"Why did you have to push that button?" Growled a feminine voice, before you felt something thin, cold pressed against your neck. You seized in fear as you looked up at something tall and green standing right over you.
She looked very ragged, and her fabric was torn and stretched in some places. You quickly noticed a lightning-bolt pendant hanging from a zipper beneath her gaping mouth, smile, and eyeless eyes glaring down at you. As she held a spear-like object to your neck.
"Hoppy No!" Crafty and KickinChicken called out. Hearing their stuffed feet pitter-pattering up towards you. "They are here to help us!"
You felt the cold object pull away and a clunking like-spring, squeaking away as the green creature moved back. You could see it fully now to tell it was a rabbit with ears drawn back and gaze that looked so cold. Your eyes trailed down its body to notice one of its legs looked odd, then the other, replaced by a pogo stick beneath the knee.
"It's rude to stare," growled the rabbit once more, as you averted your eyes from her with a meek apology.
Crafty and KickinChicken were at your side, each offering a hoof and a wing to help you up. You accepted the one you wanted, as they helped you up onto your feet.
"Are you okay, Angel?" Crafty asked as you nod your head with a soft smile at her. You were starting to get used to the name they gave you and found it cute or sweet of them calling you that.
"What the heck was that about?" KickinChicken asked the bunny-Hoppy, the deal of her behavior.
The rabbit only scuffed and looked away, "Well sor-ree, I was not informed that humans were still around, that's all." She said before giving a raised brow at you, "how did you get here, exactly?"
"Well… Uhm…" You start, feeling your words falter as you try to speak, but the words won't come easily. As the stuffed toy rabbit stares down at you impatiently and bored.
"I sent him a letter, like Ollie requested me to do," Crafty peeped as you gave her a surprise glance. There was that Ollie name again. Do they actually know each other?
Hoppy turns her attention to her unicorn companion. "You were the one? I should have known you would do that," she sighs with a shake of her head. "I bet Bubba wasn't happy when he found out. You did tell him, didn't you?"
"He knows," Crafty said, her voice lowered, "But ya, he didn't take it so lightly…"
"I figured," Hoppy said as she rested the spear over her shoulder. "Explains why he sent you down here with me. I figured something was going on because I hadn't spotted CatNap returning after that crash earlier." Then her eyes went back to you. "You weren't the reason for that noise, were you?"
You sheepishly smiled, "I might have lost control of the train while tunneling down here."
"Uh-huh," Hoppy nodded, looking a bit skeptical. "That would explain the little doll I saw running through here moments ago."
"Doll?!" You gasped, "You mean Poppy? Where is she?" You asked.
"I don't know," Hoppy shrugged, "She just disappeared and I didn't bother to chase after her, because I don't really care. You, on the other hand, are different. But since Ollie wants you, it must be important."
"Who is this 'Ollie' person, exactly?" You asked as you looked at all three tall stuffed animals around you. They all shrugged, even looking at each other for no one showed they knew either.
"We never met him," Kickin said. "We never saw the guy; we assumed he was one of us because he just showed up out of nowhere a while back and has been guiding us."
Crafty nodded. "He was the one who wanted you to save Poppy from the containment and believed you could work with her to stop the Prototype and his followers."
"His followers?" You questioned, as you thought back on Huggy Wuggy, when you first arrived at this place. Before running into Mommy Long Legs, who tested your skills through all her strategy games. But you don't believe Mommy was behind the Prototype's deeds, recalling how terrified she was as she screamed and cried, 'He'll make me part of him!' You could never erase the terror you saw in her eyes before her abdomen got smashed in the shredder and suddenly, a long, metal hand of wires reached from the cracked open door beneath, dragging half her helpless, dead body away. You wanted to go after it and see the creature, but part of you was telling you to stay clear and run. But you never imagined having to face it someday or later.
As you were slightly in deep thought and was about to ask more questions you wanted to ask, the sudden voice on the phone in your hand rang out that made you all jump, "Just go under the statue!" It said in an upbeat voice.
"Okay okay, Dora the explorer," you said, "We're going. We're going!"
"Ollie," it corrected you.
But you just rolled your eyes as you went to the staircase, that was not too hard to find. The other toys followed behind you. Ducking themselves in the doorway as they entered.
The place looked a lot bigger inside then out, and had a really funky smell that made you wince and cover your nose. The others seem to not be bothered by it for they did not have real sense as you do or maybe they were completely used to this.
"Over here," Hoppy gestured you to follow her as she led you around the place to a grated storage with a tube in the center. The moment she opens it, a key with a teal circle on it appears. You reached out and held it in your hand.
"So you got the key…" said Ollie's voice on the call, you held the phone to your ear to confirm it, but you realized he was not asking you a question. "Now the question you're probably asking yourself is: Where does it go?" He was not wrong about that, as you twirl the key in your hand. "Well, head back out, and you should find a door just to the left of the cable car you took down here."
"I could've shown ya that," Kickin scuffed before heading out before everyone else did.
"Kickin! Wait up!" Hoppy called out before going after and you and Crafty followed suit with the others behind.
Kickin and Hoppy were already waiting for you as they both hurried you to open up the door. They were both so impatient, but you did not blame them, for you wanted to leave this place as well.
As you unlock the door and push it open, you can feel a strong heat escaping before entering. It was a lot more stuffy and had a sweet scent than anywhere else. As you and the others proceed forward, you notice some posters. One of Mommy Long Legs wearing a mask with bold red, white, and blue words saying, "DON'T FORGET YOUR MASK" as there was another poster with Bonzo Bunny falling into an abyss in large white words to small, "WATCH YOUR STEP". This seems really odd to have around where there should be children. Then again, you are all underground and probably have toxic gas that prevents it within the cavern. That could be it, you surmised to yourself as you continued forward.
You turned a corner and found a door left open distorted, or rather scratched up. In fact, there were a lot of scratches, deep ones all around the room. But they all looked old and left behind by something large.
Crafty gave out a light whimper as Kinckin put a wing over her shoulder, "It's okay Crafty, I doubt he is even in here," he said, but there was a slight fear in his voice as he leaned closer to the unicorn, as his absence eyes looked around.
You even can see Hoppy was in high alert with her long, green patch ears perked up and her nose twitching like an actual rabbit as she gripped her spear tightly in both hands. They all look so uneasy, for you won't blame them, you can sense it as well that you might be breathing too heavy. Then again, it could be the lack of oxygen in this place.
As you all each went through that door, you see a machine before you in this giant, warehouse built area. The machine had three giant tubs. Two empty and the other filled with the red substance you saw before.
"Welcome to the Gas Production Zone," Ollie greeted through the phone in your hand. He was so loud, you did not have to hold him up against your ear at this point. "The beating heart of the whole evil Playcare system."
You did not have to disagree on that, for that did sound a bit sinister and why did they need this gas to produce it? But Ollie kept talking, as you were not able to ask your questions at this moment.
"All that gas you see coming from the machine is made right here in the factory. It's called 'The Red Smoke'."
"Oh really? I thought it was blue," you said sarcastically, that only Kickin gave out a hard laugh. Crafty looked confused and Hoppy did not seem amused. Neither was Ollie on the phone, as he yet again brushed off your comment as nothing.
"Right now it's all headed off to the right. WE need to make that Red Smoke go left instead. That's how we can get to him. The machine will probably have a few dumb safeguards for you to work around, but I think you can do it. I'll call you once it's done." He said before hanging up.
You blankly stare down at the phone before looking at the other three. "Not sure you heard that, but did he say 'We' a moment ago or did he expect me to do all the work?"
"Hey, don't worry," Kickin pat your back, that almost knocked you face forward for a moment there, "You got us, and we could assist ya in the process."
Crafty nodded with agreement as Hoppy was looking around. "Well let's not all linger too long, or else CatNap might get wind of what we are doing here."
You all nodded and split in different directions but were all in sight from each other as you all worked together to turn on the machine. Clearly, there was no power and this building was huge! But so many things were blocked off and closed off without power.
You could hear Crafty sighing wishing Bubba was here to help you all as she stood by the machine. KickinChicken was near an elevator shaft on the left and was looking at the control button as he pressed it. "Darn, the thing is not working."
On the right side, you witness Hoppy jump up to the opening up above and peek into it. She then turned and waved at you all. "Hey! I think I found something over here," she called out, "but I cannot do this alone. Apparently, we need to use your grab pack for this. See if you can find something useful to get yourself up here, if you can!"
You nodded as you made your search. Maybe you could pile some good sturdy crates you see around, but the wood around them seems to be warped and smashed in places that don't look too sturdy or be able to hold any sort of weight. So you moved further from the rest and headed into a different room near KickinChicken. It was a lot bigger and you can see a giant, cork thing in the center of the room. What is that? You asked yourself as your eyes trailed up the wires and stilts around the plate. Was it blocking something beneath or leading down to something? Either way, you rather saved that question for some other time as your eyes trailed around the room. That's when you saw something. A cutout of purple cat with a huge open smile and a crescent moon hanging on its neck. Beside it was a large bubble with a red button that said PRESS HERE.
Hey all, I wanted to write more but the word count was going to long that I had to stop it there, I could not hold this chapter from you any further, yet I felt proud what I got so far. Originally I was going to post it yesterday, but the day slip from me fast. Oppsy! Oh well, here it is! I hope you like it and stay tune for more!
UPDATE: I just saw the drop of "Sleep Well" and it seems there is something in there that gives me an idea and what I assume and was going for. *Insert Kronk "Oh yeah, it's all coming together" meme*