Doc and Lutridge

The stone walls of Rutledge Asylum closed in around Alice as she shuffled through the winding corridors, flanked by two burly orderlies. Her mind still swirled with fragmented

memories of Wonderland and the madness of her trial. As she walked, lunatic cries and maniacal laughter echoed off the walls creating a haunting harmonious chorus that sent a chill down her spine. The orderly to Alice's left tightened his grip on her arm, his thick fingers digging into her flesh. She tried to block out the sounds of suffering that permeated this grim place. Ahead, an iron-barred cell came into view, its rusted door hanging open like a jagged tooth mouth. One of the orderlies shoved Alice inside with little care, and she stumbled to the damp floor.

As the cell door slammed shut behind her, Alice was plunged into an overwhelming darkness. She felt her way into a far corner crawling shakily as fear embedded itself in her core. Wrapping her arms around herself, Alice took in her new surroundings as her eyes began to adjust. Mildew clung to the stone walls, and a rancid smell hung in the air. In one corner, a blanket and sheet on top of what was a pathetic excuse for a bed. The only light came from a barred window high above, casting the cell in an eerie blue glow. Alice shivered as the screams and cries continued their dreadful harmony, an unrelenting reminder of her grim reality.

Clutching at the frayed edges of her brain, Alice wondered if she would end up just like the wailing souls in this terrible place. Huddled in the corner of her cell, Alice hugged her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth. Shadows danced across the moistened walls as the banshee howls echoed throughout the halls.

"It's not real, it's not real," Alice muttered to herself, squeezing her eyes shut.

But behind her lids, visions of Wonderland swirled—the grinning Cheshire Cat, the bloody Queen of Hearts. A shriek pierced the night, followed by more sadistic laughter from the queen that sent a chill down Alice's spine. She pressed herself further into the corner, as if trying to disappear into the stone itself. Her eyes darted around the cell, peering into every shadow as her breath came in ragged gasps.

Was Wonderland real, or a figment of her broken mind? Alice no longer knew. Alice clapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, continuing her desperate chant. "It's not real, it's not real..." But down in the depths of her current mental state, Alice was no longer sure if even she was real.

Heavy boots echoed in the distance, growing louder as they approached Alice's cell. She shrank further into the corner, hugging her knees tighter. The footsteps stopped outside her barred door, and a large ring of keys jangled. A burly orderly came into view, his thick neck straining against his uniform. He shoved a key into the rusty lock and turned, swinging the creaking door open.

"On your feet," the orderly grunted, beckoning with a meaty hand.

Alice didn't move, too paralyzed by fear. The orderly let out an exasperated sigh and stepped into the cell, grabbing Alice roughly by the arm. She yelped as he hauled her to her feet, calloused fingers digging into her skin.

"The doc wants to see you," the orderly said, dragging Alice toward the door. "Best not to keep him waiting."

Alice stumbled to find her footing as the orderly pulled her towards her unknown destination. His iron grip was impossible to escape from. And his pace she couldn't sync. Her mind whirled with panic—what horrors would this meeting with the mysterious Doctor hold? Soon Alice's questions would be answered, for better or worse, as she was pulled deeper into the bowels of Rutledge Asylum.

Dr. Bumby's office came into view, its heavy wooden door shut tight. The orderly knocked twice before a muffled voice answered."Come in."

The orderly shoved open the door and thrust Alice inside before slamming it shut behind her. Alice stumbled, catching herself on the edge of a mahogany desk. Behind it sat Dr. Angus Bumby, his name in a placard facing towards her on the edge.

Even seated, Dr. Bumby exuded a domineering presence. Though slight of frame, his piercing gaze seemed to pin Alice in place. Cold blue eyes peered at her from beneath a balding scalp, as if dissecting her very soul. When he spoke, his voice was soft yet carried an unsettling edge.

"So you're Alice. I've been eager to meet the girl who thinks she's capable of taking off a judges head in a full courtroom. Come, have a seat. Let's see what mysteries lie within that mind of yours. "

A chill crept up Alice's spine at his words. Something about Dr. Bumby set her on edge, though she couldn't place why. As she lowered into the chair across from him, Alice felt as though she were facing not a doctor, but some predatory creature assessing its next meal. What dark secrets did this man hope to uncover within her?

Dr. Bumby leaned forward, lacing his fingers. "Tell me about this Wonderland, Alice."

She hesitated. "It was so strange and vivid... I followed a white rabbit and fell down a hole. Everything was topsy-turvy."

As Alice spoke of the grinning cat and bloody queen, Dr. Bumby shook his head side to side. "Delusions and false memories, I'm afraid. You've clearly suffered some trauma."

"But it felt so real—"

The mind is a powerful thing, Alice. It can make us believe almost anything." Dr. Bumby's eyes bored into hers. "You killed those people, did you not? In a state of berserk madness? Probably killed all sixty seven of them. "

Alice shuddered. "I don't know...I can't remember."

"You must face the truth. Wonderland is not real. We'll treat the root of your insanity and you'll live a normal life."

But Alice couldn't shake the feeling that Wonderland held some deeper truth. As Dr. Bumby scribbled notes, she wondered if he was truly here to help, or if darker motives lurked beneath his calm facade. Either way, Alice knew her journey into the depths of her mind had only just begun. Alice shuffled back to her cell in a daze, Dr. Bumby's words echoing in her mind. Wonderland couldn't be real...could it? Back in the confines of her cell, she curled into a ball on the damp floor. As screams and cries endlessly rang out, Alice rocked back and forth, clutching her head. Visions of Wonderland swirled behind her closed eyes—the Cheshire Cat's grin, the bloody Queen's maniacal laughter. Their sounds mingled with those echoing down the asylum corridors until Alice couldn't tell reality from fantasy. Was she truly mad? Or did some deeper truth lie buried within her memories?

As the line between worlds blurred, Alice found herself falling once more, tumbling headlong into the rabbithole. Vivid hallucinations overtook her—she saw the Hatter's towering form looming over a decaying tea party, heard the White Rabbit's frantic cries to flee this terrible place. Alice screwed her eyes shut, but the visions refused to fade. She was losing herself in the maddening depths of her own mind, and with each new horror, the walls of her cell seemed to further take shape of a carasoul, threatening to nauseate her under the weight of her possible insanity. Trapped in this limbo between worlds, Alice could only pray for an escape from the parasitic darkness that consumed her.

Back in the corner, Alice rocked back and forth as Wonderland swirled in her mind. Through the haze of visions, she glimpsed movement by the cell door. Two gleaming red eyes peered into the gloom. A twitching nose and whiskers came into focus, followed by a furry white form. The White Rabbit, Alice thought with a gasp. But that was impossible.

As if hearing her thoughts, the Rabbit beckoned frantically, tiny paws waving through the iron bars. Alice saw his pink mouth form words: "Come! We must get away!" She blinked, and the Rabbit vanished. Had it been real, or another hallucination? Alice squeezed her eyes shut, but the Rabbit's urgent message echoed in her mind. We must get away... Was escape from this place of torment possible? Or would Alice remain trapped here to sink further into the depths of her own rotting mind? Only time would tell if she would heed the Rabbit's call or succumb to the beast that closed in around her. The clang of a food slot drew Alice from her visions. An orderly shoved a tray inside—a lukewarm bowl of gruel and a tin cup of water.

"Eat up," the orderly grunted before moving on.

But Alice couldn't stomach the thought of food, not with Wonderland and Dr. Bumby's words swirling in her mind. She was losing herself to the spirals of her own madness, and she dreaded the doctor's "treatments" were only going to make it worse. What darker motives did he have for her? Alice recalled his piercing stare, as if dissecting her very soul. A shudder passed through her—she couldn't let him break her down completely.

As cries echoed down the hall, Alice huddled in her corner, eyeing the tray with suspicion. Poison could lurk in any bite. No, she would starve before submitting fully to this place. Clutching at the last threads of her sanity, Alice waited for a sign—from Wonderland, or somewhere else—of a way to escape this living nightmare.

Huddled in the darkness, Alice let the tears come. She wept for her lost mind, for the souls suffering around her, and for the family she once had. As night fell, only her quiet sobs broke the silence of her cell. Shadows deepened in the corners, seeming to take on twisted shapes that writhed at the edge of her vision. Alice squeezed her eyes shut but found no escape—Wonderland had imprinted itself behind her lids. Exhaustion pulled at her, but each time Alice drifted toward sleep, cries and laughter jolted her awake with a start. She no longer knew if the sounds came from the asylum or from within the depths of her own fraying mind. Reality and delusion blurred until Alice wondered if she was truly alone in the cell, or if some nameless presence lurked just out of sight, waiting to drag her further into the abyss. Clutching herself, she wept until her tears ran dry, leaving her empty in the enveloping dark. As silence fell once more, Alice was swept away in a mental current spiraling her thoughts into an overflowing drain of misery.

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