There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.
- Laurell K. Hamilton
DogDay was watching the children play. Koa had suggested they play hide and seek, and all the children had to work together to find her. The kids were giggling and running to potential hiding places Koa could be. DogDay couldn't help but chuckle. He looked over and saw Koa was hiding in the bushes the opposite way the kids were searching.
One of the kids, a six-year-old boy with long brown hair, Willy, walked over to the bush where Koa was hiding. Willy saw Koa hiding and yelled to the others he found her. Koa then leaped playfully from the bush and hugged Willy tight, engaging in a playful tickle fight with the little boy, who burst out in a fit of hysterical laughter. Just then, the other kids joined in on the fun, playfully tackling her to the ground.
The kids dog piled onto Koa, 'saving' Willy from her grasp. The tackle then turned to a playful chase as Koa announced they were all in for 'the tickle monster.' They all scattered in different directions. Some of them ran to DogDay for protection, laughing as they hid behind them. Koa then came that way and DogDay playfully told the kids to run while he joined in on the fun. They all played and laughed for a long time. Next thing DogDay knew, he was on the ground with Bobby and Crafty, who had joined the fun too. The kids then came over and piled on the three Critters. All the kids laughed with the Critters as they settled down from they're playing.
Koa came over and helped everyone to their feet and the kids all thanked everyone for the fun while they were all called for lunch. DogDay, Bobby and Crafty all settled down too.
"Those kids sure do have a lot of energy, huh," Koa said and signed at the same time, wanting Bobby involved in the conversation too. Koa revealed that she knew ASL when she first met Bobby and learned she was a deaf-mute.
"You can say that again," Bobby signed.
Koa smiled, "makes me miss it. Being that young."
Just then, the Cable Car was heard arriving to Playcare. Koa sighed.
"Well, that's my ride. I'll see you next time," Koa said and signed. She shared waves with everyone as she walked towards the cable car.
…..
…..
Chaos. There was no better word to describe it. Chaos. The other mascots had gone rogue and turned on the staff of the factory. The Smiling Critters were doing their best to evacuate the children and staff of Playcare. All of the Critters except CatNap. He was nowhere to be found.
"DogDay!" Kickin' called out. "We gotta go! NOW!"
DogDay looked between Kickin and Hoppy and the Playhouse. CatNap had to be in there. He couldn't leave him behind.
"You guys go!" DogDay finally replied. "Get the kids out of here! I'm going back for CatNap!"
"DogDay, are you crazy?!" Hoppy called out. "CatNap will be fine! We have to go!"
DogDay ignored Hoppy and ran off to the Playhouse. Once he was inside, he made his way to the backrooms, hoping to find CatNap there. Traveling through the maze of the Playhouse was difficult, but DogDay knew the way there. He didn't have to go too far, though. He noticed Red Smoke fill the room.
He grew worried and braved the Red Smoke to try and assist his friend. Was CatNap in trouble? Did the Prototype catch him? Was he protecting the staff or missing children? Those questions were finally answered once he reached the far end of the maze.
It was none of those things.
There was CatNap. But it wasn't CatNap. He looked like a decaying fossil. His fur was a sickly grey color. His limbs were nothing but skin and bones. His fingers were long and nothing but skin and bones as well. His face… was unrecognizable. His cheekbones were so sharp that they looked ready to rip from his skin. His smile…. His smile reached the floor!
CatNap's face and paws were soaked in blood. Torn meat was stuck to his claws. He was standing over a mutilated corpse of a staff worker of the factory, and angry, heaving breaths could be heard. DogDay couldn't believe what he was seeing. He shock his head in denial. Surely it was a mistake. It had to be.
Just then, CatNap turned his head slowly to look right into DogDay's eyes. His glowing white eyes were not that of his close friend. They were the eyes of some vicious, sadistic beast. They were thirsty for blood. And they showed they didn't care who had to die in order for that blood to be spilt.
DogDay turned and ran away. After a minute, he had to stop and he hid in the maze. While trying to catch his breath, more Red Smoke covered the floor of the Playhouse. DogDay whimpered. Why was CatNap doing this? They were friends. He trusted him. Why would he do this?
Suddenly, CatNap was heard purring nearby. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of his back and crawled around the corner as quietly as he could. Not a moment later, CatNap stalked on by. DogDay watched as he disappeared around a corner. He stayed low to keep from being seen. Just then, the purring returned. DogDay looked behind him and saw CatNap looking right at him. He stood up as fast as he could and ran. CatNap didn't give chase. Instead, he flooded the room with more Red Smoke.
By some luck, DogDay managed to not breathe in so much of the sedative and made it out of the maze. The slide that would get him out of the Playhouse was right there in front of him. But then, his luck ran out. DogDay, in his excitement to escape, tripped over his own foot. Just as he landed, CatNap was right on top of him with a vicious roar.
DogDay squealed in fear, "CATNAP PLEA-"
…..
…..
DogDay woke with a yell. He was panting and sweating from the vivid nightmare – no, memories. He was remembering the last time he saw Koa, and the day of the Hour of Joy. Still panting, he did his best to calm himself down.
He was very uncomfortable. Everything ached. He was still exhausted despite having gotten some proper sleep. He looked around and didn't recognize his surroundings at first. Once his eyes adjusted after a few minutes, he then realized he was in a nurses office in the school. He started to panic.
"Hey," he heard a voice call out. "DogDay, calm down. It's okay."
He looked over an saw Angel's face. The memories of recent events came flooding in: The Playhouse. Angel rescuing him. The Ruined Critters giving chase. The memory of first meeting Koa…. Angel. The memories faded. His breathing evened out.
"Angel?" DogDay asked, calming down. "How long was I out?"
"Just over three hours," she said calmly.
DogDay groaned again. He wasn't able to think of what to say. He shifted his body, stretching the stiff muscles in his legs - His legs? He glanced at Angel, who smiled at him in understanding and enthusiasm.
"Good news, DogDay. The operation was a success."
She lifted the blanket covering DogDay and showed that his legs had been successfully reattached. He saw that the wound was now nothing more than a scar. DogDay faintly smelled burnt flesh and the wounds stung like a healing burn. He glanced over to Angel.
"Once your legs were sutured back on, I heated up my knife and burnt the wounds to seal it better. I also gave you some medicine while you were under to clear any possible infections," she explained. DogDay nodded. Then Angel asked, "can you feel them? Try something small. Try moving your foot."
DogDay then looked at his feet. He breathed slowly, fear building in him, but he concentrated his focus to his left foot. Sure enough, DogDay managed to shift his left foot. Both Angel and DogDay sighed in relief and exhilaration. Angel then chuckled and gently hugged DogDay's head. DogDay in returned hugged her back, crying in so much relief and happiness.
The moment was cut short when a loud, ear-piercing angry roar echoed in the school. Angel and DogDay jumped in fright. Angel looked towards the door, but then jumped into action. She grabbed some more blankets and pillows and covered DogDay with them, telling him to stay down and quiet. DogDay obeyed without hesitation.
Koa then slowly approached the door, staying out of sight of the window in the door and keeping her hand on her knife. She stayed on the side of the door where she could peer through the window in the direction of the caverns.
It was so quiet. You could hear a pin drop echo in the halls. The atmosphere was very tense. After a few minutes, nothing happened. Koa returned quietly to DogDay's side, lifting the blanket from his head.
"We're okay for now. He's not around," she quietly reassured him. DogDay then came out from under the blankets and pillows. He sat up and focused his attention to his legs. He slowly bend his right leg up a the knee, then his left leg. Koa then realized what he was doing.
"DogDay, be careful," she gently reprimanded. "Don't move to fast. You need time- "
"We don't have time, Angel," DogDay said forcefully. "CatNap is coming and we can't just sit here! We need to move now."
"DogDay, I understand you're afraid," she gently reassured. She sighed and pointed to the corner of the room, "while you were asleep, I was working on a little project."
DogDay looked over and saw a few mason jars filled with a clear liquid, and a cloth was sticking out of the lids like candle wicks. He looked at her confused.
"Molotov cocktails. The liquid in the jars are disinfectants. Highly flammable. I'm planning on using them on CatNap should he decide to pay a visit while you take the much needed time to recover. If CatNap decides to use his Red Smoke, the whole room, and CatNap, will go up in flames."
DogDay looked to Angel. Last time he saw her, she was a playful and happy teenager. Now, she was soldier ready for war. He remembered she said her name means 'warrior.' She really was living up to her name. DogDay relaxed and let himself fall on the pillows. Koa could tell DogDay was upset. She placed her hand on his shoulder.
"You okay?"
DogDay looked to her. "Last time I saw you, you were playing with the children. Now, you're here like you're ready for war."
Koa looked away, "Ten years is a long time, DogDay, and I grew up training as if I were a soldier." She got up and collected the homemade fire bombs. "My parents trained my brothers and I in the arts of survival, self defense, and combat. They wanted us to know how to protect ourselves. How to survive." She turned back to DogDay, "I came back hoping to find out what happened. The second I escaped from Huggy, I had a feeling something big happened. And I was right."
DogDay looked away. "If you knew what happened, why did you save me then? You could've just saved yourself. You should've left me there."
"DogDay," He looked back to her, "no one deserves to be strung up like an animal, because you're not an animal. And you're not like everyone else here. 'You need to live,'" She repeated DogDay's words from earlier. "Nearly all the other toys I've meet tried to kill me, or they expect me to help them without offering to help me help them. You're the first one I've met that was genuinely concerned for my life. That's how I know you're worth saving."
She paused, looking away in shame. "When I took the job, I had no idea of what was going on here. I had no idea of the 'experiments,' or the treatment of the children or all of you. Honestly, and laugh at me or be angry at me for saying this, you have every right, but I thought you and the other Critters and the other mascots here, were just people in really impressive costumes or animatronics. Machines. I only just figured out what was really happening and that you were real, living, breathing, sentient beings. And I'm honestly not too surprised about what happened to my co-workers. I'm shocked, yes, but at the same time, that's what happens when people try to bend things to their will. When they try to play God. It always comes back to bite them."
DogDay didn't say a word when she paused, processing what she said.
"I'm so, so sorry, DogDay," she suddenly said, tears forming in her eyes quickly. "I'm so sorry for my ignorance to what was really happening to all of you. And for not helping you sooner. Had I known about all of this, I would've done something," she said with insistence. She sniffled and wiped her face before she said again, "I'm so sorry."
DogDay was surprised at the apology, but he could tell she truly regretted not figuring everything out and coming to everyone's aid sooner. Not even the best actor or con artist in the world could fake the level of shame and depression Angel was showing. DogDay grabbed her hand and held it. He brought it to his face and nuzzled it, closing his eyes as he did. When he opened them again, DogDay saw his angel with huge feathered wings, and she had a glow that belonged to a halo.
"You're here now, Angel," he said quietly. "I believe in you, and I know you will help us all. And I promise to help you with everything left in me to end this."
She smiled. After a few minutes, she calmed down and went back to helping DogDay get used to his legs again. She helped him flex and stretch his legs to get mobility and blood flow in his legs. After a while, DogDay managed to stand up, albeit a little shaky. DogDay then took slow laps around the room to practice walking again, Koa smiling as he did.
Just then, Koa tensed up. DogDay noticed and paused. Angel glanced behind her and sniffed the air, noticing a new scent in the air: lavender.
Trauma is not what happens to you, it's what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you.
- Gabor Mate