A/N Well, first off, sorry I haven't been updating recently. It isn't because I lost my drive on this story or didn't know where to go with it, it has simply been that I have been struggling with my writing recently. I put some projects on hold while I worked on newer ones to get me back into writing. That said, I am back to working on You Remember, and will hopefully soon complete it for all of you who have stuck around and have waited for it. This chapter might not be too good, what with me having come back to it, but, I do hope you enjoy it.

You Remember

Chapter IV

The Puppet

They found him collapsed on the floor, one of the animatronics wrapped around him. They had to pry it off of him, but it held strong. He was rushed to a hospital, and a temporary replacement was found.

He slept for two days, and when he woke, the first thought he had was of them, of the animatronics. Of course, however, he wasn't permitted to leave, not immediately anyway. They ran tests on him to determine what had happened, but after a while, it was chalked up to be exhaustion combined with him hitting his head as he fell. There was no lasting injury, so, he was free to go.

It was a week before he was allowed to return to his job. His manager seemed a skittish man, he was always adjusting his glasses and seemed to speak with a slight stutter. He was careful, and that much was clear by the messages that he left for him to act as his tutorial during his first week. Although, there were many things he seemed not to mention, such as the old models in the back. Or maybe he did mention them, but the night guard had no problems before and saw no need for his messages.

When he did try to come back, he was told to take time to rest, which, was completely understandable, but before he hung up the phone with his manager, he was asked a question. A strange question.

"H-hey! Uh, have, any of the characters been, uh…hostile…towards you?" He replied with a questioning no, only to receive a nervous chuckle. "O-oh, okay…well, um, when we found you, uh, it seemed one of them was on you, so, we wanted to be sure. Now, uh, in the reports, nothing was mentioned of it, and, uh, if you are okay with it, we would appreciate it if such things were…unsaid, if you catch my meaning."

They were scared that the animatronics did something. It could harm business, he knew, but still. It felt a little…shady. He acknowledged his understanding, receiving a sigh from his manager. "Now, Fazbear Entertainment will pay for your medical expenses, and, you will also be paid for the time you will be taking off because of this incident, in good faith that you, as our employee, are loyal to us, and, we sincerely hope that you, uh, return to us as soon as you feel up for it. H-however, I, uh, I really must insist…if there has been anything…anything at all…please, feel free to tell me."

He cleared his throat. "Wait…yeah…yeah, actually, there is…one…"

He was met with silence on his end of the line. After a moment, there was another nervous chuckle. "Haha, well…um, you see…we had a temp in here for your position while, uh, you were in recovery, and, uh, we explained him the…the night time events, the kinks in the programming, and well…they acted more strangely than what could be considered the norm, especially one…"

He felt his chest tighten. "I know the one you are talking about…The Puppet…"

The manager gave a tired sigh. "Yeah, that one…I never liked that one…it's always so…creepy…b-but, no, the one that has been, well, excessive, has been, uh, The Mangle."

"The Mangle?"

The call ended soon after that. He felt tired, and decided to rest, but Freddy's was on his mind. The animatronics…they were crying. There was something there, something insidious. He is supposed to protect that place. And that includes the animatronics. The newer toy models, and the older ones, long forgotten.

He heard them when he entered that room. Crying children. He didn't know why he felt compelled to do something. No one would blame him if he left, and many would say that it wasn't his responsibility to solve the mystery of the place known as Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria.

But as he locked the doors to mark the beginning of his shift, he felt like he was the only one that could do it. As was his ritual, he went to assemble Foxy, but along the way, he stopped at the stage, looking up to the trio that resided there. "Did you know about them?" None of them said anything, but that mattered little to him. He knew the answer already.

"There is something here…isn't there?" Freddy's looked at him right in the eye, giving him his answer. "I will protect you, all of you…but, that includes those ones…they are like you…whatever is in here…none of you deserve to bear it anymore. I'm going in there. Can I trust you to keep the music box wound as I talk to them?"

He was met with the blank stare of the animatronic. "Don't" the animatronic seemed to think. But this was something he had to do.

He entered the room and was immediately met with the foul odor of decay. He hadn't smelled it previously when he was in there, but, it seemed to have been, well, normal. As if the air was tainted. Maybe he just didn't remember it?

He flicked on his flashlight, seeing the old animatronics as they were last he saw them. But…wait, no, they were…different, he noticed. Had they…moved?

They all sat together at one end of the room, propped up against the wall. Foxy's head lay in Chica's lap, who leaned on Freddy's shoulder. Bonnie sat on Freddy's opposite side. They looked like…a family?

Pain went through his head as he heard the cries of a child. He bent over, gripping his head, dropping his flashlight as he clenched his head. He didn't know who was crying. Was it them? Was it the children? Or was it him?

He didn't know, all he could feel was pain and dizziness and the trails of tears on his cheeks. He turned his eyes upwards, to look at them once again. No, they were huddled together, in the dark, cold and scared. The cries suddenly stopped, but the pounding in his temple grew more aggressive, the pain blinding him as he collapsed on the floor. The silence was deafening, crippling him as he curled up in pain.

The silence.

The door slammed shut as it entered. He heard them pounding at the door, Foxy, Chica, Bonnie, the newer ones, the toy versions. Freddy failed him. He didn't hear the music box anymore, just the futile attempt of the others to open the door to the room, trying to get in, trying to save him. Freddy knew this place was bad, but he went in anyway, went in when Freddy didn't want him to. Is this the price?

The figure loomed over him, tall and slim, black with a white mask. It leaned over his body.

Are those…tear streaks?

He moaned in pain, his head feeling as if it would explode. He looked to the figure one last time.

"Please…save…them…"

The puppet cocked his head curiously to the side as the night guard blacked out, once again.