Fandom: Poppy Playtime (Chapter 4)
They found you in Safe Haven.
You were curled beneath an overturned gurney in the medical wing, clutching your arm to your chest, breath coming in broken, animal little sounds. The lights above flickered in irregular pulses, and every flicker made your body jerk like you were about to be struck.
You didnât even look up when the screen across the hall lit. A single, unblinking eye stared down at you from a monitor mounted into the wall.
âAh,â a voice purred through the speakers. âThere you are.â
Your fingers dug into your sleeve. You didnât scream. You didnât run. You barely had the strength to shake.
âPoor thing,â Harley Sawyer murmured. âHiding with broken bones and shattered nerves⌠itâs almost poetic.â
The gurney rattled as something mechanical shifted nearby. You pressed farther into the shadow, whispering to yourself. âDonât look. Donât look. Donât lookââ
âOh, donât be rude,â he said lightly. âI can already see you.â
The screen brightened. His pupil dilated.
âYouâre hurt,â he observed. âLeg. Shoulder. Malnourished. Dehydrated. Youâve been here too long.â
Your lips parted. No sound came out.
âFunny,â he continued. âThey run. They fight. They pretend theyâre heroes.â
You flinched as a robotic limb unfolded from the ceiling and lowered a small medical kit beside you. Slow. Careful. Deliberate.
âYouâre not like the others.â
Your voice cracked. ââŚdonâtâŚwantâŚtestsâŚâ
He laughed softly. âOh, sweetheart. Iâm not here to test you.â
A lie wrapped in silk. âIâm here to help.â
The player never knew where you went.
One moment you were another survivor barricaded in Safe Haven. The next, you were gone.
Harley made sure of that.
He kept you in a side ward near his core systems, close enough that he could see you constantly. Cameras followed every movement. Doors sealed behind you with whisper-soft clicks.
He brought food. Water. Bandages.
âYou know,â he said one evening as you sat on the floor with a blanket over your shoulders, âthey donât understand what this place really is.â
You didnât answer. You were too tired.
âThey break things. Kill things. All in the name of âescaping.ââ
âAnd what happens when Safe Haven collapses because of them?â
âThey wonât protect you,â he continued. âThey donât even see you.â
That wasnât entirely true. Youâd seen the player once, passing through the corridor. Theyâd looked at you. Hesitated.
Then the alarms started. And they ran.
Harley noticed your silence. âSee?â He had machines gently adjust your splint. Patch your wounds. âYou survive because you listen.â
When the others tried to reach you, Harley made sure you heard about it first.
âTheyâre coming through the ventilation system,â he told you calmly. âDragging monsters behind them.â
âThey donât care if they draw them to you.â
You shook your head weakly. âTheyâŚdonât know Iâm hereâŚâ
âOh, but they do,â he replied. âThey just donât care.â
A screen switched on, showing the player sprinting through Safe Haven, alarms blaring, creatures crawling from walls.
âThey break what I built,â Harley whispered. âAnd youâll be crushed with it.â He leaned closer on the screen. âBut I can move you. Hide you. Keep you safe.â
ââŚhowâŚ?â you whispered.
âSimple,â he said. âYou tell me where they go.â
âThatâs all,â he promised. âJust⌠guide them away from you.â
You didnât betray them at first.
A wrong hallway. A locked door. A warning about a monster that wasnât there.
Each time, Harley rewarded you with warmth.
âYouâre doing so well,â he told you. âI knew you were special.â
You started to believe him.
He spoke to you constantly. Filled the silence. Replaced your thoughts. âPeople hurt you,â he said once. âDidnât they?â Your eyes burned. âThey used you. Abandoned you.â
You nodded without realizing it.
âI wonât.â And the terrifying thing? He kept that promise. Not out of love. Out of ownership.
The player finally reached your ward. They pounded on the door. âHey! Are you in there?!â
You sat on the bed, shaking. Harleyâs eye appeared on the screen beside you. âIf they get in,â he said softly, âtheyâll run again.â
Your fingers clenched. âTheyâll leave you when itâs dangerous.â
ââŚtheyâre tryingâŚâ you whispered.
âTheyâre using you,â he corrected. Silence. âYou donât want to be alone again, do you?â
Your throat closed. âNoâŚâ
âThen donât open the door.â The pounding continued. You stood.
Every step felt like betrayal, but also like survival. You reached the control panel. The player shouted your name. You hesitated.
âYou chose me.â You pressed the button. The door sealed. The alarms screamed. You slid down the wall, sobbing.
Later, when the facility shook and Safe Haven burned, Harley spoke gently to you. âYou did wonderfully.â His machines carried you deeper into the complex, away from the chaos. âYou survived,â he said. âBecause you listened.â
Your eyes were empty. ââŚwhatâŚhappens nowâŚ?â
He smiled through static. âNow?â A pause. âNow you belong somewhere safe.â The doors closed. And for the first time since entering the factory⌠You werenât running anymore.