That Violet Disciple - Poppy Playtime

4 - Spark of Life

The phone rang, startling Yin to immediate wakefulness. He fumbled the phone before managing to hit the button.

Ollie didn't bother with pleasantries. "What's wrong with you?! It's been five hours!"

Yin glared at the phone. Was a man not allowed to sleep? Especially after DogDay had woken up screaming from a nightmare. 

"Get up and go to the Counselor's Office already! You can't be wasting time like this when we're so close to the end!"

The phone disconnected. Yin had half a mind to throw it. Instead, he stood and clipped the phone to the GrabPack.

DogDay was still fast asleep on the floor. His breathing seemed deeper and more even than before, so Yin took it as a good sign. Hopefully there'd be no more nightmares for the time being. He tore a slip of paper and wrote "offices" on it, folding it and leaving it on DogDay's chest.

Yin stretched, grabbed the key, and headed out.

The Red Smoke was annoying. Its rolling murkiness plus the dirty gas mask lenses made Yin need to squint to make out the power sockets and batteries.

He kept his ears open for any heavy footsteps, but so far hadn't heard anything. Still, he knew CatNap was somewhere in the building, so he did his best to keep alert and... was that a voice?

Yin stopped and listened. He heard it again, a distant voice. He kept going through the halls, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

"Angel!"

DogDay? Yin hurried around the corner into another hall with a door at the end of it. The door had a window, and through it Yin could see a familiar, orange, floppy-eared shape.

"Angel, can you hear me?"

Yin ran for the door, waving. DogDay noticed right as Yin got to the window, startling a little. Yin held up his hands and waved again, realizing he must look a bit spooky with the gas mask and red fog all around him.

"Angel! You're alright!" DogDay walked on his hands and got right up to the window. Rather, he got as close as he could. There was debris piled on the floor on both sides of the door, and it was locked. They couldn't break the glass either, since that would let the Smoke get through.

Yin put his palm against the glass and DogDay mirrored it. "I woke up and you were gone! You're okay, right?"

Yin took a second to nod since he was distracted by DogDay's eyes; they had pupils now. Not the tiny rings like CatNap, but the large white disks from his cartoon version. Yin tapped at the mask lenses, then pointed at DogDay's eye.

"Uh... n-no, I don't have a mask. I can hold my breath in the gas for a while, but it will put me to sleep, too."

Yin sighed. That wasn't what he meant at all. But, good to know. He wondered at the toy in front of him. What was he even doing there? Yes, Yin had left the note but that was more so he wouldn't panic when he woke up alone. Yin wasn't expecting DogDay to try to follow him. If anything, he wished DogDay had stayed put.

Oh well. It was nice he was worried. Still, Yin had a job to do.

Yin backed away from the door and looked into the office on his right. Ahah! There was a battery in there! He grabbed it with the Pack and looked back through the window, pointing at the battery and then down the hall.

DogDay tilted his head. "You... need to put that battery somewhere?"

Yin nodded.

"I-I can help! I'll find a way around, or..." he trailed off, pupils flicking to something behind Yin. "Angel? There's..."