Chapter Text
Dead. That was the best word someone could use to describe the Playtime Co. factory. Founded by revolutionary inventor and entrepreneur, Elliot Ludwig, this company had been the iron bank of children's toys ever since the 1930's. However, after a mysterious incident on August 8th, 1995, which resulted in the disappearance of almost all of the company's staff, they simply closed their doors forever. The halls had grown decrepit and dreary, only given flickers of life through the colourful designs and posters of the company mascots marking the walls, which had begun to chip away and grow dirty over the decades. How or why the place hadn't been demolished yet was anyone's guess. But today, something was different. There was something new within the factory walls. For the first time in 30 years, there was a person inside.
The first thing Luz Noceda noticed as she stirred awake was her aching head. She was no stranger to morning migraines; she had them after particularly bad all-nighters working on art projects, but it never got this bad. She could've sworn her head was going to tear right open. It certainly didn't help how her vision was blurry and shaky, almost like the world itself was distorting. She rolled over onto her back and sat up, clutching her head and trying to get her brain in gear. When the headaches finally stopped and the world remained still again, the Latina teenager took a good look at her surroundings and came to a simple conclusion.
"...I don't think I'm in Gravesfield anymore."
As Luz stood up, she stretched out her arms in a bid to remove the numbness from them. From there, she tried to remember the order of events that lead her to waking up in a toy factory from the 90's. She remembered how she was meant to go to a bus stop and catch a ride to Reality Check Summer Camp, where she would stop being such a weirdo. That wasn't quite how her mama and the principal phrased it, but that was effectively the vibe she got. Then, just as she was about to leave, she caught an admittedly adorable owl holding a shopping bag full of assorted knick-knacks in its beak. What the little guy wanted with all of it was a mystery, but it didn't matter all too much. What she felt did matter was that one of the stolen items was her very own copy of The Good Witch Azura. Her all-time favourite book and one of the last mementos she had of her father. She would be damned if she lost it like this. She engaged in a rigorous chase with the owl (her weak little nerd legs were not made for sprinting) that ended with her successfully retrieving the book from his bag, which he didn't seem to notice as he scurried into the abandoned shack just by her house. While she stopped to catch a breather, she took notice of a sudden, slight flash of yellow light from inside the run-down building. However, before she could get the chance to investigate, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, before things started to grow fuzzy, followed by a cut to black.
From there, she began to concoct a theory. Someone had knocked her out and taken her here, presumably as a hostage for ransom. Why the person in question would choose an abandoned toy factory of all things was something she questioned, but ultimately felt was unimportant. She moved towards the entrance door and attempted to push it open, but was met with a great deal of resistance. After a series of strong pushes, she decided to cease, rubbing her aching arms.
"Ow... okay... not doing that." She muttered to herself, before turning around to look around the main foyer, wandering aimlessly as she did so. "Uh... hello? Anybody here?" She called out in the hopes of receiving some sort of response, but was left to linger in crushing silence.
Taking another look around, she noticed a boxy CRT TV hanging in the upper right corner of the room. It was still hooked up to the old VCR set and looked to be in relatively good condition. She also noticed a green VHS tape sitting on the main desk. She assumed that whoever brought her here left it for her to watch. Why they didn't just leave a note was something worth questioning, but whatever. She picked up the green tape and inserted it into the VCR's slot. The tape began to play, emanating that staticky buzz these old TV's always had. On the screen was the grainy visage of the company's wooly blue mascot, Huggy Wuggy.
"Hi, my name is Leith Pierre, and I'm the head of innovation here at the Playtime Co. toy factory. If you're seeing this, then you're trespassing." A levelled, yet also smarmy and obnoxious voice came from the TV's speakers. "Yeah, we play this little tape on loop whenever we close the factory for the day. So, trespasser, just to make you aware, while we pride ourselves primarily on our high-quality toys and excellent childcare, we also pride ourselves on our security. For example, this facility is full of hidden motion triggers which, once set off, will turn on the factory's emergency alarms and directly contact the authorities. And... that's one of the more tame aspects of our security system. No spoilers! So, you've got my warning. It's not too late to turn around. I just hope you're certain whatever you're doing is worth it."
With its ominous message complete, the TV simply cut off, returning to blackness and leaving Luz to wallow in silence once again. She sunk down to her knees as panic started to set in. She began to breathe quicker and heavier, the anxiety practically choking her as she thought about her situation. If these motion triggers still worked, then whoever brought her here would've been caught immediately, so obviously they were gone. Nobody knew where she was. What if her mama couldn't pay them enough? What if they decided to keep her here anyway? What if they decided to sell her on the black market or something? What if-
Suddenly, her anxious spiral was cut off as she felt something odd. Something she subconsciously noticed, but didn't pay any mind to until then. A small object poking into her leg through the left pocket of her shorts. She already noted how her phone had been removed from her right pocket, so what could've been here in the left? She reached inside to find a neatly folded piece of paper in the shape of a small square. She gradually unravelled it to reveal a note written in bright red pencil with a drawing of a poppy flower at the very bottom. She leaned on the side of the desk, still sitting as she read.
Everyone thinks the staff disappeared 30 years ago.
We're still here.
Find the flower.
"So... if there are still people here..." Luz muttered quietly before her face lit up with a look of excited realisation. "They might know a way out! Maybe that's why I was brought here, to help them! If we all put our heads together, we gotta figure something out!"
In future, Luz would come to question that thought process, but at the time she was desperate and lacking in options, so she couldn't exactly be blamed. Now she just needed to find these people before she or they died of starvation. She started by climbing over the steel gate behind the main desk, only to be met with a large steel door blocking her way, along with a panel hanging above that displayed a blue handprint. She gave an annoyed pout before climbing back over the gate, dragging her feet slightly as she did so. She then wandered into the hallway on her immediate left, marked 'Security'. Inside was a long, winding bench seating only a discarded, dirty tiger plush, along with a closed door connected to metallic pad covered in buttons of varying colours.
"Aaand it needs a code, go figure." Luz commented in annoyance before walking back into the main foyer and entering the hallway to the right, marked 'Gift Shop'. She opened the doors to find the shelves and benches littered with unsold toy boxes and plushes, as well as a functioning miniature train running along a series of tracks stationed a few feet above her head.
"Dang, look at all these things. Boogie Bots, Candy Cats, the 90's must've been a fun time to be a kid." Luz idly noted as she turned her attention towards the train. "And hey, how does that thing still work after 30 years? My phone dies after 12 hours max!" However, as she took a closer look at the train, she noticed the pattern of its cars; green, then pink, then yellow, then red. "Wait a second... is that how they remember the code?" She questioned before she shook her arms with giddiness. "Ooh, I love whoever came up with that!"
With her conundrum now solved, Luz bolted back into the security hall and quickly inputted the correct code. In an instant, the door slid open with a satisfying hum. "Yes! Progress!" Luz said as she pumped her fists. She walked inside to find the wall of the security lounge embedded with several old-school computer screens. There was also a square hole in the wall blocked off by a pane of dark glass, containing a strange machine. There was also yet another CRT TV and VCR, with a purple tape directly next to them. Curious, Luz inserted the tape into the VCR's slot and let it play.
The tape played a cheaply animated diorama that served to showcase the intended usage of the Playtime Co. workforce's primary tool; the GrabPack. The video demonstrated its ability to allow users to grab inaccessible items, cross vast distances and even conduct electricity. "Wow, these things sound crazy useful. And fun! How did they not catch on with other companies?" Luz questioned. As if to answer her query, the very next scene of the video showcased how the Pack should not be used against other employees; by showing the risk of potential decapitation. Luz stared in shock at the demonstration. "Oh. Maybe that's why."
As the video came to a close, the glass pane opened outwardly to reveal that its content was the GrabPack itself. Blessing her good fortune with a snap of her finger, Luz hoisted the Pack onto her back and slid her arms into the straps on either side. Straining herself slightly to hold up the weight, she tightened the straps on either side and firmly gripped the handles of both cannons.
"Ah darn, I'm missing a hand." Luz whined in mild annoyance at the lack of a valuable tool before shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Eh, I'll make it work. I'm ambidextrous anyway."
With her new tool equipped, Luz made her way out of the security lounge and looked to the plush that still sat on the bench. Instinct kicking in, she aimed her active cannon towards the toy and called out "High Five!" before pulling the trigger. The prosthetic hand shot out towards the toy and attached itself in an instant. As Luz released the trigger, the toy flew through the air and landed just behind her. She turned to it and delivered a finger gun and a wink. "My man!"
Satisfied with her own self-entertainment, Luz walked her way back into the foyer and climbed over the gate to make it back to the steel door blocking her path forward. She shot the GrabPack's hand out to meet the panel on the wall, allowing it to scan the print and promptly open the door. As Luz walked through the new passageway, she found herself surrounded by various doors to different wings of the facility, including 'Power', 'Cafeteria' and 'Innovation'. However, what stood out the most about this area was the towering statue of Huggy Wuggy that sat in the centre, just below the Playtime Co. logo. It stood at almost 15 feet tall, with one long arm reaching up towards the ceiling, and beady black eyes covered by a layer of plastic. It bore a pair of bright red lips that formed a wide smile and had a ribbon around its neck that was a slightly lighter shade of blue than the wool that covered the rest of it, which was only broken up by its pair of yellow digit-less hands and feet. Most normal people would be slightly unsettled by its visage, if not outright terrified. But if you knew Luz Noceda at all, you'd know she was anything but normal.
"Hiya Huggy!" She called out with an enthusiastic wave before firing her hand cannon at its raised hand. "Up top, big guy!"
Still shooting a smile towards the mascot, Luz turned towards the only door in the area that required only one hand panel to be opened. She shot her hand cannon at the panel as it began to scan the print before, suddenly, all power simply left the room. Luz was ready to make an annoyed comment about this, but she stopped herself as she heard a distinct metallic jingling behind her. She turned to see a golden key being held in Huggy Wuggy's raised hand.
"Uh... thanks Huggy! Can always count on you!" Luz called out with a nervous smile and a tentative thumbs-up before using her new key to unlock the power room. As she pushed the doors open and walked inside, she failed to notice how Huggy's eyes appeared to be watching her every move.
As Luz walked through the power room, past the walls of steel drawers, she found a metal plate attached to a yellow handle. The plate seemed to be covered in multi-coloured handprints, which Luz assumed was to denote the intention for use of the GrabPack. She used her active hand cannon to attach to the plate and pull it away, ducking down to avoid it as it flew at her head. Luz gave a sigh of relief at her avoidance of harm before noticing something odd; a dried, crusty red liquid that marked a large portion of the brick wall.
"Is... is that... blood?" She questioned with wide eyes and shaking hands. She quickly attempted to dispel her growing paranoia with a shake of her head. "Relax, Luz. It's probably just from some... strawberry jam explosion! Heh... yeah... that's just jam."
Being perfectly honest, Luz still didn't entirely believe her own explanation, but she did her best to ignore the stain as she focused on the newly revealed electrical outlet. She shot out her Pack's hand, connecting it to the outlet as the voltage coursed through the cable. The electricity gave a slight tickling sensation to the hand gripping the cannon, which caused Luz to let out a small giggle as she walked around a nearby electrical pylon, allowing the cable to wrap around it and charge it using the conducted voltage. She then moved over to another electrical pylon, directly connected to a large electrical socket. The electricity flowed through the pylon, allowing power to return to the whole area.
"Woo! And we're done!" Luz stated as she raised an arm with pride. "Being an electrician's easier than I thought. Dunno why they charge so much."
As Luz made her way back to the central area, she noticed how the hand panel she had previously attempted to use was now active again. However, what was far more noticeable was how the spotlight illuminating the centre of the room had returned. The reason this was more noticeable was not because the light was especially prominent or because it was the first thing Luz could see through the open door, though that definitely helped. It was because of where the light pointed to and what was there. Or rather... what wasn’t.
Huggy Wuggy had vanished.
"Uh... Huggy? W-where'd you go, buddy?" Luz called out into the ether, left with no response, which only made her more on-edge. "Okay... so either someone desperately needs a doll for their giant child to play with, or there's a giant living toy running around in here with me that can somehow sneak around... maybe I should be better equipped for that."
With no small amount of anxiety, Luz walked back into the power room in search of something she could use to defend herself. Somehow, she got the sense that her GrabPack wasn't that effective as a weapon. Ultimately, she landed on a dirty broomstick lying on the floor, which she shakily took into her hands and looked at. It wasn't much, but given the circumstances, she would take what she could get.
"Well... I always wanted to be a witch." Luz sighed in resignation as she stuck the broomstick into the right strap of her GrabPack. She trotted back into the main area and used her Pack's hand to attempt activating the hand panel once again. Once the print had been read, the steel door slid upward, revealing a hallway marked 'Make-a-Friend'. At the end of the hall was a steel door, blocked off by a few stacks of large coloured blocks. Both sides of the hall were marked with a door, the right being marked with as a stairway, while the other was left slightly ajar... no. Not 'left'. 'Left' implies it remained as such on its own. The door was being held ajar by a long blue arm. It only took Luz a second of staring to guess who it belonged to.
"You, uh... need a rest, big guy?" Luz called out, prompting the arm to hastily duck back inside the door. Slightly annoyed, Luz darted after its owner. "Hey! Get back here, you big huggable jerk!"
Had Luz not ran into the leftmost hallway so quickly, she might have paid closer attention to what the sign on the rightmost door actually said.
'Stairway to HELL'
Hide. Wait. Can't strike now. Too open. She'll run and I can't catch her. Let her carry on. Get her into the vents. She'll be cornered.
Huggy Wuggy knew this factory like the back of his hand. It was easy to flee and hide away in the ventilation shafts the second this girl began running after him. He could still hear her scurrying around, calling out in the hopes of being heard. Then he heard her run about the storage room, likely to get batteries for that claw so she could get her other hand. Once that was done, he could corner her at the Make-a-Friend room and have his feast. Feast... on this girl. This young girl.
Some instinct began to return. A primal pit in his brain wanted to hug her. Squeeze her tight. Have fun together. Be her friend. It had been so long since he had done that, hadn't it? Maybe... he could indulge... just this once...
No. Stop that. You'll get hurt. That's how it works. Nobody will ever love you. Nothing matters but surviving.
He was broken. Irreversibly so. He knew that. His mind was fractured beyond belief. But his heart was just fine. And he knew in his heart there was only one person who would ever love him. And she was gone. That's right. Kissy was gone. His Kissy was gone. Taken by that conniving little doll.
That evil clown and that evil doll. He wanted nothing to do with either of them. The clown wanted to kill him. The doll wanted to use him. He wouldn't let them. His home was up here. And this girl intruded on it. Convenient, really. He was getting hungry anyway.
He heard glass shattering and knew it was time to move. She had the other hand. She would be arriving soon. He'd be waiting.
When Luz inserted the last of the coloured batteries into the console in front of her, the claw machine sprung to life immediately. It moved swiftly to the glass box containing her other hand and dropped it to the floor with next to no grace. She jumped down onto the metal floor, being careful to avoid any glass shards, and scooped up her red prosthetic. Wasting no time whatsoever, she inserted it into her unoccupied cannon before tightly gripping the handles on both of her side-mounted tools.
"Mama's ready to start handing out some high tens!" Luz proclaimed with gusto as she shot both hands towards their respective panels, allowing the prints to be scanned before the steel door at the end of the conveyor belt opened up and the belt itself activated, pushing her towards the new pathway. She sat down and allowed herself to simply ride on the belt with contentment, letting out a droning "Wee!" as she did so.
As Luz's ride came to a close, she found herself in the Make-a-Friend room. Most of the space was taken up by the eponymous machine, its various belts, large machines making up the whole and all characterised by a series of googly eyes on springs. Hanging from above were a series of rafters, while a steel door blocked off her exit. Just next to the door was a metal platform covered with blue light, along with a poster reading "Nobody leaves without a toy!". Piecing together what her next step would have to be, Luz walked over to the central panel of the room and pressed the red activation button. The machine began to churn and whirr as large tubes on the wall pushed out different components of a whole toy, putting them through the process of assembly, painting and so on until a yellow tiger toy, the same kind seen throughout the facility, was produced.
"Huh... weird that this thing still works after all this time." Luz commented. "But I guess messing with electricity some more would just kinda pointlessly drag this whole thing out, so I can't really complain. Anywho, come here, new best friend!"
Luz used her GrabPack to collect her Frankenstein creation, catching it as it flew towards her. She quickly deposited it into the platform by the door, allowing it to be scanned before the light turned green and the steel door blocking her path slid upwards to allow entry. She noticed that this was the same steel door that she had previously seen in the hallway she passed through to get here, though it was no longer blocked off by those blocks. She didn't think too much about where those blocks had gone as she walked down the hallway, she was more interested in opening that other door she saw using her new hand. However, before she could reach the end, now bordered in shadow, she quickly halted as a figure stepped out into the light. She fell on her behind as the tall creature stepped through, revealing its identity to her in full. It was him. Huggy Wuggy.
For a few precious moments, Huggy stared Luz down, as if in silent contemplation. He had crouched down slightly to look at her and his mouth was slightly open, revealing a set of sharp, pointed teeth. Luz couldn't even muster the courage to move. She just sat there, looking around in a panic, waiting for him to do something, anything. However, the tense moment ceased as the low grumble of a stomach could be heard. Both Luz and Huggy took a look at the latter's stomach before making direct eye contact. Luz's eyes seemed to grow wider than ever before as she looked up into his face with sheer dread. Meanwhile, Huggy had opened his mouth just slightly wider, revealing his fleshy, disgusting gums and seemingly a second set of teeth in the back of his throat. A trickle of drool ran down his mouth as he elicited a long snarl. The demeanour of a vicious predator was evident.
"Uh..." Luz started with a nervous smile as she pointed a finger gun at the living toy. "I am friend, not food?"
"SCREEEEE!"
In an instant, Huggy pinned Luz to the ground with only one arm, keeping firm pressure on her stomach while growling in anticipation. He attempted to take her head off with a single bite, but Luz was able to retrieve the broomstick from her side and smacked him in the face with it. He gave another animalistic screech and attempted a lunge, which gave Luz an opening to shove the stick's handle down his gullet with only the hay at the end being visible inside his mouth. It was enough to get him to release her as he frantically attempted to remove the stick. Taking the opportunity by its reigns, Luz darted into the inactive conveyor belt she emerged from as the door thankfully shut behind her. She sat down at the edge of the ventilation grates as Huggy angrily smashed his hands against the steel door, leaving a large imprint each time he did so. Eventually he relented, scurrying away with rapid muffled footsteps. Luz gave a sigh of relief as she stood up.
"Well, at least he can't get me in here." Luz noted before hearing quick metal thuds just behind her. She turned around to see Huggy, crouching down to fit through the vents, run towards her and lunge at the grate. Luz gave a startled scream as she bolted through the pathway just as Huggy pushed his arm through the grate to grab her, just barely missing. "Luz, you fool!" She chided herself as she ran down the conveyor belt at top speed.
Luz found herself at the end of the unintended hallway, only to speed the down a separate path to her right as she caught sight of Huggy swiftly advancing towards her from the other side. She ran quickly through the winding path just barely ahead of the wooly monster before vaulting into a hole in the ground. She kept running faster and faster, sliding down a ramp-like section of the belt and running straight past some multi-coloured writings on the wall of her path. She continued to run until she was blocked off by a metal shutter slamming down in front of her face. She attempted another route, only to find Huggy charging directly at her. In a panic, she ran through her only available path, going faster than she ever had before and just barely escaping Huggy's long arm as she slid down another ramp, finding herself on a narrow pathway blocked off by piled-up metal as a shutter closed behind her.
Already hyperventilating, Luz looked around in a desperate search for something she could use to save herself as the monster's footsteps drew ever nearer. Her eyes ultimately landed on a large box hanging precariously from a platform just above. She attached both of her Pack's hands to the box and pulled with all her might to bring it down to her level. She just barely managed to get it off the platform before Huggy smashed through the shutter and lunged at her. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she stared into the eyes of the monster that was just inches away from dragging her to a violent demise.
But just before contact was made, the box smashed down onto the pathway, destroying it and sending both the human and the monster plummeting down onto a catwalk below. Luz landed hard on her back, her GrabPack being the only thing saving her from a shattered vertebrae. Huggy meanwhile landed on his chest directly onto the railing, hanging on for only a few seconds before plummeting down into the dark abyss below, smashing into pipes and screeching in a manner that could've been fear, anger, or a mixture of the two. His squeals slowly grew quieter until Luz was left in silence. She pulled herself up and attempted to catch her breath, looking around at the dark abyss surrounding her, with catwalks above and below that seemed to stretch into infinity. She noticed a large illustration of a poppy flower on the wall a few miles in front of her and her brain just barely registered that that was what the note wanted her to find. At the moment, she had far greater concerns.
"QUE CARAJO?!?" Luz screamed into the darkness, creating an echo all around. "WHAT EVEN WAS THAT? WHY DOES IT EXIST? WHY IS IT HERE AND NOT IN A GOVERNMENT BUNKER?"
Luz took a few seconds longer to take some deep breaths after that outburst. With most of her stress worked out, she elected to walk down the catwalk to reach the door in the centre of the flower. In the deep silence, she was left to ponder with herself over what Huggy even was. She considered that he might be some kind of shapeshifting demon taking the shape of a children's toy, but the fact that he remained that way the entire time he was chasing her implied he couldn't alter his form at will. Or perhaps he was some kind of science experiment gone horribly wrong. Or maybe... right? And what if he wasn't the only one?
Luz was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the tape or TV stuck on the catwalk. She only broke out of her panicked thought spiral when she reached the door at the centre of the flower. It was surrounded by multi-coloured handprints, toys hanging on string and writings warning her not to enter. But, given the complete lack of other options, she decided to ignore the warning and push the door open.
When Luz entered the room, she immediately noticed the beige wallpapers patterned with vegetables. There were also ornate wooden floors and furry furniture strewn around. It honestly reminded Luz of her abuela's house.
"Aw man, am I gonna be killed by butterscotch or something?" Luz joked to herself with a chuckle before donning a nervous expression. "Actually, now that I say it out loud, that would really suck."
As Luz walked through the room, she occasionally call out, hoping these living staff members would hear her. However, she was left with only the slow chime of a music box tune to accompany her walk. As she pushed open a pair of doors bathed in red light, she found herself in a room containing a glass case. Resting inside was what seemed to be a doll, seemingly preserved from the 30's. The doll had pale white skin, a frilly blue dress with white ruffles, red freckles and lips and bright red curly hair styled into pigtails. Its eyes were closed tight, giving the impression of a deep slumber. Given what she had just went through, Luz was hesitant to interact with any more children's toys, but since she had almost nothing else to work with, she relented with a deep breath. She shot her pack's blue hand at the door of the case and closed her eyes.
"Please don't eat me, please don't eat me..." Luz repeated in a constant mantra, hoping to have her prayers answered. In an instant, the glass door flew off its hinges as the doll's eyes began to flutter open while the lights flickered and the music halted. Startled, Luz took a combative stance as the lights cut out completely, leaving her in total darkness. From the balckness, a soft, childlike voice whispered something to her.
"You opened my case..."
Huggy had no idea where he was. He was hurt, he knew that much. Hurt badly. That fall was some of the worst pain he'd seen since... no. He couldn't think about that. He knew how it made him feel. His mind was in a haze as he slowly regained proper sight, but he still could barely stand to move. But there was one thing he could see from down here. Something that practically caused his heart to stop. A clawed, metallic hand that resembled a skeleton's.
No. Not him. No no no nononononononononoNONONONONONONONO-
His internal panicking was silenced as a sharp pain cut into his arm. He shrieked like never before and finally managed to roll over, clutching at his injury. He looked in horror to find only a bloody stump where his arm once was. He looked up to see that same hand clutching his severed limb. The rest of the figure's body was indistinguishable behind the shadows, save for his glowing orange eyes. But he knew who this was. The Prototype.
"-You will be put to good use.-"