The world around him was a blur of twisted metal and smoke. His body ached, his head pounding as he lay among the wreckage of the derailed train.

He barely had time to process what happened before-

A shadow loomed over him.

A pair of glowing eyes stared down from the darkness.

Then-pain.

A massive metallic paw slammed into his chest, knocking the breath from his lungs. He barely managed a choked gasp before he was lifted, claws digging into his clothes.

It purred-a deep, vibrating sound that sent ice through his veins.

Then, without hesitation, it hurled him down a tube.

He hit the ground hard. The air was thick with the scent of rust and decay. His surroundings were dark, damp, and full of broken parts. A Trash Compactor.

Not good.

A low hum rumbled beneath him.

Definitely not good.

The alarms were deafening. A piercing, mechanical wail that shook the metal walls around him.

He forced himself to his feet, disoriented but moving. His eyes darted around, scanning for a way up. His gaze landed on a broken ladder leading to a steel beam above.

No choice.



Grimacing, he leaped, fingers straining as they latched onto the beam. The red gas choked the air around him, thick and suffocating. His lungs burned as he pulled himself up, muscles aching.

The room was a mess of large, moving platforms suspended over an abyss. He had to keep jumping, had to keep moving.

Then-movement.

He stopped mid-step, heart pounding.

Something slithered just ahead.



A purple tail.

It curled over the edge of the platform below, twitching. It was in his way. He clenched his jaw. If he wanted to move forward, he had to pull that platform closer.

Before he could decide what to do, the tail disappeared.

He didn't wait for it to return. He immediately grabbed the lever, yanked the platform toward him, and jumped across, climbing into a narrow tunnel.

Everything felt wrong.

The air was damp, the flickering lights casting eerie shadows across the metal walls. He pushed forward, crawling through a vent until-

He dropped down.

Not just any room. It was an Employee Lounge.



It was very messy. Blood was on the floor and on the couch.



There's a desk. A filing cabinet. Couches. It almost looked normal.

For a moment, he just breathed.

His throat was dry. His stomach ached.

Then he spotted it-

A vending machine.

His relief was short-lived when he saw that most of the bottles were shattered or empty. But there-at the very bottom-a single, sealed water bottle.

"Well... it's better than nothing."

He cracked it open, taking small, careful sips. His mind was still racing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out compressed biscuits he had packed before. He sat down, taking slow bites, trying to gather his thoughts.

His gaze wandered. Something caught his eye.



A VHS tape.

It was sitting on the floor, waiting for him. He sighed, grabbed it, and plugged it into the VHR player. The dusty TV flickered to life.

Claire Harper Debrief - Tape Log

"Alright, Ms. Harper, please explain the situation. Spare no detail."

A woman's voice, shaken but firm.

"Well... like any night, all the children were getting to sleep. It was peaceful. Quiet. CatNap had the red smoke in the room. Then suddenly, there was this scream. Nightmares happen, I know, but this..."

Her voice trembled.

"Dilated pupils. Quivering lips. The way her eyes darted around the room! And I swear, when I held her hand in mine... it felt like her blood was boiling beneath her skin! She saw something. Something horrible."

A pause.

"She-I'm sorry, I don't mean to-"

"Ms. Harper, we'll provide the very best care we can offer, you have my word. But this is important: Did Marie happen to describe what she saw?"

"Yes. A monster, she said! She said that it was... colorless..."

"Gosh, I could feel her poor little heart pounding! For her, it was right there. And then her movements-she was so wild... arms flailing, legs kicking!"

A thoughtful hum from the interviewer.

"I... I wanted to talk to her. See how she's doing. I... I just really need to hear her voice right now-"

"That would not be advised, Ms. Harper. There are... many concerns we must address at this time. But vitals show normal, and we'll continue to monitor. She'll be okay-"

"NO! Pardon me if I'm not comforted by that! JUST BRING MY LITTLE GIRL BACK TO ME!"

A sob.

The tape cut to static.

Silence.

He knew about Claire, she was one of the counselors in Playcare.

Then-

A sound above him. Slow. Heavy. Footsteps.

He froze.

Whatever was up there wasn't human.

A door stood at the far end of the room, locked. A power panel flashed green.

He sighed, pulling himself up. Time to search.

A drawer. Empty.

A cabinet. Old documents.

Under the kitchen sink-a green battery.

In the bathroom-another.

He plugged them into the power container. The scanner on the door turned blue. He lifted his GrabPack.

Scanned.

With a heavy clang, the door rose open.

Inside, he stopped. A cardboard cutout of an elephant. Bright. Cheery.



Curious, he pressed the button. The speaker crackled.

"I'm Bubba Bubbaphant!"

He blinked. He pressed it again.

"Hey, I remember you!"

His stomach tightened. He pressed again.

"An elephant always remembers!"

He frowned. He pressed one last time.

"Want to know what I remember about you?"

Then-

A horrific, distorted scream.

Ear-piercing.

He staggered back, heart hammering.

"What the hell!?"

The sound was wrong. It wasn't a recording anymore. Something was screaming.

He bolted. Then he found an elevator.

Finally.

He slammed the button. Nothing.

Power's out.

Then-a sound.

A telephone ringing.

His head snapped toward the noise.

A staircase. Winding upward. The ringing continued, echoing through the empty halls. He swallowed, taking one last breath. Then he followed the sound.

Up the stairs, he found it.



A pink phone.

It sat alone, untouched by time, yet somehow still working. The moment he picked it up-

A voice crackled through the receiver.

"Hey... Hey, can you hear me?"

It was a child's voice. Young, bright, but oddly calm.

"You look kinda lost. I don't want you to die, so... I'm gonna help you!"

He opened his mouth, but the kid kept talking.

"Check this out! Look at the tube thing on the wall. Ready? BUH-BOOM!"

A loud clunk sounded nearby.



He turned sharply. A battery had just ejected from a nearby chute, landing at his feet.

He stared at it. Then at the phone. Then back at the battery.

"...Okay, what?"

How did this random child know exactly where he was and what he needed?

His suspicion levels skyrocketed. Sighing, he plugged the battery into the power slot.

The EXIT door to the Employees' Lounge hummed to life. The door slid open.



The air outside was thick with smoke. He stepped through and froze.



The train-the very one he had crashed in-was on fire.

Bright, orange flames consumed the wreckage, twisting metal groaning under the heat.

"Whoa! Did you do that?!" Ollie gasped.

He blinked. "Oh sure, kid. Right after my professional stunt double crashed the train at 90 miles per hour, I casually grabbed a match and set the whole thing on fire-for ambiance."

"I guess that's where CatNap found you!"

The sarcasm died in his throat.

CatNap.

The name sent a chill down his spine.

His fingers tightened around the phone as realization set in. It wasn't the crash that threw him into the Trash Compactor.

It was CatNap.

He inhaled sharply. That thing had its claws on him.

"I know you're probably mad at Poppy for not letting you escape," the kid continued, voice softer now.

"But she needs you. We need you."

His steps slowed.

"You are our mission. Together, we can save a lot of people-including you."

He wasn't sure what to say to that.

(So guys I made chibi versions of the doctors 😆. They're so cute! There's an online chibi maker so I made them 😍)