Twisted Wonderland

This dark land, a horror of weirdness, something of a nightmare. Clouds that covered the sky are black. The black liquid that seems to be rain flowing upward rather than down. A somewhat endless withered forest that contained the predators that enjoy its prey struggle. A wonder of laughter, not of jovial cheer, but more of a begging laughter, ones that want to be heard by others for help.

The sound of leaves crackling, heavy breathing, a confused panic.

Lying on the ground, a young girl with black hair, a pretty sharp face with freckles, along with a tall body, a black bow on top of her head, and a gothic style that wasn’t overexaggerated too much. She groans and she slowly opens her eyes wide open.

She wakes up, seeing a faint blurry gray sky, a faint hark of leaves. Slowly getting up, hands touching the ground, feeling the wet, messy, dry leaves. Something unearthly was felt beneath them, but she was too drowsy to even pay attention.

Confused, turning her head around, only seeing a blur of blackened trees. Shadowy small figures, resembling the shape of children. Slowly, one figure emerged out of this foggy blur. A boy dressed in clothes similar to the 1940s, seemed to be running away from something. The girl’s sight rushed gradually and all the shapes and colors returned. There was a better detail on him before he turned to her back. He was petrified, crying for life, all bloody, his left arm was twisted, and his pace was swaying.

The boy muttered something, “This can’t be real! This can’t be real!” he repeated.

At first, she couldn’t understand, yet she had this feeling of unease. The sounds of both their hearts pump by each beat, growing louder each second until a loud ooze thundered her ears.

A silent dread, she didn’t understand why, but it finally hit. Turning towards the boy, she couldn’t believe it. Wanting to scream, but it couldn’t come. Only gapes came to her, eyes filled with terror. The state of the boy was unspeakable. His face was warped, yet his eyes were gone, replaced with eyes similar to a snail, twirling around upward at a rapid rate.

At shock, she was in disbelief, bewildered even. It made no sense in the point of how he died quickly or how his state was warped. Hesitant to move, she tries to counter this terror by placing this veil on herself into a sense of safety. She gets closer with every thought to deny the reality of someone dead.

“This can’t be real… Right?” she murmured.

She gets closer to the pile of flesh, circling around it while still on knees. She grows closer, but not to the point of contact. Her heart races with every beat, her sweat reveals itself.

As she stood up, suddenly she crumbled back to the ground. Something felt hot, something wet trickled down. This intense feeling grows, tears come in response and she looks at what happened below. Her breathing increased and horror came to her face, eyes viewed the pain from her leg. Letting out a wail echoing through the forest.

Each breath increases with every sight, she crawls back, away from the body. Panicking until she stopped into something hard and patchy. Her pace couldn’t change, her heart couldn’t stop.

“Why can’t I move? Why can’t I move!?” she screamed in thought.

She couldn’t turn on what might be behind. Her thoughts screaming to not look, yet despite these thoughts curled up. She slowly turned her head in quavering motion, her wound still drizzling down.

Her eyes fully gazed with the thing, it turned out to just be a tree of this forest. For a moment, she thought she could take a breath and wrap this wound around with the remaining cloth of the dead boy.

That wasn’t the case, a feeble sound of something raspy. It was wet, very moist, it could be felt in her ear. She couldn’t understand still, she looked from both sides up and down. The sound comes again, it’s more powerful than the first time, but now it has developed an odor. The odor started to reach in her nose, the odor being similar to rotten fish.

Her revolting reaction manifested, forced to drag herself back to the corpse. The pain still lingered and it spread with every movement. Trying to rip the fabric off with aggressive force. She didn’t know who or what was there, but she knew something was present on her.

She turned over and over, not picking up on anything. As she was going to take a rest from this stress. The leaves crackled loudly, she thought it was close. The rush of panic, a weapon for herself to counter. Digging beneath the dirt, she searched faster and faster for nothing more of dirt. The steps grew louder as her desperation, as this thing was savoring every bit of this girl’s terror, waiting for that moment of total weakness. She almost gave in until she felt something hard, pulling every bit of vigor. As her hand reveals itself in full as the creature hastily rushed in reaching for her heart, but from a swift turn through hesitation. The girl bolted her eyes shut to not see her impending doom and screamed deafeningly.

In a few seconds, silence stirred, suddenly something hot dripped. With every breath, she reopened her eyes. The creature close to her, impaled through its exterior on the chest, looked lanky and twisted. The girl didn’t know what she grabbed at the moment, but viewed in full detail. It was just a sharp stick, the creature was frozen by the wound. It didn’t look fatal, as its eyes were juddering. Focusing its eyes to the girl with a new fear, the girl was befuddled until the thing cried out a deafening howl. Its cry from pain showered the trees and girl in pain, its cries were high, child-like, and wheezy. It frantically moved in many directions like a baby, its cry slowly devolving, breathing uncontrollably. It looked at the girl that it viewed as prey, as it shakes pathetically.

Trying to stand while it trembles slightly tilting down as it runs, it teeters while it steps widely. The girl trembles, being nearly close to the end of her journey. She didn’t know what to do, but her body chased the wounded creature through instinct. Completely forgetting about the wound she had for that moment. Ignoring its raging burn, she was engraved with getting rid of the threat. Her dash was closing in, the creature looked back with trepidation. Its face is more visible, viewed in permanent drags, a droopy side, and a spiraling scar showing the inner flesh growing loose. It tries to boost its pace yet it can’t because it somewhat mentally can not. The girl was close to it, she pushed towards the air with her body. The creature couldn’t react, its back was covered in black. Her weight pressed in depth upon the flaky, sweaty skin of the lanky thing. As she continued to push down and down as the pressure of the force compelled the two to kiss the ground. The girl stood in swift, clenching her fist as it swung to connect to the target. The blow was weak, but it seemed to be effective in causing agony.

Each punch grew stronger until bruises teared through the skin, it screamed more and more till it dropped. The blows bombard more until she loses momentum, her breath was paced and her mind was somewhat felt cleared. She turned to her side, away from the body. The danger passed, but it still lingered. Weakly, it clenched the dirt, its fingers dug deep.

It goes forward, what seemed to be desperation was cut short from a menacing loom. With what little strength ascending its neck, its eyes shriveled in loss. It was people, yet somewhat odd. They were black, the thing was lifted by these people. It was squalled faintly as something deep pierced through it. The drools coming from them were uncomfortable to listen to. The girl watched in horror from this new threat standing in her way. The former threat stopped any resistance or sound, hanging motionless. The one holding it took a bite from one of its arms, a piece of flesh, barely any kind of blood oozing. It chews the flesh as it shares to the other, something dangled on its head. Swallowing what it ate down through what its mouth is. It turned to the girl along with the other.

They get close, the leaves crackle to their steps while growling an imposing clicking. The girl couldn’t escape, the wound lingered on. Preventing any chance of escape, their figures darkened the girl through shadows. Her terror was unveiled again from this monster, she couldn’t view it clearly. Even though she could see it closely, they’re characteristics were blurred only shown through shape. It looked at her, sounds of watery breaths triggered through just the girl’s presence.

The thing raised a weapon and struck her down through the head, her vision became blurred, the pain was slowly burning, and her thoughts slowly unsolved. She dropped to the ground, the one vision of memory of a clear vision of a leg that seemed to be a black and somewhat oddly shaped.

Every moment, she gets a glimpse of a hand holding on her arm, glimpses of the forest of trees expressing something but was too hazy. These moments of visions lasted short until she saw nothing of black. Thoughts were shut, there was nothing, an everlasting silence that goes on forever.

A glimmering light blazes the center of her darkness, a flood of thoughts comes down like a river bringing the girl to life. Her thoughts were those of questions on what happened, “Am I dead?,” she thought. Her thoughts continued until the light grew to a white view in a flash.

Her eyes opened with a shuttering blink, feeling the ground in discomfort. Her view was still darkness where only a torch lit up the black. The revealing areas where it was shown, appeared to be bits of earth seeming from up and down. Bars locked her away from the supposed terror.

Her body felt feeble, she tried to lift herself up. As her arms tried to push her body from the ground; however, it exhausted her quickly. Few attempts were made in the few minutes until she grew to stand tall, but still linked to the ground.

She views the wound that lingered on her leg, carefully checking it, the leg was already wrapped. Though she should feel glad, she pondered why wrap it? That thought stayed in her head until she saw someone below the torch.

“Hello?,” she asked.

“My name is Alice, I’m from Portland, Oregon! I need help, I’m lost and these things, I-I don't know what they are! Just please! Call help!”

It didn’t respond to her, it stood from where it sat. In a better position, the thing seemed to be a person wasn’t a human. Clicks echoed through the darkness, Alice grew shivers down her spine. The thing slowly revealed bits of itself, claws that were shined black, an armor that seemed to be an exoskeleton, and eyes so abyssal that it could consume your vision.

She jumps back away from the monster hoping this cage protects her. The creature looks at something else, through each step it makes, it approaches another cage. It ticks as it seems to speak, while it proceeds to grab on to someone.

“No! Let go of me!,” a voice yelled.

“Amelia! Let go of her ant!”

The boy from the sounds tried to attack against it, but it wasn’t effective enough. For that, the monster returns a stronger punch. The blow pushed him to the wall of his cage, the boy was still awake though it couldn’t last.

“No! Tarrent! Anyone! Rudy! Elean! Ann! Peter! Save me!”

No response was made to her plea. The monster tries harder and drags the girl to somewhere out in the darkness. The cries of her lasted until both were consumed in darkness, meanwhile Alice couldn’t peeped any sound. Watching this thing leave brought a relief that seemed shameful. She couldn’t tell what to do, death surrounds her, emotions laid on her back to disarray.

Alice surrounded her surroundings of this new home, it was somewhat big. It seems to have the capacity to hold up to ten people, though there seems to be a lack of people. Only one person other than her was in this cell.

“Hello?” she said with uncertainty and hesitation. “My name is Alice, can you tell me your name?”

They didn’t respond to her question.

“Looks like we have another prisoner,” said a voice close by.

She didn't respond to what they were trying to imply though she didn’t want to know. Her aim was the person in this cell. They were wrapped in some kind of cloth, probably a blanket. She taps onto them, moves from the blanket, kicks her finger out and an exhausted groan croaks. She taps again and the same response plays out though it was more aggressive than the first. She tried again but this time, he gave up and quickly stood from his wrap.

“Okay stop! Can’t you give me some rest why won’t ya!?,” they yelled.

“Quiet! You’ll wake the others!,” yelled back another voice.

They seemed to be annoyed by the backlash of their fellow people's response, but they looked at Alice with mild discomfort. As they stood, they appeared to be a young boy though had he had this sense of being older than he looks. He dressed similar to the corpse of that boy, he had a leather cap, a white yet dirty shirt, and dusty overalls.

“What? Are you going to look at me or be staring in back up my tush?”

“Uh-mm… Who are you? To be exact?” asked Alice.

“Good question wise gal? I’m your cellmate, why ask?” he replied back with aggression.

“No, that's not what I meant. I’m asking what your name is.”

“My name, you ask?” he giggled. “Well I’m John, now what's your name kid?”

His turned response was odd, calling her a kid despite his appearance being younger than her. Alice was confused for a second, forgetting what her words would be.

“I-I’m Alice, I said my name when I first saw you,” she mumbled.

“Couldn’t hear ya.”

“Also-”

“Geez more questions,” he sighed.

“How old are you?”

“Why is that important?,” he asked.

“Just curious since you talk differently than a kid of your age,” answered Alice.

“I could say the same to you kid, you're a teen. Could be older than you look too.”

“Just tell me your age please? It's just a simple question.”

“Alright fine, but you have to tell me yours after it. I’m thirty-eight.”

“Wait, what!?” exclaimed Alice.

“I know I look like I’m eight, but I’m not. Some others are like that too,” explained John.

She still couldn’t believe it, she knew that there were cases of people who look younger due to height or appearance. This case was strange, this was drastic compared to what she heard.

“Were you always like this in appearance?”

“Nah, I still have no clue, I’ll tell ya something. I used to be a six foot giant back home in New York.”

“How did you-”

“Enough with those questions, now it's my turn to have questions about you! Now tell me your age,” demanded John.

“I’m fourteen years old,” answered Alice.

“Alright, even if you dress weird, girls like you would normally wear skirts.”

He turned away from her and went back to rest and Alice looked around for a place to rest, it was near the distance from John’s bed. She walked to her bed and laid down as she grew tired. Her thoughts grew afraid, thoughts of her fate if she stayed here, where she is, and how long she has. Tears dripped down her face, thinking of her life, future, and parents.

Her eyes closed and her emotions were left permanent and dried, as few bits of sounds echoing through her inner consciousness. Sounds of crumbling dirt and steps, she could have woken up from her rest, but her rest consumed her into a dream. A dream not of pleasantry nor of terror, a dream of her life.