ALICE STOOD PANICKED in the middle of the silence. She whipped her head back and forth, her eyes darting around desperately but to no avail. No matter how much she searched and scoured her surroundings, she still came up with the same results as before.
Nothing.
"Spade!" she called out again into the void, desperate for a reply. However, just like she had suspected, nothing greeted her but a gust of cold wind.
Her fingers were still pressed tightly against the wood of the carriage, afraid that if she let go, it would disappear too, leaving her truly alone in this vast span of nothingness. Alice could make out the vague outlines of the tree trunks, shrubs, and various flora. However, there were no other signs of life. Even the birds were missing from the branches or the sky.
Everything was peacefully silent. In contrast, Alice's heart was churning in turmoil.
