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“If it’s toxic, why would there be a door in the first place?” I asked.
Hatter grinned and shook his head as if I were some kind of idiot to have that thought in the first place.
“Imagine a door,” Chess urged as he stepped up by my side. “If the labyrinth inside is made of poisonous plants, what might the entrance to it look like?”
I raised a skeptical brow at them both.
“You’re seriously asking me this?”
“Yes.”
“Without question.”
“Fine,” I huffed, folding my arms across my chest. “If it’s creepy enough to be made of poisonous plants, then it’s probably going to have some kind of gothic, Victorian-style gate.”
“What does the gate look like?” Chess asked me. “Be as descriptive as you can.”
“Alright, well, it’s made of black wrought iron bars and it’s really tall and has an arch,” I told them, trying to see what was formulating in my mind. “It looks like a gaping mouth, ready to swallow us whole.”
“Is it open?” Hatter asked me.
“No, but I can push it open,” I told him. “There’s no lock. When I push it open, I can see a twisted archway of thorns and withered vines that marks the beginning of the maze.”
“Oh, now that is impressive,” Hatter murmured. Even Chess hummed in agreement.
“Alice, look what you’ve done,” he said while curling his hand around my waist. He guided me to stand in front of him and Hatter.
I blinked in surprise at what I saw in the wall.
It was the exact gate I’d just imagined in my head and described to the guys.
“Holy shit,” I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest. "This place looks worse than my nightmares."
Hatter chuckled darkly, his mismatched eyes gleaming with a wild excitement as he surveyed the sinister garden maze that opened up to us.
"Welcome to Wonderland's underbelly, Alice. Not quite the tea party you were hoping for, is it?"
"Hardly," I replied, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to sound breezy as fuck. My gaze darted about, taking in the grotesque sculptures of rotting flora shaped into monstrous creatures, the ground slick with a viscous slime that reeked of decay. "How are we supposed to find our way through this hellhole?"
"Leave that to me," Hatter said, stepping forward with an air of confidence. "I know these plants better than anyone. Follow my lead, and you'll be safe."
"Safe is a relative term here," Chess said under his breath, his green eyes flickering with unease. He looked at me, his usual sly grin unnervingly absent. "Stay close, Alice. This place is treacherous."
"Trust me, I'm not wandering off anywhere,” I assured him. I was going to be glued to his side, whether he liked it or not.
"Good," Hatter said, his gaze locked on the gravel path ahead as he began to lead the way. "Now, pay attention. The first rule of this maze is to never touch anything unless I say otherwise. The plants here are as deadly as they are beautiful."
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," I muttered, my eyes narrowing at the writhing vines that seemed to reach for us as we passed.
“Fair enough,” Hatter agreed, his voice low and tense. "Take the Bloodthorn Rose, for instance." He pointed to a patch of crimson flowers, their petals glistening with a dark, wet sheen. "One prick from its thorns, and your blood catches fire within your veins. Horrible way to die."
"Charming," I said, shuddering involuntarily as I pointed to a cluster of little white flowers. "What's that plant over there?”
"Ah, the Tears of the Damned," Hatter continued, gesturing to a delicate white flower that wept a viscous black liquid. "The sap from this flower induces a madness so profound, you'll tear yourself apart just to escape it. I’ve seen someone rip the flesh from their arms after brushing against it. Avoid it at all costs."
"Understood," Chess said, his voice tight with barely contained fury. "Anythingelsewe should know about?"
"Plenty," Hatter replied, his lips curling into a humorless smile. "But fear not; I'll point them out as we go. Just remember—stay close, and listen to me. We'll make it through this nightmare, I promise."
