CHAPTER 2: Daring Rescue

Koa threw her hands over her mouth with shock and disgust. She recognized this toy as DogDay, one of the Smiling Critters, besides CatNap. He was hanging on the wall in a cell by his arms and neck with belts, and he was torn in half at the waist, another belt around his waist to hold his innards inside. Koa was ready to puke at this kind of mutilation!

"You…You're Poppy's angel. Come to save us," he said in a weak and tired voice. "Nothing left to save. Not here. You're in CatNap's home, Angel. Their home. A million pairs of eyes are on you now," his voice took on a serious tone, but still tired nonetheless. "Watching. Waiting. Hungry. They want nothing more than to crawl beneath your skin, and eat away at you, bit by little bit." He grunted in pain, but continued, "fill what is empty inside themselves."

Koa removed her hands from her face. Trembling, she asked quietly, "who did this to you?"

"That…thing…CatNap!" He said with anger in his voice. Before Koa could say anything, DogDay continued, "The Prototype is his god, and this is what he does to heretics. These little toys follow CatNap to avoid that very fate. And in return…they are fed." DogDay grunted in pain. "We tried to fight it: the Prototype's control. I'm… the last of the Smiling Critters," DogDay finished sadly.

DogDay's voice then became very pleading, "listen to me! You need to get out of this place! You need to live! You and Poppy can fix this! End this madness! The torment! The-"

Before DogDay could continue, Koa pulled out her hunting knife and started to cut away at the belts holding DogDay prisoner, starting with the ones around his neck.

"A-Angel, what are you-"

"I'm getting you out of here!" Koa interrupted DogDay, cutting through the brittle belts holding his neck, then moving to the ones holding his right arm.

"What?! Why are you doing this? Why would you want to save me?" DogDay asked, more surprised than confused.

"Because it's the right thing to do! I want to help you! You don't deserve this! I'm not leaving you here to suffer for another second!"

Just as she cut through the first belt around his wrist, a familiar snarling filled the room. Koa looked over and saw dozens upon dozens of glowing white eyes of the Mini Critters in the pipes in the wall of DogDay's cell. DogDay heard it too, and began to panic.

"Oh no! OH NO!" DogDay used his now-freed right hand to try and push Koa out of the cell, but it only got her to the doorway. He yelled out in a begging tone, "leave me! PLEASE! JUST GO! RUN!!"

One of the Mini Critters, a mini CatNap, made it ahead of the others and crawled his way to DogDay's exposed torso wound, but Koa was faster, and she crushed the little toy between her tactical hiking boot and the wall, the sounds of crunching bones, ripping skin and a pained scream echoed throughout the hall. After removing her foot, the Mini CatNap peeled off the wall and fell to the floor dead, leaving a fresh blood stain on the wall and his white irises faded. The other toys backed off at the sight of their companion's violent death. Even DogDay was shocked at what Poppy's angel had done. Noticing the Mini Critters backing off, Koa cut the other belt holding DogDay's right arm. The sudden weight change caused the belts holding DogDay's left arm to snap, and Koa caught him as he fell, snapping him out of his shock.

"Angel, please! Just leave me! I'll slow you down!" DogDay tried pleading again, but Koa ignored him and ran the way she came, putting her knife away as she did.

This snapped the Mini Critters out of their own shock and they gave chase, crawling out of the pipes and holes in the walls from all directions. Koa made it to the end of the hall, but the floor beneath her broke under her feet and both she and DogDay landed on a lower floor with a thud. Koa, filled with adrenaline, recovered immediately and started running again, adjusting her hold on DogDay so she could fire the Grab-Pack's flare gun to slow down the pursuing Mini Smiling Critters and ward off stragglers. DogDay started guiding her way to an exit and Koa followed his instructions on where to go. After making a sharp turn, Koa saw their escape route just ahead. Joy and determination filled her body and spirit and made her run faster.

Yes, we're gonna make it! She thought. But then she felt a familiar sharp pain in the small of her back, causing her to yell in pain. Oh no! OH NO! Not now! Please not now! Her injured back was starting to act up, and Koa knew she wouldn't be able to keep running. But if she slowed down, the Mini Critters would catch them.

"Angel, what's wrong?!" DogDay asked with concerned fear.

Koa didn't answer, instead she prayed silently: Please. PLEASE! Let me at least save DogDay. I don't care what happens to me. Please let me save at least one person. He doesn't deserve to die like this. Please, let me at least save him.

It was working, as Koa was filled with a boost of adrenaline and the pain subsided enough for a final serge of energy. Seeing a large gap between her, DogDay and their escape, she quickly switched the flare gun hand for the purple hand on the Grab-Pack.

"Hold on, DogDay! It's gonna get rough!" She yelled to DogDay, and he braced himself by holding onto her tighter despite his tired arms. As soon as Koa reached the platform, she fired the purple hand on the platform, and both she and DogDay were sent flying through the air, and they landed not so gracefully on the other side, as Koa's legs finally gave out. A large metal door slammed shut behind them on the Mini Critters, crushing a few and trapping the rest. They could be heard screaming and howling at their escaped meal.

The platform they landed on started to slowly rise them up to a higher level. Both DogDay and Koa were panting, trying to catch their breath. Koa noticed she couldn't really move her legs and her back was screaming in pain, and her adrenaline levels were crashing. Her vision was starting to go black. She could barely hear what DogDay was saying. Knowing she was about to pass out, she prayed again: Thank You, Lord.

"You alright?" Koa asked DogDay between breaths.

"Angel? Are you alright?" DogDay asked the question back to her. He could tell she didn't look so good. Just then, Koa passed out.

"ANGEL!" DogDay crawled to Poppy's angel's side and tried to shake her awake. "Angel?! Angel, come on! Wake up!" DogDay didn't know what to do. But then, DogDay's own vision started to cloud over. Barely five seconds later, DogDay passed out on top of Koa. Both of them had been running on adrenaline, and now their bodies, knowing they were out of danger, demanded rest.

DogDay lives! Something I should elaborate on in this story is the reason Koa wasn't there during the Hour of Joy is because she was in the hospital after surviving being mauled by a bear a few days prior. Her back and right arm took most of the attack, and she wears an arm and body brace as she has permanent nerve and muscle damage. She can't walk super long distances, nor can she run for very long. She also can't lift very heavy objects with her right arm. She learned to use her left arm just as well as her right. (she's ambidextrous, but she still used her right arm most of the time.)

Some other fun facts about Koa: she is half Native American, and her father is a military general. That's how she survived so long in the factory, thanks to all the training her parents gave her (and her older brothers. She's the youngest child) in surviving and fighting.

Hope you all enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.