"HUGGY!" Molly screamed as she ran over and grabbed his arm just as he let go. His weight caused her to be flung forward, smacking her ribs into the siderail and knocking the wind out of her. She had to resist the urge to scream at the pain and focus on keeping a hold of Huggy, the blue giant dangling in her grasp. She grunted as she tried to pull him up, but found that he was too heavy for her. Huggy was looking down at the abyss below before looking back up at her, his smile betraying the terrorified whimpering he was letting out.
"PLEASE! HELP ME! DON'T LET GO!" he begged as he reached up towards the side rail with his free arm. "Stupid bastards! Why couldn't they have given me stronger fingers?!" he ranted as he tried to grab the rail, only for his hand to slip off.
"Huggy!...I...I can't hold on...much longer!" Molly grunted as Huggy's arm started to slide out from between her hands. She watched him look down again, then back up at her, his eyes showing how scared he was. He reached his free hand up towards her...
"...help me." he cried.
Hearing Huggy sound so desperate...so terrified...so scared...
Was too much.
Molly growled as a cracking sound emanated from her mouth, her teeth morphing and becoming sharper while another set grew towards her throat.
"Sorry about this, Huggy!" she apologized before she opened her mouth wide and sank her teeth into Huggy's free wrist.
"YEOW!" he yelled in pain as Molly grunted, using both her hands and mouth to pull Huggy up with all she had. Slowly he rose up, his legs kicking until he finally caught the catwalk and hoisted himself up over. Molly release his arm and the two sat there, both of them gasping for breath after that tense moment. Molly groaned as her ribs throbbed in pain, the adrenaline wearing off. She slowly rubbed them before she felt two arms her, pinning her arms to the side as she was lifted up by Huggy. She gasped as he bared his teeth at her...then brought her in for a massive hug. She was shocked and confused before his warmth filled her, making her smile as she slowly relaxed and hugged him back. They stayed that way for a while before Huggy put her down on her feet and looked at her, his eyes returning to how they were when she first saw him.
"Look at you, Molly." he said as he gently cupped her face. "You've grown so big since I last saw you."
"Thanks, Huggy." she said as she wiped some fresh tears from her eyes, her teeth having returned to normal. Her smile slowly faded as she looked at the ground.
"Molly? What's wrong?" he asked. She didn't answer at first before she looked up at him.
"...How do I know you?" she asked. If Huggy could blink, he'd have done so a few times as Molly continued. "I feel like I know you. Your gentle voice. Your warm hugs? I feel like I've felt them before." she said as she hugged herself. "A-And during that chase! Despite you wanting to eat me, I felt...excited. Like it was a big game. A game that I've played with you before." She looked back up at him, confusion written all over her face. "But I can't remember much of anything else about this place! And you keep talking like you knew me too! I just...I can't understand anything!" she said before she started to rant. "Why did I have so much fun being chased by you?! Why do you say my name with so much familiarity?! Why do I want to cry and be happy and hug you like you're more than just a toy?! Why do I have so many memories of us playing together?! Why does-"
SMACK!
Molly's rant was cut off when Huggy slapped his hands on her cheeks, cupping her face and making her look up at him.
"Molly...One at a time!" he said. Molly stared before she felt her strength give out, the whole affair since stepping into this place draining her.
"...I just...want answers..." she said in a quiet voice. "That's all I've wanted even before I got that package."
"Package? What package?" Huggy asked.
"Yesterday, I got a package in the mail. It had a videotape of a really old commercial for the toy called Poppy Playtime. It also came with a letter. I still have it." she explained as she took off her GrabPack and backpack. She unzipped it and reached for a little pocket inside, but stopped when she heard Huggy gasp. She looked up to see that his eyes were glued to all the toys inside.
"...You kept them?" he asked.
"Kept what? These toys?" she asked as she picked up a small CraftyCorn. "Yeah. I've had them all for as long as I can remember. Not all of them are with me now. I had to leave the bigger ones at home since they couldn't fit into the backpack." she explained before she put the toy back, opened up the little pocket inside and took out the letter she had gotten. "This is it. It said that someone was still here and that I should find...the...flower." she said as she looked past Huggy to see an enormous flower painted on the wall.
The same flower she saw on the tape.
"That's it!" she yelled while pointing at the flower, making Huggy jump.
"That's what?" he asked as she quickly put the letter away and walked past him.
"The flower! That's the flower I was told to find!" she answered as she sped up her walking. Huggy looked over at the flower before doing a double take.
"That's...uh oh!" Huggy said before he ran and wrapped his arms around Molly. "Molly, wait!"
"Huh? What's-"
"You can't go in there!" he said.
"What? Why?" Molly asked.
"It's...You just can't go!" he answered.
"That's not an answer!" Molly said as she tried to get out of his arms, making him tighten his hold on her.
"Stop it, Molly!" Huggy told her, a tinge of anger entering his tone as he turned and began walking away.
"Where are you taking me?!" she demanded.
"The exit. You're leaving." he told her.
"No! I came here to find whatever's in that door!" she yelled as she began to kick her legs.
"Sorry, but that's not happening." he said as he kept walking. His eyes dilated and he screamed as Molly sank her teeth into his arm, allowing her to break free from his hold. "That hurt, you little brat!"
"Good!" she snarled, her teeth sharp and bared at Huggy.
"Don't bear your fangs at me, Molly!" Huggy ordered.
"I came here to find answers, and they could be beyond that door!" Molly said as she pointed at the large flower.
"Whatever answers you're looking for, they're not there! Now you are going to leave this factory for good!" Huggy declared.
"I'm not leaving until I see what's back there!" Molly declared.
"Yes! You! ARE!" Huggy roared as he stomped over to and tried to grab her. She ducked under his legs and ran for the door, only for Huggy to grab her by her ankle and lift her up into the air. "Don't make this more difficult, Molly!"
"I'm not the one keeping me from answers!" Molly yelled as she smacked her fists onto his hand.
"Ow! Stop that!" Huggy growled as he smacked her with his free hand. She glared at him before biting his other hand. "WILL YOU STOP BITING ME ALREADY?!" he snapped as he pushed her away and into the rail, her backpack weight causing her to start tipping over, her arms flailing in panic. "AH! MOLLY!" he yelled as he grabbed her and pulled her close, causing him to now nearly tip over the other side.
"LOOK OUT, HUGGY!" Molly yelled as she used the GrabPack to grab his shoulders and pull him up. Both of them were now standing still, their eyes looking around before back at each other. A moment passed...and then Molly tried to bolt for the flower door.
"I SAID NO!" Huggy yelled as he grabbed her again.
"You can't keep me from going in forever!" Molly yelled as she struggled in his arms. "Rgh! I didn't want to do this, Huggy, but you left me no choice!" she said before she lifted her right foot up and swung in back between his legs.
"..."
"Uh...Why aren't you letting go?" she asked in confusion.
"Nice try, Molly, but I'm a giant kid's toy. Just like the little ones, there's nothing down there to smash." Huggy boasted.
"...crud." Molly huffed before she started to struggle again.
"For crying out loud, Molly, stop it already! What you're looking for isn't back there anyway!" Huggy told her. "Now quit struggling! You need to leave, now!"
"YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" she snapped before she bit his arm arm.
"OW! AGAIN WITH THE AR-WAGH!" he gagged when Molly got her arm free and shoved her fist into his mouth and against his throat. His eyes went screwy as he dropped her and grabbed his throat while she took off. "Wa*hack*Wait! Stop!" he coughed as he rushed her again and grabbed her.
"LET GO OF ME!" she said as she shot the GrabPack's arms out to grab the railing to keep him from pulling her further from the door. She kicked her legs again before she kicked his leg, making him stumble and lose his footing, making him fall over and allowing the GrabPack to pull them both across the catwalk. They both looked and screamed before they smacked face first into an the railing.
"Ouch/Ow." they both groaned. Huggy rubs his head to chase the stars out of his eyes, then gasped when he realized that Molly wasn't near him. He turned to see that she was running across the catwalks that lead to the door.
"NO! MOLLY, DON'T!" he yelled as he began to leap across the catwalks. He kept jumping before he slammed into Molly just as she made it to the last stretch before the door. She struggled to get away before he pinned her to the ground, his arms and body keeping her from moving.
"GET...OFF!" she growled as she kept trying to get up before she slumped against the floor, her body finally giving out on her and leaving her panting.
"Finally calmed down?" he asked. The only response she gave was little pants of breath. "Good. Now will you walk to the exit, or will I have to drag you there?"
"It won't matter." she said, her teeth returning to normal. "I came here to find answers, and I won't leave until I do. And no matter how many times you try to stop me, I won't quit."
"Why not?" Huggy asked.
"Because...I need to know...I need to know why I can't get on with my life." she answered, her voice cracking a little. "I can't make any friends. I've been bounced around to various foster homes. I keep hearing a voice telling me not to trust anyone! I can't even go a day without wigging out if I don't keep these toys close to me!" Molly had become a crying mess at that point, yet she continued to speak. "I need to know, Huggy! Why I can't be away from my toys! Why I can't remember anything from the first seven years of my life! All of those answers, good or bad, could be beyond that door!...I need to know, Huggy...please!"
Huggy stared down at Molly as she devolved into a sobbing mess, her cries echoing off the walls of the room. His eyes slowly return to normal as he gets up off of her.
"Okay." he relents with a sigh as he holds a hand out for her to take. "You win."
"Huggy." she sniffled as she took his hand and let him hoist her to her feet.
"Don't get me wrong. I still don't want you to go through that door." he said. "I'm only letting you go because you have the same eyes you had as a child. The eyes of someone who refuses to back down and will see things through. Even if I took you all the way to the exit and threw you out, you'd find a way back in and keep trying. So I'll step aside and let you go."
"Thank you, Huggy." she said with a smile.
"Don't thank me yet, Molly. The answers you're looking for won't be pretty, no matter how you look at it." Huggy huffed.
"Good or bad, I need to find out." she said as she wiped her eyes. She took a step forward before she kicked something on the ground. She looked down and saw a gray VHS tape at her feet. "Another one? Wonder where the player for this one is?" she asked as she picked up and looked around before spotting it. "Got it." she said as she walked a few more steps before stumbling and grabbing the rail.
"Molly! What's wrong?!" Huggy asked in concern.
"I'm fine. Just...really, really tired after all this." she said as she slowly made her way to the VCR and popped it into the gray player. The nearby TV turned on to a black screen before a claw like hand appeared and a voice began to speak.
"Final log. In relation: Experiment 1-0-0-6. 'The Prototype.'" a man's voice said as screaming, crashing and an alarm blaring could be faintly heard in the background. "Coordination and cooperation is evidently within his skillset, as well as the skillset of all other experiments of his type. Though still missing, today's events are no doubt in relation to him. His absense was a flaw in the scientific process, which should've under no circumstances been left unaccounted for. That's why I'm making this log: So that the same mistake won't be made twice."
The screams and crashing sounds were becoming a little louder as the man went on while Huggy rubbed his arm and looked away from the screen.
"Any future experiments will need to be contained and disposed of in a secure location. *CRASH* I'm not worried about myself. One breakthrough and I'll be back. We must forge onwards in the name of science*CRASH*, whether those beneath us understand it or not.*Loud footsteps approaching* End of-"
The tape suddenly stopped at that, leaving the room in silence again.
"That day...I remember it so clearly." Huggy muttered to himself before shaking his head. "Anyway, let's go through the door. Okay, Molly?" he said as he walked towards the door. He stopped when he noticed that Molly wasn't following and turned to see her standing and staring at the screen. "Molly?" he repeated. Still, she didn't look at him. He tilted his head before he noticed her hands were trembling. "Molly? What's wrong?" he asked as he approached her. He leaned over to look at her and gasped at her expression.
Her eyes were wide and unfocused, her forehead was covered in sweat, her breathing was becoming ragged and her teeth were sharp and bared.
"Molly?! Molly?! Answer me!" Huggy yelled as he shook her a little.
"...blood..."
"LET ME GO!"
"RESTRAIN HER!"
Red everywhere
"So...much...blood..."
"Hold that little thing down!"
CRUNCH!
"AAAHHH!"
"What did she do?!"
"...broken..."
SNAP!
Broken bodies
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
"MY ARM! THE LITTLE BITCH TORE IT OFF!
"RESTRAIN THE EXPERIMENT!"
"STOP IT! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"
"GET SOME BACKUP! SHE'S TEARING US-ARRRGH!"
Flesh ripped off bodies
Limbs and organs everywhere
Blood coating the floor
"You...You...Little...MONSTER!"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Molly screamed as she grabbed her head and thrashed in place before falling to her knees.
"MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" she yelled as she flailed around.
"MOLLY! WHAT'S WRONG?! STOP FLAILING ABOUT! YOU'LL FALL OVER THE EDGE!" Huggy yelled before he wrapped her in a hug and squeezed her thrashing form.
"LEAVE ME ALONE! GET OFF ME! I DON'T WANNA GO! MAKE IT STOHOHOHOOOP!" she cried, fresh tears falling as screamed. She screamed and screamed and kept on screaming, all while Huggy held her close and sat them down to let her get it out. Soon the screaming devolved into hysterical muttering, her arms wrapped around Huggy and clinging tightly to his body. They stayed that way until she finally calmed down, her grip still tight on Huggy. When she stopped trembling, he finally released her. Her eyes were red from all the crying and her expression screamed sorrow.
"Are you okay, Molly?" Huggy asked.
"...no." Molly answered as she hugged herself while shaking her head.
"Do you still want to go through the door?" he asked.
"...Yes and no." she said. "I don't want to go because...I don't want to see those images again. But...I need to go...or not knowing will eat away at me."
Huggy sighed at that. He had truly hoped that whatever she just experienced would've discouraged her enough to leave.
"You ready to go then?" he asked her.
"...Will you...hold my hand?" she asked.
"Sure." he said as they both got to their feet. He held his hand out for her, which she took before they both walked towards the door. As they approached, they noticed the various dismembered toys hung on strings and the words of warning written all around the door.
"That's...ominous." Molly confessed as they stopped before the door. She grabbed the doorknob, took a deep breath and opened the door. She and Huggy slowly walked in and through the odd hallway and down the stairs, the area covered in old wallpaper and wall lights. When they hit the bottom, they found a few bits of furniture, a dollhouse and pillows stacked in a corner. "What is this room? And what's with the music box music?"
"I...can't recall. It's been years." Huggy answered as they continued onwards. They came to a room with a red light illuminating the inside before opening it, revealing a Poppy Playtime doll encased in glass.
"Is that a Poppy Playtime doll? They haven't made them in a long time." Molly said as she approached the glass case and examined her. The doll's eyes were closed, as if she was resting, her face and clothing without flaw. "She looks so pristine, as if no hands have touched her."
"Yeah. Pristine." Huggy said as he rubbed his arms and looked around.
"I wonder if her hair really smells like a poppy flower." she said before she grabbed the door and slowly opened it. She leaned in to take a sniff-
The doll's eyes suddenly flew open, making Molly gasp before the whole room suddenly went dark.
"...You opened my case."