Hello all thank you for stopping by to read my story and let me make it perfectly clear. I do not own any characters from Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland or American McGee's Alice...if I did i would be rich and how no reason to write this .

Disclaimer and footnote by author's girlfriend

Enjoy

If you can call this man anything call him "The Boy".

Though he is well beyond manhood, "The Boy" is the only thing he has ever been called by anyone.

Except his father who always called him...

"Eh...whach weer ya goin!"

"The Boy" looked up and saw who had bumped into him. This particular card guard was drunk of his heels and stumbling into everything. "The Boy" pulled his cloak closer to himself, and trying his best to look old and decrepit just kept walking down the ally way. He could not afford a confrontation...not yet.

"Thass righ ya old codger. Now get before I reepor you."

"I hate this damned place"

"The Boy" said to himself for damned this place certainly was.

Evil ruled in the village, card guards patrolled every street, beat anyone, broke into anything, and stole everything. If one worked for the queen one could do whatever one wished.

"The Boy", still maintaining his guise of an old man walked out of the ally into the street. It was dangerous being in the street at this hour, but it was either this or back towards the drunken buffoon. A little ways up the street "The Boy" smelled smoke and heard the screaming of a child, he had to keep moving, he could not afford to look up. The screaming became more intense "keep going" he said to himself "you can't help everyone." Even as he said this he found himself standing up straight and walking towards the scene.

The first thing he saw was a ramshackle house that was set ablaze, then two card guards who were laughing at a little girl who was weeping over the corpses of her dead parents. "The Boy" walked up calmly with his hood up; even though the site he saw filled him with rage he would not let it drive him. "Gentlemen." he said in an almost conversational tone "If you have a thirst for blood, quench it with mine."

The card guards paused for a second, astonished that someone was actually challenging them. "Look ere we got ourselves a hero." they mocked. "The Boy" grinned under his hood "The fools" he thought. "If you two wouldn't mind I will take the child and be on my way." The two card guards didn't know what to say to that, not only was this man challenging them, he was being awfully polite about it. "Well you isn't gonna do that, this family owed taxes to the red queen which they neglected ta pay now move along before ya suffa the same fate." "The Boy" laughed at this. "Well gentlemen I'm afraid that I cannot do that."

The first card guard gritted his teeth and charged with his pike. Card guards were always predictable so "The Boy" was ready for this. In one fluid movement he sidestepped the pike, took off his cloak, and wrapped it around the card guard's neck. With his left hand he held the cloak tight till the card guards eyes bulged out of his skull, and with his right took his sword off his back and shoved it into the card guard's thin torso. "The Boy" gently whispered into his victims ear "It's a lot harder when you're not fighting children." "The Boy" took out his sword and "snicker snack" lobed off his head before he hit the street. Now out of his guise "The Boy" turned to look at his next victim.

The card guard recognized this man he had long blond hair now spattered with blood, his face was scarred but not to the point of being ugly, he had a white button down shirt, a jagged sword made of bone, and a metallic left hand with pointed sharp fingertips, his automaton hand.

The card guard with a look of absolute horror on his face went to his knees and began to beg for his life. "Please have mercy." Then "The Boy's rage got the better of him "Mercy?". "The Boy" grabbed the card guard by his hair and shoved is face toward the corpses that were once the child's parents. "How many times did they plead for mercy!!". "The Boy" put the fingers of his automaton hand together. "Answer!!". His hand began to spin, faster and faster until it resembled a drill. "Only God can give you mercy...but he doesn't live here." With that "The Boy shoved his hand into the back of the guard's throat until it came out his mouth. Blood spattered him all over but "The Boy" didn't care, he had gotten used to it over the years.

It was at this point that the drunken card guard in the ally became aware of the commotion. He walked out just as the second corpse hit the ground. "The Boy" covered in blood regarded the drunk with cold blue eyes. "Oh dear lord" the card guard said on the edge of panic. "Its you! I know who you are!"

"Well then" said "The Boy" with a grin to rival the Cheshire cat. "I can't have that now can I."

TOCK...TICK...TOCK...TICK

The whirring of gears, the ticking of clocks, and his own screams.

That's all he could hear, and all he saw was that tea sucking monster.

"My boy, I have a new un birthday present for you..."

"The Boy" woke up with a start, breathing hard and covered in his own sweat.

His left arm throbbed with an almost unbearable pain. He lifted up his sleeve.

The arm was a mess of flesh and gears that was connected at his elbow. "The Boy" reached into his pocket and took out a pill "swallow me" it said, so he did just that.

"Just keep taking the pills" the doctor said,

"But I'm the only doctor I know". He thought to himself.

Eventually the throbbing went away and "The Boy" could focus on where he was.

He was lucky to find this abandoned house. "The Boy" needed the rest even though sleep usually came with nightmares.

As the pill took effect he collected his thoughts, remembering the night before.

"Blast" he cursed, how could he be so stupid, letting his anger get the better of him would have terrible repercussions.

Even though he hid the bodies the mess he left behind could be traced.

Though he had been fortunate enough to get the child to safety.

"The Boy" smiled, remembering the village elders face when he showed up covered in blood and the child passed out in his arms.

"Dammit boy you cant keep given me every stray ya happen ta find, and I cant keep finden um a home."

"The Boy" sighed, they always had this conversation every time he came over.

"Would you rather I left her in the hands of the card guards? Or should I have killed her and saved them the trouble?"

"Alrigh alrigh I got the point. Ill try to find er a home, but its been worse than usual. Card guards o plenty all over the place."

"The Boy" neglected to tell the elder that he had just killed three of them.

"The Boy" heard the pounding of boots down the street. He quickly hid from site as a patrol of card guards marched by.

"What are they doing patrolling so early in the morning." he said to himself. "Maybe I should get moving too."

He got up and brushed the dust from his shirt, then went over and grabbed his bone sword that was propped against the wall.

He stared at the sword remembering when he made it, his friends and neighbors never believed him when he told them from what creatures belly the bone had come from.

"The Boy" laughed in spite of himself.

"WHO DID THIS?!"

The words broke the quiet solitude of his memories.

"The Boy" rushed to the window to see what the commotion was about.

"WHO DID THIS?!"

They had found the bodies.

"Its started."

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Disclaimer and footnote by author's girlfriend