The silence of the Game Station is disturbed by the sound of the creaking swing on which Bunzo sat. After crying for a long time in Andy's arms, he removed his party hat and placed it in the improvised coffin of the other Bunzo. Then he silently made his way to the Game Station. Normally, he would be excited to be in an area filled with children's games, except that the discovery of the body cast a terrible chill into his heart.
Next to him, Andy is there, his eyes turned towards the ceiling while swaying slightly on the spot, thinking about what to say to someone who has just discovered a corpse with the same face as him; finally, he gives up trying to find the perfect words because he doubts he will ever find them.
"Do you want to talk about it?" the blond man suddenly asks, turning his eyes towards the rabbit who is still looking at his feet, his hands gripping the chains of the swing.
"...for a moment his face remained frozen in an expression of absolute sadness before he sighed softly, "...I...humf...I don't know what I feel..." he began, his feet shifting slightly. "I didn't even know him...and I've seen other dead toys but...seeing him like that...it...really terrified me because...it was myself I thought I saw."
He closes his eyes, trying to calm the trembling of his body at the memory of the blood-stained body.
"I...I don't want to end up like this..." he confesses, sniffling, "...I don't want to die alone..."
His tears blurred his vision, then he felt a hand on his head to caress it, raising his wet eyes towards the human who smiled kindly at him, he sniffed again but this time with a small smile.
"Hey, I know we haven't known each other for very long and I'm light years away from understanding what you're feeling right now," Andy honestly admits, continuing to caress Bunzo to soothe him. "But know that I'm here, okay?"
"...why are you doing all this? ...aren't you afraid of us? I tried to eat you..." asks the little rabbit.
It's a legitimate question; at this stage, Andy should be screaming rather than trying to comfort the monsters who want to eat him. Yet he doesn't see Bunzo or the others that way; for him, they are creatures as terrified as he is, locked in the dark for too long. He prefers to try and reach out to them, even if he risks having his hand eaten, rather than hurting them for no reason.
"I always knew I was a cutie," Andy jokes, which elicits a stifled laugh from Bunzo. "More seriously, Huggy also tried to eat me, but then... I realized he wasn't a brainless creature, so after saving him, we were able to understand each other a little," he explains, looking up, oblivious to the astonished expression on his friend's face as he gazes at him in wonder. "So no, I'm not afraid of you... and frankly, who would be afraid of a cute little bunny like you?"
"Hey! I'm not cute!" the red-cheeked rabbit snapped, pushing away the snickering human's hand.
"Okay! Okay!" laughs Andy, rocking once then standing up on his feet. "Well, do you feel better?"
"...a little," he said, breathing more gently, getting up and giving the human a light punch in the stomach. "Thank you, Andy."
"You're welcome, Bun..." He paused for a second, a thought crossing his mind: "Tell me, is that really your name?"
His casual question deeply disturbs the giant toy, which freezes, its eyes widening towards him as it backs away slightly hesitantly.
"I...why are you asking me that?" he asked nervously.
"It's just... I don't want to think of you as a toy, so... I was wondering if you had another name besides that one," said the blond awkwardly, calling himself an idiot for upsetting the rabbit. "Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it."
"No! It's just... I don't remember," he admitted, rubbing his foot on the ground.
(Remember him? Could he be older than I think? ...no, I doubt it, I definitely lack a lot of information) Sonia's son sighed mentally.
"C...could you give me one?" he asks timidly.
"Huh? But...you...you're sure? Wouldn't you rather choose one?" he said, crouching down in front of him with his eyes wide open in surprise.
"No!" he shook his head vigorously, making his long ears twitch. "You are the first human who has been kind to me...and...and I...trust you," he said in a trembling voice.
Dazed, Andy runs a hand over the back of his neck, reflecting on how bizarre his life has become since arriving at Playtime. Then he looks at the face of the life-size toy, which is looking at him hopefully, making him swallow hard because he has never had such a big responsibility in his life. Inspired, he searches for a good name for his new friend.
"Hmm," scratching his cheek, he stares for a few minutes at Bunzo, who remains patiently in place. "What do you think of...Alphonse?"
"Alphonse?" he repeats, tilting his head to the side.
"Yeah, that was one of the names my mother wanted to give me," he explains, gently tapping her shoulder. "So, do you like it?"
"..."
Rather than repeating yet another thank you, the rabbit named Alphonse hugs the human's neck, who puts an arm around him laughing.
"Should I take that as a yes?"
"Of course!" replied the rabbit cheerfully, ending the hug. "Oh, the others will be jealous when they find out about this!"
"The others?" asks Andy, who receives no answer from Alphonse, who just snickers.
Once they had recovered from their emotions, the duo headed towards the second lever, which they activated.
"Wow...You were fantastic!"
"Thank you Stella," said the human sarcastically, attracting a surprised look from Alphonse.
"Do you know her?"
"Yes, but that was a very long time ago."
"Oh"
"For what ?"
"For nothing"
"Who gave you permission to be so intelligent? #laughs#
"Mommy is very proud of you!"
"I doubt it," he said, remembering the disappointed voice of the pink toy.
"But I'm sure she already told you that herself. Our next game is Tape-Wuggy! Go down the stairs, and have fun!"
"So I'm going to hit some Wuggy..." Andy muses as he approaches the door leading to the game. "Like with a hammer?" he asks, turning to his friend who is watching the Grabpack's hand pull on the door.
"I don't know," seeing the blond's confused expression, he shrugs. "Mommy doesn't want us hanging around in other people's rooms," he explains.
"Wait, so you've never left this room?"
"No, I had my own little corner and Mommy would bring me food whenever she could."
(It would almost be cute if she didn't kill toys) Andy shuddered.
"I see, so you don't know the toys that are here?"
"Oh yes! But it's been a long time since we've seen each other."
"Okay, well we should hurry up then," he said, going down the steps with Alphonse on his heels.
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Um, to put it simply, Poppy was my guide to Playcare, but Mommy kidnapped her, and now I have to save her to continue," said Andy quickly, stopping himself when he saw the rabbit motionless in the middle of the corridor. "Alphonse?"
"...are you helping him?" His voice took on a deeper tone, intriguing Smith, who wondered what was going on. "Why are you helping him?"
"Well, because she can help me get to Playcare," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Do you have something against her?"
His trembling body was enough for him to understand that yes, there was a problem with the doll, then he calmed down and walked towards him.
"Don't believe a word he says," advises the rabbit, advancing under the curious gaze of the blond man with pink bangs.
"...okay?" he said sheepishly.
(Do they know each other? Actually, the opposite would be more surprising, yet he really seems not to like her) he thought to himself, running a hand behind his neck. (At the same time, I should have asked her more questions when we met) he sighed mentally, thinking that with more time he could have asked the doll why she was helping him. (Well...I'll ask her next time)
Returning to reality, he comes across a scene that makes him smile slightly: Alphonse is pulling with all his might on a door handle, both feet against the door and his body stretched horizontally; approaching gently, he looks at the face grimacing from the effort of the yellow rabbit.
"Come on!" said the giant toy, trying to open the door.
"I pe..." his voice trailed off when he saw the small sign indicating that this was where the Grabpacks were stored. "You really have fixed ideas, you know?"
"Help me instead of arguing!" his friend simply growls, sticking to his position.
Rolling his eyes, the human simply places his hand against the door and gently pushes it; it opens without any problem under the astonished gaze of Alphonse, who follows the movement of the now open door.
"Oh..." he said eloquently.
Andy had to help his friend put on his Grabpack and luckily this one was for children so much less powerful than his and no green thumb that could electrocute him, Alphonse didn't care at all too happy to be able to throw the hands of the Grabpack wherever he wanted, so after a lesson on how to use it Andy watched his friend having fun with a cautious eye wondering if it was a good idea.
"Remember not to aim at me, okay?"
"Yes yes !"
"Okay...let's go, we've wasted enough time."
Finally entering the room, Smith raised an eyebrow at the sight of the room covered in sand, the door behind him closing heavily, Al gently came closer to him while he looked at the pipes coming out of the walls then he stared at the huge bloodstain just below the window of the surveillance room confirming to him once again that he had to be careful with Mommy's games.
His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by the horrible music coming from the television in the corner.
"Welcome to Wack-a-Wuggy!"
"This advanced test is designed to assess the extent of your reaction capabilities."
(This is really strange...the first game seemed fun so I thought it was a way to encourage children to participate but...why want to test their memory and reaction? This kind of test is more like one an adult should take) he wonders, absently passing a hand on the shoulder of the rabbit, who is slightly worried about being locked up.
"A double GrabPack will be provided for this test."
"Around you are 18 sizable holes. An adorable Huggy Wuggy toy could pop out of any one of them."
"If one of them appears, hit it with your GrabPack."
That's all. Good luck!
The unlikely duo could not comment on what the narrator had just said when they heard a dull thud against the window, making them jump at the abruptness of the gesture; their eyes looked at Mommy's furious green irises as she stared at the human and the toy that had betrayed her with hatred.
"So this is where you were, Bunzo...tsk, tsk, Mommy is disappointed that you abandoned her for...him." Her voice was almost gentle, but it turned hateful as she stared at the Playtime cap. "Didn't Mommy tell you never to trust humans? That we're much better off without them? You know they're the worst liars...don't you, Bunzo?"
Trembling, the rabbit slowly emerges from behind the blond boy, who keeps a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of support. Nervously swallowing his saliva, he slowly raises his gaze towards that of the larger toy, which continues to smile, but Andy sees no warmth in it; it looks much more like the expression of a predator studying its prey caught in its trap.
"He's not...he's not like the other Mommy," said Alphonse, clenching his hands and straightening his posture despite the trembling of his body.
"...oh" once again the pink toy's voice changes slightly but she quickly recovers, saying in a maternal tone, "You believe her lies, I see...Bunzo, Mommy is ready to forgive your mistakes if you come back without making a fuss."
The tension is palpable. Smith hears noises around him indicating that the mini-Wuggys are watching the scene. He, for his part, looks at the back of his friend's neck, wondering what he'll do. Part of him would understand if he trusted Mommy more than himself; she's been watching over him for ten years while they barely knew each other. Slowly, Alphonse lifts his left foot and moves it backward, positioning himself beside Andy, who looks at him first with surprise, then with gratitude. The little yellow rabbit's shoulders tremble slightly, but his voice is firm as he looks into his former guardian's eyes.
"I...I know that humans are mean...but Andy isn't!" he bravely assures a silent Mommy.
...
"...since you care so much about your human...then you will play with him BUT! It is forbidden to talk to each other! Otherwise...well, it will be an opportunity for the Huggy to eat! Hehehehehe!" she said with a toothless smile.
The lights went out, plunging the place into darkness. Quickly, Andy used the flashlight integrated into his Grabpack and shone it towards the pipes in the walls, from which he could hear noises... very disturbing. The most unsettling thing was that they seemed to be coming from all directions. Spinning around, he saw a green Huggy Bear, which, like the life-size model, displayed its signature smile, except that even from where he was, he could see the drool dripping from its lips. Taking a deep breath, he reached out towards the toy, which growled as it was pushed back inside the pipe. Extremely tense, the human continued to spin around, watching for the slightest sign of the man-eating toys. A few centimeters behind his back, Al was doing the same, but having a little more trouble seeing in the dark, and his small size didn't help, as he couldn't see what was at the very top, so Andy decided to take care of it.
(In the end it's manageable...on the other hand...) her blue eyes briefly fixed on Mommy's incandescent green irises (I didn't expect her to be so hateful towards me that she wanted to sacrifice Alphonse...even though in the end I know nothing about her...and what happened here)
The growling intensifies, the noises become faster as time passes, Andy keeps his calm as best he can but now he must also keep an eye on Alphonse who for his part is doing his best but sometimes misses his target because of the stress, this happens to the point that a red Huggy comes completely out of its pipe already preparing to jump on him before Andy pushes it back, the light comes back on greatly surprising the human who expected it to be as difficult as the first game then he remembers that this time he had a helping hand, panting he opens his mouth to thank his friend.
"Oh...you did it," said Mommy in a less caricatured voice, which made Smith frown.
(It looks like someone's playing a role...actually, it really does, doesn't it?) he thought to himself, observing how the giant toy began to take rapid breaths to calm its anger at seeing them survive. (In any case, its hatred towards humans isn't fake...pff, another mystery to solve...I'll end up a detective once I get out of here.)
"Hooray! Mommy is so... proud of you!" she said through gritted teeth, a fixed smile trembling with anger she was trying to suppress. "Here. Mommy has another clue for you."
The metal flap opens, letting the elastic limb through, which arrives right in front of the blond man's face, who gently takes the piece of paper and puts it in his pocket.
"There's only one game left...too bad, Mommy hoped you would stay forever," she sighed dramatically, shaking her head.
"Attend"
The human's voice slightly freezes the giant toy, which stares at it in the same way as a particularly repulsive insect that it hesitates to crush; advancing bravely towards her, it straightens its shoulders, refusing to give in to fear.
"What happened here?" She doesn't even blink, prompting him to continue. "Why are there so many dead toys? Why are you still here?"
...
"A word of advice..." her voice regained its calmer, more measured tone, nothing like her Mommy voice, which made it even more intimidating as she placed her fingers against the reinforced glass, which began to groan under the pressure exerted by the rose. "Don't lie to me."
"What?" he asked, confused by the answer. "How can you lie to me?"
"Humph! As if you could fool me," she laughed darkly, her fingers pressing harder against the glass, making the sound of breaking glass echo in the room. "I know that humans are nothing but liars...you make false promises to reassure us and then...you show your true face, that of monsters feasting on our cries...so don't expect to have me!"
Quickly raising his arm, Andy felt pieces of glass bounce against his jacket while Alphonse shouted his name and grabbed his leg. For several seconds he remained motionless, waiting for an attack from the mad toy. Lowering his arm, he looked at the window of the control room shattered by the impact.
"Why did you do that?!" exclaimed the rabbit, giving him a slap on the thigh.
"Ouch! Gently! I'm just trying to gather information!" he explains, massaging her thigh with a furrowed brow. "Haven't you noticed? Her voice changes when she's angry."
"So what?! You really want to upset her?! Do you know what she does when she's angry?!" he retorted, clenching his fists. "I...I don't want anything to happen to you..."
"...excuse me, I..." he sighed and bent down, placing his hand on his friend's head, who avoided his gaze. "Sorry."
"...don't do it again..."
"Understood..." he gives a small smile, patting the toy on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "By the way, thanks for watching my back."
Laughing a little, Alphonse returned the gesture, sealing the peace between them. Then their gaze shifted to the next step, which unfortunately did not lead them directly back to the Game Station. Straightening up, the blond boy turned to go there, then he noticed something shining in the pipes. Cautiously, he signaled to Alphonse to hide behind him while he directed his green hand towards the hole. Squinting, he noticed a piece of bright red fur in the light, indicating who was hiding in the shadows. Gently, the red Huggy advanced towards them, keeping a safe distance and staring at the human. Then the creature began to emit a series of growls followed by small cries.
"No!" the toy suddenly exclaimed from behind, shaking its head and making its long ears wiggle. "He's not holding me hostage!"
Blinking stupidly, the human looked back and forth between the wild toy and Alphonse, who started talking as if little Huggy's cries were an understandable language.
"!"
"Because he saved me!"
"!,!,!"
"I know, yes, but Andy isn't like that! He even gave me a real name!" he proudly asserts, puffing out his chest.
Upon hearing this, the red Huggy began to look at the human with something resembling surprise, then he began to back up into the pipe where the other Huggy were and began to gesticulate and shout under the curious eyes of the blond who leaned towards the giant rabbit.
"Uh, how do you understand...that?" he asks, pointing at the green Huggy beating his chest like a gorilla.
"Some of us can no longer speak, so...we've learned to understand them in another way," explains Alphonse slowly, trying to follow the conversation. "By the way, she thinks you're here to kill us."
"What?! But who...why am I asking?" he sighed, thinking of Mommy and her hatred for humans. "...and now?"
Her question was answered when the five mini Huggy cautiously approached them, still warily watching the human. The red one stepped forward and began speaking quickly to the Bunzo, who nodded gently.
"I see, but no, you'd better hide before she comes back," Alphonse advised, bending down. "And...Poppy is here."
Hearing this, the Huggy started to grunt, but in a less animalistic way; Andy looked at some of them, glaring and crossing his arms.
"I know, but Andy needs her," he explained. "So could you see where she is?" Seeing the hesitation on their faces, he took a breath and spoke more firmly. "If we do nothing, then nothing will change, guys, please."
Finally, the red one ended up saying yes, no, without giving the human a dark look before heading back into the pipes followed by the rest of her group.
"She's not promising anything, but she'll tell us if she finds anything," the rabbit explains to Smith, who nods in agreement.
"It's better than nothing, plus it gives us a backup plan in case Mommy doesn't keep her word."
"But she hates liars!" he said indignantly.
"Yes...and with passion," he said thoughtfully, then shook his head. "Anyway, let's move on."
Now progressing through a dusty corridor, the duo finds at the end a staircase that has not withstood the passage of time well, as it is destroyed. Fortunately, being a professional climber, Andy simply loads his little friend onto his back and begins to climb as high as possible before grabbing onto a support bar with his Grabpack. Once hoisted to the top, he comes across a cardboard cutout of Candy Cat. If he remembers correctly, this toy walked a bit like a gluttonous hippo. It was sold with colored balls, and the aim of the game was to make it swallow its own before it stopped moving. Curious, he presses the big red button.
"Press the button to give me a candy!"
Seeing no harm in it, he pressed the button several times even when Candy Cat said he wasn't hungry anymore, then things got very strange.
"I said stop!"
(This is even stranger than Bunzo's...) he thinks, remembering that other cutouts like Bron's or Daisy's had no message of this kind.
"MYAM MYAM MYAM! Stoop!"
This time it really looked like a plea; cursing his curiosity once again, he pressed the button.
"YUM! YUM! YUM- [Distorted cry]"
...
(...recorded torture...but for what purpose?) he growls, taking Alphonse's hand to reassure him after what they have just heard.
To make matters worse for the gloomy atmosphere, the blond man heard the screams of rage echoing through the factory, which confirmed to him that Mommy did not appreciate his questions or his success in the game.
Finally reaching the end, the duo falls onto the rails like those of a train; Alphonse leads the way while Smith looks at one of the passages closed by a metal gate; on the other side, he watches the electric receivers walking thanks to his green hand.
"We're going to have to go around," he muses aloud.
Walking to the next corridor, Alphonse groaned in disappointment when he saw that it was closed on this side too.
"What are we going to do? The exit is blocked with planks..." he grumbles, his hands pressed against the metal.
"Hmm, we may have overlooked one-
~ALARM!~
The familiar noise sends a feeling of dread into him, quickly he puts a hand around the toy's waist and steps back and his eyes fix on a familiar silhouette but Smith doesn't know if it's really his Huggy because it's impossible to tell the difference, then his eyebrow rises when he sees the pink fur shining in the neon light.
"Kissy?" he whispers to the giant toy who is watching them with a smile firmly in place, then she looks at the lever on the side.
In an awkward gesture she tries to push it but her arm falls back, the second time is the right one and the door slowly rises, Kissy retraces her steps not without casting a last look at the human who for his part is trying to understand why this toy has just helped them and wastes no time in pursuing her.
"Hey! Wait, where did she go?"
Looking around, he finally concluded that she had surely found her own path, grumbling for a moment, he ran a hand over her face, which was creased with confusion.
"So...she helped us...except we don't know why."
"Maybe she's just nice?" said the cannibal toy innocently.
"It's a possibility, but it's still strange that it appeared just when we needed it," said Andy, who began to study the puzzle with the cart named Barry, which Alphonse climbed onto laughing. "Well, we'll see about that later, for now we have to get Barry here to the other side, Alphonse!"
"Yes ?"
"I'll lead the way, you pull the cart, okay?"
"Yes, sir!" he jokes, excitedly grabbing the handles of his Grabpack.
So once again Andy had to play with very high voltage electricity while his long-eared friend took care of Barry, everything was going well, at the end Alphonse picked up a cassette lying near the VCR, placing the cassette in the player the human looked at the screen and was surprised to see a real video rather than a still image like with the others.
(Interview between Leith Pierre and Marcas Brickley)
"Do you mind if I film this?"
"Oh, not at all, sir."
"That's what I wanted to hear. So, Marcas, what happened?"
"You see, I was on my way home when my monkey brain realized I'd left my wallet in the cafeteria. So, I was running across the hall... and that's when I saw it. A broom handle stuck under the grate of the innovation wing."
"So, what have you done, Marcas?"
"Well, I thought I'd just grab that damn broom and leave, all happy."
"And?"
"Well, I was trying to grab the thing, and the mop handle just jerked around on its own. I was terrified. I thought I was alone. So I peeked under the grate and there was this huge thing swinging down the hallway!"
"One thing? Are you sure it wasn't a person?"
"There is no one 15 meters long with a thousand legs."
"Marcas, I don't understand you anymore. Maybe you just saw people passing by."
"Listen, they weren't people! Okay? I haven't the slightest idea, but they weren't human."
"Hmm... Who did you talk to about this? Besides me, obviously."
"Just you, sir. Obviously."
"OK, I'll ask security to take a look at the camera footage."
"What?! There's a huge monster! You're not going to make it disappear just by glancing at it!"
"You're going too far, Marcas. We make toys, not monsters. Now get out of my sight. Um... could you get me a coffee? No, never mind, get out of my sight."
(Marcas gets up from his chair and leaves the room.)
(So the employees weren't aware...or at least some of them weren't) he mused, replaying the conversation in his head. (Besides, Leith was very high up in the company...why would he bother listening to employees complaining about seeing monsters? Seen from this angle, it means he knew the living toys existed and wanted to make sure Marcas hadn't seen anything incriminating.)
"Are you okay, Andy?" Al asks curiously.
"Huh? Yes, don't worry, I'm just trying to put all this mess in order," he explained, putting the cassette in his bag, rolling his shoulders as he began to push the cart, quickly joined by Alphonse.
Together they finally pushed Barry who gained speed and forced his way through the plank wall then ended his run in the void because once again it seemed that the factory was collapsing in certain places, briefly worrying Andy about the possibility that the factory could fall on his head at the slightest earthquake, walking until he reached a hole in the ground he jumped in, back at the entrance of the second game he straightened up opening his arms he caught his friend.
Once back at the Game Station, the two sat down on one of the benches, exhausted by the stress and especially their exploration of this factory, which was far too big for the human's liking. He prayed that his feet would hold up, looking at the toy nestled against him. Smith thought that a little break wouldn't hurt, tilting his head back, he gently closed his eyes while his arm encircled Alphonse, who, for his part, didn't hesitate to snore.
~P~
Her curly red hair bounces because of her frantic run which leads her to a woman dressed in a white blouse with a bright yellow blouse over it.
"Gently! You'll fall," laughs the tall woman with bushy brown hair, putting one knee on the ground, her smile sparkling as she looks at the face of the little girl laughing happily despite a missing tooth.
"Look! It's you and me!" she exclaimed, showing off her drawing, which, from an artistic point of view, wasn't so bad for a ten-year-old. Letting out a sound of admiration, the woman traced the lines she had drawn in pencil with her fingertips.
"It's magnificent, my darling," she said, cupping her cheek. Her mouth opened to say something else, but once again, a colder voice was heard.
"Dr. Harper, we're waiting for you."
A heartbeat was enough to bring her back to reality, her hand suspended in the void, her fingers searching for the sheet of paper she had been holding a few seconds ago...then it transformed into a fist trembling with rage, her green eyes fixed on the sleeping human in the company of the traitor and slowly a predatory smile distorted her face, the game was not yet over...and Mommy was going to make sure it never was .