The Plague

Two whole days had gone by since she'd been in this darkness. Nobody had even come in to feed her. Alice was tired and hungry. The cold hard floor was painful. She was forced to use the bathroom right there. Only now was the young girl starting to understand why it always smelled so bad in here.

CREAK

The heart door suddenly opened with a loud sound. This caused light to finally enter the room. Alice closed her eyes due to the searing light. She'd gotten used to the darkness. The Queen of Hearts and her daughter entered the chamber.

Alice didn't say anything. She only watched as her kin neared the cell. The candles were lit to provide light once the doors closed. Genevieve lit a match and threw it into a furnace. Flames lit up and soared into the air. Ophelia stood in front of the cell, glaring at her sister.

"How is it here? Do you like your new room? Fafafa!"

"......................"

Alice didn't respond, only watching her sister. She didn't want to make things worse. Her arms wrapped around herself. This was the only way to mentally confront the pain of her fractured spine and pierced eye.

"Get used to this place, filth. You will be here forever."

"Alright, Ophelia. Come here." The queen called out.

The child went over to her mother. Genevieve pointed to the furnace that contained metal rods. Alice could hear every word.

"Sweetie, today you'll learn how we treat plagues okay? This will make sure our nation remains safe. With a prophecy like that, we must put our backs into it."

"Yes, mother. We'll show Ali-I mean, that plague its place."

"Good. A plague is a THING. Her humanity had disappeared long ago. We just failed to realize it fast enough."

"Why…Why must you treat me so?" Alice asked quietly.

Her voice was enchanting. Angelic even. Even without food and water for two days, she sounded much better than them. Both of their gazes snapped to the plague. A scowl could be seen on their faces.

Genevieve opened the cell door. Ophelia spat on Alice due to her disgust. Neither of them looked at her as kin.

"It's because you're scum. Even your birth was an accident. You are a plague. A disease to the people. If you roam free, our nation will fall." The queen stated.

She grabbed Alice and dragged her over to a contraption. After strapping her up to the wall, both Genevieve and Ophelia admired their handiwork. Something was missing.

"Mmm…of course."

The queen ripped off Alice's nightgown, leaving her petite body bare to all. She would most likely never see clothing again. Ophelia gave a round of applause.

"I see."

"A plague doesn't need clothes."

"Mom, can we start already? I wanna go play."

"Of course darling. Go grab a rod."

Ophelia pulled a heart shaped rod from the furnace. It was glowing with heat. Only then did the queen continue.

"Take that and press onto its body. You may choose where. We must brand it so it knows who the owner is." Genevieve said.

The ugly child nodded before scanning Alice's body. A few seconds passed as she finally decided on a spot. It was right beside her belly button. As she raised the rod, Alice cried out again. Fear covered her expression.

"Momma! Please! I'll fix everything. I'll be Ophelia's maid! I'll serve you food everyday. Please don't hurt me…" She pleaded. The queen shook her head.

"It's unfortunate that you are a plague. I wouldn't have minded that. That's no longer an option for you. Go ahead, Ophie." Genevieve responded. The child finally pressed the rod against her skin.

SSSSSSSSSSS

"AAAAHHHHH!!!!"

The shrill scream caused the ugly child to drop the rod. It was ominous and hair-raising. The queen picked up the rod and patted Ophelia's head.

"Don't worry. This is how you do it." She placed it back on the same spot.

SSSSSSSSS

"AAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

As Alice screamed louder than she ever had, Genevieve pressed down even harder. She watched as the little girl flailed in her restraints. Leaning toward her ear, she whispered.

"Your daddy loved you so much. That's why I killed him! Hahaha!"

Those words caused Alice's face to scrunch up further. Even more tears fell, but this didn't stop her screams. All she could do was wail and struggle as the rod burned her fragile skin.

Once the melting sound could no longer be heard, the queen finally pulled back the rod. Alice had been branded. A heart could now be seen beside her belly button. The little girl trembled as the pain had yet to subside. This was too much for such a young child.

The queen patted Ophelia on the shoulder. Her face was pale. She seemed to be sweating a bit. It didn't look like she was enjoying this anymore. Of course, that was expected. They had been sisters just a few days ago.

"Go and play with your friends, sweet sugar. I'll stay here a bit longer." Genevieve spoke.

Ophelia nodded and ran out the room. This left only the two. Alice and her 'mother'. Mother and daughter. A queen and a plague.

The room was silent save for Alice's sniffles. The queen put down that rod and pulled out a freshly heated one. When seeing it, the girl's quiet sobs grew louder.

"Mommy…I'm sorry for being born…please forgive me…" She pleaded weakly. It was getting harder and harder to speak.

Genevieve nodded as if she understood. The mother caressed Alice's naked body. Her skin was so soft…it wasn't fair.

"I wish my skin was so soft. I'd kill for it." The queen leaned toward her ear again. "Here's how you keep a man. Trap him. Make it so that he can never leave."

Her tongue ran across Alice's skin, savoring the taste. The rod came next. It pressed against her side, causing the sizzling sound to reverberate once more.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

As she continued to scream, the queen licked Alice from her neck to her ear. She then pressed the rod even harder. The girl unconsciously squirmed to get away from the unending pain. What the queen didn't know was that these actions and words would forever ingrain itself in Alice's mind.

It would become a daily routine for the queen to come and vent her stress on Alice before starting the day. She would then eventually grow lazy and stop coming, making someone else take over. The years would go on like this.

…

…

…

20 Years Later

In the Bleeding Heart Chamber, an emaciated figure lay in its cell. There were wounds on top of its body that sat on top of previously healed injuries. This thing didn't resemble a human at all.

Alice's face was emotionless. Like a doll without expression. She was extremely still, not moving a single muscle. Her eyes were as empty as her heart.

The one eyed woman had no thoughts of anger or sadness. There was no joy or fear. There was no pain. As she stared at the wall next to her, she drew a line with her bloody finger. Plenty of similar marks covered the wall.

She sat quietly for an indefinite amount of time. Eventually, the door opened. A woman who seemed to be in her late 20s entered the room. Her head was massive and resembled a heart. There was a crown on her head. This woman approached the cell and stopped.

"Alice…it's me." She spoke quietly.

"........................" There was no response. Alice only stared at nothing.

The woman opened the cell and sat on the dirty ground, directly in front of the mutilated girl. She looked at Alice with guilt. It had been a long time since they'd seen each other.

"It's Ophelia. Do you remember? I'm your sister."

".........................."

"Of course you don't. It's been too long after all. Decades even." Ophelia admonished herself sadly.

Ophelia hadn't returned to this place ever since that first time. Ever since she'd heard Alice's horrible scream. It took 20 years to gather the courage and see her sister.

"I know you won't forgive me. I don't deserve it. But we only have each other now. Mother is ill. She's on her deathbed and will pass away in a few days."

The room was silent. Alice would forever remain unresponsive. She'd forgotten what it was like to have a conversation. She'd forgotten what things meant. Her brain had been stunted at an early age. Ophelia sighed.

"I became Queen this morning. You are the very first person to know. As of today, you are free. I'm very sorry, Alice."

The new queen reached into her royal robes and pulled out a beautiful red stone. She also pulled out an orange one. Both of them were set in front of Alice.

"These are mother's heirlooms. As her daughters we must choose who gets what. The red stone is the most beautiful…You were always a fairy out of a painting. You were always kind. So you will keep it."

Ophelia placed the red stone in Alice's mangled hand. She even made her sister hold it tightly. Only then did the queen stand up.

"Live freely sister. The cell and the heart door will remain open until you leave it. A few guards will attend to your every need." With those words, Ophelia left.

Armored cards stood outside the chamber, waiting for a command. The queen was on her way to see her advisors. Wonderland was currently in a state of war. Several smaller nations had banded together in an attempt to gain its resources.

Ophelia now had to take over the responsibility that her mother left. Casval was now her leading general and soon to be king. The queen had to strategize with the other generals in the war room.

Alice stared at nothing. Like the malnourished and fragile doll she was, hours went by without any action. It took a few hours for the emaciated woman to even notice the unfamiliar weight in her hand. Her thumb rubbed across the ruby colored gem.

It shined with energy. Alice's consciousness seemed to return for a moment. It was just a second of clarity. But that was enough. She gazed at the lovely red stone…and thought.

'Why…am I alive? This place…this world…it should all disappear.'

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

As if in response to her thought, the stone pulsed with incredible energy. Red electricity spread across her body. The surge of power jolted her already stunted mind and struck her unconscious.

Alice's body floated into the air. The red lightning annihilated her wounds and rejuvenated her skin. Her hair grew once again, her body becoming delicate and beautiful once more.

The red electricity grew stronger and stronger around her body. It soon grew unstable. Upon reaching its peak, it exploded in a massive shockwave.

BOOOOOOOOM

A red wave of energy raced across the realm. Wherever it touched, only grey remained. Ophelia and Casval shared a kiss. He was dressed in armor, preparing to head to battle. The red light washed over them…and they became dust. The orange stone fell to the ground, buzzing with energy. It quickly took flight.

Families sat at the table for breakfast. They ate and smiled together, ready for another long day. The red light passed through, and they turned grey before shattering into dust.

Animals ran through their environments. Predators fought and birds flew from their nest. The red light washed over them and nothing remained. The grass turned grey, the trees turned grey. The buildings turned grey. It was instant.

Far across the realm was a battlefield. Two massive armies stared each other down. One army was filled with people, and the other was filled with armored cards. The human soldiers couldn't help but frown.

"Where the hell is the enemy general?"

"Casval, wasn't it?"

"A trash kingdom. Can't even go to war correctly."

"Wait, what's that?"

One of them pointed in the distance. An aura of red electricity was spreading across the horizon. The sky quickly turned crimson. By the time everyone noticed it, it had already reached them. The light washed over the battlefield…and everything turned grey. Only dust remained.

If one looked at the realm from space, they would see red energy engulfing the planet. What was once a lively world of blue and green was now grey. It was the end of times.