The Iron Army (#3 to 'Motionless in Wonderland')

Chapter 40: Going Home

CHAPTER 40: GOING HOME

"Feels like forever since I've been back in this part of Wonderland," Gates commented as they entered the room of doors.

Everything was how it normally was within the round room, the floor intact and doors shut. It was a lot different now than it had been when Chris had been here the first time. It felt like it had been a long time since he'd first initially stepped foot inside Wonderland.

"We still need to go further than here," Andy commented as the door shut and locked behind him.

Gates shook his head.

"You guys have to; this' where I stop," he said, Chris and Andy frowning at him, Juliet just staying silent.

"Whatcha mean?" Andy asked. "We're not at the correct set of doors."

Gates looked at him.

"Your door is different to the one that I have to go through," he said. "I know which door I have to take to get home and it's one of the ones in here; it'll take me straight to where I need to go. You guys have your doors, I have mine."

"You sure about this?" Chris asked, Gates looking to him.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said. "I know where to go; might've been nearly eight years but I still know how to get home. You guys take care, ok?"

Both Andy and Chris gave a nod, Gates smiling slightly.

"You look after yourself Gates," Chris said, making him look to him. "I hope everything works out for you when you get home."

Gates gave a slight nod. "I hope so too Chris. I should let you all get on your way; take it easy and remember you can always stop by if you wanna."

"Same goes for you too," Andy said. "Don't be a stranger."

Gates gave a slight nod. Chris looked to Andy.

"We should keep moving," he said, Andy nodding in agreement. Chris looked to Gates. "Hopefully we'll see you again someday Gates. If you're ever in Pennsylvania you stop in, ok?"

Gates gave another slight nod. "Will do. Now get going. We all have homes to get to."

Chris gave him a smile before he, Andy and Juliet continued on their way, Andy more or less in the lead.

'~'~'~'~'~

Andy came to a halt, looking to Chris.

"Well this' it," he said, Chris returning the look. Andy gestured to the four doors in front of the three of them before looking back to Chris. "This' how we get home. You ready to step through one of these doors?"

Chris gave a nod. "You ready to step through one of these doors for what will hopefully be for good?"

Andy gave him a smile.

"I have my doubts about it being for good," he said, Chris nodding in agreement. "But I can hope that it's for a good while."

Chris smiled back in amusement before looking to the four different coloured doors in front of them.

"So are we taking different ones?" he asked, glancing at Andy as he crossed his arms.

Andy gave a nod.

"Afraid so," he said. "Juliet and I take the blue door but I unfortunately dunno which door you need to take. The green door goes down to Miami so I don't think that's the one you'd wanna take. So for you it comes down to the black or red door."

Chris gave a nod this time, looking between the red and the black door as he tried to decide which one to take.

"Well I guess it's only narrowed down to two doors," he said, Andy nodding in agreement. "So it's a fifty-fifty and either way I'd be able to get home eventually; back to the real world anyway."