The Big House
"Oh my," Didi said as she pushed Tommy towards the new daycare she'd found in the yellow pages. "This certainly isn't what I expected from their ad." She looked down at Tommy, who twisted his head about, little brow crinkled. "I was thinking more teddy bears and less… concrete walls and guard towers." The gates opened with a shriek, causing Tommy to gasp, and Didi continued on, feeling more and more nervous. Security cameras that followed her every move, bars on the windows - "Is that door made of STEEL!?"
"Ah, Mrs. Pinkles," the short haired, oddly militaristically-dressed day care worker said as they entered. "Welcome to the Golden Apple Daycare, where our motto is "An Apple A Day Keeps The Children At Bay"."
"Just… rolls off the tongue," Didi said, glancing about at the cold walls of the play area.
"And this must be Thomas," the woman said and when Didi corrected her the attendant, Sandra… just utterly ignored her and instead began to talk about how they would monitor the babies 24/7.
"Well, your facilities seem so… secure."
"Thank you," Sandra said before leaning forward and GLARING at Tommy, who pressed himself against his stroller. "You know… there's never been an… escape… from Golden Apple Daycare."
Alarm bells didn't go off in Didi's head. Full on klaxons like one would hear moments before a nuclear bomb when off were screaming in her mind.
"Well, that's… nice. I just came here to tell you that, uh, turns out I won't be needing your services today." She turned to leave only for Sandra to block her path. "We'll… come back another time."
"You already paid."
"Keep it. For the inconvenience."
"No no… let us watch over Thomas. You go enjoy your freedom," she reached down and grabbed a startled Tommy, roughly yanking him from the stroller, "and we will ensure he understands how things work now."
Tommy threw back his head and sobbed in fright, Sandra sneering at him… for two seconds. Then Didi grabbed Tommy and held him close. The baby whimpered and cuddled up to her as Didi glared at Sandra.
"Either we walk through that door or you go through it on a hospital gurney!"
Sandra quickly got out of the way, Didi hugging Tommy close, not even bothering to grab the stroller. "I'm sorry sweetie. It's okay. Mommy's here." Tommy trembled in her embrace and Didi, even as she kept her voice low and sweetm, saw blood red.
~Two Days Later~
"Can you believe it?" Stu said as the couple watched the news, Tommy sitting on Didi's lap. "Brazilian nazis running a daycare in our town? Who would have thought it?" He shock his head as the TV showed Sandra and the other daycare attendants being hauled away in cuffs, grateful parents comforting their traumatized children. "I wonder who called in the tip though?"
Didi merely looked down at Tommy and winked, the baby pressing his hands to his mouth and giggling.