by Crane, M. L.
Alice walked across the kitchen. Her footsteps were so quiet and fluid that she seemingly floated across the floor. She went to the counter and removed a knife from the butcher block. She held it up and examined her reflection in the blade. She had no face. Nothing but darkness filled with hate. The only thing Alice saw was a ghostly apparition. A black, smoky mirage.
A shadowy figure.
Alice let out a deep sinister chuckle. It was a cold, merciless sound. Depraved and malicious. She sounded inhuman.
Alice turned and stalked towards Randall, holding the knife out in front of her.
She had been waiting for this moment for so long. No longer would she remain silent, observing without being seen. No longer would she stand idly by while she watched the others come out to play. No longer would she let Alice, that weak, pathetic little bitch, rule over her.
Alice and the others had been blissfully unaware of the evil that was brewing within. They were ignorant of her existence while she grew stronger and stronger, waiting for the right moment. And finally, her moment had come.
The Queen was ready to take her rightful place on the throne.
Alice stood over Randall, her heart blackened with hatred. She watched the blood-filled artery in Randall’s neck pulse, throbbing with every beat of his heart. Her own heartbeat quickened at the sight of it. She felt aroused. She was hungry for the sensation of a blade on flesh.
Alice held the knife out, ready to strike. Just then, Randall’s eyes fluttered open. It only took him a split second to understand what was about to happen. But before he could stop her, Alice had swung the blade, slicing it across his throat. Blood spewed from his neck, showering Alice in the warm sticky liquid. His eyes were wide with terror. He grabbed at his neck, gargling and choking on his own blood.
Alice dropped the knife and walked behind Randall. She bent close to his ear and hissed, “Off with your head!” She grabbed his head with both hands and jerked it back, making the wound open wider, letting his blood flow faster.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
The Queen roared with laughter, which made Dr. Pelletier exceedingly nervous. He pushed his chair back away from her, his heart racing. He glanced at the door, half hoping that someone would rush in and interrupt the session.
“That vile, glutinous bastard never saw it coming. I slaughtered him for the foul pig that he was,” the Queen said, clearly pleased with herself.
“So, you’re responsible for Randall’s murder. Alice, had no part it in?”
“NO! He was mine! MINE! Alice is a pathetic coward! She always took me for granted. She refused to see me. That ungrateful bitch! SHE IS WEAK! I protected us! Not her! I did it! Me! Me! ME!”
“But your Majesty, Alice couldn’t be as weak as you say she is. She created you, didn’t she? If it were not for her, you wouldn’t even exist.”
The moment Dr. Pelletier uttered those words, he knew he had gone too far.
The Queen’s face burned a fiery crimson red, and her eyes were wild with animalistic rage. “SHE IS NOTHING! A WORTHLESS PAWN! I AM THE QUEEN! HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME!”
By the time Dr. Pelletier had realized what was happening, it was too late.
The Queen lunged out of the wheelchair straight at Dr. Pelletier. She clamped her hands around his throat, squeezing the life out of him with superhuman strength and screamed, “OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
The wind was bitterly cold that morning. It blew wildly, kicking up the dry autumn leaves, tossing them into mini spinning tornados. A light layer of frost covered the ground, muting the vibrant green color of the grass beneath it. The temperature had dropped just low enough to form a thin crust of ice on the surface of pothole puddles. It wasn’t hard to see that winter was fast approaching.
When Dr. Pelletier stepped outside, he shivered, and his teeth began to chatter. He pulled his coat tighter around his neck and walked to his car. He fumbled with his keys, dropping them, and cursed as he picked them back up. Once he unlocked his door, he tossed his belongings onto the passenger side seat and got in, slamming his door shut. He had no desire to go to work.
Dr. Pelletier started the car and blasted the heater to the max, drowning out the monotonous sound of the morning news reporter on the radio. He rubbed his hands together and blew into them, trying to thaw the chill that Jack Frost had injected into his bones. Slowly, the heaters filled the car with warmth and his teeth stopped chattering.
Dr. Pelletier gripped his steering wheel with both hands and stared out vacantly. His experiment had succeeded, he got what he wanted, but at what cost? He could see his reflection in the windshield and couldn’t bear to look at himself. He began screaming, pounding his fists on the steering wheel as he released his anger and disappointment. Then he closed his eyes, and bowed his head, and began to whimper like a wounded mutt.
In all of his professional years, Dr. Pelletier had never felt more ashamed of himself than he did at that very moment. What he had done to Alice was unforgivable. And now, because of him, she was broken.
Dr. Pelletier cleared his throat loudly and wiped his face, feeling embarrassed by his meltdown. He adjusted his blue bow tie and winced. He pulled down the visor and examined himself in the small mirror. Bruises had formed around his neck where Alice had strangled him. He could have taken a few days off after the incident, but he couldn’t. There was something important that he needed to do.
Dr. Pelletier flipped the visor up, backed the car out of his driveway, and headed towards the Institute.
As Dr. Pelletier turned onto Carroll Drive, he could see the Lutwidge Mental Health Institute loom up ahead, and it filled him with dread. The colorful leaves that rained down from the swaying trees made the scenery look so peaceful and surreal, but Dr. Pelletier was too distraught to take notice.
Dr. Pelletier parked his car and sat for a moment, letting the engine idle while he collected his thoughts. He felt physically and emotionally exhausted. He had tossed and turned all night, his head filled with unrelenting nightmares. His mind kept replaying and gruesomely exaggerating the attack. In the dreams, Alice wasn’t Alice. Her hands were claws, slashing and tearing at his throat. Black empty sockets where her stunning blue eyes should have been, stared back at him, judging him. Her lips were pulled back, showing razor sharp teeth as she snarled like a rabid animal. Dr. Pelletier had spent half of his night, fighting off this demonic entity that invaded his sleep.
Dr. Pelletier shut off the car and gathered up his things from the passenger seat. He didn’t want to do what he was about to do, but he knew it had to be done. He took a deep breath and headed into the building.
“Good morning, Janet,” he said to the receptionist with a forced smile.
“Good morning, Dr. Pelletier,” Janet said tartly. “The janitors finally fixed the clock,” she said, pointing to a large clock on the wall behind her.
Dr. Pelletier looked up to where she was pointing and saw that the clock was no longer stuck on 6:00.
“Oh, good! It’s been tea time for over a month now, and I ran out of clean cups last week,” he joked, trying his best to fake a cheerful mood.
Janet was unfazed by Dr. Pelletier’s remark. She just furrowed her brow and gave him a questioning look.
“You know? Because it was stuck on 6:00. That’s normally what time people have tea. And since the clock was stuck at…you know what? Never mind. Have a good day, Janet.” He waved her off, realizing that trying to explain the joke to her wouldn’t have done him any good. She had the sense of humor of an old schoolmarm.
As Dr. Pelletier walked down the hallway towards his office, he nodded and said good morning to passing employees purely out of habit. When he reached his office, he closed the door behind and removed his coat. He tossed it across the back of his chair and sat down. He balanced his glasses on the end of his nose and opened Alice’s file. He just wanted to take one last look.
DAY 1
The child is completely unresponsive. She seems to be unaware of her surrounds. I believe that she may still be in shock. She has not spoken a word to anyone. The nurses have assured me that she eats when they feed her and uses the bathroom when she is put on the toilet. It is as though she is robotically going through the motions purely by instinct and memory.
I have chosen not to medicate her at this time. I would like to allow her a few more days to see if she will come to on her own.
DAY 3
Alice has begun speaking, but she is incoherent. She mentioned something about a shadow, but I was unable to make sense of anything else she said.
DAY 14
Although Alice has finally begun speaking coherently, she seems to be in a deep state of Maladaptive Daydreaming. It is also clear that she is suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder. It appears that she has four distinct alters.
Whitney Roberts: female
Maddock Hatcher: male
Chelsea Catlin: female
Marsha Harris: female
It is clear to me that Alice has been struggling with mental health since a very young age and somehow has gone unnoticed. Based on what I have discovered about her background, I believe that her mental state was ignored due to a severe amount of neglect and abuse.
I’ve decided to begin her treatment.
Deludorzine: 1 cc. once a day to be administered by injection.
DAY 21
The Deludorzine appears to be working, but not in the way that I had hoped. Alice has become much more responsive but is severely delusional. However, I don’t believe that this is a side effect of the drug. I strongly believe that this is her way of coping with the severe shock of what has happened.
Her Maladaptive Daydreaming has escalated to full-blown delusions. She has created her own version of the reality surrounding her. It’s quite remarkable. This extreme form of fantasizing could explain her ability to interact with the world around her, while simultaneously disassociating herself from it. In this grand delusion of hers, she believes that I have given her an internship at the Institute. I’ve decided to use this to my advantage. I have a theory that I’d like to test.
Deludorzine: increase dose to 1.5 cc. once a day to be administered by injection.
Dr. Pelletier took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He reached for his digital recorder and played back a conversation that he had had with Alice on the day he began his experiment.
Dr. Pelletier: Hello, Alice. Dear, can you hear me? Alice? Hello? Alice, can you hear me? (Short pause). It seems that she is…
Alice: Hello?
Dr. Pelletier: Hello, Alice.
Alice: Oh, hello Dr. Pelletier!
Dr. Pelletier: How are you doing today?
Alice: I’m fine, and you?
Dr. Pelletier: I’m doing very well, thank you. I have been calling your name. Couldn’t you hear me?
Alice: I’m sorry, I’ve been very busy.
Dr. Pelletier: Oh, I see. Are you busy right now?
Alice: No, why?
Dr. Pelletier: I have some very special patients that I would like for you to meet.
Alice: Alright, when?
Dr. Pelletier: Well, I would really like to get started today, if that is all right with you?
Alice: Today?
Dr. Pelletier: Yes, is that a problem?
Alice: No, no problem. I just need to finish up a few things, and then I’ll be right over.
Dr. Pelletier: Thank you, Alice.
Alice: You’re welcome.
Dr. Pelletier: I’ll have Nurse Allen bring you to my office when you’re ready.
Alice: Okay, I’ll see you in a little while. Bye.
Dr. Pelletier: Alice? Alice? She is no longer responsive. Note that when Alice is in her room, she seems to be unaware of where she is. This is where she tends to go the deepest into her delusions. She never made eye contact, and the way that she spoke to me sounded as though we were having a telephone conversation.
Dr. Pelletier turned off the recorder and tossed it on his desk. He riffled through Alice’s file and found his notes on the experiment. He put his glasses back on and began to read.
EXPERIMENT DAY 1
The experiment is working! Alice is currently speaking to Whitney Roberts. I was correct in my assumption that due to her severe delusions, I would be able to convince her that they were real and that she would create an outward image for them. I did have some concerns that I would be unable to get her to specifically see who I wanted her to see. But by merely telling Alice that she was going to speak to Whitney, I was able to successfully bring out this particular personality.
This is incredibly fascinating! Watching Alice interact with one of her alternate personalities is astonishing. I am very optimistic that this experiment will be a success.
Whitney is opening up to Alice much faster than I had anticipated that she would. She is telling Alice about “The Monsters” which is making Alice visibly upset.
Whitney is now humming a tune that I have never heard before. I believe that speaking to Whitney may have triggered a deeply buried memory in Alice.
Whitney did not mention the fire which is probably for the best at this time.
EXPERIMENT DAY 2
Nurse Noble informed me this morning that there was an incident with Alice late last night. Nurse Noble could hear Alice screaming from down the hall, and when she went to check on her, Alice was in hysterics and was uncontrollable. I do believe that Alice may have had a brief moment of lucidity and became aware of her surroundings which caused her to panic. Nurse Noble also informed me that due to Alice’s outburst, she had no other alternative than to sedate her. I am concerned that this may have an effect on today’s session.
Alice is a bit lethargic and is complaining of a headache. This may be a side effect of the sedative and not the drug itself. But, I am pleased that she is speaking to Maddock. She is very relaxed and is clearly enjoying his company. It is rather endearing to watch her interact with him. I can see the adoration she has for him in her eyes.
After her session with Maddock, Alice complained of a migraine and nausea. I went to fetch Nurse Allen, and upon my return, I found her unconscious on the floor. It appears that she may have fainted. I am not convinced that this is caused by the Deludorzine. I believe that she may have had a poor reaction to the sedative.
Deludorzine: increase to max dose 2 cc. once a day to be administered by injection.
EXPERIMENT DAY 3
It seems that Alice is becoming more lucid far quicker than I had anticipated. She is seeing the reality around her and became hysterical when she saw my office. She’s beginning to suspect something. I had to convince her that she’s special and that she has been selected for something great. I need to speed things up. If she is removed from her imaginary world before I can get the information I need, this experiment will be a failure.
Alice appears to be rather uncomfortable with Chelsea’s presence. I’m fairly certain that my suspicions are correct. I believe that it is quite possible that Chelsea is the alter who committed the act, and subconsciously, Alice is aware of that.
Alice knows the truth. She knows about the experiment, and she knows about her sister Lorina. I was forced to have her sedated. If fear that I may have to take more drastic measures.
EXPERIMENT DAY 4
I will attempt to finish this experiment. I will force the information out of her by any means necessary.
I had no other alternative. She is refusing to cooperate. I ordered Nurse Noble to double her dose and have her sedated. If I can’t keep her in her imaginary world, then I need to fully rip her out of it and make her see the truth. I need to know which alter killed her father.
Deludorzine: 4 cc. by injection
EXPERIMENT DAY 5
Alice has been asleep since yesterday afternoon when I ordered the Deludorzine and sedative to be administered. She is still not awake.
Am I doing the right thing?
E
XPERIMENT DAY 6
Alice is finally showing signs that she is waking. I will have a nurse put her in a wheelchair and have her brought to the meeting room. As soon as she is alert, we will begin.
I am very pleased that she has decided to cooperate. She appears to be in some sort of trance-like state as she recalls the night of the fire. It’s Odd. I can almost hear Whitney’s voice echoing Alice’s.
As to be expected, she was incredibly upset with the realization that she was the one that was responsible for her mother’s death. She is currently in another trance, recalling the day her father presented her with a kitten for her birthday. Maddock keeps interrupting Alice, eager to tell the story himself. It’s absolutely fascinating to watch!
I have allowed Nurse Allen to take Alice outside for a short break. I believe it will do Alice some good to talk to her sister and get to know her.
The child is much stronger than I could have ever imagined. I just hope that she is strong enough to stomach what’s to come. Having to ask her to remember her last night with the Tweedie brothers makes me feel like a monster.
Chelsea is heartlessly laughing while Alice is struggling to recount this horrific memory. Chelsea must be the one who killed Alice’s father. She is the only alter that is psychotic enough to do it. I don’t believe that any of the other alters, and certainly not Alice herself, could be capable of cold-blooded murder. I’ve never known evil quite like Chelsea. I need to push Alice a little harder. I’m so close.
