Chapter 9
"Back to the beginning of the sickness?" Nny asked.
"Yes."
"Uh-oh," the Cat said, as his body began to increase in size and he lost his aneroxic like state. His stomach grew plump, and his whiskers full. He lost the trade mark grin that always stuck to his face, and his large eyes slanted into more of a cat like grace. His brown fur grew longer and his tail twitched on the ground. He meowed loudly and jumped up to the desk top, his wide yellow eyes fixated on Nny.
The kerosene pooled onto the floor, the thick fluid moving like congealed blood on the wooden floor. A spark caught the kerosene and flames leapt up on the ground like a dancing gypsy. Entranced by the flames, Nny stepped toward them, until Alice stopped him.
"You wanted to kill me," she said, "Now here is your chance."
Nny stared at her, his eyes wide, as a wide portal or green and purple yawned in front of them .The flames leapt higher in the air, burning the walls, and charring the colors. The burning stuffed animals screeched and yelled in pain, their flaming faces contorted in agony. Nny stared at them, his face breaking into laughter as Alice's childhood friend's burst and screamed. Suddenly, the wind picked up and the shower of flames completely encircled them. Screams from a different source, from what Nny's experienced ears could tell, were adults, and breaking glass sounded from the portal.
Memories from Alice's night surrounded them, and he watched as two adults burned into charred tree like bodies, their agonized screaming slicing at Nny's ears. He watched as they tried to struggle away from the fire, but failed and saw that Alice hung in the shadows, her face frightened and innocent.
A strange feeling erupted in his stomach, a feeling that he had not experienced before. Was it compassion? Or was it disgust? Nny could not tell, and as he turned to see Alice's facial expression, he saw that she was lying on the floor, the tears falling down her face once more. She watched as the memories she tried to repress came flooding back, and she closed her eyes in pain.
For the first time, Nny saw what Alice really was: a child. He heard another window break and shatter, and he walked to the broken window in the bedroom. He saw Alice's body lying in the snow, her tiny hands clutching the tattered gray rabbit. He turned to look at Alice, but saw that she was no longer in the room. The flames leapt at his jacket and he turned and scowled as he smelt the burning leather.
"Not my good jacket," he muttered, and then remembering his adventure previous to the fire incident, he scowled again. "Not like I didn't need another one."
Gracefully he hopped out of the window, landing next to the child's prone form. Throwing his hands in the air, knife still in his hand he glared down at Alice.
"What am I supposed to do now?" he demanded.
"Kill the sickness," Devi said, as she appeared kneeling down next to Alice.
"Kill the sickness? There is no bloody sickness here! There is just a fucked up little girl lying here with a tattered bunny rabbit!" Nny ranted.
"You must kill the sickness," a small boy, that Nny once again recognized as himself said, "or else it will consume you, and you'll rule Wonderland."
"Rule Wonderland? Why the hell would I rule Wonderland? And what the hell is the sickness? I don't see the fucking sickness!"
"Kill me," the child sobbed. "Stupid Cat."
"Aw, hell no! I don't kill children!"
"It was the Cat's fault. Kill me!"
Sirens echoed in the silent, snowy night, peircing the still air like a needle through skin. Comprehension dawned on him and he raised his knife, glancing down at the girl. Disgust and remorse flooded his mind, as he closed his eyes, and thrust the knife through the girl's chest. Blood bubbled up around the wound, and Alice gasped. Small bubbles of crimson blood emerged from her mouth, her green eyes wide and thankful.
Feet crunched snow behind Nny and demanded that Nny turn around. Even as he did what the man asked, he felt himself being dragged through air, much like what happened when he was dragged to Wonderland. He closed his eyes and when he awoke he found himself in the alley he had been darting in and out of before.
His hand still clutched the bloody knife, and his suspicious eyes glanced around the dark alley way. Wondering if the sickness was truly gone, he walked past a café, with people he couldn't stand to be around. Instead of feeling the uncontrollable urge to kill them, he walked by them without a care in the world. Images of his past homicides still filled him with joy, and not remorse, most of those people still deserved to have been killed, with the exception of that one guy that ended up in heaven despite Nny's feelings of distrust and hatred.
A yellowed newspaper blew in the wind and caught at his feet. Angrily he stared down at it, the brown boldfaced headline staring up at him. A picture of Alice stared up at him, her doleful hate filled look gazing up at him contemptuously. Smiling devilishly he picked the paper and ripped it into two. Whistling down the street he made the way down to Devi's house, wondering if she would forgive him for that one attempt on her life.
The paper lay in the middle of the street, forgotten and not paid attention to by any one else. The headline blinked in the darkness before, the entire paper completely disappeared.
"Sixty Year Old Arson Case Finally Solved: Murder and Robbery Was the Cause."
"Back to the beginning of the sickness?" Nny asked.
"Yes."
"Uh-oh," the Cat said, as his body began to increase in size and he lost his aneroxic like state. His stomach grew plump, and his whiskers full. He lost the trade mark grin that always stuck to his face, and his large eyes slanted into more of a cat like grace. His brown fur grew longer and his tail twitched on the ground. He meowed loudly and jumped up to the desk top, his wide yellow eyes fixated on Nny.
The kerosene pooled onto the floor, the thick fluid moving like congealed blood on the wooden floor. A spark caught the kerosene and flames leapt up on the ground like a dancing gypsy. Entranced by the flames, Nny stepped toward them, until Alice stopped him.
"You wanted to kill me," she said, "Now here is your chance."
Nny stared at her, his eyes wide, as a wide portal or green and purple yawned in front of them .The flames leapt higher in the air, burning the walls, and charring the colors. The burning stuffed animals screeched and yelled in pain, their flaming faces contorted in agony. Nny stared at them, his face breaking into laughter as Alice's childhood friend's burst and screamed. Suddenly, the wind picked up and the shower of flames completely encircled them. Screams from a different source, from what Nny's experienced ears could tell, were adults, and breaking glass sounded from the portal.
Memories from Alice's night surrounded them, and he watched as two adults burned into charred tree like bodies, their agonized screaming slicing at Nny's ears. He watched as they tried to struggle away from the fire, but failed and saw that Alice hung in the shadows, her face frightened and innocent.
A strange feeling erupted in his stomach, a feeling that he had not experienced before. Was it compassion? Or was it disgust? Nny could not tell, and as he turned to see Alice's facial expression, he saw that she was lying on the floor, the tears falling down her face once more. She watched as the memories she tried to repress came flooding back, and she closed her eyes in pain.
For the first time, Nny saw what Alice really was: a child. He heard another window break and shatter, and he walked to the broken window in the bedroom. He saw Alice's body lying in the snow, her tiny hands clutching the tattered gray rabbit. He turned to look at Alice, but saw that she was no longer in the room. The flames leapt at his jacket and he turned and scowled as he smelt the burning leather.
"Not my good jacket," he muttered, and then remembering his adventure previous to the fire incident, he scowled again. "Not like I didn't need another one."
Gracefully he hopped out of the window, landing next to the child's prone form. Throwing his hands in the air, knife still in his hand he glared down at Alice.
"What am I supposed to do now?" he demanded.
"Kill the sickness," Devi said, as she appeared kneeling down next to Alice.
"Kill the sickness? There is no bloody sickness here! There is just a fucked up little girl lying here with a tattered bunny rabbit!" Nny ranted.
"You must kill the sickness," a small boy, that Nny once again recognized as himself said, "or else it will consume you, and you'll rule Wonderland."
"Rule Wonderland? Why the hell would I rule Wonderland? And what the hell is the sickness? I don't see the fucking sickness!"
"Kill me," the child sobbed. "Stupid Cat."
"Aw, hell no! I don't kill children!"
"It was the Cat's fault. Kill me!"
Sirens echoed in the silent, snowy night, peircing the still air like a needle through skin. Comprehension dawned on him and he raised his knife, glancing down at the girl. Disgust and remorse flooded his mind, as he closed his eyes, and thrust the knife through the girl's chest. Blood bubbled up around the wound, and Alice gasped. Small bubbles of crimson blood emerged from her mouth, her green eyes wide and thankful.
Feet crunched snow behind Nny and demanded that Nny turn around. Even as he did what the man asked, he felt himself being dragged through air, much like what happened when he was dragged to Wonderland. He closed his eyes and when he awoke he found himself in the alley he had been darting in and out of before.
His hand still clutched the bloody knife, and his suspicious eyes glanced around the dark alley way. Wondering if the sickness was truly gone, he walked past a café, with people he couldn't stand to be around. Instead of feeling the uncontrollable urge to kill them, he walked by them without a care in the world. Images of his past homicides still filled him with joy, and not remorse, most of those people still deserved to have been killed, with the exception of that one guy that ended up in heaven despite Nny's feelings of distrust and hatred.
A yellowed newspaper blew in the wind and caught at his feet. Angrily he stared down at it, the brown boldfaced headline staring up at him. A picture of Alice stared up at him, her doleful hate filled look gazing up at him contemptuously. Smiling devilishly he picked the paper and ripped it into two. Whistling down the street he made the way down to Devi's house, wondering if she would forgive him for that one attempt on her life.
The paper lay in the middle of the street, forgotten and not paid attention to by any one else. The headline blinked in the darkness before, the entire paper completely disappeared.
"Sixty Year Old Arson Case Finally Solved: Murder and Robbery Was the Cause."