Alice: The Jabberwock's Door (A Wonderland story)

17. Late

They didn't kill her. Not right away. Alice wished she could take that as a good sign but the twins didn't inspire optimism. They tied her hands and threw a hood down over her head so she saw nothing as she stumbled through the streets with them, a painful hand on each shoulder. She grew used the heat under the hood, the ache of her feet, the terrified thud of her heart. She felt sick but there was nothing she could do about it, she was powerless. She cursed herself. If she hadn't lost the dagger then at least she would have something, some fragile hope to cling to however small it was.

When they finally pulled her hood back they were inside a building Alice didn't recognise. It was clearly abandoned, a vast space filled with old machinery and dust. Only a fraction of the bulbs hanging high above the rafters actually threw down any light, and it was a feeble and watery light at that, yellow like a sore. They pushed her forward, driving her past broken crates and torn sheets. She supposed it had been a factory once. Now it echoed like a tomb.

Something crunched under her feet. Alice looked down and saw to her relief that it was only bits of metal, tiny cogs and gears all scattered about the floor. The shattered remains of a watch. She caught sight of the buckled case and hesitated for a moment, struck by the familiarity of it and an overwhelming sense of foreboding. The twins shoved her onward.

They turned into a hollow space between the hulking machinery and stacks of boxes, where a slanted bench and a collection of damaged chairs hid. Tied to the bench slumped a man. His head was pitched down and his clothing stained and ragged but there was no mistaking his lanky build.

"White?" Alice called, barely daring to hope. He remained still, so deathly still...

"More red than white now," one of the Tweedle twins teased, flicking a hand at his blood soaked shirt. The right sleeve hung loose and empty. Any retort she might have made died in her throat.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked when she found her voice. "The queen sent you to kill me, or capture me... or something... but what does anyone else have to do with this?"

"We were hungry," a twin said, taking his cloak off and tossing it to the floor.

"Always hungry," added the other, shedding his cloak in turn. Alice could just make out the name 'Dee' sewn upon his uniform, the only thing to differentiate him from his brother. "Can't eat as we please in the palace."

"Nohow, it's just scraps. Not out here though."

"Contrariwise, out here there's plenty and no one to tell us otherwise."

She was sure they were smiling behind their helmets. Their pale eyes gleamed.

"Don't think we hate you Alice," Dum said as he dragged her to the bench and tied her beside White.

"Nohow, we like you. Queen let us out to kill Alice. She so rarely lets us out."

"Don't worry, we won't kill you, contrariwise. So long as you're alive we don't have to go back. So we'll keep you for now, and kill everyone else. Just for a while."

"Enough to ease the hunger," said his brother, "to take the edge off it..."

"Then..." Dum shrugged. He gave the ropes around her wrists a final tug, checking they were secure. Apparently they were good enough because he stepped back beside his brother. "Stay put for now."

"No point trying to escape, it won't work, nohow. Be good and we'll save the rest of him for later."

They slipped away into the old factory, silent as ghosts. Alice strained to hear anything but it was impossible, they could be anywhere, lurking amongst the crates or long gone. She flexed her hands and struggled with the ropes. They bit into her skin and her attempts to slip free only made it worse. She stopped, leaning back against the bench with her eyes clenched shut.