Time slowed down to almost nothing. A high pitched ringing noise was all Gabriel could hear at the moment. His mind had gone blank. Any movement he made felt alien to him, as if he was a puppet controlled by someone else. He barely acknowledged the fact that he was walking forward until his boots stepped in something wet. Looking down, the middle aged man stared dimly at the blood lapping at his shoes. The red liquid pooled into an ever growing puddle that all came from Miss Delight's newly acquired head injury. The teacher laid on the floor in her own blood, gasping for air. Speechless, Gabriel sank to his knees.

And then he sobbed.

All of the day's events came crashing down upon Gabriel. All of the hurt, the pain, the agony. It was all there. The floodgates couldn't keep the onslaught of tears back any further. Sobbing uncontrollably, the dark haired man tentatively reached out and grabbed Miss Delight's hand in his own. "I'm... so... so sorry..." he choked out, "I'm... so sorry..."

"Doctor... Gabriel... Lopez... PhD..." Miss Delight croaked, her body shuddering with each word. Her eyelids twitched a little as she gazed up at Gabriel. The man stared back at her silently. She somehow knew his whole name and position. "Yes... I know... who you are..." Miss Delight rasped. It was like she had read his mind. Trembling as the gate sank a little deeper into her head, she added, "We... all... know... who... you... are..."

"Shh, shh... don't talk..." Gabriel whispered. Scooting a little closer, he grabbed the gate and lifted it as high as he could. The rusty metal cut into the palms of his hands but he persevered. Lifting the gate high enough, he used his left hand to grab Miss Delight and pull her clear of the gate. Once she was out of the way, he released his hold. The gate slammed shut. Shivering while his bleeding hands clenched into fists, Gabriel slowly looked at the teacher.

Miss Delight was in horrible shape. Her entire right leg from the knee down was laying in a corner from across the room. She had run so fast that, when the gate came crashing down on her, the limb came flying off. The most devastating injury, without a doubt, was on her head. The metal gate had managed to slice through the right side of her scalp and cut down deep, right down to her skull. Gabriel could even catch a glimpse of her brain through the flesh and blond hair. Bits of plastic and bone floated in the puddle of blood surrounding them. "Oh my god..." Gabriel whimpered, "Oh my god..."

"Gabriel?" Mommy's voice spoke. Startled, Gabriel whirled around. Standing in a hallway connected to the room, the giant spider-like toy's gaze flickered between the human and the school teacher. "What... what happened?" she asked, coming closer. Tears streaming down his face, Gabriel started sobbing all over again. "It... it was an accident!" he cried, "I... I didn't mean to... to..."

"Everything... is... okay... Doctor..." Miss Delight coughed. The teacher had made no attempts to sit up or move around or anything of the sort. She laid there on the floor, coated in her own blood. Gently pushing Gabriel aside, Mommy warily approached the downed teacher. Spitting out some of her webs, she pressed it against the bleeding wound on Miss Delight's scalp. "Easy there Miss Delight, that looks pretty nasty," the giant toy mumbled, focusing on her work. Sitting off to the side, Gabriel hiccuped, "Is... is she... gonna be... be okay?"

"She'll be alright once we get her shipped off to the surface," Mommy answered. Straightening up, she pursed her lips together and let out a sharp whistle. A moment later, Gabriel could hear the rapid pitter patter of hundreds of feet. Looking down the hallway Mommy had come from, the middle aged man gasped when he saw PJ Pug-a-pillar coming right for them. He backed away quickly as the huge toy entered the room. Tongue hanging out of his mouth, PJ woofed a greeting.

"PJ dear, Mommy has a task for you," Mommy stated calmly, calling for the other toy's attention. Gingerly picking up Miss Delight's battered body, the giant spider-like toy carefully placed the teacher on the hybrid's back. "Please take Miss Delight up to the surface," Mommy instructed, "The mini Wuggies have the first aid kit, they'll patch her up properly."

"Wait... Doctor... take Barb..." Miss Delight wheezed as she held out her hand, still grasped firmly around her melee weapon. Taking it from the teacher, Gabriel realized that it was a ruler with a ball of twine on one end. Sharpened pencils were attached to the twine. "She... will... take care... of you..." Miss Delight mumbled, drawing out each syllable. Her eyes slowly blinked shut. A worried look painted itself on Mommy's face. Patting PJ on the head, she murmured, "Get going boy, we'll be fine." Woofing softly, PJ scurried off.

"Is... is she really gonna be..." Gabriel asked. Hugging himself, he buried his face into his arms. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder when Mommy whispered, "Gabriel, look at me." Lifting his head, he saw the toy kneeling down in front of him. Taking a hold of his arms, she unwrapped them and flipped them over so she could inspect his hands. Wordlessly staring at the blood on them, Gabriel was barely aware of Mommy speaking to him until she shook him. "Hey, speak to me," she pleaded, "Are you alright?"

Gabriel lunged forward and hugged Mommy.