5 Alice’s Jabberwocky

Light was kissing the edge of the horizon notifying everyone that the dawn was fast approaching. It would be a good hour before the sun peaked it fiery tentacles over the fictitious line and reached up for the middle of the sky.

This was Alice Waterman's favorite time of the day to be at the office. No one was at work yet, so she could get her coffee and sit down for some relaxing peace before the chaos of the day ensued. Routinely, she would check her and Michael's e-mail, prepare for all of Michael's scheduled meetings, and look up what CNN's website had to say the day's news was.

Around the half dark empty floor was nothing but golden silence to Alice's ears. No rustling feet or chattering voices to the beat of clicking keyboards. Nothing but her moving around at her desk. On the screen of her computer she pressed play on her online radio application and some pop filled 80's music began to blare out the speakers filling the silence.

Reading through some of the e-mails that had come in during the night and early morning, she heard a rustle from the back of the office. Searching around she expected to find someone came in early to breakup her happy alone time. No one was walking down the hallway or settling themselves at a desk. Figuring it was just the building she went back to the e-mails.

Another bumping sound, this time much louder, echoed over the top of Alice's music. Standing up and looking down the dark office floor she didn't notice anyone around. Thinking about it, she didn't hear the elevator ding and open at all. The door to the stairs didn't open and shut. No one was there. It was either her imagination, while being alone, overreacting or it was just the building itself moving and creaking.

Bending slowly to sit back down, a louder sound rumbled from near the elevators, "Is someone there?" She called out feeling nervous about being alone and hearing things.

No answer came back. Shrugging it off, she sat down in her chair and returned to her coffee and e-mails. Blocking out the small noises, she focused on reading. Michael's entire day had been booked and no one was even sure if he was going to be in the office. She would normally schedule Matt for these things, but Matt was off in New York for another important business meeting with a potential partner.

Rustling came from the hallway, again. Alice got to her feet and walked swiftly toward the sound thinking that someone was playing a trick on her and going to try and scare her.

Reaching the elevators, "Hello! Come out! Jerry, is that you? This isn't going to work. You're not going to scare me. I already know you're here." No one answered and she started back for her desk, "Damn immature pricks," under her breath.

Almost to her desk, she stopped and turned looking through the doorway of the office just before Michael's. In the back of the office in the shadows was a figure completely out of the light.

"Jesus," Alice slapped her hand to her chest in surprise. Her heart rate was beating like a rabbit's. "You scared the hell out of me!" Trying to see into the shadow, she could only see a figure in black, except a blue tie that shimmered ever so slightly.

Air blew in from her right at she looked to see a dragon flying down the hallway of the office right toward her. Her eyes grew to the size of softballs as she covered her head with both hands and dropped to the ground. After a second had passed, she looked up and nothing but some black vapor like smoke was left. Scanning in every direction, the beast was nowhere near her.

"Let me help you up," a very low deep raspy voice spoke out of the shadows of the office as if he had seen nothing of what just happened. Moving forward some light was cast on his face giving some ease to Alice's apprehension. His soft face and gentle eyes took her into a trance as she smiled and, holding his hand, rose off the floor.

"Thank you," she said peacefully.

"Oh, by all means. You must be sore from that nasty spill you took."

"Yes," she said hypnotically engaged in his eyes.

Lightly walking her over to her desk, he sat her down in the chair. Crouching down to get eye to eye with her, his turned glowing bright red and seemed to spin. She felt so wonderful inside there was no possible way to describe it. It was the greatest feeling she had ever known. Every bad thought or painful memory was instantly gone from her mind as if an entire world of worry had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Now, my dear, we need you to do something," as he said this, another man in a black suit and shiny red tie with a cane appeared behind him. Alice continued to smile and felt at complete peace. "We need you to send a message to Michael for us." A blonde haired thin figured gorgeous woman walked up the isle way from the elevators.

"Sure. What would you like to say?" Alice's body turned toward the computer keyboard, but her eyes stayed focused on his glowing red eyes.

"Oh, honey. We are going to need to send him a much different message than that I'm afraid," straightening up he pulled out a very large shiny silver survival knife with a serrated edge.

"Okay," she smiled as if he had just pulled out a dozen tulips.

Life was so wonderfully peaceful in her mind as he reached down offering his hand. She took hold of it and rose to her feet. Walking into Michael's office with him, the other two followed right behind and shut the door.

Within moments screams echoed so loudly throughout the floor they reverberated down the elevator shaft to every floor in the building.