The Smiling Cat: CatNap

Chapter 9: Isolation

As the days passed, CatNap moved silently through the corridors, a spectral figure in the twisted universe of Playtime Co. The children, oblivious to the dark secrets surrounding them, played and laughed during the day. But when night fell, CatNap's duty called. With a subtle release of Poppy Gas, he ensured the dreams of the innocent were replaced by a haunting stillness.

Theo no longer went by 'Theo', he was CatNap now, Experiment 1188.

Theodore Grambell, once a victim, had become a reluctant accomplice in the sinister schemes of Playtime Co. The walls of Home Sweet Home whispered his name, carrying the echoes of both innocence lost and nightmares perpetuated. In the dimness of his existence, CatNap moved through the shadows, haunted by the knowledge that he was now the keeper of a twisted lullaby, forever entwined with the dark legacy of The Poppy Gas.

He and the other Smiling Critters each had a cramped enclosure beneath Playcare, characterized by their colourful, padded walls and dungeon-like atmospheres.

They each had a check-up once a month to see if they were doing their job, and if they were doing it well.

Four years had passed since CatNap's initiation into the twisted universe of Home Sweet Home. The once-vibrant playcare facility had become a labyrinth of shadows, where the laughter of children was replaced by the haunting echoes of experiments gone awry. As CatNap continued his nightly duties, the weight of his role as the Sandman became increasingly burdensome.

In the early hours of the morning on the fourth anniversary of the day Theo became CatNap, the eerie quiet of the Playhouse was disrupted by the clanging of metal doors. CatNap, summoned by unseen forces, found himself in a dimly lit corridor that led to an unexpected destination – a cold and desolate jail cell within the bowels of Home Sweet Home.

Leith Pierre, the Head of Innovation at Playtime Co., stood on the other side of the cell bars holding a pen and clipboard, he also had another man next to him. "Okay... this is... CatNap. What's this kid's real name again?"

"Theodore Grambell, sir." The man beside him said.

CatNap did not look up. He didn't care about whatever these people were going to say.

Leith spoke with an unsettling calmness. "Heya Theo! How ya doin' bud? I know Dr. Sawyer usually does these check – ups with you but he's uhhh... out, let's say. So, you got me until they find his replacement."

CatNap still didn't look up; he was drawing on the colourful padded floor using his claws. It was a drawing of The Prototype's hand reaching out from a vent to save a smiling purple stick figure from a room on fire. Leith glanced for a second at this chilling drawing, then noticed there were similar drawings all over the cell.

Leith dismissed these as simple drawings, "First off: congrats! This is officially your 4th year in your new body. And you've made some real progress haven't you, pal? I was told that when you and the other smiling critters, y'know, DogDay, PickyPiggy, yadda yadda yadda, were added into Playcare, that you weren't really getting along too well with the kids like everybody else was. But look at you now! The kids love ya, and that red smoke."

Leith expected CatNap to react, but he merely continued drawing.

"I mean- That's fantastic isn't it?!" Leith said, trying to get a word out of him.

Leith then turned to the other man, "Is his uh, voice thingy still broken- ''

"The Prototype will save us." CatNap murmured, not looking up, "He will save all of us."

Leith paused and looked back at CatNap.

His voice no longer sounded shy, timid, or innocent, it had become deep and raspy from the experiments.

"Theo... Nobody's gonna save you. This prison is where you belong." Leith said firmly, "We'll let you out here and there to go see the kids in Playcare, but your home is here. And as for 'The Prototype', his home is in the labs. THIS is your life now. Get used to it."

Leith and the other employee begin walking away.

"I expected praise," CatNap stopped drawing and looked up at them, "Even after all you've done to me, I was still kind enough to at least warn you."

Leith paused and looked back.

"I'm not gonna tell you ag- "

"And tell Dr. Sawyer that I hope he gets well soon." CatNap said, looking back down at his drawing.

Leith looked at CatNap for a second, then walked away.

As the metallic door sealed CatNap within the confines of his cell, the shadows deepened, enveloping him in a cold embrace. The once playful child had become a reluctant prisoner, tasked with carrying out a sinister duty from the heart of his own captivity. The eerie silence of the jail cell echoed with the unanswered questions that lingered in CatNap's mind, a feline guardian caught in the web of The Dungeon's malevolent designs.