Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“That’s a good joke. Me, nice to be around.” CatNap chuckled. DogDay would have no reason to think he was nice to be around. Had he not learned after all these years? He’s probably just toying with my emotions. That would make more sense.  

“No, I’m being serious, even before that... hour,” DogDay looked down to the side at the mention of the hour of joy, then back up at CatNap. “You were very peaceful and composed.” DogDay gave CatNap another set of head scratches, CatNap’s head twisting and leaning into DogDay’s hand. DogDay chuckled. “And sure, you may have been hesitant, but you always ended up playing with the kids if encouraged.”  

Chris’s sleeping body groaned slightly. DogDay looked at him, then back up at CatNap. CatNap, the resident sleep expert, would’ve used his sleeping gas, but it would’ve affected DogDay as well. He repositioned Chris so his body was now lying against CatNap’s. Hopefully, this provided a better sleeping experience than the hard plastic tunnel he originally rested on.  

“You see, you may not recognize it at first, but I assure you,” DogDay pointed at Chris, “You are a good person.” DogDay used the action of repositioning Chris as a counterargument. This seemed oddly familiar.  

He walked around in a large empty room; the walls formed a box and the pattern on them was that of playcare. There wasn’t anything in the room with him but the giant spotlights above him, lighting up the room.  

He walked to one of the walls; it felt cold and hard. It was painted concrete. He wondered why it was concrete.  

Just as suddenly as the question popped into his mind, there was a large gust of wind throughout the room. Then the walls changed; now they were made of matted fur, peculiar. They kept the original pattern from the concrete walls.  

He turned around to wander more. However, he swore he saw something run out of his line of sight. He looked again and there it was, always running either to the left or right of his eyesight. He couldn’t get a good look at it, but he thought he saw the color blue.  

“Hey,” he called out. Maybe the creature was scared? Would make sense why it kept running.  

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do have some... problems with you.” DogDay didn’t want to say that, but he thought why not? Honesty hurts sometimes.  

“Y’know, you kinda,” he shook his head side to side and raised his brows, “Tore me in half.”  

CatNap chuckled. DogDay seemed confused by that. Did he like the fact DogDay was in half?  

“Sorry, you just looked funny doing that head thing.” CatNap said. That made more sense. Still felt a bit out of touch, but it was something he could put aside.  

“And you also fed me to those little critters. And you essentially crucified me...” DogDay trailed off. CatNap looked a bit lower. DogDay could see CatNap did have regret about these things in him.  

“But even before that, you were always difficult. I don’t know if something was bothering you all the time, but you always rejected things me and the others wanted to do.” CatNap could hear the hurt in DogDay’s voice. “It was only when the kids asked you to join that you did,” DogDay looked down at the floor. “It always felt like my attempts at being better friends were rejected and that you just didn’t like me or the others.”  

CatNap understood this. Looking back on it now, he did reject everyone except the children, even though DogDay and the others never did anything wrong to him.  

Despite this, DogDay continued to scratch CatNap’s head. CatNap felt a little purr in his throat resonate. But he was confused as to why, after the admission of hate, DogDay would continue to treat CatNap at all.  

This creature that constantly escaped his eyesight was getting on his nerves. He wasn’t mad at it, but he just wanted to see it.  

“Hey!” he yelled out again. “I don’t want to hurt you; I just want to see you.”  

His voice bounced off the walls, which was strange. Why would the fur walls bounce sounds? Wouldn’t they absorb them?  

He noticed the floor was hard plastic, which would explain some of the echoes, but the walls should still stop most of the noise. He called out again, but the echoes only grew louder and louder. They bounced more and more.  

Suddenly, a light above him turned off with a loud mechanical switch-like noise. The room was slightly darker, but overall, he could still see well. The tension was rising, and so was his heartbeat.  

As he further tilted his head into DogDay’s hand, this thought of “why?” kept growing. Why after all this, was DogDay being friendly and nice? Didn’t he know that CatNap was still dangerous? Just because he’s docile now doesn’t mean he won’t turn on him later. Didn’t he know that?  

It’s too confusing. DogDay shouldn’t be doing any of this. But he is... Gah! This is messing with me more than it should be.  

“Why... Why are you doing this?” CatNap asked coldly. DogDay sensed something wasn’t right. Why the sudden change in attitude?  

“W-What?” DogDay replied, confused. He didn’t know what CatNap was talking about.  

“Why are you being... nice... to me?” CatNap’s voice was low and raspier than normal. DogDay tensed up, his hand on CatNap’s head freezing. He had a sudden urge to pick up Chris and run, but he knew he couldn’t do that.  

DogDay took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He resumed the scratches, now slower and drawn out.  

“We were both made to fit a role in the group, you know that.” DogDay trailed off, not really knowing where he was going with this. CatNap was staring straight into DogDay’s eyes, creating a sense of unease.  

“Your role was to make sure everyone got a good night’s rest.” DogDay paused, feeling CatNap’s eyes burning into him. He swallowed the lump in his throat.  

“My role was to make you guys happy, and to help you guys when you felt down...” DogDay looked down at the floor, looking at CatNap’s hand resting on the ground. He put his free hand up, making it look like his hand was on CatNap’s.  

“And I failed you guys,” DogDay dropped his hands to his sides. “I didn’t do my role properly, otherwise, we wouldn’t be in a situation like this. Or so I think...”  

“So, I—” DogDay exhaled. He felt defeated, but he knew he must try, just like how he tried for Chris. “So, I want to try again. Even if you’re the only one left, I still want to try,” DogDay said in a somewhat desperate tone.  

“CatNap, you’re—” he breathed out again. Just say it, dammit! Say it!  

“CatNap, I still think of you as...”  

Frustration was all he felt. He just wanted to get a good look at this damn thing!  

He began yelling at the creature to show itself. But it didn’t work. It never worked. Every single damn time, it ran out of sight. He tried spinning in circles, but it always outran his cone of vision.  

The echoes were getting louder. He watched as the walls seemed to move outwards slowly, like the room was expanding. Whatever, the creature didn’t seem to be getting further away. The room could expand as much as it wanted.  

The room expanded, but the number of light sources didn’t. The spotlights became more spaced out, reducing the overall brightness in the room as more and more light was needed but not provided. He felt more frustrated as he began getting worse and worse images of the creature. The lack of lighting was really throwing a monkey wrench in his plan to see the creature.  

“Show yourself!” he demanded, trying to take charge of the situation, but he knew he couldn’t.  

Apparently, something else in the room with him knew this too. It knew he couldn’t control this. A maniacal laugh began bouncing around the ever-expanding room, slowly becoming louder and louder.  

The source of the laugh was undeterminable. The laugh was everywhere around him. And the creature just outside his line of sight kept reducing in visibility. This was getting out of hand. No, this was getting frightening.  

“-as a friend.” DogDay took a quick breath. He looked down further to the side as he said it. His face full of emotion.  

“As a best friend. I still consider you, CatNap, one of my best friends.” DogDay got it out. It shouldn’t have been this hard to say at all, but it just was. He needed to say this for himself. He couldn’t watch another one of his friends disappear due to his inaction. DogDay looked back up at CatNap’s gaze.  

He watched as CatNap’s burning gaze transformed rapidly. He watched as CatNap’s brows raised, then lowered, his eyes going wide, then closing down.  

He was stunned. DogDay just called him one of his best—No. How? This doesn’t make any sense. Why?  

“What? Why would you say that?” CatNap’s voice was low and disgusted.  

He wasn’t disgusted at DogDay. He was disgusted at himself. How could he have forgotten so much so quickly? Yes! They were best friends! But why did he turn on them so easily? Why did he kill each and every one of them? Why did he torture DogDay? So many “whys” but not enough “because.”  

“Because it’s true! Sure, we never met eye to eye on multiple things, but at the end of the day we could sit down and talk about it. Even if we didn’t want to, we stayed and listened.”  

“I could always count on talking to you, CatNap. And you always listened,” he paused, putting his hand back on CatNap’s head and scratching, but it didn’t seem to have any effect. “At least, I think you always listened.”  

CatNap began rolling up on himself. He didn’t want to hear these words. They made him feel terrible. This isn’t how friends should make each other feel, he thought to himself. When in reality CatNap realized he was doing the same thing he did years ago. Even though he didn’t like it, and he could’ve left, he stayed and listened.  

Anger.  

At this point, once he catches this thing, he’s going to hurt it. It’s caused him so much pain and suffering for no reason. He wants to give it a taste of what he’s going through.  

And the laughing! It isn’t ending. Each laugh echoed for what seemed like infinity, gradually stacking up on top of each other. Another pair of lights switched off, the switches inside making that same noise again.  

The sudden dim in light caused his legs to shake in fear. He shouldn’t be scared. The only thing he can see is this thing stuck on the edge of his eyesight. But the laughing, it has to come from somewhere.  

“H-Hey!” one last call out. This one was weak and you could hear it. It had fear behind it, and whatever was controlling the lights picked up on that.  

The lights went out completely. Chris watched as they each turned off, one by one. That mechanical switching echoed throughout the entire room. Bit by bit. The lights. Went. Out...  

He was plunged into darkness. He couldn’t see anything at all, but he could hear the creature running out of his line of sight still. Even though he couldn’t see anything.  

A single spotlight turned on, the mechanical switch sending a shine of hope through Chris. He looked up and followed the light with his eyes.  

It ended on a wall, and it was shining straight at what seemed like... DogDay? In the cell?  

He moved towards DogDay, making slow progress. This didn’t feel right. Why was he there?  

The laughing got louder as Chris got closer to DogDay, and the origin of the sound became more and more clear. It was coming from behind him, but he didn’t check to see what it was. He knew he wouldn’t be able to see it anyway.  

And as CatNap listened, the worse and worse he felt. He couldn’t handle these emotions right now. After all these years of being emotionless and devoted to the prototype, parts of his limbic system had remained inactive and unused for so long that this sudden dam of emotions wasn’t manageable.  

“S-Stop!” CatNap’s voice was loud and low. You could hear the mental turmoil. “Just... Stop...” he trailed off into tears. He put his head, face down, on the floor. He didn’t want to see Chris. He didn’t want to see DogDay. He didn’t want to see freedom.  

DogDay pulled his hand away from CatNap’s head, seeing and hearing the distress. “What’s wrong, CatNap?” DogDay needed to fill his role. He needed to find a solution.  

He moved off the side of CatNap and crawled to CatNap’s head. His face wasn’t visible, his ears – which normally were pointed forward – were flat against his head. DogDay assumed this meant he was scared and frightened. He would rectify that. He would make CatNap feel safe.  

DogDay let his arms loosen and he fell flat against the floor. He tried getting a view of CatNap’s face. Any sign or emotion would help him to better comfort CatNap.  

DogDay reached out to CatNap’s head, planning on lifting it up so their gaze could meet. But it wasn’t that simple. DogDay had forgotten how strong CatNap actually was.  

“No!” CatNap yelled. Without warning, CatNap swiped his long arm across the floor, sliding it over the plastic floor and the now flush train rails. The back of CatNap’s hand hit DogDay’s body, launching him backwards further up the tunnel straightaway.  

As Chris approached the captured DogDay, he noticed there were some wet things lying below him. The laughter seemed more and more evil as he approached.  

He got close enough to figure out what it was. Those were entrails. DogDay’s... entrails...  

They were still fresh; they were being drenched by DogDay’s blood dripping from his body above. Certain parts were still functioning. His lungs were somehow still breathing. His heart was still beating, pumping blood into the void. His stomach was slowly leaking its acid on the floor, this acid slowly eating away at his intestines.  

What he couldn’t believe was the sheer size of his heart. In all senses of the word, DogDay was the most caring. He had the biggest heart. But he wouldn’t have expected that. It was as big as both of his fists put together. And it just kept pumping blood. It just kept beating. Maybe it was symbolic of something. Chris couldn’t tell.  

He couldn’t believe the sight. He looked to the side and saw the belt DogDay wore. Its leather straps had stress marks all around. The belt buckle itself had given way. The blood had corroded and stripped the iron from the pin and it eventually failed.  

He looked up at DogDay. He had the burning white pupils, the same ones as CatNap.  

“DogDay...” Chris tried reaching out, trying to think of how he could even begin to fix this problem. But just as soon as he spoke out, DogDay had gone limp. His head and hands fell, his eyes went out. He disappeared. Just like that, he was gone.  

A warm gust of wind hit the back of his neck. It snapped him out of his stare. Another gust. He looked behind slowly. That damn creature still running out of sight. He got a glimpse of what was behind him and his eyes went wide.  

It was a grey skeletal body, standing right up against him, mere millimeters in distance. A large and steep V shape was present. He traced his eyes up the V shape. He saw CatNap’s face, and classic collar, the crescent moon swinging side to side around his neck.  

He screamed. Whatever he was looking at wasn’t real, but it was right there. And this was the source of that laughing. It was deafening how loud it was. A fraction of a second later, Chris jumped back, trying to get distance between him and this nightmare.  

His feet landed on DogDay’s large intestines. He was unable to get a grip on the floor and he began falling backwards. He hit the floor, DogDay’s entrails softening the fall. His pants were soiled in stomach acid and blood.  

This monster that looked like CatNap approached slowly. One step at a time, the laughing getting even louder, making it near impossible to think. The air became hard to breathe as his body began panicking. The walls around him seemed to close in rapidly, making Chris feel the situation. He was stuck, with nowhere to run.  

Time slowed for DogDay. A weird sense of déjà vu fell over him. As he flew through the air wildly, he felt the air brush past him. It felt like he was running, like he had legs again. He genuinely enjoyed the sensation. The only times he was moving this fast was with Chris. He loved it then, but Chris does deflect most of the air away from DogDay. But this time it was just him, and with every passing moment, he wished to be able to experience this more and more.  

Then the floor. Hard plastic, loud thud, chest pain, and a familiar bounce off the floor. His body was writhing in pain. He felt the wound on his back become uncovered. He hit the floor again, this time landing on his head, having a brief moment to look at the emotionally distressed CatNap, before his body flopped over backwards.  

He slid on his back, his arms lagging behind, being pulled upwards by increased friction. When he stopped sliding, he took a look to his left and right. His head landed right in between the metal tracks. He groaned in pain as his head wobbled side to side, still trying to regain his bearings.  

He lifted his left arm, reaching for something that wasn’t there. He let it drop back down. He looked up at the tunnel roof. Even that was covered in the aesthetic plastic lining. He coughed, trying to clear his lungs of the excess amount of carbon dioxide. He needed air.  

He lay on his back for a bit, recovering up to a point where he could move again. He considered leaving, but he swatted that idea away quickly. He was needed in this tunnel.  

He began crawling back to CatNap, but the pressure around his waist felt different. He took a moment to look down and noticed that his belt buckle – the original one – was beginning to fail. He was frightened but he couldn’t do anything about it. The best thing was to get to CatNap and hope he could help.  

He got a splitting headache while crawling. His body was still recovering but he was pushing it to its limits. His muscles felt sore and his eyes felt like they were going to shut. He tried ignoring the headache, but he took quick breaks. Each break, he had to remind himself to keep going because it was so tempting to just rest and recover.  

CatNap’s mind was in turmoil. Nothing made sense. He cares about me. After all these years, he cares. I’m one of his best friends... I’m one of his best...  

He simply wasn’t able to handle this on his own. It was like there was a checkpoint in his mind. All of this baggage wanted to go through and get processed, but it was missing something. But what was he missing? He wasn’t missing DogDay, so what was it?  

Why is it so hard to understand this? He said it himself! He meant it! I know that mutt’s voice and I know when he’s being genuine, and that was genuine! Dammit! What are you missing, you damn stray?!  

He was getting frustrated with himself. How is it that those few words “As a best friend” messed with him so much? He was spiraling out of control. Every time he thought he knew the reason why, he would just disprove himself in the next thought.  

“CatNap... Are you there?” DogDay’s voice echoed from down the tunnel. CatNap ignored it and stayed curled up on himself.  

Chris knew his fate was sealed, but he wanted answers. The last thing he wanted was to go out in the dark about what happened to everything around him. How did it all collapse so quickly? And all because of that stupid creature in his eyesight.  

CatNap got closer to Chris. The air became heavier and grew a metallic taste. Chris’s amygdala made it clear: fight or flight. Fight or flight, fight or flight, fight or flight...  

He froze. He just couldn’t do either. He knew he’d die either way.  

“What did you do with DogDay?” he asked in a low, bitter tone. He watched CatNap move closer and closer to him, leaning over Chris. Chris didn’t blink; he wouldn’t miss the answer in any possible way.  

But he was human, he had to blink. So, he did. As his eyes opened, CatNap’s face was gone, which he was glad for. But what wasn’t good was now DogDay was looming over him, with those same burning white pupils.  

Wait, DogDay can’t loom over me, he has no legs...  

Chris’s eyes darted down quickly and quickly realized this wasn’t his DogDay. His legs were there! He looked back up and realized the sheer height of DogDay. Chris was 6 feet tall, but DogDay, with his legs, had to be at least 8 feet tall.  

He blinked again; it switched back to the nightmare version of CatNap. It clicked. Every time he blinked, they would switch.  

He tested his theory. He blinked again and it was DogDay again. He tried keeping DogDay as the present one. He disliked feeling so small, but at least DogDay had a normal face.  

But after a few blinks, it stayed CatNap. Chris tried blinking again, nothing changed. Then all of a sudden, without him even blinking, they switched. The switch was instant. They actually just replaced each other.  

Then they started switching quicker. This made his heart race more than it already was. He couldn’t understand what was happening.  

The laughing got louder. He had to cover his ears, but it was still difficult to think. The warm breath of CatNap/DogDay making Chris quake and shiver in fear.  

“CatNap...” DogDay crawled up to the purple ball of fur, hesitant to reach out again, fearing yet another launch. “CatNap...”  

“What’s... on your mind, CatNap?” he tried being casual, but it wasn’t really working.  

“I’d like to help...” DogDay was failing at this, but he didn’t stop trying. No response from CatNap.  

What if he tried acting like nothing ever happened? Like the past ten years were just gone and the hour of joy never happened. CatNap seemed much happier then than he does now.  

Yeah, I’ll try it. Just got to think about it, it’s only been ten years. Surely, I couldn’t have forgotten everything we did before.  

“C’mon CatNap, stop being so sleepy...” His voice was warbly, but this felt so oddly familiar. What was DogDay doing?  

“We... I’m waiting for you, stop taking a nap!” DogDay wanted to tug on CatNap’s hand but still thought a launch was a risk he should consider.  

“Fine, if you just want to keep sleeping, I guess me and the others will have all the fun without you.” DogDay couldn’t believe he was saying this. He remembered how even if CatNap didn’t want to do anything, you could always persuade him with being alone. It was childish but it worked back then. And one good look at CatNap told him it was working now.  

“I’m just kidding with you; I’d never leave you out of playtime. C’mon, give me your hands, I’ll piggyback you while we play, so you can keep sleeping and we can all be together!” DogDay got a little carried away with that one. He couldn’t piggyback CatNap, let alone anyone.  

CatNap’s head started moving around. It remained facing down but it was adjusting. He could hear a familiar groan coming from CatNap. CatNap automatically put out his hands in front of him, waiting to be carried by DogDay.  

Wait, what was he doing? Why did he put his hands forward for DogDay to carry him? Because he didn’t want to miss the fun, duh! Wait, what? Why was he thinking these things? There was no fun to be had. There was no being carried by DogDay.  

DogDay took CatNap’s arms and put them over his shoulder. He tried pulling but it didn't work.  

“I guess... I won’t be able to carry you.” DogDay’s voice had a genuine tone of sadness.  

“I’ll stay here with you then. I don’t want to miss out on the fun but, you need company.” DogDay was answering without even thinking. His voice was genuine and comprehending.  

“Why? I won’t mind if you went and played.” CatNap was replying the same way. This was so natural for him, he couldn’t explain why. His mind hurt, all of these old memories coming back. A wave of nostalgia of all the times before the hour of joy. All of those smiles, all of those children. All that was left was a single smile, and it wasn’t leaving any time soon.  

“Because, silly! I’m your best friend!” DogDay’s voice cracked. The words spoke themselves, but they couldn’t have been further from the truth. He just wished CatNap would do the same and wouldn’t hit him away again.  

A rare yet familiar aroma filled the air. One DogDay enjoyed and CatNap remembered. The air smelled of vanilla. DogDay felt his ears perk up in excitement. He loved this smell. It was just sweet enough and felt nice and smooth. CatNap’s ears pointed forward in reaction to the sudden smell of vanilla.  

He took in a deep breath and smelled the gentle vanilla. This screamed DogDay. It was his scent. He thought about it. The last time he smelled vanilla was so long ago. This smell was something he kinda wished he had more of. It was nice, and it felt... safe. His body relaxed.  

CatNap looked up and saw DogDay laying on the floor, his hands were laying in front of his face, his legs were kicking off the floor, and his tail was wagging slowly. He was smiling, patiently waiting for CatNap. This imaginary scene then faded, but the core part remained. There DogDay was, laying on the floor, his hands in front of him, and a smile on his face.  

It’s like looking at a long-lost friend. But he was never lost, he was never long gone. CatNap just realized, he slept near DogDay every day for the last ten years. Even when he tortured DogDay, even when he punished him for being a heretic. He couldn’t stay too far from him; he couldn’t keep separated from his best friend. His. Best. Friend...  

Chris couldn’t handle it. The switching got faster and faster. The laughter got louder and louder. It was more crazed now. It was like that of a serial killer who relished in the pain and misery of the target before striking them down in cold blood.  

Now the switching was different. It was still fast but it had Huggy Wuggy in it now. A large vertical mouth, similar to that of this version of CatNap, was plastered on this huggy as well. The three switched between each other in a tenth of a second. The uncomfortable warm breathing hit his face like a strong current of wind.  

Chris’s mind was screaming. He swore he just saw Mommy Long Legs. And after four tenths of a second, it confirmed his suspicion. He saw correctly. No wait, there was a fifth. The thing that kept running out of his sight, for its own tenth of a second, ran across his eyes, again impossible to see anything apart from its potential blue outline.  

With each switch, the collective got closer to him, bit by bit. His heartbeat was through the roof. His mind wasn’t able to comprehend anything at this point.  

His ears popped. All he could hear was ringing, but he knew the laughing was growing louder. His eyes began to lose focus and water around the edges.  

They got closer and closer. He noticed how sometimes instead of CatNap, a spindly mechanical-like hand appeared in his place. It didn’t change the way he felt. He just wanted this to end. He just wanted to live.  

“There you go, good morning sleepyhead.” DogDay reached out and rubbed CatNap’s head.  

DogDay should be more careful. He knew what CatNap could do. DogDay was fully banking on the idea that the memories were working their magic. CatNap could’ve just thrown him away again, but this time, his face was neutral. He noticed no emotions. This scared DogDay. Maybe it wasn’t working.  

“Now c’mon, let’s go have fun!” DogDay exclaimed in a bright voice. CatNap stayed still.  

“CatNap? C’mon, get up...” DogDay pulled at his arms. Again, his body was on autopilot. Doing what it remembered doing all those years ago. He tried pulling but it didn’t work again. He couldn’t get any grip on the floor.  

“Fine, you win. I’ll just stay right here until you want to play.” DogDay pouted and moved his body closer to CatNap’s.  

CatNap still had trouble understanding. This DogDay in front of him was no different from the DogDay before the hour of joy. And he felt like he wanted to act as if it was before the hour of joy. He forgot about the hour of joy just for a moment, then he looked at DogDay. Whatever remained of his heart fluttered. How was DogDay not in pain?  

He felt sad for his dog friend, but his presence made the pain melt away. DogDay was in pain. He had to be. And for him to keep by CatNap just to make him happy? His expression turned sad. He wanted to help DogDay, but knowing his stubborn nature, he’d put CatNap’s feelings over his own.  

“Hey CatNap, what’s bothering you? Can I help?” DogDay saw the sadness in his friend’s face, and his body replied like a machine responding to specific situations.  

“Whatever it is, I’ll help you. Then we can go do something fun like drawing or playing around. Just tell me and I’ll help you. Please?” DogDay was trying to comfort his friend. It was rusty but hopefully, it would work.  

“And even if you don’t tell me now, I’ll help you with it later? When you feel more comfortable about it maybe?” DogDay reached out and patted CatNap’s head.  

“I’ll always be here for you, CatNap. That’s what best friends are for.” His body went off autopilot for that one. This one he wanted CatNap to know wasn’t just some script he was reading. This one was real, and he hoped that after all this time telling him, it would go through and settle in his mind.  

He was trying to use the nostalgia as a gateway past the many walls CatNap had put up over the years. He couldn’t tell if it was working in his favor, but something was happening inside CatNap’s head.  

CatNap didn’t know why, but DogDay’s words seemed to really hit something deep within him. He felt... energetic maybe? Happy even? He felt playful. He wanted to have fun with his best friend.  

He got off the ground, standing on his back legs. Not something he would normally do, but possible nonetheless. He towered over DogDay. Even if DogDay had his legs, he would’ve been at least two-thirds of CatNap’s current height.  

“CatNap?” DogDay’s voice was shaky despite his best efforts. He felt intimidated, scared, a shiver climbing up his back. It felt like something bad was about to happen, but he trusted CatNap. It just looked off, probably an accident.  

Chris’s body couldn’t take it anymore. It needed to move away. This unrelenting assault on his ears, the rapidly changing creature in front of him causing epilepsy. He needed to run. He needed to get away from this one spot, this one spot that caused him so much pain.  

He tried getting up to run but he didn’t move. He tried lifting himself up, but his arms were stuck being stretched out to their own respective sides. He tried kicking off the wall but his legs didn’t do anything. For the matter of fact, he couldn’t feel his legs; they’d gone numb.  

He looked to his sides and saw his arms in the same chains as DogDay’s. He tried pulling them together but they couldn’t go far. He looked down and his eyes widened. There lay the bisected corpse of DogDay, lifeless and empty, his organs scattered all around his outer shell.  

Then he looked slightly higher and saw a familiar pair of legs lying on the floor. His jaw fell. He looked down at his waist and confirmed the worst. He’d been cut in half. How did he not feel it happen?  

As soon as the thought of sensation crossed Chris’s mind, the pain began growing and growing. He could feel the skin where his legs were burn with agony. His entire nervous system was shocked into paralysis. Only the maneuvering of his neck remained. His eyes remained facing straight. His mouth couldn’t close or swallow the growing pool of saliva. His eyelids couldn’t close.  

He moved his head up to face the ever-changing creatures. They kept approaching with every change. His eyes began hurting. They couldn’t stay moistened. The pain from his missing legs only grew more and more unbearable. He couldn’t scream; his vocal cords were paralyzed.  

Then, once the face was a millimeter away, it changed to his own. His own face, his own body. It was the thing laughing the entire time. He was laughing the entire time. He tormented himself the entire time. He watched the doppelganger’s chest rise and fall with each sick and twisted cachinnation.  

His eyes began seeing things, different colors swirling around and dancing as his eyesight deteriorated. These random dances turned into memories, memories of his work in Playtime Co.  

He watched everything he did that could’ve caused the current state of the factory. Every suspicious sign-off, every corner cut, every employee hired.  

He relived the hour of joy. He watched Huggy Wuggy dive at him on repeat, each time looking like he made it closer and closer to not escaping. Until eventually, he got caught by the automatic shutter and pulled back into the factory, only to be ripped to shreds by the tall blue creature.  

All of this was playing like a highlight reel, covering up the grim scene he found himself in. Every single decision that caused him uncertainty or pain, even in trace amounts, replayed. He felt like he was to blame for everything. He felt like he caused the pain of hundreds, of thousands. The laughing began dying down. Chris felt something sharp and cold at the center of his waist.  

CatNap looked at DogDay. For a brief moment, DogDay felt scared, scared he would be taken back down to the cell. But then CatNap’s face grew a genuine smile, a smile DogDay hadn’t seen in more than ten years. It flushed away any doubt or fear in his mind. He got through.  

“Feeling better, CatNap?” DogDay wanted to chase this as far as he could. He wanted to make sure his sentiment was getting through.  

Then, all of a sudden, CatNap lunged forward, scooping up DogDay’s body in his hands. He lifted DogDay’s body up and began spinning in circles. DogDay, who was still a bit disoriented, didn’t fully grasp what was happening, but his body went back to autopilot. He began laughing, the joyful sound filling the tunnel. CatNap laughed as well.  

They were playing around like they used to, during those off days when CatNap felt down. DogDay was always there to cheer him up. He was always there to make sure he laughed, even at the expense of his own joy.  

This moment of joy felt surreal. DogDay had been chained, and CatNap had sulked and stalked for so long that this excessive movement was a bit overwhelming. So much so that CatNap ended up tripping on his own feet. He began falling to the ground with DogDay in hand. He pulled in DogDay to his chest and landed on his back, cushioning the fall for DogDay.  

“Woops,” CatNap let out, and they both laughed off the pain. “I guess I’m a bit rusty,” CatNap said, rubbing the back of his head with his hand and his eyes closed. A large grin was on his face.  

When he pulled in DogDay to brace him for the impact against the floor, DogDay had wrapped his arms around CatNap’s body. It was skeletal, but that was from the lack of proper nutrition after all these years. It was out of CatNap’s control, and DogDay couldn’t have cared less. It’s the same CatNap, even if he’s been starving all along.  

CatNap realized that DogDay was hugging him, something so old yet familiar. He returned the hug and looked at DogDay’s face. His mouth was wide open, laughing away at the situation. His eyes were closed and signs of tears were forming at the edge of his eyelids. This was the face he remembered from ten years ago. This was the face that brought him so much joy on mostly terrible days.  

“Y’know, normally I’m the one doing the spinning and tripping!” DogDay said between his laughs, accentuating the irony of the situation. “I guess it would be hard to trip without legs!” His joke hurt CatNap slightly, but he knew that wasn’t the intention. He was just trying to make him happy.  

“Psh, yeah. Plus, I don’t think you could carry me around like that!” CatNap replied to his joke but unintentionally challenged DogDay. DogDay would make sure, that if he ever got his legs back, he’d prove CatNap wrong.  

“We’ll see about that!” DogDay verbally accepted the challenge, making CatNap realize what he’d done. Oh god, when I get him his legs back, he’s going to try and spin me around!  

Their laughter died down, now they were just happy to have a best friend they could count on. They hadn’t forgotten about Chris, who had given them this opportunity for this repair. But he was still sleeping, so they’d rather let the man rest.  

Chris snapped out of his replay of guilt and mistakes. He watched as his doppelganger pressed the sharp edge of the axe right down the middle of his body, starting at the point of bisection.  

This was bad. Chris knew this he would feel. If it was from the skull then the brain wouldn’t have felt anything in time. The separation between the left and right brain would’ve saved him the pain. The left brain controls the right side and vice versa. If the sides were separated, then no pain would’ve been felt.  

But starting from his waist meant his brain would’ve felt every single moment, every single pain receptor flashing white-hot and alerting the body – the brain – of the damage.  

The doppelganger’s smile grew impossibly wide, and he felt it. The axe had begun its course up the middle of his body. He heard his entrails hit the floor with a wet splat. He heard the gush of blood hitting the floor. He looked down at the horror, the axe slowly making its way up his body was a sight like no other. He could feel certain parts hanging on to what little connection they had left on his body. And they were tugging at the organs above the still intact diaphragm. That soon changed.  

As he looked on, the axe head was going from silver to blood red, being drenched in his blood. The handle also got a tint of red. He looked at the base of the handle and saw that same metallic skeleton hand holding the axe. It then quickly switched back to his doppelganger. That hand must have been the root of this all.  

His thoughts were quickly replaced by the pain. He heard his ribs cracking from the pressure of the axe, his now punctured diaphragm letting loose the rest of the organs. He watched his heart hit the floor, still beating. He quickly compared it to that of DogDay’s. DogDay’s heart was twice the diameter. He really had a bigger heart.  

The axe got to his throat. He could feel his body swinging outwards like a rubber mud flap. It was almost time.  

The axe hit his skull, the motion slow, letting the excruciating pain really settle in before his final moments.  

He must scream, but he couldn’t.  

The axe then retreated, leaving only his upper head intact. The doppelganger backed up and lined up the axe. He threw it.  

Chris watched the axe spin through the air. It hit him right between the eyes, down the center of his nose.  

He should’ve died on the spot, but he had a few seconds of lucidity left. He watched as his eyes seemed to move further apart. He needed to scream. He could still feel his whole body. It was all in pain.  

Then darkness. The scene ended, half of his body swung to the left while the other swung to the right. The chains around his arms moving him apart.  

He screamed.  

He felt no pain, but he screamed.  

He saw no evil, but he screamed.  

His heartbeat was well above anything healthy.  

He didn’t take the time to gather his surroundings. He frantically pushed himself against a wall. He felt the plastic floor under his hands. He felt his legs.  

His eyes darted around frantically, checking his limbs to see if they were still intact. And they all were accounted for, not a single scratch or mark he didn’t already have before.  

At the sound of the panicked screams, CatNap and DogDay’s heads swiveled towards the source. They saw a yelling Chris, who was looking at a wall. CatNap knew what it was, it was a nightmare.  

He dropped DogDay and rushed on all fours to Chris’s side, leaving DogDay to crawl his way down the tunnel. As CatNap made it halfway to Chris, he realized his mistake. He rushed back and grabbed DogDay, tucking him under his arm. He then ran on his back legs to Chris. DogDay and Chris had known each other for longer. DogDay should comfort Chris instead of him.  

As they got to him, he was against the wall, still yelling at the void. CatNap stopped in front of Chris and placed DogDay on Chris’s lap. Chris’s screams calmed down as he noticed the two familiar faces. CatNap looked normal. His face wasn’t contorted. And DogDay was still bisected, his pupils weren’t white-hot. These were the real ones, not those monsters.  

It took a second, but Chris wrapped his arms around DogDay, shoving his head into DogDay’s shoulder and crying aloud. DogDay returned the hug and rubbed his back, offering comfort and security. CatNap didn’t want to add because he was scared that he might do more harm than good.  

“CatNap, you're the sleep expert. What if he had a nightmare? You’ve got this.” DogDay managed to encourage and remove the doubt CatNap had. CatNap gently laid his hand on Chris’s head. He felt the troubled man flinch but he didn’t pull away. CatNap sat on his legs and wrapped his tail around the man’s waist, offering him a form of hug that wasn’t too direct.  

Chris calmed down. He was still distraught from the nightmare and was still crying and tearing up, but he could speak now. He saw how CatNap was keeping his distance, not because he thought it was the best course of action but rather because he didn’t feel confident in his ability to comfort Chris.  

To disprove this, Chris reached out and pulled one of CatNap’s shoulders towards him. Once close enough, he wrapped his arm around CatNap and brought him in for the hug. He buried his head in the combination of DogDay’s and CatNap’s shoulders, appreciating them both, equally, for their support.  

CatNap relented and wrapped his arms around all of them. DogDay moved his arm to accommodate CatNap in the hug. They all hugged each other. DogDay’s and CatNap’s faces filled with unending compassion. They would stay like this as long as Chris needed them to.  

“Chris manages to do this thing when he’s distressed. He somehow manages to make others comforting him feel more comfortable,” DogDay whispered to CatNap.  

“Is that what I saw in the playcare? When he was petting you?” CatNap whispered back. That would make sense. Even before then, when Chris was still recovering from being knocked out in the playhouse, he put DogDay before himself.  

“Yes...”  

“I can hear you two, y’know.” Chris interrupted DogDay. He pulled his head up and away from the pair’s shoulders. He looked at the two and smiled weakly. He noticed how DogDay wasn’t as tense around CatNap now. Maybe they worked it out while he was sleeping?  

“Chris, what happened?” DogDay asked, his mind full of worry for the man. Something had clearly distressed him; did he see something or someone?  

“He had a nightmare,” CatNap commented. “You can tell from his heartbeat. What was it about?” CatNap was curious. Normally, when he watched over people who were sleeping, they wouldn’t have nightmares, unless he wanted them to. But that was only if they were under the effect of the sleeping gas. Chris fell asleep from exhaustion, not the sleeping gas.  

“It was weird. I was in this huge room. It looked like the playcare. The walls were hard like concrete, then they changed to fur...” Chris felt this same fur in his hands right now.  

“CatNap, was I resting on you?” Chris wondered if there was some cause and effect.  

“Yes, you were laying on the floor and made a noise. I moved you so you had a better sleep posture. I used myself as the pillow,” CatNap replied in a somewhat skeptical tone. What was Chris getting at here, and how did he know he was resting on CatNap?  

“Because the walls felt like your fur,” Chris revealed, shocking both of them. “Come to think of it, the floor was still hard plastic. This is weird.” Chris got back on track with the nightmare.  

He explained the thing constantly running out of his sight, making him angrier and angrier at whatever it was that kept running. He explained how it made his blood boil. He desperately tried seeing the creature that kept escaping his line of sight.  

CatNap began to feel a sense of dread, but he listened on. Maybe that creature in Chris’s dream was CatNap? Maybe he caused this suffering. He threw the thought away, trying to believe there was a different reason. But his mind kept resurfacing it. He ultimately decided to just keep listening and hope Chris proved CatNap’s mind wrong.  

“Then your face showed up, CatNap. You were looming over me. Your mouth was stretched vertically with a sick smile. Your fur was grey, you were skin and bones. It wasn’t a pleasant sight, I’ll tell you that.” This only confirmed to CatNap that he was the main evil in all of this. But soon that idea left him.  

“DogDay, you were also there. Every time I blinked, it would switch between this messed-up version of CatNap and you with your legs.” That reminded him of something interesting. “W-wait! DogDay, I know the advertising for the smiling critters product line is a much different thing than what you actually are, but you had a big heart.” DogDay looked in surprise. Not only was he in the dream once but twice? And he physically had a bigger heart?  

“Like it was actually bigger. Normal hearts are about this big.” Chris put his fist up. “Yours was this big.” Chris put both of his fists together.  

“Does that mean anything? Like it’s just a dream, right?” DogDay was perplexed. Did he actually have a bigger heart? Maybe because he wasn’t actually human his heart was bigger; they’d have to find out later somehow.  

“But anyways, you two kept switching between each other, then I saw Huggy, then Mommy Long Legs, even that thing that kept running out of sight was cycling.” Chris’s voice became more distressed.  

“There was even a mechanical-looking hand sometimes. It replaced you, CatNap.” That revelation made CatNap’s eyes widen in horror. The prototype was in his dreams? They needed to get out of here.  

“I saw my past; I saw everything I had done in the company and it felt like everything I did made this happen.” He opened his arms to signify he meant the current state of the factory. “I couldn’t bear it and I tried running, but I couldn’t move. I looked down and saw DogDay’s empty shell and my legs right next to his, ripped off the same way as his.” Chris’s voice became warbly, the tears were coming back up.  

“I looked up and I saw myself. I was the one laughing the entire time. I felt an axe at my waist and I looked down. I was about to be sliced down the middle by myself. I looked and saw the skeletal hand again; it quickly flashed back to me.” Chris stopped himself. He couldn’t keep it together anymore. His body shed more tears. But he would finish this story for the two.  

CatNap and DogDay struggled to fully comprehend the dream. They both understood it but not what it was trying to say. Maybe these memories were being manipulated somehow? Maybe after everything he’d seen, a lot of things had fallen into place. Like he was finally seeing what was happening beneath the surface.  

“I watched... I watched as the axe traveled up my body. I heard every tear and crack from the axe moving through my body. I looked up for one final time to see the blind shear travel up and between my eyes. I watched as my innards fell onto the floor. Then I woke up.”  

CatNap was stunned. He had never heard of a nightmare this bad. Not even the ones he gave people were this bad. He felt guilt rush through him. He was the main antagonist of his nightmare and he began moving away from Chris. CatNap felt like any more proximity to him would cause Chris to have nightmares like this again.  

“CatNap, it’s not your fault.” Chris quickly read this sentiment through CatNap’s body language.  

“Yes, it is. You saw me first; I was the first big problem...” DogDay saw CatNap begin spiraling. He tried to offer his comfort, but Chris beat him to it.  

“No, I saw Huggy first.” That got CatNap’s attention. “That thing running out of my sight, it was Huggy, not you. I didn’t get a good look at it but I know it was blue. You’re not blue. In fact, I saw neither of you in that dream.” Chris began processing the nightmare properly. He had never seen either of them. The CatNap he saw was completely different. The DogDay’s he saw had white burning eyes. The actual DogDay didn’t have these eyes.  

“I saw some sick and twisted version of you two. Less sick for you, DogDay.” Chris began trying to explain his thought process.  

“The CatNap I saw was nowhere similar to you; the only resounding similarity was it was a cat and it had the same crescent moon pendant. And DogDay, you had your legs and you had those burning white eyes. That isn’t you. That isn’t the real DogDay.”  

They both began calming down. Chris reached out for CatNap to come closer. CatNap’s body obliged and Chris did what he does best. He comforted the two. He gave both some head scratches. CatNap’s body, which was on all fours, melted to the ground.  

This felt a lot better than when DogDay did it. Sure, he felt a little bit of it before, but he quickly forgot how good it was. He began purring.  

DogDay was about to make a comment about CatNap purring, but the scratches got to his mind as well. He felt it become increasingly difficult to not start panting from satisfaction.  

Chris chuckled at both of their reactions. He let them enjoy it and relax, allowing their bodies to process his dream and its implications while melting away any worry it might cause them.  

After a couple of minutes of head scratches and animal antics, they all got up and began heading out of the tunnel straightaway into the game station. The game station was an area Chris knew how to get out of.  

“CatNap, can you go and get that thing I asked you about?” Chris reminded CatNap of the deal and he nodded. He headed off to a section of the game station. Chris picked up DogDay and the axe before briefly having a moment of reflection.  

“Wait, DogDay. Can you sit up straight? I want to see how tall you are.” DogDay scoffed, thinking Chris was making a joke.  

“Sure, but I don’t think I’ll get anywhere close to as tall as you.” Chris stood straight to the side of DogDay. He noticed how DogDay, even without his legs, was about 4 feet tall.  

“I wouldn’t say that yet, you’re almost two-thirds of my height!” Chris grabbed DogDay and placed him on his back. They headed over to the entrance of the game station, DogDay making Chris walk slower so that he could take in the new view. He had never seen the game station before and it was exciting seeing something brand new after ten years, even if it was old and decrepit.  

“So, how close are we to getting out?” DogDay felt a lot more rejuvenated after this new sight. Like his world was expanding, possibly even bigger with the idea of the outdoors.  

“Pretty close, actually. We should be able to get to the first floor from here. And as you know, I was the boss of the first floor. We’ll get out in no time.” They reached the entrance of the game station; all they were waiting on was CatNap.  

CatNap appeared behind the two and spooked them. “Boo!” Chris jumped around and DogDay dove to the floor in fear.  

“It’s just me!” CatNap laughed it off.  

“Not funny!” DogDay replied in an angry tone, but underneath it was quite obvious he enjoyed the joke.  

“Jeez! You almost gave me a heart attack,” Chris said with his hand on his chest, gripping his heart. DogDay crawled back onto Chris’s back. As he popped his head from behind Chris, he saw two orange tube-like things connected at the top by a flat surface.  

“What’s on your back?” DogDay asked. He genuinely couldn’t figure out what those were.  

“You really don’t remember, huh?” CatNap chuckled. He moved the two connected orange tubes off his back and placed them upright on the floor.  

“Still don’t remember?” CatNap asked DogDay. DogDay’s brows furrowed. That’s not possible. Those are...  

“That isn’t real. They can’t be...” DogDay didn’t believe his eyes.  

“I can tell you, as the person who removed them, they are real,” CatNap joked about the past, trying to lighten up some of his wrongdoings.  

DogDay moved up Chris’s back to get a better look, and sure enough, those were real. His excitement was uncontainable. He pushed down on Chris’s shoulders and launched himself forward, landing on his face but he didn’t care. He quickly scurried on the floor to the set of legs and put his arms up to them. They were the same color.  

Chris fell over from the unexpected leap off his shoulders. The grabpack saved his face from a kiss with the floor.  

“My legs!” DogDay exclaimed. He wrapped his arms around the lower area of the legs. He was overjoyed yet confused. Why did CatNap still have his legs? Why were they intact... why were they cold?  

“Why... Why do you even have these? I thought you fed them to those little nightmares...” DogDay’s voice was low and he was staring blankly at the floor.  

“In case you joined me...” CatNap’s reply didn’t make much sense to Chris, but it made a couple of connections in DogDay’s head.  

“So, if I became a believer, you’d reward me with my legs?” DogDay’s question would hopefully answer Chris’s confusion, but he was still confused about the general subject of who they were talking about. Who had CatNap been believing in all this time?  

“Yes. But you were never going to change your mind and I knew that.” CatNap’s confession further confused the two. Chris was completely lost, but DogDay made the connection. He kept it for sentimental value. He kept it as a memory of what once was.  

“So, when Chris asked if I had the legs and if I could get them back, I thought—”  

“Maybe giving me back my legs would make us friends again...” DogDay stole the confession from CatNap. It made too much sense. This entire time he kept the legs because he missed the simpler times with the children and the other smiling critters lineup. These legs were just a part he kept locked out. These were the happy memories.  

They looked at each other for a moment. It was clear as day when DogDay looked at CatNap’s face that that was correct, that he had nailed it on the spot. DogDay took a second to get everything sorted in his head. And the puzzle pieces began to fit. There were signs that CatNap wanted a friend all this time.  

Sure, he may have tortured him, cut his legs off, and let those small bastards drink away at his blood. But he slept near DogDay every day. He frequently visited and just watched DogDay, not torture him. They wouldn’t talk because DogDay was scared, but they did look at each other. CatNap, this entire time, wanted to be with his best friend. It’s just that thing was brainwashing him. Clearly, friendship was always winning, just not enough to free CatNap earlier.  

DogDay jumped at CatNap’s neck. He used his hands like springs. He wrapped his arms around CatNap’s neck and laughed joyously. He had never lost his friend; he was always here.  

CatNap was surprised at first. Seeing the face of DogDay rapidly approach from the floor wasn’t something he would ever expect to see, but he didn’t flinch. He knew this was going to be good. When DogDay wrapped his arms around CatNap’s neck, he felt a smile grow on his face. He lightly rocked his body side to side in amusement as DogDay’s laughs echoed throughout the game station. The scent of lavender spread from around CatNap.  

Chris didn’t expect to smell lavender down here. Maybe one of the two knew why this smell was here? Maybe it meant something, like a warning of something terrible to come.  

“Sorry to interrupt, but why do I smell lavender?” CatNap blushed and DogDay laughed at Chris’s question.  

“That’s CatNap’s smell. All of the smiling critters had smells they could expel whenever they wanted to, but sometimes our bodies just decide it’s a good time to do it and we never realize until someone notices,” DogDay explained to Chris. CatNap looked away in embarrassment. “My smell is vanilla,” DogDay finished.  

“The funny thing with CatNap’s is that it was never fully implemented, so he can’t really control it. So, when you smell lavender around CatNap, most of the time it means he’s overjoyed.” CatNap’s face turned to mock-anger as he tried to defend himself. DogDay just laughed.  

“Oh, okay. That’s kinda sweet actually.” Chris examined DogDay’s legs. If he had his legs on, he would at least be 8 feet tall. Which was quite a sobering thought. He wished only happiness for his friend, but going from 4 feet to 8 feet tall isn’t something you get used to instantly.  

“Alright, when we get to the top floor, I can stitch these back on. We should have some medical stitching in first aid so we’ll use that to get these on for now.” Chris took DogDay into his arms and placed him on his back once again. He picked up the axe in one hand and put DogDay’s rather cold legs under his other arm.  

“Why are the legs so cold?”  

“Oh, I put them in a freezer, so that they wouldn’t decay as quickly.”  

That was logical, but Chris doubted a freezer could do much against decay over a period of ten years. Let’s hope whatever voodoo magic making these two real have a method of preventing long-term decay and encourage healing.  

“Shouldn’t we get orange thread instead? So that it doesn’t look visible after a while?” CatNap made a fair point but seemed to forget that you take skin sutures out after the skin has healed.  

“That won’t be a problem, plus I’d rather use something that I know is clean and sanitary than some old thread that’s been rotting for 10 years with some random disease on it.” Chris replied. CatNap bobbed his head in agreement and followed Chris. He seemed to know a way straight up from here.  

Chris reached behind his back and lightly patted DogDay on his head. “Don’t worry, bud. You’ll get your legs back and working again. I’ll try my damn hardest to make sure of it.”  

“And you’ll both get to live a proper life, well, as proper as your lives can be.” He felt a bit of regret, and his voice showed it. He still pondered how much of this he could’ve prevented, how much he could’ve saved.  

“Even if you don’t believe you deserve it, you do. Everyone does.” Chris felt a heavy weight fall on his shoulder.  

“As most likely the last living former employee of this place, I must do what’s required and repatriate you two for the damages this company has done.” He needed to do this now. It wasn’t pity, it was responsibility.  

“I’ll make sure you two get to enjoy as much of the living world as possible. Even at the expense of my life and personal situation.”  

“Thank you, Chris. That means a lot.” DogDay’s voice was low and gentle as he agreed and accepted the promise from Chris. DogDay only felt more excited about getting outside the factory for once. He had only heard brief descriptions of the outside, nothing more.  

CatNap was a lot more direct with his appreciation. He used his head to make the axe in Chris’s hand fall, and then he began to nuzzle his head against Chris’s hand. Chris stopped to give the cat proper scratches and a gentle purr emanated from CatNap.  

“You’re both welcome.” Chris picked up the axe and handed it to DogDay, then continued to scratch CatNap’s head as they began heading up and out of the factory. Next stop, First Aid – base floor.