Disclaimer: No, I do not own Alice in Wonderland or the Cheshire Cat.
Cheshire
"Give me my purse back!"
Jonas hurtled into a narrow alley, clutching the woman's purse. He quickly vaulted over the fence separating this alley from the next, knowing that to reach him now, the woman would have to go all the way around the block. Grinning, he raced through the alleys he knew so well to the rendezvous point where Mike waited for him. Mike was Jonas' older brother, and Jonas hero-worshipped him. They had been on their own for months now, runaways in New York City. At last he went over the final fence into the cramped alley that was tonight's meeting place. Jonas handed the purse to Mike, who began to root through it for anything of worth. Jonas gasped; he had struck gold this time. Mike started counting the bills, but even without it both boys knew that there was at the very least $1,000 in their hands. Mike joyfully shoved the money back into the purse and put it down.
"This is great, Jo! Finally we have some real money! Here, let me show you what I got. It's over here somewhere…" Mike led Jonas over to a pile of boxes. Generally the first of the brothers to get back to the meeting spot was to hide their stuff somewhere so that if a cop came along, they weren't completely busted. Mike pulled out two pairs of sneakers, one for him and one for Jonas.
"Hey, Mike, thanks!"
"No problem. Hey, what's that?"
A can had fallen onto its side and rolled to a halt by their feet. They looked to where it had fallen from and fear gripped them. A pair of red eyes, cat's eyes, stared unblinkingly at them. Then, slowly, a wide grin appeared beneath them. Jonas remembered seeing Alice in Wonderland playing in a video store, remembered the funny cat that talked and wore a silly grin on it's face; the Cheshire Cat. This grin was anything but silly. The yellowed teeth were crooked, but sharp as daggers. The gums were a horrible mix of black and pink. And the eyes; looking into them was like staring into hell. It was the most evil, most terrifying thing Jonas had ever seen before in his life. And it was coming closer.
"Mike, we have to get out of here now."
"It's just a cat Jo!" but Mike sounded frightened too, "Just a stupid cat. We have to get the money!" and when he ran forward to grab the purse, the thing leapt for him. Jonas couldn't see much in the dim light, but he saw enough. His brother was ripped apart by the creature in seconds. Then it turned towards him, the teeth now stained crimson with blood, still grinning. Jonas was petrified with terror, but finally took a step backwards. And another and another, getting closer to the light of the city. But the thing moved with him. A sudden flash of light from a car briefly lit up the alley, and Jonas saw the thing.
It was a huge cat, gangly and so thin that the skin looked as though it had been meant for something three times smaller. Half of it was covered in scabbed fur that was a sickly shade of grey. The other half was a skeleton. Jonas tried to scream, but all that passed his lips was a sort of cracked hum. The paralysis on his body lifted at the sight of the cat and he ran towards the light that was so close, and yet so far. With a yowl the cat sprang after him and he felt wickedly pointed claws rend his ankle. He fell onto the concrete, his artery gushing warm blood. The cat placed a skeletal claw on his chest, and stuck its face near his. Its head did not move as the claws began tearing Jonas' flesh. The last thing he ever saw was the fanged grin of this Cheshire Cat.