Poppy Playtime ~ An Angel's Bleeding Heart

Chapter 10 : G̷̤̈́u̵͈̓i̷̝͒ĺ̸̠t̶̲͘ ̸̛͕Ȟ̵̪ä̶̫u̵͖̍ń̵̢t̶̰̀ŝ̴̝ ̸̲͒Ÿ̸͈ọ̷̉u̸͌͜

Stirring within his sleep, the opaque shroud of darkness just as dull as his senses, Gabe eventually started to regain his sense of self.  His eyes fluttered open, his vision drinking in the sights assaulting him.  The first thing he sees is that he is lying on the floor, his left cheek pressed against the wooden floor boards.  He begins to move his limbs, even though fatigue was etched in every fiber of is muscles, he found some strength left to wake the nerves back up and push himself upwards.

Now back on his feet, he realizes that to his utter confusion, that nothing has happened to him.  From what he remembers as he begins to push past the drowsiness clouding his mind and pick at the most recent memories, wasn't Catnap just with him a moment before he fell unconscious?  He was easily within striking distance away from him.  And yet, he's gone now?  What made him change his mind?

Well what ever reason he's gone now, the generator's already on and now he can leave.  Making his way out through the doorway, he passes through the caregivers lounge and heads towards the door leading outside.  But when he opened it he finds a flight of stairs, not leading upward, but downward.  With no other option he descends the strangely wide staircase and finds himself within a hallway, a very long hallway.  Gabe guessed that the way out is much further than he anticipated.

Walking down the long corridor, his mind was stirring up yet more memories before Catnap used his smoke to knock him out.  The tape, the folder, the experiments, the children.  Why?  Just why?  Why children?  Why couldn't it be anything else?  There was a note that said they were experimenting with rats before and that they needed larger test subjects.  They could have used cats, dogs, the fricking chimpanzees.  But no.  They used vulnerable, orphaned, children.

"They hurt children."

This thought burned within his mind with such intensity that the world around him went red for a second, anger of such magnitude that he didn't take note of the suddenly different surroundings.  From once dilapidated and decayed now the halls are new and refurbished.  The glass lantern lights unbroken, the wood floor immaculate, and even the wallpaper left unstained after a decade of no care.

Gabe soon reached a split in the end, different halls leading directly left or right.  He didn't think on which direction to turn so blindly went to the right.  But just as he took but a few more steps ahead, he hears a radio blaring.  "Tragic news this morning.  As of 9:45 a.m,-"  Gabe turned and he sees that there is a radio sitting on a dresser cabinet.  "-local authorities reported the body of a young boy has been found on the estate of the late Elliot Ludwig.  An esteemed toy maker and founder of the Playtime.co company."

He remembers this broadcast, this was just a month before the disappearance of the staff.  "A t this time, the identity of the child awaits official confirmation.  Found in an upstairs bedroom in a large duffle bag, officers on-scene report that the remains appears to have been disturbed.  Organs as well as key bones of the skeletal structure were reported missing from the body.  It is unknown at this time whether this extraction was, in fact, the cause of death."

Even to this day this news broadcast still gave him chills.  Especially considering this was Elliot Ludwig they were talking about.  So many of the more senior employees spoke highly of him, during some of their talks in the cafeteria he would over hear one story where during his time in the hospital due to an accident that resulted getting his amputated, he said that Elliot personally invested giving him a new prosthetic leg.  But after this news broadcast, he didn't know what to think.  Then again, considering everything that has happened, he doesn't know what to think about Playtime.co.

Walking further on, he begins to notice that the environment around him changing slightly.  The wallpaper gradually becoming more greenish in color, and now there are claw marks on the floor.  Catnap's claw marks.  He soon reaches another junction, and there is yet again another radio.  "Following  recent events, Playtime.co was asked for any comment regarding the discovery.  This is what they had to say, quote:  It's sickening.  Elliot Ludwig was a great man, and those that knew him understood he was not capable of violence, let alone what others now claim.  He had deep love in is heart for children like this one, making the actions of whoever planted this body all the more sick.  We look forward to clearing his good name, both in the public eye and in the eyes of the law."