Chapter 13: CatNap

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Playcare was eerily silent, toys and dry blood scattered across the once noisy space. Quinn had returned, it had been 10 years since the Hour of Joy took place. He moved carefully, retracing the paths they'd taken before, deeper into the facility.

As they rounded a corner, Quinn stopped abruptly. Just ahead, a familiar figure lingered in front of him—a creature with soft, purple fur and a large, eerie smile. CatNap. The experiment was as quiet as a shadow, his long tail swaying back and forth hypnotically.

Quinn took a cautious step forward, watching as CatNap lifted his head, its lazy gaze meeting his. There was something unsettling in its expression—a hint of intent hidden beneath the drowsy exterior.

The creature regarded him silently, and for a moment, Quinn thought he saw a flash of something other than the soft tranquility CatNap usually projected. Before he could react, CatNap inhaled deeply, the muscles of his chest starting expanding as if he were preparing to yawn. But instead of sound, a thick, red mist billowed from his mouth, rolling outward in slow, spiraling tendrils.

Quinn's eyes widened. The air suddenly felt heavy, and he took a step back, but the red mist reached him before he could escape. It clung to him like a blanket, warm and strangely comforting. He tried to resist, to keep his mind alert, but the more he breathed in, the heavier his body felt.

His knees buckled, and he sank to the floor, his body surrendering to the thick, drowsy haze.

His eyes fluttered as he fought to stay awake, but each breath of the mist pulled him further into a dreamlike stupor. The last thing he saw was CatNap's serene gaze watching him intently, as though ensuring he fully succumbed to the sleep.

Darkness swallowed him whole, and he drifted away, lost in a deep, dreamless slumber.

𝐘𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐲 - 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝟏𝟏𝟔𝟔Where stories live. Discover now