Chapter Four

Alice was alone in her room again. It was morning. The sun was starting to arise. Alice got up off of her bed. The night before her therapist was acting quite strange. He just stood there and stared at her with this intensity and heat that burnt her.

Alice walked out of her room and into the hallway. Down the stairs, and out the front door. Before Alice even knew it she was outside and walking to the mangles mermaids. Even though she was experienced she still didn't exactly know how to deal with a fire. The mermaid was almost fully burnt down; it wouldn't be up and running soon, piles of rubble and wood were swept up in the square of the estate. The sign of the mangled mermaid was almost perfectly intact and lay on the pile as if a flag of a burnt down ship. People selling their backsides were still standing in front of the burned down atrocity. Looks like things never really change. Alice wandered the streets a bit more. Past Pris Witless's house, she was feeding her birds like usual. It was true that Alice hadn't seen her since her first fall into wonderland but she quickly avoided any conversation starter with those horrible old alcoholic women.

Alice circled back round to make her way back to hound stitched home, finally noticing the weather. It was cold and she had forgotten her coat at the home. Alice sped her walking. The skies were getting brighter and she didn't want to be in trouble with Doctor Bumby about going out without telling him. She had an early appointment with him and needed to make her way back. Alice walked past alleyways, noticing people dotted around. This was nothing new, the homeless slept there, but when walking past the alleyway closest to the home she noticed a man getting up. Alice kept walking, and in fact sped up. The man sped up his speed as well. He stepped out into the light and Alice recognized him right away.

"Jack Splatter" she whispered starting a backwards trot never letting her eyes leave his silhouette. Splatter was covered in bloodstains on his white shirt. She noticed he wasn't wearing his usual jacket, Alice remembered she had hid it in her closet to not provoke Bumby more. Jack Splatter's face had various cuts and bruises on his lip and chin, his hair was a mess of which she had never seen before. Bits and pieces of his hair were clotted together from dried blood.

The only thing that wasn't different was his egotistical smile when he saw Alice. He knew she was afraid of him, but he also knew she was the key to pissing of the therapist. After he healed his many cuts and bruises he would take what Bumby won. Jack knew that he could hold his own with the doctor that only caught him off guard at that time. He could easily climb back into her room and take what he now also claimed as his. Plus he was getting cold without his jacket.

Alice was running now and quickly turned and ran into the home. Jack wasn't following her but she heard his load teasing laughter as if he was the cat and she was the mouse. Cornered in her mouse hole and the cat were waiting outside. Alice was out of breath once she made it to the home. She checked the clock above the door that led into the kitchen. 06:15, she still had some time to catch her breath before her appointment. She strolled up to her room and sat down on her bed. A pain throbbed in her gut as she thought of Jack Splatter outside. She didn't even think of the issues she had inside.

Alice got back off of her bed and opened her practically empty closet. A few dresses she had gotten from Pris and Bumby and a couple of other people who took sympathy on her condition. Next to her dresses scrunched up in a hurry in the corner was the fur edged coat that Jack Splatter was famous for. He had left it in her room when he ran at the sound of Bumby coming. Next time Alice probably wouldn't be so lucky. She held the coat up, it was very large and the sleeves were way longer than her own arms. It smelled musky like him, which she remembered when he held his hand over her mouth. The smell made Alice's stomach turn and standing still was all she could do to not vomit from the idea of the vile disgusting man.

Alice was about the hide the coat again in the back her closet. Not noticing the time. She was late for her appointment and Bumby had come to search for her. He walked into her room to the image of Alice smelling what he recognized as Jack Splatter's coat.

Bumby misinterpreted the scene, jumping to conclusions. Alice didn't smell the coat. Jack Splatter disgusted her, but a man who thought he had lost what he wanted wouldn't of listened to reason.

Alice looked up and saw Bumby. Her face conveyed an image of horror and shock, she knew he would misinterpret the scene, but how was she going to explain it wasn't of the sort?

"Doct…" Alice started, but stopped as she noticed Bumby's clouded face dressed in rage.

Before another moment passed Bumby had stepped forward and backhanded Alice to the floor.

Alice fell to her knees and looked at her Therapist in horror. His face was still clouded and his hand started bleeding. The earlier scabs that had formed from beating Jack Splatter had come off from the force behind his hit. Slowly blood started dripping onto Alice's floor, the tension so thick it could be cut with a knife.

A second later Bumby was also on his knees and pushing Alice against her closet. Her eyes widened. The smell of the iron filled her nose as his bloodied hand held her face still.

"Come now, Alice" Bumby said slowly in her ear.

Alice stayed silent and just stared; her face was in a whirlwind of pain. It was all she could do to stop the tears from escaping. Bumby's face got closer to her own. Alice squeezed her eyes shut frozen on the spot. She had never been hit before, and definitely never so hard before. Alice could feel Bumby's breath on her cold face. It was warm and fast. Alice kept her eyes squeezed shut. Her body was in turmoil. She wanted to fight back but she couldn't. Her body wasn't responding to her. Alice could feel that Bumby was only a hair breath away. Alice squeezed her eyes tighter, afraid of what was going to happen but she knew full well what it was. Alice felt a hot wet lick on her chapped lips. It was quick and short and sent shivers down her spine. Her body angered her. She was meant to be repulsed with these actions but her body couldn't lie.

A second later Bumby and Alice were connected. Bumby started the kiss slowly. Slowly pushing deeper into it while holding Alice still. Bumby then pushed Alice's lips apart, pushing his tongue through and exploring her mouth. Alice at first tried to shrink into her cabinet. Alice couldn't get away. Bumby pushed into her, Alice tried pushing back but couldn't. Without her own consent her tongue started exploring Bumby's mouth and then his tongue. Bumby saw this as an invitation and their kiss got deeper.