Never After Chronicles

'Alice' by Nandini

"I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then." - Alice (1951, Alice in Wonderland)

I was covered in blood.

And no, it wasn't my time of the month. The blood wasn't even mine, to begin with. It was the shade of green that made people want to puke at the sight of it.

Safe to say I wasn't looking too hot right now.

I wiped the newest coating of the gunk off my face, as the monster in front of me slowly crumbled away. I had no idea what it was, with long fang-like teeth that rivaled that of a vampire. Its fur was as dark as the night, making it hard to spot the moment the sun had set. If it weren't for the obnoxious howl it made right before it jumped at me, I'd never seen it coming.

I sighed in annoyance, watching the bright green eyes fade into the sticky mud. I slung my blaster onto my back and started to trudge forward, my eyes searching for a certain white rabbit in this inky black night.

"If we were playing a video game, you'd certainly have a kill streak." I didn't even turn around because the moment I would- the stupid cat would disappear.

"Why don't you tell me something useful?" I grumbled. "Like maybe where that stupid rabbit went?"

"I've told you many useful things, Alice," the cat defended, most likely smiling. "Like where the Hatter lived!"

Ah, the Mad Hatter. The stories truly did not live up to cold, harsh reality. His house had seemed ordinary enough, the man himself had been quite polite as well- inviting me for tea. Now, I'm not really a tea person- a good cup of coffee suited me better, but I thought the Hatter might prove to be useful and I had agreed.

He had a table already set, the cloth made of an odd kind of material- the pieces sewn together at random. The only thing similar about them at all, was that they all seemed to be made of the same thing.

"Where did you get this table cloth?" I asked, "It seems very unique." What other adjectives could describe it? I certainly didn't know.

The Hatter sipped his tea, the steaming hot liquid dribbling down in chin in a manner that made me cringe. "I made it."

I gulped, afraid that I already knew the answer. "How?"

"Well, the Queen sends me to do her dirty work." He sipped some more tea. "I take in stray passersby, and I-"

"Kill them?"

The Hatter looked appalled. "Why no, dearie." He smiled viciously. "I offer them tea first."

Needless to say, I wasted about three bullets back there. The psychotic man just simply wouldn't stay dead.

Must be the tea.

"That almost got me killed," I snapped. "He made table cloths out of humans!"

"But it was helpful, right?" he asked. "Now you know where the rabbit is going."

It was true. I knew exactly where the rabbit was going, and it was the same reason I still was saving my last bullet. The Queen of Hearts was the biggest monster of them all. True to her name, she had a collection of every heart of every so-called traitor she had come across. The first one belonging to her late husband, the King.

Falling into the hole was probably the worst mistake I'd ever made. Having my gun on me at all times was the luckiest thing I had ever thought of.

But of course, I was running low on actual bullets. I still had a few tranquilizers left. Perhaps they'd come in handy.

"Just follow the trail of rabbit poop and you'll find the Queen of Hearts." The cat smiled again. "After all, that's where his day job is."

I sighed. "Of course it is."

----

The castle was like nothing I had ever imagined. I'd been trained for many things, like killing monsters. But never had I been prepared to see such a monstrosity.

Whoever picked the colors should've been fired.

The castle was blood red, becoming an eerie color as the sun rose over the castle. There were long stripes of yellow streaking through it, as if someone decided to color the castle plaid.

It was hideous. (Just like the Queen I supposed.)

I strode up to the guards, secretly pocketing some bullets. They'd never let the gun inside, even if they allowed me.

"I'm here to meet the Queen," I stated upon arrival and the Guards peered down at me. One of them lifted of their visor, their inky eyes narrowing at me.

Seemed like everyone was doing that nowadays. Narrowing their eyes at me.

"Do you have an appointment?" they asked in unison and I raised an eyebrow.

"What is this, a hair salon?" I snorted, but they didn't say anything. "Yeah. Fine, I booked one. Can I go in?"

They looked at each other, and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," one said.

"What's on your back?" the other asked and I smiled.

"A gift," I lied. "For the Queen."

"Oh, cool," they said, parting the way for me. I didn't even bother telling them anything else, I just wanted to get the job done.

The throne room was huge. It has long, crème pillars supporting up equally large archways. Thankfully, there were only a few guards surrounding the Queen herself who seemed to be in the middle of an execution.

There was no nice way to put this, the Queen was ugly. I know, I know, everyone is pretty in their own way- but you've never seen her.

She had long red hair, that she tied up into an updo. Her face was as green as the gunk covering most of me, and her eyes were the palest shade of yellow to exist.

Blech.

The Queen sat on a large heart shaped throne, her painted lips forming a snarl as she took in two trembling children before her. Both seemed young, their small bodies practically shaking as they pleaded.

"Please, your highness!" The girl shook as tears cascaded down her face.

"Off with their heads!" the Queen screamed, and the guards dragged the two children to the side where they began prepping the execution. The Queen always watched them, it was her form of entertainment.

"Yo!" I called out and the Queen snapped her head to me, her eyes taking me in.

"And who might you be?" she crowed, her voice raspy and cold.

"I'm Alice," I said. "And I'm here to kill you." In a matter of seconds I shot every guard with a tranquilizer, and loaded up the gun with a poisonous bullet.

The Queen seemed impassive as she glared at me. "What makes you think you can kill me? Many have tried and failed, do you know why?"

I didn't listen to the rest, I just shot her.

The moment the bullet hit her, she exploded. Once again, I was covered in disgusting, green blood.

Ew. 

"Gross," I said in disgusting, flicking some blood on the floor. Anytime now, the Guards and every single being of the land would be lifted out of the curse and all the animals will return to normal. I turned to where the children were, who were gazing upon the throne room in shock. "For the record, since you guys probably need a new government- I suggest staying out of dictatorship. Maybe try a parliamentarian government or democracy." I paused. "But if you create a democracy, don't create parties. Just some advice."

I gave them a smile before walking out the throne room. Standing outside, I waved goodbye to the completely unaware guards standing in front as I sniffed my jacket. 

Yup, I totally need a new one.