"Hey."
…
"Alex, come on."
…
…
"Don't leave me like this! Get up, Alex!"
…
A groan.
Alex slowly fluttered his eyes open, the world around him focusing once again. He was still laying under the table, his face still wet, and his head still aching.
"Alex, say something!"
That voice…
The human looked around without even trying to stand up, finding he was on top of the phone. Ollie had apparently called and he accidentally picked up with his weight.
With another groan, Alex got the phone to his ear.
"O-Ollie? What… How long have I been out for?"
"Two hours, Alex! Everyone has turned all Playcare upside down trying to find you!"
Right. The Red Smoke from before. Well, luckily he hadn't dreamt anything that time. That was the last thing he needed. Or another flashback. Not after what he had seen.
Which reminded him of… the rest.
"Just tell them I'm okay, Ollie. I need to think." Alex sighed.
"Alex, you know just telling them 'you're okay' won't work for them…"
"Ollie. I've just seen the fucking massacre that took all my friends' lives. Just tell them I'm okay, please."
"...Okay."
The call ended.
Alex was once again left there, under the table, feeling like what could only be described as conflicted.
On one hand, he wanted to go rabid and hit the walls until his knuckles bled or he made a hole in the wall, whatever happened first, and on the other hand, he wanted to stop being a whiny little child and go and finish what he had left to do in Playcare.
And yet, every time he thought of that, the images of all those corpses came back to his mind, haunting him. And he doubted anything would make it stop anytime soon.
What would he do when he got out of the factory? Go to a therapist? What would he tell them? 'Yeah, so I just went into an abandoned factory full of living and aggressive toys that wanted to kill me. Oh, and I also found out that they were children and that they killed all my friends inside that factory. Just the usual.'
He wasn't keen on getting sent to a padded cell in a straitjacket.
God, if only I had chosen any other place to work at… maybe I wouldn't be here.
He felt himself start to cry again.
Alex's train of thoughts was interrupted when he heard a bunch of murmurs and different voices drawing close.
I'm going to kill Ollie when I finally meet him. Alex groaned.
Just as he thought, the unmistakable voice of Poppy was barking orders a few rooms away. "You guys go look over that way! Me and Kissy will go this way!"
"Poppy, don't you think we should give him a bit of time?" Dogday asked.
"Time is exactly what we don't have, Dogday! He's already been missing for two whole hours! At the very least, someone should be making sure he's safe. Or need I remind you who is still roaming the factory?"
"Whatever, let's get to searching now!" Kicks shouted.
Steps. Some fading, and some coming closer. Alex wasn't really in the mood to hear them at all. And yet, there they all were, worried about him.
How could the idea of ditching them even occur to him?
He couldn't help but let out a small, bitter laugh. He was pathetic, wasn't he? They deserved better than someone like him. Grace would probably be far more suited than him anyway. If only she were here…
The steps drew closer.
"I'll look over that hallway. You three split up and look for him." Dogday spoke.
"I'll get in the vents!" Day replied.
"I'll backtrack just in case!" Kicks added.
"I'll look over this office here!" Naps finished.
"Alright. Come on, let's go!"
And even more steps that faded.
All except two pairs of them.
"Huuuuumaaan! Are you here?" Naps called.
Alex didn't reply.
It took the feline far longer than what he had thought, but finally, it seemed that she had found him, as Alex could hear a gasp from just behind him.
"Ack, you're here!" She recoiled before Alex felt her paws on his back. "Hey, human! Say something!"
"Just go. Please."
Nap stopped what she was doing.
"What?"
The human groaned. "Go. Please. What part of 'being alone' do you guys not understand?"
"It's been two hours!"
He didn't reply.
"Hey! You think that you're going to win against me at this game? I can reach levels of being annoying you could never even imagine!" The cat told him.
Still no reply.
"Fine! Don't say I didn't warn you!"
Alex then felt Nap pushing him even harder. When she saw it didn't work, she jumped on top of him and began poking his face repeatedly.
"Stop." Alex warned.
But that didn't seem to do anything, as Nap simply turned around and began ruffling his hair with her claws.
"Stop!" Alex tried shooing her off.
And then, Nap got close to her ear and gave it a small bite.
Alex was still half groggy from the gas, and the moment he felt the pain of the teeth on his ears, he panicked and, without thinking, he grabbed the purple cat and quite literally threw her against the wall, making her let out a groan of pain when she hit the ground.
"Ow…" She whined.
Alex stood there, looking at what he had done. Why did he do that?! She was just trying to get him to listen and he threw her against a wall with full force! Was that really because it hurt?! Or…
Or because he knew what she could do to people?
Because he was scared?
He was scared of them.
He understood why he had run away now. He did that because he was terrified. Because he'd seen what the toys could do when they all worked together. Alex didn't want to be found because he was scared they would turn on him and he wouldn't be able to do anything to defend himself.
And that hurt him more than any of Catnap's slashes.
Tears fell from his eyes as he just stood there, not knowing what to do.
He was just like them.
That toy had saved his life a few hours ago and he just threw her.
"I…" He stammered. "I don't… I…"
"Ugh, don't worry. Serves me right for being pushy after… well, you know." Nap said as she got back on her feet and stretched. Her eyes widened the moment she looked at him. "Woah, hey, I'm fine! It was nothing!"
Seeing how Alex was still trembling, Nap once again ran towards him, not understanding what had him so shaken.
"Human, hey! Stop that!"
Alex laid down on the ground again. "I'm sorry…" He sobbed as he huddled into a ball. "I… I didn't want to…"
Nap sighed. "I screwed up by doing that, didn't I…"
Alex then felt something crawl in between his arms. He stopped his crying and opened his eyes only to find Nap peeking her head from in between his arms.
"W-What-?" Alex asked.
"I'm a plushie. Plushies are supposed to make people happy." She flatly replied. "At least children."
Alex was even more confused now, which only made Nap groan. "I'm trying to apologize, dummy! Just… I dunno, hug me or something!"
The human was speechless. Did she really just offer Alex to be his comfort plush? So much for being part of a murderous horde that killed everyone a few years ago…
Alex simply decided that he would accept the offer and just give in to his childish urges, holding and squeezing the small cat in his arms.
It felt nice.
"Heh… And I'm supposed to be the adult…" He half chuckled, wiping some tears off his face. "Thank you, Nap."
"No problem. It always worked with my last… let's say owner, so I knew it would with you." The feline sighed. "And just so you know, it's been years since that! I almost forgot how this feels!"
"I'm curious. Who was the kid that had you?" Alex asked. "If it's alright, I mean."
"You know that big cat that tried to kill you so many times?"
Alex's eyes widened. "You're joking."
"Nope. That's him. When he was human, of course." She laughed. "It doesn't look like he'd be one to vent his frustrations to a plushie, is he?"
"He did what?"
She let out a small gasp. "Forget I said that. If he finds out, I'm done for!"
Alex chuckled.
This was good. It was nice. He was feeling a lot better. Who would have thought that all he needed to almost completely erase the self-inflicted fears of his friends turning on him was a two hour long nap under a table and some cuddles with a plush?
He closed his eyes once again, the sheer situation causing him to let out a few sobs again. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have run away. I'm so stupid…" He sniffed.
"Hey, who wouldn't? You shouldn't be the one apologizing." Nap replied.
She knew very well a simple apology wouldn't cut it, but still, it seemed she was really trying to make Alex feel better.
After a while of silence and Alex's quiet sniffs, he began hearing a small sound coming from the plush. She was purring, apparently.
"Are you comfortable?" Alex snickered.
"No word of this to anyone." She replied, very seriously.
Alex gave her a gentle pet. "As long as you don't tell anyone either."
And then, after about five minutes, Alex felt himself ready (at least ready enough) to go meet his friends again.
Was he going to be a bit more paranoid? Probably. Would he try not to? Yes. They deserved that much. To make things easier, he reminded himself that the Hour of Joy had been the Prototype's idea, and it would have never happened if there hadn't been any experiments at all.
So with great sadness (he would never admit it), Alex let go of Nap as he groaned and got into a sitting position.
"Alright, time's up. Let's go meet the others." He said.
"Okay. I'll find Day and Kicks, you look for the rest."
Alex helped Nap enter one of the vents as she disappeared from his view, while Alex exited the room he was in, looking for any hint of Dogday passing through.
It didn't take him too long to find the toy dog running around all the rooms, looking for him.
"Hey, Dogday."
The canine immediately stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look at him, widening his eyes.
"Angel!" He shouted running towards him, most likely with the intent of hugging him again, but stopped midway.
Doubting whether he should get any closer as to not scare him or make him uncomfortable.
Alex winced at the thought of having caused it, before he tried to give the most sincere smile he could. "It's okay, bud. Don't… be scared."
He didn't sound too sure of himself and he hated it.
"You don't sound sure…" He mumbled.
And he wasn't.
But even then, he had promised himself he would try to look strong for them, and so, Alex was the one that walked towards Dogday.
The toy seemed surprised by the action, so much so that he flinched when Alex got close enough and wrapped his arms around him in a hug.
"A-Angel?" He asked.
"It's okay, bud. Don't be scared." He repeated, now managing not to stammer.
It took him a lot of willpower to do that, but it seemed to work, because Dogday sighed and accepted the gesture, his tail swishing slightly.
"Are you sure?" He still asked.
"I just need to process it. Please, don't blame yourself. No one can blame you for wanting to be free."
"But-!"
"No blaming, I said."
The dog frowned, but then chuckled. "We don't deserve someone like you…"
The two stood like that for a while before Alex pulled back and looked at Dogday. "Okay then! Enough waiting around. I think it's time for our last part of the plan, am I right?"
Dogday widened his eyes with a smile. He knew what Alex meant, and he was very excited, almost as he was concerned.
"Let's meet with the others. We'll go back to the central statue and then we'll think of a plan to get the Smiling Critters free!"
Back below the statue, Alex and the toys were thinking of possible ways to infiltrate the Playhouse and reach the cell room to free the rest of the Smiling Critters.
Once Poppy had met Alex once again, she seemed really relieved to find him alive and well. He took the chance to tell her that, even if he was still shocked from seeing that tape, he'd had enough time to reflect on how they couldn't be totally blamed for it, and thus, he wasn't angry at them (not totally, at least).
Alex also asked her about the fact she had helped him understand how the Safe Room worked, and long story short, she had no idea what he was talking about.
But Alex didn't want to think about the Prototype possibly having been the one that helped him. He had thought enough for a long while.
And yet, he was crafting a plan at that very moment. A plan that couldn't fail, which involved a lot of thinking. The irony…
Their biggest threat, as Alex had explained (totally not because Poppy spent half an hour lecturing him on why saving Catnap was the worst mistake he could have made and he then spent another ten minutes telling her why it wasn't a mistake), wasn't Catnap, but the hundreds of mini critters that resided inside the Playhouse.
"Couldn't you guys just convince them to go somewhere else?" Alex asked.
"Catnap probably told them we are on your side. They'd pile on us the moment they saw us!" Day yelped, not wanting to imagine that.
"What if you use that light thing like when you first went inside the Playhouse?" Kicks asked.
"It's out of ammo. No flares means no light and no way to scare anyone." The human sighed.
"Wait, you don't have any flares?" Poppy exclaimed.
"Used them all on Catnap. I have to find a way to restock."
Kissy said something.
"No, Kissy. We can't just walk through the front door and fight them. There are too many." Poppy sighed, making the giant let out a 'hmph'.
"Hey, what if we use the door from which we came last time?" Nap suggested.
"It's a one-way door. You can't open it from the outside." Dogday told her.
"Come on, guys! We have to think of something!" Alex groaned.
"What if we just break down the door?" The bigger dog suggested.
"That would make too much sound." Poppy told him.
"Maybe we could crawl up the slide we used to escape the Playhouse." The human hummed. "Doesn't lead anywhere dangerous, and it's not too far from the cell room."
"That…" Dogday bit his lip. "...sadly seems like the best idea."
"Bad memories, huh?"
"A lot."
"That's decided then." Poppy cut in. "But what about the part of actually getting them out? For what Alex told us, all of them are missing at least a limb. Even if they can use their legs, I don't want to risk them walking without arms, and only two of us can carry toys as big as them.."
"That's true, but Kickin and Crafty are still intact." Alex explained. "At least physically…" He added.
"So here's a plan: With the key Nap stole, we can open all the cells. We free Kickin and Crafty, which leaves us with four toys that can carry the remaining four critters to the exit. Then, once we are out of that hellhole, we go back to that closet, and get everyone fixed."
Then, he looked down at his shirt. "And as a side mission, we have to get a new shirt again."
The toys thought for a second, before Poppy hummed. "That… actually seems like a good plan coming from you."
"Gee, thanks! I-" Alex then realized what she said. "Hey, what does that mean?"
"Well, ever since you entered the factory you have kind of… faced every danger without thinking ahead?" The doll shrugged. "It was just surprising."
"Hey! I plan ahead whenever I face dangers!"
"Human, we literally watched you solve that puzzle in the Playhouse with the blocks." Day frowned.
"You were able to make the plan to roll the block instead of pulling it because we weren't even trying to attack you." Kicks added.
"Anyone could have guessed you didn't know what you were doing." Nap laughed. "As a side note, remember that plushie that scared you in Home Sweet Home?"
"What about it?"
Nap pointed at herself with a sheepish look, making Alex deadpan. You little…
Kissy chuckled.
"Woah, I see how it is! I'm gonna run away again! Somewhere far, where I'll never ever be found!" The human smiled before turning to the minis. "Wait, before we continue, why did you even decide to help me? I don't see any reason why you'd want to."
"Well… the situation was very tense with Catnap and all of us." Day explained. "Food was running short, there hadn't been any signs of him… Morale was scarce and faith even more. Some of us even planned a small rebellion!"
"And then we were told there was a human in Playcare!" Kicks exclaimed. "We thought we'd finally have some food after all this time."
"But you kinda beat us all somehow." Nap rolled her eyes. "You can imagine how Catnap felt. Blaming himself for any failure to please him. I just couldn't stand seeing my friend like that anymore."
"She then found out I had helped you by warning you back at the Counselor's Office and asked me to join her in helping you." Day added.
Alex widened his eyes as he listened to the explanation. "Woah. Was everything that bad?"
"Yup." The three replied in unison.
"Oh, okay." Alex then looked at the mini chicken. "And you?"
"Cus Hops was so annoying with teasing me about 'helping' you escape!" He replied. "Let's see her face when she finds out I actually did just that!" He laughed.
"He begged us to let him join us." Day whispered to Alex.
"Hey!"
A laugh echoed around the room.
"Okay, thanks for sharing. And thank you again for saving me." Alex smiled again.
"No problem!"
"Alright, let's get back on topic, shall we?" Poppy interrupted before she looked to her side, finding Dogday deep in thought. Kissy gave him a small nudge as his attention was snapped back to reality.
"Does anyone have any objections to this plan?" The doll then asked.
"I do."
Everyone turned to look at Dogday. "What's the matter, bud?" Alex asked.
"I don't think… Crafty and Kickin are very suited to carry anyone." He simply said.
"What do you mean?" Poppy asked.
"Well… Kickin is very prone to getting scared and having panic attacks, and I doubt we can avoid that while traversing the Playhouse." He explained.
"Yeah, I figured that out, but Crafty? She looks perfectly fine to me."
The dog let out a deep sigh. "She is fine, but she's… severely traumatized."
"What does that mean?" Kicks asked.
"You see, during the Hour of Joy, she accidentally inhaled a bit of Catnap's gas. Adding it to the Prototype influencing her slightly, and…" He hummed.
"And what?"
"Well, let's say she attacked anything and anyone she came across and tried to use their blood as paint. She's refused to get anywhere close to another critter since then."
Everyone deadpanned.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Blame the Prototype if you want to, not me."
He must be talking about that thing in the tape I saw. Poor Bubba…
"So you're telling me that the cuts I've seen on you all were because…" Alex tried to say.
"Because of her, yes. She was one of the first ones to be captured by Catnap, along with Hoppy." Dogday bitterly recalled.
"This blows the whole plan away!" Poppy groaned.
"That's not true!" Alex countered. "Dogday didn't say that Crafty wouldn't try to overcome her fear! Maybe we can convince her!"
"Angel, I'm sorry to say that we've had a lot of time to try and do that." Dogday sighed.
"Which means that she's too unreliable!" Poppy repeated.
"Hate to admit it, but she's right!" Nap huffed.
Alex looked at the ceiling long and hard, deep in thought. If Crafty was that unstable, then asking her to carry a half limbless toy after what she had apparently done couldn't be a good idea. And yet, what else could they do? If they didn't take them all out the first time they'd have to go back in again, and that could prove to be very dangerous.
"What other option do we have?" Alex shouted. "There's no other way to carry all of them out in one go! I'm willing to risk it and get Kickin and Crafty to carry the other critters, because we can't afford to enter back inside the Playhouse more than once."
"But what if she just doesn't want to? Or the big Kickin for that matter!" Day asked.
Dogday suddenly stood up. "Angel's right. Entering the Playhouse is already dangerous enough, and even more if the residents find out why we are there. If we don't get everyone out, it could be impossible to enter a second time."
"Dogday, but you were the one that said that Crafty and Kickin were unstable!" Poppy reprimanded.
"I'm also the one that knows them the best. I know how to handle their episodes. We have to get everyone out in one go, and this plan is our only option."
Poppy looked conflicted, and looked at Kissy for help. The giant looked at her and gave her a smile, nodding.
It seemed she also thought that risking it was a good idea.
"I'm in. What's life without risk?" Kicks laughed.
"I'm willing to bet that you'll be the first one to bolt at the smallest hint of aggression towards you." Nap rolled her eyes.
"I'm with her." Day added.
"We'll see!"
"So everyone thinks it's okay?" Alex interrupted, as the toys all nodded. All except Poppy, who still seemed to have her doubts.
"I don't know…" She muttered.
"Come on, Poppy! Unless you have a better plan…?" The human asked.
She closed her eyes thinking for a while.
What did she decide?
"This is a bad idea."
Poppy's voice echoed on the walls of the slide as the group made their way back inside the Playhouse.
"I hate this place so much…" Dogday groaned. "Do it for your friends, Dogday. For your friends…" He repeated, trying to calm himself down.
Once they reached the end of the slide, Alex, who was going first, made sure there was no one there before entering inside the room, followed by the others.
He looked around, seeing the dirty padded walls full of grime welcoming him. It was still nauseating.
"Alright, everyone ready?" He asked.
"Yes!" Everyone replied.
"Okay. There's an elevator over there. We'll take it and-" Alex stopped himself when his eyes landed on Dogday's cutout again.
He instinctively started walking there, earning a groan from Dogday. "You just can't stop pressing those buttons, can you, Angel?"
"Curiosity gets the better of me!" He replied. "Plus, aren't you curious to see if the lines changed?"
"If the lines what?" All the other toys except Dogday exclaimed.
"It's a long story. I'll explain it to you guys later." Alex simply replied, hitting the button.
"Dogday says… fetch!"
"Doesn't seem like it has changed a lot…" Alex laughed, pressing the button again.
"Go, go! As far as you can."
"Huh…"
"Angel, come on. We can't waste any more time." Dogday interrupted.
"Hold on."
Alex pressed it again.
"Boy, that was fast! You sure are talented, bud!"
The minis recoiled.
"It didn't say that last time!" Kicks yelled.
"Neither did last time we were here…" Dogday muttered.
"See?" Alex smirked, turning to face the cutout again.
"Heh…"
Huh. That was a weird thing for the cutout to say.
"You're the exact opposite of him… He's always been one to spend the whole day sleeping, hah!"
No one needed much time to figure out where this was headed.
A sigh came from the cutout. "Can I let you in on a secret?"
"It's been… a very long while since that fight we had, and we still haven't shared a word."
"I… miss him so much…" It sniffed.
"..."
The next two button presses were met with silence.
"Oh, sorry. I got a little bit sidetracked!" The cutout's cheery voice returned.
"Come on, let's go back to playing!"
And the phrase looped back to the initial one.
Alex didn't waste a second turning to Dogday and raising a brow. The dog looked away with a frown. "Those lines mean nothing." He told him.
Alex shook his head with a sigh.
"Wait, but why did the cutout say a different thing?" Day asked.
"They apparently change with the state of the toys that it depicts. At least with the Smiling Critters' ones…" The human explained.
"They change? Depending on the state of the toys?" Nap mumbled.
"Wait, doesn't that mean that Dogday-" Poppy began, but was interrupted.
"They mean nothing, I said!" The dog shouted, startling everyone. "Now come on, we've wasted enough time."
And without any other word, Dogday walked forward and into the elevator, arms crossed. The others shared a glance and shrugged, opting to focus on their plan and leaving the matter alone for now.
Once they were up and saw the closed garage door and the hole, Alex realized his memory sucked.
"Huh…" He simply exclaimed, turning to look at his group, rubbing the back of his head. "I forgot there was a hole and that the door shut on us…"
Alex could practically feel the question about the leave their lips, but it seemed they refrained. Instead, it was Poppy who raised a hand to her forehead and sighed.
"Maybe instead of worrying about Crafty or Kickin we should have worried about you, Alex." The doll said.
"Hey, Dogday was with me as well! He could have remembered too!"
The dog simply shrugged, making Poppy sigh again.
"Well, we're too late to back down now. There has to be a way to open the door." She thought out loud.
Alex walked a bit closer, looking at it. If he could find a way to get the GrabPack to latch onto the bottom part of the door, maybe he could somehow pull it open.
And so, he launched one of his hands at the downmost part of the door, but the hand didn't grab anything. Maybe he just had to aim better?
"I don't think that's going to work, human…" Day told him.
But Alex kept trying. And after at least ten shots, the hand didn't come back. Alex looked and found that there was a very small gap between the floor and the door, and he had managed to aim the hand at such an angle that it managed to go under it.
He pulled, and slowly but surely, the door raised, allowing them to proceed.
"Wouldya look at that!" Kicks exclaimed. "It worked!"
"Okay the path is open. But how are we going to cross to the other side?" Nap interrupted.
"Like this!"
Dogday suddenly placed a long wooden plank that just barely served as a bridge between their location and the Playhouse.
"While you were busy opening the door, I took the elevator down and looked for something long enough to let us cross." He explained.
Kissy seemed confused as to how he managed to separate from them without them realizing.
"That doesn't matter now! Come on, let's find the Smiling Critters already!" Poppy urged.
And so, their dangerous yet exciting mission had begun. The group had to climb another slide, go down a room full of platforms and cross one with a river. Alex could see Dogday shivering every time they entered a room.
Before long, the journey was over. Exiting from the tube labyrinth, Alex found out he was in the spot where he had dropped down when he had broken the wood that made the floor.
There was no sound from any of the critters. They were probably sleeping. "I'm surprised we haven't come across any mini critters." Dogday thought out loud.
"Who knows? Maybe Catnap called them off after the human saved him?" Nap asked.
"Doubt that." Kicks replied.
"Well, that doesn't matter." Alex interrupted. "We are just below the cell room. I'll try to climb up using the GrabPack and I'll pull you guys up from there so we can initiate the next phase."
"Aye aye!" Everyone replied.
And with that, Alex shot both hands at the edge of the hole, both firmly grabbing it as he pulled the cable and began climbing up the wall.
It was far more difficult than what he had thought at first, but after almost falling twice and the floor almost giving in, Alex pulled himself out of the hole, panting a bit as he laid on the ground.
"Angel, are you okay?" Dogday shouted from below.
"Yeah… I'm fine…" Alex answered between breaths.
He didn't waste any time getting up though, giving a quick glance at all the Smiling Critters. Just as he had thought, they all seemed to be sleeping. All except Kickin, if the sound of mumbles coming from one of the cells wasn't enough to tell him that.
He didn't even seem to realize he was there.
"Guys, give me a second. I have to do something."
"Wha- Hey! Don't just leave us here!" Day told him.
"Just hold on a second!"
Quickly ignoring his friends' confused yells, Alex ran towards Kickin's cell, wanting to see what was going on with him.
It turned out he was sitting in the middle of the room, hugging his knees while his indistinguishable words kept increasing in volume.
He didn't even seem aware of the fact Alex was there.
"Kickin!" The human called, but it didn't seem to have any effect. "Kickin! Hey, listen!"
The chicken didn't even flinch. Alex groaned, mentally apologizing for what he was going to do. "Kickin, Catnap's here!"
Those words immediately made Kickin jump on his feet, yelling in terror and looking around desperately for any sign of the cat.
When he didn't find him, Alex could see him become confused and look at the door of the cell. His eyes widened when he found him.
"A-A-Angel?!" The toy stammered, shakily getting on his feet. "I-Is that y-y-you?"
"Yes! It's me!" Alex replied, feeling a laugh stifle in his throat. "Please, tell me everyone's alright! Catnap didn't hurt any of you, right?"
Kickin flinched at the mention of the purple cat, but instead of cowering, he surprisingly nodded his head.
"T-They are j-j-just sleep-ping."
"Great."
Alex took the key from his pocket, inserted the key, and unlocked the door, opening it in front of Kickin.
"Wake up the rest. It's time for a prison break."
The chicken widened his eyes even more as he looked between Alex and the now open door.
It seemed as if he wasn't believing his eyes.
With careful steps, Kickin made his way towards the door. He seemed almost scared of getting out of the cell, no doubt terrified of 'disobeying' Catnap and earning more punishment.
Alex stood waiting for almost a whole minute before he gave up and grabbed one of Kickin's wings, pulling him out of the cell.
He fell against the cell in front of him.
"Oops…" Alex mumbled. "Sorry."
Kickin rubbed his head before he realized he was actually outside and not in his cell. Alex swore he seemed almost eager to go back inside.
Instead, he took a deep breath and looked at Alex. "N-No p-p-problem, Ang-gel."
He then turned to look at the sleeping red bear inside the cell. "I-I'll get t-them up!"
"Good! I have to do something while you do that, but I'll open all doors after. Come on, no time to waste!"
Kickin nodded as he began shaking the bars. "E-Everyone! Wake u–up!"
Groans echoed all along the room.
With a smirk, Alex left Kickin to explain the situation to the rest while he ran back to the hole where the others waited.
"Guys, I'm back!" He yelled.
"What took you so long?" Nap shouted.
"I freed Kickin and he's waking everyone up! That way we won't lose any time!" Alex explained, aiming his GrabPack hands at them. "Who's the first one I have to pull?"
"We'll go." Poppy said.
Alex fired his hands at Kissy's arms, pulling back as she tried her best to climb up the wall, finally getting her and Poppy out.
"We'll help Kickin wake the rest! You get Dogday and the minis here!" The doll ordered, the pink giant running towards the chicken.
Slowly, loud murmurs echoed all around the cell room, most of those being questions about whether they were dreaming and Kickin was really outside his cell or not.
Meanwhile, Alex managed to pull Dogday and the minis into the cell room as well, before the dog quickly sprinted towards Kickin.
It was obvious the chicken didn't expect getting lifted in the air by his friend's hug.
"D-Dogday?!"
"Kickin!" The dog cried, tears in his eyes. "I'm so happy to see you again!"
"M-Me t-too!"
"Hey, bird-brain!" Picky yelled. "Quit hogging Dogday for yourself! We want to hug him too!"
"I don't think you'll hug anyone anytime soon!" Hoppy laughed.
It seemed everyone was wide awake now.
"Alright, everyone! Get ready for freedom!" Alex cheered, getting the key ready.
As fast as he could, Alex made sure to open all the cells while the rest of the toys worked on breaking the leather straps that bound them to the wall.
And during all that time, no sign of any minis or Catnap.
Alex knew why Catnap wouldn't appear, but the minis? It was impossible they didn't hear them, so why not just come and stop them?
He wasn't complaining though.
"Alright, is everyone untied and their cell open?" The human asked.
Collective yells of 'yes' echoed along the whole room. "Perfect." Alex put the key back in his pocket. "Alright, everyone! Listen, we're going to get you all out of here in one go, and for that, we're gonna need your help!"
"Erm, Angel, I don't want to be the one to say it, but have you seen our state?" Bubba asked.
"Yeah, I know you're not fit to carry anyone…" Alex turned to Kickin. "Except you!" Alex searched for Crafty, finding she was still in her cell… scared? "And you!"
The two immediately whipped their heads. "H-Huh?" They exclaimed in unison.
"You two are the only ones with your limbs intact. You need to pick up or at least help one of your friends and take them to a place where we'll be able to help you all."
The chicken and the unicorn looked at each other and then back to Alex, the latter looking especially worried.
"A-Angel, I can't…" She mumbled.
"I know about that, Crafty." The human replied. "Listen, we're pushing our luck more and more each second we spend here. If we don't take all of you out in one go, we'll have to come back again, and there's a high chance that it won't be as easy as it has been."
"I'm surprised there are no minis around, now that you've mentioned it…" Bobby hummed.
"Well, at least we know we won't have to deal with that cat, huh?" Hoppy exclaimed. "The Angel and Dogday wouldn't be here if he wasn't dead!"
Silence fell over the room.
Slowly, Hoppy's face turned into a frown as realization hit her. "Angel, don't tell me-"
"Yes. Yes he is, Hoppy." Dogday interrupted. "In fact, Angel was the one that let him live."
Immediately, several angry and confused murmurs sounded.
Alex could only sigh. "Listen, can we talk about this after we're out of here?"
"You mean if we don't get gassed on our way out?!" The rabbit yelled. "Why would you spare his miserable life?!"
"Hoppy…" Bobby muttered.
"ENOUGH!" Poppy shouted. "You'll have time to be angry at Alex later! Now, let's focus on escaping!"
"Hey, when did Poppy come here?" Picky said.
"She w-was here the whole t-time, I t-think." Crafty replied.
"Huh…"
"FOCUS!"
Everyone flinched.
Kissy chuckled a bit, which Alex mirrored. "Okay, as our lovely doll has said with her beautiful and kind voice, we have to act quick."
Alex once again turned to the two toys with all their limbs. "Please, you have to help!"
Crafty seemed really unsure of herself. She was about to speak when Kickin suddenly beat her to it. "I-I'll try m-m-my best, A-Angel!"
"Huh?!" All the critters exclaimed.
"Since when were you this confident in yourself?" Picky asked him.
Kickin tried his best to put on a smile, but the shaking of his body barely made it credible. "I-I-t's not c-c-confid-dence. I j-just don't w-wanna be f-f-found here."
An unanimous groan. "Yeah, that makes more sense." Dogday laughed.
It was the first time Alex had seen that expression on his face.
"Well, anyway." Alex cut, turning to Crafty. "So? What do you say?"
"I-I don't know, A-Angel! I-..."
"Come on, girl! You can do it!" Bobby cheered.
"Yeah, you know that happened years ago!" Picky added.
"You know it wasn't really you!" Bubba added.
Crafty still looked really unsure of herself, and so, it was Dogday who stepped inside the unicorn's cell and kneeled beside her. That only made her flinch.
"Crafty, we've gone over this a thousand times. Whatever you did, it was not your fault. No one blames you for it."
"But-!"
"Hey!" The dog cut. "Please, Crafty. We need you."
She casted a quick glance at her hooves before she let out a deep sigh. "I… I can't l-let it stop us f-from escaping."
Looking unsure of herself, Crafty stood on her feet, looking at Dogday with a smile. "I-I'll try. F-For you, Dogday."
He smiled and Alex saw his tail give a small twitch. "Thank you, Crafty."
"B-But once were out of h-here I'll-"
"Hey, it's okay. We'll work on all our issues. We'll have the time." The dog smiled, helping the unicorn out of the cell.
He then turned to Alex. "Alright, Angel. Whenever you're ready."
The human nodded, turning to the group. "Alright, so this is how it's gonna go: Dogday is still getting used to having his legs back, so he can't carry much weight. Also, as far as I know, Kickin is one of the weaker members so-"
"W-Wha- H-Hey!" The chicken interrupted.
"He's right, and you know that." Hoppy rolled her eyes.
He only huffed, and didn't say anything else. Alex laughed before continuing. "As I was saying, since you two are the most prone to falling or not carrying weight properly, I think that Kickin should carry Hoppy and Dogday should carry Bubba, since they have arms they can use to secure themselves."
Everyone's eyes fell on the elephant and rabbit. "Angel, I have legs I can use to walk." Bubba spoke.
"After being bound to a wall for years? I'm surprised you're standing right now. No, let Dogday carry you. It'll be far faster and more comfortable." Alex replied.
He looked like he wanted to argue, but Bubba simply nodded.
"Alright, seems everything's okay over here." Alex continued. "As for Bobby and Picky, you two have legs, but just like the others, Kissy and Crafty will carry you around. And for the love of God, someone take off that cloth from Picky's mouth."
"On it." Dogday said.
As for the arrangements of transportation, everyone seemed to be okay with their partners.
All except Poppy, who had to walk on her own since Kissy was already carrying someone.
And without any more setbacks, everyone grabbed their giant toy to carry and headed down the hole to freedom.
The minis went first, then the toys carrying the injured, then Poppy and finally Alex, who was making sure nothing sneaked from behind them.
The journey transcurred without any problems. It was far too easy, as Dogday put it, and Alex couldn't help but agree. No minis and no Catnap. That was either really good, or was foreshadowing something awful.
"It's too quiet." Nap muttered.
"Yeah, not even a single giggle from them…" Hoppy added.
"That's unbelievable. It's statistically impossible they don't know we're here and what our plan is." Bubba added.
Alex had a theory. The only plausible explanation he could think of was that Catnap had ordered them not to bother them, but he didn't want to believe it yet. Not until they were safe and sound.
Finally, without any interruptions, they reached the makeshift bridge Dogday had created. Kickin gulped when he saw the drop.
"Hey, bird-brain! No time to be scared now!" Hoppy called from his arms.
The chicken gulped again and slowly walked over the plank after the minis, flinching every time it cracked or moved slightly.
"I shouldn't have let you carry me…" The rabbit groaned, earning a chuckle from the group.
Slowly but surely, everyone passed to the other side without difficulty, and now it was Alex's turn.
However, it seemed the wood wasn't strong enough to hold on anymore, as the moment Alex's foot applied the slightest bit of pressure, there was a loud crack sound coming from below his feet.
Before anyone could react, the plank broke and Alex was sent plummeting down the hole.
"Angel!"
"Alex!"
"Human!"
The shouts of his friends as he fell were the last thing he would ever hear.
Or so he thought.
Alex always forgot the GrabPack had air jets.
The fall was slowed by the device and the only damage Alex received was a slight bruise on his leg and a small splinter getting stuck in one of his fingers.
"Human! Are you okay?" He heard Nap yell.
"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry!" He shouted.
"Stay there, we'll find a way to get to you!" Poppy shouted.
"No!"
"What do you mean 'no'?!" Dogday said.
"You guys focus on getting the Smiling Critters to that closet! I'll find a way out myself!"
"I'm not the only one that thinks that's stupid, right?" Picky asked, receiving various 'no's as answer.
"It is stupid, I know, but I can't just sit around! And there's surely no GrabPack handle I can latch onto, so I can't climb back up!" Alex argued. "I'll be fine, don't worry!"
"Angel, you can't-" Dogday began, but Alex interrupted him.
"I swear, if I see anyone trying to climb down, I will throw a rock at them!"
"Human, please!" Day shouted.
"Just get out of the Playhouse and leave everyone in a safe place. I'll manage!"
A few groans echoed along the whole playhouse area, but none seemed to be actual words.
"Fine!" Poppy finally shouted. "But at least get the minis to go with you!"
"I-I don't t-think-" Kickin tried to say, before three hard looks coming from the plushies made him flinch and swallow his words.
"But how are we even going to get down there?" The smaller dog asked.
"We surely can't just jump down!" Kicks added.
"No, but I can climb down!"
Alex then heard small grunts as he saw Nap jump onto protruding rocks or metal pieces before she landed just next to the human.
He just stared at her.
"Yeah, I'm not doing that. Good luck!" Alex heard Day shout.
Small steps. "Be careful, please!" Poppy added.
Before long, everyone was gone, leaving Alex and Nap alone wherever they were.
"Alright, human. What's the plan?" She asked.
"First, we have to find out where we are, and then, we'll have to find the way out." Alex answered.
Hopefully, Alex wouldn't have to come across any mini critters. He had to come up with an idea to fight them without flares, and that was something he still hadn't thought about.
For now, he focused on knowing what his location was. The only thing he could see was black, with the light coming from the hole above shining.
"Shit, I just remembered I don't have my flashlight." He groaned. "And no flares either…"
"Don't worry. I've been living in the dark for years." Nap said, looking around. "Hmmm… This doesn't look like a room. It's just walls and floor but no doors or anything."
She then looked down. "Hey, you're standing above a vent." The plush called. "I think…"
Alex moved a bit and launched one of the hands of his GrabPack. There was a metallic sound akin to a vent opening.
A small amount of light passed through, letting Alex see that, indeed, he had been standing over a vent.
"Let's drop down."
Once they both were inside, Alex saw a lot of pipes and different machines with a few buttons. It also smelled strongly of various chemical products.
"This makes me feel like I'm at the pool…" Nap sighed.
"Well, we technically are." Alex replied, looking at a small poster. There were rules and tips for the 'operator' of the room, which were mostly how to make sure the water was being filtered correctly. "This looks like a water cleaning area, and for the smell, looks like it's for the pool."
"Huh… But it's been ages since the last time I saw it filled…" Nap wondered.
There was no time to ponder it too much. They had to get out and find a way to exit the Playhouse.
With a quick look, they found the door out, and entered a small hallway made of padded material. Looking back, the door had a very faded 'Only staff' sign plastered on it, and Alex wondered how far the pool could be from them.
Maybe if they found a way there, they could use their usual path. The purple jump pad should still work. It seemed Nap was thinking the same, and so, with a pair of nods, the duo were on their way.
They passed through more staff only rooms, like the one controlling most of the electricity of the area (which was unsurprisingly almost fully inoperable and useless), the area where they kept some of the props scattered around the Playhouse, and even a small infirmary.
Alex made sure to make a quick stop there to replenish his bandages, but found nothing of use. He wasn't keen on trying to apply some hydrogen peroxide that had been on a shelf for ten years on his skin, no matter how big of an infection he could develop. No thanks.
"Still no exit…" Alex sighed.
"Yeah… just maintenance rooms…" Nap sighed.
"You think we'll find something useful here?"
"Doubt it. This is the Playhouse, remember? Where we live? We've already taken everything for ourselves."
"Right…"
Alex heard something in the distance, making him stop dead in his tracks. Nap seemed to also have heard it.
"A murmur…" She mumbled.
"Murmur?" Alex gulped.
"We're not alone."
Alex immediately tensed. "Not alone? What do you-"
"Shhh…"
The human immediately shut up. Only a few seconds passed before he could start hearing those murmurs Nap was talking about.
"What's he doing here?"
Alex widened his eyes. Oh no. The minis!
"Is that one of us with him?!"
"Wait, so that guy was actually right?"
"Why aren't we going for them again?"
"You want to get killed?! You heard Catnap. No getting close to him at all."
"You think he's going to kill them himself?"
"Tshk, you see who that mini is? He'd kill you before he even lays a finger on his favorite."
What? Alex raised a brow, looking around for the source of the voices. Was that why there hadn't been any minis to annoy them? Because Catnap had told them not to bother him?
Alex couldn't help but smile a bit. I knew he'd come around eventually…
"Heh…" Nap mumbled, apparently smiling too. "Come on, this just makes everything easier. Let's keep walking."
And so, listening to the various voices of the minis wondering why in the world they were not allowed to attack him, Alex and Nap finally found a door that seemed to lead upwards.
"This may be our exit." Alex said.
"Let's go. Onwards and upwards!"
As fast as they could, the duo ran upwards, finally reaching the end of the stairway and ending in front of yet another door.
"Alright human. Let's get out of here already." Nap groaned. Alex nodded and opened the door, stepping outside.
His jaw then dropped when he saw what was behind it
"If it isn't the rat…"
Catnap.
Standing just two steps ahead.
Eyes fixed on him.