Trust is earned, respect is given, and loyalty is demonstrated. Betrayal of any one of those is to lose all three.
- ZIAD ABDELNOUR
'What happened?'
'What happened?'
'What happened?'
That was all she could think.
She was sitting against the wall, still hidden behind the gallon drums. She was still covered in blood. Not just her own dried up blood, but now she was covered in Mommy Long-Legs' blood.
She had killed her.
She survived once again.
It was a miracle she survived Huggy Wuggy. And now she survived Mommy Long-Legs as well.
Another miracle.
Though, Koa was still in shock at Mommy's violent, bloody death. She could still see the image of Mommy's insides being squeezed out of her body. She still heard the noise of her being crushed. She still heard her pained screams. She smelled the irony, metallic smell of blood. Not just her own blood, as her own wounds stopped bleeding some time ago, but Mommy's blood.
She didn't really know that the lever was for the grinder. She panicked and did the first thing she could think off.
But, Mommy was trying to kill her. Koa was defending herself.
Still, she took another life.
Right or wrong, killing people, living sentient toy or not, sticks with you.
This would haunt her. Probably for the rest of her life.
Koa's thoughts then turned to the large hand that collected Mommy's remains.
"What could possibly have a hand… that… big?" Koa whispered to herself.
Those fingers, they looked like they were made of strong metal, and each finger ended in a sharp point. No doubt this thing was deadly. And it was huge, too! And Koa remembered seeing human bones in the thing's arm among the tangled mess of wires and metal.
"Just what were they making in this factory?!"
Then realization hit her like a tone of bricks.
Wait…
That thing collected her remains almost immediately!
Just how long was that thing that close to her? Undetected, no less!
If something that big could staythat close unnoticed for who knows how long…
"Yeah, I've got to get out of here!" Koa exclaimed.
Koa stood up, her legs still wobbly and her back still in slight pain, and she moved on.
Climbing up some steps to higher platforms, Koa didn't really have any idea where she was going. She stayed on her toes for any surprises.
After making it up and few flights of stairs, Koa glanced down and saw a VHS tape and a player on the floor. Hoping for more information, she placed in the tape. Finding the TV hanging from a nearby wall, the screen showed a picture of the very same hand that collected Mommy's remains. A familiar voice from the 'Final Log' video spoke up.
"Log Code 08502. In relation: Experiment 1-0-0-6. 'The Prototype.'" The tone of his voice made it sound as if this log was made in some sort of urgency.
"A close call occurred this week, in which he nearly breached containment. The Prototype seemingly disassembled the digital alarm clock within his room, and utilized the battery along with several other components to create a laser pointer, which he then fired into the security camera, disabling it. These actions allowed him 28.3 seconds completely unmonitored. Once function returned to the camera, the room appeared to be empty. One surveillance specialist went in to confirm his absence. However, upon opening the door, she realized that the Prototype had hidden in one of the camera's blind spots. The Prototype attempted to escape through the open door; however, another surveillance specialist was able to remotely re-lock the door, despite the other specialist still being inside. One casualty occurred."
He spoke that last sentence as if it was of no real consequence.
"The Prototype seems to possess an unprecedented level of intelligence beyond that of all other test subjects, as well as an alarming willingness to commit violence. Further suppression treatments will need to be enacted to ensure that no other experiments develop these qualities. Experiment 1-1-7-0, 'Huggy Wuggy,' remains the optimal outcome due to his sufficient intelligence paired with maximum obedience. End of log."
The screen went black.
Koa stood there, shock and awe flooding her thoughts. She sat down on the steps.
She had to think.
"The Prototype," Koa said quietly out loud.
If that thing was a prototype, then does that mean there are more like that thing?
Koa thought about Huggy Wuggy, Mommy Long-Legs, and the other toys she encountered during the games in the Game Station. They were all large toys.
Wait, was the Prototype the first large toy?
'HE'LL MAKE ME PART OF HIM!!' Mommy's words suddenly screamed in her head.
"What exactly does that..."Koa paused. That thing collected her remains. She said 'he'll make me part of him.'
'Oh no.'
Was the Prototype trying to make himself into a larger toy or something? But how could this be possible. How and why was all of this happening?
Koa pulled out the papers she collected and found the one about the rat experiment.
So they were testing this 'life altering poppy gel' on rats, then they moved on to larger beings.
The Prototype being the first one.
And people died trying to keep it- he, contained.
Then he eventually broke free.
"The Prototype seems to possess an unprecedented level of intelligence beyond that of all other test subjects, as well as an alarming willingness to commit violence."
That sent shivers down her spine. If this thing was so violent, and people died trying to keep it locked up, why even bother messing with these things?!
"We must forge onwards in the name of science! Whether those who are beneath us understand it or not!"
But science is flawed. It will always be flawed. Man can never perfect these things. Only God can. That's why these things sould be left alone. This kind of 'research' and 'experiments' shouldn't exist. These people never should have done what they have done.
Her thoughts continued to what that man, whom Koa decided to name 'The Scientist,' said in the log video.
"Further suppression treatments will need to be enacted to ensure that no other experiments develop these qualities. Experiment 1-1-7-0, 'Huggy Wuggy,' remains the optimal outcome due to his sufficient intelligence paired with maximum obedience."
"'Suppression treatments?' 'Maximum obedience?'" Koa thought out loud.
All those toys after the Prototype… they were made to obey. But, they weren't limited on who they were obedient to.
The Prototype obviously escaped its containment. And Huggy and Mommy attempted to kill her while he obviously held back. The Prototype could've killed her at any given moment. And Koa would've never known he was there since he could get so close to her and remain unnoticed.
Did the Prototype have something to do with the disappearance of her co-workers? Did the Prototype take advantage of the other toy's obedience and order them to kill everyone?
Everyone has to be dead. Koa saw too many bloodstains in the factory to count. And thinking back, she remembered something she deemed trivial at the time: carved and scratched messages on the walls that read 'The Hour of Joy.'
What was that?
But all of this was just a theory. She needed hard proof to… well prove she was right.
Though, Koa couldn't do it alone. She needed help.
Standing back up, this time on more stable legs, she continued her climb up the steps.
Eventually, after opening a door, Koa found herself somewhere familiar. Walking along some catwalks, she looked over the rail and found she was in the Game Station! She just had to find her way back down!
She was so close!
Traversing the catwalks, she climbed down a flight of stairs, glanced to her left, and froze.
There, in the control room, stuck to the wall in webbing, was the last part of the code, her knife, and Poppy!
Gasping, Koa entered the room, and fired both Grab-Pack canons to the webbing, and pulled everything free.
Koa couldn't be happier to have her knife back. Just as she sheathed it, a cold voice from Poppy spoke up.
"Did you kill her?"
Koa froze. She glanced up to Poppy, worry on her face. How would Poppy react if she knew she killed a fellow living toy?
Then again, Mommy took Poppy prisoner.
"Yes," Koa admitted, her voice riddled with guilt. "I'm so-"
"Good," Poppy interrupted coldly.
Koa froze, unsure of how to respond.
Poppy then turned her body but kept her eyes on Koa.
"I'll board the train. We need to leave," she kept her cold tone.
Poppy then walked into a vent, again not taking her eyes off of Koa.
Koa stood there. She was unsure of what to make of Poppy's change in demeanor. Taking a single step back as she took the last slip of paper for the train code from her Grab-Pack, she glanced down and saw another paper with notes. She picked it up and glanced to the other side of the room. There was more notes. Pocketing all three papers, she left the control room and made her way to the train.
After making it to ground level, she found she had easy access to the train.
But Poppy was no where in sight.
Figuring she somehow got a head of Poppy, she fired the green canon of her Grab-Pack, she unlocked the trains door and entered the train.
And she waited.
She read the notes she gathered in the control room as she waited.
The first note was a request for windows in the Game Station. Koa looked around through the window of the train's door and saw that the windows were fake. The children weren't given natural sunlight.
That didn't seem fair or right.
Looking at the other notes, they were employee instructions. One note caught her attention almost immediately, an instruction to stay at least 20 yards away from Mommy Long-Legs.
20 yards is only 60 feet. Koa remembered the transfer request paper said she could stretch her limbs several hundred feet. Like a 20 yard distance would really make a difference.
The employees were also instructed to monitor how each child performed in each game and the notes were to be passed to higher officials.
This note would definitely come in handy.
Koa looked up from her notes.
Poppy still wasn't around.
Making a decision, Koa stood up and closed the train door.
"I'm sorry, Poppy, but I can't wait any longer. I'll come back with a team. You have my word on that."
Koa turned her attention back to the control panel on the train, and pulled out all the pieces of the train code. She double checked if the first two patterns were correct, and seeing they were, she pulled out the final piece of the code: the order to press the buttons.
2. 3. 1. 4.
The buttons flashed green and a chime rang as the train powered up. Smiling, Koa looked up and saw a yellow handle above the control panel. Hoping it would get the train moving, she pulled it.
Again, luck was on her side. The train slowly started to move along the tracks.
Sighing in huge relief at seeing a green arrow pointing forward flashing as the train entered a system of tunnels, she figured she had time to kill before she was out of the factory, she pulled out all the papers she collected to get a final glance at them.
As the train traveled through the tunnels in the factory, Koa was startled when she suddenly heard Poppy speak up over the intercom.
"I was so scared she'd put me back in that case! But you saved me. You are perfect! Too perfect to lose," she said almost seductively. "I'm sorry. I can't let you leave."
"What?!" Koa demanded.
Looking forward, she saw the tracks were changed as a green arrow pointing right was now flashing, and the train followed those tracks.
Koa dropped the papers in shock and pressed in to the door window.
"NO! NO!" She started smacking the window with her hands as she continued to beg, "POPPY NO!"
"I've never met anyone likeyou,"she continued with an excited giggle. Koa looked up as Poppy continued reminiscing. "Do you know how long I've been stuck in that case? Well,too long.I hadso much timetothink and reflect.Time to figure outexactlywhat I would do when free. We'll set things right. Terrible things have happened! But I know thatwhateverI need you to do,you're capable.We will-"
All of a sudden, beeping sounded among the intercom. The beeping of an alarm clock.
"What-" was all Poppy said before it went quiet.
"Wait! Poppy, why are you-"
She froze mid sentence. That was an alarm clock beeping.
That log video… the Prototype…
The Prototype must have caught Poppy!
This was not good!
Before she could think much else, Koa noticed that the train started to pick up speed. Looking out the windshields of the train, Koa could tell that even if these tracks went on for miles, and Koa knew they didn't, a speeding, out-of-control train was not where one wanted to be.
Seeing a lever that looked like a break, Koa tried to pull it. But it wouldn't budge! It was jammed!
This was definitely not good!
After the train picked up more speed, and alarm briefly went off. Koa still tried to pull the breaks, but it still wouldn't budge.
Panicked, she tried the yellow handle bar, but that was now jammed as well!
Now the train was going unbelievably fast. The alarm returned and a sign flashed as well that read 'Unsafe speed. Stop train.'
"No shit!" Koa yelled without thinking.
Seeing the lever flash red as well, Koa gave one last pull, and finally it gave.
But the sudden pull of the breaks on the speeding train sent Koa crashing onto the control panel, handing hard on her abdomen. Koa landed on the floor, and huddled into a fetal position, holding her aching stomach.
Sparks were sent flying around the train as the wheels of the train were now scrapping against the tracks with no traction.
Then… there was a large crash.
The locomotive rolled to its side hard and fast. Papers were sent flying everywhere and Koa was sent rolling to the side, and the left side of her head made impact with the window of the train's door, the glass breaking out upon impact.
Koa blacked out. When her vision came into focus for the briefest moment, she saw a sign that read 'Playcare.'
With a moan, Koa blacked out again. Her head and left arm were hanging from the broken window. Blood trailed down from her newest and reopened wounds to her head and onto the tracks below.
Koa's dreams were plagued by glowing white eyes, a large, smiling mouth, and red smoke.
BEWARE THE PERSON WHO STABS YOU AND THEN TELLS THE WORLD THEY'RE THE ONE WHO'S BLEEDING.
- JILL BLAKEWAY