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How many loops had it been? How many repeats have they had to suffer through, seeing the Postman coming back and acting like nothing is wrong? How many dreams…no, NIGHTMARES have they had to deal with? It was tearing them apart. All Z could think of now was that...creature in their dreams.
“FIND ME.” It would say. “BREAK THE LOOP. SET ME FREE.”
It got even worse when these…drawings appeared on the walls of their house. Detailing the loop. How to stop it. A sketch of that creature, with the text “OUR SAVIOR.” On another wall, there was a drawing of the Postman...with the same smile and strings as that creature. And on the wall next to the door…was text saying “DON’T TRUST HIM.”
When Postman came by that day, Z only cracked open the door. They looked like a mess. Dark circles appearing under their eyes, messy hair, wide, frightened eyes. Postman started off with his original programmed dialogue, but…
“Hey hey, day 2! I was just here to-”
That’s when he noticed Z’s physical state.
“Hey bud…are you okay? You don’t look too good.”
Z just murmured in response. This elicited another look of concern from Postman.
“Bud…is your mic tail on? I can’t hear you…”
Postman opened the door further and clicked a button on Z’s mic tail, the tail itself starting to move slightly. Z’s tail usually gave away their feelings, and they usually enjoyed whenever Postman touched it. Whether to turn it on to let Z be heard or just affectionate touch when he goes off-script, Z always seemed to enjoy it. And this was no different, Z’s eyes had closed when Postman had touched their tail.
“There, bud…can you try again?”
Z took a breath, trying to stop shaking so much.
”..have I told you about those creepy dreams I’ve been having..?”
Postman nodded a little, tilting his head afterwards.
“Yeah? What about them?”
Z shuddered.
“..th-they’re…getting worse…and when I woke up, there were-...were these drawings on the wall..!”
Z anxiously pointed at the drawings on the walls, the triangle ears that hovered over their head having flattened like a cat's. Postman set the package he was carrying down and teleported inside, standing in front of the drawings with a look of concern and fear.
“Breaking…the loop? Z, this means breaking the game. You're not…you don't want to..?”
Z shook their head vigorously, squeezing their eyes shut behind the censor bar that kept Postman from seeing their eyes.
“N-No- I don't want to-! I don't want to hurt you- or break the game-! But- But I'm scared of what might happen if this keeps happening, I-!”
Z paused when they felt a hand on their head, their triangle ears perking back up. Postman had gently touched their head, to ground them.
“Easy there, bud. Nothing will happen, I won't let anything happen.”
Postman gave a friendly smile, starting to mess with Z's hair. This did help them relax, causing them to melt into the touch a bit.
Z eventually noticed the sky darkening, their ears drooping again.
“..you're gonna go soon, aren't you..?”
Postman nodded.
“I've been off script all day, I don't wanna think about what'd happen if I went full rogue and stayed the night…”
Z nodded in understanding.
“..I-I…appreciated you coming in to help…I'm not sure what I'd do without you, really…”
Postman laughed softly, taking his hand off of Z's head
“I'll be back tomorrow, even if you don't need me.”
Z gave an affectionate flick of their tail as Postman disappeared, leaving them alone again. They sat on the bed, clicking the button on their tail to turn it off before starting to fall asleep sitting up.
That night, the nightmares were gone.