Her vision distorted with a mixture of fear, pain, confusion, and despair. Clawing at the ground, Alice raised her head and watched as the Hatter seized the unconscious Jack by the neck and lifted him up. Jack, who had been struck badly, lazily slackened his body and made no effort to move.
"Alice, let's escape while we can." Raffi, who was attached to her shoulder, whispered to Alice. "You can't deal with the Hatter. Let's just slip out of here while he kills that human."
When Alice heard Raffi's voice, she finally opened her mouth, bleeding from the lip she had bitten when she was flung off.
"B-But… Jack is…"
"In the first place, you and that man are strangers. You have no relation. Besides, continuing to flee while defending a powerless person is, unfortunately, not highly recommended."
He wanted her to abandon him.
Alice glanced around with haggard eyes. The rabbits with their scythes were gradually narrowing their encirclement.
Even if she abandoned Jack, would she be able to outrun the pack of rabbits?
Pitch-black despair swept through Alice's mind.
I will die.
This is where I'm going to be killed.
Will I be crushed from the bones in my body and minced to death from the feet up, just as that disgusting monster said?
I'm scared.
I'm terrified.
I don't want to die.
Somebody, somebody save me.
Somebody.
"Be on your way, Alice. Hurry!" Raffi whispered in her ear. Then Jack, whose body had been slackening, began to struggle as if he had regained his breath.
The Hatter widened his eyes open in surprise and smirked. Jack's hazmat suit was dented with a crunching sound as if a tremendous force was being exerted on it. However, Jack reached into the pocket of his hazmat suit and grasped a pistol.
"Die… Nightmare!"
Letting out a cry of vindictiveness, he fired the muzzle of his pistol wildly forward. The shot was fired at close range, but the Hatter did not flinch at all. His right eye spun rapidly. Instantly, the bullet halted in midair, as if frozen, the moment it impacted his body.
"Pause…"
The Hatter murmured in amusement. Jack was stunned when he witnessed the bullet that ceased before his eyes. He gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger of his gun again and again. The other bullets were the same.
"Alice!" Raffi yelled in her ear.
Looking sideways at Alice, who was startled, Jack bellowed as she raised up.
"Run!"
Alice squeezed her eyes shut and attempted to escape as if she were tumbling over…
◇
Roll, roll, roll…
There was a dry sound. For a second, the Hatter turned to face her, uncertain as to what had happened.
"Ah…"
Alice stiffened in her posture as she hurled a pebble at her feet. Her eyes met with the hideous, goggling eyes.
"Why didn't you run away!" Raffi exclaimed. It wasn't a thoughtful move.
Out of reflex, she grabbed a pebble at her feet and threw it at the Hatter.
Why would she do such a thing? Even Alice herself had no idea.
But.
Just a little, really.
A sloppy, red, hot feeling was arising in Alice's chest.
That was abomination.
Wrath.
Negative emotions.
Yes, for Alice.
The rabbits before her eyes.
And the Hatter.
She loathed them, that was what she thought.
With the bullets locked in the air, the Hatter whirled around and turned to Alice. He still had his grip on Jack.
"Run… away…"
Jack's voice faltered and faded as if he couldn't breathe.
"Hmmm~…? Hmm? Hmmm?"
With his other hand, the Hatter moved his cane and poked at the stone that had landed on his body. Then he opened his mouth and burst into a smile.
"Alice…! You finally decided to play! I'm so happy!"
"J-Jack… let him go…"
Alice forced her wobbly, trembling legs to get up and closed her eyes, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Release Jack!"
"No way!" With a cackle, the Hatter waved Jack around like he was an object. Then he tossed out his cane and seized the bullet that had stopped in front of his face.
"Alice! Let's have some fun killing each other! It'll be fun!"
After saying that, the Hatter flung a bullet at Alice without any hesitation. His right eye started to rotate rapidly. For a moment, she felt as if she could see the bullets flying at her.
… I will die.
I will die…!
――Die.
Hundreds if not thousands of bright crimson letters flashed through her head.
In the following moment, the flying bullets all simultaneously erupted into a column of fire.
◇
Upon seeing the flames burst forth, the Hatter jumped up and down on the spot, giggling gleefully.
"What number does that make now! I don't know! I have no idea what it is, but this makes me first place all-time!"
"HAPPY DAY! HAPPY DAY!"
The rabbits also chuckled as they gathered around the burning pillar of fire.
"This is happiness…" The Hatter's voice trailed off as he attempted to raise his voice above a rasping scream. He stared at his arm, which had been grabbing Jack until now with an astonished look.
With a slurp, the Hatter's shoulders slipped off.
Then his arm fell to the ground with a thud. A beat later, black liquid spurted from the Hatter's shoulder like a fountain.
"Giiiiiaaaaahhh!"
As the Hatter staggered to his feet, shrieking devoid of emotion, he was met by a burst of flames, followed by a blast of wind. For a brief moment, a tornado-like gust of wind swept through the area.
Jack coughed weakly, and in his vision, a girl with glowing red eyes… Alice, who had been trembling, frightened, and cowering until a moment ago, was now stamping her foot firmly on the ground and glaring back.