-Hatter's POV-
We look at each other in panic. We both know what that sound could mean. Either they're coming to take me away or to kill her. I can't let either of those things happen so I grab her hand and guide her out the back window. We run all the way to the clearing about five miles away. Adrenaline is a godsend. Once in the clearing, we both collapse and start to breathe heavily. We know we've lost them and if we're lucky they were looking for that damned cat. Like they'll ever find him. But that would definitely put luck on our side.
Once it's dark, I know I have to go back and get supplies. I'll have to make sure Alice stays here and hidden. I just hope she chooses not to be stubborn this time. I just want to protect her. Well, the sun is still high. No need to worry about that now. Or, at least not as much as I will have to later on. For now, I should just keep her happy and unafraid because I know she is, even if she doesn't want me to know. I pull her into my arms and she starts to cry silently. I wipe away her tears gently. "It's okay," I whisper, softly into her ear. "Hatter, this is hell we're living in. No it won't and you know it," she replies through her tears. I cup her face in my hands and look her straight in the eye. "As long as I have you, this hell of ours is a million times better than heaven." She smiles to this and I hold her even tighter as we watch the sun set and our depressing world grow dark.
