How much longer?

How long would she have to wait?

Could she even stomach waiting?

These thoughts forced Alice's mind to race, even in the most dead hours of the night. By now, even the most energetic children of the orphanage would have succumbed to tiredness, their own minds forcing them to stop. Not her. She was the only creature stirring, and for good reason. Though she had been deadset to free the children, seeking to move past her unwittingly compliant role into one that was more heroic, this kind of thing needed planning. Not only would she have to wait for the most opportune time, Alice was eager to give Dr. Bumby a piece of her mind. Thinking, writing, and rehearsing every single word she'd say to that bastard when the time came, to make every single word hurt. Though there was no practical reason at all, Alice needed to make this count. But… how long was she willing to wait?

Alice groaned, and laid on her back to face the ceiling. "Wonderland…" she mouthed to herself. Going there was her last option to finally sleep. She softly closed her eyes, and… actually started to drift off! She smiled, her heart beating slower and slower as she calmed down…

It didn't last very long.

All of a sudden, she heard the front door of the Orphanage open up. Nobody was supposed to be here! Alice thought it was Dr. Bumby at first, but… that couldn't be the case! It was a late work night for Bumby, and he was already up in his office. Was it some kind of intruder?

Alice began to pull from her memories again. Tears began to flow from her eyes. Her face began to burn hot. Though there was no candle light on the walls outside, an orange glow made its way into Alice's room, casting writhing shadows onto every square centimeter of the wall that the light touched, as well as the curtains. It was like she was at home again, reliving the very night that Dr. Bumby ruined her life. Her parents deceased, and Lizzie… oh god, Lizzie… the thoughts made her want to vomit and cry.

"Stop. Stop…" Alice whispered through clenched teeth.

Thankfully, there was a difference with this repeated memory. Unfortunately, it left Alice with a myriad of questions.

The light cast a shadow onto Alice's wall… and with it, a strange, blue glow. A crackling sound could be heard, like drawn out lightning, as the blue glow seemed to interfere with the flame's light. A losing battle, as the red intensified and blotted out the blue, but it was still different nonetheless.

Alice's fear gave way to concerned confusion, and she shut her eyes tight, before looking up again. Her face was still warm, and small, damp lines of tears ran down her face, but the fire was gone. The blue glow was gone. The man, despite no longer casting the shadow, was still walking down the hall. A deep reverberation rang out, followed by the glimpse of a hand following the opening of her door.

The man outside grunted in pain.

"Damnit, Doctor. All my complaints and all your money, yet never investing in damn lights. Just one, please."

He sounded… jaded, with a twinge of frustration. Anyone would have been upset to accidentally walk into a door frame in the darkest hours of the night, but something about his line was on a whole other level. Between this and the hallucination, Alice had more than a few questions. As the man huffed and turned to continue down the hall, Alice decided to hold off on trying to sleep. She clambered out of bed, crouched low, and proceeded to sneak behind the man, watching him at a safe distance.

He couldn't have been much taller than Alice, though he was definitely taller, and just as thin. His attire was formal enough. Tan trousers, black shoes, and a jacket that was probably some shade of dark green. It was hard enough to tell in the relative darkness of the orphanage's halls. His gait seemed uncomfortable, almost shambling to his destination. Alice couldn't blame the man, it was in the middle of the night, nobody could fault him for being awake so late…

In his right hand was a small suitcase. Covered in scratched leather and riveted with brass that wasn't tarnished nor shining like a mirror, he held it close to his side, and tried his best from tapping the wall on one of its corners. Still, as he climbed up the stairs (and Alice with him), he would occasionally tap the walls with the corner of the suitcase. He'd occasionally look up to the walls to glimpse at the pictures. For most of them, Alice knew they had backstories… and none of them were pleasant. Whether or not this man knew was something Alice didn't know.

And she wouldn't have much time to ponder that, because yet another revelation hit her. The man had stopped at the door to Dr. Bumby's office. It was closed, but a dim light crept from the seams between the door and the door frame, unintentionally showing a bit more of the man's look. As it turned out, his hair was brown and fairly unkempt. Strange, but there were aspects stranger.

He raised his left hand and gave the office door a quick knock.

"Who is there?" The distinct voice of Dr. Bumby called out in a yell-whisper.

"It's me, Doctor." The man replied. He sounded as exhausted as he looked.

Alice hid behind the corner before she could hear the sound of the door opening. The two definitely knew each other… What was going on?

The door shut, and prompted Alice to come out of hiding. There was no way she was going to walk back to her room without some answers. Normally, meetings between Dr. Bumby and some psychiatric experts held in high regard were rare but unsurprising. Those usually happened during the day, not… at half past two. To say suspicions were at an all time high would be an understatement. Alice didn't know what to make of it, but something nagged at her that told her to investigate… and that time was running out.

She crawled her way to the door, and looked through the keyhole. The room was lit up, looking as though it were day, and Alice could get a better look at the man. He looked unshaven, his facial hair looked scrappy and lacked any sort of substance. Glasses were on his disheveled face, the lenses more elliptical than the doctor's. The doctor was out of view, the sounds of pouring liquid being the most enrapturing sound in the whole room until he spoke.

"You usually show up earlier, Levy. What happened?"

"I…" The man who Alice now knew as Levy shook his head. "The details are lost, but I was just… lost in thought. Did not realize the time."

"Are you sure?"

Levy looked up at Bumby. "Yes. I'm sure. Besides, it's none of your concern."

"Of course not. I looked into your file the day before our first meeting, and my concerns were addressed then. I know all about-"

"That's quite enough, doctor. If it got in the way at all, you would not have seen me at your doorstep."

"Fair enough. All I'm saying is this; perhaps you could take some of what you learn to heart. Your role in a professional setting does not detract from the fact that the line between you and the patients blurs and fades by each passing second."

"I know all about it. You need not tell me."

"And with that, I cannot argue." Dr. Bumby finally came into view of Alice after that, holding two glasses of wine in his hands. He handed one of them to Levy. "Cheers, friend?"

Levy seemed to hesitate a little bit, before finally shuffling the papers neatly and taking the offer.

"Cheers."

Alice observed as Dr. Bumby took a nice, fairly drawn out sip of the alcohol. A smile crept across his face, and it made Alice's skin crawl. Levy didn't seem to reciprocate the gesture, opting to move the rim of the wine glass past his upper lip and to his nose to take a deep inhale of the wine's smell. It pleased him.

"Now… let's begin."

Alice withdrew herself from her view through the keyhole, and directed her gaze to a crack on the wall that she had never seen before. There were a few things she was able to answer, and one new realization that made things… dicey. Whoever Levy was, Alice could glean a few things from him. For starters, he had been in contact with Dr. Bumby for a little while now. Why they would discuss things in the dead of night was still a mystery, but there was no way that there wasn't some reason that had sailed over her head. Secondly, Alice recognized the signs of something being seriously wrong with the man himself. If Dr. Bumby's recommendation for "treatment" didn't tip her off, then it was his demeanor that did it. Every word sounded like it had to be forced out. Once again, the reasons were lost on her, but she could do nothing but speculate. Lastly, and most importantly, this complicated her future plans. Not only did she not know how to kill Dr. Bumby, but someone would be there to be a witness. A lock, keeping the children of the orphanage from being freed. A hound. A monster made and bathed in cruelty… but unfinished. Perhaps now, it was time to act. Alice's pent up guilt was no longer the only thing eating away at her remaining time, a third party had joined the fray…

Alice clenched her fist tight. The self restraint it took to keep herself from barging in… it was almost too much. Horrible thing. Evil beast. Waste of human life. Hate. Hate. Hate. Ha-

"Alice! What're you doing up?"

Alice yelped and covered her mouth, turning towards the person behind her. One of the children.

"None of your business." She whispered.

"Oh yeah? Got something to hide?"

The commotion from within the office was dying down, though Alice did not hear it.

"What would I have to hide?"

"Why you're kneelin' at the doctor's office!" The child exclaimed. Alice would not have been surprised if Dr. Bumby made this kid forget how to speak quietly.

"The same reason why you're awake! Now go-"

The door swung open. It wasn't Dr. Bumby, but Levy. The up close details only confirmed Alice's assumptions. Bags under his eyes, the stubble, it all checked out. As for Bumby, he was hurrying his way over, his voice raised in frustration.

"Quiet. We're busy."

"Le- Levy! Stop that, get out of the way!" Bumby shoved him out of the way, and assumed his previous position at the door. His frustrated expression only intensified with disgust as soon as he caught eyes with Alice.

"Alice, what are you doing here?" Bumby snapped.

"I- well-"

"She was peepin' at you!"

Dr. Bumby looked at the child, who neared the turn in the hall, and then back down at Alice. He took his glasses off, and rubbed his eyes.

"God… you two, go back to your rooms. Please?!" It was a bit rare to see Dr. Bumby so frustrated, but Alice was experiencing it. Had she not known what he was truly capable of, maybe this moment would have been significantly more overwhelming. Alice stood up, and headed to the end of the hall. The other child was already long gone.

But before she could head back, Alice noticed the crack in the wall. It pried itself apart, a pitch blackness forming where the walls once met. This wasn't the sludge from the ruin, however. This was something different. It carved a strange path on the wall, before disappearing behind the door again. The two voices behind the door began to get louder, as Dr. Bumby and Levy yelled at each other. Alice resumed her position at the keyhole.

"Why?! Why weren't you quiet in the halls?"

"I was! Just like you had asked!"

"Well, clearly not! Not one, but TWO at the door? They're not supposed to know!"

"Wh- I- Thg-"

"Well, go on then! Speak! Tell me your pathetic excuse!"

"I was as quiet as a church mouse, doctor! As quiet as possible! What would I have done?!"

"You tell me!"

The crack wormed its way behind Levy, and the sight gave Alice a bad feeling.

"Perhaps I stepped on a creaky floorboard, maybe? That would be on you! For not replacing it!"

"There is no such thing, you idiot!"

"Doctor!"

"Do you realize what this means, Levy?"

"Doctor."

"Don't you ever do it again! I don't want you to-"

"D-doctor…"

The wall burst open at the corner, directly behind Levy. Dr. Bumby had turned and twisted himself into a crocodilian beast, one that Alice could hardly describe because… well, her creativity wouldn't have made that in the first place. The Jabberwock was fair game, but whatever that was? Far from it.

And that was when it happened.

All at once, chains reached out from the darkness, wrapping around Levy by the torso. The beast inched its way closer to him as he screamed, before Levy was pulled into the blackness.

That rang close to home. That felt close to Wonderland. Or… something like it?

Alice felt ill. Pure sensory overload. The questions were swimming at full speed. Too many of them. She finally stood up and ran down to her room, almost tripping on herself and falling down the stairs. Alice stood at the door frame to her room… but the ground had given way. A bottomless pit that Alice had almost fell to, with the only thing keeping her from falling being her tenuous grip on the door. Then that too became useless, as the ground under her feet gave way, and she fell in.

Like she always had, however, Alice finally calmed down. This was definitely Wonderland that she was falling into, thankfully. As she approached terminal velocity and subsequently slowed down, Alice could feel wind blow between her fingers, and her attire went from the drab product of her harsh reality into the comfort of the blue dress. Alas, she was in Wonderland.

Awakeness. Peace. Safety. But the deluge of questions did not cease. Far from it.