The room that the trio of human and toys are hiding in is quiet to say the least, not one made a noise nor made any conversation. The room they had chosen to hide in was actually sitting right next to the Gas Production Zone, from what Dogday had said this is the place where the next leg in their journey to defeating the Prototype will begin.
For sitting directly in the center of the room is an enormous iron hatch, so massive in fact that it looked more like an entrance to a bomb shelter. It is even attached to multiple lifts by heavy-duty chains, Gabe guessed the thing must weigh at least a hundred tons. There just sitting underneath the hatch is a lift that will carry them all the way down to the lowest depths of the factory.
To the place where their target lies.
The Prototype's domain.
No one knows what is down there, but Dogday said that it was due to the hyper-saturation of Red Smoke filling the halls to such potency that no one can even stand in it. A long time ago the Prototype diverted most of the Red Smoke to his lair as an impassable barrier to conceal himself, turns out the Prototype doesn't like visitors. Which is why they needed to shutdown the Gas Production Zone if they ever hope to step even a foot in there. If a whiff of the smoke is enough to put someone to sleep, then there is no telling how deadly it will be if the gas replaces the very air around them.
Gabe grunted at the thought, such amount would probably not only knock him out but put him into a dreamless coma. Or most likely be the death of him. He actually found it humorous, the Prototype just walking by and then seeing the very group out to kill him splayed out like idiots on the floor.
He would have given out a half-hearted laugh, but the thought about the Prototype only made him sigh. He is growing tired of hearing that name, everywhere he went that thing has always been the forefront of everyone's mind. The Prototype this, the Prototype that. All this talk about it being this epitome of evil and yet the bastard has not even bothered to show its face.
Then again, as Gabe thought of it a bit harder, would he want to? To just face him here and now? Sure it would get this whole nightmare over with but there is no denying that the Prototype is a force to be reckoned with, he had seen the mural Catnap made for him. What would he even do? Throw fists at it? The thing is obviously giant compared to them. Maybe Kissy could be strong and fast enough to get close and hurt it, but then she would be crushed seconds later. Everything about this is just too risky.
But he had survived this long, in fact everyone in this room has survived this long for ten years. If there is a way to defeat the Prototype, then God willing that there will be one.
Yet even still, this still didn't curb his impatience. It had been awhile since Poppy left them to find some tape that she wants to show him, could've been hours for all he knows given that there is no way to tell time down here. Gabe cursed under his breath that he didn't think to bring a watch.
Though it seem the others are having better time waiting. Kissy simply sat a fair distance away with her arms wrapped around herself. Apparently it seems that she still hasn't gotten over her anxiety from just being here. Not that he blamed her. Dogday on the other hand kept himself preoccupied by bouncing a rubber ball off the wall and catching it over and over again. Even himself, he reclined against the rough, red brick wall with his arms crossed. His Grabpack and Playtime.co phone just sitting nearby.
Gabe can feel the tension in within his friends. He doesn't know why, but the more he gazed at them, they seem to behave, apprehensive? Ever since they agreed to tell him why they need to kill the Prototype they behaved forlorn and withdrawn. Especially Kissy, who is rocking herself back and forth with a worried glint behind those glass, black eyes.
Gabe sighed, breathing deeply through his nostrils to curb his frustration. Dogday noticed this thanks to his new, attentive ears, and seeing how tense everybody is, decided to lighten the mood.
"So, anything you'll like to talk about, Gabe?" He said with a hint of calmness while leaning over to look at him while catching the ball as it bounced back.
Gabe on the other hand doesn't feel like talking at the moment, but he knew what Dogday was doing, he didn't want to be rude and just leave him in silence. He mind as well be polite and humor him.
"Not that I don't want to, but I don't have anything on my mind right now." The human said shrugging his shoulders.
Dogday then paused and stopped tossing his ball. "Well you can pick anything you want, it doesn't matter, I'm definitely up for listening to anything." He said putting a bit of enthusiasm in his tone. Anything to get his friends out of their gloomy shells.
Gabe gave Dogday a look of thoughtfulness but even then he still couldn't figure what to say. Everything ever since what transpired in the Ward has put Gabe on single track mindset. To find the Prototype, end this whole mess, and get out of here with maybe most of his limbs attached. Including with everybody else. There hasn't been a single other thought that traced his mind after he had exited out of that decrepit bathroom.
But that doesn't mean he isn't incapable of talking.
Maybe, he thought, he just needed someone to help him think.
"I still don't know, why not you ask me anything and I'll just talk about it." He said lifting himself off the brick wall and headed over and sat down with Dogday.
Dogday was then about to say that it won't be necessary, since he still thought that he'll let Gabe take the lead this time, but then Kissy raised her yellow hand and looked over at the duo.
"Yes Kissy?" Dogday said. "What is it?"
She then spoke to them, but not in the way that Gabriel could understand, to him it was just a series of clicks, hisses, and groans that are so small and quiet, that he would have mistaken it for whispering. Must be what Dogday talked about with their super subtle way of talking to avoid detection from the Bigger Bodies.
But Dogday understood her perfectly. "Oh…" He said with a croak.
Gabriel then looked between Dogday and Kissy concerningly, he then asked. "Um, got any idea what she is saying because I don't speak toy."
Dogday felt a slight pang hit in the gut, this was a topic that many many toys asked for the past ten years of being trapped here. He then said. "She is asking,…what the outside world is like."
Gabe's eyes widened a bit, he could feel the gravitas of what that question means to them. The world outside maybe average to him, but to these creatures, the front doors of the lobby mind as well be compared to the Pearly Gates to them.
He then gazed at Kissy with a compassionate gaze and explained to the best of his knowledge. "Well, the outside world is, is much more then compared to this place." He said gently. "Out there you can see the day shift from day to night, and feel the wind against your skin, and smell real flowers. Even the dirt and grass feel soft yet prickly, yet you could lay down and relax like it is carpet, if you don't mind the bugs at least. And there are trees out there too, it is August right now so it should be getting close to Autumn."
He continued explaining, and the more detail he added the more memories returned to his fleeting mind, like he is reliving the simplest experience to its greatest extent. "It is actually my favorite season, not uncommon I know but, who can say no to Autumn? I remember when I was twelve and out playing and a lot of leaves had fallen, so I made a bunch of leaf piles and jumped in them, I picked the leaves that are the most brown and crinkly to achieve maximum crunchiness. And then later I watched the sunset on top of a tall hill overlooking the valley I was living in, it was the most wonderful thing I'd ever experienced. I felt the cool wind passing through my hair, heard the leaves rustling in the trees with fiery colors, and the sun looked like a glowing golden orb in the horizon as the sky shifted from yellow, to orange, red, and finally to pinks and purples with the stars beginning to appear and twinkle as the night drew near with my…my, brother and,…sister….my parents…"
He did not realize it, but as he was being carried away in the whims of his memories the mention of his siblings brought a sudden pain in his heart. A deep and profound sadness that probed from the void within his soul. Newer memories began crawling their way back from the confines of his mind. Rekindling past anguishes of betrayal, strife, loss, and sorrow.
However his silence was then broken when he heard someone sniffling near him. It was Kissy, and there are tears welling up in her eyes.
"Oh, oh no." Gabe said in a guilt-filled stupor. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No no. You didn't do anything." Dogday said as he went up and comforted the weeping giant. "Besides what she learned being turned into,…this…she never knew what the outside looked like. She's just have a,…a,…moment." He was careful not to say anything rude or offensive about her, especially if she'll might feel like he's embarrassing her in front of Playtime's Savior.
But Gabe understood, and of course he held no judgement. "I see." He then gave Kissy a determined yet compassionate look, even while she was trying her best to wipe the water off her eyes. "Kissy, Dogday, when we get out of here. And we will. I'll take you right up to that very hill so you can see the sunset. You hear me?"
She nodded a yes, and then muttered something incoherent to him. Dogday then interpreted. "She is saying thank you, and that she is grateful. She also looks forward to seeing your family. I do too! They sound like such nice people."
"…"
"Gabe? Is something wrong." Dogday asked concerned.
"…It's nothing." He responded nonchalantly.
Dogday however isn't convinced. "I don't know you kinda zoned out there for a second. Is, there something wrong about your family?"
"I told you it's nothing." Gabe replied, this time more bluntly. "Now just leave it be."
Dogday pressed on however. "Well if my friend is feeling bad about something, especially about something as important as family, then it is m job as a friend to listen about it." He said while reaching out towards the human. "I am your friend, right Ga-?"
"Don't" Gabe abruptly growled while swatting his paw away. "I said. Leave. It. Be."
Dogday reeled away from the sudden reaction. The way the human switched from becoming somber to dark in a split second sent chills up his spine Even Kissy seemed to shrink away from the human's sudden aggression. He doesn't know Gabriel's whole story, but whatever has happened between him and his family, Dogday thought, then it must have left him seriously troubled. But no matter the curiosity or care he could give to him, prodding more into Gabriel's past isn't the right thing to do at the moment.
"Ok then." Dogday quietly replied. "But whenever you are feeling up to it, you can tell me anything."
Gabriel sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose, he felt embarrassed for acting out like that. "I'm sorry, it's just, I have only one thing on my mind and yet it feels like I'm thinking a thousand things at once."
"You definitely seemed tense lately." Dogday commented.
Gabe appreciated his concern, but it wasn't enough to curb the frustration within himself. "All I could think about is the Prototype just playing with us with some stupid smirking face! If he thinks he's got us wrapped up around his finger then he is sure as hell wrong."
Dogday then put a paw on his friend's shoulder. "And you are right. But the Prototype needs to die first before we can continue forward. Once Poppy shows you the tape you'll understand."
"Speaking of which what is taking Poppy so long?" Gabe said looking up towards the ventilation ducts. "I hope nothing bad happened to her."
"I wouldn't worry so much about her, she knows those ducts better than anyone, even after all that time in her case. Plus, there isn't really anyone in the vents that could be a threat to her, none of the smaller toys would want to hurt her."
"But what about those Mini-Critters?" Gabe replied. "The last time I checked they weren't too friendly."
"That may be true." Dogday said with a sigh. "But that is because of Catnap's control over them. They only follow him because he's simply stronger than them. But after what you did, I don't think they'll ever want to go near us."
After what he did? Gabe thought with a perplexed expression. He didn't remember what he did to Catnap beyond just running from him with Dogday in tow. Then again he doesn't remember a lot from that encounter with that giant purple feline, he thought it was just all the adrenaline flowing through his brain as he was being chased by that cat and his small plush army of death cultists.
Gabe then went closer to the orange canine plush and asked. "What are you talking about?" He said leaning a shoulder against the brick wall. "All we did is escape the Playhouse. Am I missing something?"
It was then that Dogday remembered how awhile ago that Gabe didn't entirely recollect what happened. Not Catnap hoisting him up, not the part where he watched the Mini-Critters crawling underneath Dogday's skin, not even the part where that thing appeared behind him and suddenly struck that monstrous cat unconscious. He didn't think about telling him about it up until now.
And it seems that Gabe wasn't alone either. Curious to hear more, Kissy lumbered over and took a seat close to them. There doesn't seem to be much of a point to hold back now. Bringing himself to turn around and facing the group, he then begun telling the full story.
"We um, well. It went just as you remembered. You yanked the leather straps off of me and then tried to free the others. But then Catnap showed up, along with all the Mini-Critters in the Playhouse." He said with a distasteful grimace at the mere thought of seeing Catnap's burning, white irises. "You picked me up and ran for our lives. We then found an exit, but the it was locked with a hand scanner. You then gave the Grabpack to me to get the door open while you fended off Catnap's followers. You remember this, right Gabe?"
"Yeah, that is how I remembered it." Gabe replied. "You then managed to get the door open and…and…" Gabe tried to remember, but the more he tried the less it seemed to make sense. It was like there is a blank space within his memories, erased and blotched over. "Wait…we made it out, right? I remembered taking you outside to the statue and…agh, then I had this massive headache."
Dogday then went closer and placed a paw on his shoulder. "Yes, but, don't you remember what happened in between that?" Dogday asked, gazing down on him with a mixture of concern and comfort.
"I…I actually don't know." Gabe softly mouthed aloud. The realization dawning upon him sending sensations akin to waves of heat washing over his nape. "So what did happen?"
Dogday looked between the two with an unsettled gaze. The memories becoming too painful for him to remember. "Well uh…just as I got the door to open, um, Catnap showed up. And then he…he grabbed you, pulled you up, and…forced you to watch as the mini-Critters tried to devour me."
Gabe's eyes widened and Kissy reared back in shock, to think that Catnap, Dogday's former best friend would do such a thing. They both then looked to each other, and then back to Dogday. "Is that what happened?" Gabe asked. "Are you sure?"
Dogday slowly nodded. "Yeah. It was all so…slow." He shuddered to even speak, his speech beginning to fail as he stuttered his words out as his heart pounded like a jackhammer. Clasping his paws at the sides of his head with delirious terror. "Seeing you in Catnap's grasp. The critters crawling up in my body. I…I-I can still feel them. Underneath my skin. The noises they made as they-they chewed on my bones! I-I-I…Am sorry. I just-can't…need…"
Instantly Kissy went over and wrapped her long, fuzzy arms around her shuddering friend, hugging his form to her upmost care. Gabe also went closer and placed his hands on his shoulders, leaning into him letting the panic subside. "Breathe Dogday, just breathe." Gabe softly comforted. Despite his curiosity reaching a peak, he didn't dare ask his friend to speak any further, worrying more about Dogday's mentality above all things.
Gabe continued to comfort him. "You don't have to continue if it makes you feel this awful."
"No!" Dogday instantly yelled back before hastily apologizing for his outburst. "Sorry. Just, give me a minute. Ok?"
Then after a few moments of harsh, heavy breathing, Dogday finally mustered enough self control to bring his out of control emotions to heel. He then continued explaining, he wasn't willing to leave his friends hanging.
"Sorry. It's just, after everything that happened, I can't believe we actually escaped from that!"
Gabe tilted his head. "But, how did we escape?"
Dogday paused for a moment, he then breathed out a long sigh, the rapid beats of his heart slowing. "Well, as the Mini-Critters were well, eating me. You then heard Catnap laughing. I only noticed just a second that you noticed and turned to him. Then…" Both Gabe and Kissy looked deeply into Dogday's distinct movements, how his face expresses confusion and doubt, as if what he is about to tell next is seemingly unbelievable to him.
"Then uh, something appeared behind you." Dogday explained while his gaze went to the floor. "There was this, this…thing, that appeared behind you. It looked,..I've never seen anything like it."
"What thing?" Gabe asked. "Was it another toy?"
"No." Dogday answered with surety. "It's not a toy, not at all! It was big, like, very big. I don't even know how it could even fit in there. And it is looked like it is made out of, feathers? No wings! Lots of wings! It had so many it practically covered itself up all over!"
Now Gabe is starting to feel confused. "I'm sorry slow down for a second. But what the heck are you talking about?" He then took a seat directly in front of him. "You sure you weren't seeing things?"
"I know what I saw!" Dogday frustratingly replied. "And, so did Catnap. He just fell silent. I mean, I know that he like to keep silent a lot of times and doesn't like to talk much, but, not like the way he did."
Gabe was about to ask him more about it, but then the Playtime phone started ringing. Gabe groaned angrily, this really isn't a good time for their 'little friend' to call. "Arg! Kissy, would you do us a favor and please see what Ollie wants?"
Kissy nodded and then unwrapped her arms around Dogday and then lumbered off to the ringing phone. Gabe, though still very confused about everything that Dogday has been talking about, isn't going to correct or make a mockery of what he is saying. But he is still however finding all this hard to believe, and yet there is but one question that still gnawing on his mind.
"Now I don't know what you are talking about with, whatever it is that you are talking about." Gabe said being sure to sound as least offensive as possible. "But that doesn't explain how we got out of there. Did that winged thing help, or was it doing something else?"
"No…I mean, maybe? I'm not sure. It probably did. Because…"
"Because, what?"
"Well, once that thing revealed itself. Catnap then looked at you. And the look on his face." Gabe leaned in closer, Dogday was so easy to read it is as if he's an open book. The way he is talking to how his body behaved, the presence of fear was persistent, but within it is an underlying sense of awe. "Oh God, the way Catnap looked at you. I can't lie to you, Angel. I don't know what Catnap saw in you, but what I saw on Catnap's face was nothing short but pure terror."
Gabe didn't know how to process this. Catnap, the sadistic, bloodthirsty cult leader that tortured his own friends, who can easily crush him under foot and slice him to ribbons, is somehow terrified of him? A human, who so far only survived by the skin of his teeth.
"I'm sorry." Gabe replied, deeply concerned et unconvinced. "But, Catnap, was scared of me? No offense Dogday, but that's just too crazy to believe."
Dogday then spoke softly, making each and every word as sincere as possible. "But I know what I saw. Catnap, was afraid of you."
Meanwhile, while the two were arguing over their experiences in the Playhouse, Kissy was having a less than enjoyable time trying to just simply answer the phone. It was hard enough to just simply pick it up with her large hands, now the buttons are too small for her to press. All the more reason to hate the scientists and those suits who designed her hands this way, they didn't even think to give her pose-able fingers, just solid plastic molded in the shape of hands with cotton mittens grafted over and a patch of Velcro for a little extra grip.
She cursed inwardly wondering why the human would just do it himself, he's the one who has real fingers. But then after many attempts and pushing the whole keypad with her giant fingers one of too many times, she finally managed to press the answer button. Kissy lifted the phone to her head expecting an answer, but all that she can hear is static. Confused, she shakes it a couple times. How is it that the phone isn't working, did something come loose in it?
She then lifts it back to her head. There is something noticeably distinguished from within the harsh noise. Words distorted and cropped out, it was hard to make out what he was saying. But within the background of the hideous noise, Ollie's voice can be heard. And he sounds desperate.
"Ca….ou…he…r…me?" Ollie said through the distortion. "Yo….eed to….out…t…ere…now! Ca…ap…is…c…ge…ou…ow! Get ou…now!!"
Kissy could barely keep the phone close to her, Ollie was practically screaming on the other end. Just what is it that he is so scared about?
Back over with the human and toy, Gabriel's concern is reaching its peak. he doesn't know what to think about this. Did these things that Dogday is saying coming from his distress, or is it something more? Then again Catnap can use the Poppy Gas to not only put anyone to sleep but can give them intense hallucinations. Maybe that's what it is?
"Dogday I think Catnap was just using the Red Smoke to do something to us but then it backfired on him, that has to be it."
"That's the thing, Gabriel." Dogday replied. "Catnap is immune to the Red Smoke, it doesn't affect him at all. How else can he use it without knocking himself out?"
It was then at that moment both human and toy looked deeply into each other's eyes, one gleaming with certainty, the other dimmed with doubt. Dogday knew what he saw, so he'll stand resolute on it that what he saw was nothing short but supernatural. And then, as the thoughts and assumptions turned in his head, Dogday figured it out. How could he be so blind as to have seen it in the first place. How else could it just appear and disappear within so much as an instant? How else could it give Gabriel such sudden strength? The wings, the glow, the sheer pressure of its presence, it all became apparent to the toy canine.
He had saw an angel.
A real angel.
He has to tell Gabe.
The human in question however is even more confused than ever, but yet when he saw the gleam in Dogday's eyes he knew that what he is saying was genuinely coming from the heart. And why wouldn't it be? Dishonesty doesn't seem to be within anywhere of his traits. But if that is the case then, if what Dogday is saying is true, then does that mean that it is what he think it is?
But before he could ask Dogday then grabbed ahold by both of his shoulders, bringing him close to himself. He then spoke to him with the most sincerity he could muster. "Gabriel, I saw an angel. A real one. And it was with you."
Gabe felt the strangest feeling of confusion, awe, relief, and flabbergasting at the same time. "Are you sure?" He replied slowly.
"I am sure of it." Dogday replied with absolute certainty.
Gabe could believe him, despite how hard it may seem to be, but for this time he would choose to believe that Dogday is telling the truth, for the plush's sake at least. But it was then that he realized that given what he is saying, Dogday is telling him that there are now even higher forces at play, powers that are beyond him, and yet are now connected to Playtime.co somehow in some way. His brows furrowed and complection growing more intense as new thoughts churned in his head.
Gabe then replied. "Then if there is an angel here,…then what the hell would one be doing here in the first place?"
As he contemplates the possibilities for an answer he was half expecting a response from Dogday. However what Gabe didn't realize as he was so deep in thought that Dogday is sniffing the air, a piculiar scent catching his sensitive nose.
He then continued. "Because if there is one here then there must be something going on that is even Poppy doesn't know. If there is anything I know about angels, they appear when they are giving news, or something really, really bad is happening. Which means…"
But when he looked back up to Dogday, he saw that he wasn't listening at all. He was just simply sitting on his knees there, his expression frozen and wide eyed.
Gabe then leans up and inspects him close with scrutiny. "Uh, Dogday. You in there?" He then waved his hand over his face. Still no response. "Hello, you in there? Because you're freaking me out."
And even still, Dogday said nothing. His countenance remains the same, his eyes giving the thousand yard stare with his paws gripping his legs so tightly his claws are shown and his body so rigid and tense that he looked like he was about to snap. By now Gabe knows there is something terribly wrong. But just as he was about to ask, he smells something.
The scent was so sudden that it nearly overwhelmed his senses. An awful smell that not only burned his nostrils but also smelled like there is something burning, like breathing in the air directly over a fire. But there is something else too, a scent that underlined the smell of smoke. The smell of flowers.
Poppies.
He remembered that smell. The realization washing over him like cold air over soaked skin. He then feels a warmth pass underneath him, he looks down and sure enough, a blood red mist whisks by his legs. It is nauseous to just simply look at it. He accidentally breathes, and sure enough, he falls flat to the floor on his back.
Tiredness seeps its way into every fiber of his being, into every muscle, every vein, he could have even swore that his very heart is slowing to a crawl. All he could do is simply stare up to the dark ceiling above as the Red Smoke washes over his form. It is becoming painful just to even keep his eyes open, the burning sensation of the smoke stinging his eyes, forcing them to water. It is a strain to just keep them open.
Slowly yet surely, his eyelids begin to close.
A bittersweet relief giving rest to his bloodshot eyes.
Then before he knew it, his vision blacked out.
And embraced the dreamless darkness.
"..."
No! That singular word shot through his head like a hot knife. A rising voice deep within the etchings of his soul that screamed for him defy the eternal night.
Instantly his eyes shot open, the Red Smoke blanketing him in an eerie blood-red glow that seemed to snuff the fluorescent lights out. He is still lying on his back, staring up into the black abyss that is the ceiling. He could still feel his body, but yet no matter how hard he tried he can't seem to move them. He felt paralyzed. Weakened. But even still he has the compulsive need push, he can't be lying dead on the floor forever.
Pouring everything he had into his muscles he pushed himself to his side, gritting his teeth from the pins and needles that wracked his whole being. Once he is lying on his shoulder, he can see past the crimson fog and gaze on towards the sleeping forms of both Dogday and Kissy. Laying there flat out unconscious. Gabe's eyes stung just to even look through the Red Smoke, bringing tears to his tired eyes as his vision disorients till he is actually seeing triple.
He has to get up. He has to wake his friends up.
Now on his belly, Gabe crawls over to Dogday. Fighting through the deteriorating numbness plaguing his bones. He lifts up an arm and reaches forward, the Red Smoke's effects making his arm feel a hundred times its weight, as if gravity itself feels impossible to resist. He begins shoving Dogday's shoulder, the plush's limp form rocking back and forth.
Gabe tried to call out, scream even, but he can't say so much as a whisper. As if the smoke is strangling out his very vocal cords. He gives one last shove, and Dogday's body begins to stir. A harsh groan escaping from the plush's throat. His movements then steadily become more aggressive, it seems that even Dogday is trying to resist the smoke's lull to sleep. Though he is not fully awake yet, seeing his try his best is more Gabe can ask for.
And now, it is Kissy's that he has to awake now.
He then brings himself up to a sitting position and then begins pushing himself to-
"prrrrrr"
He then heard it, a deep purring noise that boarder-lined soft growling. He then hears something else, a rhythmic thumping noise that sounded like deliberate footfalls. And they are coming towards him.
Gabe knew who was coming, and he tried all his might to bring his legs to work again. But the all consuming sensation pins and needles wracked through every fiber of muscle and tendon. It felt like trying to move was like tearing himself apart.
The approaching footfalls grew ever louder. And before Gabe knew it, they stopped.
"prrrrrr prrrrrr"
Gabe ceased his struggles as he realized what is now directly in front of him. He looks up, and standing there before him, like a deathly indigo specter, is Catnap.
Gabe gazed upon the giant feline's foreboding form. His appearance was the same as he had saw multiple times before, a body so skeletal that it seemed impossible for him to keep himself up, his eternally open mouth spread wide in a nightmarish smile, and eyes that looked like the innermost depths of the void. But there is something wrong with him, there are cuts and bruises all over him, and a massive claw mark on his back that seemed to be healed over by pink scar flesh.
He doesn't know what on Earth could have caused such harm to this monster, but he is sure as heck not going to ask about it.
He then turns himself over to his belly, and pouring every ounce of will power into his arms, he begins crawling away from the giant cat. Fighting through the muscular atrophy that paralyzes his legs.
Catnap simply stood there and watched, amused by the Interloper's feeble struggles. "HMM, YOU ARE YOUNG…" Catnap said as he glared down on his quarry. "TOO YOUNG...YOU WORKED HERE…AND YET…YOU WERE A CHILD THEN…"
Gabe however didn't bother responding, not that he can anyway given how the Red Smoke is drying out his throat to the point of burning. He simply kept on crawling away.
Catnap noticed the human's silence. Curious, he moves towards the human's side and leans himself down till his face is but mere inches from Gabe's own. "WAIT…AH…I SEE…YOU ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE…"
The human didn't even bother to bat an eye to the purple monstrosity just inches next to him. Catnap knew that there is desperation within this Interloper, yet underlying it is a resolve that kept resisting the smoke. He just kept trudging on and on like he wasn't even there.
"IMPRESSIVE…" Catnap said through his damaged voice. "RARELY FOUND ANYONE…WHO RESISTS SO LONG…IS IT YOUR STRENGTH…OR THAT FALSE ANGEL WHO FOLLOWS YOU?"
Then for the slightest second Gabriel froze in place, eyes wide and breath bated. Can this be true? Was Dogday telling the truth? Is there really…?
He brushes it off, just another distraction, he can't think right now. He must keep moving.
He continues trudging along the floor, all the while Catnap remains close by. Watching intently like a predator over prey. "HMM…STILL CLINGING? PERSISTENT…WHY? ALL THESE YEARS…YOU RETURN…AND FOR WHAT? TELL ME…WHAT IS YOUR DRIVE? WHO NEEDS YOU?"
And even still, Gabriel said nothing.
He simply kept crawling.
"…HERETICAL…AND…ANNOYING." Catnap said with a hint of malice laced within the static of his voice. "THE INTERLOPER…PLAYTIME'S…GREAT SINNER…AND YET…SO…AVERAGE.'
It was then that Catnap saw something up ahead where the Interloper is crawling towards. "AH…I SEE…YOU WEREN'T ESCAPING…YOU WERE JUST REACHING…" There crumpled on the floor in a pile, is the Interloper's Grabpack and gas mask. "…FOR THAT."
Gabe was so close to his gear, just an arm's length away. All he has to do is reach. He pushes on, his arm extended to its fullest. His fingers brushing against the hilt of the Flaregun. But before his finger tip could grip it, Catnap simply walked over and swatted the gear away.
He looks up towards the monstrous feline, and he could most certainly tell that if that polyester smile was real then it was pompous and gloating. If it weren't for the smoke, he would have cussed out the giant, but the best he could do, is utter one simple fact.
"You…are a coward."
This must have struck a nerve within Catnap, as in that very instant he was tackled onto his back. Catnap's paw squeezing his windpipe tightly, forcing the limp human's airways shut. Gabe could only lay there writhing in pain as he felt razor sharp claws dig into the flesh in his neck, his vision distorted as he gazed up the monster's eyes as they burned brighter than ever.
Catnap spoke yet again, yet this time, there is no hint of hesitance or curiosity within. Every word laced with nothing but sheer, unbridled hatred.
"THE PROTOTYPE…HE WANTED YOU TO DIE LAST…BUT NOW I SEE…JUST THIS ONCE…HE IS WRONG…" His grip on Gabe's throat becomes tighter, by now e is gasping for air. "EVERY MOMENT YOU ARE ALIVE…YOU AS A THREAT GROWS…YOUR BREATH…YOUR LIFE…EVERYTHING YOU ARE…MUST END HERE…"
His claws dig even deeper into Gabe's throat, with the intent of ripping it apart. "DIE."
Gabe couldn't move, couldn't fight, couldn't think. He can feel the tips of Catnap's claws making their way deep under his skin, threatening to puncture through the inner walls of his throat. Everything burned, the Red Smoke he breathed, then the air denied to him, the smoke stinging his eyes, to the claws imbedded in his neck. Tears cascaded down his cheeks as he gritted his teeth, and braced for the inevitable.
And in that moment, he saw his life went before him in all of its disheveled glory. The moment he quit Playtime.co, his parents leaving, watching his brother spiral into the void, his sister's death, all of it. He looked at the entirety of his life, and believed deep in his soul, that this end was what he wanted all along.
He decided that he, and his whole life, is worthless.
The void then engulfed his soul, and he accepted fate.
But then something hit Catnap, shoving him off of the now unconscious human. Catnap was just on the cusp of total victory, and yet now this heretic has the gall to rip it from him? Is it that false angel again? However when he looked, he saw it was not the demon at all.
It is Dogday.
In one of his paws he held a long, rusted, metal pipe. The end snapped off into a jagged, sharp point. Catnap can see that the effects of his Red Smoke are still prevalent in his system, his posture slouched over and tiresome. But the canine plush was by no means weakened.
In a second, Dogday rushed up on Catnap and then started wailing on the giant with the dislodged pipe, swinging it like a drunken madman. He managed to land a few hits, some of them even hurting Catnap to some degree. The purple feline was having none of it however, he is growing tired of these games.
"GET OFF ME!" The monstrous cat hissed, swatting away Dogday like a gnat.
The orange canine tumbled across the floor, but he quickly regained his bearings and stood back up again. Turns out being exposed to the Red Smoke for years has helped him build resistance to its effects Though he is still seeing double, the sheer willpower that he is pushing through his body has brought his adrenaline up to an all time high.
He then charged towards Catnap with all his fury, screaming like a beast. The enemy responded and raised his claw up high and ready to strike, and just as Dogday was within distance, he brought them crashing down intending to tear Dogday in two. But Dogday was counting on it, he knew that Catnap would attempt to just simply strike him down. He nimbly dodged the crashing claws and then swung the pipe into the monster's lower leg. Hard.
Catnap roared out painfully and immediately pounced on Dogday, his front paws pressed hard against his chest, forcing air out of his lungs. The giant then pressed harder, putting more weight into the heretic's chest. Dogday could feel his ribs beginning to buckle under the terrible weight, even hearing some of them pop and crack. Then with a pained wince, Dogday swiped up the sharp end of his weapon up across Catnap's face, the jagged edge tearing into the polyester skin and bone hard plastic.
The purple giant screamed a hellish roar and threw Dogday against a wall, slamming him into it and then falling into a heap. He took his paw and felt his new wound, and sure enough he sees his paw pads coated in shimmering red blood, his lower plastic jaw has been torn and cut open.
He then turned to the other Bigger Body on the ground, who is just trying to get up on his shaky legs.
"HOW DARE YOU!!" The giant cat roared. He wanted nothing more than to tear each and every one of his new limbs off, starting from those precious new legs of his, and then begin ripping out every organ piece by piece. He drew closer, bloodied claws bared, and raised one high with the intent to crush his enemy into mess and gore. But yet he saw a gleam within Dogday's eyes.
And then a grin.
Catnap stopped and wondered what could it meant, it is obvious he is up to something, but then he hears something trudging away behind him. Instantly he turns, and to his shock, he sees the other heretic, Kissy Missy, struggling to carry the unconscious Interloper away through a steel hatch, equipped with Grabpack and all.
"WHAT? NO!!" Catnap shrieked as he instantly gave chase.
But it was too late, Kissy managed to shove the human out through the door and pulled a lever beside it, shutting the steel hatch just as Catnap slammed face first into it. Catnap attempted to claw his way through the door, but the second he saw sparks flying fear gripped his heart and he stopped then and there, he know how flammable the Red Smoke is and he is no idiot to set a room full of it off.
A unspoken fury filled his mind and soul with such rage that it boarder-lined madness. That was it, the enemy escaped. He had him, but yet he lived. Once again he failed the Prototype.
"What's the matter, Catnap?" Dogday coughed as he mocked the purple feline. "I though you liked to play cat and mouse?"
Catnap slowly turned his head towards Dogday. The hatred roiling in his frozen gaze was enough to melt through hearts of stone, his white irises burning like stars in the void. This time, this time he vowed to make Dogda pay, and suffer for it.
"FOR THAT…DOGDAY…I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND…" Catnap said with a twisted cruelty in his voice. "I WILL NOT KILL THE HUMAN FIRST…INSTEAD…YOUR FRIENDS…WHOM ARE IN THE PLAYHOUSE…SHALL DIE FIRST…"
Dogday's eyes widened, so they truly are alive after all this time?!
"I WILL MAKE SURE…THAT YOU WILL HEAR THEIR SCREAMS." And then as quick as lightning the feline monster dashed away into one of the other doors left open.
Dread overcame Dogday's heart. From the moment he escaped that wretched playhouse he felt that Catnap would have exterminated them all in a fit of rage after what Gabriel has done to him. But hearing Catnap admitting that they are still alive, this would have filled him with such joy were it not the fact that that beast's next victims are them.
Dogday then ran over to Kissy, who is just lumbering her way towards him too. "Come on! We gotta get to the other Smiling Critters before he does!" Kissy acknowledges and then follows after him through another way out, though different from the one Catnap just took.
But little did they realize, that while Catnap was telling the truth about the Smiling Critters still being alive, he didn't intend to go after them first.
Catnap lied.
Because his eye, was set on another prize.