I gently open the door.

…

“Mummy?”

…

Silence.

The tiles are stained with a wet crimson and her face bears a peaceful expression. Her long, auburn hair drapes heavily over her pale shoulders, cascading down the side of the bathtub along with her arm.

…

Oh… Mummy’s asleep.

…

I sit on the floor, leaning against the bathtub and rubbing my eyes.

It’s late.

“Goodnight, mummy.”

My little hand reaches out for her own, a sticky, dark red substance trickling between my fingers as I gently grab hold of it.

No no no…

Wake up…

Please…

Wake up, dammit…!

Not again–

“–693, wake up…”

I jolt awake, my heart pounding as I hyperventilate and tears sting at my eyes. The Smiler’s unmistakable eerie figure looms over me, holding out two hands which motion in a ‘calm down’ gesture.

“Easy, 693, it’s alright… You’re safe. Just… breathe.” It coaxes, cautiously approaching my bedside and gently taking my hand, turning it palm side down to inspect the IV it put in yesterday. “How are you feeling?”

“Eugh…” I groan and shrug, rubbing my eyes with a shaky hand. “…Better, I guess.”

“That’s definitely an improvement. I’m glad you got some rest and kept the IV in.” The Smiler looks almost… relieved at my recovery; its expression is difficult to read but it almost seems… caring. “How about we get this needle out, yeah?”

“…Thank god, It’s quite uncomfortable.”

“I can imagine,” It chuckles, gently pulling the IV out of my hand and holding a cotton pad over it to soak the blood. “IVs are no fun, I’ve had plenty of them myself. Are you feeling up to eating today?”

“…Yeah, I think so.” I look away, scratching my neck with anxiety. The Smiler lets out a sigh of relief and nods, its expression softening.

I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed, watching The Smiler toss the cotton pad and needle into their respective bins. It shifts its weight onto the other foot and offers a hand out for me. Hesitantly, I reach out to take it, and it gives a gentle tug to help me out of bed; holding me steady as I regain my bearings.

“Do you need a wheelchair? I’d be happy to have an Advocate fetch one for you.”

“I’m fine, really… I can walk on my own.” I mumble, pulling my hand back. It gives me a look of disappointment in response, but nods and leads me out of the room. When we arrive at the doors of the food court, I freeze up in fear. This is where I ran into the Ministry’s brainwashed cult - 

I can’t let them near me… No one can be trusted…

The Smiler turns back to me, cocking its head to the side in confusion.

“693…?”

“I… I don’t- I can’t- ” My voice trembles as I take a few steps away from the door. 

“Just…” It looks behind its shoulder at the crowd. “…Stay by my side, 693. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Why is this… creature being so nice to me…?

It puts a hand on my back, gently ushering me into the food court. Anxiety still festers within me, but something about The Smiler’s caring gesture seems to ease my tension. Other patients converse amongst themselves, those creepy, fake smiles plastered on their faces like before. Televisions on the wall display what appears to be some sort of propaganda. The screens display brightly coloured spirals, smiley faces, optical illusions, eerily happy patients, and a variety of text along the top, such as: “Smile always,” “Do not resist,” “Open your heart to joy,” and other things of the same ideology. It’s certainly unsettling as all hell; the lengths to which this place goes to brainwash innocent people is frightening, to say the least.

As I walk beside The Smiler, I notice that the patients move aside, making way for it as if it were a celebrity, or a saviour, as it said before. They definitely don’t look frightened, even though they certainly should be. The other patients instead quietly clap their hands together or smile wider at it, as if to show gratitude. It’s definitely odd, but… Something about its presence makes me feel safe. The sheer power it seems to hold over the people here is like a protective barrier, of sorts. One thing is clear, though; as long as I stick by The Smiler’s side, I’ll be at least somewhat safe.

…At least I hope so.

“What would you like to eat, 693? Whatever you’d like.” It asks, looking down at me. The smile on its face isn’t as frightening as before- in fact, its smile seems almost… genuine.

“Just… An everything bagel, I suppose. With cream cheese.”

“That’s all you want? Anything you desire, I’m able to get it for you, you know.”

“Look, I’m eating something. Can you at least take that as a victory?” I huff, crossing my arms. 

The Smiler lets out a small scoff before nodding and continuing through the food court and cutting the line, ushering me past the brainwashed patients. None of them give a damn that they’re being passed as if they don’t matter- in fact, they’re willingly moving out of the way for us.

Not much time passes before it puts together exactly what I’d asked for. It hands me a plate and ushers me to an empty table, sitting down as its tail flicks against the ground in curiosity.

“Mate… Do you seriously have to stare at me while I eat?” Discomfort lingers on my face as I have a seat in the chair across from it. Between the CCTV cameras, the patients, and the creature, I feel as if there are thousands of eyes on me.

“I’m simply watching over you to ensure your safety… And to make sure that you eat.” It mutters that last bit.

“Bloody hell…” I groan in annoyance before taking a bite of my bagel. The sweet but slightly tangy taste of the cream cheese fills my mouth; when paired with the variety of flavours of the everything bagel, each bite is one I savour with every ounce of my being.

…

After I finish my breakfast, or ‘meal one’ as the intercom called it, The Smiler leads me out of the food court and down the halls.

“I’m glad you’ve eaten something. How are you feeling?” It asks.

“…Fine, I suppose. Where are you taking me?”

The Smiler stops in place, its mechanical tail swishing slightly with what appears to be anxiety as it tries to find the right words.

“…”

I respond to its silence with a glare of suspicion, pressuring it to speak up as we stop in front of a large set of doors.

“I…” Its voice trails off as it nods to something behind me. “…I’m truly sorry that we have to do this, 693.”

“What…? What are you–”

Before I can turn around or finish my sentence, I feel a small pinch in the nape of my neck. The hallways start to spin, my knees buckling underneath me. As two Advocates pull me up by my underarms and drag me away, The Smiler looks down at me with what I believe is a look of regret; though it stays in place, doing nothing to stop the Advocates.

“Y-You asshole… I trusted you…”

My vision begins to blur, every figure and object blurring into incomprehensible shapes.