" . . . Wonderland . . ."
My numb fingers shook, barely able to curl around themselves.
My purple lips parted, and wisps of fog swirled with my voiceless words.
"Wonderland . . . wonderland."
I wrapped my arms around my knees, the frozen rough stone of the wall biting through the dull dirty mats of my hair to my cranium.
"Wonderland, wonderland, wonderland."
Even my teeth were cold, chattering incessantly, the raw tongue between them unable to stifle the clicks.
Frantic whispers and shouts rang through my head; I couldn't tell if they were real or not.
I forced my shaking arms upward, clamping my palms over my ears, and I flinched from the pain of my frozen skin. My fingernails dug into my scalp.
"Please . . ."
A small shriek escaped my raw throat. My hands pressed tighter against my head.
" . . . please . . . stop."
My vocal cords were tight from the frigid air and the lack of use. Small cries bled into my whispers.
"Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop."
My mouth opened in a silent scream, tears falling, glazing my cheeks. My breaths came in short gasps, forcing my heart into overdrive, beating wildly.
Shaking and shivers racked my body over and over, relentless in their attacks.
"Please make it stop."
The frosty air was empty . . . so, so empty.
I felt so alone.
Cries broke free from my chest; I was powerless to stop them.
I'm so tired of fighting.
