Lassoing the Cresent Moon

3. Motives

I stared at the empty stand where the blue giant once stood.

Okay. It was time to recollect my thoughts. I took out a notebook and pen and began to scribble into it. What did I know so far?

1. After I left Playtime Co there was no trace of Sam, or his adoptive parents. For the past decade there have been no leads.

I paused. Great way to state the obvious... honestly I wrote it to remind myself why I was staying. All this creepiness meant possible answers.

2. Tapes were deliberately left behind.

3. There was a video with Huggy's hand warning trespassers. He had miraculously offered keys at the right time and now dissappeared.

4. There were bloodied toys. Possible looters?

5. Toys seemed to come to life when I was younger.

6. There was a carving on the wall of a giant claw, and someone had carved out the words "Help us."
I stopped writing at this remembering the carvings.
"Multiple people in need of help. Orphans?"

I sighed things just got weirder and weirder. "The files." I reminded myself. "I'm looking for files."
Now that the power was back on I used my hands to open a door leading to another hallway.

I headed forward and flinched when I saw something blue sliding across the wall.
Huggy's arm- his arm had just slid in the door. It hadn't been a jerky pulley movement but a concise movement.

I took my notebook again.

#7 Huggy: Precise movements. Warm tender skin. Prefers to watch- hasn't shown hostility yet.

I blinked a few times. There had to be some logical explanation behind this! For now... I think assuming Huggy was alive and a threat was the best idea. It was best to stay away from him.
...I tried to ignore the craziness of my own thoughts. I was here on a mission. I couldn't get sidetracked by all this madness.

I went towards the door opposite to the one Huggy had entered. There was a sign that said 'Stairway' and in red marker was written "to hell". I peered closer. The writing was messy, similar to a child's. I jotted this down and pulled at the handle.

Locked. Of course. I looked at the room where Huggy had went through.
That was the room to make extra hands! I looked at my broken grab pack that was missing a hand. If I could make the other I could unlock more doors!

My smile lessened at the recognition of my company. I... had to follow Huggy. I slowly stepped forward. Was this thing guiding me? It... hadn't attacked. It was being deliberate.

Seeing as that second hand was in my best interest I decided to make the terrible decision to wander forward. I looked around, there was no sign of Huggy- but the machine to make a red hand was clear. I took quiet careful steps as I headed towards the machine controls.

Empty- all its batteries had been thrown around.
I clenched my teeth. Why wasn't I surprised?

On the floor below me was a yellow battery. I went down the stairs and hurried to pick it up as I looked through the room for the other batteries.
Although I couldn't see him... I could feel Huggy's gaze. Was this a game to him? I felt like a helpless entertainer, just being watched. I had no idea what he wanted either!

As I brought the batteries up and placed them on the machinery, powering it up I heard a vent open. I looked over to see Huggy staring right at me with a smirk. I kept an eye on him before the door he came from abruptly shut.

It was hard to concentrate on making the hand and controlling the machinery. I couldn't figure out what the heck Huggy's motives were. Was he helping me? Yet why was he keeping so mysterious? He was stalking me? Why did he pretend to be inanimate anyway? I couldn't forget that warning either.

A loud crash shook me from my thoughts. "Crap!" I watched as the claw that had retrieved a new hand released it prematurely due to my lack of focus, sending it crashing to the ground. "Crap Crap Crap!" I ran down the stairs and rushed toward the new hand. I picked it up and turned it over, taking a good look.

The glass and stand it was in was completely shattered, but the hand itself looked fine. I sighed in relief as I took off my grabpack. "Focus Audrey." I screwed the hand onto the empty arm until I heard a click.
I then put the bag on my back again and rubbed my eyes.

Things would have been so much easier if I had a map of this place, or knew in which direction to go. The truth was I was completely clueless. I was winging it in hopes that I'd find files or clues eventually. With the current trouble clues seemed certain, but I Still felt directionless.

I saw two pads for me to place my arms. I placed them on them and waited for verification. A door soon opened giving me the choice to go through some sort of vent or back to lock picking the Stairway to hell.

... I chose the vent. I had hoped that I could avoid Huggy and see different rooms as I crawled around- but no. As soon as I went forward the power started back on and I realized the truth. This wasn't a vent- this was a conveyer belt!

Loud beeping and red lights invaded my senses as doll parts fell down various slides on to me. I let out a yelp at being covered in decapitated toy baby heads and limbs while in the dark with no idea of where I was being led to. I coughed as smoke was let out from the machine. Was I breaking it? Humans weren't supposed to be here were they? I coughed some more looking for some sort of exit when I saw a light. I was dumped into a giant vat of toy parts.

I took a second to process my surroundings. There was some weird bright colored machinery with eyes and mouths. It was probably meant to look fun but the eyes all seemed to be staring at me. As if this place wasn't creepy enough...
Big letters hung from the ceiling. This was the "Make a Friend Room". Better said it was just a room with a machine that could assemble and paint toys.

I pulled myself out of the vat and hopped to the ground, only barely keeping my balance. There was another room and hallway but it was closed shut. A sign was next to it with a scanner. "No one leaves without a toy."

... Really?
I sighed. I guess I was going to make a toy. When I had decided to come here finding answers about Sam this was the last thing I thought I'd be doing.
I took a few guesses as I powered on the conveyer belt again. I pulled a few levers, buttons, pretending with false confidence that I knew anything about what I was doing.

I watched as white, detached plastic limbs and a head fell onto the machine. It went through the first machine and came out colored. The second machine assembled in. The third machine scanned it. I nodded a bit in recognition- I had to admit this was pretty impressive.

Now standing at the end of the line I picked up the freshly made polished cat bee. Honestly I thought cat bee was pretty adorable. I then put the toy in the scanner, watching as the metal door opened leading to yet another darkened hallway.

So far I still seemed to be in the public areas, where consumers and new employees would tour the factory. Regardless of that I was still going deeper, and there had to be more private, helpful rooms eventually. I started to go through the hall when I saw a massive shadow loom over me.

I heard a snarl and backed away feeling my feet touch something wet. Quiet steps came forward revealing limp arms and rows of uneven sharp teeth, Saliva dripping from massive jowls and focused, dilated eyes. The noises resembled a feral starving animal.

I instinctively ran back into the room before realizing there was no door out except the one ahead.