Lights dimmed to no more than an embering glow in the large room, remaining dimly lit on the walls to his sides. Richard Guy Worthmoore sat reclining in his red leather recliner, a chair almost too exquisite and expensive to get one’s hands on. He mused over his fortune in everything, and by everything he meant he had his hand in every pie on the face of the earth, so to speak.

There was nothing the man cannot get if he wanted it, and now all he wanted was to enjoy his new movie projector inside his personal home theater. He spared no expense for the production of his new projector, developed with cutting edge quantum computer projections unlike anything anyone else has ever made, at least in terms of current quantum mechanics. The guy Richard paid to make this technology blabbered something about it being experimental, and that they had not finished crunching some crucial numbers that were supposedly dangerous outcomes, then some other what-if and what-nots. With some bucks here and there, he managed to get the projector installed in his private home theater and was now going to enjoy it on his own.

His favorite movies and shows were from the 29th to 30th centuries, so he had made plans to spend this next week watching them all, or until his brains popped out.

A button was pressed on the side of his seat, the large screen in front flickered to life as the pictures on screen widened. The retro countdown ticked down on the big-screen going 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… then the images came to life with its first movie, Madhatter’s Last Laugh. Richard remembered this movie clearly, it was a readaptation from a comic book almost thirty years prior to the movie. The film itself was controversial with divided opinions, in the end though it was considered overall a decent film.

Objects emitted by the quantum projector came to life, his hair stood on end for how incredible the surrealism was. Heat from the explosions the rockets radiated out of the screen, the voices and sound came not from the surround sound but rather straight from the screen itself. The entire experience felt real, perhaps too real, and that made him fall more in love with this technology. The movie drew close to the end, Dusk Crawler was beat up and going to make his final confrontation with the Madhatter.

Madhatter’s voice echoed from the floor above as Dusk Crawler made his way up the stairs, “I mean, what is it with you? What made you what you are? Perhaps your son was gutted like a swine? Maybe some sicko cocked up your mother? Something like that, I know!” Dusk Crawler turned left into a room right before it flashed a bright white, “Because that is how it always starts.”

The new room Dusk Crawler stepped into was embodiment of insanity, it masqueraded as an ordinary kitchen and dining area apartment room, the entire room with everything in it was upside down. He walked deeper in the room and did not even flinch when the door closed behind him, until the Madhatter’s presence emerged from behind him. Dusk Crawler spun around in defense. Before he had time to react, however, Madhatter was already on top of him and whacked his head with a pot that knocked him down to the ground in a daze. The crazed man then grabbed the seat from the ceiling and smashed him with it, all the while claiming his point was that he knew he was crazy and was smart enough to admit it, that it was in fact everyone else who were crazy too and failed to admit it to themselves.

He paused from throwing random objects at him to state a reality, “I mean, do you ever think how many times we have come close to an apocalypse over teases on a computer screen? Everyone is crazy because they don’t admit it! If they had fun like me, then I’d be the new sane!”

Grinning again as he smacked Dusk Crawler on the head with a pan, then again, and again, and again. He was in a crazed frenzy beating the defenseless man into a pulp, all the while laughing and cackling in some humor Richard could not understand. The current scene sent shivers crawling down Richard’s spine, he thought he memorized the movie well, and he knew for a fact that this was not part of the movie. The Madhatter paused from his barbarism to look straight at the camera, another part he did not remember from the film. Madhatter was simply staring back at him, as if he was seeing a person beyond the camera shot. He leaned forward and rose a brow in wonder of what on earth was going on, until Richard toppled backwards from his seat in complete shocking surprise.

The Madhatter poked a hand through the screen, parting it in the center. The surrounding air was being sucked into the screen, as if a spacial vortex were swallowing everything surrounding it. Richard dangled in the air like a wind sock as he held onto a chair as if his life depended on it. It came to a sudden stop just as sudden as it started, dropping him to the ground like a rag doll.

“So you’re the peeping tom curious of what we do.” A hysterical laughter erupted from behind him.

He slowly stood up, trying to make sense in what was before him; a cartoony albino in a green plaid suit and fiery red hair stood a few rows below. A large green top hat decorated with a single clover leaf and large feathery plume, a hat he knew to be filled with an armament that could flatten a small city. Fear led to panic as he realized what he had created, he made a jolt for the glowing red lights displaying Emergency Exit further up the aisle at the back. As he was about to push the door to escape, a card swooped by his face and wedged itself into the door and post securing it in place. He frantically crashed his shoulders repeatedly into the door in a desperate attempt to escape, but it was to no avail as it would not budge free.

Now with his back pressing against the wall and panting in fear, Richard watched the Madhatter close in on him with a crowbar in hand and an ominous grin painted on his face. He begged in a final attempt, “Please don’t kill me Madhatter, sir.” Never did he imagine that he would both beg and say please in the same sentence.

Madhatter palmed his face in another laughing fit, pulling him closer with the hook end to the crowbar. His pearly white teeth inches away from his face, his breath was minty fresh. He lifted him with his free hand, gripping him tightly while not choking him.

He frowned at the mortified man, “Kill you? Why would I want to do that?” He then grinned again, “I need you, and you need me. You just need to do me a favor.”

He nodded submissively, “Yes Madhatter sir, anything sir. Name it, and I will give it. Money? Women? Your own sovereign country? I can make that happen.” The madman frowned disappointingly, clearly unsatisfied with what he had to offer. “No, I will give you everything I own. Just let me live.”

He fell onto his knees being set free from the gripping hands, permitting the madman to pace and murmur in front of him. “What can a man that has nothing to offer, offer? Tsk tsk tsk.” He waggled his finger while pacing.

“A-hah!” He exclaimed in excitement. “Entertainment! You, you… What is your name handsome?” He chuckled with snicker in his smile.

“Richard. Richard Worthmoore.” He answered sheepishly.

He yanked his own hair, cackling like the lunatic he was, “Hahaha! No kiddings?! I like you already, in fact you will be excellent entertainment for both me and those who are reading this now. This is some crazy world!”

Richard was confused, his incoherent speech and senseless sentences made no contextual sense. “What are you talking about?”

He lifted him up again, pressing his face against his. “Nothing you should care about, it will only mean your life. Boy! You are in for some fun.” He cackled again.

Madhatter then dragged him by the hair to the big theater screen, all the while Richard kicked and flayed about attempting to break free from his iron grip but it only led to more pain as clumps of hair tore off. Next thing that happened was the guy pulling on the screen as if it were some curtain mesh, and the moment it was spread open the air vortexes back inside as if it were a vacuum again. The unexpected happened, the Madhatter lifted him high and tossed him inside. Last thing he heard before disappearing inside was that lunatic laughing so hysterically that it would have almost been comical, if it were not for the fact of him being tossed into an abyss.

The world spiraled around him, particles of light beamed past him and rings of white light swirled all around him almost hypnotically. The environment past the beams and swirls were pure black, but changed into hues of all colors and back to black then colorful again, a migraine built up in his head as this process repeated much more frequently and intensely. At the end of the seemingly endless abyss was a bright white haloed portal, and when he fell through it, the whole world turned white then black again. Unbeknownst to him, he fell deep into unconsciousness.