Chapter Text
The dripping inside the cell echoed DogDay's dying voice, the source of the sound being the toy dog's protruding intestines.
Beyond DogDay's pessimistic words, his voice reminded you of the humanity lost in the pit of horror that the PlayTime factory had become. You just thought he was worth saving.
That's why you ignored DogDay's panicked screams as you reached out to pull at the restraints keeping him prisoner. The screeches of the ruined critters came closer and closer, increasing the terror in DogDay's voice, begging you to stay away.
You concentrated on getting him out of there, there was no time to answer him.
DogDay collapsed on top of you as you untied him, the weight making you step back and stagger. DogDay was left speechless by your actions, and you ran, full of adrenaline as you felt the paws of ruined critters pulling at your heels.
The jerking movements drew pained moans from DogDay, his open wound being a big problem at the moment. At some point during the race through the tube maze, DogDay passed out from the pain, so it was a total dead weight when you successfully escaped the threat.
Carrying what was left of DogDay's body, you came across a banner of him. You pressed the button to hear what the banner had to say, but half of the recording was interrupted by loud static. The upbeat and jovial DogDay voice on the banner was completely different from the being on your back.
The steady breathing coming from DogDay's open mouth confirmed to you that he was still alive, but the warm, slimy humidity you felt soaking your clothes prompted you to hurry out of the Playhouse.
There had to be a way to fix him. In that factory the impossible had been achieved, there had to be a way.
When you managed to carefully place DogDay on the artificial grass, the phone that had been accompanying you a while ago rang insistently. You stayed next to DogDay, making sure he was breathing, while you answered.
"Are you OK!?"
Ollie's voice sounded dismayed, surprised, even, that you had left the Playhouse safely. But when he noticed DogDay's presence, his tone changed.
“Oh, you took the dog out.”
You pretended not to notice, because as soon as Ollie let out those words in a suddenly flippant tone, he went back to being exaggeratedly attentive.
“You need to get it repaired! Go behind Sweet Home, you should find a service door that takes you to Repairs and Spares”
You followed the boy's instructions, carrying the dead weight of DogDay, since he had not yet woken up. Carrying him around was starting to tire you out, so it would be great if you could fix him up so he could accompany you.
Behind the service door that Ollie indicated, there was a series of corridors that guided you to a place similar to an operating room, although surrounded by display cases through which you could see everything that could be done there.
Like the rest of the factory, Repairs and Spares, it was deserted, splattered with blood from who knows what, but functional nonetheless.
“Mn… Angel….?”
DogDay's voice next to your ear after carrying him on your back caught your attention completely, which made you gently lower him onto the stretcher in the center of the operating room.
“I'm here, everything is fine.”, you said, conveying confidence.
DogDay extended a plush hand, and you held it firmly in yours.
“You… saved me…”
You nodded silently, staring into DogDay's dark sockets fixed on you.
“You shouldn't have, I'll just be a burden.”
“I'm going to fix you, you'll be fine.”
“But… Angel…”
“I'm going to fix you,” you said firmly.
DogDay looked at you without words, then nodded, “Okay.”
You let go of his hands and walked over to the panel behind one of the display cases that surrounded the operating room DogDay was lying in. Next to the panel there was a TV and a player. You played the corresponding tape and a video explaining how Repairs and Spares worked began to play.
The panel lit up and revealed some buttons and levers that you recognized from the explanatory video. The first step was to sedate the toy that was going to be repaired, so you took out a syringe with a large needle from a box hidden in the panel.
You turned to DogDay, who was lying down, patiently waiting.
“I have to sedate you now, DogDay. It’s going to hurt for a second.”
The dog cocked its head unconcerned. “Any pain is incomparable to what I have already felt.”
You stayed silent as you injected the syringe into DogDay's arm. The sedative must have been very strong, because halfway through the dose DogDay was lying unconscious on the stretcher.
You left the operating room and headed to the control panel. Starting with a small screen and buttons on the panel, you chose the lower part of DogDay's body to install. A chain opened from the ceiling and a series of bodies hanging on the chain began to be shown. They were all inert versions of the large Smiling Critters, some were just limbs, but all shared the fact that an icy vapor surrounded them and that blood was beginning to drip from the frozen scabs.
When DogDay's lower body appeared among the spare parts, the chain stopped automatically, and the next step was to use the mechanical arms that came out of the ceiling of the operating room to pick it up. Through levers on the control panel you were on, you operated the mechanical arms, which did most of the work installing DogDay's legs. When the bottom of DogDay appeared to be installed correctly, an extra mechanical arm that you couldn't operate came out of the center of the roof, which had a pneumatic eyelet.
DogDay's entire waist was bracketed, thus preventing the upper and lower parts of his body from being separated.
You did it, you were able to repair DogDay. The pressure that was on you from the moment you struggled with the straps that kept him prisoner evaporated like water, making you fall in relief.