This is a 'one-shot' that came into my head and thought I'd write-up quickly. It has ended up a lot longer than I expected (as there is 30 years to cover) and so I'm turning it into a short story but it will have multiple chapters. . I hope you enjoy it.
I've tried to use words that Alice would use (e.g. purse not handbag, silverware not cutlery/ utensils), and I hope they are current in America in 1920, but my spelling is of course UK English. And if that isn't enough to convince you I own none of this... Stephenie Meyer is the owner and master of this world. I am simply playing with her creations and earn nothing for this. You can give me money if you like but not for writing this. Just out of the goodness of your heart
The Journey from Asylum to Carlisle
Chapter Two- Thirst
Maybe I closed my eyes. Maybe I fainted. Maybe the scary red-eyed man hit me. I do not know. All I know is that as soon as I was aware of the next moment of time, all I knew was pain. Everything hurt. Every cell of my being burned. Maybe I screamed. I was not in control of any part of my body. Immeasurable pain and never ending darkness were all I knew. I do not know if my eyes were open or closed. It was as dark as it always is. It felt as though my body might be rocking, but I couldn't concentrate on the thought for even a moment to sense if it was movement or a reaction of my body to the pain. Someone nearby was whispering to me, but I could not really understand them for an immeasurable moment of time. The instant I could understand the words, and I knew the instant I was able to, there was nothing to hear. Suddenly everything seemed to come sharper into focus, despite the fact that all was darkness.
An echo seemed to roll around the room. Something loud had been occurring. It dawned on me that the echo was the sound of my own screams. I had not known I was screaming. Nothing else could be heard. No one was near me. No breathing. No heartbeat. No scuffling of footsteps. The pain still burned all over my body, but I could appreciate it and feel more than just the burning. I could feel the pain but be above it.
There is a new pain too- a searing burning in my throat. This pain is harder to ignore. It burns so much that I know I must find a way to soothe it, but I have no idea how. I try to push the pain aside for a few moments.
Another thing I have realised- my eyes are closed after all. I think about opening them, and the thought of opening them made them open instantly. I think that was very fast. The room I lay in is not familiar to me. It looks like some kind of wooden shack. Everything is dusty and unused, all except for the small cot on which I lay, which is adorned with fresh white linen. What on earth is going on? I can't get a grasp on anything. I can't think of a thing that I know. All I know is this moment. I know nothing from any period of time before this. Oh, maybe I can remember one thing. I can remember the name Alice. Is that my name? I think someone called me Alice. Yes. That sounds right. That's something at least. I have a name.
Oh, and something else too. It seems I have some clothes. I am wearing a cotton dress, in the palest shade of blue. Perhaps it looks white to some eyes, but I can see the slight blue tinge to the colour of the fabric. It is short-sleeved, high necked, plain and unflattering, but it is clothing. Oh, something else I know about myself... I have some kind of sense of style if I find this dress unflattering. I do not appear to have anything else here with me.
The burn in my throat suddenly makes me feel deranged. My knees feel like they should buckle and my head should roll on my shoulders with this kind of pain, but my body does not succumb to the normal reactions I expect of it. Why the burning? I do not understand it. It hurts so much.
I can see little in this room that may be mine. I think about sitting up on the cot, and it happens. I had sat up so fast that the cot tilted slightly under my weight. That unnerves me and I want to get up. I'm standing up next to the cot. This is strange. It is like my body is responding to my unconscious thoughts instead of my conscious ones, completing actions before I've even finished thinking about it. This is very strange. Yes. Concentrate on the strangeness, and not the burning... yes, avoid the thought of that.
There are more things in this room. There is a small purse hanging from the table. I cross the room to the purse. I imagined it would take me a few seconds and five or six steps. Before I thought I had taken one step, I had half crossed the space.
I deliberately slow down, taking each step slowly and purposefully. I look down at my legs at the same time. I nearly freak out! My legs are shining. They are actually glittering in the light that pours through the partially boarded up windows of this small wooden shack.
I want to look at myself in a mirror. I don't think there is one here. I'll have a look around in a moment. I want to get this purse. Is it mine? I don't think it is familiar. It is a light tan coloured leather satchel. Inside... wow! There is a sizable wad of money (somehow I know that if all of the bills are 20 dollars like they seem to be, there is $500 in the wad) and a small ornate hairbrush. That is all that's inside the purse. I pull the long strap of the purse over my left shoulder with my right hand, allowing the strap to snuggle against my neck and for the purse to rest lightly against my right side, so it is held in place firmly without my conscious effort.
That is all that's inside the room really. Everything else is thick with dirt and cobwebs and mouse droppings. I feel like I should leave, but I don't know where to go. I don't know where I am, I don't know who may be looking for me, if anyone. I'm scared and the burn in my throat will not let up. What does it mean?
I take in a deep breath of air, hoping to find some soothing from the relentless fiery burn in my throat, only to find something else. Something that cries out to me. I run the length of the room and wrench the door open before I have another thought or a second passes. Standing in the door frame, holding the door handle still with my hand, I catch the scent of the delicious smell again more powerful than before. It makes the pain in my throat increase. How was that possible? The thudding of the heart thickly pounded so close by, and now that I could see it, the heat of the body drew me in closer. I took a tentative step.
"Hello" the man said to me with a smile.
Why did he seem so delicious to me? All I could do was to follow my instincts. He must have seen something in my face that scared him. His cheeky flirty smile suddenly disappeared and genuine terror flitted across his face, draining his face of all colour. No matter. His throat still throbs with the pulsing blood. The blood that I know will soothe the pain in my throat.
I didn't even really need to think about it. It was very natural. Before I started to move, he turned and ran. I already knew how fast I was. I ran towards him, closing the distance in less than a second. I reached my hands out to him. He was still facing away from me, trying to outrun me. Foolish! I grasped his left arm with my left hand, and using the floor as a slight springboard, placed my feet at an angle and hopped upward, so that I could grasp his face with my right hand. Before he could utter a scream I lifted my head to his neck using my arms to lift myself up, and sunk my teeth into his collarbone. Oh the taste! The blood pumped into my mouth with force and I drank deeply. I could hardly think at all. All I knew was that the blood would satisfy me. Within my original tackle, I had not meant to topple the man. My weight and the loss of his blood seemed to do exactly that though. While I drank I barely noticed it, but the ground came up to meet me with gentle force. I lightly put my feet out to brace the impact. It felt like nothing- as simple as moving one foot in front of the other. His upper body cradled in my arms, his legs bent at the knees and mine lightly around him, keeping him still with no effort on my part, bracing his weight so that he did not fall and I did not topple over.
It's such a shame. He was so tall and muscular. It's a shame he did not hold more blood. I am still thirsty, but I know how to satisfy my hunger. Blood. I know not what creature I am, but I am a monster. This I know of myself. As if I needed no further proof, something new happened. I saw something vividly in my mind.
