Wonderland

We ran for what seemed like hours, but who was to know how long it had been due to the clocks not working here. While I was gasping for air Hatter didn’t even break a sweat. He was more impressive than I had at first expected. For the first mile or so the gun shots rang out frequently behind us but after that the numbers dwindled until only one remained. I turned my head to look back at this person only to catch my foot on a tree root and fall. Although there was only one suit remaining he wasn’t too far behind. Apparently he could match Hatter’s stamina while he’s comrades failed.

As I fell and hit the ground I released Hatter’s hand causing him to whip his head around to see the cause of this action.

“Damn it! Come on Alice.” he said and rushed back to me.

“I-I can’t. My ankle…” I replied and I was telling the truth. The root had done more than trip me. It had twisted my ankle rendering me immobilised for the time being.

“Why are things never easy? Here.” he bent down and proceeded to lift me up but I saw the suit first. No. I saw the suits gun first. The one that was currently aimed at us.

“Hatter look out!” I screamed, trying to pull him down but it was no use.

Hatter dropped to his knees in front of me, eyes wide, hand grasping his left shoulder. But I still saw the blood. His blood. The suit got closer by the second, laughing darkly. It was no use. Because of me we were both going to die. Or so I thought. In a quick turn Hatter was facing the suit, pistol pointed at his chest.

“Not this one.” Hatter huffed and pulled the trigger.

The suit staggered backwards and brought a hand to his chest. I watched him with horror as he looked down at his hand to observe the red, sticky substance which was now covering his hand. The suit looked back to us and smiled nastily before proceeding to advance on us despite his wound.

“Alice. Close your eyes and cover your ears.” Hatter instructed, not looking away from the advancing suit.

I did as he asked but I still heard the shot ring out from Hatters weapon and the dull thud as the suits body hit the ground. But I still didn’t look. Nor did I uncover my ears. Because as to do so would be confirming the thought that this all could be real. But it couldn’t. It was all madness.

My hands were suddenly ripped from my ears, inviting the sounds of this horrific world to flood my delicate ears.

“Alice! We need to go now! Can you walk?” Hatters voice yelled into my ears.

I just stared at him. Speechless. But it wasn’t truly at Hatter. It was at the body behind him. The body with half his head blown off across the grass. The grass which was slowly being stained with the poor mans blood. So much blood. My eyes began to well and my body began to shake. Tell tale signs that what I was witnessing was most definitely not okay.

“Alice? Alice! Here. Look at me. Only at me. Alice!” Hatter said pulling my face to look at him with his right hand. Then he swore and pulled out a handkerchief before proceeding to wipe my face.

“Sorry. The blood. I forgot about the blood. Now Alice? Can you walk?”

My gaze snapped to his left shoulder, which was slowly soaking with his blood. That was when I remembered his wound. My mind sprang into action, trying to think of what I could use to clean his wound and realising I had nothing.

“Hatter your arm! We need to get you somewhere safe!” I exclaimed and grabbed his arm, pulling it towards me to get a better look at it but he just pulled it away, shaking his head.

“It’s fine Alice. Damn it! I liked this suit too.” he said and rolled his arm back experimentally.

“I’m sure you can get another suit…” I trailed off.

“And your dress! Ruined! Anyway, come on. There will be more on their way soon.”

“But your arm…”

“We’ll worry about that later. Come on. Up you get.” he waved a hand in dismissal and slid an arm around me, lifting me up.

“It’s okay Hatter. You just leave me here. I’ll only slow you down.”

Hatter turned his head to look at me and smiled.

“And why would I do that? Look at me. They’ll be coming after me too and in this state I can’t really put up much of a fight. So come on. We’ve not got far to go.”

And that brings me to where we are now. Both injured. Both slow. But both still going. Still determined to survive. And who knows? Maybe we will get out of this alive. After all it’s my dream. I just need to wake up.