Trapped in PlayTime

Here's Poppy

Seven
Here's Poppy

He opened his mouth then closed it again, letting out a slow breath.
Her heart was beating in her throat, tears burning the backs of her eyes. "Cal... I don't-"
"Alli- stop," he said evenly, defeated. "Just- stop,"
"But-" she started, wanting to explain; to make him understand.
"No. No no no, no." shaking his head as he held up his hands, stopping her, "Stop talking,"
She pressed her lips together, taking a breath.
"What are you talking about? You just- none of this is making sense right now... you aren't making sense right now. What do you mean, made into? And how was that thing alive?" he took a breath and ran a hand through his hair, "This is insane,"
Alli dropped her gaze, looking at how far up they were. She hadn't been paying attention at first, but dim light and gray emptiness were all around them. Rails and conveyor belts were the only things interrupting the void, chains clinked and metal creaked, but there was nothing else but the wall behind them.
"Keep moving," Jansen said evenly, turning and walking along the pathways with their thin metal railings, rusty joints and loose paneling. "We're leaving. I don't care what you think needs to happen anymore- we're done with this,"
"Yes sir," Alli whispered, following him quietly as he led the way across the twisting maze of pathways.
"There's a door up ahead," Jansen said after a while, pointing.
She looked up, looking at the ring of light that illuminated a wall. There was a large red flower painted around a door, and she glanced up, looking at the toys stabbed through with meat hooks and hanging from chains that disappeared into the blackness of the ceiling.
"Hopefully it'll let us out of here," Jansen continued, leaping a gap between two sections of the corrugated metal.
Alli's heart jumped into her throat as she watched him, the metal bowing beneath his feet, before he kept walking as if he had simply hopped over a puddle. She looked at the gap, palms sweating, heart pounding, ears ringing. She took a step back then, looking up at the next section of pathway, she took two large steps and jumped over the void. She latched onto the metal handrails, sinking to her knees as the pathway shook under her feet, then she weakly got to her feet. She looked up, wondering if Jansen had noticed her, but he was still walking, his back to her.
He stopped in front of the door, looking at the painting around it, the warnings painted on the petals. "This... this is weird." he said, still not looking back as Alli stumbled up behind him, still gripping the railings as if her life depended on it.
"It's a poppy," she whispered, looking at the door. "This is Poppy's room,"
He finally looked at her, "Who's Poppy?"
She blinked, the memories coming to her. "Poppy... was a girl. She- died, or something. I don't-" she put her hand to her face, pressing the heel of her hand into her eye, "She was Mister Ludwig's daughter- no," she shook her head, "No- that was Lilly- but Lilly and Poppy... what happened to Lilly?" she couldn't remember, the thoughts jumbled, images fuzzy.
"Listen- don't worry about it," Jansen shook his head, "It's not important," he reached forward and grabbed the doorknob, twisting it open with a click.
The door swung open, the light beyond it pink and the air warm compared to the gray air of the void behind them. It was inviting, even though it smelled like dust and flowers. Light music was playing from what sounded like a music box, the sound of the pins hitting the metal fingers echoing around the room.
Jansen stepped in first, as if called to something within the room.
Alli eyed him then followed, wrapping her arms around herself as she followed him across the plush carpet. Pillows were stashed around the room, bookshelves were pressed into the pinstripe wallpaper, half walls separating a sitting room from a playroom.
BAM! The door slammed closed behind them.
Alli and Cal both turned to look back at it, both holding their breaths as they turned back to face front again.
"Look at this," Cal said, pointing to a stack of papers, taking the top one and reading it allowed for them both. "Dr... blank. Case 293, Subject... blank. The Experiment is reacting well to our pushing, although I wouldn't suggest repeating this process. It's dangerous not only to us involved but also the delicate mental state of The Projects. Blank, has reacted well to the Big Bodies Initiative, she's doing well despite her anger towards, blank. The other Doctors and I are starting to think that Mr. Blank, isn't telling us the entire truth about what he wants from this project, but unless we comply... the rest is missing," Jansen looked at Alli, "This is what you were talking about, The Big Bodies Project. You've mentioned this,"
Alli nodded but stayed silent.
"What about it? You need to tell me what was going on," He turned to face her fully, holding up the paper and shaking it slightly.
"I don't- remember," she started softly, "Not a lot... but, enough,"
"Okay... explain," he said, obviously growing impatient with her.
"The Big Bodies Project- if I remember," she took a breath, "The orphans; they tested us... then they would disappear, I don't know forsure what happened after that- but after a kid would disappear one of those giant toys would be walking around. They would join us in the GameStation," she took a shuddering breath, "The toy would have the nickname of the kid that went missing- they would respond, interact, act the same way that our friends would,"
"So what are you saying?" He asked, watching her, "That they stuffed the kids into giant toy suits?"
She shook her head, "They- took their souls, and transfused them into the toys," she furrowed her eyebrows as she watched him.
He blinked at her then guffawed, "Okay kid," he shook his head and tossed the paper back onto the stack, "Let's just find a way out of here,"
She deflated as he turned away from her. No one else had ever believed her either.
He walked farther into the room and she followed him silently. "What about this?" he asked, the music growing louder as they walked. "Who's this?"
She looked up, "Poppy," she said evenly. "Poppy Ludwig- Elliot Ludwig's favorite daughter..." her words fell flat as she realized that she knew those words from somewhere, someone that always said them. "Lilly Ludwig," she thought, "Lilly always called Poppy the favorite,"
"The same Poppy you just mentioned?" Cal asked, looking over his shoulder at her.
She nodded, "Yup,"
They both looked at the glass box full of velvet, a porcelain doll with curly red pigtails sitting close-eyed inside her confinement. She had a blue dress, pink cheeks and red lips, ruffles and shiny black shoes, white socks, and hands too small for the rest of her proportions.
"She looks-"
"It's a shrine," Alli said, stepping past him and approaching the glass.
"Well then don't touch it!" he said, sounding horrified.
She retracted her hand slightly, having been reaching from the clasp of the glass door. "Why not?" she asked, breathless, looking at him over her shoulder, "You don't believe it's alive, do you?"
"Alive? Hardly. Possessed? After what I've seen tonight, yeah," he eyed the doll behind the glass with a disgusted and wary expression.
She looked back at the box, an itching in the back of her mind, "But she can help us," she said, "If she's the true Poppy-"
"True Poppy," Jansen said testily, "Yeah, that doesn't sound creepy at all. Thank you for that comfort,"
Alli reached for the clasp again, unlatching it and letting the glass door swing open. "Poppy?"
They waited, watching as the music grew louder, then- the lights went out, the music going silent.
"Allison..." Jansen said slowly, reaching forward and grabbing her by the arm gently, "What the-"
"You opened my case," said a voice that echoed hollowly around the room. The lights were red when they flicked back on, bathing them all in bloody light. "Thank you. It's been so long," Poppy said, standing at the edge of her podium, staring at Allison with wide blue eyes. "Nice to see you again, Allison,"