Alice Lost in Nightmares

Today is a good day!

During the ascent, Jack shattered the lid of a box that appeared to be a first aid kit attached to the wall and withdrew a protective suit from within.

"You... will be fine. I'm sorry. We can't touch the contaminated outer air in the flesh."

Jack informed her of this, then rapidly donned his hazmat suit and white helmet. Operating a button on his clothes, an audible pushing sound was released and air was pumped into the suit. After confirming that he was capable of drawing several breaths, he stopped at the side of the elevator door and turned the handle with all his strength.

Then he slowly opened the elevator door. The outside air streamed in like a cascade momentarily, and Alice panicked and shut her eyes.

Jack withdrew his hand and with his other hand, he brought out a pistol from the box and cocked it with a seasoned technique. In the presence of the boisterous weapon, Alice swallowed a breath and stiffened.

"At any rate, we shall evacuate to another shelter nearby. If the Nightmare gets in, this place is doomed. You must be protected at all costs."

Jack gripped the little pistol at his side through clenched teeth. In the following second, a pillar of fire erupted from within the dome building. She gave a scream and restrained her head down.

"Jack! You're safe!"

At the same time, a group of men in protective suits came running towards them in scattered movements. They must have escaped by a different route, but still, there were several of them.

They raised their pistols and scanned the surroundings to protect Alice. The dome exploded yet again, sending sparks of fire up into the air.

"What the hell is going on! The barrier should have been down!"

"I don't know. Perhaps..." Jack said, gritting his teeth, his eyes were aglow with loathing. "Maybe 'he' is coming..."

The men in his immediate vicinity grew pale with astonishment as they heard his words. Jack glanced around at them, then hugged the aghast Alice before yelling out loud.

"Let's head out of here and escape to the underpass! Through the forest!"

"Good call. This human is useful." Raffi said softly, sticking to Alice's shoulder. Jack turned away from the dome and dashed off towards the forest without hesitation.

It was the opposite direction of where Alice had come from. A lone white moon hung in the sky. The sky was like sludge.

"Jack! The others are..." Alice pointed at the dome and raised her voice, while Jack replied in a stifled voice as he held her and started to run.

"Citizens of the dome, they're finished. Run and don't look back."

"Jack!" Then one of the men following them hollered. Jack halted when he reached an open area in the forest. He shielded Alice behind him and leveled his pistol. The surviving men also circled around Alice, their guns were drawn.

"What...?"

"No good, they can't see it." Raffi calmly interjected at Alice's shoulder. Looking ahead from behind Jack, Alice slumped to the spot, sitting up.

There was an entrance to what appeared to be an underground tunnel that Jack and the rest were presumably aiming for. A large number of rabbits were lined up around the elevator like an army. All of them were armed with scythes, and they were leaning their heads back and chuckling softly.

A short distance away, citizens in... protective clothing were grouped together, perhaps in an attempt to escape the dome. One by one, the rabbits were pinning the citizens to the ground.

"The Nightmares has captured them...? Alice, is there something out there!" Jack emitted a strained voice. They didn't seem to be able to spot the rabbits.

Alice shuddered and opened her mouth. "There are... rabbits with a... scythe... and more than I can count! The others, they're trapped!"

"Damn...!" That's when Jack snapped. The sound of a clock ticking reverberated through the square.

"... It's the Hatter." Raffi bit down on his teeth and spoke up. The elevator slowly opened... From within it, a "human-like thing" crawled out, holding a shattered green pillar haphazardly.

His head was disproportionately huge. On his bald head, he donned a silk hat. Both of his eyes threatened to burst out and his face was covered in bumps. His complexion was green and ghastly. Even though his back was hunched, his arms and legs were ridiculously massive.

The "that" was spinning his right eye, playing the ticking of a clock. The ugly man laughed as he turned his left eye around and faced Alice.

"Alice! Aren't you Alice! Long time no see, I've been waiting for you!"

"What's with the...? The elder is floating around..." The man behind Alice muttered quietly as if he couldn't even discern the man. The ugly man... the "Hatter", carelessly hurled down the shattered pillar that contained the elder. Purple liquid and mangled brain marrow streamed down from inside.

"Is it there..." Jack shouted, his eyes blazing with fury, as he pointed his gun at the Hatter. "Is it there! The Nightmare!"

The Hatter examined Jack curiously, then whirled his head around. He made a thoughtful gesture, then produced a slippery, trumpet-shaped shotgun from his pocket.

"Today is a good day!"

With a raspy roar, he randomly fired his shotgun at the civilians lying face down on the ground. The hellish screams and exclamations resounded in the air.

Over and over again, relentlessly firing his shotgun, he hooted and blew the muzzle of his trumpet-shaped gun with his mouth. Some of the civilians had been rendered lifeless. Even the rabbits that had been huddled together had been reduced to a messy lump of flesh as well. At the sight of the puddle of blood that flowed, Alice let out a yelp and clung to Jack's clothes.

"There's a Nightmare out there! Fire!" Jack yelled. The men and Jack's guns all opened fire in unison. With a series of shooting noises, the casings splattered all around them.

"Hmm."

He snorted at the sight of it and caught the head of a rabbit that was standing nearby and thrust it in front of him like a shield. The rabbit, which was being served as a shield, was pierced by many bullets and shook like a fish. The Hatter was not fazed at all by the rain of bullets and strode leisurely towards Alice and the others.