Evelyn and Newt stood in the middle of the dry dirt path intersection; they stood hand in hand looking back and forth. 

"Well...I guess we just keep to the main path..." Newt said eyeing the smaller road with suspicion. 

"Good enough for me." Evelyn shrugged. 

The lay out of Crank Palace was easy enough to follow, everything the lay of the land didn't take a genius to figure out. The entirety of Crank Palace had been designed in a pattern of circles. Sections of rings, bordered on both sides with circular roads or dirt paths. They grew smaller as they walked, gradually.

"Hey, Evey..." Newt suddenly said looking up towards the cloudless sky, "imagined an astronaut up there and he's looking down on Crank Palace... it must look like a giant game of darts, and a bull's-eye in the middle." 

Evelyn giggled. She tipped her head back the sun shinning on her face. Her giggling was laced heavily with the madness of the Flare and the Crank in her mind. Newt gave her a lopsided twisted grin. He suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her rather harshly towards himself and kissed her hard. Forcing his tongue into her mouth. She yelped in surprise and then made a purring hum noise in her throat and melted into Newt. He kissed her so forcefully and deeply Evelyn forgot where she was for a minute. Newt only pulled away when a man stood in front of them, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He had a glazed look in his eyes, staring at the couple wrapped around each other, but more like he stared through them, into some otherworldly distance that made him happy. He had a look of...

Bliss.

Evelyn's own mind did something like hiccup inside her skull. The memories that continued to strain against the dam of the Swipe bulged outward, for a moment, another memory flashed in her mind, a man, laying in bed, coughing up black...a woman crying at his bedside, a small child with blond hair huddled in the woman's lap.  Evelyn frowned, rubbing her sore head. The Flare was eating that chip faster then she thought.

Evelyn knew what the Bliss was. A drug given to the Flare-infected that was supposed to stall the effects and symptoms of the brain-destroying disease. Looking at this man in front of them, swaying on his feet as if to some unheard tune, eyes glossed over, an expression of delirious glee on his face. Evelyn's hand began to tremble. She remembered how the Bliss carried the pain away. She could just lay down and look up into the sky, floating away without pain.

"Don't you want some?" the man asked. "I heard they're gonna stop giving it out soon. Better get it while you can."

Without any shame, with complete awareness that she had experienced the way the Bliss worked and how amazing it made her feel, Evelyn said, "Yeah, I want some."

"Got any?" Newt asked, with some longing in his voice. 

The man made a weird noise that might've been a chuckle. "Now why in the hell would I have asked you that if I didn't have any?" Another chuckle, snort, whatever that sound was that came out of his nose with a little spray of snot. "How much you got to pay for it?"

"How much I got?" Newt sighed. "I got nothin'."

"How about a kiss from that sweet little thing?" The man said, his words slightly slurred, his lazy eyes slid to Evelyn, and his smiled spread on his face. 

"No." Newt snarled, suddenly tense. Evelyn growled, her finger tips feeling cold and tingly with her power. 

The man was too Blissed out to notice the sudden change in their behavior. The man took an exaggerated step toward the side of the path, squared himself on his feet, then swept forward in a ridiculous, grand bow, one hand crossed over his belly, the other rising up behind him.

He spoke to the ground. "Then I'm sorry to have disturbed you, my good young fellows. As you were."

"As we was," Newt muttered. He slid his hand into Evelyn's and tugged her forwards. They continued down the road. "Towards our that bull's-eye."

"Just follow the sounds of the crazy..." Evelyn giggled, and skipped beside Newt, still holding his hand.

Each diminishing ring of land that they passed grew more crowded with tiny cabins, shabby huts, and tents—although there were far fewer of those, now—squeezed in amongst trees, the ground littered with trash. 

"I think our captors purposefully dropped us off in a spot still considered the outskirts of the Crank Palace." Newt said thoughtfully. 

Evelyn stopped skipping and frowned. "Yes...I think your right. It didn't seem fully developed yet." 

They looked around as they walked, most of the structures had broken windows, the glass long missing by the looks of it. 

"Hmm, looks like shards of glass are the chief weapon around these parts." Newt nodded towards yet another smashed out window.

They didn't see many people—just a few spotted here and there, mostly a quick glimpse of their backs as they disappeared into whatever shack they considered their home, closing the door behind them. Evelyn heard a lock engage every now and then, wondering what good they did in such shabbily built structures. More than a few sets of eyeballs peered out at her and Newt as they walked by, giving Evelyn the shivers. 

"I should have grabbed the Launcher before taking this romantic stroll." Newt groaned, as he watched yet another door snap shut, he shivered.

"I got you covered, Love." Evelyn grinned. She pulled out her knife and handed it over to him. He slid it into his belt with a smile. "Also," she purred, looking back up to Newt, her hand on his cheek, "This feral little Kitty has claws. Remember?" 

Newt hummed and gave her a twisted smile. He kissed her forehead and they continued on their way, slowly twisting their way higher and higher. No one else bothered them, at least not directly. Evelyn certainly saw some things that bothered her. She could feel Newt stiffen and become more tense the closer they got to the center of Crank Palace; a naked woman clung upside down to the lowest branch of a tree, her arms and legs wrapped around the bark-scratchy wood above her. She made no noise, made no noticeable effort to let herself down, but followed Newt with her eyes as they hurried to scoot past her. Evelyn snarled at her. There were enough bare-knuckled fights breaking out on the streets and between the huts to keep Evelyn and Newt entertained if they got bored. 

"Should have brought popcorn." Evelyn muttered as they passed yet another fist fight. 

A man sat on one of the rings of streets, filthy beyond measure, his back rigid and straight as he sang a soft tune of gibberish. Nearby, two women stood facing each other, staring into one another's eyes, saying nothing, completely still. At their feet lay a man looking blissfully at the sky. Literally with the Bliss, judging by the false glee in his eyes.

These sights increased the farther they went. It seemed to Evelyn that the closer they got the more hesitant with each step. Evelyn on the other hand the closer they got the more eager she got. Her rational side knew she was losing it, this wild place would normally make her turn tail and run, now however she was almost vibrating with excitement. She gave Newt's hand a squeeze of encouragement. He squeezed back. His eyes a little more wild then before. 

 They finally came upon a wall, maybe 12 feet high. Unlike the barrier that bordered the Crank Palace as a whole, this wall wasn't made up of wooden planks, nailed together. This one was cement, or stucco, once painted but now a patchwork of crusty flakes of pastels. An archway stretched over an opening in the wall, which led to the crowd they'd been hearing on the other side, a swath of people milling about like giant, fired-up ants. At the top of the opening's arch, there was a sign with bright letters that seemed as out of place as a kindergarten—from which it very likely might've been stolen—would have been in that nasty place.

CENTRAL ZONE

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"We made it." Evelyn whispered, her eyes lighting up. They glinted with a crazed psychoticness. 

Newt gave her a leery look, and then back through the arche. Evelyn didn't wait, and she walked through without hesitation. 

"Evelyn! Wait!" Newt cried, and hurried after her into a sea of frantic activity.

The "zone" was wide and circular, just as Newt suggested, the bull's-eye of the Crank Palace from above. Along its outer edge, a ring of dilapidated shops, offices, and restaurants faced inward, most of them looking like they hadn't run a respectable business in years. Where once windows and doors had resided, there were now only empty spots of darkness or hastily nailed-up boards. The glass had been taken long ago.

Evelyn's head was on the swivel, her eyes wide in fascination, and a huge twisted smile on her face. Hundreds of people jammed the paved central area, every last one of them either busy with activity or busy making a beeline for some undisclosed location for some undisclosed purpose. There was lots of yelling, lots of laughing, but the laughter was filled with lunacy; lots of talking, lots of arguing. In no surprise whatsoever, Evelyn saw at least seven brawls. These were often broken up by plain-clothed people holding full-sized Launchers, people who appeared healthier and stronger than those around them. Calmer, a more rational bearing. Or maybe it was just because they were the ones holding weapons.

"Munies." Evelyn spat, her nose wrinkling in disgust. 

"Hey...Lee, is this a good idea for you? Maybe we should go somewhere quieter.." Newt suggested. 

"Shuck no! I wanna explore. It was your shucken idea!" Evelyn snapped. 

Movement, a blur that approached in her peripheral vision from the right, snapped her out of the argument with Newt. A woman ran up to him, a middle-aged, short-haired lady with a wrinkly face and bright-blue eyes. She swatted him on the upper arm and kept running, didn't say a word to him. Such things didn't seem to faze anyone else in the huge clearing.

There was another person, his eyes wild, pounced in front of Evelyn, leaping and jumping around her and started beating his chest like a wild angry gorilla. She cocked her head to the side watching for a second. 

He wants to challenge? We can do that...come on my Feral Kitty. Show them your claws. 

Evelyn snarled like a wild animal. her fingers feeling tingly again, her arm throbbing in sharp pain already. 

Yes... my little murderous witch! You show him your claws. 

The man froze. He fell backwards and started wailing and crying like a toddler throwing a tantrum. He started thrashing his head and beating the ground with his fists. Evelyn just stood above him with a twisted smile and watch him. Newt grabbed her upper arm and tugged her away from the ridiculous scene. They only made it a few steps before they were stopped.

"Welcome to Crank Palace...welcome to Central Zone!" A man sprung in front of them. This man, was short with bright orange redish hair. He was wearing the most outlandish outfit; a maroon velvet coat with long coat tails and stripped pants a wild pattered bow tie and a huge top hat. It made Evelyn stop and giggle. The corners of Newt's mouth pulled down in a frown of confusion. 

"I love your coat!" Evelyn giggled. 

"Thank you my dear!" 

"You're very welcome." she giggled again. 

He took his big top hat off, his wild orange hair sprung in every direction, he swept his arm wide and he bowed low. 

"Welcome Dear and young sir to Central Zone." 

Giggling wildly Evelyn curtsied, as the man stood back up straight and jammed his top hat back on his head. 

"What do we call you, then, what's your buggen' name?" Newt asked. 

"Well my young British chap...I do believe I have no name. At least that I remember." He answered brightly. "Though..." he said thoughtfully, tapping his chin, "Most call me Hatter."

"Hatter?" Newt asked, his eyes lighting up. "That was from a book...my..my mother read it to me and Sonya. I think." He frowned again. "Mad Hatter!"

"Yes! Yes My British Lad!"  He held out a hand, Newt hesitated and shook the man's hand. "Names, Hatter. Mad Hatter."

"Names Newt." 

Mad Hatter held his hand out to Evelyn, "And you Dear?"

"Evelyn." His face lit up and looked back and forth between them. 

"So...you decided to bring the Mad Hatter to life, ya?" Newt asked, amusement in his voice, though his eyes looked trouble and stormy.

"I have no idea who your talking about." He said. 

"What?" Newt frowned.

"Who's the Mad Hatter?" He asked. 

"Did..did you not just tell us..." Newt trailed off. Evelyn just stood giggling. 

"So...You lovely folks have obviously made it to The Central Zone." He swept his hand wide showing the wild scene in front of them, ignoring Newt's confusion.

To Evelyn everything her eyes landed on seemed normal, she felt completely comfortable with all the chaos around her. Nothing bothered her, nothing made her feel threatened or nervous. She felt completely comfortable, like it was the Glade. She looked up at Newt, who had made a noise in the back of his throat. He didn't look so comfortable. Evelyn frowned, she reached up and held his cheek. 

"Newt?"  

"I don't want to go among those bloody mad people," Newt whispered, his voice quivered slightly, she saw the glassiness in his eyes, the tears forming behind his thick long lashes.

"Oh, you can't help that, my young chap" the silly man with the top hat said sadly. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat, "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad. She's mad."

"How do you know I'm mad?" said Newt asked, a challenge in his eyes as he turned towards the man.

"You must be," said the man said matter of factly, "or you wouldn't have come here."

Newt hummed, "That...actually bloody makes sense." 

"Indeed," Evelyn nodded, "The only thing around here that makes sense is that nothing makes sense." 

"So I have gone buggen' mad." He sighed. 

"I'm afraid so." The man said quietly. 

"But let me tell you something, Newt." She pulled his shoulders and made him look at her, her own eyes wild, but her worlds were as sincere as a half crank could be,  "the best people usualy are."

Newt hung his head. Evelyn ran a hand down to hold his. She gave it a squeeze. The Mad Hatter man stood watching them, a wide smile on his face, and a goofy wildness in his eyes. Evelyn turned to the man, and then glanced around them. 

"Would you tell me, please, which way we should to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said Mad Hatter.

"We don't much care where-" Evelyn shrugged, Newt nodded. He was looking lost, this was Evelyn's environment now.

We will protect him. Our poor boy needs us to take care of him. 

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Hatter.

"- so long as we get SOMEWHERE," Evelyn added as an explanation.

"Oh, you're sure to do that," Hatter said brightly, "if you only walk long enough."

"Hmm. I guess you're right Mr. Hatter. But...maybe, some food. A good place to eat?" 

"Yes!" He grinned. "Follow the yellow brick road!" 

"Follow the what?"

"Hmm?" He asked, looking around at her. 

"You said...to get food is to follow the yellow brick road." 

"I said no such thing! That would be silly! There is no yellow or brick roads in Crank Palace! Don't be silly Dear." He laughed, a slight manic twist in it. 

"Then how do we get some bloody food?" Newt snapped.

"Old Leroy here will give you a bite or two. He's one of the best around, cooks like his grandmammy taught him, no doubt. But sniff around the Palace a bit and you'll, uh, how do I wanna say it, you know... Improve your circumstances. Yeah, there ya go. There ain't no money around here, but... but you can definitely be poor. Know what I mean, big guy?" He was nudging Newt with his elbow, and suddenly eyeing up Evelin like she was his next meal.

Newt just shook his head and said, "Thank you for your time Hatter, but we'll be off to this Leroy's." He grabbed Evelyn and pulled her along with him.

______________________________________________

**A Little Alice in Wonderland sprinkled into this chapter. ;) 

Mad Hatter and The Cat have some great lines about going crazy! Hope it made sense, and didn't feel out of place or forced.