by Dani Hoots
He shook his head. “I don’t want to put you through that again.”
“It’s not up to you, it’s up to me. I know what I’m up against now and I know what to do,” I said sternly.
“And what’s that?” he questioned, his voice a bit louder.
“If I told you, then Morpheus will figure it out. I can’t risk telling you, it will ruin the element of surprise.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “How am I supposed to help you if you don’t tell me what I need to do!”
“Just trust me, you will know when the time comes!” I exclaimed. I hated being told what to do, and was good at talking back. At least, that is what my parents always said.
“You two sound like a married couple,” Kenny yawned.
We both spun around to face him. “Do not!”
Kenny shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
“She’s being unreasonable, she thinks she can face Morpheus now, out of the blue,” he said to Kenny.
I turned to him. “I’m right here, why are you telling him like I’m not here?”
“Because you aren’t listening to me!” he answered back. Now he was starting to get on my nerves. I didn’t understand why he couldn’t just trust me, I knew what I was doing now. I finally figured it out.
“What’s going on?” a drowsy Davis started to get up. “Why is there yelling?”
“They are having a couple’s spout.” Kenny smiled.
We both glared at him. “We aren’t a couple!”
He raised his arms in defense. “All right, all right. Just keep telling yourself that.” He started to stand. “But it is strange that you want to go to the Circus all of a sudden.”
“A trickster led her out in the dark last night.” Malcolm stood up and stretched. “It tried to lead her off a cliff. Fortunately, I arrived before she lost her grip of the edge.”
“A trickster? Are you sure?” Kenny asked.
“Yes,” Malcolm answered.
“No, it was Alice. She was trying to show me how to beat Morpheus,” I said. Everyone just stared at me.
“What did you say?” Chase was now up. “Alice?”
“The original Alice came to me to show me how to beat Morpheus,” I repeated. “Well, I think it was the original Alice, but appeared like me when I was a little girl. Either way she showed me what to do.”
“But she won’t clue us in on exactly what that is,” Malcolm added. “We just have to follow her lead, and trust that this apparition is real.”
Melvin yawned. “So are we going back there then?”
Malcolm and I locked eyes. I didn’t turn away but held my own. I was going to win this fight and then I was going to win the fight against Morpheus.
He sighed and rubbed his face. “It’s not a good idea.”
“It’s the only way to save Wonderland,” I added. “This is the only way we are going to win.”
Kenny stepped next to Malcolm and whispered something into his ear. Whatever it was, it made Malcolm even more angry, his eyes narrowing and hands clenching. He glared at Kenny for a moment, but then looked defeated.
Malcolm sighed. “Fine, we will go.”
I smiled in satisfaction. “Now, how do we get out of here?”
“That will be the tricky part. We can’t take a short cut out to just make a portal there because Bill will find us and follow us. We can’t make a portal out of here because the forest won’t allow it. The only way to get out of here is to go through the heart of the Dark Forest and out the other side where the Circus is located,” he explained.
“How long will that take us?” I asked.
“At least three days, if we don’t run into any trouble,” Kenny answered for him.
“So two more nights in this wretched place?” Davis groaned. “I want a real bed.”
Chase stood up. He hadn’t said a word about the Circus and whether or not he agreed about going. I wondered what his thoughts were about it all. “Sun is rising, we should start moving now if we want to get out of here then.”
I looked at the cave door and saw light, if you could really call it light, beginning to shine. It really was just not-as-dark-as-pitch-black light, but at least we could see each other out there. Malcolm grabbed the bottle with the trising.
“Well then, shall we?”
CHAPTER 27
We walked as fast as we could through the forest, trying to reach the other side. My heart pounded in my chest as trees around us cracked and moaned. I had just watched Lord of the Rings last weekend and I became paranoid that the trees were going to get up and attack us, even though the Ents aren’t evil. In the real world, that would have been a silly notion, but here, anything was possible. And the fact a spider had tried to eat me the day before…
Letting the trising go was scary to experience. It wasn’t completely light out and it apparently didn’t appreciate us capturing it for the night. The moment Malcolm let it out of the bottle, it attacked him and Kenny. I’ll forever remember the sound of Kenny screaming. Never before had I head a grown man scream like a little girl. Now the two of them have bite and scratch marks all over their arms. We must have run at least two miles before it was light enough for the creature to have to hide. It couldn’t handle sunlight, which made sense to me. Creatures of Satan always hated sunlight in the movies.
After running for our lives, we got some food. I was very hesitant to eat it, after everything that I had experienced here, but Kenny and Malcolm reassured me again and again that it was okay, that they knew what was poisonous and what was not. I finally gave in, my stomach demanding something to eat.
What really concerned me was the random little signs planted into the ground next to berries and plants that said ‘eat me’ and ‘pick me’, etc. First off, who the hell posted those? Second, like hell am I going to believe those signs. I didn’t believe anything in this forest and I never wanted to come back. Ever.
Which probably meant, for some unforeseen reason, I would be back. That is, if we got out of here in one piece.
A few hours passed and we now found ourselves nearing the heart of the forest. The trees seemed to be getting denser, more creatures growling around us, and even more fog to worsen our vision. I stayed close to Malcolm, since he knew where he was going, and everyone else stayed close behind.
Melvin had his saber out, chopping down twigs and ivy so that we could pass. His arm had to have been getting sore after all the things he had to get rid of in our way. Davis switched out with him after a while, his claymore slicing right through everything just as the saber did.
A howling noise started echoing around us and Malcolm took my hand to secure me next to him. I felt safe near him, and closer after our fight. Even though I denied being a couple to Kenny, I really thought about the possibility. He had always been there for me, and I had a big crush on him in the real world. But here he was different, here he was cold.
Or was that just a mask so no one could hurt him?
Then there was Chase. I enjoyed being with Chase, he was a good friend, but that is all I felt for him. Friendship. He was someone I could trust to be there, even though together we ended up being trouble. What he felt towards me, I wasn’t quite sure. It was all so complicated and not something I wanted to think about when first we had to take down the Circus.
We stopped for a break. Melvin tapped a tree and got us all some water. Never did I feel so thirsty in all my life. Kenny grabbed some fruit and leaves which he said were edible. I hoped he was right, but trusted him after he found food for us earlier that didn’t make me ill. We all ate our share and let our bodies restore their energy.
“How long did you two live out here?” I asked as we rested for a bit.
Kenny shrugged. “Oh, what, probably at least fifty years, give or take a few.”
I gasped. “Fifty years?” That seemed impossible, to have survived in a place like this for so long. I could barely handle the one day we were out here. They were strong and smart, I had to give
them that.
“That’s what happens when you go up against the Queen of Hearts,” Chase explained. “She either cuts off your head or exiles you here.”
“Did you get exiled here too?” I asked.
Chase laughed. “The Queen could never catch me. I came here on my own sometimes. Get away from people. That’s when I met Alice, she wandered in here on her own, looking for a path.”
I turned to the others. “What about Melvin and Davis, how did you meet Alice?”
Davis started to open his mouth but didn’t say anything.
“We were here as well, yes, we all met her here,” Melvin answered.
“You were here in exile as well?”
“Yes, but not for that long. We had only been in here for a week or two,” Melvin said.
“So maybe this forest is the key to beating Morpheus,” I smiled.
“We just have to get out of here alive first,” Davis whispered.
“Shouldn’t be hard, you did it last time,” I said.
“Yeah,” Davis glanced at Malcolm and Kenny. “Barely.”
I thought about furthering the conversation and asking what he meant by barely, but I decided I didn’t want to know. Between Malcolm and Kenny’s dour faces, I knew it wasn’t a topic they wanted to press any further. I would figure it out someday, though, if I had the chance.
After a few more minutes of silent rest, we started up again. The tension seemed to grow between the guys. Memories, I presume, from the last time they were here were coming back to them. No one said a word, but I could feel it and see it in the way they looked at each other.
Chase pulled me towards the back next to him as we made our way up a hill.
“Why are you sticking so close to him?” he asked.
I blinked, surprised at the question. It had come out of nowhere. “Because he knows this place the best.”
“That’s it?”
I nodded.
“Just be careful, alright? You don’t realize how this place can affect a person. It may have been a long time ago, but Malcolm and Kenny used to rule these woods.”
“What do you mean by rule?” I asked.
He started to say something but out of the darkness a loud roar rang through the trees. I spun forward to see one of the strangest creatures I had ever seen come out of the trees before us. Its head was round with large eyes and teeth that belonged on a tiger. Its long neck ran down to its round body and even longer tail. It had massive arms with claws that extended out towards us. Its dragon-like wings flapped vigorously to keep its body up off the ground.
It let out another roar.
Everyone pulled out their swords, even me. The beast charged at us and everyone jumped out of the way. It screamed as Davis slashed it with his claymore. Angry, it grabbed the sharp edge of the sword with its hands out of Davis’s hand and threw it. Davis just stared at it, horrified.
“Retreat!” Malcolm ordered.
We all ran to the right of it. It followed after us, making trees crash down beside it due to its large size.
Malcolm put his arm around me and guided me left. “This way, hurry.”
Melvin and Kenny turned the other way, leading the creature away from us. Chase and Davis turned around and followed it.
“They are going to deal with it, I’m going to get you to safety.” Malcolm pushed me further away from the creature.
“No, we have to,” I began when I felt him pull me back. All of a sudden we both started sliding down the cliffside. We both screamed as we tumbled down into the rocky cliff below.
CHAPTER 28
I don’t know how long I lost consciousness, but when I woke I found myself at the bottom of a cliff. Looking back up at where we slipped, I couldn’t believe I was still alive. My body ached from all the rocks beating against my body and twigs snagging my clothes and hair. After I caught my breath once more, I tried to stand.
My body didn’t want to stand, nor move really, and my leg screaming at me in pain. It felt like it was screaming, it really did. I fell back down. “Ow...”
I peered around, looking for Malcolm. He lay a few dozen feet in front of me.
“Malcolm, can you hear me?” I whispered.
He didn’t budge. I crawled over to him. He was completely knocked out. I tried not to panic, finding myself in a situation that was dire. I had to take deep breaths and calm myself down.
“Malcolm.” I shook him. “Wake up, we have to get out of here. Wake up!”
Still nothing. I felt his wrist and could feel a pulse, as we were taught in Middle School health class. At least he was alive. A roar echoed behind me. I glanced back to see trees swaying back and forth. That creature was coming this way. I quickly turned back to Malcolm.
“Wake up! Malcolm! Please, for the love of...”
The monster roared again. I grabbed Malcolm’s arms and began to pull him in the opposite direction of where the sound was coming from. My leg exploded in pain.
“Please wake up, please!”
The creature came flying through the trees, its scream piercing my ears. I didn’t know if it was the same one as before and if it was, I wondered where the others were.
I stayed still, hoping it couldn’t see me like the T-rex on Jurassic Park, but that wasn’t the case. It started flying straight for us.
Malcolm’s eyes flickered open. “Oh, my head.”
I pointed up. “Uh, Malcolm...”
“You have got to be kidding me.” He tried to stand but failed. “I think my leg is broken. Alice, run! Get out of here!”
“I’m not going to leave you here.”
“You will die if you stay here!”
I pulled out my katana. “No, Malcolm, you have saved me multiple times. It is my turn.”
I ignored the pain in my leg as I limped between Malcolm and the jabberwocky. The jabberwocky let out a fighting roar.
“No, I will not let you hurt my friend! I am sick of this place and I am not going to die by some stupid creature! I made it too far to die now!”
I charged at the creature, slower than I would have liked due to my leg. It dove down at me, claws extended. The katana clashed with its claws. I spun forward and sliced one of its feet completely off. I got it right at the joint for a clean cut.
The creature screamed in agony. It looked mad, its eyes glaring at me. It wanted revenge and wasn’t going to stop until it got it. It swooped down and attacked again, jaw open as if it was going to eat me right there. I jumped out of the way as its mouth came at me. I stabbed it straight in the eye. It screamed. It collapsed on the ground, trying to make the pain stop. Quickly I swung the katana right through the neck. The body fell along with its head, never to move again.
“Take that you stupid worthless piece of crap!” I yelled down at it. My adrenaline was high and I had about enough of everything in this forest.
The fight must have been too much for my body as I suddenly collapsed.
“Alice!” Malcolm yelled.
I lied on the ground, staring up at the trees. Everything seemed blurry, one green mess. Maybe it was always like that, I didn’t know. I just wanted to get out of there.
Where did I go wrong? What did I do in my life to deserve this? Getting kidnapped to a world that didn’t exist? Then having to face my darkest fears and then taken into this wretched place? I just wanted to go home.
“Alice, can you hear me?”
My eyes flickered open. I had thought my eyes were open but apparently that wasn’t the case. I blinked a couple of times and found Malcolm leaning over me.
“You did it! You killed the jabberwocky.” He smiled.
“I couldn’t let it kill you, now could I? Who would save me when I need help?”
He laughed. “Thank you.”
Malcolm stared into my eyes and I into his. It felt as if time had stopped for a moment as he leaned in closer and kissed me.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” Kenny’s voice broke the magical moment. Malcolm backe
d away and I saw everyone standing behind him. Chase was frowning. I blushed as I sat up. Apparently everyone was fine, that was great news.
“She killed the jabberwocky, no thanks to you guys. Where were you? Why didn’t you defeat the jabberwocky like you were supposed to?” Malcolm tried to stand and collapsed once more. “Davis, get over here!”
Davis scurried over and knelt down next to Malcolm. “What happened?”
“We fell down the cliffside. I think my leg is broken,” Malcolm explained.
Davis placed his hands over Malcolm’s leg and closed his eyes. After a few seconds he opened them again. “All good.”
To my amazement, Malcolm stood up without a problem.
“What just happened?” I asked. Davis hurried over to me.
“I can heal people, Alice.” Davis smiled as he placed his hands over me. “Just take a deep breath.”
It hurt badly. I could feel my sprained ankle fix itself. I bit my lip in pain, not wanting to seem like a weakling. But god it hurt.
“All done.” He stood up and looked at the jabberwocky. “You did this?”
I nodded as I stood. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
“Amazing!” Melvin came up beside me. “Not many people have gone against a jabberwocky and lived to tell the tale.”
“We aren’t out of this place yet, boys.” Malcolm straightened his collar. “Now, let’s get a move on it.”
Night finally came again, by then I had almost fallen asleep, but my mind was still racing, thinking of all the things that happened that day. The jabberwocky, the kiss. Mostly just the kiss was what I kept thinking about. I didn’t particularly want to think about the jabberwocky ever again. But the kiss, what did it mean? Was it just a ‘yeah, we did it’ kiss? Or did it mean something more than that?
Chase was taking first watch. he sat near the entrance staring out into the darkness. They had captured another trising and used it for light. This one put up less of a fight, which I was thankful for because it meant that it wouldn’t try to kill us in the morning, at least that’s what I hoped.