"You thought you could defeat us, you silly wench." Distorted cackles rang out from the darkness.
"Please, let me go. You're not real. Leave me alone!" Alice cried, her voice echoing strangely as if the air around her bent and folded in on itself.
"Oh, sweetheart." The voice hissed beside her ear now, though no one stood there. "We are very much real. And we're going to make you regret every single thing you've done."
"No, no, let me go. You're not real. You're not here."
A flicker of silver glinted in the darkness. A sharp sting followed.
Alice looked down. A thin red line bloomed across her forearm, blood trailing down in eerie silence. Her breath caught. Her heart thudded against her ribs, as though trying to break free.
Where was she? What was happening?
A harsh click of heels echoed behind her.
