Wondrous Nightmares

by Bloodysword99

Recommended song: Intoxicated- Lacuna Coil

Fanart: TBA

ARCH 2:

Memento Furor

(meaning Remember Madness in Latin.)


Chapter 6: Pitch Black London


Houndsditch Home for Wayward Youth, a London orphanage, Alice's new home. Or in Pitch's terms—hell. And to make matter worse, it's founder was Angus Bumby, a former student of Arthur Liddell, Alice's father. Bumby, in 9 years' time, became a well-known architect and scientist. He had changed into a very high man of society. He even built Houndish home Orphanage for the benefit and welfare of unfortunate children. But the Boogeyman look beyond the doctor's false charity, Pitch saw a wicked man. He had never changed.

"The rest is over Alice, forget it, Alice." The doctor chanted to the sleeping Liddell.

Pitch was skulking in the corner watching that bastard Bumby putting Alice into a trance. Hypnosis, what pitiable yet dangerous method especially in the hands of that doctor. Pitch hated his guts. He didn't know why exactly but his senses were very sharp and he knows a criminal when he sees one. Bumby was guilty of something; Pitch doesn't know what yet. But the Boogeyman wasn't going to wait for that bastard to do something sinister to Alice. No, never. And for a year in the orphanage, he would drop by Alice's therapy sessions to keep an eye on that evil doctor and at night, Pitch would guard her door just in case.

With these actions, Alice thought it was peculiar and nagged about his 'paranoia' but the Boogeyman never bothered to explain his methods to her. He didn't want Alice to get involved of these dark suspicions he had on that Bumby. Pitch, at least, wanted her to be innocent.

"Now, wasn't too hard was it, Alice?" The doctor said when she woke.

"My head's exploded and there's a steam hammer in my chest." She stated.

And as the therapy session ended, Alice glanced at the corner where Pitch was hiding. She rolled her eyes at him. Alice always knows Pitch was paranoid. The girl sat up and put on a quick smirk at the Boogeyman before listening to Doctor Bumby's analysis. Pitch was way too busy glaring at the doctor to notice when they're conversation was over and Alice left the room to get some pills from the chemist. Once the Boogeyman had enough of the bastard's revolting presence, he melted into the shadows and ran after Alice.

"What do you have against the doctor, Pitch? You seem so agitated whenever he's around." Alice asked amusingly when they were walking in the dark and narrow backstreets of London. Note, that Alice Liddell was a clever girl, and took the route where no one was around so she would talk to Pitch freely without any suspicion of a lunatic.

"It's not that I have anything against him, Alice. It's—how do I put this— His very existence makes me…ill." He answered with careful loath filled words. That was how much he detested that bastard Bumby.

"Well, that's your problem."

"And besides, Doctor Bumby is helping me forget, Pitch, aren't you happy?" Alice said.

Pitch wasn't. He didn't know if forgetting was the right remedy for her horrible past. Forgetting is just a means of running away. It's a cowardly act. Even though he is the Nightmare King and gives fear to his victims, Pitch never liked cowardly action. It was pathetic. He would appreciate if his victims would at least try braving the fears. As Pitch walked by Alice, he stared down at the girl. He knew Alice wanted to forget but running away and forgetting never made things truly better.

"He's changing you, girl, don't you see that?"

"That's good. Change is constructive, the Doctor says."

"Don't buy that hogwash, Alice. Change denotes neither 'bad' nor 'good' but it definitely means 'not the same.'"

"That's just your opinion, Pitch. I think there's no harm forgetting." The girl sounded offended but mostly angry.

"All you're doing is running away."

Alice stopped and turned to him furiously. Now, he's done it.

"I have had enough of imprisonment in my broken memories! I've been caged too long! It makes me sick! Don't you want me to be free from that?"

"Freedom isn't just forgetting, girl! You know that more than anyone!"

Alice didn't have a comeback for his statement. So, she just glared at him with her fist tight in rage. The girl turned her heel and ran off to another alley way. It's been like this for a year. Alice and Pitch were going back and forth from argument to argument. The problems were always Alice's therapy sections or The Boogeyman's rotten attitude towards the orphanage and especially Doctor Bumby and former Asylum Nurse Priss Witless. The Boogeyman never meant to meddle into other people's business but he was just seeing Alice's welfare. Ever since the year started, Pitch had constantly asked Alice to live in his lair. So she could be safe from any danger. He even bribed her with everything he could offer and a high position as Princess of Nightmares. But the girl politely declined and said she was fine living in the London Orphanage. Pitch wasn't pleased by her resolve but he could respect it…Well, until he found out what hell-hole life was waiting for her. Dirty streets plagued with sick bastards, ugly whores, paedophiles, criminals, low-lives, nasty bratty orphans, a drunken people-using Nurse Witless and especially the despicable Doctor Bumby!

Pitch has every reason to be displeased but he didn't mean to raise his voice against her but she has given him no choice. The girl was very stubborn.

He felt like a frustrated father trying to raise a teenaged daughter!

"…What am I going to do with this girl?" He mumbled before melting into the shadows and chase after her.


"Alice!"

Pitch found the girl curled in a ball, in the alleyway just a short walk to the Chemist shop. She was shivering like she'd seen a ghost! And Pitch could sense the fear she was radiating. Alice was scared out of her mind. She hadn't been this shaken since the fire.

"Alice, what happened?" Pitch asked as soon as he kneels to her.

"I-I don't know, my head hurts."

Pitch placed his hand on her forehead. She didn't feel feverish. The Boogeyman studied her further. Her body seemed completely fine except for the shaking and observing her face, she was paler than usual. There was no visible physical injury but her mind state was shattered and panicked. Her fear was so strong Pitch could practically choke on it.

"Who did this?" The Boogeyman was shaking in rage while Alice was shaking in anxiety.

"Talk to me, Alice, who did this?" He asked her once more.

The girl looked up to answer but she froze with eyes wide; horrified of what she saw over his shoulder. Pitch noticed this and glanced backward. The Boogeyman glared at the abomination standing behind him. A man with a head of some kind of snail-like parasite, yellow beady eyes and a mouth so humongous it could eat you in one gulp! It was hideous and monstrous and unfortunately not alone. Many more of his brothers emerged from the shadows.

"These are…" Pitch muttered before looking back and forth from Alice and the monsters.

It was strange. These creatures weren't any thing he's seen before. He didn't know any guardian or mythical being that'd have monstrous allies like these. He's been on this planet long enough to know all the fiends in it. So, why doesn't he recognize these beasts?

Pitch glanced at the shivering Alice. It was then he got his answer. No wonder he hadn't seen them before. These monsters—

"These creatures are from your mind, girl." The Boogeyman said while summoning his scythe at hand.

"M-M-My mind?" Alice uttered.

Pitch knew what the human mind is capable of when it's under a lot of pressure. Alice's mind hadn't been stable since her therapy sessions with that bastard Bumby. This was the result of the hypnosis. She was going mad again. And Alice's fear and insanity was growing silently for a year until it was given form. Only she could see the corruption and its spurring monstrosities beyond her mind and into reality. These creatures weren't real but for Alice it was as real as it could be. No one else could see it. But Pitch though is an exception since he is, after all, the Nightmare King. He has the ability to see beyond the fragment of reality. Thus, he could see the fears, madness and phobia of others.

"Alice, pull yourself together! These abominations will go away as soon as you do!" Pitch advised when the creatures were getting closer and closer to them. But despite the Boogeyman's helpful advice, she shook her head while trembling in terror. Her mind was already breaking. How could she concentrate?

"I-I can't!" She panicked.

"Come now, girl, you just can't—!?" Suddenly one of the creatures lunged at him but Pitch sliced his head off before it could lay a hand on him. Weak tiny mutants compared to the Boogeyman but he knew if Alice didn't find her sanity then they'll multiply. They'll be outnumbered in no time.

"Pollution! Corruption! Wonderland is destroyed! My minds in ruins!" She cried as she held her throbbing head.

'Wonderland…?' Pitch thought as he was backing away; trying his best to distance himself and protect the girl.

The idea hit him like a brick. That was the answer! Wonderland! Of course! The only way she could escape this horror was to go to her happy place. To Wonderland. It might be in ruins but anything was better than here.

Pitch set his plan in motion.

"Hang on." He ordered before taking the girl's shoulders and teleporting them into the shadows. It might be an unpleasant ride for humans but it was the quickest way to escape. If she going to Wonderland then Pitch have to find a safe place for her to be unconscious.

"W-What was that!?" She coughed when they reached their destination.

As he thought, travelling by shadows wasn't good for mortals. It doesn't have much oxygen while moving through so fast.

"Where are we?"

"London Port." They were in a shack near the sea. It might reek rotten fish and rust but it was a safe place for now. Pitch had the choice of picking the Orphanage but he thought of that evil doctor staying there so the port was his next best choice. It was an area he and Alice knew well. The joint was near her former nanny's whorehouse, the Mangled Mermaid. At least if Alice needed help, Nanny Sharpe was there. At least the nanny was more decent than the crazy people in Alice's life. Let's just forget her Nanny is a recruiter of sluts, being their pimp and owning a brothel/bar.

"This place is safe until we come back." Pitch said.

"C-Come back? Come back from where."

Pitch didn't give her answer. He faced the girl, summoned a first full of black sand and blew it all to her face. She was asleep in an instance.

"I'm not going to stand here and do nothing. Not again." He muttered darkly.

In Alice's last sanity session, Pitch stood by and waited for 8 long years to rescue Alice into her Wonderland but this time it wasn't going to happen that way. The Boogeyman will be with her through her journey. Through pain and horror, they'll face Wonderland together.

And seconds later, Pitch entered her subconscious and off to Alice's happy place.


This is not a cliffhanger! :3 I think...? :3

So, any comments, suggestions, violent reactions? :3