The Trip of Terror Part 3(A fan sequel to INUbis's Hide and Sleep)
Based on INUbis's Smiling Critters series
The Smiling Critters and the Nightmare Critters continue tapping their feet upward.
"Can this hunk of junk go any faster?!" Icky Licky complained.
"Take it easy, Icky. Look on the bright side; at least no monster couldn't reach us here," Allister Gator said, trying to sleep.
"Same here. Let's enjoy the ride and relax," CatNap sleeps.
"See. Sleepy Kitty gets it."
Both CatNap and Allister smiled while saying, "Sleep brothers!"
"Need I remind you two that we must escape here alive," DogDay frowned.
"Someone sounds jelly," PickyPiggy teased.
"Who's got jelly?" Maggie Mako asks.
"Not that kind of jelly. But you're right to mention food. I'm getting hungry."
"If we don't return to the surface before lunch, we will meet "Barb." I don't want to see her again," said Baba Chops.
"Me either. "Barb" was why I got this eyebrow ring," said Simon Smoke.
"Ms. DF sounds like a terrible teacher," CraftyCorn said.
"Well, she is a teacher of Juvenile School. It's expected for Juvey teachers to be brutal to their students."
A ding was heard for KickinChicken to say, "Sounds like it's our stop."
The hatch opens once the Critters reach the top to climb out of the lift and look around.
Hoppy Hopscotch said, "Sounds like nobody's around."
"The best thing I ever heard," said Poe.
"Poe, you're smiling," said Bobby BearHug.
"Don't rub it in, BearHug."
The Critters left the Hatch Room and entered the Gas Production Zone. The sight of the machine intrigued them, and they wanted to get a closer look.
"Amazing. The Doctor is trying to create CatNap's Sleep Gas, called the Red Smoke. Too bad they couldn't find a way to control it to make sure people who inhale it don't have nightmares," Bubba Bubbaphant was interested.
Touille spoke, "Why does he even have Sleep Gas? It makes no sense. However, it would make sense for anyone to pass out from smelling anyone's bad breath. Yet, we all have Smoke that we can breathe, too. Our breaths smell like a peculiar scent that helps anyone sleep. So many mysteries like are we all even real?"
"Shut up, Touille," said CatNap.
"Thank you, Moonkitty," said Rabie Baby.
"Enough talking. Let's move it," Baba points the way.
"Can you see us? Can you hear us?" children singing.
The Ruined Smiling Critters came clawing out from behind the Gas Production Machine as they continued to sing.
"Yep! Run for it!" DogDay yelled.
The Critters quickly ran for the exit and closed the door behind them. Then, they gathered anything heavy, such as benches, a merry-go-round, a toy chest, toy crates, barrels, and concrete blocks.
"Let's see them try to get out of that," said Kickin.
Touille turned around and said, "I tawt I taw a giant huge putty tat."
"Now is not the time for corny jokes, ratface," CatNap said as Bigger Body CatNap appeared behind him.
CatNap's friends and the Nightmare Critters were horrified at the sight of the big, scary version of him.
"You did! You did see a giant huge putty tat," Allister hugged Icky in fear.
"Oh, my frog legs!" Icky quiver.
Bigger Body CatNap takes a deep breath, which blows onto CatNap.
CatNap gulped and said, "There's a monster behind me, isn't it?"
Everyone nodded before CatNap said, "Does it look like me?"
They nodded again, and he said, "Is he alone?"
Suddenly, the rest of the Bigger Body Smiling Critters and Bigger Body Nightmare Critters reveal themselves.
CatNap turned around to see them and said, "Nope, he's not!"
But Bigger Body DogDay said, "Take it easy, little ones. We are not interested in letting them become like us...Monsters, creatures of the dark, and ravenous beasts...We are on your side."
"The Creatures of the Dark sounds nice," Poe commented.
But after Simon side-elbowed them to shut them up, Bigger Body CatNap said, "Leave Playcare...or they'll be coming for you."
But the Critters stood there in fear with no response.
Their Bigger Body versions of themselves sighed before Bigger Body Baba Chops said, "Do we have to do everything ourselves?"
The Bigger Body Critters gently picked up the Critters with their mouths like kittens and began climbing out of PlayCare toward the Train Station.
"Huh?" the Critters confused.
"So, you're helping us?" Bubba asks.
"Yes. We hate the Doctor and his wicked acts. We don't want you to become what we are," his Bigger Body self answered.
"But the Prototype will save us," Bigger Body CatNap said.
"Who's the Prototype? He sounds cool," CatNap smiled.
"You don't want to know," Bigger Body CraftyCorn said.
"We're sorry that this happened to you," CraftyCorn pities.
"It's not your fault we've become like this... We wanted to leave here ever since we arrived at PlayCare... But our Hour of Joy will come when Poppy's Angel arrives," said Bigger Body DogDay.
Once they arrived at the train station, the Train was parked in front of the station.
Bigger Body Bobby BearHug said, "It was nice of Poppy to leave the Playtime Express for you."
Once the Bigger Body Critters put them down, they snuggled against their faces.
"This is nice," Bobby touches her Bigger Body's face.
"Good luck, Smiling Critters, and Nightmare Critters," the Bigger Body Critters returned to PlayCare.
"At least we didn't have to fight them," said Rabie Baby.
"But it was kinda weird that they snuggle us up before leaving," said Maggie.
"They were made to look like us, so I think they needed comfort," said Hoppy.
DogDay uses his Grabpack Green Hand to open the door of the Train.
"I always wanted to drive a train," Icky smiled.
Once the Critters entered the Train, Bubba took out the train code and began typing, saying, "Okay. It's Bunzo, Kissy, Cat-Bee, and Mommy. Then, red Bunzo, Yellow Kissy, Red Cat-Bee, and Blue Mommy. Lastly, they must be in this order when pressing the buttons: Bunzo, Cat-Bee, Kissy, and Mommy."
When all the buttons turned green, the Critters smiled. Simon pulled the upper lever, and the Train moved forward.
The Critters cheered as Simon said, "Woo, we're home free, baby!"
"I always wanted to do this," Kickin blows the whistle.
"Thank goodness we got out of there one piece. But how will we explain all of this, Miss Delight and Miss DF?" said DogDay.
"Even if we told them, they won't believe it and think it was our imagination," said Baba.
"Darn it! I can't get a signal, and my phone's charge is low. Even If I get videos and pictures of what we've been through, they think it was photoshopped and animated," said Rabie, looking at her phone.
"Meh. We got away from all the monsters. Ain't that a good thing?" Maggie asks.
"Yep. And we'll be back on time for lunch," said PickyPiggy.
But then a pink hand grabbed CatNap by the tail and tried to pull him.
"Gah! DogDay!" he cried for help.
The other Critters tried to pull him back in, but they, too, were pulled out and ended up on the Train's roof. The Critters also see Experiments Mommy LongLegs and Huggy Wuggy on the roof.
"We forgot about the Pink LongLegs. But where did the Blue Tall Slender Man come from?" Touille said.
"Naughty, naughty. Children should've stayed in their Tower and waited for their turn for surgery. Now, Mommy and Huggy have to bring you back," said Mommy.
"Okay, look. Your SugarDaddy told us that you and he plan to have a Baby LongLegs. Just leave so you can finally have that baby spider you dreamed of," CatNap said, having enough of the Monsters chasing him and the Critters.
"Wow. For a Smiling Freak, you know how to use your big words."
The Nightmare Critters gasped in shock before they got angry and in front of the Smiling Critters as if they wanted to defend them.
"Now, just a cottage cheese second, only we can call them the Smiling Freaks," said Touille.
"Who gave you the right to be the only Critters to call them that?" Mommy sassed while Huggy nodded in agreement.
Baba took out her black pocket knife and said, "This gives us the right!"
Horrified, Huggy hopped into Mommy's arms as she screamed, "She's got a knife!"
"Seriously? You're terrified of a knife?"
"Keep that thing away from us! Mommy is so close to becoming a Mommy!"
"Ugh! Unbelievable. But now you know your place. They call my group and me the Nightmare Critters for a reason. Now, you better beat it, or I will use old Mary here to slash out that big mushy heart from your blue buddy, then cut out your egg sac, pull out every egg you have in there, crush them all with my hooves, and mopped the remains to turn into hair conditioner for my wool."
Everyone had their jaw drops in shock.
"Too much?" Baba asked the Critters.
They nodded, but Baba walked over to Huggy and Mommy and said, "Ah, whatever. Now let's get this over with."
"Nooo! Keep away from us, you murderous mutton chops!" Mommy screamed.
But then she and Huggy fell off the Train. The Critters looked down and saw them end up in trashcans.
"I wish I fell in those trashcans," Touille said.
"Bruh," Icky shook his head.
"By the way, Baba, weren't you seriously going to do all you said?" DogDay asks nervously.
"When it comes to threatening, I'm the master of it," Baba answered.
"It's true. Baba even stopped me from spreading a secret with threats," Rabie was upset.
"If someone in our group was able to threaten someone like Rabie, it's clear we had to make that person our leader," said Poe.
"Thus, along with Baba's pocket knife, she was chosen. Plus, it also keeps her from leaving the group," said Allister.
"Why does Baba even have a pocket knife? It's dangerous," said Bubba.
"The world is a dangerous and messed up place. A girl has to have something to defend herself with," said Baba.
"No joke. That's why I always carried my soccer ball with me," Hoppy nodded.
"For defense?" Kickin confused.
"Good kick to hit in the face and-"
But the Critters started holding on to the train roof when it started to go faster. It was so fast that the Critters' Grabpacks and Simon's stereo flew off.
"What happened?!" Crafty concern.
"The Doctor...He must've caused the Train to go faster," Picky said.
"She's right. And judging by my hair, I say we're going two hundred miles per hour," said Simon.
Bubba is using a calculator and said, "He's right."
"So, Simon's a nerd?" Icky teased.
"We're in serious trouble here if we don't stop this train," said Bobby.
"I'll reach for the emergency brake," said CatNap.
Using his tail, CatNap grabbed the brake and tried pulling it down.
"It's stuck! Help me out, everyone," he tried to pull his tail.
His friends grabbed him from behind, and the Nightmare Critters grabbed his tail to pull. The Train shook with sparks flying out from under the wheels when the Critters pulled the brake down with CatNap's tail.
But the Critters flew off the roof when the Train halted and screamed. Their faces slammed into the wall, looking like flattened pancakes. They fell before a dark train tunnel. While passed out, the Prototype's hand came out of the darkness.
He carefully picked them up and said before pulling the Critters into the darkness, "You don't deserve this fate."
At the Cafeteria, the real Huggy, Mommy, and Boxy Boo are clearing CatNap's Sleep Gas.
"You really think they'll escape him?" Huggy Wuggy asked.
"They have to. Despite Bubba not being smart enough, Kickin not being cool enough, and Crafty not being creative enough, I'm sure they'll make out from the depths of the factory," said Mommy LongLegs.
"You're a little creepy, you know that, Mommy," said Boxy Boo.
"So."
But then the three overheard a familiar sound of the moving hand of the Prototype from a ventilation shaft from the wall. It opened for his hand to push the unconscious Smiling Critters and Nightmare Critters out of the vent. Quickly, Mommy picked up the Critters, and Huggy and Boxy Boo held the Claw down.
Mommy got on the phone and said, "1006 has been found. I repeat: 1006 has been found."
Suddenly, humans with Gas Masks and red suits came running into the Cafeteria to capture the Prototype.
"Let's get these kids somewhere to heal up," said Huggy.
"Poor Critters. I can't believe they have to go through something like this," said Boxy Boo.
They awaken in a dark void inside the Smiling Critters and Nightmare Critters' minds.
"That hurt," DogDay rubbed his head.
"Oh, you think? That Dirty Doctor! I ought to change the channel on his TV screen," Simon said.
"Wait, where are we?" Kickin looked around.
"Did we die?!" Icky panicked.
"Possibly. But, weirdly, we're all together. The Smiling Critters are supposed to go to Heaven, while my friends and I should end up in Hell. Maybe we're in Purgatory still being decided on which side of the afterlife we're allowed to go to," Baba suggested.
"We're dead?! NOOOO!" Crafty cried.
"Crafty, no. We were rammed into a wall and knocked out. We somehow share the same dream state in our minds," said Bubba.
"How is that even possible? It makes no sense," said Rabie.
"I was able to do that whenever I put my Critter to sleep; that way, they can have fun together," said CatNap.
"Now, it is not the time to explain your weird powers. We need to wake up," said Touille.
But then Red Smoke begins to appear before the Critters.
"Oh no! Not this Smoke," Hoppy shouted.
"Hold your breaths!" Bobby covers her mouth.
"We're dreaming. I don't think it's necessary," Allister recommended.
When the Red Smoke cleared, they found themselves at the Game Station, where children were playing and doing games.
"What is this place?" Picky questioned.
The Critters saw Scientists watching the children while taking notes on the catwalks.
"Using the brain and nervous system mixed with poppy gel and electricity shock, a new creation out of these potential subjects is possible," said Dr. Harley Swayer's voice.
"What?!" Maggie shouted before the Red Smoke appeared to the Critters again.
Coughing, Poe said, "We must go crazy. I knew it was bound to happen one day!"
Another vision shows the labs with the liquid containers, Bigger Body Smiling Critters, and Nightmare Critters inside and unconscious. The Critters were shocked but looked at the containers labeled with their Bigger Bodies real names. One name, Theodore Grambell, was shining purple, while the other names glowed to the colors of the characters they associated with.
"My creations...My research...Such process and completion are necessary..." repeated Dr. Harley's voice.
Suddenly, the ghosts of the children within the Bigger Body Critters' name labels. The sight of the ghosts caused the Critters to fall in shock.
Theodore Gramball's ghost stands before his ghost buddies and says, "The Hour of Joy has happened. Allow us to have your bodies."
"Join us...Join us...Join us...," said the ghosts, reaching toward the Critters.
"No! Get away from us!" CatNap hissed as he and the rest back away
"Be us...Be us...Be us..."
The Critters tried to flee but fell and landed in another hallucination.
"Now what?!" Icky complained.
The Critters find a jumbo screen that starts playing the Hour of Joy Tape. Seeing the tape frightened the Critters into seeing the Bigger Body Experiments killed the human Playtime Co. staff. The guilty, the innocent, it didn't matter. The Critters know no one was spared, and dead bodies were all over the factory.
"This is the Hour of Joy?" DogDay questioned.
Suddenly, the screen turned red, allowing the Prototype's hand to emerge. The sight of the giant scary Claw made the Critters' hearts pound in fear.
It reached out to the Critters, who couldn't move. But CatNap started to act like he was hypnotized to reach for the Hand of the Prototype. The Critters woke up in the Emergency Ward Room in the Office Systems. CatNap had his hand out and was touching Miss Delight's face.
"Uh, CatNap?" Miss Delight is confused.
"Miss Delight?" CatNap was surprised before letting go of her face.
The Critters looked around to find themselves in a nurse's office with another Miss Delight as a doctor and another Miss Delight as a nurse. The two are talking to Huggy, Mommy, and Boxy, who are on the benches. Miss Delight, Ms. DF, and RecD are close to the Critters to watch their well-being.
"Where are we?" DogDay asks.
"You're in the Emergency Ward. Three employees found you unconscious on the floor in the Cafeteria. They said they found Sleep Gas around and a fallen ceiling vent grille near CatNap's head," RecD answered.
"Are you saying everything we've been through was a dream? The giant toy monsters? Playcare? The Train ride?" Kickin is in shock.
"Right? The three over there mentioned that you were talking and fighting in your sleep, too," said Miss Delight.
"That's new," said Bubba.
"No wonder I still feel pain," said Simon.
"Even if it was a dream, it felt too real. Wait a minute! My phone is fully charged?!" Rabie looked at her phone.
"I guess it was all a dream after all," said Bobby.
"Now, explain why you were Critters at the Cafeteria when the power went out?" Miss Delight questioned.
"We wanted to talk to each other in private, and we realized we may be different, but we found a way to stick together," Hoppy arm-hugging Allister.
"She's right. I think our dream helped us find a way to get along, even if it was a horrifying nightmare," said Allister.
"Really?" Miss Delight and Ms. DF were surprised before looking at each other.
"Close enough," they both shrugged.
"Is it time for lunch? I'm starving," said Maggie.
"Me too. It felt like hours since I've last eaten," Picky agreed.
"We'll have lunch until you're fully recovered," said RecD.
The Doctor and Nurse Delight Sisters showed up, shocking the Smiling and Nightmare Critters.
"What the-?! Now there are five Miss DFs?!" Poe is in shock.
"Okay, seriously, how many identical sisters do you have, Ms. DF? It's getting creepy," said Touille.
"Call me Doc De and her, Nurse Light. We were looking over your charts, and you have a clean bill of health," said Doc De.
"That's right. That means you can have lunch and continue your tour over the factory," said Nurse Light.
"That's a relief," said Icky.
"As a way to make it up to you, my co-workers and I will give you unlimited access to the dessert section in the cafeteria," said Huggy.
The Critters smiled for Crafty to say, "Thank you."
"We'll meet you at the Cafeteria soon. Now, run along," said Mommy.
The Critters, their teachers, and Delight and DF's three sisters left before the employees' smiles turned to frowns once the Doctor's eye appeared on the computer monitor.
"Yes, sir. Did you scan everything on them and get me some samples?" he asked.
"Does this mean you'll let them go?" Boxy asks.
"Are you nuts? They'll be back. After all, subjects always return home," The Doctor laughed, scaring his employees.
Back with the Critters and the five Delightful Sisters, Baba said to the Critters, "I'm glad everything we've been through was a dream. But there's still one thing that's bothering me. I wonder if Ms. DF and Miss Delight switch jobs with each other and their sisters too at everything and everywhere they work."
The Critters shook their heads in shock when they saw five more Miss Delightful sisters(a toy maker, an accountant, a repair woman, an assistant, and a researcher) at a table waiting for the other five sisters to come.
When the five Delightful Sisters joined the other five at their table, they turned to the Critters and said, "What do you think, children?
"Let's just eat lunch and enjoy the rest of our day. Agree?" DogDay said, taking out his lunch book.
"Agree," the others take out their lunch boxes, too.
At the Level 5, aka the Labs of Playtime Co. The Doctor is looking at the cage of the Prototype.
He said, "I have to say, 1006. To think: you would give yourself away to return to the new subjects I selected and back to the surface. How soft and annoying."
"I...don't want...them to suffer...like all of us," said the Prototype in different voices.
"You should know that the subjects always return to where they belong. It's no doubt this place is their true home."
"Harden at the heart...Stubborn to the Mind...Death will come to you in the worst way...Your sins will haunt you as you move to Hell...The Hour of Joy will come for all of us..."
The Doctor sees a monitor showing the Smiling Critters and the Nightmare Critters enjoying the Theater's entertainment, playing together, and looking over at the Gift Shop.
"I have all that I need to improve my creations, and once they've returned, my research will achieve what I ever wanted from you, 1006. Immortality without fill," the Doctor said before letting out his evil laughter, but the Prototype showed a wicked smile, hinting he was planning something.
A few hours later, the sun was setting when the Smiling Critters, Nightmare Critters, Ms. Delight, and Ms. DF walked out of Playtime Co. as the workers waved goodbye to them.
"Bye!" the Smiling Critters waved back.
"See ya!" the Nightmare Critters waved too.
"Nightmare Critters, I have to say: I didn't speak to you to win the deal. I guess they were right that you'd change for the better," said Ms. DF.
"We're not surprised," said Baba.
"Wait, does that mean?" Icky asks.
"That's right. You can finally go back home," Ms. DF said, showing a warrant for the Nightmare Critters to stay at Juvenile School and rip in two.
"We can go home!" Rabie cheered.
"Woooooo!" the Nightmare Critters cheered while doing rock-out moving.
"You heard that, Smiling Critters! We're free!" Simon yelled.
"Good for you," CraftyCorn said.
"Wait, Nightmare Critters. I have graduation presents for you. It's from someone who suggested you meet with the Smiling Critters. You could say they were your guardian angel," Ms. DF taking out a gift basket.
"Angel?" the Smiling Critters and the Nightmare Critters looked at each other and wondered if the same Angel(the Player) helped the Smiling Critters become friends.
But the Nightmare Critters became gleeful when they ran to the basket to get their gifts. Baba gets a black Anise-scented pocket knife case. Icky finds a gold medal engraved with his name, and the scent of coffee is on it for him. Rabie was happy to see a sparkly bubblegum-scented pink phone. Allister's heart melted for getting a Sandalwood-scented blanket. Simon's eyes sparkled for finding a gold bedazzled Wood Smoke-scented red moneybag. Poe freaked out with joy when they got a black Cimmon-scented sun-protected hoodie. Touille gasped with happiness when he got a Petrichor Trash Treasure Bag. Maggie also held her new chocolate-scented sweet treat tote.
"We love them!" the Nightmare Critters cheered.
"Congratulations on your new gifts and able to go home, Nightmare Critters," Bobby smiled.
"Since you guys got what you wanted, does that mean it makes us friends?" DogDay asks.
"Don't push your luck," said Poe.
"Friendship takes a lot of time to form, as well as mutual care and respect. You don't just become friends," said Baba.
"It's true. It took us a long time to convince Baba that we were friends. And me and Maggie longer for us to be her besties," said Rabie.
"Since we're not friends yet, does that make us acquaintances?" Bubba asked.
"Eh," Touille does a so-so hand-sign.
"Yes and no?" Kickin asked.
"Probably. I mean, what we've gone through was a dream," said Allister.
"I guess so. It seems fair," said Hoppy.
"Aw, that's a shame. And let's hang out to get to know each other better," said PickyPiggy.
"Really? You Smiling Critters are very strange," said Maggie.
"We prefer the term nice," said Bubba.
"Don't worry, Smiling Critters and Nightmare Critters. It won't be long until you'll get to know each other later," said Miss Delight.
"Huh?" both Critter Crews asked.
"My sister is right. The Nightmare Critters will be graduating from the Smiling Critters' School, meaning you'll be in the same class together," said Ms. DF.
"What?!"
"Oh no! It means we're stuck with these psychos until we graduate!" CatNap is freaking out.
"Aw, is CatNap scared of me and my friends?" Touille teased.
"Heck no! As if I'm afraid of some troublemakers. You guys should be the ones afraid of me and my friends."
The Nightmare Critters laughed before Baba smirked, "We'll admit, you Smiling Freaks are a funny, colorful bunch. We're called the Nightmare Critters for a reason. Don't blame us if you can't handle us or if we become the better Critters."
The Smiling Critters smiled while DogDay said, "Is that a challenge? My Critters and I faced many hardships that might bring us fear. But we smiled through everything and handled them with grace. We can tell by looking at you that you're a year younger than us. Clearly, we're your superiors. It would be nice to break from your darkness and embrace the light we want to give you. Perhaps you can be one of us and join our group."
"Wow. That's big talk coming from you. But the Nightmare Critters couldn't resist someone who wanted to challenge us. We hope we don't break you into embracing our darkness."
"It's a promise that we'll get the better of you."
"We'll see about that."
The Smiling Critters and Nightmare Critters stared at each other with grins and eagerness to beat the others.
"Did they just somewhat become acquainted rivals?" Miss Delight questioned.
"But they show respect toward each other," Ms. DF answered.
"Close enough. Let's head home, Critters," both sisters shrugged.
"Yes, teacher," Critters said before they went their separate ways.
When the school buses left, the Doctor watched from the security camera and said, "Come back soon, my little Critters..."
THE END...