Hear me out! I know he's awful, and writing this might've put me on a few watchlists. But it seemed like the best angle to go for. Showing exactly how screwed up he is in the head.
Massive trigger warning for: non-con, stalking, and necrophilia.
If you like my work, please consider commissioning me or leaving a tip on Ko-fi (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
The Prototype stalking you
★ The Prototype's idea of intimacy is much different than yours. It's not violent. Not unless you run from him. But it's more controlling than anything. He never touches you because he doesn’t need to. Observing the Player is its own reward.
★ Quite the voyeur, he turned out to be. Watching you from afar with an almost predatory gaze. He listens closely to hear the small changes in your breathing. Everything in the factory is predictable. But you? Not so much.
★ He's seen you struggle. Smiling as you limp from room to room. It makes him feel unsteady for some strange reason. Excited to see what breaks first.
★ His own sex is somewhat of a mystery. What he has -if he even has anything, it was never really clear. You haven't been that close. And don’t want to be.
★ The Prototype will cut you open. He fantasizes about doing just that constantly. In his eyes, life and death mean nothing. All that matters is what he can get from it.
★ If you died, and your body was still warm... Well, it's better than nothing? The Prototype takes whatever he can get. Carving into flesh. Be for parts or for his own pleasure. Such an act still wouldn't be the worst thing he's done.
AN: Fandom so miserable that I almost didn't post this 💀. It's actually so depressing how much potential this game had before it took THAT route 🥀
Word Count: 3k+
Click-clink.
You try to stay clear-headed as you hear its mechanical joints grinding together along with a piston or something shifting from air pressure.
“Do you really think you can HIde ForEveR?”
You shiver as you hear that creature’s voice glitching out again.
Is it broken…? Does that even matter?!
You don’t know what it is besides that it’s sentient and dangerous. You had barely managed to escape with your life once more while sliding back into the vent, but now that you've seen it twice, It seemed to be some sort of metal spider mixed with a jester. A jack-in-the-box? Whatever! None of that mattered besides you finding your way out of here!
You and your friends were always exploring abandoned haunts as a random hobby you all had picked up and this time you four had plotted to break into the desolate Poppy Playtime factory. It was randomly brought into the conversation as you were all watching a sports game together when one of you had mentioned the toy their aunt had given them in their childhood.
“Yeah man, it was like some fluffy purple cat.”
“Wait, I think I know what you’re talking about.”
“Shit. They also had that doll called Peony Playhour?”
“You mean Poppy Playtime.”
“That’s what I said.”
After reminiscing on your old memories and doing minimal research because it felt like the company had just disappeared off the face of the planet, which it kind of did, you all decided to pack your bags and go on a road trip to see what had truly occurred to cause the factory to just close one day.
Wewooooo!
Your friend whistles as he manages to turn on his flashlight and you all follow suit.
“Ah man, I remember Huggy Wuggy.”
“Bet you hugged him to sleep every night~”
“Did not.”
Your friends shove each other as they play around, while you could only scrutinize your surroundings. The place wasn’t nearly dusty or destroyed enough to be considered abandoned… Everyone was having a good time and you didn’t want to ruin it, but there was still a strange atmosphere present in the area. It almost felt like you were being watched.
“Do you guys get a feeling that something bad happened here?”
“Obviously, genius. Why else would they close a thriving factory with millions of dollars in profit?”
“Right…”
You huff as you’re easily dismissed by the others, but even they begin to feel the oppressive weight of the factory on their minds. It’s not until you all encounter a giant door with a heavy lock on the front do they finally decide to call it a night. The strange poppy flower painting and the numerous scribbled writings of “Turn back” send chills down your spine.
“I can't believe they also painted the toys with blood and hung ‘em.”
They laugh, but you notice that the paint on the door isn't at all like the ones stained on the toys’ bodies. The splotches have turned a deep brown in some spots, oxidization, it was definitely blood. You were sure of it.
“I bet Y/N’s happy.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
You try to keep a calm mind and a steady hand as your flashlight trembles in your grip while you walk behind them.
“Why so jumpy? We said we were leaving.”
They laugh at you as one of them throws an arm around your shoulders to try and lighten you up. It's not until you all reach the inner main lobby do you notice that something's amiss: the Huggy Wuggy mascot in the center platform is gone.
“Was I daydreaming an 18-foot blue plushie?”
“Nah bro, it was definitely there…”
You quickly turn off your flashlight as your hand begins to shake even more. The lights from your friends’ flashlights are enough to pave a clear path anyways.
“Hey, what's that?”
One of your friends asks as he points his flashlight at the entrance you all came from. Blue fur, spindly limbs, and a mouth no longer curled into a cute smile but instead split open to show rows upon rows of teeth greet you.
“Heeek!”
He drops his flashlight and within a second he's grabbed by the creature. You all watch in shock as Huggy Wuggy lifts your friend into the air before shoving half of him into his mouth.
Krsh. Krsh.
“He… He just…”
Its dark pupils slowly slide in its glassy eyes until it's focusing on the rest of your group.
Run.
You don't wait a second as your legs are on auto-pilot while the creature charges at the rest of your friends who also separate and scatter. A tactic you all would usually partake in when the police would find you all trespassing on private property.
I knew this was a bad idea! I knew it! I knew it!
You hear the creature’s inhuman shrieks fading in the distance as you run into random rooms to hide. You eventually find yourself in the mini warehouse and take cover behind a pile of boxes next to the stairs.
Control your breathing! Control your heart rate!
But how could you when you hear the doors slamming open and one of your friends screaming in a panic. You've never heard someone shout for their life before, at least not outside of movies. Nothing could replicate that desperate wailing being ripped straight from a person’s chest, nor the sound of that monster's teeth sinking into them as it grabbed her and, you assume, broke her into two. The sickening squelching noises make your stomach twist as you try not to cry and/or vomit. Bones crack like twigs while blood sprays so far that it barely misses you and instead hits the wall behind you. Her body hits the floor with a thud as you close your eyes and try to think of something else, anything else, except the situation you were currently in. A small sob almost escapes you as you hear the creature dragging her away and out of the stairwell. You're too afraid to move. You think you could just wait here forever and die a more peaceful death than whatever the plush monster had in store for you.
Time passes eerily slow as quiet settles over the factory once more. You hug your knees closer to your chest as you sniffle, but refuse to cry.
Did he leave…?
You think about popping your head out from behind the boxes to look, but you can’t without at least one sign you’ll be okay.
“Is that all of them?”
What?
A charismatic voice echoes from outside the storage room and you're compelled to leave your hiding spot to see what's occurring.
That's a man's voice. It's a person!
But instead you're greeted with something even more horrifying. A man-made horror beyond your comprehension with needles for hands and mechanical spider-legs for a lower body stands in front of Huggy Wuggy. You try not to look at it as much as possible or your friends skewered on its fingers, opting to keep your eyes on the large blue doll instead.
“Good job, HugGY WuggY!”
Their voice switches to that of a small child before distorting into something that could only be described as demonic static while your legs tremble from behind the wall.
“Now remember, find the last one as well. We cannot let any intruders into our paradise!”
Huggy Wuggy gave a small guttural growl in response before walking off with heavy footsteps. The creature looks around momentarily and you duck your head back behind the wall. The tips of its legs click against the floor before the sound of the remnants of your friends being dragged away reaches your ears.
They're going to eat them. And then me.
The situation is hopeless. You've been waiting for that stupid, murderous, giant ball of fur to wander off somewhere else, but instead it's just been getting more and more mad while pummeling things in the lobby out of frustration. The plaque describing Huggy Wuggy is bent sideways as he punches at everything else that surrounds him. His irritation is nearly hitting his peak as he's unable to find you.
Stupid doll.
You internally groan as you slide back down into your new hiding spot.
That creature is his boss. That shit was not a toy.
You wonder what on earth that thing could have even been. It was perfectly emulating all manners of human speech and mannerisms unlike Huggy who seemed to be a somewhat mindless plush monster. You shake your head.
Not empty-headed, that thing is just feral.
You hear him screeching even louder as he bashes his fist through another wall.
And angry beyond belief, fricking loser.
You wait. And wait. And keep waiting.
It's been hours now and you were starting to feel cramped. If you couldn't escape through the main entrance, then maybe there was another way.
You end up hiding and sneaking your way back into the storage room warehouse and find an open ventilation shaft.
Cobwebs cover the front and the entirety of the internal pathways of the vents are most likely filled with rats and spiders…
You sigh but this is what you signed up for when you came here with your friends. Exploration and adrenaline that could fulfill your guys’ curiosity for years to come!
What a waste. I need to find a way out.
You brush aside the cobwebs with a small toy block before quietly placing it to the side and going into the ventilation shaft. It's not as tight a fit as you would expect. Someone could even crouch run in here if they wanted to.
Wanted to? More like if you needed to.
“Ugh…”
You groan softly as you make your way through the labyrinth of steel and stale air as Huggy continues to throw a tantrum beneath you.
If he's screaming in the inner lobby area, then maybe this way?
His screams become a thing of the distant past. More like the past hour as you continue to crawl through the vents with aching hands and sore legs. You start to realize that the vents are going on for way too long. That this couldn't possibly be the way to the main entrance past the inner lobby. You must've gone the wrong way and deeper into the factory…
Small groans slip past your lips as you lay your head on the slightly lukewarm metal of the ventilation shaft.
Fuck. I should just go back down to the ground and figure out where I am first.
You crawl further in and find a grate that you could easily kick open. Through the gaps, you can see a room filled with pillows and an empty glass case.
What could this room even be for? What the actual fuck is happening in this factory.
You maneuver your body around before easily kicking the grate open and pushing yourself into the room. The wallpaper is peeling and it smells weird, but it's oddly cozy. It’s much more comfortable than whatever the hell was going on in the front of the factory. You walk close to the glass case to confirm that it's indeed empty. Nothing small lays on the pillow nor is there even an indent of something ever having been placed on it.
“Why would they have a place like this in a toy factory…?”
“Why indeed?’
You close your eyes as you exhale and wonder if you have enough time to run back into the vent and crawl away.
Probably not. Probably yes. Your legs feel like jelly, but you manage to dive into the vent before the ends of the creature's legs stop in front of the opening.
A man’s soothing voice plays from it.
“Come back to me, won't you?”
Fuck no!
You can hear its joints creaking as it bends down to take a better look at you, but you're already well on your way out of the room and unfortunately, further into the factory.
“A little mouse has made its way into the walls! We'll find you~”
A woman's voice sings-songs to your back as you shudder and try to ignore it. A factory this large must have had fire escapes, right? Surely, you can exit through one of those.
Wrong. So wrong. You're in disbelief as you find yourself even deeper in the factory.
Why the fuck is there an orphanage at the fucking core of the earth?!
You wander around as your feet sink into the fake grass and fans work overtime to mimic spring breezes. You glance at the numerous buildings nestled under this dome and the amount of overturned furniture in disbelief.
Nope. I need a break.
You sit down on a scratched up chair as you think of how you really need to start doing more thorough research before visiting abandoned buildings.
Like I would ever do this shit again!
You stop yourself before you can think of “and with who”...
Now wasn't the time for grief. You needed to focus on survival, especially with the way you shuddered at how that thing was most likely actively looking for you with its giant goons.
To any higher being that’s listening, please let Huggy be its only dumb goon after me!
You pray knowing full well, that Huggy Wuggy was probably only the first one with ten more waiting for you, each more awful than the last. It didn't hurt to have some hope in an awful situation, even if that hope was being chased down by two gruesome monsters instead of four.
The claw marks left behind on the head of the chair are huge and you can feel the indent of the missing wood on your back, but you feel like there’s probably more pressing matters.
Maybe that creepy boss thing did this?
You groan as you wonder how much longer you can keep gaslighting yourself into thinking everything is going to be okay. Your head is in your hands when you feel a looming shadow pass over you.
“Leave Playcare.”
You jump as you hear a raspy, whispered voice that seems to come out of nowhere.
“Or I'm coming for you.”
You almost spin in circles as you look for the source of the voice.
… Did it just tell me to leave?
“Can you lead the way then?”
Silence.
“I said I want to leave!”
You still see nothing in the shadows or the light nor hear the strange voice telling you to go away again.
Maybe I imagined it?
You wouldn’t be surprised, but just to make sure.
“I said I want to-!”
You gasp and stumble backwards as purple fur and eyes that resembled pitch-black voids stare at you from not even a centimeter away.
It's… It’s a cat.
You realize as you continue to back away from it while on your bruised behind on the floor. Your nerves start to go haywire as it just keeps watching you. It's entire mouth could swallow you whole in one bite. He almost looked even bigger than Huggy Wuggy.
This must be my fault for wishing for him to be the only dumb goon instead of the only goon…
“A-are you going to help me leave?”
You tremble as you ask it while rising to your feet. It mimics your actions as it also stands to its full quadrupedal height. But it doesn't answer you. The crescent moon on its collar jingles as it turns and begins to walk away from you.
“S-so do I follow you?”
It doesn't respond to your second question either. You sigh and decide to trail after it anyways solely because it didn't kill you when it clearly could have.
It leads you further into dark corners of Playcare as you struggle to see anything, only the swishing of its tail and the jingling of its collar keeps you on track. You stumble and trip eventually, grabbing onto its tail by accident. It stops walking right then and there. Its eyes glow in the dark as it looks back at you with that permanent wide mouth smile.
“Sorry, I tripped…”
You immediately let go of its soft tail and it's turning back around and continuing its trek.
Quiet… He's scheming something. There's no way, he isn't. Why did I have to run into something sentient again…
“I've brought her.”
“Good job, Catnap!”
You close your eyes as you smile in acceptance once you process whose or what’s voice you’re hearing.
I'm actually gonna die.
Fooled by an overgrown purple cat into walking straight into a death trap. You almost want to laugh at how absurd that sounds if it weren’t for an amalgamation of children's nightmares walking up to you with its own laugh.
“What a cute little thing! You've survived for so long all on your own!”
Catnap sits quietly as he patiently waits for a new command. His tail curled around in the empty space behind you to prevent any escape back to Playcare.
“And you listened to Catnap and didn't have to be dragged! Good job!”
You feel disgusted at being complimented by some creature that made you feel sick by just looking at it. It leans closer to you in the dim lighting of whatever back passageway Catnap had brought you to and you can count each individual tooth in its mouth. It's upper body contorts in a way that makes your own skin squirm in discomfort.
“I do want to see what you look like wrongside out.”
Its face shifts sideways, rotating its smile and eyes as you try not to faint. You take a step back purely on reflex, but feel Catnap's tail brush against your ankles. A clear warning: don’t even think about running.
“But I suppose some sacrifices have to be made!”
You flinch when its needle-like fingers bend down and inch closer to your head. You keep your head lowered and your gaze on the floor as it picks up a strand of your hair before dropping it and moving onto the next.
“Obedient. Willing to do what it must to survive. Quiet. You’ll do nicely!”
I think I should have let Huggy snap my neck…
You gasp loudly as its hand grabs your face and tilts your head so you couldn’t look anywhere but into its singular glowing eye.
“I think I'll make you my angel.”
If you wanna support me -> Here's my Ko-Fi 💌
More Here -> Part 2 - General ML - Twisted Wonderland ML
Taglist: @lurulu-ru, @yan-love-reader, @sleepystuffnigth, @what-is-wrong-with-everyone, @lucky-whispers, @lovley-valentine7, @alisiujana, @rincommittedarsin, @mspurpl3 --> DM or comment that you want to be added to everything or for a specific character/AU ❤️
I'm dead serious. If you didn't know he was a kid at first, fine. The romanization/fetishization of child sexual abuse is still being popularized months after Chapter 5. Oliver's intellect cannot be allowed as an excuse to ship him with adults/his sibling (what are you people even thinking). That is control, not love. Anyone engaging in this content will be blocked, and I will call you out if you try to defend real-life predators using Poppy Playtime as a scapegoat. I don't care how innocent the writing/fanart seems. It's wrong.
Prototype x Fem! Reader, Teen! Oliver ludwig x Teen! Fem! Reader, Fluff, childhood best friends,(both the characters are teens and above 13. Though they are 11 in this part)
NOTE! - Oliver is aging as time pass normally in this fiction. None of the characters who are depicted in a relationship is adult x minor.
Sometimes life makes you think everything is going as perfectly as it is. Even if it's for a fraction of a moment, you will think to yourself how it can go on forever. Going to hospitals was a rare occasion for her. Times when she ate too much candy for Halloween or gets sick too much to play with the neighbours kid, those memories were easy to see past and forget. But this time, it was different.
He was mad. Like always. But something was different this time. It was like seeing an unstable person finally crack. The blur of the voices of her mother and father yelling at each other as she looked outside to the night sky, it felt oddly familiar. But the screech of the tire and the panicked movements of her father took her attention, as she couldn't pay too much attention, when the only thing felt was the flashing of headlights and hard metal digging into her skin. It felt like she was being squashed under the hard solidarity.
The next few moments were barely clear, as people rushed and took her out, her legs being scrapped under the broken glass of the crashed car. As she was dragged out, the people began to scream, and ran back as quickly as possible with her, when the loud explosion sound rang through their ears. The smell of iron, blood and rust with smoke all hitting her at the same time as she drifted off.
The next time she woke up, she was wearing a hospital gown. She realised that her legs had long bandages wrapped. Likely to the broken glass from the window. Beside her was her lovely doll, as she picked it up, walking outside the ward and towards the ICU with her little doll. She then sat near the chair outside, brushing the little plastic doll's hair in her hand, it was outdated, but it meant a lot to her.
She waited. And waited for something. Someone. But there was no one in the ward. Only some nurses rushing in, and out. Administrators calling and no one to reassure her. Voices shouting and the beep sounds in the background was slowly fading out and in.
She was only eleven. But she knew what it meant when the only doctor who was there, came outside with a devastated look. She could hear the voice, It was gentle. the nurse slowly took her hand, leading her away from the painful truth. Because telling that to her face would be like giving drought to a desert.
Soon enough, there was a funeral. People who only talk once a year, some who doesn't talk at all, and people she doesn't even know came to the same place. Everything she once had was gone in a single night. It wasn't like she didn't care, it's just that she was always exposed to this nature, Death.
None of her cousins or so called relatives wanted to take her in. As 'student loans' and taking care of a another kid could be too much. Not that they would care even if they have much anyway. So it was never surprising. And as any normal orphan, she was put to an orphanage.
Playtime co was obviously one of the most popular companies, even among children. It was interesting. Big money loading company, talking about giving 'smiles' as if opening an orphanage wouldn't give them more opportunities from cooperate industries.
The orphanage was a simple one. No fancy biggies or special offerings. The kids were either kindergartners or just kids who doesn't even acknowledge each other. And for her part, not acknowledging anyone seemed like a better case than to even try to talk with a snot covered, little rascals who would throw something at you for not giving them what they want.
From the moment she got there, she knew it would be one of the most calming, breathtaking sights and nature, or the most vile place known to earth. It would be depending on the day, it seems.
The company staff were however weird though. Always looking like they are building a whole deadly virus inside of an innocent orphanage underneath a factory. Just how big is this thing?
The only good outcome though? She gets to have a library. A peaceful,(almost) and quiet place for her to visit her wonderlands and fantasize about riding a pony while doing adventures.
"Uhm, Hi?"
Maybe staying inside would've been better.
She was too focused on the book to notice that the short boy slid to the front chair of her table. Pushing up her glasses, she looks up from the book, her eyes looked like she was judging the cover of the book without even opening a single page. And it made the boy Infront of her to want to shrink to the ground even more.
"Sorry I- I just saw you sitting here.. all alone and-"
"And your first thought to seeing a person sitting alone is to disturb them?"
"Wha- No! Of course not! I just wanted to talk since I noticed that you are the new girl here.."
The girl didn't answer him. Only staring at him with a bored look, looking over his appearance. Brown Khaki shorts, and a soft blue striped green shirt, with soft brown curls, and a soft face that looked like he could give an old lady the right direction at a road.
"Well, now that you've talked, I think it's pretty clear-"
"Is That A summer to die By Lois Lowry?! I've read that. It's a good story. At first i expected it to be a book about a silly competition between two sisters. but then Molly died, and it became very sad."
She was genuinely flabbergasted, as She sighed, closing the book and placing it aside the table Infront of her.
"well thank you for spoiling me the entire story. Mr. Ludwig."
"wait- y-you know my name?"
She tilted her head to the side, before leaning back.
"ofcourse I know you. You're the big CEO's son. Everyone's supposed to acknowledge you or the company owner will come in to the orphanage at night and shave all of our hair off."
The boy stared at her in pin drop silence like any other sane person. She was a little bit odd. He thought. But unexpectedly he found it funny as well. As he gave a shy smile, seeing her face stay the same, he giggled softly before straightening his posture.
"what? You- you are kind of weird.."
"am I wrong though, do ask Mr Ludwig if he requires an assistance to shave heads"
He laughed again, finding her sarcastic humour funny and weird at the same time. Though, seeing him laugh made her crack a childish smile as well. Her cold and very 'nonchalant' act dissolving to a soft childlike innocence. She was too caught up in her own world. Maybe he'll make her world clearer. Or even darker.
"Well then, you know me, I'm Oliver! But you can call me Ollie! What's your name?"
Something about a boy your age who's shorter than you, suddenly coming up to you and being all bubbly even though you're trying to be so cold to him, had her heart thump a beat louder. For some reason. She then sighed, like she dreaded this conversation before holding up her hand.
"well it's nice to meet you too Oliver."
Shaking his hand after telling him her name, she faught a tiny smile when he smiled even more widely before taking her hand and shaking it like a puppy.
It was, cute.
"Oh and I'm sorry about spoiling you the story, hehe.."
Maybe having a bubbly, cute child as a friend wouldn't be the end of the world.
Well this was my first oneshot that I'll be splitting into three or maybe four parts, as the introduction is just a small one. But as I'm continuing, I promise the parts will get longer. Thank you for reading!
Reader being terrified and submissive to the Prototype. They can stand up for themselves and putting a brave face sometimes, but gets too scared and show fear anyway.
You have no clue how much I love this idea! Like, the player is far from what most would call "scary." But The Prototype? He is. And on the outside you're trying not to look scared. But internally, you're freaking out.
If you like my work, please consider commissioning me or leaving a tip on Ko-fi (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
Isn't he horrifying wonderful?
★ The moment he entered the room, your heart skipped several beats. Getting a good look at him didn't help. Not with all those added parts, toothy smile, and spider legs that take up his lower half. Seemingly wrapped together with CatNap's skin. Like some grim trophy.
★ A small part of him almost likes you. He has to admit, watching you crawl around the factory was... entertaining. The Player is practically a mouse in a house full of cats. Who knows what'll maim you next!
★ The Prototype can be very demanding. You hear him say things like "come here" or "look at me" in that shifting voice of his. A feeling your gut tells you to follow along, and not ask questions.
★ You talked back to plenty of people before him. Poppy, Sawyer, -even Giblet, once. The only two you couldn't bring yourself to stand up against were Doey and The Prototype. With Doey, you had no idea what to say. But The Prototype? Fear drove you to silence.
★ He doesn’t tell you the rules more than once. Simply bows his head. repeating, "Do not lie. Do not wander off. Do not touch what is mine." The price for disobedience was spelled out for you. Imagination filled in the blanks.
★ If The Prototype sees you as anything more than a pest... good luck. You're going to need it. Because love would never be the right word. Fascination is more accurate.
TW: Canon divergent, Horror, Assault, Gore (?), Stalking, Dolls, Swearing
AN: I have never had as much difficulty uploading a fic like I did with this shit. Anyways, the title is subject to change just cuz plot stuff and also because it sounds so cheesy 😭
Word Count: 3.2k+
An abandoned factory with an almost forgotten history that collected dust as each day passed. You placed a hand on your forehead as you kept stepping back to see the top of the building that seemed to extend to the sky like the other numerous foreclosed buildings in the area.
Their robots were considered “top of the line!” and “the next big thing!” until they suddenly went bankrupt and became another footnote in this bygone city's annals.
You considered yourself a journalist or even an author of sorts. Freelancing from time to time with writing articles for large firms or major corporations when it didn’t interfere with your day job, but this time something caught your eye more than it should: an email asking for your help in finding out what happened to a company that you've never even heard of.
Ludwig Inventions?
A brilliant corporation that prided itself on creating technological wonders: from toys that could talk and sing like they were a real human being engaged in conversation to robots that acted as secondary nannies for busy parents that could afford such a luxury. However, they suddenly declared bankruptcy near their peak and vanished off the face of the earth. You tried gaining information from the other branches that had quickly rebranded after the incident, but they all refused to sit with you for an interview or even give any hints as to what happened to the original headquarters. Hell, they weren’t even returning your emails with an automated message.
Something’s up.
You wanted to believe that it was probably like every other tech company from the 90s that couldn’t make it in the early 2000s and crumbled from either corruption or general poor money mismanagement/decisions, but your gut feeling kept telling you otherwise.
Your fingers tapped against the keyboard as you wrote back to the mysterious sender to figure out what exactly you were getting yourself into. The man identified himself as an old worker that couldn’t reach any of his coworkers or boss after August 8, 1995. The company had terminated him, given him his last paycheck, and foreclosed the building without ever letting him inside to retrieve any of his belongings exactly on that date, which was the only day he ever took off.
Well, that’s illegal.
Despite trying to coax the man for more information, he genuinely had nothing else to say that could be considered useful.
“I just want peace of mind. What happened to everyone? Why did it shut down so suddenly?”
After telling him you’ll try your best, he ends up leaving you to your own devices, but not before giving you the address.
Hopefully this isn’t a bust.
Asphalt and concrete crunch under your shoes on the broken sidewalks and cracked roads. The address he had given you was completely different from the one that an archived version of the company’s website had advertised.
This could be a trap.
But you weren’t a famous journalist. You weren’t rich either. No one you knew hated you enough to fake emails and spend days corresponding with you. And, from your interactions with the man, he seemed genuine in his concern for the people from his past. You glance back at where you had parked your car before sighing and pulling the collar of your coat up from the incoming wind gusts.
A steel-linked fence with barbed wire that had started to rust and corrode with age did nothing to keep you out, for the giant lock on the gates had long stopped being useful. One of the gates swings back and forth slightly as the lock dangles precariously off of it and you’re able to walk in without a problem.
Brick-red buildings with vines growing on them had no signage to tell you whose or what property you had trespassed onto as you wander towards the largest structure, which you assumed was the main building. It had at least ten floors and you struggled to see the top with the sun positioning itself right behind it.
Damn star. Can’t even do its job properly.
The day was cold and cloudy with you shivering as you cursed yourself for choosing to come out here today of all days to some backwater, probably crime-filled town. What was once a prosperous city that prided itself on being a technology hub, fell into major decay with the cause being erased from the history books.
You had an inkling it was probably because of this company.
All the buildings surrounding this property seemed like apartments that most likely served as multi-complex housing units for the company staff, especially with the way they shared the same design and general architecture as the buildings on the company grounds.
The city must have collapsed alongside Ludwig Inventions. How sad.
Creakkkk…
You pry open a metal door that had fortunately been left unlocked. All the main doors were closed and none of the ground-floor windows were open. Your only chance at getting in before breaking something to force your way in was the fire escape or one of the backdoors.
Rust falls onto your hands as you groan and dust it off of your palms. The door refuses to budge past a certain point and you have to squeeze yourself in.
“Ew…”
You wave the air in front of you before taking your flashlight out of your coat pocket. However, sunlight starts to stream through the windows right as you turn it on.
Seriously?
Not all of the inner factory is illuminated by the windows, but you’re able to find light switches and flick them upwards to see that the power still works.
If the power works, then I need to be wary of cameras…
Working electricity only proved to you that the company, a subsidiary, or whoever owned this property was still paying the bills. Which meant that they were definitely hiding something.
But if they really wanted to hide something, wouldn’t they hire a security guard?
But then again, who would want to live in a dump like this? The job wouldn't feel fulfilling at all and the pay would be equally abysmal.
On your way to the factory, you saw one gas station, a single highway diner, and a barely functioning motel. The population was definitely below fifty, if it even hit double digits.
What a depressing place to live in.
Boxes. Assembly lines. Torn furniture and claw marks. The usual-
Wait.
Already alarm bells were going off in your head as your flashlight once again centered on the giant claw marks on the walls. It was like someone took a pitchfork and raked it through the paint in rage. You cautiously step closer to it and see that the scratches run so deep that the red of the bricks were clearly peeking through.
That’s at least four inches of depth…
Pit-pat.
You quickly turn around and aim your flashlight in the direction that you thought you heard movement. It sounded like light footsteps running past on the second floor balcony-like area.
M-maybe it was just a raccoon. Or a mountain lion…
You glance back at the claw marks, but even a mountain lion wouldn’t be capable of creating five-foot long gashes. You audibly gulp as your hand shakes, but you knew you couldn’t leave without finding solid documentation or evidence on what occurred here; not only for that poor, old man, but also for your own insatiable curiosity.
You opt to turn your flashlight off in fear of encountering whatever creature made those marks because clearly it might still be here.
I doubt there’s a monster cooped up in these walls after thirty years.
Yet you could still feel eyes trained onto the back of your neck.
It’s just floor after floor!You groaned as you thought of calling it a day and heading to that seedy motel for the night. Your calves ached and your chest felt like it was on fire from climbing up and down stairs all day. The elevator had refused to work at first, and after seeing how risky it looked, you didn’t bother trying to get it to run.
None of the floors contained what you were looking for, not even the lead researcher’s office. All you could find were memos left behind by the lower-level scientists making fun of Dr. Harley Sawyer. It genuinely felt like every employee here hated their job and everyone else they were stuck with.
This shitty company sounds miserable as hell.
You were starting to become more and more shocked at the prospect of that former employee even bothering to email you with what he considered “fonder” memories, but you couldn’t fault him for wanting answers. You did too after hearing his story.
To be honest, even those memories sounded shitty...
You sigh as you scan the final floor with your flashlight again, but there’s no new discoveries or anything of value, to your curiosity of course. The only place that was left was the basement.
What on earth could they even have down there besides the power breaker?
You make it back down to the main lobby, just in time to see the diminishing rays of the sun bid you farewell with hues of orange and purple. You sigh and think of leaving, but you stop in your tracks as you see a red flower painted onto a random upper portion of the wall. It’s next to the original elevator you had planned to take, but it looked as if though it had been hidden behind a pile of boxes. Possibly on purpose.
You walk towards it curiously as you turn on your flashlight and begin to move the boxes one by one. They’re light in your hands. You find them to be completely empty and devoid of any materials when you open the final one to look inside of it. You turn your attention back to the second elevator you had just unearthed and give it a suspicious look as you put the last box to the side. It’s in much better shape than the ordinary staff elevator and is far more grandiose for reasons unknown to you. You nervously tap the bottom of the elevator floor with one foot to see if it shakes precariously like the first elevator, but it doesn’t move an inch. It stood as a testament to time as the only part of the factory that refused to age alongside it.
I’m going to regret this…
You step into the elevator and reach out a finger to press the button that would take you to the other floor, but there’s a keyhole to keep unsolicited visitors away.
“Hmmmm…”
You hadn’t seen a key anywhere around here, only keycards that the scientists and other employees would use to enter the building to begin with.
I guess I can just pick the lock.
You get to work and within a few minutes, you hear a resounding click and the buttons light up. You swear you hear something moving again, and it only makes you shutter the gate faster and hit the button with more force than necessary.
What the fuck.
You glance around at what should have been the chief executive officer’s suite, but instead you’re greeted with a mess that rivals what you had encountered downstairs. Numerous dolls of the same model: red hair with blue eyes and their matching blue dresses litter the floor. You know these dolls. They had come up during your research before Ludwig Inventions had switched their goals to developing technology for the military. These were the original Poppy Playtime dolls that could speak to you by repeating their factory-set phrases or your own voice if you allowed them to record you. Piles of them had amassed in some corners as they all sported similar injuries; crushed-in faces, missing limbs, and the one thing they all shared: their voiceboxes were missing. Precisely incisioned holes on their abdomens display what’s behind every single doll as the gap extends from their front to the back. All the holes were exactly the same size and shape as the dolls laid quietly on top of each other after having their voices taken away.
Did I just find a serial killer hideout?
Dirty cloths and other fabrics of softer material are arranged in a circular manner in the middle of the room, which do little to calm your racing heart.
That’s a nest. No way. That’s literally a makeshift bed.
The flashlight shakes in your hand as you realize you might have gotten more than you bargained for.
“Hi, my name’s Poppy! Can I be your friend?”
You jump and let out a strangled scream that trails into a whisper as your flashlight hits the floor with a thud. You pick up your flashlight with trembling hands and look at the center of the nest. There’s a singular Poppy Playtime doll seated on the top of the raggedy pillows like a princess untouched by the filth surrounding her.
“Let’s be the bestest of friends!”
There’s no one nearby. Nothing could have pulled her cord to make her talk and her batteries should have died long ago. This shouldn’t be possible.
“H-Hello…”
You knew it was foolish to talk to a doll, but… You were terrified and she happened to be the only thing in the room that wasn’t scaring the shit out of you.
“Can we be friends?”
She asks again as you walk up to her with shaky legs.
“I- I have to go…”
The bed dips under you as you kneel in front of her.
“Can I come with you?”
She asks sweetly in that robotic tone of hers.
“Err…”
You look around as you inhale through clenched teeth.
“I guess… It wouldn’t hurt.”
“Yay! Let’s be friends forever!”
Maybe this will give that man some peace.
The drive back to your motel was uneventful after managing to escape the oppressive atmosphere of that factory. The Poppy doll kept a lively conversation going with you for most of the ride, and it honestly felt like you were speaking with a small, bright-eyed child.
“A car is my new favorite way to ride!”
You let out a small chuckle at her cheerful voice.
“Mine too, Poppy.”
How could a doll this intelligent and cute ever lead to bankruptcy? She must have been a major hit with children. None of this makes any sense.
“Oooo, I’ve never been outside for this long before.”
What?
“You’ve been outside before Poppy?”
You pull into the parking lot of the motel as you turn off the ignition and stuff your key into your pocket.
“He takes me outside when I ask nicely.”
What?!
You look at her in bewilderment as she doesn’t offer any explanation and continues to quietly smile in the passenger seat.
“Poppy. Who are you talking about?”
But she doesn’t answer and you start to feel that gut-wrenching feeling again, that something is watching you. However, your car is the only thing in the parking lot besides the surrounding trees, and the sun has long set and robbed you of seeing farther than you preferred.
There should be nothing here, and that’s what you chose to believe.
“It’s dark in here.”
“I’m sure it was much darker in that factory, Poppy.”
You reassure her as you put her in a bag for safe-keeping. You hoped it would also keep her quiet and stop her from just watching you with those glassy eyes that felt strangely sentient.
She’s like an advanced Furby. I can just take her out if I start feeling lonely.
You flop onto your bed for the night and sigh as you place an arm over your eyes. You still felt like you were being watched, but now you knew it was just paranoia. You had booked a single room with an adjacent bathroom and a tiny closet. There was nothing hiding under your bed, in the cupboard that they classified as a closet, nor in the bathtub.
It was just you and Poppy.
I’ll email him in the morning…
You take your arm off of your face and notice that the room was no longer lit. The power had gone out.
Shitty motel. Shitty town. Shitty-
You grumble as you try not to swear too loudly lest Poppy take it as an invitation to start talking again, or worse, add a new word to her ever-growing vocabulary.
“It’s dark.”
You sigh and hang your head as she starts to complain again anyways.
“Don’t worry, Poppy. The lights just went out. I’m sure the people that work here are fixing it as we speak.”
You fumble in the nearly pitch-black room as you try to make your way over to the little doll without bumping into something and breaking it.
“It’s dark. I’m scared.”
She sounds weird.
You brush it off and approach where you had left the doll, only to feel that the bag you left her in is no longer on the chair you had seated her on.
“It’s DaRk. I’m ScARed.”
Your blood runs cold. Her voice has changed into something else entirely. It’s much deeper and full of glitches with static sound effects. Your eyes have finally adjusted enough to the dark that you can make out shapes and shadows, but you don’t dare turn around. Whatever that thing is, is standing right behind you and casting its shadow over you as it adjusts to its full height. It was somehow able to mimic her voice coming from where you had left her while being in a completely different location.
Despite being terrified, you still kept your wits about you, especially the longer it let you live.
It’s toying with me.
The long intrusions that resemble needles seem to serve as fingers and make up nearly its entire hand. The pitter-patter of his feet edge closer to you as it lets out a scratchy laugh.
It wasn’t rocket science.
You didn’t need to see it fully to know it must be the same creature who left those gashes in those brick walls. You felt it would be better to die a coward than to face whatever was intelligent enough to not only fool you, but also stalk you and follow you miles away from the factory.
Surely if you screamed, someone would hear you and come to check on you before calling for help.
But there’s no power.
As far as you recalled, the motel only had one barely functioning dial-up phone on the counter: for both customers and staff.
It won't hurt to try…
You take a deep breath as you get ready to scream, only for its laughter to bounce off the walls as it realizes what you’re doing.
“No one is left to hear you scream.”
Your eyes widen and you freeze in place.
No one…? Does that mean-
“Huh?! Ack! Ah!!!”
You let out a pained gasp followed by a piercing scream as you feel multiple sharp rods pierce the flesh of your leg before pulling you to the floor and dragging you away from where you had been standing. Your fingernails uselessly scrape against the unwashed carpeting as he starts to laugh while dragging you into the hallway.
“HahAhaHA!”
“Stop! STOP!”
The pain is overwhelming and you can’t fight back as laughter thrums through your ears and into your skull, enveloping you whole. Eventually, you succumb to its rough handling and are plunged into a dreamless sleep.
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