Black Kitten Chara: Welcome to my seventh chapter of Lucy in Wonderland! I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hollow Fields or American McGee's Alice!

Bill McGill led the teens through a long, underground tunnel as a small spot of light could be seen from afar. Bill pointed to this light and said, "That, kiddies, is the exit. Just climb on the ladder and I'll be right behind you the whole time."

The teens nodded their head as they went to the ladder and went Francine go first. She started climbing as Simon placed his hands and feet up there for him to go next. Carmen looked at Claude and asked, "Where do you think this Village of Doomed is at?"

Claude shrugged his shoulders as he said, "How should I know?"

Carmen turned around as she took her place on the ladder when Simon began climbing. Bill watched the teens climbing up as he said, "You four any use?"

"We're pretty good. Whether or not we are good here will tell in time." Claude said as he grabbed the ladder as Carmen began climbing. He watched her climb to the top and being pulled up by Simon, where he stareted to climb with Bill at his heels. "Why are you right behind me?" Claude asked in annoyance.

"Because this place can make me a coward. So hurry, boy!" The smell of brandy burned Claude's mouth and nose as he held his breath long enough to climb as fast as he could and reach the top, being pulled by Simon and Carmen. Claude stood up to see a almost-different Vale of Tears

Instead of clear blue water running in the streams, blood was now in the river and it covered the edges of land near the riverside. Two crying girl statues were now crying something other than water; one was crying out black tar that became slugs on the ground, and the second one cried out blood that filled the river. The sky was now a burnt orange and most of the trees were dead and fallen. Black oil bursted from the huge cracks in the dried-up ground and the teens, with Bill McGill at their side, was at an old abandoned railroad that looked broken down and torn to pieces.

"Welcome to the Looking Glass Railway. Or what is left of it..." Bill said as he looked at the floating pieces of the old train. He pointed at something to the side, which the teens turned around to see a huge snowglobe of with a sign saying "Mock Turtle, Lost at Sea." Bill shook his head and sighed. "Poor lad, misses his job as I missed me brandy."

"Is all you think about is that brandy?" Francine asked curiously.

"Yes." Bill said a simple as he could. He walked to the old railway and picked up something, which was actually four dinner plates that were the size of queen-sized beds. There were wheels on the bottom of each plate and a strap on the top to hold something, or someone, in. "This is your ride to the Village." Bill said as he snapped the plates together with wire.

"Really? Isn't there something safer?" Carmen yelled in fear.

Bill shook his head and said, "After the railroad was destoryed, I snuck by the Hatter's minions and grabbed a few of these in case I need to head to the Village for some brandy. It's perfectly safe, and it will lead you straight to the Village in no time."

"But-"

"No buts, lassie. Just get in." Carmen looked angry as she sat on the second plate with Claude on the first plate, Simon on the third plate, and Francine tucked in the back on the fourth plate. They each snapped themselves in and held on the sides.

Bill walked up to a lever and looked at the teens. Claude gulped as he looked ahead and saw how far down it really was to the Village. He looked at Bill and asked, "You're sure this is safe?"

But as Bill glared at him and opened his mouth, the most horrible thing happened. The leeches that were created by one of the crying statues came behind Bill and attacked him. "AHH!" Bill screamed in pain as Francine screamed in fear. Bill grabbed the lever with a bloody hand and pulled on it as the plates moved at lightning speed, leaving the poor chameleon as he suffered a painful death.

The teens grabbed on to the person in front of them and yelled as the plates became going on a roller coaster-type railroad.

"We're going to die...!" Simon wailed for the second time of today as the makeshift ride went through a circle-shaped loop as he held on to Carmen for dear life.

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Claude yelled back as the ride made a sharp turn to the left, causing Francine to squeal as she almost fell off if Simon wasn't there to hold on her small arm.

The makeshift ride kept going as it took many more sharp turns and went through five more loops, Claude felt Carmen grab on around his waist as she yelled in his ear. Carmen wasn't the type to get scared easily, having to grow up with four siblings and growing up a lot from fifth grade where everything they did at Hollow Fields was dangerous, but when she did get scared even Claude worried.

The ride went up a small mountain as gravity quickly pulled it back down to where tears formed in Claude's eyes. The brunette held back a scream because he needed to look brave for the sake of his friends, but mainly because going down that small mountain took his breath away.

The Irish boy held to the sides of the plate, hoping that this horrible ride would stop soon. He could already hear the tracks squeaking and rattling as the teens passed them, and the beams holding the tracks up seem to be worn down with age. And the plates didn't look so great either because they have cracks in them as if they were going to break at any second.

Then he saw it. "Guys, hold it!" Claude yelled as their ride began to head for a small space in the ground. The one problem was that the small hole in the ground was twenty feet below them.

"We're not going to make that!" Francine yelled as she poked her head behind Simon to see where Claude was talking about.

"Just unbuckle and trust me!" Claude yelled as he undid the worn buckle on his waist that was keeping him from falling. After a second, his friends followed suit as they undid their buckles and held on to each other as the ride came closed to the end of the tracks.

Claude held his breath as the plates jerked to a stop at the end of the tracks, but the teens were thrown off the plates and towards the ground, where somehow by a mircale Claude was able to get them through the hole in the ground, which actually turned out to be bigger than expected.

The teens went through a vortex of a swirling blue color as they landed on a hard-pacted ground within a minute after jumping. Claude let go of Carmen's hand as she did the same with Simon. "Ow.. my head..." Francine moaned as Simon helped her up.

Claude slowly got up as he looked around in the area they were in.

It was a small, underground village. There were worn out, wooden bridges that were over toxic-looking waters that were black and bubbling. The houses and huts here were destoryed with some parts burnt off, but blue lights still shined through the murky and broken windows. Levels upon levels of wooden floors showed how tall the underground village was, and glowing mushrooms still grew from the baren ground.

"Where are we?" He asked to nobody in particular, except for an eavesdropping cat.

The Cheshire Cat appeared near Simon, which caused the boy to jump a little. "You're late."

Claude glared at the Cat as he looked around for someone, only to see glowing orange orbs walking in mid-air. "Thanks for the infomation. By the way, how are we supposed to find our way out of here?"

"As knowing where you're going is preferable to being lost, ask... Elder Gnome knows a thing or two and I myself don't need a weather vane to tell which way the wind blows. Let your need guide your behavior, and supress your instinct to lead." The Cheshire Cat said before he vanished, leaving the teens to once again to defend for themselves.

Francine looked around the place as she said, "Elder Gnome? What does he mean by that?"

Claude looked ahead, seeing a small hallway. "Beats me. But let's go ahead."

The teens began walking as the floating orb from before got closer and closer. Then Claude realized, at last, that the orb wasn't floating but someone had it on their back. "Excuse me! Can you help us?"

The person turned around sadly. It was a gnome with buzz-cut brown hair, black eyes, and pale skin with only red overalls covering him. He adjusted the orb on his back and he said sadly, "Our land is destoryed, out spirits crushed. Why help you when we can not help ourselves?"

Francine peeked around from behind Simon and walked to the gnome as she said, "Is there no joy here?"

The gnome sighed. "Slavery and happiness do not dwell in the same house." Before another question could be asked, the gnome ran off towards an air vent.

The teens looked confusion as they followed the gnome, only to be stopped by the Cheshire Cat again. He gestured towards the air vent and the other side of the path. "When the path is problematical, consider a leap of faith. Ride the wind."

As he disappeared, Simon mummbled something about the Cat being odd. Then the teens reached the air vent and Claude jumped as the air pulled him upwards. Claude stood there in mid-air for a second before he made his body go forward, causing him to land on the other side of the path.

Carmen was next as Simon and Francine followed suit of what their friends did. Each of them arrived to the other side safely. Carmen turned around to see a second gnome the same as the first, but he wore green overalls. "Sitr up no trouble. The enemy is ruthless, so we work to please them."

Carmen smirked as she said, "We're not afraid of them. But you should stand up to them, whoever them is exactly."

"Defiance is useless. While the new law regins, only death can release us from this toture. That or the loss of our true Queen. The master of Wonderland." The second gnome said like it was a fact.

"You mean Lucy?" Claude asked.

The second gnome did not ask or answer as he went off and kept working. Claude and his friends sighed together as they kept going on the path. They kept their weapons at hand in case of a battle, but nothing seem too dangerous at the moment.

"Where can we go?" Simon asked as the teens began walking up a plank. "I don't see a way out anytime soon." As the words left his lips, the Cat reappeared as he gave his smart-aleck smile towards Simon. The blonde groaned and said, "Not another riddle..."

The Cheshire Cat gestured towards a small keyhole that was blocked, where he said "Find Elder and he shall help you leave. But one must stay with his current task as the others go with him." Then he disappeared as Simon tried to pull his Hobby Horse out, only to be stopped by Francine.

The teens kept walking as they came to their third gnome, one with blue overalls. Francine went up to him and smiled sadly as she said, "Everyone here is completely dejected. Are things as bad as they seem?"

The third gnome huffed and said, "The truth would reduce you to a whining baby! Are you four the saviors that Rabbit was talking about before his death?"

"The White Rabbit is dead?!" Simon yelled, but nobody payed any attention to him at the moment.

Claude looked at the third gnome and said, "I don't think we're the saviors. We're just some kids who are here by mistake. But we do need to meet the Elder Gnome, if that is the person over this place."

The third gnome looked thoughtful for a second as he said, "Fine. Take you four to Elder Gnome. He knows how to help people, if only he can help out his own kind." The gnome beagn walking back down the plank as the teens hurried up to follow him.

~0~

The teens followed the gnome back down a different path not to far from the air vent they had to go across. They reached a small hut, concealed by the dirt and mushrooms, as the third gnome knocked on the door and yelled, "Elder, some kids here to see you!"

Before the door opened, the gnome ran off as if something was chasing him. The teens looked confuse until the door opened and someone was heard saying, "Whataya what?" The teens looked down to see a short, elderly man who had a slightly long beard that curved inwards. He wore a white, worn shirt with red dungarees and a cigar in his mouth. He also didn't have a glowing orb strapped to his back like the other did. "I'm Elder, if you care to know."

"Um... We need help..." Simon said as he saw that the man only came to Francine's thighs.

Elder laughed before a fit of coughs racked his body. Then he took in a deep breath and threw the cigar to the ground. "You need help? I need help taking care of this damn creature before he dies!"

Francine's eyes lit up as she asked, "What kind of creature are we talking about? Maybe I can help..."

Elder sighed as he pointed to the inside of the hut, which was more of the cave since there was no roof or walls. There, laying down in a pool of blood because of his blacken sores, was an once-beautiful creature; a gryphon with the brown body of a lion, and the bronze-colored wings and white feathered-face of an eagle. But he was groaning in pain as the sores ozzed out blood and tar, and his blue eyes were glazed over.

Francine covered her mouth as Elder said, "I have been watching him since this Ruin has been coming in. Poor thing and some others, namely the White Rabbit, fell victim when the first wave came in but he is holding up."

But his words were at a lost as Francine walked up to the creature. "Please, let me take care of him. I'm a vegan, I have over five pets, and I work an animal shelter. So please let me try to help him."

Elder stroked his beard as he asked, "What do you need me for?"

"Well, Cheshire said you have something we need. Can we know what that is?" Claude asked.

For a moment, something changed in the air. The Elder Gnome looked thoughtful as he said, "Oh, you need the Memory Door." He looked back at Francine, who was grabbing a cloth and some medicine. "As long as the girl stays here, then I can take you there."

Francine gave a huge smile as she began working on the wounds like she has done a million times before in the real world. "Have fun, guys! Tell me if anything interesting happens!" The Elder Gnome began pushing the three teens away from the house as they looked back at their friend one last time before he slammed the the door shut.

~0~

The Elder Gnome led the teens through a darken alley on the side of his house. "Nobody uses this path but me, and that's because my blimp is near!" Elder said as he took another puff of smoke from his cigar.

The teens stayed behind him a few inches to not smell the smoke, and nobody knew what to say. All three of them were very smart kids, both in school and socially, but even this was a little too weird for them. "Um... Can I ask you a question?" Claude finally said after a few minutes.

"Fire away." Elder said unhappily.

"What is going on here?" The brunette Irish boy asked with some annoyance in his voice.

For a minute, there was silence before the Elder Gnome sighed with a heavy heart. "Well, where to begin? I guess the first thing that I should say is that Wonderland wasn't even that bad even when Lucy was mad as hell. You could say over the six years, Wonderland was only 60% corrupted and that wasn't even the most important parts."

"Really?" Carmen asked with surprise in her voice.

"Yes ma'am, that's the truth there. But ever since a month ago, the corruption went from slow to high-speed since the appearance of that Ruin. First, it was the leech-like Slitherling Ruin. Not a threat unless in a pack, but we pay no mind. Then the Insidious Ruin, the the Drifting Ruin, the the Menacing Ruin, and finally the Colossal Ruin started to appear and everything went to Hell."

"So, what even created this Ruin? Lucy couldn't have because I don't think she wants to go crazier than she already is." Simon said.

The Elder Gnome shrugged his shoulders as he puffed out more smoke from his cigar. "Beats me, kid. They just showed up about a month ago and around the same time, the Looking Glass Railroad was put out of business. But I know the Red Queen didn't make, that's for sure."

"Why not? She always seem pretty evil whenever I see her in movies or books." Carmen asked as she stopped in her tracks and placed her hands on her hips, a sign that she wants an answer right that second.

The Elder gnome sighed again as he looked at the dark-skinned girl. "The Red Queen wasn't too bad. I mean yes, she did go crazy at one point that Lucy had to come in last year and kill her. That much I will admit to her being mad. But I don't think she would want her own son to die..."

"SON?!" The three teens yelled as the Elder Gnome led them out of the dark alley and into a small cave. But it wasn't too small because a huge, baby blue blimp stood in the middle of it with machinery around it. "Whoa..." The three teens said together as the Elder Gnome led them one of the machines, which looked like a huge computer.

As the Elder Gnome worked on the computer and the teens waited for an answer, he huffed and said "Of course the Queen has a son! She needed a heir to take over if she died. Knave of Hearts, that was him. An illegal bastard of the Red Queen and the original Knave of Hearts, who was killed after his son was born."

"The Knave became good friends with Lucy, that some even said he loved her. Too bad the boy died all of a sudden. Disappeared one day and when he was found, the lad was slowly dying though not as bad as the Gryphon is at the moment. He gave his mother his necklace and told her if Lucy came back, give it to her." As the Elder Gnome finished his chattering, he turned around and looked at Claude as he pulled something out of his pocket.

The gnome threw something at Claude, which the brunette caught easily but with some surprise. Claude looked at the Elder Gnome as he said, "Well, if Lucy wouldn't take the necklace then the Knave's double might as well." Claude cocked an eyebrow as he opend his hands to reveal a beautiful necklace; it was a small, crystal red heart with golden lining on a thin, black string. "Have it, boy." Elder said as he continued to work on the machine.

Claude looked confuse as he placed the locket in his pocket. "What do you mean I'm the Kanve's double?"

"You look a lot like him. Makes me think..." The Elder Gnome trailed off as he flipped a switch and looked at the teens as a small buzzing noise was heard. "The keyhole is open now. But let's get you to that Memory Door."

Elder led the teens to behind the computer and pulled up a silk red curtain. There, behind the curtain, was a grey wooden door with flames dancing behind it and a name in bold names on the top: SNOW.

Carmen had her mouth opened as she said, "This is Lucy's memory? Isn't it wrong for us to go in?"

Elder wave his hand absently. "Don't mind that. Lucy came and went inside, saying her only goal here was to find out what really happened the night of the fire. But that doens't mean you could have played a part." The Elder Gnome opened the door and gestured inside.

The teens looked unsure for a moment before Claude walked foward and went inside the door, the flames not harming him as the door closed.

[MEMORY DOOR]

Claude opened his eyes to see a strange scene; he was back in the household of the Snow family, at the same moment Lucy was walking him to the door.

Before he could say anything, the ghostly voice of Lucy was heard. "I remember this. I had just walked Claude to the front door and saw him leave when one of Papa's undergraduates shoved pass me." As Lucy tried to close the door, Claude saw a tall, angry-looking young man with some hair on his face and glasses push pass Lucy.

Lucy closed the door as her voice was heard again. "It was that Dales young man, but Papa nor Phoebe did not say a word about him after I got back outside."

Then everything went black.

[MEMORY DOOR ENDS]

Claude walked back out as his head began to spin. He remembered seeing that undergraduate when he had stromed out of the house, but he paid no attention to him at all. Was that a clue to what had happened, or did Lucy just placed that there for no reason?

"Well, how was it?" Carmen asked.

Claude regain his composure as he said, "It was fine." He took in a deep breath as the Elder Gnome pried the boy from the Memory Door. The brunette looked at Carmen and Simon as he lied, "It was nothing really."

As the Elder Gnome shook his head in disbelief, something happened. A high-pitched, girlish scream as heard back towards the house. "FRANCINE!" The three teens yelled as they began bolting towards the house.

They ran as fast as the could, but right when the got to the house, Francine ran out with tears in her eyes as she screamed. "What the hell is going on?" Carmen yelled as Claude and Simon tried to calm Francine down.

The small girl pointed at the house and said, "T-The Gry-Gryphon m-melted into a pile of blood and t-tar! H-His eyes popped out and his h-h-head broke off, then R-Ruin c-c-came in!"

Simon held the pigtailed girl's shoulders as the house began to be covered in black tar with doll heads showing in random places. The Elder Gnome came by and said, "Damn it! You kids have to get out of here..."

"But where can we go?" Claude asked.

"Go see the White Queen. She can help you, hopefully." The Elder Gnome said as he pointed at a small keyhole. "Go through the keyhole and the Looking Glass Realms should be on the other end of the woods. GO!"

The teens didn't need to be told twice as they ran towards the keyhole as the Ruin covered more of the area. They did not look back at the Elder Gnome, scared to see what would happen to him. They all hiccup at once as they grew small and ran through the keyhole, hoping the nothing would chase them.

Once they were outside, they hiccup again as they grew back to their normal size and they entered a lush forest that looked silimar to what the Vale of Tears looked like. They could hear the Ruin coming out from the Village of the Doomed.

Francine fell to her knees as tears ran down her face. "I t-t-tried to help. B-But.. But it came so f-f-fast that I couldn't stop it..."

Carmen kneel next to her friend and patted her shoulders. "It's okay. None of us blame you."

As Francine wiped her tears away, Claude looked ahead of them and cocked his head to get a better angle of where they should go. "I guess we can keep walking. I can't tell where this forest ends or where it begins. How does that plan sound?" But all him got was silence.

Claude turned around to see all of his friends on the ground, sleeping. He felt some anger about how they could sleep at this time, but he began feel too lightheaded to be angry. He held his head as he kneel to the ground, and his vision began to go blurry. Finally, he laid his head down as his eyes closed slowly.

When Claude opened up his eyes, he was in the common room of the asylum.