Chapter Text
“Tell you what, kid, I’m, gonna bring you straight up to the surface one of these days.” I said to the kid in front of me. I like coming to Playcare for a reason, it's refreshing to be out of the lab.
Theo was just an extension of the good this place can do sometimes. I know he’s being considered for Catnap, Sawyer told me it himself. He’s truly a cruel man, I would’ve probably soccer punched him if he wasn’t my superior.
Most people would probably be beat up if it weren’t for me deliberately holding back. In any case, I will hold up my promise. Theo doesn’t deserve any of this. He’s a child. Tomorrow, I need to get him out of here, finish the adoption papers and get him out of here. Also quit my job, but that can wait.
”.. But won’t he stay here? Can’t we bring him along..? Please, Dr. Bertram?” Theo said, looking up at me. This cursed company really gets me sometimes. Theo’s connection to the prototype was risky, in any case, I can’t just outright say I’m going to only take him.
Theo trusts me so much. I’ve heard from Greyber that he often talks about me during any of his counselor visits. She said he often uses my over compliance to accept he knows about the prototype as a sign he isn’t imaginary. Exp.1006 isn’t imaginary in the slightest, but most people wouldn’t know that.
”I’m sure he will come around to the idea, Theo. A good friend always does.” I lied. Theo smiled, something that just affirmed the pity I felt.
These damned experiments will get me killed but I will make sure there’s at least one thing they can’t take. My son will never be part of it. I beg of the universe to for once go my way. Let there be at least one person I can get out of this hellhole. Out of Sawyer’s grasp.
”I hope so.. Will you visit tomorrow as well?” He peered up at me, giving him a nod in response.
I wish I had done that damn paperwork sooner. Had I done it sooner, said something, maybe I wouldn’t be guilty.
Might I be sentenced to an eternal hell for it all. I’m sorry Theo, I truly am. If I had done something sooner, changed things, or even just stopped them.. Maybe things wouldn’t be this way. I’m sorry.
Forgive me this once, Theo.
———
I gasped for air as I woke. The nightmare had repeated so many damn times it just made me feel like crap, though it used to make me cry so much. He was not just some kid I had begun to favor, he had been the closest to a son I had ever had. Sawyer took that from me and took Theo’s childhood. The resentment I feel at the mere thought of Sawyer is enough to wake me though. I got up quietly, ready to just start my day.
I walked to the bathroom and splashed my face with water before looking back up. Messy unkempt sharply cut black hair surrounded my face, brown eyes peering back at me. I had eyebags too mostly from all the overtime. My vision was rather foggy, but once more, glasses are both a curse and a blessing. Mostly a curse as I physically cannot walk anywhere without squinting.
I dried my hands and walked over to my kitchen. Before heading in, I grabbed my glasses off my nightstand and put them on.
I quickly put coffee to brew as I looked over to my dinner table. There it was, the damn letter which had made me zone out for thirty minutes before I was so rudely interrupted by my dearest mother and father calling me. Seriously, I’m what? Almost 40? Yet they act like I’m freshly out of college. That aside, I stared at the envelope. It was simple, yet it was so confusing. The message that is.
’EVERYONE THINKS THE STAFF DISSAPPEARED 10 YEARS AGO. WER’E STILL HERE. FIND THE FLOWER.’
It was written crudely but it got the point across. The possibility that the experiments were still alive was a very available option. They can survive for months without food. (Unfortunate information I learned from Sawyer.) If they were smart enough to ration amongst them, it was a possibility.
The staff? No way. I didn’t go the day they disappeared for a reason. Theo had begged me not to, I had never seen him so desperate. He usually only spoke about the Prototype and fond memories with the other critters. It was one of the few times he deliberately told me not to do something. Therefore, I listened. Only real problem was that I had lost my child once more and my job too.
Point stood, it was completely possible for this letter to be from one of the children. Therefore, my theory could be correct. Plus, it seems that the kid who wrote this didn’t know how to use commas or how to write the word ‘disappeared’ by the looks of it.
Which means it was either from some moron who was somehow old enough to know about the factory and that I worked there, orrr it came from a weirdly intelligent kid.
I would like to think it was actually from the factory. Plus, something tells me that it's not being dramatic. Someone is still there. The letter came with an old Poppy comercial, at the end it had flashed to a poppy flower mural on one of the catwalks in the factory.
One I recognized for unfortunate reasons. It was recordings from a very specific camera. Unless someone broke in or hacked the computers, there’s no physical way anyone should have access to that recording.
I will likely regret my decisions, I always do after all. Theo, not kicking the hell out of Sawyer when I had the chance, and not saying anything for all these years.
Yet, I want to see if my son is still alive. If Sawyer is somehow alive and if I can finally take just as much as he took from me. I hope I can. I truly, truly, truly hope I can.
——
Welp, I got the basic stuff. At least what I think will help me stay alive for at least a few days at best. I got food, medical supplies, hand sanitizer, shampoo in case I get stuck for longer than I need to, spare change of clothes, and water all inside a duffle bag. I had a few fruits stored just in case someone was picky and a majority of the rest of the food were different kinds of sandwiches, jerky or nuts.
The medical supplies were the stuff I had stored the most of. Bandages, Antibiotic cream for burns just in case, pain meds, bandaids, surgical suture and medical tape. Lucky my medical license makes it seem like I’m just kickstarting a business and not about to start using these items to try to help experiments that have been stuck inside of a factory for years. That or an illegal business.
I think the upside to this is that I know what to expect. I still have some old files I snuck past Sawyer and managed to take home with me. Mostly reports on Theo, but amongst that, I had some files on the other critters and information on where spare parts were stored as I was in charge of training new employees sometimes.
In any case, you never expect it to be easy when sneaking into an abandoned building like Playtime. Co, but I guess security got faulty over the years. The lobby was almost the same as when I had last seen it. A green tape caught my attention but I skipped over it. That tape was just a security measure, but I honestly could care less. If I recall correctly, said security measure was one of the bigger bodies. Which one? I don’t know, ask Sawyer.
I looked over to both of the hallways, one had a door that needed a code. The other side was the shop. Did I remember the code? No. Do I know where to find it? Yup. I walked over to the shop, looking up at the train. ‘Red, green, cyan, and pink.’ I whispered under my breath. I walked back over to the panel. I put the colors in and sure enough, the door unlocked.
There was a tape and a GrabPack. I remembered seeing other employees use one but I was never needed in that part of the field. Also a chance that Sawyer was worried I was going to take his head, he always knew I hated him. I put the tape in quietly, staring at the instructions, barely reading them. Though I will admit it is concerning that it had imagery of someone beheading their coworker but I got a feeling it was meant to be comedic. I mean, look at old cartoons and you’ll understand.
I picked up my prize and adjusted the straps, tying my duffle bag’s straps onto the GrabPack. I hopped over the gate and shot the hand at the hand scanner. I think the real miracle of this place is that it still has working electricity. 10 years and it still works.
Behind the door was a large dome like room, Huggy Wuggy standing in the middle with one hand up. I stared at the giant blue creature in front of me and then looked over at the other doors. Then, I saw a hand scanner, so I went over and tried to unlock it.
”Shit.” I mumbled as the damn thing short circuited. Then I heard a clunk and looked over to see Huggy holding a key, likely for the power room. Wait a damn minute, he’s… OH CRAP. “Don’t repeat what I said if you heard me.”
I then snatched the key from him and promptly gave him a high five before going over to the power room. I swear, one of the FEW times I decide to actually swear it turns out there’s a giant blue child behind me. DAMN SAWYER AND LEITH WITH THEIR STUPID INNOVATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS.
I sighed before walking inside the power room and looking around to… a puzzle. I swear, I’m going to end up going insane in this factory.
I completed the puzzle in a total of about 10 minutes after figuring stuff out. It was rather simple, which worried me. I waltz over to the main room, ready to greet Huggy once more only to see the spot empty. God forbid I get a second of calm. I walked over to the hand scanner and saw a hand slither behind a door.
”Guess you want me dead? I could see why.” I said quietly, walking over to the room I saw Huggy go into. It was dark as hell and I hated it. I yelped slightly as a pipe released some steam.
I walked into a new room, this one seemed to be a storage area. Not too big, but certainly not small. I continued walking just to see Huggy staring at me inside one of the vents. “Whatcha up to?” I asked but he hid almost immediately. I sighed before looking over to yet another puzzle.
——
I soon got the red hand which I needed in order to continue on and also a yellow tape. It was apparently about Rich and Avery. I put it into my duffle bag without much thought. Rich had gone on to be pretty successful. I was still in touch with him and Marcus as well. Avery was fifty-fifty. We speak on occasion though it's mostly at hangouts with Rich. Avery is a nice guy though, he’s always been quite admirable.
Maybe they’ll like to have a small memory of the past, or they’ll be confused. In any case, I’m dragging some of these with me. Mostly because I’ll probably not hear their voices for quite a while. I can always come back and watch the other tapes once I find my son.
I continue onwards through a vent and groan as I finish up another puzzle before continuing. Rich was right to complain, this place sucks. Who the hell needs so many dang puzzles? This has got to be inefficient in some way. I walk towards another room. This time it's another pretty open room.
Make-A-Friend. Man, Theo would’ve loved this back before he… No, don’t think about that. You need to keep going. I sighed heavily before seeing that the machine needed power and seeing a staircase not too far off. There I saw yet another puzzle.
”May Leith rot in hell for this and what he allowed.” I groaned as I walked over to start doing the puzzle, seeing another tape.
I grabbed at it and read the front of it. It was Stella’s interview. When I was there, I remember that she talked a bunch about the concept of life and death. Curious woman, yet such a hypocrite in her own ways. I put the tape next to its player before walking over to the puzzle.
———
I let out a sigh of relief as I finished the puzzle, heading down and turning the stupid machine on while looking around as the toy finished up. I grabbed it and walked on over to the scanner. I placed the Catbee on the scanner and it opened. All was fine and dandy until I heard the subtle breathing. I looked over towards the dark hallway and accepted my fate.
I walked forward cautiously and then Huggy popped up. I backed up and saw that there was an open conveyor belt. I got close to it before looking back at Huggy who was weirdly slow. “Okay, would you be open to reason..?” I said in the kindest voice I could muster given the situation before he started to speed up a bit.
”Okay, guess that’s out the window.” I mumbled before running into the conveyor belt. Huggy followed, chasing me until I finally landed on a catwalk nearby. The opening had shut but I continued to hear the thumping of Huggy trying to open the door.
I looked up and there I saw a box, I looked from there to the almost broken door. I looked back up and whispered a sorry before pulling on the box with the GrabPack hands. Huggy broke through but we both fell onto the catwalk below. I landed safely, if not a bit bruised, but Huggy was only halfway on the catwalk. He started to slowly slip and I panicked, lunging at him.
I couldn’t just let him fall off. I’d be no different than him, I’d be just the same violent person. I wouldn’t be anything better, letting a kid fall to their death? He’s not Theo, Alan or Mariam. Just let it happen. I’d be no different than a monster. I’m a bad person, not a monster. NOT YET.
Thankfully, I managed to pull him back onto the catwalk.
”I forget how heavy you guys are.. That could’ve been a pretty bad fall ya know-“ I cut myself off as I realized who I was talking to. I looked up, a bit terrified. I was literally not even that far away from him, if he decided to get up, I’d be pretty doomed. Yet, he just stared.
His mouth was shut once more and he stared with curiosity. So did I, mostly confusion that is. Then I remembered the duffle bag with all my stuff. I opened it up and tossed over a sandwich and water towards him. He stared at it warily before he accepted it, eating it pretty quickly.
”There we are, not so harmful when you’re full, huh? Jeez, if you’re this hungry I can only imagine Theo…” My voice trailed off as I remembered Theo once more. I shook my head before smiling softly. I got up carefully and turned my back to the giant, walking over to the flower.
Truth is, Theo was a part of what I wanted to find here. I had to find out if Sawyer was still around, bout K.M.J, if Theo had actually kept Aiden safe during the carnage of whatever happened.. So much, yet so little time and hope. All I can hope is that the two are alright, that and figure out if the critters are alright. K.M.J and Sawyer are secondary to that.
Why do I even care what happened to K.M.J? I barely interacted with them. Maybe it was the desperate look of the Ayer’s that reminded me of Mariam. Pity truly is a spectacle. Who am I kidding, I’m beginning to sound too much like Sawyer. We may both be bad people but I won’t ever stoop as low as that fucker. If I wanted to do the same thing as him, I’d at least make arrangements comfortable for the experiments. But nooo, that idea was too humane for them, wasn’t it?
I was tapped out of my thoughts as I heard small footsteps, so I looked back. Huggy was following me. “You can stay here if you want. No need to follow unless it's what you want.” I spoke up softly, not wanting to be too loud. He stared at me and tilted his head before walking over, crouching down and hugging me. It was fairly tight but I did my best to hug back before he finally let me go.
Sometimes stuff like this makes me wonder if people don’t realize just how bad I am until I say it out loud. I’m not a good person. Never will be. All be it, I suppose being the son to a drunkard father and fighting your way out while worrying about your siblings does stuff to ya. Mariam and Alan didn’t deserve that. I did though.
I continued my walk to the poppy flower only to see a tape and its recorder not too far off. There on the label, it read ‘Exp.1006 Final Log.’ I stared for a bit before going to put it in, but stopped as I heard Huggy growl a bit.
”You can cover your ears if you want to, bud. If you can’t then try walking a bit farther away so you don’t hear it.” I comforted, the blue giant nodding a bit sadly before walking away. I sighed before putting in the tape.
The tape was a long winded rant about The Prototype. I could hear faint screaming in the background and banging. The log ended with the scientist expressing that any future experiments are to be disposed of and saying that they’ll be back. Then it ended. Fear is all I can really say I felt. I know Theo can take care of himself, but judging by how things sounded, I’m not sure he’s ok.
God, is he okay? I came here to see him once more, did I come too late? Did I come too late just as I had with the paperwork? He must be so scared.. All alone and in this hellhole of a factory. If it is too late, why am I still here? Confirmation? If things are this bad here alone then I can just imagine-.. oh right.
I heard soft footsteps behind me and Huggy looked at me a bit worried, tilting his head once more. He was a kid once too, yet I’m here worried about Theo.. “Maybe I truly am no different from all the selfish people that caused this. I should’ve done something sooner.” I mumbled, Huggy looking a bit confused but he walked over and hugged me once more. I hugged him back before I went over to the door I had been meaning to find all this time.
I heard Huggy growl a bit, but I reassured him it’d be ok. I was partially comforting myself too, he didn’t need to know that though. I opened the door and there was a long hallway. Elliot Ludwig. The man who started it all had an office here. I took a deep breath before continuing.
Huggy cautiously followed as I went in deeper. Then I saw it. There, Poppy sat inside a case. Huggy growled as I approached the case, but then again, one doll against two people four times its size wouldn’t stand a chance. Well, more like 9 times the size if we're talking about Huggy. Seriously, Sawyer couldn’t have made them shorter?
I used the GrabPack’s hand to open the case and the lights flickered. The doll’s eyes went wide open as they snapped to look in my direction. I began to feel dizzy as she stared. I fell over onto a nearby wall as my vision blurred, not because of my glasses this time.
”You opened my case.” A soft voice said, before I heard what I believe was likely Huggy growling. Then, I blacked out.