by Tim Miller
There was a large altar of some kind made of stones inside a circle of men and women who were holding hands and chanting. They all wore black robes and hoods, but a few had taken them off to reveal their own nakedness. In the center of the altar was a young girl, she couldn't have been more than ten or eleven years old. She was struggling and screaming as the ritual took place around her.
Alice couldn't understand the chanting. It almost sounded like singing, but it wasn't in English whatever it was. After several minutes, the rest of the group shed their robes and all the men and women danced around the altar and bonfire naked. They held their arms up, chanting and wailing, as one woman climbed on top of the altar.
The woman was wearing a red cape with a hood and had nothing else on underneath. She held up a large, silver dagger over her head as she swayed to the chants. Finally, the group got silent as she began to speak.
"Oh, great spirits!" She called out. "Let this sacrifice please you, great ones! Be satiated by this innocent blood so that you may reveal to us the location of the beast!"
The little girl let out a scream as the woman, who by now Alice figured was Red Riding Hood, had thrust the knife into the little girl's chest. She screamed as Red ran the knife down her chest, blood squirting all over. Finally, Red reached into the girl's chest as the girl stopped crying. After digging around, she pulled out the young girl's heart as blood oozed from the gaping hole where the heart recently resided.
Cheers arose from the crowd as Alice watched in horror. That crazy bitch just murdered that little girl! After all the crazy she’d seen in Wonderland, this struck her as far more upsetting. That place, nothing had seemed real; it all felt so fantastical, even the blood and death. This looked, and felt, one hundred percent real.
Red Riding Hood chanted something in another language before tossing the heart into the bonfire. The fire roared with increasing fury as the crowd cheered. Red then bent down and picked up the little girl's body and tossed it into the fire, which roared even higher. She held out her arms and began yelling something as some men from the crowd climbed and took her by the arms and lay her down on the altar. One of the naked men spread her legs apart and began fucking her as Red took the other man's erect penis into her mouth.
The rest of the group lined up to take their turns with Red. Each man fucking her while she sucked another. Some women just ate her pussy while others sat on her face as Red pleasured them. Some of the men and women were quite old and wrinkly, but that didn't slow her down at all. Red writhed and moaned through the orgy, taking every last bit of what they had to offer.
As the last one finished, she stood again and began chanting something else. Suddenly Red looked up, gazing right at Alice. Alice had no idea how she could even see her. Alice was far away, in the dark, and behind a huge rock; yet, she was sure Red was looking right at her. It was confirmed when Red flashed her a smile.
Alice took a step back as the mob turned toward her. Red shouted something to the naked crowd as they began walking in Alice's direction, and then they were running right for her. Alice turned and started running through the woods. She could hear them gaining on her. While her first thought was to head back to the cave, she didn't want to lead them a right to the wolf. Instead, she turned east and headed back toward the lake. Footsteps grew louder behind her, as did the screaming.
Now she was able to make out some of what they were saying. They were yelling at her.
"Stop right there, little cunt! We just want to talk to you! Then we'll fuck you up the ass! Hahaha!" One of them shouted.
"Come on little girl! You afraid of some naked people? Just stop so we can fuck!"
It was all too creepy and bizarre. She reached a clearing, and the lake was just ahead. She broke for the lake. Not sure why she thought the lake would save her. She just figured this mob couldn't swim as fast as she could and would help her create some distance. As she ran towards the lake, something began stirring inside it. Ripples formed in the water just dozen feet from the shore as something started to emerge.
First she saw the top of its head before the face became visible. It was Red Riding Hood walking out of the water. As she climbed out, her cloak dried instantly as the water beaded off her naked skin beneath. Alice stopped as she tried to change direction but the crowd had already closed in on her, two men grabbed her arms tightly so she couldn't get away. Red walked up to her, a huge smile on her face and looked her up and down.
"Well, what do we have here?" She asked. "Looks like the gods have sent us a little surprise."
"Let me go!" Alice said. "I was just passing through and saw your little ritual."
"I'm sure you did." Red said as she began sniffing around Alice.
"The Wolf. You know where he is?"
"Wolf? What wolf? I don't know any wolf." Alice tried to lie.
"I'm afraid you do. Take her back to my cabin. I know you've been with the wolf, and it was sexual. I can smell it all over you. So you can tell me before we reach my home, or I can extract it from you. Oh, and be afraid, dear, because it will hurt."
Chapter 4
The group dragged Alice back to a rundown log cabin, which was dark and smelled like burnt hair. She tried to resist the group, but they dragged her to the back where an old woman was sitting and staring up at them. The woman was in a wooden chair mumbling something to herself. She had tufts of hair hanging from her head in all directions with a large bald spot on top. Looking up, she smiled a broad, toothless grin at Alice.
"Well," she said. "What have we here?"
"This one knows the Wolf, grandma."
The old woman's eyes grew wide.
"The Wolf? She does, does she? Is that true, my dear?"
Alice looked around, trying to avoid the gaze of the creepy old woman.
"I don't know anything about a wolf."
She’d barely finished speaking when one of the witches cracked her on the back of the head with a stick. Alice fell to a knee as she grabbed the back of her head. Her skull throbbed, and her vision was blurred. The old woman cackled as the rest just stood around looking at her.
"You might want to re-think that, dear. Do you know about the Wolf?" The woman asked. Before she could answer, the group of witches all leaned forward as if they were preparing to throw her the beating of a lifetime.
"Ok," Alice said. "Yes. I saw the Wolf. I landed here from Wonderland."
"Where?" One of them asked.
"Wonderland. It's like a different world from here. Not even sure how I got here."
"She's an Outlander!" Red yelled. "She needs to be burned!"
"Burn her! Burn her! Burn her!" The rest of the witches chanted.
"Calm down! All of you!" Grandma yelled. "You all sound like the crazy villagers before we took over. Remember? Some of you were too young. We had to stay hidden and live among them. Once they found one of us, they'd form a mob and burn them at the stake. It wasn't until we finally got tired of their shit, grew some balls, that we used our power to fight them off. Now, we rule the villagers, and they live in fear of us. But believe me, it wasn't always that way."
"Besides," Grandma said while feeling Alice's belly. "She's with child. Child of the Wolf!"
What? Pregnant. She’d had sex with the guy just a few hours ago.
"What? Wait. I just met him a few hours ago. How can I be pregnant already?" Alice asked.
"Ha! Told you she lied!" Grandma said. "Nothing gets past me, child. Don't you forget that. I can be a real cunt if you push me! And I can feel the life-force inside you, but it isn't human. It's half wolf. Wolf's blood is very powerful. It can make us younger and stronger than any being. It's been centuries since a witch has used it. This wolf appeared several harvests ago. We've been after him since. You're here one day, and you found him?"
"More like he found me. And maybe he came to me because I wasn't trying to drain his blood."
"Maybe he came to me because I wasn't trying to drain his blood!" Grandma mocked.
"
Lock her in the back. We'll take care of her until she gives birth. We don't need to find the wolf. We'll just take hers."
"What? Lock me up?“Alice screamed as the witches grabbed her arms and began dragging her away from the old woman. She struggled against them, but one of them punched her in the side of the face. Blood filled her mouth, and the side of her face stung. She saw stars for a few seconds, as they dragged her out the back door and to a steel cage. The thing was old and rusty and big enough to hold a large dog. They stuffed Alice inside and locked the door. She tried to pull the cage apart or pry it open, but it was too strong.
"Fuck! Let me out of here!" She screamed as she fought against the cage. They just stood around her watching as if she were an ant they’d just pulled the legs off. She pulled her knees up to her chin and buried her face in her arms. She was missing Wonderland already.
*****
Several months had passed, but they'd all been a blur for Alice. The witches kept her in some kind of trance using a potion they would force her to drink. For a long time, she'd refused it, but she'd grow so thirsty she'd accept it. Once she drank it, they gave her the water she really wanted. They'd bring her food and water several times a day though she remained in the cage.
Over the months, her belly began to grow. Now it was huge. She could feel the baby kicking and moving around inside her. She wondered what exactly the baby would look like. Would it be covered in hair? Would it have sharp teeth or claws? She didn't even want to think about it. She had no idea why she was more lucid than usual. Maybe the potion was losing its effect? She had no idea.
Looking down at herself, she was in the same t-shirt she'd been when they found her. Except now the shirt was worn, filthy and tattered. She smelled, something awful. In all the months she'd been in the cage, they’d never let her shower or stretch her legs at all. Her muscles were curled up, keeping her legs underneath her. She had pressure sores on her bottom as well as her legs and inner thighs. They kept a tin can for her to piss and shit into, and someone would replace it daily.
One of the witches was coming toward her. It was a woman. She looked plain, wearing a black gown. She bent down and opened the latch, reaching into the cage and grabbing Alice by the arm. Alice pulled away, but there was nowhere to move. The woman took her arm and pulled her out of the cage. As she stood, her legs refused to unbend as she collapsed to the ground.
"Get up! Come on! The Old Woman wants to see you!" The woman yelled.
"I'm trying! My legs won't move!" Alice said as she began crying. The baby was due soon. This most likely meant they were going to take the baby and then kill her. They had no other use for her, and she was too weak to fight back. She was once again regretting going down that rabbit hole. Finally, she was standing before the old woman. It seemed like she stood before her just yesterday.
"Well now!" The old woman said. "Looks like we'll have a child soon! In a few hours to be precise. Enjoy these next few hours, child. They will be your last."
Chapter 5
Alice lay there, struggling for breath. The witches had tied her to a table using barbed wire, which dug into her naked skin. They had bathed her, but refused to give her clean clothes, or any clothes. Instead, they dragged her to the table where she was now bleeding. Each of the barbs dug into her skin as blood droplets ran along her flesh. Pain shot through her no matter how she tried to move.
Looking up, she saw Red Riding Hood standing over her, smiling.
"Great. You're awake. It's almost time to begin," Red said.
"Begin what?" Alice asked as the rest of the witches filed into the room. They still wore nothing but their black capes and hoods. Grandma came hobbling in. Alice's feet were wired to some boards that had been elevated almost a foot. It was like her legs were in some old-fashioned stirrups. They were going to deliver the baby.
"Hello, child. Are you ready to see your baby? I'll give you one look at it before I end your life. Who says I can't be reasonable?" She said as she cackled, clearly amused by herself.
She stood in between Alice's legs and began to chant. It was in another language, but whatever it was had to be some serious shit. The old woman waved her arms, yelled, and at one point had tears rolling down her face. Upon saying something to the witches, each of them took a small, smooth rock and sat them on her stomach. As Grandma continued chanting, Alice's stomach began to hurt.
At first, it was a dull pain but soon was sharp and intense. The baby was coming. It felt as if the child was going to claw its way out of her belly. She screamed as the pain intensified and her belly burned and throbbed. Wiggling, trying to give herself some comfort, resulted in tearing her skin against the barbs. She cried out in pain as the old woman continued chanting. The rest of the witches joined in as she felt the baby moving down.
She tried to push, but that hurt just as much as not pushing; it simply didn't matter. The old woman grabbed a set of calipers and shoved them up inside of her, causing Alice to scream all the more. The pain was almost unbearable as Grandma grabbed onto the infant inside her and began pulling and twisting.
Alice thought her insides were going to explode. Finally, she heard a strange crying, but growling sound. The pain subsided, leaving nothing but a throbbing sensation as the baby came free of her womb. Grandma held him up. It was a boy, though he was covered in fluid and fur, with an elongated nose, but human hands and feet. He let out a cry as the Grandma held him up to her. As strange as the child looked, he was still hers, and she wanted to hold him. Her arms were still bound as Grandma smiled.
"Ok, you got your look at him as I promised. Red, cut her throat." Grandma said.
Panic struck Alice as she knew her end was seconds away. She wondered if the wolf even remembered her or if he'd come for his son. She hoped whatever pain there was would be quick. Red pulled out a long knife and held it over her. She grabbed Alice's hair and pressed the blade to her throat when a loud roar sounded. Red jumped back as the door to the cabin busted into pieces, and the Wolf launched himself inside.
He was much larger than Alice had remembered. He landed on one of the witches and bit into her head, bursting it open like a ripe melon. He didn't bother eating anything as he jumped to the next and bit into her throat, decapitating her in one bite. Without effort, he did this to the rest of the coven. Red had run to the front of the cabin and returned with a large silver spear.
While all of this was happening, the old woman was chanting something at the Wolf while pointing at him. He ignored the old woman as Red lunged at him with the spear. He jumped to the side while reaching out and ripping the barbed wire bindings from Alice. Without hesitating Alice jumped up and grabbed the baby from the old woman. The old woman pulled away, but Alice punched her in the face, sending her sprawling. Her legs were screaming in pain as the muscles ached and popped, but the adrenaline had taken over. Right now she just wanted to live.
She grabbed the baby from the woman's hands and ran out of the cabin. At the same time, the Wolf had jumped on the table as Red took another thrust with the spear. This time, she got off balance as the Wolf jumped to the side and grabbed Red from behind. He bit down and sank his teeth into her skull. Red screamed as blood gushed from her ears and eyes. After a few more seconds, her skull gave way and collapsed in on itself. Red Riding Hood's eyes popped out as his teeth sank into her head. Brains and blood dripped from his teeth as the old woman screamed.
The whole time Alice had been held captive, the Wolf had never shown himself. He'd stayed hidden to the point the witches had all but forgotten about him. They no longer saw him as a threat, and he was making them pay dearly. That much was clear in Grandma's eyes as he approached her. She held up a hand and made some gesture in the air, but he grabbed her by the extended arm and ripped it clean off.
Alice ran into the woods with the baby as Grandma's screams filled the night air. All she could think to do was get back to Wolf's cave that is if she could even remember where it was; it was so dark, and everything looked the same.
The baby screamed and howled as she stumbled over a log and fell to the ground. She hit with a thud that knocked the wind out of her.
The baby was unharmed, and he continued to scream as she tried to get her breath back. A pair of strong hands grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. She turned to see the Wolf standing there. He took the baby from her as she looked in his eyes.
"This is my son?" He asked.
"Yes. Our son," she corrected. "Where were you? They kept me in a cage like an animal."
"I know. I had to wait until the time was right. I'm sorry. You know I was terrified of them. I'd been watching for months until tonight. I knew they were so focused on you and the baby, they wouldn't be expecting me, and they weren't. They're all dead now."
"So now what?"
"Now I raise my son."
"You? What about me?" Alice asked.
"I'm sorry. This place isn't safe for you. Now that the witches are dead, the villagers have been set free. It won't be long before they come after me. While you were trapped, I figured out how you got here. I think I can get you back."
"Back home?" She asked.
"I think so. Out of this place at least."
"How?"
"This way," he said.
"What about our baby? We haven't even named him."
"He'll be safe here with me. I'll teach him to hunt and fight. Maybe if I can become human again, I can come and see you."
She didn't like the idea of giving up the baby, but he was right. Not only did she not know if she could make it home safely, she sure had no way, right now, of taking care of a baby. Much less a wolf baby. She followed behind him as they got to another cave.
"This is another portal. I've seen the witches using it. They'd come and go and would return carrying various fruits and vegetables. The kind that doesn't grow here. So walk through it and it will take you somewhere, hopefully safe."