PlayCare

"Welcome to PlayCare! ….or at least the one corner of it that's safe." Kissy Missy announced as we approached a dilapidated looking building. Can you imagine? There was a whole town inside the Playtime Co. factory. Six buildings stood around a large center piece. Eight statues stood atop the center pedestal. My vision was going blurry, but I was able to make out that they were supposed to represent the eight Smiling Critters that called PlayCare their home. One of the statues had been pulled down from its pedestal. It had been split in two - the head separated from the body. An artificial light poured in from above, illuminating the fake clouds, each of the buildings, and the fake grass that surrounded them. I can only imagine that the children that used to live here would think that light was real. That it was really coming from the sun. The employees would even shift the artificial light to a shimmering portrait of the night sky when it was time for the orphans to go to bed. They all played and learned here, day in and day out. Oblivious to Playtime Co.'s true intentions behind the daycare. Individuals would get plucked away…one by one….and turned into toys…..or worse: monsters like me.

I still lie on the back of the dog-caterpillar as we approached the building that looked like a dilapidated hospital. There was even a red cross above the doors. The light did not work anymore, of course. My vision faded in and out as the mini Huggy Wuggys worked away at patching my wounds using some spare materials they still had from their last toy repair kit. Kissy knocked on the seemingly barricaded door. Was it just me or did her pink fur seem to shine from the light pouring down onto us? Her long arm gently rolled back down to her side. A board over the door slid to the side as someone addressed her from the inside.

"Glad you could make it back, Kissy. How many we got?" A gruff, male voice asked. I knew that voice. It belonged to the often belligerent and very territorial Boxy Boo. A monstrous jack-in-the-box that was proud of his strength and eager to show it off every chance he got.

Kissy Missy turned around to do a quick scan of the numbers.

"At least 10. Some wounded pretty bad. Do we have plenty of kits inside?"

"They'll be better in no time, sweet cheeks." Boxy tried to assure her. The female huffed a bit at the nickname. I guess she doesn't like to be called things like that? Good to know. I won't make that mistake when talking to her.

The doors opened and Boxy stepped out, holding the door open with his furry red hand. His faded blue box still had that yellow star on it. Springs came out from the box that made up his limbs and neck. At the end of each spring was either a three-clawed foot, four-clawed hand, or his rectangular shaped head with black eyes and sharp teeth lining his jaws.

"Come on in, there's room for everyone."

"You heard him, friends. Welcome in. This is a place of truce and peace." Kissy Missy elaborated. Everyone began to shuffle in. I wasn't sure if my ride was going to fit in the building at first, but PJ sagged his body closer to the ground to avoid scraping me on the ceiling. I was just about to pass under the doorway when the jack-in-the-box interrupted the process.

"Hold up. What's dis punk doin' here?" Boxy spat. PJ stopped at the toy's outburst. This left me right in front of him. Those fangs seemed to be dripping saliva. No doubt he was thinking about sinking them into me. "Dis one's stepped into my territory one too many times."

Me? I was just passing through every now and then. My body shuddered as I remembered the one time those teeth latched onto my shoulder and tried to pull me into the box. Once someone goes in his box, they never come out alive. Had I been in a more cohesive state, I would have argued back that I had never intentionally attacked him before. He was the one who always started it.

"Boxy, this is a fellow toy in need. This infirmary is a judgement free zone. We are all equal here. Besides, Poppy wants him to rest so he can help us figure out what to do with….you know who." Kissy explained to the furry box monster.

"Oh, all right. But I'll be watching you." Boxy pointed a claw at me as my ride continued shuffling into the abandoned hospital. PJ coiled his blue and purple body around the rim of the lobby and gently laid down. My limp, gangly body slid off his back. The tile floor was cold compared to PJ's thick fur. Still resting my head on his fluff, I panted and began to fall asleep. I heard the dog-hybrid whimper and nudge me a little with his wet nose, concerned for my well-being.

Later on, I found myself waking up. I had no idea how long I had been resting, but my black eyes looked down to find myself all bandaged up. My furry torso was wrapped up tightly with a few more bandages painted on my arms and legs. Everyone was all asleep. I went to put my head back down on my fluffy caterpillar pillow when a noise in the distance caught my attention.

It couldn't be… I thought. But then I heard it again. It was the screams of that person I protected from Mommy Long Legs. She was the one who had given me these nasty wounds. My memories came flooding back about how we had ended up in that situation. How the human had saved me from plummeting to my death and in turn I tried to save him from Mommy Long Legs' rage. If he's nearby, that means he must have gotten away from her. But what is he running away from now? If he's in trouble, I have to go help him. I don't know why I felt so obligated to help this human. Perhaps it was because he showed me an act of kindness that was completely unprovoked by any underlying circumstances. That he had helped me just because it was the right thing to do.

My gangly body went to raise up. I could feel my skinny legs shaking under my weight. Everyone stayed asleep as I began to wobble forward. I shuffled my yellow feet toward the front door, still trying to keep quiet. It seemed to be working. They all appeared to be sleeping or at least unaware of my movement. The front door was only about 20 feet away from me now. But my heart sank at the sight of what was in front of it. There sat Boxy's oversized box. All of his limbs and head were tucked inside at the moment. It was completely blocking the door. How was I supposed to get out with that in the way? There was no room to squeeze around it, Boxy made sure of that. I took another step forward to assess the situation. That was when the jack-in-the-box's crank started to wind. After a couple of rotations around, all of his springs came flying out. His fuzzy feet made such a thud on the floor that I was certain he was about to wake up the whole hospital.

"Where do ya think you're going?" He spat at me with his gruff voice.

"Please let me through, Boxy. I have to get out there to help someone in need." I replied in a hushed voice.

"Pfft! Not in that condition, you ain't. Besides, no one gets in or leaves without Poppy's permission.

"This is important, Boxy. It could mean life or death for someone if I don't get out there." I tried to convince him with my deep, bubbly voice. It always worked with the kids. They liked my silly voice. But I could tell that the box monster was not amused.

"You think you can fend off an enemy looking like a mummy?" His claw pointed at my torso. "The truth is, if ya can't even get passed me, there's no way you'll survive out there."

I growled in frustration, knowing that Boxy was right about that though. But it did not deter me from wanting to help the human. Unfortunately, that red head scrunched up at me. He had heard my growl and took that as a challenge. The neck coil constricted back down into the box and then sprung forward. His noggin collided with mine. It was a solid hit that took me off my feet. I tumbled to the ground with a throbbing head. My furry body stayed down, shivering from the pain.

"What's going on here?" Came a female voice. It was Poppy's. My black eyes looked over to the door. Boxy stepped aside to let Poppy and Kissy in. The authoritative little doll sat on Kissy's shoulder. Her red hair was tied up in her usual two pigtails. The blue dress she wore still looked spotless. As if she had never allowed a speck of dust on it. The rosy red cheeks and lipstick seemed to glow in the dim lighting. Her big blue eyes stared down at me.

"Dis punk was tryin' to leave without your permission!" Boxy accused, pointing another claw in my direction.

"Huggy, I appreciate your will to go help that person. But I can't say I recommend going out there while you're in that condition." My gaze shifted away from her and down to the floor. "But….I won't stop you if you really feel that he needs help. All I can do is wish you luck."

"Thank you, Poppy! I won't disappoint you, I promise!" I said excitedly as I stood up.

The doll nodded. "Guide him and protect him in his quest to right the wrongs of this company. And if either of you run into danger, come right back here where it's safe." Poppy reassured me.

"Thank you, again!" I told her. My body headed for the door and Boxy stepped aside, obeying the doll's word.

"I give ya an hour." He scoffed at me as a I passed by. His coiled arms were crossed over one another.

"Oh, and Huggy," Poppy called. I turned to meet her gaze. "You should be able to find that human at the Gas Production Zone. I have a friend instructing him on how to redirect the red smoke so that we can get to the Prototype."

I shuddered at the name. I could remember his cold metal fingers closing around me. Normally, feeling his grip meant that death was near. The only reason I managed to avoid it was because Kissy and the others happened to be near.

"Good luck to both you." Poppy bid.

"Please be careful out there, Huggy." Kissy said softly with a wave of her yellow hand. A shiver of delight pulsed through my fur. The fact that she cared meant a lot to me. I nodded and continued on my way.

As soon as I stepped out of the infirmary, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Every step I took away from the sanctuary only made me more vulnerable, a target. Somebody could be watching me, stalking me. But that meant the same thing could be happening to the human, too. It was eerily quiet in PlayCare. My footsteps were the only noise in the area, which made them sound even louder than usual. I resolved to get to the Gas Production Zone quickly. My furry body passed by the Smiling Critters center piece. I was able to get a better look at the beheaded individual. It was Catnap. The other seven still stood up there as if nothing had happened. Almost as if the feline had been cut away from his friends.

Moving to the far corner of PlayCare, I found an unlocked door that led into the Gas Production Zone. I ducked my head down to make sure I did not hit it when navigating the narrow hallways and low ceilings. There were lots of scratch marks on the wall. And then some especially deep ones on the door, as if they had been forcibly pried open. I was close to the main room now. There were a couple posters on the wall. One had a picture of Bunzo the rabbit falling over a railing which said "Watch your step." The other one had a picture of Mommy Long Legs wearing a gas mask and said "Don't forget your mask".

Just as I was glancing at the posters, the lights went out in the building. My hands groped around to find my way about. In the distance I heard a faint voice say, "Oh no! Someone killed the power. Okay, I sent you another key. It's under the statue. Use that to get into Home Sweet Home. Then once you're inside, find the building's backup generator. Good luck." It sounded like a little kid.

"Okay, I'll do my best." Another male voice replied. It was the person I was looking for! Now I just had to grope around in the darkness to make my way to him. I made my way under the doorway and the room opened up. There were no more walls to cling to. My feet made noises as I dragged them along the ground. The human must have heard it because he shouted out: "Is someone there? Show yourself!" I was about to call to him when I tripped over a piece of equipment that had been left out. My body tumbled over the machine and collapsed behind it. The loud sound resonated throughout the large, empty building. "I-I have a GrabPack and I'm not afraid to use it!" He said. Clearly, that noise had startled him. I started to peer over the equipment as the small light from the GrabPack attempted to illuminate the situation. "Take this!" The human shouted and fired one of those GrabPack hands at me.

"Ow! Hey!" I exclaimed as the sturdy hand smacked me in the face.

"HuggyI You're alive! I can't believe it!" The person rejoiced and came closer. All the while, I rubbed my head where it had been hit. "I was so scared that Mommy Long Legs had killed you."

"Well, she almost did." I replied, showing him my bandaged body. "How did you manage to get away from her?"

"You see, I was running away from her…and she kinda got caught in a grinder." He answered nervously, almost as if I might be angry with that. His hand nervously slid over the back of his neck.

"….So she's dead?" I inquired.

"Yeah. And then this metal hand appeared and dragged her remains away." The human explained.

"The Prototype." I breathed. All of us toys shuddered at that name each time it was mentioned.

"Is that what it is? I keep finding papers and tapes about it around the facility, but I've not actually seen it other than that."

"Not many who actually see him ever make it back to tell about it. Once those hands close around you, it means you're done for…" I elaborated a bit more about the mysterious creature.

"He sounds pretty scary." The person admitted. "But I think that's Poppy's end goal, right? To destroy the Prototype and free the toys from his reign? We'll eventually have to face him in that case."

"You can count me in." I told the human.

"What? But I can't ask you to come fight with me."

"It's my choice. And I'm sticking by your side, friend….er, we are friends, right?" I sheepishly asked.

"Sure, we are! It's good to be working with you, Huggy." The human stuck out their hand. I gently grabbed and shook it with my yellow hand.

"So…since we'll be spending some time together, is there something I can call you besides 'human'?"

The man seemed to shy away from this question. Almost as if he were embarrassed to share it. Like it was a secret that would knock over a big glass of lies and hard feelings. He physically stepped back a couple paces. The light from his GrabPack shifted so that it illuminated my legs.

"Uh….well…..I'm okay with it if you call me human…or friend." I cocked my head, trying to understand what was happening here. He seemed to be unable to make eye contact with me as he explained this. "It's just that I don't want anyone to think differently of me just because of a name. All that anyone needs to know is that I'm here to help."

"Uh….okay, if you say so." I went along with this. But it really did make me want to know his name and why he wants to keep it a secret. The person cleared his throat and began to address me again.

"Anyway, I'm supposed to go grab a key and look for the backup power in a place called Home Sweet Home."

"Let's go get the key and I'll take you there." My bouncy voice offered.

"Sounds like a good start. I'll use my light to navigate us out of here." The person started to backtrack to the entrance I came from.

We stepped out into the courtyard that was supposed to be PlayCare. It was very dark. Apparently the power had been cut from pretty much everywhere. Led by the small light on the GrabPack, we made our way to the Smiling Critters statue. Underneath it was a doorway that led to the power room for all of PlayCare. And there was the key hanging next to the control panel that had come from the voice on the phone that the human was talking with. It seemed as though this person had access to some pipes and wires that could be utilized to send items our way. My partner grabbed the key and we made our exit.
"Okay, Huggy, which way is this place?" He asked as we emerged from underneath the statue. His voice had lowered to a whisper. For it seemed like every sound we made was now amplified throughout the town.

"Over that way." I pointed with my finger. It was just off to the right from the path in front of us. "The big mansion-like building. It was where all the orphans slept at night." My voice stayed hushed as I explained. We started to slowly walk forward, careful not to make too much noise.

"Sheesh. How many of them were here?" He asked.

"I don't know. But there were a lot. And it seemed like they came and went pretty quickly. Whether that was adoption…or testing." I said, shame dripping from my voice.

"Testing? You mean to tell me all those kids were made into toys?" The person quietly gasped.

"Yeah, some regular toys…and some big like me."

"So you used to be an orphan here, too?" He inquired.

"I assume so. But I can't remember anything prior to this body, unlike most of the other…Bigger Bodies experiments." It made me a bit jealous that most others could at least remember their names from when they were human….but not me. I remembered my friend said he had found papers and tapes throughout the factory. Maybe he saw something about me? "Hey, you said you've been finding papers and tapes around the factory?"

"That's right." He replied.

"You didn't happen to find any information about me, did you?"

"What's your experiment number?"

"Experiment 1170…I think." I tried to remember what number the personnel had assigned to me. The number they used when logging information after prodding me with their sharp tools.

"Hmm….I don't recall seeing that number on any of the papers." The person answered after thinking about it.

"Oh…." I replied, hoping he had a different answer.

"But don't worry. I'm sure we'll find it somewhere." He said optimistically. By now we were approaching the multi-story Home Sweet Home. There were yellow tints to the windows that made it look like lights were on. But that was not true since all of the power was currently out. We were walking up the stairs to the entrance when a sound pierced the silence. It was a shrill ringing noise that made us both jump. My blue fur frizzed up a little like a startled cat. The human let out a relieved sigh before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a phone. He clicked a button to answer and said "Hello."

"Hey, it's me, Ollie again." Said the child-like voice coming from the phone. "I got word from Poppy that you have a friend with you now."

"That's right. Huggy's with me to help restore the power to PlayCare." My friend explained.

"Huggy, huh? He'll be a good friend for you. He's loyal and protective. Good luck to both of you." Ollie said and hung up. The human put the phone away.

"Do you know this Ollie kid, Huggy?" He asked.

"Uh….no. I don't think I know someone named Ollie. Unless, of course, I knew him before I lost my memory."

"I guess everyone's got a mystery to be solved here." The person said, getting out the key.