Haha. I guess just one last, last one. See you guys.


Alice


Two men, Al and Jesse, scurried through the forests in the mountains outside of Domino City. They were wanted men, hunted by the police for robbing a bank and kidnapping the daughter of its manager. She was a sweet girl named Alice. They held her for ransom in their secret hiding spot in the slums of the city. To cheer herself up, Alice held a firm embrace to her doll. At night, while the men played cards, she brushed her doll's hair and sang a song to cheer her up.

Alice, Alice, gentle Alice,

How lovely your flowers bloom.

As bluebirds fly across the sky,

And sing their lovely tune.

But there would be no comfort for Alice. The police were catching up to them fast. It was no use holding her for ransom anymore, and they were angry that they were going to lose the extra pot to their payday. Soon, the police infiltrated the building, but the men got away, leaving their loot behind. Now, they had nothing. Nothing but a scared little girl in their possession and the police had no intent on negotiating with them. They were angry at Alice. They were going to make her pay. Furious, Al and Jesse took the poor frightened girl to the fields. There, they shot her in the head and cut her body to pieces with a long knife. Then they put the body parts in sacks and tossed them into the river before breaking towards the mountains to get away from the police.

They had been running for days and were getting tired. Soon, they came upon a hut at the top of a mountain overlooking the city. Then men dashed inside of it to take shelter and started a fire in the chimney. When the light of the flames illuminated the room, they saw a beautiful porcelain doll sitting on a chair in the corner. It had long, wavy, gray hair and pink bows on both sides of its head, and it wore a black dress with white lace as trimming.

"Hey," said Al. "It looks like Alice, doesn't it?"

"That it does," Jesse agreed. He brandished the knife he used to butcher the poor girl. "Ha. Welcome back, little one? Back for more?"

"What do you reckon we do now? The boys are going to be mad that we didn't come back with the loot. I told you kidnapping the girl was a bad idea. You didn't listen. No, you just wanted to get more and impress the boss and the gang. Now, look at us."

"Oh, stop your whining, pea-brain! We still got plenty of food left in our sacks and my phone is working. I'll call the boys and let them know where we are."

So Jesse went outside and called the gang. They were mad about the losses, but Al and Jesse were the best in the crew and couldn't afford to lose them. They said to sit tight and wait until a man named Benny and his friends would go looking for them. So, Al and Jesse waited patiently for them to arrive. Two days went by and no one came up the mountain. And then their phones died.

It was just Jesse, Al, and Alice.

To combat their boredom, the two men interacted with Alice. When they were in a good mood, they talked to the doll. They made her say funny jokes and Jesse would sometimes make her act like a flirty girl to mess around with Al. The men laughed. Alice didn't.

When they were in a foul mood, they would kick the doll around, pull her hair, and punched her in the face, blaming it as though it were the girl they killed a few days ago. Al was getting tired of eating pork and beans. He smeared it around Alice's mouth and said: "How's it taste, Alice!? Huh? What's that? You don't like it? Well, it's all you have so you better eat it? Or else!"

Al put the doll over his knee and spanked it. "How do you like that, Alice!" They would jeer! Both men howled and laughed. Alice didn't.

Another night went by and there was still no sign of Benny. After Al and Jesse had beat the doll, they set it on the corner and heard it sighing sadly.

"D-d-d-d-did you hear that?" Jesse asked.

"It was Alice!" Al confirmed. "There's no one here. It came from right behind us! I heard it! But that's no possible! Alice can't sigh. She's a porcelain doll for goodness sakes."

"Throw her in the fire, Al!" Jesse said shivering. "Something ain't right with that doll."

"Don't do anything you're going to regret, Jesse!" Al snapped back at him. "I hate to admit it, but she's the only thing keeping me sane up here. It's so boring. Ugh, maybe we're just tired. Let's get some sleep for now. Tomorrow, let's not play with her. Just leave her in her corner, but keep an eye on her. Hopefully, Benny and the others find us."

And so they woke up the next morning. Alice was still there in the corner. They then concluded that there was nothing to be scared of. Nothing at all. Maybe it was a blast of air from one of the cracks in the wall. Or perhaps a cricket got into her dress, who knew? Soon their fear died down and they resorted to playing with the doll again. They laughed at her when in a good mood. And when they were angry, they beat her.

Then, one night. Alice started to sing.

Alice, Alice, gentle Alice!

How lovely your flowers bloom!

As bluebirds fly across the sky

And sing their lovely tune.

She sang that song all through the night. And when the sun went up, she went quiet. At night, the men found no sleep, for the song kept coming from the doll.

Alice, Alice, gentle Alice!

How lovely your flowers bloom!

As bluebirds fly across the sky

And sing their lovely tune!

She sang that song every night. A week went by. The men were tired, hungry, and afraid. Benny and the others hadn't come up yet. But that soon turned into the least of their worries. Alice. She was now the size of a young girl. Now the two men were getting frightened. Later that night, as they ate the last of their cans of pork and beans, Alice got up from the chair and scurried like a bug across the room and out the door. Al and Jesse barricaded the door with all their chairs and a dresser to keep her out. But she tortured them all through the night. She tapped on the windows with her fingers. She would run up the walls and tapdanced on the roof, driving the men insane. And then she would stand over the chimney and sing:

Alice, Alice, gentle Alice!

How lovely your flowers bloom!

As bluebirds fly across the sky

And sing their lovely tune!

The men had enough. The following morning was still. When the men looked around, Alice was nowhere to be seen. She must have took off into the night. Feeling safe, they tore down their barricade and ran out of the hut. But they stopped. Shit! They forgot their pistols on the kitchen table. Both men were scared and didn't want to go back for them. But they had to. Police were everywhere looking for them and they needed something to defend themselves with. Those pistols were loaded and customized to their liking.

They played a game of rock-paper-scissors. Al lost. He gulped but stood up straight. "What do I got to be afraid of?" he said. "Once I get those guns in my hand, that doll is toast."

So he told Jesse to wait for him and he went running back to the hut. He found the guns on the table. But they had been emptied. Save for one. His gun. Al checked the magazine and noticed there was one bullet left.

Jesse sighed sadly. He grabbed the guns and darted out of the hut. But as soon as he walked out the door, he saw Alice standing on the branch of a tree about four yards away from the hut. She glared at him as he held up a bloody knife. And beneath her feet was a rope holding on to the skinless carcass of what was once Al's partner in crime.

Alice, Alice, gentle Alice!

How lovely your flowers bloom!

As bluebirds fly across the sky

And sing their lovely tune!

The doll hopped down from the tree and landed on her own two feet. She started walking towards him, holding the knife up high.

Alice, Alice, gentle Alice!

How lovely your flowers bloom!

As bluebirds fly across the sky

And sing their lovely tune!

Al could not take it anymore. The fear was extreme. She was coming for him. And there was no escape. Left with no choice, Al put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.