Puppet Master

Chapter 3

TIMESKIP! Idk

"Come on, come on! Stop daydreaming and get moving!" Dad's voice echoed through my thoughts and I woke up. Bright lights illuminated the ceiling and my head was rested on a sleek, red table. I looked up, coming face-to-face with an angry father.

"Vincent, I thought I gave you a job to do!" He shouted in my sleepy face. I mumbled questioningly and gazed at my surroundings. There were kids everywhere.

This must be hell. One little kid ran up to me and smacked me with an inflatable guitar. I winced and picked myself up. Working for my dad's pizzeria was tough, annoying, and....I just wanted to leave. My job as one of his "employees" was to sweep the halls before and after hours, check on the robots occasionally to make sure they functioned properly, and keep any wandering kids out of trouble.

This. Sucks.

I hung my head and staggered wearily to the janitor's closer. I took my mop and bucket from there and began mopping the west hall. The floor was awfully dirty for some reason. There were stains streaking the walls and posters ripped to shreds on the ground. I wonder who could've done that...

Whatever. There's no time to think about it.

After an hour of cleaning and rechecking the hallways, I went back to the tables in the main room of the building. The animatronics sang on the stage while kids ran around and played.

I looked down at my watch. 2 more hours until lunch.

I saw a little kid running towards the hallways, away from the lobby area. "Hey!" I shouted. He turned around and stared fearfully into my eyes. Creepy...

I walked over to him and led him back to his mom. He was frightened for some reason. When I was walking him back, he wouldn't let go of my hand. Ergh, I never liked children. They have a creepy and annoying sense.

The rest of my shift went by like a breeze. My watch beeped 12:00 and I pulled out a sandwich from my lunch bag. My eyes alertly scanned the room as I ate, just to make sure nothing suspicious happened. Even after I finished my peanut butter sandwich, I still felt hungry. I don't eat very often, as I am very slim. But my stomach was growling for more food.

I knew my dad kept a microwave and a mini fridge in his office. There's only one way to find out. My dad was chatting with some strangers on the other side of the building, so I took the opportunity to sneak back into the hallways. I darted down the hall and into the small office.

There was no sign of a fridge or microwave, which disappointed me. But sure enough, there was a toaster sitting right below the office desk. I didn't know what I could make, so I just snatched a slice of bread from my lunchbag and toasted it. It popped out light brown and crunchy. A perfect piece of toast.

I fell in love with every bite. Jeez, that toaster is magic...

I figured my dad wouldn't mind that I had snuck in there to eat toast, so I finished the perfect piece of bread, licked crumbs off my fingers, and proceeded down the hallway again. But I stopped halfway.

The same child that seemed scared earlier was standing on the other end of the west hall. He looked up at me with those fearful eyes and a blank facial expression. What is wrong with him? Where is his mother?

"Come on, kid. You can't go down the halls. Stay with your mom," I approached him and tried shooing him away, but he wouldn't budge. Instead, he lifted a shaky finger and pointed behind me. I feared the worst, but after all, it's just a child. Although children did creep me out.

I spun around anyway, and there was nothing there. The child continued to point and stare at a blank space, so I just lightly pushed him away from the hall entrance. I searched for his mom, the one I had seen earlier wearing a pink logo shirt. She was nowhere.

So I did what was smartest. I alerted my dad. He raced to his office and spoke into the loud speakers to announce a lost child. While he did so, I had to sit with the kid at a table and wait. It was kinda awkward, considering the fact that he kept staring at me like I was his favorite Pokemon. I tried to shrug away his stare, but of course that wouldn't work.

So I stared back. And for the first time, I felt some sort of rush of both fear and anger. I felt the need to just rip something to shreds. The sudden urge to take out my stress on the world. Why? I don't know. I just looked at the kid and....I felt it. I studied him closely: his eyes, what he wore, and how he acted.

His deep blue eyes never looked away from mine, so it became a staring contest. He had on a green polo shirt with blue jeans. He seemed about average weight and height for a toddler. He had some slightly curly brown-and-black hair and a skin tone as light as a peach. The way he acted....well, he didn't do anything except stare.

Just stare. I kept staring. He stared back.

Stare.

I felt that sudden rush again. It pained me on the inside because I was so tempted to tear the kid's head off. It left me very puzzled.

"What's your name?" I didn't mean to ask, but it sorta just came out. I quickly shut my mouth at the last word and looked away, causing me to lose the staring contest.

"Tyler."

My eyes widened, I'm sure they did. He actually responded. Wow. All I did in response to his answer is nod. Tyler...

My hands then did something I never thought would happen. The rush of hype and anger came again, and I lunged foward at the kid and strangled him. He kicked and screamed for help. I heard the other kids screaming in the background, the parents rushing them out of the building.

What was happening? Why was I doing this? It felt good though....I really needed to hurt something! I dug my hands harder onto his neck and put pressure. He choked and gasped for air. A muffled laugh escaped me and I felt great for it. That poor hopeless creation. He's gonna have to die now. It's a shame this has to happen for no reason at all, especially after I just met him.

BANG!

Wait, was that loud sound?

To be continued...
MWAHAHA Cliffhanger!  >:)
Because I'm evil