#when your endnotes have endnotes you've got problems

[sinni-ok-sessi]

I am on record as an endnotes hater anyway, but I think there is a special place in editorial hell for a work with occasional footnotes and *two* sets of endnotes

[tounderstandthesoul]

Chapter 13: Down In Darkness

It's finally time to move on, leave Playcare behind you and continue in the direction of the Gas Production zone. You'll get there by following the instructions, even if there's a bit of stress between a pair of critters.

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This is the edited note. Here I am again! After a few weeks, here's finally a new update for you! After all, this is one of my absolute favorite stories. Have fun reading, and feel free to read the endnotes! Have fun reading!

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Youve always felt alone. Your Whole Life.

For as long as you can remember. People always approached you for a reason, never voluntarily. Scientists for the experiments, other children from Playcare who hurled insults at you or made fun of your scars.

It's not as if you chose it. You just don't know if you like it or if you're used to it, but one thing was clear: being lonely does things to you. You've always Felt like shit, bitter and angry all the Time.

Until you've Snaped.

It was predictable, it had to happen at some point. All the experiments, the bullying from the other children and your steadily deteriorating mental state. It had built up, from the trembling of your legs to the headaches you couldn't stand anymore.

You couldn't take it all anymore, either you were locked up in the cold all-white lab rooms like a wild animal in a cage. Or you were in Playcare, an outsider that nobody wanted to sit next to, nobody wanted to eat and nobody wanted to play with. Both possibilities tore at your psyche and left you helplessly crying yourself to sleep every day, if you got any.

But now you were here, with the Smilling Critters and this woman called Sophie. You were already outside, on the Playcare lawn next to the big platform with the statues. The atmosphere was...well. While you and DogDay waited together the whole time, walking out of the large common bedroom of Home Sweet Home, the others looked on quizzically. But DogDay didn't seem to care at first, she helped you fill your little bag with a few things and walked off with you.

"So, are you all ready?"

To be honest, you're not. You couldn't sleep that night, you're really hungry and scared. Yesterday, when you and DogDay... kissed, the moment was incredibly beautiful. You can't stop thinking about it, but then you always think about afterwards: Your look at 1188, the giant monster version of CatNap.

The hungry white eyes that stared at you from afar, the feeling that this lust for murder would only make you fall over from the feeling of death. At that moment, you and DogDay were the prey and CatNap was the hunter who had already spotted you and was about to catch you.

But he didn't, as far as you know, I hadn't even seen DogDay. It would have been so easy to just attack from the darkness and put an end to you both. Cut you to pieces with his claws and feed them to the Ruined Critters.

And now you were standing here again, your gaze unable to move from the distance, it was as if the CatNap version was still standing there. But CatNap wasn't the only problem, because there are two of them. And the second CatNap, the female one, gives you a strange look out of the corner of her eye all the time that awakens a strange feeling in you.

Why...Why is she looking at me like that? Have I done something wrong?

But when you feel DogDay's warm paw on your hand, you stop thinking. You just keep walking with her, with the whole group, but hardly any of them notice you. Your feet, now wearing shoes, miss the cool grass. Your lungs feel as if they belong to you for the first time, the air flows through your body and makes your icy breath appear as a small cloud from the corner of your mouth.

"So, do you have it?"

"What, the battery?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"Na Klaro"

You turn to the side, behind you Bubba and Sophie are talking to each other. While Bubba only has a backpack on, Sophie is carrying a blue battery that even glows slightly. The other Smilling Critters were also behind you, so behind you and DogDay, but they didn't look too happy to be here.

Of course, they are not here by choice, in this place, or as you understood from their explanation, in this dimension. Sophie also said that she remembers that DogDay and CatNap were boys, at least male characters in Cartoon and also as overseers here in Playcare.

You like DogDay, her sunny way of just smiling even in the worst situation no matter how bad it is. Her warm presence, the way she touches you and makes you feel like you're not everything.  Everything about her was just perfect.

And what were you?

Filth. Absolute scum. A little boy whose ribs are visible because he's starved. An experiment that helps people escape, then allegedly lies to them and nearly kills himself. No, that doesn't sum it up well enough. After you came through the Cavern, into the Playhouse, you almost killed yourself. But what happened instead? Someone else had to suffer because of you.

The two little Ruined Critters that look like Hoppy and Kickin. They may have served CatNap and the prototype, but I don't think even they deserved what you did. Completely at the end of your pointless life, you took out your frustration, your fear and your hunger, which is no different from the other experiments, on them. You didn't eat them, but you turned them into a bunch of incapable abominations with your Soul Transfiguration.

And now, as if nothing had happened, you walk with the other Smilling Critters in the direction of the Gas Production Zone. The Red Flower Door is already in sight and you are almost there, but behind you the voices of some critters slowly reach your ears.

"Yo Nap' Whatcha Looking At?" Kickin shouts, hands clasped behind the back of his head. With big, dramatic steps, he moves next to Hoppy and looks into the distance.

You turn directly around, trying to look as neutrally as possible at CatNap. Your eyes don't even make it far before they meet her obsidian colored ones, she stares at you.

"What do you care?" CatNap answers back quietly, still with her eyes on you. The others gasp slightly, DogDay squeezes your hand a little harder but doesn't move.

What did she just say?

"Wow! Wow, now take it easy...Are you on your period?"

"Kickin!"

"Dude!"

The others gasp along, even if you don't really understand what Kickin just said, you know it's bad enough to get a reaction like that from the others. But no one really moves, well at least until CatNap suddenly moves with a big step in Kickin's face.

"What's your fucking problem?" CatNap shouts this time, with a straight line up she faces him directly, both of them being the same height.

"Kickin calm down! And CatNap: Language!"

"Take it easy! Did you and that Weirdo get confused in the dark or what?"

The situation is becoming increasingly tense, even though you are already close to the Gas Production Zone. DogDay and you don't move, while the other critters slowly form a kind of circle with Kickin and CatNap in the middle.

"What's your problem?" Says CatNap again, this time a little louder.

"You're the one who said that! As that one!" With that, Kickin suddenly points at you, his wings forming something like an index finger and moving directly towards your head. "You've been acting all weird since you were alone there!"

"You beat him up! And now you say Weird?" CatNap replies immediately, this time shouting very loudly.

"I think we need to do something..." You look to your left, it was DogDay. She had a tight grip on your hand, while her eyes are completely dedicated to the situation behind you.

"Now calm down, everyone"

With that, it stops. Sophie stands in the middle of the circle, puts her hands in front of CatNap and Kickin and doesn't let them move a bit.

"We all have the same destination here, eat the same food and are about to arrive, so what's the point?" She shouts, stands up straight and looks at the whole group like children who have just messed up.

Nobody answers.

"Come on, excuse yourselves."

They don't move, both are still staring at each other like animals fighting for prey. In contrast to just now, Kickin stands even a little taller, stares down at CatNap and doesn't say a word. He also makes a noise along the lines "Tsk".

CatNap doesn't return the gesture; she simply turns around and pushes her way along the critters in the circle. After a few steps, she stops and looks into the distance.

"Ugh...teenagers."

Mr

After the incident and the incredibly unpleasant situation that ensued, you have finally arrived. The huge metal room with the gigantic machines and the giant glass containers with the red smoke: The Gas Production Zone.

While Sophie talks to someone on the phone, you all wait leaning against a metal box. With you and DogDay in the middle and CatNap and Kickin at the complete opposite ends of the line. No one is talking and all eyes are on Sophie as she tries to do something with the big blue glowing battery.

"I'm going to go help Sophie...best not do any nonsense...And watch out." With that statement, Bubba abruptly stands up straight. This actually startles you slightly, causing DogDay's grip on your hand to tighten. He walks over to her and stops, and it looks like neither of you understand the instructions on the phone.

"Sooooo Y/N, right?"

You turn towards the noise, to the left. On your left was Bobby, with her bag in her hand and a big grin that didn't really fit the situation.

"I didn't really catch your name back then..." She says, flashing you a grin and showing a little of her teeth. "I don't know if I thanked you for back then, you really were our salvation after we woke up in those cells."

Should I answer that? Or just nod?

"We really need to sit down in a circle soon and talk about everything, whether it's here or back home!" She raises an arm and holds it over her face, as if the sun's rays are blinding her, while at the same time she looks into your eyes. "There really are issues that need to be resolved."

What does she want to clear up? About me and CatNap and Kickin? Or maybe just make fun of me?

"Maybe Crafty can draw you a picture...of you and DoggDay."

There was dead silence. DogDay looked down at you, and you looked out at her. But out of the corner of your eye, you saw the looks of the others: Confusion, smirking, disbelief. The others only seem to have noticed now, because of Bobby's remark about the two of you. That you have something more than friendship.

"Ehm...Did I say something wro-

"GUYS, WE'VE FOUND IT! THE HOLE FOR THE BLUE BATTERY! IT'S HERE!"

Your heart almost stops, the many glances of the Smilling Critter that meet you. The screaming of Sophie and the realization that now comes: It goes deeper into the factory.

But something was still there apart from your fear, a feeling that you can't quite make clear.

You all run over as a group to Sophie and Bubba. She is standing at a blue metallic hole, which reminds you of a power socket. There's also a green one next to it, but it doesn't look right for the big blue battery.

"Now we can finally get out of here." Sophie shouts, even though you're already standing next to her.

But something was wrong, you got goosebumps that literally made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. There was a metal door next to you, and somehow you had the feeling that there was something behind it that was very bad. You squeeze one hand into a fist, the one not in DogDay's paw, and prepare to use your transfiguration.

"By the way, Poppy and Kissy will be here soon too, Ollie promised me that!"

Kissy? Who is that?

"Ah the little doll and that big pink thing?"

"Kickin, now be a little respectful at last!"

"Dude, take it easy, I've already got it."

"Seriously Kickin, from now on you need to be careful and respectful to everyone, you know what happened."

"I don't care if he's lying to us all and being such a crybaby."

And that's exactly when it happens.

Time runs slower than before. Your eyes don't understand what they see, just like the rest of your body.

Sophie dropped the blue battery into the hole, said something like "Ta-Da" at the same time and then looked funny. The people next to and behind you, the Smilling Critters, suddenly screamed. You can't see why yet, but your instinct tells you to run.

There was CatNap. The giant purple monster version with the white eyes that have given you so many nightmares. A huge wide grin, sharp teeth and red smoke leaving his mouth and slowly destroying your vision.

You still feel DogDay pull your hand away, your eyes follow the blurred vision to her face. It was no longer a grin, it was fear instilled and about to break the visage.

Now he's here to Kill all of you. But you will have more use alive.

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Wow, that was a dangerous ending. I have to say that I didn't know exactly what was going into this chapter. I often wavered between thoughts and a bit of lore from you, but I really don't have a plan at all. But that's over, because I already have a fixed plot for the next chapters and the story is already a little over halfway through. Thanks for reading and please leave kudos!