How could she have been so stupid? She should've known there would've been more, that it wouldn't just end there. But, she couldn't have known! Nobody could've known.. Such abilities aren't something that's even thought about. Thought to even be real or possible, yet he had them. He had control over the timeline. Control over his own demise. He could go back before it, to change what had happened in the past. He still remembered everything. Unlike her friends, so did Charlie. She didn't know why.. maybe it was because he was now only fixated on her. Though, she doesn't know, if remembering is better or worse. She tried to replay, what had happened, all the new events that had replaced over the old. She thought back to the beginning of all this. The start of this new timeline.
She woke up in the morning to Marla knocking loudly on the door, she was very confused to find herself back in the hotel room with Jessica. She found herself questioning why she was back in Hurricane. She looked at the date on the calendar that she brought with and found that it was once again 17th. Her mind raced with ways of trying to explain this, but once again Marla knocked on the door. Albeit a bit louder this time. She quickly got up and opened the door, just like she remembered Marla went straight in for the hug. Charlie felt her stomach sink. This can't be happening When Marla pulled away, she said the exact same things as well. She stepped back and motioned towards her little brother. Why was she being introduced to Jason again? What was going on? Why was she back to the 17th, doing something she already did? Was this a severe case of déjà vu? No, that wouldn't make sense. Déjà vu doesn't work that way. But, somehow, she was back to day when they went to Michael's memorial. This all felt so surreal.
This isn't right, this isn't possible! I already did all of this! she thought. Though she soon realized that when she tried asking her friends, they didn't seem to understand, they claimed they never did this and perhaps she was just experiencing déjà vu. Once she heard this, she tried to keep to herself. When she thought about it, it was a lot like the movie Groundhog Day, in the sense that it was some sort of time loop. Was it though? She was having a hard time believing it was herself. I mean, a time loop that's crazy. Then again, she had dealt with possessed animatronics. Maybe the idea of a time loop wasn't so crazy. But if it was, then she needed to know why. Why did this happen? What caused it? She pondered it all morning, trying desperately to think of an answer. Here she was, getting all dressed up once again to go to the memorial she had already attended. She was back, after driving here, meeting her old friends, going to Freddy's for the first time in forever. She was all the way back, to the week that changed her life forever.
Am I just going crazy? She thought, mind racing for an explanation. I mean with what I've gone through, I wouldn't be surprised. While she was in the car, on the way to the diner, she decided to pinched herself. Just like they always do in the movies, to check to see if they were awake. She pressed her skin together and felt the sharp pain, she winced. This was real... ,she thought to herself. What was going to happen now? What would change? What would happen if she did try to changed what happened? How different would things be? Next thing she knew she was getting out of the car and heading into the diner. The loud music playing and the people chatting broke her away from thought. And she took in her surroundings before sitting down. She looked at Marla and asked, "Ever eat here before?" Godammit! Why did I say that?!
"Uh, no. Haven't been back to Hurricane remember?" She chuckled. Charlie felt heat rise to her face.
"Of course, sorry. I just- sorry," She went quite. A few of them looked at her questioningly before returning back to look at their menus. John though didn't take his eyes off her. She could see it in her peripheral vision. She looked at the menu in front of her. Maybe she should just focus on the trying to understand what's happening.
The waitress came to their table and they ordered their food. Before she knew it, the food was being passed out and she was eating. To her surprise, her talking about something she didn't talk about last time, didn't affect what Marla said. Because she still decided to talk about her grandma, the dolls, and ghosts. They got into the argument about whether ghosts were real or not. From the last run, Charlie's thoughts about spirits and memories, were even more solidified. Before she believed in memories roaming in familiar areas. But now, she knew for sure that spirits exist. The kids, they were still there. Thanks to this 'reset', they were pulled back from their freedom and put into unrest, once again. Forced to linger in the god forsaken place once more. But do they even remember that they were freed? Or do they not.. There were so many things she still wasn't sure about. But one things for sure, she didn't want to find out. Charlie joined into the conversation, trying to repeat everything she had said last time, word by word. She got lucky the first time, but this time. She didn't want to screw something up. The butterfly effect. The movies were well known for showing this, 'the simplest of screw ups leading to cataclysmic events'. She didn't want the possibility of that actually happening. The time to leave, had arrived and they finished their breakfast. She walked out to the car and once again sat in the backseat. She needed more time to accept this.
On their way, she stared out the window. Deciding to take a break from thinking, she instead wanted to see if any new buildings were up, or if any of the old stores were still open. But unfortunately, Hurricane wasn't a large town. So the trip was short, but with what little time she had, she watched as the scenery flew by. The dusty, dirt ground, off road terrain, with all the short pale green grass and trees that was covering large chunks of the area. Hurricane was the desert, but it tried it's hardest to be the Midwest. The short, flat mountains around the town and the tall brown plateaus far off in the distance as well as the desert. She really was back in Hurricane, Utah. Back in this weird little town that looked so lush and green, and so out of place among the miles of plateaus and desert like landscapes. She saw the sand dune area where the kids rode there bikes up and down the slopes. Looking up and beyond that, was the out of place snow caps mountains in the distance. And of course who could forget the fact that Zion National Park was close nearby, she used to go up there a lot when she was kid. This small town was a place she once called home, a place she loved and cherished... Now, it was nothing more than a sight for sore eyes, a nostalgia trip. A place where nothing ever seemed to go right for her and some unfortunate others. She was brought back to reality, when they parked in the school lot. The sight of the school gave her another wave of nostalgia. They existed the car and went out to the football field, sitting in the front row of the silver metal bleachers.
Being out here, surrounded by so many people, so much talking, made her feel disoriented. Not to mention the fact that the summer heat along with the bright sun beat down on them all. She and many other had to squint just to see. She practically missed the whole speech, since she couldn't focus to well. Unlike last time, when she had nothing to think about. And when she had suppressed all of her childhood memories. When she thought the worse was over and there was nothing to fear. She finally just gave up and went back into deep thought.
She realized that now, she would have to face what was ahead. Jesus, she didn't want to go through all that crazy shit again. She thought about the animatronics, how they narrowly survived the first time. How her leg got torn open. And how it was just oozing blood. This time around, she didn't think they would. Everything was instinct then, a race for survival, an improv. She knew that if they faced it all again, she would be thinking too much about it, she'd try to copy what she did last time, and instead of focusing on survival, she'd probably get killed from not being focused on the present. However, she was only of the animatronics, the dead kids. She wasn't even thinking of the real threat... Dave. She didn't want to meet him again. Not even lay eyes on him. Let alone, talk to him.
The thought of him made her ponder though, would it really matter if she didn't kill him this time around. Would it really change much? Would a lot of things that she did really matter in the long run if she didn't do them again? Would it cause a butterfly effect? I mean, her actions at the time, they were just sort of, spur of the moment. She killed him, to bring justice for the victims. Michael and the other children. How much of a difference would it make, knowing everything that's going to happen. Would it be bad, if she tried to change anything? Even if it was the tiniest action. What would the consequences be? And how bad would they be? If there were none, would it still make her a bad person. Not doing it. All this questioning choices and morality was making her head hurt. She wanted to avoid him, plain and simple. She's going to stay at the hotel and never go back there, period.
She was beginning to feel her stomach churn and twist, all this worrying was causing her to feel queasy. The speech was over, she even missed Carlton speak, she was so deep in thought. They made there way onto the field and talked to Michael's parents, which admittedly, was nice. She was glad she got to see them again, hear their voices. Once they had, they went and looked at Michael's art. His masterpieces, as she saw them. She wished that she could draw that well. Finally, they left. They walked from the foot ball to the front of the school and Charlie felt like she was going to vomit.
"Hey Charlie?" Jessica asked. Charlie broke from thought and turned to her as they stepped off the sidewalk, onto the black pavement.
"Yeah," she replied.
"Are you ok?" Jessica asked. She guessed, that Jessica could tell something was up.
"Yeah Charlie, You've looked very tense and sick all morning," John said. She looked back and forth to the two of them. They looked legitimately concerned.
"Oh, yeah. I have felt a bit queasy, I think it's probably just a little stomach bug," Charlie responded trying to put on a smile. The others looked at one another and just decided to drop it. They got to Marla's car.
"Can I play my game now?" Jason said immediately, and Marla found her keys in her purse and handed them over.
"Don't drive away," she warned. Suddenly, Marla grabbed her brother and pulled him close, hugging him to her for a long minute. Charlie's eyebrows raised a bit and she realized that Marla was hugging Jason, because she was just reminded of losing Michael all those years ago. She didn't want to lose her little brother too. Charlie felt an urge to hug Marla, but left her be.
"Jeez, I'm only going to the car," he muttered when she let him go.
"Yeah, maybe I should let you drive away," she said, giving him a little push. She cleared her throat. "So are we going to Freddy's?" she asked. Charlie's heart sank.
"No!" She blurted out. The others looked at her. "I mean, I don't think it's a good idea to go."
"Charlie, I thought you of all people would want to go?" Marla asked. Charlie coughed.
"Well, like I said, I'm not feeling good. I just want to go back to the hotel," she lied.
"Well, you don't have to come with us Charlie. You can go back to the hotel and we'll go to Freddy's," Jessica said. Charlie's heart skipped a beat. That was even worse. Leaving them by themselves with Dave or the animatronics was a horrible idea.
"No, I'll come. I wouldn't want you guys to have all the fun, now would I?" She joked, putting on a fake smile. The others looked at each other concerned. Before once again deciding to drop it.
Charlie, instead of going back to her old house, this time she went back to the hotel and changed into something more comfortable. She hoped the private discussion with John at her house in the prior run wouldn't have any major impacts on the future.
The gang headed back to the pizzeria. She knew that the second time they came, they didn't meet Dave. But it still unnerved her, how close they came to meeting him. Once again though, they hid from him and weren't caught. But it still terrified Charlie, her heart was beating so fast in her chest when she heard him come near them. They listened as his footsteps moved away from them, and got quieter and quieter. She calmed herself down to a bored looking, unmoved composure that she had also put on last time. She didn't want them to notice. Everything was going to be fine, she told herself. You just need to stay calm.
She hung back while they one by one slipped through the door into the pizzeria. Finally, it was just her. Before she could take a step forward, a hand went over her mouth covering her face with some sort of wet cloth, she tried to scream and get away but the other hand wrapped around her torso and dragged her backwards without issue. Her adrenaline was pumping as she flailed in their grasp.
"Charlie?!" She heard her friends yell. This wasn't supposed to happen! This is wrong! Despite her mind racing, her senses began to go numb and she started to feel sleepy. Her vision was turning black. She heard her friend's footsteps coming towards her and one last scream of her name before blacking out.
Charlie felt groggy, her head throbbed in pain. She groaned. Her mind began trying to relay what happened. She remembered that she woke up in Hurricane, instead of at home with Aunt Jen. Then remembered the time loop. Her painful, pulsing headache, was making it hard for her to think. She cracked her eyes open just a bit and realized she wasn't at the hotel. She in a dark room, with a dull yellow light on the ceiling nearby. She must've been in a basement or downstairs room, because there was a window high on the wall touching the ceiling. And it must've been night out because all that came from it was darkness.
She blinked and tried to wake up a bit more. She went to move her right arm up to rub her eyes, but it was held back tightly by something. She moved her head to the right and looked down, something black was wrapped around her wrist. And was connected to a black strip that went off the side of the bed. Her eyes widen. She looked to her left and saw the same for her left arm. Then she leaned up and looked down, her bare feet were bound too. She sighed angrily and flopped back down. She wondered where she was. She wasn't in the pizzeria, she wasn't stuffed into a suit like Carlton, which was a relief. But she wasn't somewhere she knew. She could take a good guess who brought her here though.
She closed her eyes grumbled in frustration. She was too out of it, to feel fearful. She was mainly just annoyed. She heard a door open to her right. Her eyes opened and footsteps moved towards.
"Oh, good you're awake." Speak of the devil. She turned her head and looked at Dave, who was standing there, looking at her with a mug in his hands. He wasn't in his uniform anymore. He was in a dirty white undershirt and light blue ripped up jeans. With his arms exposed, she saw more scars that hadn't been able to see before. There were so many of them. No wonder he had kept them covered before.
"Where am I?" she asked, more like a demand. She didn't want to sound scared or unsure. She wanted to feel in charge and calm.
"My place," he said, taking a sip. He acted and looked so nonchalant, for a guy who just kidnapped someone. She was trying to recall what happened earlier. She remembered her friends shouting for her and running after her.
"Where are the others?" she asked worried for her friend's safety. She hoped he didn't lock them in there or kill them.
"Your friends?" he asked rhetorically. "I left them back at the mall. I was more worried about getting you into the back of my car." She closed her eyes and let out a small sigh of relief. She was glad to know they were alright. Dave pulled up a cushiony chair and sat down.
"Now, Charlie. I know, that you know this isn't the first time we've met," he stated. She looked at him, slightly furrowing her eyebrows.
"You remember?" she asked.
"If you're talking about the reset, then yes," he said "That's what I'm talking about at least."
"What happened?" she asked, hoping he knew the answers.
"Well, after you killed me. I used my ability to reset and fix things," he said. Her eyes widen.
"What?!" she asked.
"I had the ability to change my fate," he said. "I had the ability to stop what happened." He got up and walked over to the bed. She wanted to slide away from him, but she couldn't, not while being bound like this. She felt her blood run cold.
"And I made a decision," he said darkly. He loomed over her, the light hitting the back of him, causing his front to be covered in shadow. But his dead grey eyes, bored into her. She gulped.
"You're not leaving Hurricane, ever again."
Charlie was sweating and breathing heavily. Dave grinned at her before turning and walking towards the counter. He poured his drink into the sink and Charlie watched him intensely. She was freaking out. What was he going to do?! He turned on the water and rinsed out the sink.
"What are you going to do to me?" she finally mustered up the strength to ask. She was afraid to know the answer and almost regretted asking. Dave stopped for a second before turning to her, water still rushing.
"For right now, you're my guest," he said, before turning back to wash the mug with a red rag.
"Don't worry though, I'll take care of you. I'll feed you, I'll give you bathroom breaks, I'll let you bathe. I'm not completely heartless. Even if you were responsible for my demise," he stated. She swallowed nervously. So he wasn't going to kill her. That was a relief, she guessed. He turned the sink off and put the mug in one of the cabinets. She took a deep breath, she needed to be brave.
"My friends will come for me you know. J-just like we did for Carlton!" she said boldly. He began laughing hysterically, leaning over the counter.
"Oh- hahh. Charlie- hahhah, they don't even know me yet. At least, they would've gotten to know me in the old timeline. But now, they don't even know who I am, they can't deduce that I'm involved with this." He started calming down and took a few deep breaths before regaining himself.
"Even if there is a slight possibility that they do find you here, I won't hesitate to kill them," he said with a growing smile. "Charlie, I'm not going to play games this time around. I'm not going to let anyone stand in my way."
"Just like I said before you killed me, YOU are staying. And you are going to do, what. I. say," he said sternly with an wide grin on his face. Her throat tightened, restricting her oxygen intake.
"Now, I would suggest you get some sleep. There's not much to do during the night," he said. She looked around the room, there were no other rooms other than the shower and restroom as well as a closet.
"Where are you going to sleep?" she asked realizing she was on the only bed.
"I have some more work to do," he said walking towards the door to exit, of what she thought to be this apartment.
"Besides," he motioned to the chair he sat in earlier. "I can sleep sitting there, I've done it before." He turned off the dull room light and opened the door.
"See you in the morning Charlie," he said before leaving. She stared at the locked door for what felt like minutes. She was taking in the whole situation. The man whom she thought she killed, thought she had brought justice for the victims. He was back, he had reset his own death. And changed the events of what'll happen. He then kidnaps her, only to say she's his guest. She thought he would've just killed her for revenge. Why was he doing this? Why? Charlie looked up at the grey cement ceiling. She kinda forgot just how insane he was sometimes, how unpredictable he is. She remembered her and the others interrogating him, how he acted almost dead, for no explainable reason. She thought of them, the others…
"Jessica, John, Marla, Carlton, Lamar, Jason," she murmured. She thought of her friends. Their smiling faces. Their laughter. How even after all of these years, they still came together and acted as if nothing had changed.
"I miss you guys." She hoped that what he said wasn't true. That someone would come looking for her and find her. She hoped that maybe she'll wake up and she'll be home, with Aunt Jen. She'll get up, go downstairs to eat breakfast and Aunt Jen will complain about her not cleaning her room or getting a job. Charlie smiled. Aunt Jen. Man, she already missed home too.