The Playground Wars

Chapter Seven

The Toonbots are still after me. I don't know whether to keep running or let them kill me. I can't live my life running from the government. But if I let them have me, Cuddles and Wacky Dog won't be saved. The whole reason I'm right here, running, is because I wanted to save them.

I look at the sky, which looks polluted and ugly. When I see a lot of smog and a wooden road, I realize I'm somewhere around Donald's Dock. I really travelled far. I keep running and it feels like I'm doomed when I approach a tall wooden fence. I look back to see the Toonbots again when a glove covers my mouth and eyes. I try to break free of the toon's clutches but again, I'm weak. I realize that there are more toons when someone throws a pie towards the cogs.
The pie lands in front of the cogs, doing nothing. I think it's pretty useless. The toon that's holding me covers my ears with another hand, and the pie explodes. The explosion pushes me back along with the anonymous toon.

The toon still holds me tightly. I try to look around, but the toon puts a blindfold on me, so I can't see anymore. I'm not going to give up. I push and shake and I keep trying to get loose and free. I'm about to kick when the toon injects me with some syringes. My body gets weaker and weaker, and I start to blink slowly. I can't feel or see anything.

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I attempt several times to open my eyes. I think I try 30 times until I finally can open it. I look around, and it appears that I am in some hospital. There are 4 patients also here. I take off my breathing mask and I get off the bed. I don't think Flippy would do this. He's too cruel. Before I leave the room, I look out the window, and I see trees and more smog.

Could I possibly be in the safe place Joey told me about? Oh my god. Joey. Is he okay? I should've never left his side. He's probably dead because of me. My eyes tear up, and I hear the door open up. A blue pig in a doctor's coat and a tall brown dog walk in. Gary. It's Gary.

"The patient is awake, Gary," the pig says. Crackers, Chloe, and Drake then walk in the room. I thought they were dead. But wait, if they are dead, I must be in the afterlife.

"Am I dead?" I ask. Drake starts to giggle. I walk up to him and raise my clenched fist to hit his face. Immediately, Crackers hugs me tightly. Does he really miss me, or was he just protecting me.

I push Crackers back, and I turn to Gary. He has a confused look.

"Where am I?" I say. I'm pretty angry. Did they just leave me for dead?

"You're in one of the secret hospitals in the woods. There are 3 floors in this hospital, making it one of the biggest secret hospitals around," Gary says.

"Secret hospital? You know, I could've used that days ago," I say as my face turns red. Now I'm really mad.

"Oswald, calm down."

"Me? Calm down? Do you know how much I've been through in the past days or so?"

"Wait, just let me explain."

"You know what? I'm sick of you all," I say sternly. This was mostly intended for Drake. It was probably his plan to leave me. Everyone else gives a pained expression. Crackers starts to cry, but I don't care anymore. I take one last look at Gary, and then I stomp out of the room.

I walk down the hall and stairs, and I start crying. The doctors and nurses stare at me as they do their job. Gary, Drake, Chloe, and Crackers don't actually care about me until now. I finally reach the exit of this "secret hospital" and I walk out the door. I walk to the back of the building and sit against the wall and cry.

They don't know the pain I've been through. They don't know how I met an old friend, only to be separated again. Saving Cuddles and Wacky Dog is just a dream now. I hear footsteps running towards me.