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Just when I thought the fall would never end, I slammed into the soft, damp earth with a sickening crunch, gasping for air as my body protested the impact. Groaning, I rolled over onto my back and stared up at the dismal sky gray overhead.
The twisted landscape stretched out before me like a battlefield, dark and surreal. The flowing grass was replaced by gaping chasms of decayed roots where mushrooms, mold, and oozing black sludge bubbled up from the depths below. Ancient trees with gnarled branches reached out like bony fingers, their bark torn and crusted in moss. The flowers clung to the ground with wilted husks, their petals blackened and decayed.
My gaze swept across the horizon, taking in the acidic lakes that bubbled and hissed with noxious fumes, their surfaces marred by the carcasses of unfortunate creatures who'd dared to drink from their depths. Black mountains loomed ominously in the distance, their peaks oozing a sickly yellow substance that seemed to poison the very air.
"What...what was in that blue pill Dinah gave me?" I whispered, my voice trembling with equal parts fear and excitement. My words were immediately carried away by the fetid breeze as I took my first tentative steps into the heart of darkness.
As I ventured further into the strange realm, the plants and trees grew thicker, forcing me to sidestep between shattered mirrors and creeping vines. Thorns grazed my skin, leaving angry red welts in their wake. Panic bubbled up inside me, threatening to burst forth, but I swallowed it down, reminding myself that I'd chosen this path—for better or worse.
This wasn’t Los Angeles, and it wasn’t any place I’d visited in my childhood dreams. It was a nightmarish hellscape that threatened to devour me whole.
And yet, despite the terror gnawing at the edges of my mind, I couldn't shake the feeling that I’d been here before.
As I picked myself up from the ground, it occurred to me that maybe this dark, twisted place was the perfect reflection of the darkness within my own soul. The emptiness I'd felt for so long.
Yeah, I had cars and clothes and a killer bachelorette pad, but when it came to friends and boyfriends, I was a broke-ass bitch. Because of my famous family and our connections and money, sooner or later everyone who came into my life proved that they didn’t actually give two shits about me. Just like my venture capitalist fuck buddy, people only wanted whatever I could get for them. Influence. Connections.
Power.
The void in my life seemed to be mirrored in the decay that now surrounded me, and it both terrified and exhilarated me.
As I went deeper into the macabre landscape, shadows of twisted shapes danced around me, teasing and taunting. The scent of rot filled my nostrils, making me gag. Yet, there was something oddly intoxicating about it all.
I stepped cautiously over the gnarled roots that somehow seemed to have become conscious of my presence and were groping for me in the darkness. Skeletal trees loomed above, their bare limbs swaying ominously in the breeze.
Somewhere in the distance I heard a strange, low moan—like something from another world. The air was thick with a pungent stench of decay that burned the back of my throat as I took a deep breath. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, a mixture of fear and excitement coursing through my veins.
A familiar voice cut through the oppressive darkness. I followed it until I pushed through some decaying shrubs and found Mr. Rabbit standing with two other men, locked in a heated argument.
My sudden presence seemed to startle them, as if they thought they were alone. Mr. Rabbit was so surprised to see me that he actually jumped.
"Un—fucking—believable," muttered one of the men under his breath as he stared at me. He was smoking hot.
Literally.
There was a big swirl of soft blue and green smoke wafting around him that smelled like blueberries and mint. There was also a hard, lean sharpness about his features...something about him that both scared me and intrigued me. His deep teal hair was shaved on the sides and swept back in a slick pompadour.
Colorful tattoos crawled out from beneath his rolled-up sleeves, licking along his neck like snakes, leaving an unsettling feeling in my gut. He lifted a cigarette to his lips, glaring at me with undisguised loathing.
Mr. Rabbit, on the other hand, eyed me doubtfully. “I can’t believe you’re actually here,” he hissed, his hands trembling. “You’re so very, very late."
I opened my mouth to retort, but then I noticed the third man studying me with a mix of desire and curiosity. His tousled black hair crept down to his shoulders, and he wore a tuxedo covered in black and silver leopard spots that made his every movement shimmer with magic.
But it was his eyes that were impossible to look away from. They were a brilliant shade of bright green and they seemed to penetrate my very soul, making me shiver involuntarily.
"Why hello, Alice," he purred, the sly grin on his face both seductive and menacing. "Welcome to Wonderland."
* * *
ChapterTwo
ALICE
“So, the Ace of Spades finally decided to show up,” the teal-haired man sneered in a sardonic tone. "How very...untimely of you, Alice.” His eyes were cold and calculating as they bored into mine. In that moment I realized there was nothing ordinary about this man.
“What the actual fuck is going on here? Is this some kind of twisted cosplay?” I demanded, trying to ignore the way my heart skipped a beat at the gorgeous, slightly feral men eyeing me like prey. "What is this place? And how the hell do you know my name?"
“So many questions, and so little time,” Mr. Rabbit said, stepping closer to take his pocket watch from me. “Perhaps introductions are in order first. My name is Winston, and these are my associates. Chess,” he gestured toward the man with the sexy smile, "and Callister.”
