The Statues Station was eerily silent.



His footsteps echoed as he stepped inside.

Then-

His eyes caught a long mural stretched across the wall.



PJ Pug-a-Pillar.

His massive, grinning form filled the entire space, his bright, playful colors standing in stark contrast to the dark, suffocating atmosphere.

A lie.

Just like everything else in this Factory.

Shaking off the unease, he turned a corner, searching for a way to activate the power.

There-

A power circuit.

He raised his green GrabPack hand, charging it with electricity before pressing it onto the circuit.

The gate to the Statues Station slid open with a mechanical whir.

Then-

A TV flickered to life in the corner.

He turned toward it as the screen buzzed with static-

Then a man's voice played:

"Welcome to Statues!

"This advanced obstacle course is designed to test your physical endurance and strength! The rules are simple: When the lights turn off, you may move through the course." the speaker continued."When the lights turn on, you can look around-but you cannot move.You may resume moving once the lights turn off again. And remember-The lovable PJ Pug-a-Pillar will be following you!"

Then- Something slithered at the edge of his vision.

His pulse spiked.

He whipped out his flashlight and aimed it toward the movement.

The beam illuminated-



That.

His breath caught.

No.

It couldn't be.

Marcas had been telling the truth.

This thing-this caterpillar monster-was real.

PJ wasn't just a toy.

He was alive.

And massive.

His fluffy, segmented body stretched endlessly into the shadows, his fur a blend of pink, magenta, and pale indigo.

His huge black eyes dilated unnaturally, fixed on him.

His mouth curled into a grin, revealing rows of sharp, canine-like teeth. A lolling pink tongue. Floppy indigo ears. Teardrop markings under each eye, almost like-

Tears.

But what caught his eye was the legs.

Too many.

All lined with purple jester-like shoes-

Tapping, clicking, creeping forward.

The screen continued:

"If PJ reaches you, your test is over! That's all-Good luck!"

Then-

The screen shut off.

A light flickered on the observation deck.

He looked up-

And there she was.



Mommy Long Legs.

Watching.

Her slender pink arms rested against the glass, her body almost lazily draped over the glass.



He can't see since it's too dim but he can tell that she was smiling.

"It was always so sad to see the kids go..."

Her voice was soft-almost melancholic.

Then-

Bitterness.

"They called me Mommy because I was the closest thing they ever had to one."

Her fingers tightened against the glass window.

"But they'd come for games... and never come back."

Her voice wavered-

Then turned sharp.

"They left Mommy to die alone. And Mommy didn't deserve that."

He can tell that there's a twisted smile stretched across her face.

"But you-"

Her voice gleamed.

"You worked here."

Her smile seems to have dropped and her voice turned cold.

"So if anyone deserves to die alone..."

She leaned in.

"It's you."

Then-

Darkness.

The game had begun.

---

The Obstacle Course

The first obstacle was a maze.

It wasn't hard-just a matter of following the correct path.

He moved quickly, dodging corners, ignoring the eerie creaks behind him.



Then-

The lights turned on.

He froze.

His breath caught in his throat.

A soft scraping noise came from behind him.



Then-

PJ was right there.

Its many legs can be heard when it moves.

The lights turned off again.

He bolted forward.

The path curved-he was close to the end-

Then-

The lights turned on again.

His entire body locked up.

A long shadow stretched over him.

PJ was on the wall.

Climbing.

His many legs twitched, his mouth still twisted in that grin.

The lights shut off.

He sprinted.

Finally, he reached the end of the maze.



A climbing frame.

He scrambled up- but midway the lights turned on.

He stopped and saw Pj, still at the maze but it's getting closer.

Then he swung onto the monkey bars.



But-

The lights turned on.

PJ was getting closer.

His grinning face peeked through the gaps-watching.

Then-

The lights shut off.

He moved as fast as he could-gripping the bars-reaching the other side-

Then-



He slipped.

Damn!

He fell-

The lights turned on.

He landed in the foam below.



He looked back and he saw Pj.

Its legs twitched-his body slithering-coming straight toward him.

Then-

The lights shut off.

He crawled out of the foam pit.

His arms burned.

But he ran. He needs to.

The next obstacle-



A tunnel like slide.

He jumped in-

And then-

The lights turned on.

Halfway down.

PJ was climbing into the slide.

Following.

The lights shut off-

He kept sliding and climbing faster as well.



Then-

The lights turned on again.

PJ was closer.

A massive form squeezing into the narrow tunnel.

The lights shut off-

Then he was out.

One last course.

Parkour.

Large foam platforms littered the ground, spaced apart.

He was supposed to jump across.

But then-

He noticed something.

The very edge of the area was flat.

"It seems like I don't have to jump in that area."

He sprinted along the edge, skipping the hard route entirely.



Then-

The lights turned on.

He skidded to a stop.

PJ was right behind him. Its head tilted.

As if it knew.



Then-

The lights shut off.

He ran.

Almost there-

Then-

The lights turned on again.

PJ was reaching for him. Its massive form looming over and many legs stretched out-

The lights shut off-

He bolted.

Then-

He saw it.



A glass window and a steel bar above it.

Without thinking-

He latched his GrabPack onto the bar-



And swung forward-

CRASH!

He burst through the glass.



Sharp shards sliced his arms, his face.

"Fuck it! That freaking hurts! But there's no more time. I need to go now!"

He stumbled forward, breathing hard-

Then-



A hole.

Without hesitation-

He jumped.

He didn't need to look back.

Because he knew-

Mommy Long Legs was going to cheat.

"This was the final game but I don't think she would let me go that easily."

As he fell through the hole, he braced himself-

Then-

THUD.



He hit the ground hard, rolling onto his side, groaning from the impact. His arms stung from the glass cuts.

It was dark down here. Colder.

Underground.

Then-

A voice.

"Where did you go?"

His chest tightened.

Mommy.

Her voice echoed, mockingly sweet.

"The game is over! You won! Come back, and Mommy will give you the code...

Pinky promise!"

He didn't move.

She knows.

She knew that he knew she was lying.

She giggled.

"Mommy knows the game was really hard, but Mommy decided-You won!"

Another giggle.

Then-

Her voice dropped lower.

"Come baaack!"

A shiver crawled down his spine. He stepped forward, moving deeper into the tunnels.

"Mommy doesn't like cheaters!"

Her voice sharpened.

"The rules are so simple! You die, and Mommy gets to watch!"

A sudden, sharp laugh cut through the silence-Laced with pure psychotic joy.

"Come back to me!"

He didn't listen.

His footsteps were careful, quiet.

Then-

A deep, guttural growl.

"AAARGHHH!

How dare you disobey me?!"

Her voice was furious now, trembling with rage.

"I will find you!"

"I WILL FIND YOU!"

Then-

A laugh.

Shrill. Wild. Insane.

"And when I do..."

More laughter-

Then-

Silence.

His blood pounded in his ears. His body screamed for him to move.

Fast.

"Where are you?"

Her tone shifted again-

Soft. Coaxing. Like a mother calling for a lost child.

Then-

It twisted.

A sudden pitch shift-

A monstrous, inhuman roar.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!"

The walls shuddered. The pipes rattled.

He turned, breath shallow, heart racing.

He had to find a way out.

Now.