CHAPTER 3: Healing Wounds
DogDay woke with a groan. When he looked around his surroundings, at first he was confused. Why am I here? Wasn't I hanging by my arms in a prison cell just now? He glanced down and saw a young human woman unconscious on the floor. Then the memories came flooding in.
"Angel!" DogDay yelled. Please don't tell me I accidentally suffocated her! Please let her be okay! DogDay prayed silently. When he noticed her chest rising with every breath she took, DogDay immediately sighed in huge relief.
"Poor Angel. She must have overexerted herself. Hopefully, she'll wake up soon. We can't stay here." DogDay quietly said out loud. As he settled down, he got a good proper look at Poppy's angel for the first time now that the rush was over for now. He didn't recognize her, so that must have meant she worked somewhere else in the factory all those years ago. How she was still alive after that fateful day, he didn't know. DogDay took notice of her injuries: most of her face was caked in dried blood from three large scratches on the right side of her face, which still trickled blood, and a deep cut to her forehead, which had stopped bleeding only recently. A large swollen bruise covered the right side of her face and forehead as well, and a few smaller bruises littered her arms. Her long black hair was in a messy braid, and her clothes were filthy, blood soaked and torn in random places. He placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting and thankful gesture. He quietly spoke, "you've been through a lot, haven't you, Angel? I promise, you will no longer do this alone. I promise to help you with everything left in me."
A short while later, Koa awoke with a groan. Her body ached from the position she was laying in, and slowly pushed herself up into a more comfortable position, finding out she had control over her legs again in the process. She glanced over and noticed DogDay next to her, and DogDay looked over to her as she sat up.
"Angel!" DogDay exclaimed happily. Then worry grew in his features, "are you alright?! I heard you yell in pain as we were escaping those little toys back there. Then you passed out once we were safe."
Koa sighed, and said calmly, "don't worry, DogDay, I'm alright. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with. I'm fine now. Honest."
"Are you sure?" DogDay asked, still concerned. "Angel, you helped me, please let me help you, too."
Koa was touched, but she insisted that she was alright. "DogDay, it's okay now. Really. I'll be okay." She glanced down at DogDay's wound and said, "though, we really should do something about that wound. I'm surprised that belt is still holding after that chase."
DogDay looked down at his wound and nodded in agreement. "I agree. But what, exactly? There's nothing we can use here."
Koa switched the purple hand for the flare gun and pulled out her hunting knife. DogDay watched as she did, but when he saw the knife, he began to panic.
"NO! NO, PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT! PLEASE!" DogDay began to cry and yell hysterically and tried to back away. This startled Koa, which caused her to drop her knife on the floor.
"DogDay, calm down! Hey! Hey, hey." She approached him cautiously, her hands out and palms up. She spoke to him in gentle, soothing tones. One a mother would use to ease a frightened child.
DogDay stopped his movements, but his breathing was still erratic with fear. Koa gently placed her hands on his face and started soothing him.
"DogDay, look at me. You have to slow your breathing down," Koa said gently. "Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out," she instructed and demonstrated slowly. "Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out."
After a few repeats, she stopped talking and just focused on helping DogDay control his breathing. He followed her guidance and started to calm down. After a few minutes, he had calmed down enough to speak.
"I'm sorry, Angel. But, please don't hurt me. I can't go through that again. I promise I'll be a good boy, just don't hurt me." DogDay pleaded silently, tears forming in his eyes.
Koa was shocked. Just how much has he been through? Kneeling down in front of him, still holding his face, she gently spoke to him.
"DogDay, I'm so sorry I scared you. I'm so sorry for everything you've been through. I promise you, I am not like the others that have hurt you. I'm not like CatNap." Koa started to move her right hand in a soothing motion on DogDay's cheek, and continued, "But this is the only option we have right now. I'm not doing this to hurt you. I'm not doing this to punish you. That belt is not going to hold much longer, and I'm afraid if I try moving you to a place were we can do something different, the belt will break and you'll die as a result. This is the best option we have. I promise I will be as gentle and quick as I can while I heal you. It will be over before you know it. But, I will only do it if you allow me to. I won't do it against your will, DogDay. But I need you to trust me. I know that's a tall order as we just met, but… do you trust me?"
DogDay looked into her bottle green eyes. Pleading and gentle. Her voice and her hands on his face soothing and calm. DogDay was terrified of when Poppy's angel pulled out a knife. But when she assured him she wasn't doing it to harm him, but to help him, her eyes held no malicious intent, unlike CatNap's.
DogDay closed his eyes and repeated the calming technique Poppy's angel had just taught him. Once he released a breath, he opened his eyes, looked at her and nodded. "Okay."
"Okay." Koa repeated, nodding back at him. She rubbed the top of his head and smiled at him. DogDay felt calm from this touch, and positioned himself so she could do her work.
She fired a flare on the floor, picked up her knife, and held it over the burning flare. She glanced at DogDay and could tell he was starting to panic again. She held out her other hand for him to hold, and he held on tightly, bracing himself for the pain about to come.
"DogDay, I promise, I will make this as quick and gentle as I possibly can," she repeated gently. "Just close your eyes, breathe slowly, and don't think."
DogDay followed her instructions, and tried his best to calm his breathing. Once the knife was hot enough, she lifted it from the flare and brought it closer to DogDay's wound. He could feel the heat radiating from the knife, and his breathing picked up again. Koa placed her head on top of DogDay's and gently hummed to him to calm him down.
"Shhh, DogDay. It'll be okay," she whispered gently. She folded the flaps of skin to close up the wound, then she whispered to DogDay, "One…two…three."
DogDay screamed in pain as Koa burned his wounds to seal them shut. Despite how loud he screamed, Koa could hear his skin hissing and sizziling as she burned the wound shut. The smell of burning fur and flesh filled her nostrils, and Koa did her best to keep herself from vomiting. After a minute or two, which felt like hours for both of them, the searing pain stopped. He felt Poppy's angel hug his head close to her. He could feel and hear her heartbeat as she hugged him close to her, and he could feel her head rest on his.
"Shhhh. It's over. It's over," she quietly reassured him, rubbing his back as she comforted him. Breathing through the pain, DogDay hugged her close, trying to calm down.
"Don't focus on the pain. Don't focus on the fear. Focus on me. Focus on my voice," Koa soothed softly. She began to hum a soft tone, but didn't stop rubbing his back nor did she loosen her comforting hold.
DogDay followed the sound of Angel's voice. So quiet. So gentle. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this safe. Not since sometime before CatNap betrayed him and the others for that false god. Angel's voice continued to sooth him, pulling his thoughts away from those dark memories. His breathing was calm and even. The pain forgotten as it faded.
DogDay continued to hug Angel close, careful not to hurt her as he was still stronger than she was, despite nearly a decade of imprisonment. He didn't understand why she was going through all this trouble to help a lost cause like him. He didn't deserve any help. She should've left him there. Quietly, he asked, "why?"
Koa looked down at DogDay with a questioning expression. DogDay elaborated his question, "why did you save me? Why are you doing all of this for me? I don't understand. I'll slow you down, Angel." He glanced down as he continued, loosening his hug slightly, "you should've left me back there. I don't deserve your help. I'm a lost cause, Angel. I deserve to die for all I've caused."
Koa was shocked at DogDay's words, but her expression softened to compassion. "Are those your words? Or CatNap's?" DogDay looked at Angel briefly, but then looked away, saying nothing. That was, however, answer enough for her. "DogDay, you did nothing to deserve any of what you went through. You said it yourself that you're against the Prototype. And, you are the only one who seems genuinely concerned for my wellbeing."
DogDay looked up at her again, confusion written all over his face. Angel elaborated, "Poppy speaks to me like I'm some kind of expendable tool at her disposal. She is more concerned about her vengeance than my health. You on the other hand," she paused, "'you need to live.'" She repeated DogDay's words from before they were chased through the Playhouse. "You told me to run. To leave you behind. You were more concerned about my survival than your own. That's how I know you are worth saving. And," she paused again. "As you can see," she gestured to her injuries on her face, "I've been through a lot myself. I could really use a friend to get through this."
DogDay leaned back, surprised at Angel's words. "You… you really consider me… a friend? Something like me?"
"Don't demean yourself, DogDay," Angel gently reprimanded. "You're not some mindless creature, nor are you a lost cause. It's actions that define a monster. And you've done nothing to earn that title. CatNap said those things to break you. He can only break you if you let him, DogDay. I'm going to get you out of this. I will help you in any way I can."
DogDay looked at Angel, new tears forming in his eyes. He hugged Angel again, and she hugged him back, knowing DogDay needed this comfort. After a long while, DogDay loosened his hold on Poppy's angel. His angel. He looked up at her with a calm but thankful expression.
"Thank you, Angel," DogDay said, holding her arms and her holding his. She smiled gently at him, but then looked concerned when he looked down, "thank you for not leaving me."
She heard him sob slightly. She placed her hand under his chin and lifted his head to make him look at her. His eyes were full of tears, but she knew they were not tears of sadness, but a blend of happiness and relief from unbearable pain. She wiped his tears away and smiled bigger at him.
"You're welcome. And I meant what I said: you didn't deserve to go through any of that. You're the best boy, DogDay."
DogDay blushed at this. Wiping away the rest of his tears and with one final sob, he glanced down at his wound. It was perfectly sealed! Still stung slightly but it was bearable compared to the pain he had to endure in the Playhouse for who knows how long. He looked up at Angel and asked, "can we get out of here now?"
Koa nodded, wanting to get out of there just as much as he did. She turned around and told DogDay to get onto her back, but DogDay rejected the offer, feeling a lot more comfortable to crawl now that his insides were no longer at risk of falling out. Koa respected his decision to crawl, and walked beside him. Even while crawling, DogDay was able to keep a good pace. On the way out, they walked past a cardboard cutout of DogDay. Koa grew concerned and glanced at DogDay, who looked away with shame and fear. Deciding she didn't want to put him through more trauma than he already had, Koa placed a hand on his head. He looked up and saw her smile. She walked forward and stopped next to a slide.
"I'll go first. You follow me when I call," Koa said, knowing immediately DogDay was a bit afraid and not exactly trusting there wouldn't be some kind of trap waiting for them at the bottom. DogDay nodded and crawled forward, stopping next to the slide. Koa went down the slide, slightly claustrophobic, and landed outside. She was beyond relieved to find that no one, and nothing, was around. She called back up the slide to give DogDay the green light to come down. She heard him climb into the slide and heard as he slid down, meeting her at the bottom.
DogDay has been through a lot. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Koa is no stranger to (physical) pain and knows just what he needs. This chapter kinda came naturally to me, thinking of all the things I would say and the ways I would help DogDay if this were real and I gave them to Koa. Another fact about Koa: her green eyes - she inherited them from her father. Hope you all enjoy!
