Each man has a breaking point, no matter how strong his spirit. Somewhere, deep inside him, there is a flaw that only the fickle cruelty of fate can find.- David Gemmell

Pain. So much pain. His wounds still dripped blood. He felt excruciating pain in his legs, even though his legs were no longer there. His stomach ached for nutrition, but he refused the 'food' he was given. His nose protested the odors of decay. His ears flinched at the sounds of the others' cries.'

How long has it been?' DogDay hadn't a clue. Bubba had stopped keeping track sometime ago, but last time he did, had been nearly three years since they had been chained to the walls in their cells. DogDay, Bubba Bubbaphant, CraftyCorn and PickyPiggy were all prisoners of their once close friend, CatNap. All of them were labeled 'heretics,' all because they refused the orders given by the Prototype to kill every last adult in Playtime Co.

Hoppy Hopscotch, KickinChicken and Bobby Bearhug were already dead, having met their fates during the Hour of Joy, the day the Prototype took control.Hoppy Hopscotch, the Critter of Confidence, had fallen to her death while helping some children escape during the chaos. Bobby Bearhug was lost to the caverns underneath Playcare, and was never found. DogDay knew that even if he was able to help her, it would do little good. The poor Critter of Love was a deaf-mute due to some 'complications' according to the staff of the factory. She wouldn't be able to hear their calls or call for help if a search party was sent. KickinChicken, the Critter of Athletics, met his fate at the hands of CatNap, who had ambushed him when he came out of hiding to help his group of children out of Playcare.

Now it was just DogDay, the Critter of Leadership, Bubba Bubbaphant, the Critter of Intelligence, CraftyCorn, the Critter of Creativity, and PickyPiggy, the Critter of Nutrition. They had been betrayed by their fellow Critter, CatNap, the Critter of Sleep. CatNap had been torturing them for years now. Starving them. Beating them. Sending them to sleep with violent, spine-chilling nightmares. DogDay took the worst of it, suffering painful mutilations and beatings. PickyPiggy was being starved, and Bubba and Crafty were starting to lose their grip on reality.

Picky had been starved to the point of committing cannibalism in desperate attempts to survive and satisfy her hunger. Not too long after the Hour of Joy, when Picky started squealing about her hunger pains, CatNap tossed what was left of Kickin's mutilated corpse into her cell, with CatNap not saying a word. Picky almost immediately started consuming the corpse, being that desperate for food. Bubba and Crafty, while under the sedation of CatNap's Red Smoke, were experiencing psychotic nightmares. They were being sedated so frequently, that they could no longer tell when they were asleep or awake.

"I'm Bubba Bubbaphant!" DogDay could hear Bubba's nasally voice in the cell next to him. "Hey, I remember you! An elephant always remembers!"

DogDay sighed, but before he could respond, Bubba giggled maniacally.

"I'm Bubba Bubbaphant. The Critter of Intelligence. An elephant always remembers. I'm Bubba Bubbaphant…my name is Liam."

DogDay gasped.

"My name is Liam. I'm Bubba. I'm Liam." Bubba's voice was growing intense and angry. It was like he was arguing with himself, but at the same time, arguing with someone else. This went on for a little while until Bubba started to scream and yell violently.

In the cell across DogDay, PickyPiggy was startled awake by Bubba's screaming. CraftyCorn could be heard whimpering in her cell across from Bubba's. DogDay could hear Bubba pulling and straining against his restraints. His yelling seemed to get louder with each passing moment. DogDay, Crafty and Picky did their best to help him to calm down, despite being chained in their own cells. They begged and pleaded for Bubba to calm down.

"MY NAME IS LIAM!! MY NAME IS LIAM!! MY! NAME! IS! LIAM!" Bubba screamed as he tried to break free from his belts. He struggled and screamed like a small child throwing the world's worst tantrum. The others tried their best to sooth Bubba during his episode, but it had no effect.

When Bubba took a breath to continue his rant, a new sound filled the hall. Purring. Footsteps could be heard approaching as well. Just then, Bubba gave an ear-piercing wail.

"Bubba! Please! Calm down! Please!" DogDay pleaded, knowing what was about to happen.

Crafty could be heard huddling in her cell in a desperate attempt to hide from the danger. Picky backed into the wall of her cell. DogDay could do nothing but listen helplessly. CatNap was here.

CatNap approached the cells, continuing to purr as he did so. He turned his head to face the screaming Bubba Bubbaphant. Bubba returned the gaze, his eyes full of tears. He started to cry louder and screamed, "MOMMA!"

Just then, the sounds of ripping flesh and snapping bones echoed, and Bubba's screams were silenced. DogDay began to whimper, tears filled his eyes. Then, CatNap could be heard dragging the body closer. Once he was between his and Picky's cells, he dropped Bubba's bleeding corpse in the hall. CatNap said nothing as he looked straight into DogDay's eyes. He then dismembered Bubba's body, throwing some of the corpse in Picky's cell. He then dragged the rest of the corpse with him, presumably to feed the Ruined Critters in the Playhouse. DogDay was unable to contain himself now. Another friend has been murdered.

'Bubba. Liam. I'm so sorry! I couldn't protect you!' The logical side of him knew he couldn't protect him even if he wanted to, but he still felt incredibly guilty.

Just then, the sound of flesh being rendered made him look up. The sight made DogDay turn his head and vomit. Picky was feasting in the remains.

"Picky! Please stop!" DogDay pleaded.

"So hungry," was Picky's response as she continued to gorge herself as much as she could.

…..

"What a lovely picture."DogDay heard Crafty from her cell. He knew she was scraping the walls with some broken bricks and cement. He figured she found this way to occupy and distract herself.DogDay had lost track to how long it has been since Bubba's death, but it had been several months now. Maybe even a year. The torcher however, had not stopped. Though the silent times in between weren't much better. Several weeks ago, CraftyCorn had started talking to herself, just like Bubba had. Though, it was always about paintings and crafts. DogDay had assumed that Crafty found thinking of art as a way to distract herself from the pain."Pass me the blue, please." He heard Crafty say. Then the sound of brick scraping against brick was heard.'She must be imagining the pieces of brick as crayons.' DogDay though to himself. Out of all of his friends, Crafty was the one he pitied the most. She is so innocent. So shy. She would never hurt anyone. She doesn't deserve this."Now, pass me the red, please."This time, no scraping was heard."'Out?' B-but," she whimpered, "we can't be out!"DogDay couldn't see her, but he could tell she was moving around in her cell on frustration."You're hiding more red from me! I know you are."DogDay flinched. Crafty had never said anything like that. She was not the type to suddenly become aggressive."GIVE IT HERE!"Suddenly, a pain-filled scream filled the halls."CRAFTY!?" DogDay yelled."You okay?!" Picky asked nasally.There was no response."Crafty?" DogDay called again."Ah! Now that's MUCH better," Crafty said happily.DogDay and PickyPiggy didn't like the way she said that. She was suddenly too calm. But then she could be heard humming. They looked at each other worriedly. They tried to call for Crafty again, but she wouldn't respond. Instead, she continued to hum. After a few minutes, it got quiet. This concerned DogDay and PickyPiggy even more.Within a few hours, a familiar smell filled the halls. The smell of death.DogDay knew. Crafty was dead. She must have hurt herself during her episode and bled to death. Several days later, CatNap returned. Once again, he cut up the corpse, feeding some to Picky and taking the rest, staring at DogDay as he did so. Once he was gone, Picky feasted once again.…..'How long has it been now?' DogDay asked himself.He glanced up weakly to PickyPiggy. She has been slowly wasting away due to lack of food. They were the only two left now. DogDay knew it was only a matter of time before CatNap killed him and fed his corpse to PickyPiggy. CatNap had already taken his freedom, his legs, and five of his friends. He knew it couldn't be much longer now."Still hungry," PickyPiggy moaned weakly.DogDay sighed tiredly. For weeks, if not months, maybe even for the last year now, Picky had been complaining about her stomach aching for food. It was obvious though, that Picky was severely malnourished and would not survive much longer."Roast beef. Hamburgers. PBJ. Apples. Cake," Picky said, more to herself. She missed eating. But the next items she listed disturbed DogDay deeply, "Grilled chicken. Seared elephant. Flayed unicorn.""Picky!" DogDay yelled. "They were our friends! Your friends! How could you- How could you do that to them?!" He started to sob. "How could you? How could CatNap…." He didn't finish. Instead, he cried. And cried. And cried. Until sleep engulfed him.DogDay awoke with a groan. He was in so much pain. No matter how long it's been since he was first strung up in that cell, the pain never faded. He looked up to PickyPiggy's cell. She was still asleep. She looked so thin. So malnourished. He felt bad for his outburst the night before. She was desperate and was doing what she could to survive."Picky," he called out to her. She didn't respond. She didn't even shift her body. "Picky," he called out again, louder this time. Still no response.DogDay started to worry. Picky was never a heavy sleeper. It never took much to wake her up. The thought of CatNap showing up in their sleep and sending them onto a hallucinogenic nightmare came to mind, but then he immediately dismissed it. She would be screaming and thrashing in her sleep, and he would still be dreaming too.Before DogDay could call to her again, a new noise filled the halls. There was snarling and giggling. Just then, a horde of the Ruined Critters came from the holes in the walls of PickyPiggy's cell. They flooded the room within seconds. Then the sounds of flesh rendering and tearing filled the halls. That's when DogDay knew: PickyPiggy had died in her sleep. She had starved to death.He started to sob. "I'm sorry, PickyPiggy. I'm sorry, CraftyCorn. Bubba. Hoppy. Bobby. Kickin'. I'm so, so sorry."The Ruined Critters continued to feast on Picky's corpse. They burrowed into her body and ate her from the inside out. DogDay could hear her bones crunching along with her flesh rendering. After what seemed like an eternity, the noises finally stopped. The Ruined Critters came flooding out of PickyPiggy's hollowed out corpse, and they left the cells. DogDay was left alone in his cell. He was now the last Smiling Critter. He was now truly, utterly, irrevocably alone.

Insanity is not evil, but all evil is insane. Evil itself is never funny, but insanity sometimes can be. We need to laugh at the irrationality of evil, for in doing so we deny evil's power over us, diminish its influence in the world, and tarnish the allure it has for some people.

- Dean Koontz