The Playground Wars

Chapter Sixteen

Escape.

That's the only thing I have been thinking about since the day I refused Flippy's offer to eat with him. The days have come and gone since then. It's really the only thing I hope for but I know is impossible, and even though it is indeed impossible, it somehow hasn't left the grasps of my thoughts.

I can't stay here. By the time Cuddles and Gary come, that is if they come at all, I'll be dead. I can only imagine the time I have left. Occasionally I would hear footsteps passing from the other side of my door, and my heart beats would increase with each step that comes closer. I would close my eyes, and when the footsteps disappear, I go back to distracting myself with the same old games.

113 scratches on the wall.

What if Cuddles and Gary and the others do come? Maybe even today? One can really just cling onto hope. 

Wait a second! I'm thinking about using anything from my gag attack backpack to help me escape when I realize that I haven't noticed that it's gone. Flippy took it when I woke up in this room, who knows how long ago. I still have my glasses and my golf hat on, but they're no use in helping me escape.

114 scratches on the wall and counting.

And then the usual footsteps that pass by the door. I perform the same routine of closing my eyes but it comes to a stop but there's a knock a few feet away from me. I can't do anything but watch the silver door split in half once again. A cog steps in, a Pencil Pusher, I haven't seen him before. Then again, when is there a time where I remember a cog besides the dreaded General Cheese? 

This Pencil Pusher is tall like the others, a posture erect like one of the lamp posts on the streets. He carries in a tray with a mug and a plate complete with bread and butter and silverware on the side. My eye catches the knife in particular. So, so foolish of Flippy to let something that like slip by him. The Pencil Pusher sets the tray down on the floor, and he doesn't seem to notice me until I cough. Rising to his tall stance once again, he takes a look at me and then makes his way towards the door. I quickly take the knife from the tray and the Pencil Pusher fails to exit before I can grab his neck, holding the knife tight against his metallic surface.

His eyes grow in alert and I know his next course of action is to make an alert to the cogs somehow so I cover his mouth. "Close the door if you want to live," I whisper into his ear. The Pencil Pusher nods and I guide him to the door's control panels. He slowly presses several buttons, his silver fingers touching the surface of each colored button softly. My gaze is lost in the space of the control panel when I hear glass shatter. I look and to my right down the hallway, a Bloodsucker stands over a broken wine glass, it's contents now staining a part of the red carpet of the hallway with a shade of purple. The Bloodsucker stands in shock, and I notice his eyes looking behind me. I turn around and realize the Pencil Pusher is gone but in those seconds of letting my mind process his absence, I take a look down the hallway once again to see the Bloodsucker running down.

"SOUND THE ALARM! ALERT FLIPPY!" He cries. I grab my knife tightly and I'm thinking about chasing him down until the alarms begin to sound. The room begins to darken slowly. I look around and see the windows, with dark and metal sheets sliding down so that to block any light. I begin to run down the hall where the Bloodsucker came from and suddenly I stop when I realize I'm lost in complete darkness. My knife is held on tightly to my hand. I'm looking around, adrenaline pumping, but I can't see anything.

And then a laser shoots from further down the hallway. A sighting laser travels from the carpet ground and finds a home on my head. Many more follow and soon enough most of my body is a light show, full of red spots living next to each other on the surface of my skin. 

"FREEZE!" a deep voice calls from down the hallway. The red spots begin to move all around me. I don't have to listen to their orders to freeze, the fright has already given me enough. The red spots travel down to my hand and outline the shape of the knife in my grip.

"DROP THE WEAPON!" a deeper voice blares out. I'm shaking and it takes no effort to let the knife hit the carpet, emitting a soft thud and no more.

"Two of you, take him down to the cellar," I can hear Flippy's voice order. The red spots disappear but I can only focus on the pain being inflicted upon me by two cogs in the dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can finally see but I'm no longer in the hallway. My immediate feeling within seconds of being aware is that I'm flying. No, not flying. Then why are my feet floatin-

Dip. I look down and it's green, toxic substance radiates and glows the room around me. My feet keeping a good distance from being damaged but still close enough that my sky blue skin has a soft tone of green. Moving my arms, I let out a loud cry. It takes a few moments after the pain to sink in to realize that my arms are chained to a rope attached to the ceiling, leaving my restless body dangling over the dip. It's unimaginable. I'm so tired that I don't even notice the pain but when I do, I can really feel it and it's the only thing I can feel or think about. Or the fact that I'm thirsty. Or sleepy. Or-

"I'm sorry your plan didn't work out as well as you imagined it would," his voice echoes through the dungeon that holds me. So this was The Dipping Chamber he mentioned earlier. I look around but I can't see him. "Yes, the dungeon is sealed tight except for one exit that lies directly above you. Yes I could see you. And no, you're not going to find your way out of this one without my help."

"Why..." I struggle to make anything come out of my mouth, "why are you doing, doing, this t-to m-me?"

"You really thought your escape attempt would work?" he taunts me. "It was a test really. I'm not stupid enough to let anything slip by me, even something as small as a knife to let you eat your food. It's too bad. You didn't even make it to dessert, haha." He starts laughing through the speakers and then there's a small pause.

"W-why to me?" I plead. "All-l this t-trouble, to me?"

"Like I tried to explain to you, your potential that I wanted to explain over dinner. But being the confused and naive toon you are, you didn't let me finish. Oh well, time to find somebody else."

"What?" The rope feels loose but that's because I'm being dropped down closer to the dip. "Please, p-please stop!" No response. "Stop!" The glow of the dip gets stronger and brighter as I near it. My feet would be the first to go. To die this way is the death of an enemy of war. To be slowly dipped into the pool of the substance and having to live your last moments in pain is so unbearable to think about.

Only laughter is echoed through the speakers. 

"STOP! I'LL DO ANYTHING, I'M SORRY!" My feet are a few centimeters away from the dip. I can feel it's hot and steamy surface. The rope stops and suddenly I rise further away from what could've been my doom.

"Anything," Flippy repeats.