Yazmina tossed the stack of files onto her desk with a sigh. The pages scattered slightly, some sliding toward the edge, but she ignored them.

Right now, her mind wasn't on Poppy Gas or the endless data within those reports.

No, something else was gnawing at her thoughts-something far bigger than the experiments she was assigned to.

She flopped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling, her fingers absently tracing patterns against the bedsheets.

The company should've gone bankrupt by now.

In the game's timeline, Playtime Co. had fallen into financial ruin after the release of the Smiling Critters lineup.

Parents had complained, claiming that the Catnap plushie gave their children relentless nightmares.

Sales plummeted.

Lawsuits piled up.

But now, none of that seemed to matter-because Harley Sawyer had already initiated the Bigger Bodies Initiative.

Turning orphans into toys.

Yazmina felt a sick chill crawl up her spine. It was twisted, inhumane-yet somehow, it was working.

With a new, monstrous workforce being created in the shadows, the company was no longer on the brink of collapse. Sawyer's madness was keeping Playtime Co. alive.

She rolled onto her side, eyes narrowing as she thought about him.

I haven't seen him yet.

In the game, his name was whispered with both fear and admiration, but his face remained a mystery.

He was the one responsible for everything-the horrifying experiments, the living nightmares lurking in the factory's shadows.

Boxy Boo must already exist by now, she realized.

Sawyer's first creation.

A hunter built for speed and agility, able to fold into a harmless-looking music box, waiting to strike.

His limbs could stretch and coil, allowing him to pounce, to snatch up prey before they even had the chance to scream.

A perfect executioner for disobedient employees who thought they could escape with Playtime Co.'s secrets.

But in the game, Boxy Boo didn't appear even until Chapter 4.

So what else is already out there?

Her thoughts drifted to Pianosaurus-Experiment 1163.

A towering, green dinosaur-like experiment with piano keys embedded along his underbelly, his jagged grin lined with keyboard-like teeth.

She had always found him unsettling in the game, his haunting, discordant notes echoing through empty halls.

If he exists already, then that means...

Her heart skipped.

Yarnaby.

Experiment 1166.

Unlike the others, he wasn't just another mindless monster. Yarnaby was... adorable.

A lion-like creature, his fur was made entirely of soft, multicolored yarn, making him look more like a handmade plush toy than a horror experiment.

His face could split open in a grotesque display, revealing his real maw-a deep, hollowed-out cavity lined with ragged, broken teeth.

His inner flesh was a striking crimson, his gums swollen, his bite fatal.

And yet, Yazmina had loved him ever since she first saw him in the game.

Most players feared him. She didn't.

He's cute. He just happens to be a little... nightmarish.

She wanted to see him.

To meet him.

To run her fingers through his yarn-like mane.

But Yarnaby was Sawyer's pet.

Which meant that getting close to him would be dangerous-maybe even impossible.

But danger and impossible weren't in Yazmina's vocabulary.

She craved it.

The mere thought of Yarnaby-of Sawyer's pet-sent a shiver down her spine, but not out of fear.

No, the idea of standing in front of that monstrous, yarn-covered beast thrilled her.

The risk, the challenge... the chance to get close enough to run her fingers through his mane.

Her lips curled into a slow, almost delirious smile.

How fun.

Yazmina stretched, rolling onto her back, staring up at the ceiling with gleaming eyes.

If I play my cards right, I might just get to meet him sooner than I think.

But her amusement didn't last long. The thrill in her chest settled into something heavier-an unsettling truth she couldn't ignore.

If Yarnaby already existed, then Sawyer's focus was shifting.

That means Kissy Missy is next.

Experiment 1172.

Yazmina exhaled, gripping the edge of her blanket. In the game, Kissy Missy wasn't just another monster-she was different. Unlike Huggy Wuggy, who had been nothing but a violent security enforcer, Kissy had moments of unexpected control. She didn't attack mindlessly.

She chose who to spare.

Which meant that whoever she had been before the experiment still lingered inside her, trapped.

Yazmina's smirk faded slightly, a shadow crossing her features. I need to find out who she was before she turns into a toy.

Because once she did, there would be no going back.

She sat up, running a hand through her hair as her mind whirled. There had to be records-files hidden somewhere in Playcare or deeper within the factory. If she wanted answers, she'd have to start digging.

Her pulse quickened at the thought.

Yazmina let out a soft laugh, the dim light casting eerie shadows across her face, sharpening the curve of her smirk.

There was something almost unsettling about the way she carried herself-graceful, poised, yet laced with an undeniable madness.

A beautiful contradiction, like a queen standing at the edge of a battlefield, reveling in the chaos before the war had even begun.

Her fingers traced the edge of her pillow absentmindedly as she let the thrill of it all sink in. The experiments, the monsters, the game unfolding before her-it was all exhilarating.

She didn't fear the horrors lurking in the factory's depths.

If anything, she wanted to see more.

To witness every grotesque creation.

To understand them.

And, perhaps, to take control of them.

A slow, knowing smirk curled her lips.

She shifted onto her side, letting her mind wander back to Experiment 1172.

If Kissy Missy was truly next, then time was running out. Once she was turned into a toy, there would be no undoing it.

Yazmina exhaled through her nose, the amusement in her gaze dimming slightly. Playtime Co. had already twisted so many lives beyond recognition. The children in Playcare, the orphans turned into monstrous creations-all of it orchestrated under the guise of progress. But Yazmina wasn't here to mourn the lost.

She was here to play the game.

A sudden creak echoed from beyond her door, so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Yazmina stilled.

For a moment, silence.

Then-another sound. Not a knock. Not footsteps. Just... a shift, like something pressing against the door.

Waiting.

Watching.

Her pulse remained steady, but her fingers curled slightly against the bedsheets.

She tilted her head, her smirk returning, sharper this time.

"Still playing hide and seek, are we?" she murmured, her voice carrying a dangerous edge of amusement.

A beat of silence.

Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the presence faded.

Yazmina chuckled softly, shaking her head as she lay back down. If it wanted to watch, let it. She was in no hurry.

After all, she wasn't the one hiding.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she stared at the dim glow of the factory's artificial lighting filtering through the curtains.

The world outside Playcare was moving forward, but down here, in this hidden hell of science and horror, time twisted and bled into itself.

There were no clear nights, no real mornings-just the steady, suffocating cycle of research and experiments.

She smirked at herself. How many of the employees truly understood what they were a part of? How many had seen the things she had?

Probably none.

Her fingers drummed lightly against her knee. There was so much she needed to do, but first-she had to see it for herself.

She had to confirm that Sawyer was moving forward with Experiment 1172.

There was a storm coming, and Yazmina was eager to throw herself right into the center of it.