Abandoned Daycare

Chapter 10: Mischief

"Hey, you!" Steve tried to get Kelly's attention. "Kelly, right?" Steve hadn't been able to interact with her too much but hoped she was on the same page with Ashley in wanting to get out of this place. Kelly looked over at Steve, who was still in his crib. She seemed hesitant to interact with him, but it was clear that he had her attention now.

"Listen, we need to find a way out of this place. This place is messed up, and if we don't take our chance when it comes up, we might get stuck here too long." Steve's eyes darted between Kelly and the door. He was clearly stressed out about the situation he found himself in. He knew that they could find a way out if they worked together. But that was the issue. They had to work together, and Kelly was a complete stranger to him.

Kelly looked at Steve, her eyes narrowing slightly as she considered his words. The tension between them was intense. Their fear was suffocating; neither of them wanted to be there, but neither of them knew what these things might do to them if they got caught. Kelly crossed her arms, her gaze shifting away from Steve and toward the door where the mannequins had disappeared.

"You don't understand," Kelly finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've tried to escape before. We all have. It's pointless. These things...they know everything. They control everything. Trying to get out is like...it's like trying to escape from a nightmare. No matter how hard you try to wake up. You just... can't. And if they catch you trying to escape. They make you pay for it." Her voice trembled with fear. "That's why Nick is their 'Good boy'. He figured behaving for them was better than the endless torture."

Steve's face hardened. He couldn't believe they were willing to give up so easily. "I don't care how many times you've failed before. We have to keep trying. We can't just give up and let them treat us like this." His voice was firm, but there was a hint of desperation in his eyes. "We need to be smart about it, wait for the right moment. Then, find the opening and break out of this place."

Kelly sighed, the weight of her experiences evident in her expression. "And what if there is no way out? What if we're just stuck here forever?" She turned to stare at him, with tears forming in her eyes. 

Steve felt a pang of sympathy for Kelly. He hadn't fully grasped how deeply the experience had broken her spirit. He softened his tone, trying to convey some hope despite the bleak circumstances.

"We can't think like that," Steve said, his voice softening as he saw the tears in Kelly's eyes. "There has to be a way out. We just need to find it."

Kelly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, taking a deep breath. "Okay, fine. Let's say we do find a way out. What then? These things are strong and fast. They'll catch us before we even leave the building."

Steve leaned forward, gripping the bars of his crib tightly. "That's why we need to plan. Listen, they have our cell phones, but I know where they are, and if I had a boost, I bet I could reach them. We can call for help. We just need to find their weaknesses, exploit them." Steve whispered, afraid one of the mannequins might hear him. 

Before Kelly could respond, the door to the nursery opened, and Elysia walked back in, carrying Ashley. She had been changed into a fresh diaper, her face still red with embarrassment. Elysia held her in it's arms. "There we go, all clean and dry."

Ashley avoided eye contact with everyone, the humiliation still fresh in her mind. Elysia turned her attention back to Steve and Kelly. "Now, who's ready for playtime?"

Steve forced a smile, trying to hide his true feelings. "Sounds fun." He really wanted to attack the thing, ruin it. Get it to let them go, but being tiny in comparison really didn't help. 

Elysia nodded approvingly. "That's the spirit." She moved to Steve's crib, helped him out, and then turned to Kelly. "And how about you, Kelly? Ready to join your friends?" Kelly nodded, pretending to be excited. "Good girl, can you take Steve's hand and walk him downstairs, please?"

Kelly nodded, taking Steve's hand reluctantly. She whispered urgently as they walked toward the door, "Now is not the time. These things have routines, and we can use Nick as a distraction. I don't think he wants to leave this place at this point. He's been here too long. Besides, he creeps me out."

Steve's grip on Kelly's hand loosened slightly, the awkwardness of the situation gnawing at him. He glanced at Ashley, who was again being carried like a small child in Elysia's lifeless arms. Ashley's eyes were downcast, cheeks still flushed from the embarrassing diaper change. Steve couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt like he was betraying her by holding Kelly's hand, even if they had been instructed to.

Elysia's mechanical voice echoed behind them as they walked down the hallway. "You three are going to have so much fun during playtime." Her words were coated in an unsettling sweetness that made Steve's skin crawl.

Steve leaned over to Kelly, trying to whisper and lighten the mood despite the grim situation. "Well, at least we can all agree on one thing - this whole place is creepy. Not just Nick."

Kelly nodded, her expression serious as she led Steve downstairs. Nick was already there as they entered the playroom, sitting on the floor with a pile of building blocks in front of him. A pacifier stuck in his mouth. The other mannequin, Nyxara, was standing nearby, watching over him with a blank expression.

As they joined Nick on the floor, Steve couldn't help but notice how engrossed Nick seemed to be in playing with the blocks. It was as if he had completely accepted his role in this twisted game. He couldn't understand how an adult would be okay wearing a diaper with a pacifier, sitting on the floor playing with blocks like a toddler. 

"Ashley, are you alright?" Steve asked in a low voice, trying not to draw too much attention. Even if he did like the fact that she got what she deserved for her earlier comment, it didn't change the fact that he still cared for her.

Ashley looked up, her eyes still filled with embarrassment. "I guess so. Just trying to... process everything," she replied, her voice barely audible. She wanted to say that she hadn't had a bedwetting accident since she was a little kid, but admitting her past history with it felt even more humiliating.

"Don't worry, everything is going to be okay," Steve wanted to comfort her and be the hero of the story. But he knew that, in reality, they had no clue what was going to happen. "Listen, I know how we can get your phone back. I have a plan." Steve paused momentarily, glancing over at Nick. "But I don't think our little friend over there is going to be much help." He nodded towards Nick, who was still focused on his blocks, seemingly oblivious to their conversation.

As Steve was about to continue, a block came flying towards him, narrowly missing his head. He looked over to see Nick staring at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. With a stupid smile behind his pacifier. Steve turned to see what Nick had been doing with the blocks and saw the words spelled out: "Not yet." Steve started at him with a bewildered look on his face, not sure what his problem was. 

"Now, now, Nick. You should know better than to throw toys at the other kids." Nyxara picked up the block, staring at Nick, wagging her finger in disapproval. Nick just smiled like an innocent child who was happy to get the extra attention. The mannequin smiled creepily at his response before returning to its busy work taking care of the daycare.

With both of the Mannequins out of the room but still within close proximity, Nick spat out his pacifier. "You idiot. Do you have a death wish?" He snapped at Steve. Steve was about to attack Nick but was quickly stopped by Kelly and Ashley. 

"Listen. There is only one way out of this place. ONE. And trust me, it's never going to happen. At least not before you give up and accept your fate." Nick taunted. "If you want to try and get whatever it is that is so important to you. You'll have to be a lot smarter than just 'planning' something. You need to play their game. Which means..." He paused, building anticipation as an evil grin spread across his face. "you'll have to do things you don't want to."