Alice & Dorothy

by Jw Schnarr

  Rabbit pulled her hands away from her face. She looked up at him with rolling, terrified eyes and he slammed the side of his gun into them.

  Dorothy gasped, choked on a cry, and gagged again. She buried her face in her arms and tried to turn away.

  “Don’t fuckin’ puke,” Rabbit said quietly. He smacked her again in the side of the face with the pistol. He grabbed her hair with his free hand and pulled her head back, then slammed his gun hand into the fingers covering her eyes. Somewhere under the tangle of her hands her nose was bleeding. She was moaning softly, instinctively covering herself as best she could. Rabbit socked her in the jaw. The gun came away sticky with blood and saliva. He rolled her on her back and straddled her hips. She tried to curl into a ball on her side, but it was a weak attempt. She was barely conscious.

  Rabbit grabbed the neck of her shirt and pulled hard. Dorothy’s head rocked. Her shirt ripped open. She was wearing a green bra. Her pale skin was dusted with freckles and streaks of blood. Stress made her milky flesh red and blotchy.

  “Oh yeah,” Rabbit said. He grabbed her breast with a free hand. He squeezed it until Dorothy moaned. She tried to cover herself with a clumsy hand. Rabbit knocked it away and latched onto her again. “You want to party?” His voice was a dirty whisper. “You do, don’t you.”

  He grabbed her hands and pinned them over her head. Then he leaned down and licked the top of her breast. Dorothy gasped. A fine crimson mist danced off her lips. She shook her head slowly back and forth. The eye that had been repeatedly slammed with the gun was swollen shut. The area around it was turning into an ugly black and purple bruise.

  Rabbit flicked the button on her jeans. He yanked on the denim. Her zipper popped, and her pants opened to reveal buttermilk flesh and sensible green panties that matched her bra. Rabbit grunted. His lips parted and he ran a finger along the waistband. Organic heat radiated out from her to his fingertips. He pulled the waistband down with his finger. He traced a circle in the light dusting of auburn hair beneath. She smelled like sweat and cunt down there. Rabbit’s cock went stiff and he rubbed the head with the damp finger, pushing against his piss hole through the denim of his jeans.

  Dorothy bucked hard at his touch, and Rabbit slid to one side. She kicked and flailed and screamed and suddenly Rabbit wasn’t on her anymore; he was lying on his side and scrabbling for his gun. A flutter of movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked up to see Alice charging toward him. He looked at the black rage on her face and thought THAT’S NOT ALICE. Then it was too late for anything else.

  “Fuck YOUUUUU!” Alice screeched. She had a weapon in her hand, a heavy porcelain square stained with years of water marks and chemical deposits. It was the lid off the back of the toilet. Blood was in her eyes, but her target was an easy one. Her fingers locked on the lid, she let go with one hand and swung like she was throwing a bowling ball.

  Dorothy scrabbled out of the way, grabbing at her clothes and retreating to the far side of the coffee table.

  Rabbit was staring up at Alice with a dumb, shocked look on his face. The lid caught him square in the mouth and continued past him. Alice lost her grip on it at shoulder height, and it sailed across the living room. It smashed Rabbit’s plasma TV before hitting the floor and snapping neatly in three pieces.

  The force of the blow knocked Rabbit backward and he slammed his head against the floor. He moaned softly, his legs folded underneath him in a painful yoga pose. He had blood and bits of broken teeth on his face. His bottom teeth had cut though his lower lip and now peeked out of their bloody holes like little yellow maggots.

  Alice grabbed Dorothy. “Come on,” she said. “Get up.”

  Dorothy was shaking her head. Her eyes were fluttering and dopey.

  “Come on!” Alice yelled. She grabbed Dorothy under her arms and hauled her out from under Rabbit. She pulled the girl into a sitting position against the couch. Then she ran over and grabbed Rabbit’s gun. It was warm and sticky with blood. She turned back to Dorothy and shook her arms. “We gotta go!”

  Dorothy opened her eyes. She looked up into Alice’s bloodied face. Then she reached for her and let out a sob.

  “Dorothy,” Alice said, wiping her hair out of her face. “We have to go. Now. I might have killed that fucker. I still might, I dunno.”

  Dorothy nodded. Then she looked down at her torn clothing. She gave Alice a hurt, confused look and tried to cover herself. Alice helped her to her feet. Rabbit’s car keys were on the coffee table; she grabbed those in one hand. The gun was still in the other.

  “What did he do?” Dorothy said, softly pulling her ripped shirt closed. she spoke like she was half asleep.

  Alice pulled her toward the door.

  “He didn’t do nuthin’,” she said. “He didn’t get a chance. Now come on.”

  Dorothy took a few steps on her own. She buckled and grabbed Alice for support.

  “I got you,” Alice said. “It’s okay, I got you.” She walked them to the door. As Dorothy stepped outside onto the front step, Alice turned suddenly and looked down the hallway. Rabbit’s black bag, the one from the back of the toilet, was still sitting on the floor near where he’d knocked Alice out.

  “Wait here,” she said. She ran past the living room, down the hall to the bathroom and scooped the bag up in her hands. There were syringes on the table in the bathroom in a little white box. On the way back she grabbed the clothes Rabbit had dug out for her. She handed the hoodie to Dorothy. “Put this on,” she said. As Dorothy was pulling the sweater over her head Alice grabbed the syringes and stuffed them deep into her pocket.

  Dorothy pulled the sweater down and then inspected the length. The sweater was at least two sizes too big, but it had a big poison symbol on the front, just above the pouch. Dorothy put the hood up and looked at Alice.

  “Beautiful,” Alice said. “Now let’s get out of here. I got his keys.”

  “Off with your head,” Rabbit muttered, and Alice stopped dead where she stood. Dorothy carried on like she hadn’t heard him.

  “What did you just say?” Alice said, standing over him.

  “Alice come on,” Dorothy said. “He didn’t say anything. Let’s go. I think I hear the cops.”

  Alice pointed the gun at Rabbit’s head. “Do it,” she said, but it wasn’t her voice. It was the Hater’s.

  “You got a bad secret,” Rabbit bubbled. “You’re gonna have to kill me or I’m gonna kill you.”

  “Alice!” Dorothy cried. She reached out and grabbed Alice’s arm and pulled the girl toward the door. They made their way out to the street and jumped into Rabbit’s car. Alice sat behind the driver’s seat.

  “He was talkin,” Alice said slowly. “He said he was gonna kill me.”

  “No he wasn’t,” Dorothy said. “You were.”

  “Do up your seat belt,” Alice said. When the buckle snapped into place, Alice fired the engine, and they pulled away from the curb. Dorothy watched Rabbit’s grandmother’s house in the rearview mirror until Alice turned a corner. Then she buried her head in her hands and cried.

  Chapter 16

  They drove for a while, not talking, Alice seething behind the wheel. Her head felt like a giant, pulsing bruise. The blood on her face felt like syrup on her skin, a distracting irritant. The Hater was mumbling somewhere in the corner of her mind, and that was also distracting.

  Dorothy had her face buried in the sleeves of the sweater she was wearing. She hadn’t looked up since they left Rabbit’s house. She was turned away from Alice, curled up against the passenger door. Occasionally she let out a whimper or a little sob; Alice would have assumed her asleep otherwise. Or dead.

  Alice turned on the radio to fill silence. The song was Prison Sex by Tool, and she flicked it off after the first chorus. There was a gas station on the right side of the road and Alice pulled into it. She skipped past the gas bar and went around to the side of the building. There was a rusted and broken air machine for pumping tires and two st
eel blue doors marked as bathrooms. In the space between the doors was a little white and blue sign politely requesting that those wishing to use the bathroom facilities would need to track down an attendant and get the keys.

  “Wait here,” Alice said. She looked at her bloodied, puffy face in the mirror and decided there was no use attempting to hide it. “I’ll get the keys. Then we can wash up a bit.”

  Dorothy didn’t respond, and after a moment of silence Alice shut the door and walked into the gas station.

  Thankfully it was empty. She threw the glass door open and was hit with the smell of hot coffee and chemical cleaners. The store was a big blue and white rectangle lit by yellow striplights that flickered on unsteady power. There were cockroaches inside them; they fluttered and scrabbled on the plastic covers. Near the coffee machines and the slushie dispensers was a rack of fruit, blackened and rotting. Lazy flies droned in the updraft of two industrial sized fans hanging from the ceiling. The fan blades looked like they were coated in shit, and they were spattering the walls with filth. There was an attendant behind the counter, but his face was covered with smoke.

  Alice looked around, confused. What the fuck is going on here?

  “Can I help you?” the attendant said. Alice blinked, and the smoke was gone. The store was clean and bright.

  It was a mistake, she thought. I was confused.

  The attendant balked when their eyes met. “Jesus Christ. What happened?” He was tall and thin, and had the dark eyes of a stoner. Video games, pot and pizza.

  Alice knew the type. Men my age were all boys still. “I fell off my bike and landed on my face,” she lied. “It’s worse than it looks. Hurts like a bitch.” She’d screwed that up. Gotten it backwards. The clerk didn’t seem to notice though, so she didn’t bother correcting herself.

  “I’ll call an ambulance if you want,” the clerk said. They’ll be here in like five minutes probably. The hospital isn’t that far away.”

  “No thanks,” Alice said. “Four hundred bucks for them to tell me to be more careful next time and give me a band aid? I just need the keys to the washroom so I can clean up.”

  “You got it,” the clerk said. “We have bandages in aisle two there, beside the motor oil and stationary.”

  Alice walked to the section containing pharmacy supplies. From the rows of cold medicine, lip balm and energy supplements she grabbed two tubes of Polysporin, a roll of gauze, and a small box of rubber bandages. She also grabbed two Cokes and a bag of chips. When she got to the counter she checked her pockets and realized she had no money. These are Rabbit’s clothes, that’s why. Everything I own is in the hospital still. “Ahh, shit. I think I have some cash in the car.”

  “It’s alright,” the clerk said. “Just take it. Go get cleaned up.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah,” the clerk said. My boss is a fuckin’ prick anyway. I don’t give a shit about this job; I’m going to school. And you look like you might need your cash for more important shit.”

  “Thanks,” Alice said. She even managed a smile.

  “Don’t mention it,” he said. As Alice left the store, he added, “I hope whoever did that to you is lying in a ditch somewhere.”

  Alice went back out to the car. She knocked on Dorothy’s window and got the girl moving. She dropped the Cokes and chips into the passenger seat and kicked the door shut, then went over and opened the bathroom door for Dorothy. The room was a small concrete cube illuminated by a flickering yellow light. It was clean, though, with a white sink and toilet along one wall and a sign on the other.

  ANY DAMAGE TO PREMISES WILL RESULT IN CHARGES BEING LAID.

  “Friendly,” Alice said. Dorothy stepped into the bathroom and Alice slammed the door shut. It automatically locked the moment it closed. Alice stripped off her clothes, but Dorothy stood mute. Watching.

  “Come on,” Alice said. She had already taken her shirt off and was in the middle of undoing her pants. She stopped when she noticed Dorothy wasn’t moving. “What’s wrong? If you’re shy, I can turn around.”

  Dorothy scowled at her. She crossed her arms. Her eyes wandered down to Alice’s breasts and then she looked away.

  “Okay,” Alice said. She stepped very close to the girl. “It’s alright.” her voice was a whisper. “Here, lift your arms up.”

  Dorothy stared at Alice for a moment, as though she was trying to decide if she was walking into a trap or not. Then she relented and lifted her arms. Alice pulled the sweater up over her head. Dorothy immediately covered herself again. Alice smiled.

  “Now I’m just going to get a little warm water,” Alice said. “It’s going to be okay, really. I’ve had my ass kicked before. Rabbit tried to do something to you, but you have to remember that he didn’t do it. You’re okay now.” She opened the gauze with her teeth, ran a part of it under the steaming water in the sink, and then applied it to Dorothy’s face.

  She closed her eyes and sighed and the heat touched her skin. Alice moved slowly, allowing the hot water to do the work so she wouldn’t have to scrub the girl’s flesh. Dorothy’s face was badly bruised, but not as bad as Alice’s own face.

  She’s soft. She’s not used to being hit by men. It was possible that Dorothy had never been hit by a man before. Judging by how the girl froze in terror in the doorway while Alice and Rabbit were fighting, Alice thought it was possible Dorothy had never even been in a fight before today. And now here she was, standing quietly and biting her bottom lip while Alice wiped blood off the freckle-kissed skin of her face.

  Alice felt Dorothy’s hands on her hips. She responded by wiping the blood from around Dorothy’s lips. The girl sighed and leaned in to Alice’s touch. Their breasts touched; Alice felt the heat of her body as she leaned close. Under the metal scent of blood Dorothy smelled like lavender and poppies.

  Dorothy planted a kiss on Alice’s lips.

  “Stop,” Alice said, smiling. “I’m covered in blood.”

  Dorothy looked into her eyes, her emerald irises blazing. “I don’t care.” She brushed her lips against Alice once, and then again, before opening her mouth and licking the girl’s bottom lip.

  They kissed like that, mouths open, tongues dancing, and Alice tried to wipe the blood from her mouth but eventually gave up. Dorothy’s hands were everywhere. They grabbed at Alice’s hips and breasts; she traced lines with her knuckles across Alice’s belly. She ran her fingertips down Alice’s spine, across her ribs, up under her chin and over her neck. They held each others’ faces and Alice ran her tongue along Dorothy’s chin, down across her neck and shoulders.

  Finally Alice moaned and withdrew. She bit her lip and wiped the blood from around Dorothy’s mouth.

  “You look like a clown,” Alice said.

  “We both do,” Dorothy said. “You have blood from your nose to your chin.”

  Alice checked herself in the mirror. She looked like she’d been washing her face in strawberries. She clucked her tongue, ran the water extra hot and soaked the guaze before using it to scrub her face clean. She sipped from the tap and spit bloody water back into the sink.

  “It’s disgusting,” Alice said.

  “Thanks,” Dorothy said, miffed.

  “Not you,” she said, playfully elbowing Dorothy in the side. The girl responded by cupping her hands under the tap and bringing hot water to her face. She scrubbed herself clean with her fingers, and then wiped her face on the hoodie they’d taken from Rabbit’s house.

  Once they were both clean Alice applied Polysporin to both their wounds. Dorothy received a bandage across the top of her nose. Alice put one on a cut under her eye, but it wouldn’t stay put and she ended up rolling the bandage into a ball and flicking it into a corner of the bathroom. Dorothy’s eye was in bad shape, but when the swelling went down it would be fine again. The bruise followed the hollow of her eye to the line of her nose and halfway down her cheek.

  “What do we do now?” Dorothy said as she got dressed. “I don’t want to spend all n
ight in here.”

  “Now,” Alice said, smiling, “we go spend some of Rabbit’s cash on a motel room. I figure he owes us, right?”

  “Can we eat too?” Dorothy asked, rather sheepishly. “I’m starving.”

  “Of course,” Alice said. She ruffled the girl’s hair impulsively and Dorothy made a sour face.