more, and then opened her mouth to speak.

“Alice, perhaps you should take a moment to look about the events for today on your own.”  Her mother kindly interjected.  Alice was quite confounded at the sudden intrusion into her thoughts but agreed readily with a hearty nod of the head causing her short blonde hair to dance emphatically against her neck and the bow placed on top and slightly to the side to tumble about her strands as it attempted to stay planted to her scalp.

“Be back within the hour dear,” Alice’s mother advised which satiated her father’s need to intervene and Alice’s need to escape the boundaries of her adolescence.  Feeling the desire to at least partially oblige her parent’s request as she did still reside under their custody at the very least but more so because she loved and cherished them, Alice made a brief tour of the events, perhaps viewing each for a split second, and then made for the clearing.

“Are you sure she’ll behave?” her father asked her mother as he keenly looked after Alice but not so much as to be obvious that he was watching and once she was out of ear shot, to which her mother replied, “More than you did when you were her age.”

“Which is precisely what I’m afraid of,” He concluded with a loving grin toward his ever so level headed significant other which displayed both his trust and enduring affection for his choice in romantic partnership. Motherly intervention had assisted on more than one occasion between father’s wishes and child’s potential temper tantrum.

“Can you ever settle Henry little, I’m sure our children will without fail become productive consumers of Second City.”

“Is it not a Father’s duty to have the utmost concern for his young children?”  Henry answered inquisitively as he hugged Edith close prompting her to giggle most furiously.

“Not so much that you smother them, besides I should think that with your habits you’d worry yourself sick Headmaster Little.”  Edith little, not to be confused with Edith Little the elder, for whom Edith was named which could sometimes be quite confusing, responded quite tersely but in jest none the less.

“Yes father, I should think you have enough to concern yourself with other than the affairs of your properly raised children.  I’m sure you’ll hear all about the event for days regardless much to the distress of everyone else in the household.” Lorina, imposed testing the limits of her age.

His eldest daughter’s nervous yet confident response resonated with the approval he needed to accord her stature and being the dynamic and ever present father figure he was Henry obliged her comment lovingly with, “Oh and that is what I’m most afraid of my dear!” and the family enjoyed a reassuring chortle at Alice’s expense.

Alice believed she had once spotted her father staring in her direction but with her parents engaged in idle conversation and entertaining her sisters, she plunged into the brush and appeared on the other side feeling quite disheveled and dismayed that she did not immediately see Robert.  Stomping her foot in frustrated excitement she carefully peered and wandered about whispering his name.  Full of vim and vigor and never wanting to fully admit that he too was nervous as it may affect the appearance of his confidence, Robert enjoyed her stumbling about as he contemplated that this first kiss might lead to many more.

Robert watched Alice frown in frustration with tickled amusement. Her expectant manner demanded he present himself so that she may riddle him with inquiry and a list of conditions for him to meet in the proper manner of consumermanship. Alice walked about searching for Robert momentarily before getting flustered and smoothing the back of her ploam dress, she sat and down. When she became frustrated Alice had a penchant for analyzing statistics to determine her opportunities and assessing her current state.

Recently, Second City had seen an increase of high school romance success. She was sure that her first kiss would be telling. In fact, recent reports had indicated that after her first kiss, she would have an eighty-two percent chance of marriage. She wondered if she was ready for such a major step in her life. She didn’t need to wonder about Robert being trustworthy because she knew there was a chance, thirty four percent according to statistics, that he would remain faithfully committed throughout marriage. That was okay for Alice; however, because twenty three percent of women stayed faithful throughout the length of their commitment.

Truthfully, Alice was curious about the average two point three partners she would encounter while she remained under her vows. The concept of infidelity seemed outrageous to her yet facts were facts and they did not lie. She pondered dreamily about how her romantic liaises would occur. How would they attempt to persuade her to forsake her vows? While statistics were informative, she was intrigued by undertaking the actual experience. She contemplated whether or not she would resist or consent. She pondered whether or not there marriage would end in divorce given the statistics that one hundred percent of divorces were begun by marriage. Finally, she tried to discern whether or not she and Robert would have successful employment as higher income often contributed to more leisure time which could result in infidelity. Facts, equations, and statistics spun in her mind until, “Boo!”

Alice let out a not so quiet yelp that caused her to leap to her feet in her excitement.

“Robert Cole,” Alice yelled as she stood rigidly with her fists jutted out to her sides and her heels pressed together with her toes pointing at a thirty degree angle in an attempt to mimic her mother’s angry posture while glowering at the youth who was rolling on the ground laughing.

“How dare you, I shan’t be kissing you today young man!” She threatened full of pomp and turned her head to the side while sticking her nose in the air and placing her hands upon her hips. The sudden resistance had an immediate effect.

“Alice, don’t be mad, I’m ever so sorry,” he pleaded to no avail.

“Alice, please don’t be cross with me. You seemed so lost in thought day dreaming,” He pleaded which caused Alice to flush with rage, or rather more appropriately, disappointment.

“How dare you, how dare you, how dare you!” She stomped her foot, a telltale sign that she was severely distressed, “You know very well that I detest such trickery and the mere fact that you would mention such a hurtful utterance to someone you intend to give your first kiss is utterly unbearable. I have half a mind to depart these premises and leave you to your infantile whims and fancy while you completely disregard your consumermanship!”

You see, Alice had often been reprimanded for her daydreaming by both her peers and authoritarians. Unbeknownst to her, Robert had frequently stared in her direction smiling softly to himself while admiring her distracted appearance. Her engrossment in her own concerns gave him the freedom to study every feature of her face from her hair, which had deep dark roots and lightened to a translucent light yellow, to her deep warm dark blue eyes that seemed to draw him in until he felt he was swimming in them. Which, coincidently, he happened to be doing despite her immediate anger.

“Robert, have you heard a word I’ve said?” Alice inquired as she noticed his soft smile and a look that he himself was day dreaming.

“Yes, Alice, every word.”

“I said I was leaving, Robert…”

“Oh, don’t do that! I’m sorry Alice.” Robert entreated.

“What were you looking at?” Alice questioned forgetting her rage for a moment.

“Your eyes, I look at them all the time. They’re simply unfathomable.” And to Young Robert his whimsical oration wasn’t something he hadn’t considered previously. Indeed, under her full attention her eyes seemed even more brilliant as the sun frolicked through the leaves and illuminated wisps of Alice’s golden mane, accentuating the contrast between her angelic face and bottomless gaze.

“Stop,” Alice demanded suddenly feeling the discomfort of her changing perspective again.

“I’m sorry,” Robert repeated and turned away flush.

Forgetting her own uneasiness while seeing Robert’s anxiety and confusion, she sat next to him. Alice was nurturing above all and the thought had crossed her mind that even young, confident, boisterous Robert Cole may feel some shame for the feelings and changes occurring internally as well. There was a somber moment between them as they tried to reason what to do.

It was Alice who broke through silence’s thickly filled with buttery butterflies disquiet when a flitting snapping dragon gracefully adorned her finger.

“Robert,” she whispered scarcely breathing, “Turnabout slowly.”

Robert moved by stalled degrees until he saw the green metallic hued creature lighted upon her finger. In their amiable moods, nature had settled about them. Something which Alice noticed and found intrinsically curiouser and curiouser.

“Slowly look to your left,” Robert instructed as Alice heard both a sweet and somber tone reach her ear.

When she looked, she saw two humming birds dancing in the air together not more than a meter away.  The two birds seemed to take notice of the other couple present and stopped to inspect them. The snapping dragon lifted in the air once more and flitted away after its repose ending the inquisitive nature of the two birds that departed as they continued to serenade each other with different tones. Alice looked at Robert who turned away in the interlude and reached for something slightly behind him. When he turned round he presented Alice with a flower and gently slid it under the digital visor adorning her hair.

“You’re very beautiful Alice, I should like very much to kiss you,” He stated as he put his hand on hers. Alice looked fondly into Robert’s eyes but recalled his earlier shenanigans which brought doubt, in her mind, about the sincerity of his intentions.

“Thank you Robert; however, we’ve still not settled the matter of your earlier buffoonery.”

“Whatever shall I do to convince you that my heart is true Alice?” Robert retorted in affirmation that he indeed was ready to commit himself to their twenty five percent chance of remaining lifelong partners.

“Hmm, I know!” Alice was excited about the revelation that he should pay a price similar to hers, “I shall hide and you shall find me! If you do not find me then I may kiss you and if you find me I shall allow you to give me a kiss.”

With the odds in his favor, Robert sprang to his feet without another word, turned his back as he leaned against a tree, and began to count.  Alice both astounded and enthused by his immediate reaction sprang to her feet and absconded into the foliage not at all a short distance away. When she happened upon a large dark tunnel like entrance she was skeptic that she may have gone too far. Unfortunately, she could hear Robert’s feet in the distance approaching the direction he’d heard her depart and she could hear his changing voice calling her name. Having suddenly run out of options, she decided to disappear behind a large tree and wait to be found as these were the conditions to determine who was to give and receive their first kiss.

Robert observed his surroundings and quickly discovered the large tunnel as well.  Deciding that Alice might think that he wouldn’t have the gall to enter such a dark and foreboding cavern he plunged in with little forethought. Alice grinned to herself with satisfaction. Robert would no doubt have his digital device with him which would allow him some light in the darkness. There was very little to be concerned about in Second City so she had no need to be alarmed about him wandering into the cavern. In the interim she could wait for him outside and surprise him when he returned. Alice sat and looked about her to see what wonders nature would bring to her.

She wasn’t aware of the time until her wrist vibrated, she’d set it to silent while she waited in order to avoid detection, with a note from her mother.

“Mind the time Alice,” it stated and Alice felt a pang of panic as she’d still not received nor given her first kiss. Alice reviewed her memory and was certain she hadn’t heard Robert leave the cavern. Bracing herself, she entered the dark edifice and switched on the flashlight application of her digital device. The path she took was long and seemed to curve gently from left to right, then right to left. She cautiously scanned ahead occasionally calling softly for Robert as she was too afraid she may disturb someone else who had snuck away to engage in their first kiss. At least this was Alice’s reasoning as she was quite afraid of her surroundings and seemed to get a sense of general foreboding.

Unbeknownst to Alice, Robert was searching for his way out or Alice, but by of far more importance to him was finding his way out as he suspected Alice was not there at all. He’d become quite confused in the cavern and his digital device didn’t seem to be getting a good signal. Robert lamented that he hadn’t had the good sense to download a maze tracking device prior to entering the runoff cavern; however he couldn’t be concerned with such novelties at a time like this. He decided to stick to the left hand side of the cavern and see if he couldn’t retrace his steps.

Alice’s heart raced. She had long ago abandoned any notion of finding Robert. The tunnel seemed to overwhelm her and at this particular junction she decided that Robert’s foolishness far exceeded his desire to give her the first kiss she required for good consumermanship before taking her vow of chastity until marriage. Frustrated, alone, and feeling a sense of abandonment she concluded it may be best for her to depart the cave all together.

Robert’s heart leapt for joy as his digital device’s beam caught a figure before him.

“Alice?” he called to the feminine figure before him that stood unsteadily yet in a dress similar to Alice’s. Then Robert coughed and covered his mouth and nose. A mephitic essence had struck his senses in short order nearly causing him to double over. As he contended with the maleficence, the figure before him turned around and Robert gave a muffled cry as something strong wrapped around his torso and restricted his lungs capacity to inflate.

Alice heard a sound similar to Robert’s voice. She plunged ahead with renewed vigor. Perhaps Robert had hurt himself. She was running low on time as well and didn’t wish to return without her first kiss as she wasn’t sure when she’d have another opportunity. She concluded that should they make it out of the runoff tunnels together, she would scold him first then give him a kiss. A section of the tunnel loomed ahead and she could hear scuffling. Scritch scratching echoed in her ears along with the sound of wetness and… and was that chewing? She couldn’t be sure. She did however see the faint light of a digital device beam. Deciding that she should extinguish her torch app, Alice crept closer with the possible intention of repaying young Robert for his earlier surprise.

The walls of the cavern were smooth and clean, no doubt the industrious work of Second City mechanical assistance and the water that ran at this point was clear. Alice knew because when she’d had her torch lit earlier, she could see to the bottom unassisted. The clean impression she had of the tunnel was compounded by the fact that in this particular section the lights were very dim but as her eyes adjusted she could still see. She realized now that her torch was off that there were lights in the center section of the floor where the water was, and she could run on either side with ease as there was a walkway that extended a meter and a half or two meters from each side.

She supposed the walkway was for maintenance. Perhaps maintenance hadn’t been called to this particular section because the smell that emanated was almost overpowering. Alice’s eyes watered and she fanned her face with no effect as the putrid stench wormed its way to her stomach. She would have forsaken this area entirely had it not been for the thought that she’d seen Robert’s light. She concluded that must be the reason for the odor as there was no doubt a robot would have been called when the olfactory sensor picked up the reek she currently found herself encompassed. With her teary eyes, she was unsure of whether or not she’d seen Robert’s torch cutting through the darkness. She turned her head in the direction she’d trotted and considered returning when she heard the sound again. She hesitantly moved closer to the source.

Yes she had definitely seen a flashlight app. It moved against the wall lazily. Robert must have gotten turned about in the tunnels and had relinquished his pursuit to exit the tunnels all together. It was Alice’s turn to return the charade. She crept quietly closer and prepared to startle her unwitting companion. Easing herself against the Second City tunnel wall, she took a breath and peeked quickly confirming her suspicion but seeing little else. Without the bravado, she took a breath and prepared herself to casually make her appearance and demand a kiss.

Alice turned the corner and froze in shock. Young Robert Cole was lying prone on the ground with several figures bent over him. The arm that held the digital device was being feasted upon and had been detached from Robert all together. Alice took note of a growing pool of blood surrounding Robert and in her state of delirium was more fascinated at how much of the human organism contained liquid. She began to speculate the approximate amount when one of the figures turned in her direction and released a most wicked snarl that brought Alice back to her immediate senses.

She observed, in the most austere manner of which one observes immediate danger, that the wretches that devoured what remained of Robert Cole’s corpse had the sickly appearance and wax like skin of the dead. The veins upon their skin were a dark color and seemed to ooze rather than carefully network like normal veins. They seemed over filled as if the blood that had settled there had turned gaseous and rounded the tendrils into rubbery elongations that would burst upon the slightest agitation.

Their clothes were tattered and blood stained and seemed to be made of fabric instead of ploam. Any bruising that had occurred in life resembled a pustule. Some of the fingers had been rubbed down clean to the bone. The figure that had turned its face to her didn’t have the presentation of an individual from Second City who was healthy and diligent in their grooming. The hair was disheveled and seemed to be caked with detritus. The eyes were sunken and where the orb should have been placed, although Alice granted that she was in the dark, it appeared they were to dark cloudy places over a blackened bulb.

As another detestable creature approached and sank to its knees taking a large bit out of Robert’s calf, Alice concluded that the scritching and scratching sound was the approach of the being. The sound that reached her ears presently was much louder than the approach of the singular diner. It appeared to be a group of the wretches and Robert’s corpse seemed to offer little more sustenance. Alice didn’t want to contemplate the statistical average of the number of cannibals it would take to consume a human corpse. As the other figures rounded the bend she proposed another course of action overall.

"I shan't like to have a conversation with you left and right," she began in reference to her feet,” yet I'd be most appreciative if you moved in the most expedited of manners and carried me swiftly away from here."

Her calm conclusion seemed to ring quite loudly to her feet and they obeyed forthwith. Alice bolted away from her menacing interlopers at a speed with which even she was amazed. Her feet could be heard echoing off of the concrete walls. Her menacing companions gave chase further panicking Alice so that she was unsure of which turns lead where or which direction she was taking as her hostile intruders began to gain ground in the midst of her exhaustion. Chancing a look back as the roof of the tunnel she was in seemed to disappear into the ground in what most would call a wall, but in Alice’s grief and panic stricken state the concept simply eluded her, she saw that the horribly disfigured minions of homicide were mere centimeters from her and seemed to be spurred on by the hunt.

Presently, as she was distracted by her concern of imminent and mortal peril, she slipped and fell into the center of tunnel with a great splash. She was barely able to begin a brief shriek that was yanked from her lungs as she collided and was pulled forward much to her relief. Her attackers, not wishing to embark on the same route and apparently trying to capture their prey before it escaped, quit their chase with the most animated activity they seemed to be able to use to express their disapproval with her escape and simply left once Alice Was out of their sight and unable to be intimidated by their horribly fierce antics.

Down, down, down Alice slid as if she were in a hidden water slide. She quickly forgot her terror and calmed down, her mind too preoccupied with wondering what was at the bottom of her destination to be concerned with the terror shed experienced. She tried to comprehend why she hadn’t heard a rush of water as it cascaded but Second City was a quiet humble place and such matters were best left to the engineers who designed the tunnels initially.

It had been to Alice’s relief that this section of Second City was artificially lit with each light turning on as she approached and shutting off as she passed.  The gentle yet elusive light assuaged her fear of the unknown and she began to time the on and offness, as she called it, of the matter.  In fact, to be completely truthful, Alice slid for so long she became quite bored.  She was; however, very impressed with the consumermanship of Second City, for as she fell she began to notice various objects which had been discarded by the Second City residents. 

She had no fear of being hurt by the wonderfully created and designed multitude of contraptions for they were made of ploam.  Ploam, the durable lightweight material Second City consumermen used to create household objects such as plates, forks , knives, clothing, or whatever else they needed was created from recycled materials and sent down a special chute to be disposed of once the item had outlived its usefulness.

As she continued her hand brushed against a clock.  She picked it up and wondered for how long she had been sliding.  She was quite damp all over and although the water was cool, she decided she’d much rather be dry and warm since she had left the sunshine of the park.  Alice wondered how her parents were doing as well. In her rush, the thought of contacting them had leapt from her ear and escaped the creatures long before she had the intuition to run. Thinking of her guardians she tried to contact them but when she retrieved the digital device connected to her arm she found it was damaged by the water and most certainly inoperable. She wasn’t sure if she’d have been able to get a signal regardless. The tunnel didn’t seem to allow for repeaters and communication would have most likely been limited at best.

“Poor father,” She intoned, “He must be ever frightful of where I’m at by now.  I wonder if he will exercise his consumer rights and if he has called the Peace Officers yet for I have been sliding diagonally for some time now.  He must be in distress either worried about my lady hood or harried by my unexpected disappearance.   How shall I ever make this up to him?  I’m sure I’ll simply have to set firm and relay the events to him as they occurred.  I’m sure he’ll understand.”

When it came to the notion of what specifically had attacked and killed Robert and had chased her to her current local, Alice found she was at a loss. Proper consumermanship dictated she refrain from using the term zombie, although that is what the creatures resembled. Alice couldn’t be sure because she’d never personally seen a zombie and hadn’t a definition for the being. She could vaguely recall the term zombie as well. When the matter had been brought to her attention by friends, she’d promptly been told that it was the imaginings of children and best to be forgotten. As she aspired to be a proper consumer, she’d forced the term from her mind and admonished her friends for distributing such propaganda. In Second City, zombies did not exist nor any other city for that matter. The officials of Second City would most certainly know what was best for its citizens so such absurdity was left for children and those who were of lesser mental constitution who worked the more unsavory occupations.

With that Alice let the matter drop in her mind for she really had no other choice as she plummeted off of a ledge herself.  As she was thrown from the precipice, she ma