Behind Sanity

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Behind Sanity

Chapter Thirty-Nine

1

Alice took her last few steps through the dirt as the open path turned slowly into a vast land of trees and curious shrubs.  The escape from the Hatter’s Keep had been simple enough, but she had been running nonstop into the woods behind the Cheshire.  She was more than ready to stop.  The fast paced moving had tired her out completely.  She felt dehydrated and weak.  Besides the long trek, she had not slept or eaten for quite some time, and it was beginning to take its toll on her.

She leaned her arm against a tree to steady herself as she took deep breaths.  The mad cat leading the way finally noticed her slacking and turned around impatiently, not looking tired in the least bit, his panther-sized body pumping with high endurance.

“I need to rest,” she panted, her eyes appearing as firm as ever.

The cat looked back at her with yellow-green eyes that shined in the dimming Wonderland sunlight.  The darkness would soon fall.  This was not a good time for her decision.

“It is not safe here,” he insisted, his characteristic grin leaving him. “We must go on further.”

“I cannot take another step,” she insisted.  “I must rest.”

The cat sighed, but finally saw that he had no other choice at the moment.  She was not going to give in this time.  Though this seemed anything but the moment to rest, he felt that perhaps she did indeed deserve it.

“Alright,” he said finally. “Rest.  But I must warn you, it will not be for long.  We need to keep moving.”

She nodded and sank down against the trunk of a tree.  The bark of this plant was slick and red.  Truly, this was not the most comfortable position to rest, but she supposed it would do since the need had so abruptly arisen.

Alice turned her head towards the cat that now rested his head upon his front paws.  

“You will keep watch?” she asked.

Though she was sure he would, she needed assurance.  The cat raised his eyes to her.

“Of course, pet,” he said, a strangely adoring smile lining his face briefly as he settled down to rest as well.

Thinking about nothing more than her need for sleep, Alice then felt relaxed and leaned back to close her eyes, hoping to get some rest.  

2

The cat watched her with a smirk.  She thought he didn’t know that she would not be awakening here, but only to find herself slipping back into the reality of Rutledge’s world.  Cat considered moving the body, but decided there was no need.  Alice’s mind was set now.  Perhaps she would not stay away for too long.

As the cat rested there on the mossy ground, a strange sensation slowly came to him.  His ears began to tingle and shake with the whispers in the wind.  He shook his head to push the sounds away, but the whispers became louder.  The shrill voice and its words bit at the cat’s senses, and no matter how much he desired to stay here as Alice had asked, he knew that it was not going to happen.

He lifted his head and looked across the way to speak to the voice that had no form.

“No,” he said firmly, but none too loudly.

By the time that his words were spoken however, it was far too late.  The creature was already beginning to disappear.  He closed his eyes and sighed deeply as he watched himself vanish.  It looked as though another while of torture would be upon him.