Alice: Wonderland is My Home?

Part 5: The Dark Forest

The shadowed mist filled the air surrounding the entire forest. The sharp entwining branches linked together to look like a cage. Silhouettes of dark shadows certainly gave the forest an eerie feeling to it. We had been walking for at least two hours and I couldn't tell what time of day it was. I think it was still midday but in this mist, you really couldn't tell. I found myself flinching at every noise I heard, feeling my body being on edge.

"So, Alice. How did you end up here anyway?" Hatter knew I was afraid. I looked straight ahead of me and tried to smile as I went through the events that had led me to Wonderland.

"Well, Jonathan and I were on a date for our anniversary and he asked me to..." Then I was interrupted suddenly as we heard a loud ROAR! Hatter grabbed my hand and pulled me, "Run!". So now we were running. Whatever roared was heading straight after us as I felt the ground begin to shake.

"What is it? What's chasing us?" I cried out. Trying to keep up with Hatter.

"It's a Jabberwocky" he yelled to me.

"A what?" I replied

"A Jabberwocky. It's one of the most venomous and fastest creatures in Wonderland. The Princess keeps one as her pet." His breath was as shallow as mine.

"I take it she's not a fan of dogs then" I lightly joked through my rasps of air.

We suddenly stopped. The forest was dead. Still. Silent. "Where's it gone?" I whispered to him. He gave no response. We both looked around quickly. Examining every detail of the forest.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The floor beneath our feet began to shake again

"RUN!" We both said in unison. The roaring came closer and closer with each step we ran.

"We need to hide." I yelled, before out of nowhere the creature jumped in front of us. Landing with such force that it knocked us both off our feet. Hatter quickly crawled frantically back to my side but was stopped as he was thrown over the top of the creature and flew through the air before hitting one of the trees with a violent force.

"HATTER!" I cried hearing his grunt as he hit the floor. I could feel his agony from the force and the loud crack I'd heard as he hit the trunk. But all I could concentrate on was the enormous, repulsing and horrifying creature that stood before me. Slowly, I began to get to my feet as it began circling around me like a vulture. My heart began to pound against my chest. My breath was quicker than ever. My eyes shifted from Hatter on the floor, to the Jabberwocky lurking around me. What was it waiting for? Why didn't it just kill me where I stood? I looked the creature dead in its crimson eyes, where all I could see was its hunger. I took a sharp breath as I saw Hatter running behind the creature, before suddenly, I heard another crack and loud click as I saw its tail driving violently into the side of Hatter's body.

"NO!" I cried as Hatter's body fell limp on the Jabberwocky's tail, until it threw him to the ground. I ran to Hatter's side making sure he was still alive. His body was still. I was even more afraid as the Jabberwocky came closer and stood before me once again. It looked deep into my eyes, but this time it did not attack me. Somehow the way it had looked at me made me feel as though we'd met before. Without a second thought, the creature bowed its head before it ran back into the forest away from us. I turned my head quickly towards the ground to see Hatter conscious but gravely injured.

"Hatter! Oh my god are you alright?" His body was shaking, he was in pain.

"The venom's spreading" he seethed. Holding his body in my arms, I felt him turning cold under my touch.

"What do I do, Hatter? Tell me what can I do?" His breath began to shallow as his words only just managed to come out.

"Take me to Rabbit."