There are a lot of moments in my story that closely reminds you of the indie games. All four games was an inspiration and I've always wanted to contribute a good readable FNAF story for fans to truly enjoy. I love all the animatronics but like I have to keep reminding my readers, I couldn't fit them all into my story because then it would look sloppily done. I may even do other stories if I get inspired again. You'll also noticed that I also belong to other fandoms and have got good stories there too. For now, here's the next chapter for you to read.
Her nightmares were unending. Worst than the old ones she used to have. Katrina was trapped inside her dark bedroom with no escape. Outside her door, she could hear Freddy Fazbear in the hallway. She could hear the animatronic bear pounding at her door and trying to get in. Freddy thought she was in trouble and was begging to be let him in so he could help her. But Katrina was scared of him…afraid that Freddy would betray her and attack instead. So she didn't let him in. And Katrina continued to cower on her bed while wishing Freddy would stop pounding at her door and pleading for her to let him in.
"Katrina…Katrina…" A soft voice suddenly called to her. "Wake up Katrina. You're having a nightmare."
Katrina's eyes opened and she realized that she had been asleep. Looking out her window, she saw that it was night-time and the clock read 10:00AM. Now she sat up and pushed back her messy hair over her shoulder while waiting for her heart to stop beating so hard. It was only a nightmare but…whose voice was that? Katrina looked around her room and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. There was her laundry basket, her favorite jewelry box, her Freddy plushie staring at her with its glowing eyes…
"Katrina…," it spoke to her and Katrina jumped. She stared open-mouthed at her Freddy doll. "Oh good, you're awake," the voice said kindly. "Will you talk to me?" Katrina only stared speechlessly at the plushie sitting on her night-stand. "That's okay, you can just listen," the teddy bear said understandingly. "I really need to talk to you."
Katrina hopped from her bed and with her eyes still on the plushie doll, she began backing away. She had to be imagining things. This wasn't real. She had to get out of here. But the Freddy doll saw her being wary and hastily called after her. "Please come back, Katrina! This isn't a dream!"
"Who are you?" Katrina asked suspiciously.
"That's not important. Katrina, we have serious trouble here at the pizzeria," the plushie told her urgently. "It's Freddy… Something terrible has happened. Earlier today he collapsed from the Show Stage and he hasn't moved since. Nobody can fix him and the restaurant is in hiatus right now. Things are a real mess…"
Whatever doubts Katrina had vanished the second she heard about Freddy. It couldn't be… Freddy was broken? She was greatly disconcerted when the plushie continued. "Freddy is in real bad shape. Ever since you went away, he's been miserable and lonely. He feels very bad about what went down five days ago. Freddy didn't mean for it to happen… You know what I'm referring to."
Yes, Katrina did know what the little plushie was talking about. But it still filled her with heartache whenever she thought about the look on Freddy's face when she ran from him… The plushie gazed compassionately at her with its glowing eyes. "Please Katrina… Freddy needs you. You have to come back to the restaurant and see him," the soft voice urged her.
But Katrina sadly bowed her head in shame. "I…I can't do it… It's just that I…Wait a second," Katrina was struck with a sudden suspicious thought. "How do you know all this?" Katrina asked the plushie sitting on her night-stand. "How do you know that Freddy is in trouble? And how do you know my name? I never told it to you!" Katrina frowned distrustfully at the teddy bear.
The plushie hadn't been expecting these questions. "Uhhh… I'm your imaginary friend, don't you remember?"The voice said unconvincingly to her.
Katrina wasn't fooled. Now that she listened carefully to the soft echoing voice, she heard it before. And that was when she finally realized it. "You're the Puppet!" Katrina cried. "I don't believe it! It was you all along! You're the one who's been talking to me inside my dreams. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner." Now Katrina turned away in disgust and folded her arms over her chest. She felt like an idiot.
"Katrina, please. Don't be this way." The Puppet tried to explain. "You're right. I was in your dreams," the Puppet admitted. "But I was only trying to help you come to terms with the truth. You've repressed so many horrible memories. It wasn't healthy. So I wanted to talk you through it…"
"You've been manipulating me!" Katrina accused. "This whole time you've been going into my dreams and invading my privacy. I don't like that!" Then Katrina looked over her shoulder to flash the plushie an angrier look. "And you've been using me to get to Freddy, haven't you? You knew he's always wanted to fall for a girl. That's the real reason why you brought us together."
Katrina became annoyed when the Puppet had the gall to laugh at her. "You're very clever for your age. Yes, I'm afraid you're right. Ever since the Butcher Night Incident, Freddy was grief-stricken when he couldn't save those kids. I wanted to help him be strong again. What better solution than a pretty girl?" The Puppet gave Katrina a sly twinkle in its eye. So that would explain everything.
Now the Puppet turned serious. "But this isn't about me. Freddy was heart-broken when you left. And he's worst than ever… You're the only one who can heal him. Come back Katrina. Come back to the restaurant… Come back to Freddy."
But Katrina stood right where she was and sadly shook her head. "I told you. I can't…I'm afraid." The more she thought about it, the more upsetting it became. "I'm afraid of Freddy," she confessed.
"Why are you afraid of Freddy?The Puppet asked her gently. Tell me what's wrong and I'll try to help you." Katrina said nothing, and the Puppet continued. "You know Freddy cares about you and would never hurt you. He didn't mean it, Katrina. He only wanted to protect you. Mr. Atkins was going to do a bad thing, what else could Freddy do but to prevent it?" Katrina was still silent, but the Puppet didn't give up. "Just what is it that you're afraid of? What's holding you back? Answer me, Katrina. Help me understand…"
"You don't understand." Katrina whispered tearfully. When she turned around to face the plushie, the Puppet saw that she had been crying. "I'm not afraid of Freddy… The truth is I was afraid I was going to lose him…," Katrina reached up and wiped away the tears from her eyes before finally deciding to tell the Puppet the truth. "I'll never forget that horrible look on Freddy's face when he attacked Mr. Atkins in a blind rage. He acted like some kind of wild animal. I tried to stop him but it's like I wasn't even in the room. I got scared because I thought the Freddy I knew was gone!"
The Puppet allowed Katrina the chance to explain herself before speaking again. "But you didn't lose Freddy. Haven't you realized it yet?" The Puppet told her comfortingly. Katrina looked up at the plushie with tears in her eyes. "Freddy is no monster. Do you want to know what he did? He spared Mr. Atkins' life. And then he tried looking for you because he felt so bad about what he did. He's still the Freddy you know and love, Katrina."
Katrina went over and sat down on her bed when she realized she'd made a mistake. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the Puppet was right. Looking back on it now, Freddy had only backed off when she screamed his real name. Freddy had a choice between finishing off Mr. Atkins or protecting her. In her heart, she knew what Freddy had chosen. And yet she still ran away and abandoned him. She was the one who caused all these problems. This only made Katrina burst into more tears when she thought of the heartbreak she's caused poor Freddy. She buried her face into her hands and truly felt ashamed of herself.
"Don't cry, Katrina," Puppet said soothingly. "It was only a misunderstanding. You can still make this right. Come back to the restaurant and see Freddy. He misses you. Freddy is in trouble. He's stopped working and refuses to move. If you come back to see him, your presence will be enough to reinvigorate him. You can bring him back to life, Katrina."
"But I can't…," Katrina said guiltily. She couldn't stop crying. "I left Freddy… I just left him with no explanation. I hurt him so badly. I was nothing but a coward. What if Freddy doesn't want to see me? What if he's angry?"
"Come now, Katrina. You know Freddy better than that. He could never be angry at you," the Puppet reassured her. "Freddy needs you. I know you still care about him. We all miss you here at the pizzeria. Please come back and help Freddy. That'll way you two can finally make-up. Think about it…"
And just like that… the glowing eyes of Freddy Fazbear doll fainted out and the Puppet's voice disappeared with it. Katrina stared at the teddy bear but it looked so ordinary now. She wondered if she'd been dreaming this whole time. But she felt awake. Sighing, Katrina went over to her window to gaze outside at the dark-purple night sky filled with dark clouds and dotted with stars. Freddy missed her…he was suffering from a broken-heart. What should she do? As she absent-mindedly leaned her elbow on the ledge, she almost knocked over a vase.
Katrina caught the vase just in time before it could fall, and then she saw that it was the vase she put the white lily in. The flower Freddy had given to her as a gift. Holding the white lily delicately in her hands and smelling its lovely fragrance, she remembered how loving and kind Freddy had been. She couldn't forget how happy Freddy had made her, how he had pulled her out of her depression, how he been there for her whenever she needed him. Katrina didn't need to think about it any longer, because she realized she's already made her decision.
"Freddy…I'm coming. Please wait for me…" Katrina whispered to herself as she changed out of her pajamas and put on a fresh pair of clothes. She had to hurry. Freddy needed her so she wanted to rush to his side as quickly as she could. This time it was her turn to be there for him.
Thankfully it didn't rain tonight. Katrina was able to safely make her way through the neighborhood and she didn't stop until the building of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza came into view. Just like she always did, Katrina hurried around the building until she found the window left open for her. Climbing through the window, she entered through the girls' bathroom like usual. She hoped she wasn't too late. When she hurried for the door and opened it, to her surprise she saw none other than the Puppet standing there and waiting for her.
"Glad you could make it, Katrina. You've arrived with perfect timing." The Puppet held out its clawed-hand to her and Katrina took it. As Katrina looked around the dark and empty restaurant, she realized how much she missed coming back here.
"Katrina!" Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Golden all came running and were overjoyed to see that Katrina Marlowe had finally come back. The three animatronics surrounded her, talking excitedly all at once, hugging her and welcoming her back. As Katrina embraced each and every one of them, she felt like she was part of a family again. She missed all of them, but there was one person she really wanted to see above all…
"It's so good to see you again, Katrina," Bonnie was saying happily. "Don't worry about the stuff you've accidentally left here. We've been keeping it in a safe place for you."
"Thank you everyone. I'm really sorry…about before." Now Katrina turned to the Puppet who nodded its head to her. "Take me to Freddy," she said to the Puppet with a smile. "I want to see him."
Without further ado, the Puppet led Katrina down the hallway with Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Golden following close behind. They've reached the parts & service room where the Puppet opened the door and gestured for Katrina to go ahead inside. When she went in, Katrina saw the most saddest sight ever. She hadn't been prepared for this that she covered her mouth and felt her eyes water with tears. Freddy Fazbear was lying lifelessly on top of the big table in the center. One look at him and Katrina immediately knew something was wrong. Freddy didn't move, didn't react to her arrival. In fact, he laid there like a corpse…
"Freddy…," Katrina whispered. She approached the table with her eyes on him. She hoped if he heard her voice he'd wake up. But the animatronic bear lay still as a statue. "Freddy, it's me. It's Katrina. I'm here now…" When she touched Freddy's hand, she was shocked to feel how cold he was. It was almost like he was really dead. "Freddy, can you hear me? It's me! I'm back!"
It was no use. No matter what Katrina did, she couldn't get Freddy to wake up. Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Golden watched in dejection as Katrina became more upset. She tried shaking Freddy awake, tried looking for an on-switch, but nothing she did made any difference. Looking into Freddy's face, she saw his robotic eyes firmly closed, and his expression appeared neutral. He looked like he was asleep yet Katrina couldn't get him to wake up. Was it possible that he was…? With tears in her eyes, Katrina turned back to the Puppet in desperation.
"What's happening here?" Katrina demanded. "You said if I came back, Freddy would get better! You said I could wake him! But he's not waking up! Me being here didn't help! Freddy is still sleeping!" Katrina didn't mean to shout at the Puppet like that, but she was starting to lose her composure.
For the first time ever, the Puppet looked to be just as lost as Katrina. It looked helplessly at the lifeless Freddy and looked at a total loss on what to do next. "I…I don't understand. I thought for sure having you here would bring him back. How could I have been wrong? I…I don't know what's going on here," the Puppet said weakly.
"Whaddya mean ye don' know what's goin' on ere"?" Foxy also hollered at the Puppet. "Yer the one who said if Katrina returned, Freddy would be right as rain again. Yer the one who said it! And now yer sayin' you don' know what be goin' on ere'? What's wrong wit' Freddy!"
The Puppet sadly couldn't answer Foxy, and Bonnie stepped forward and placed a hand on Foxy's shoulder to calm him. "Come on Foxy; don't take it out on the Puppet," Bonnie said soothingly. "The Puppet made an honest mistake. It thought that bringing Katrina here would help bring Freddy around. We just have to come up with another solution."
"But what's going to happen now?" Chica asked quietly. "What if Freddy never wakes up? What's going to happen to the restaurant? What's going to happen to us?" Despite her worries, Chica was more concerned for Katrina who looked so emotionally-overwhelmed.
Katrina looked at all of them and that was when the harsh reality hit her hard. "Y-You mean… I can't help Freddy? There's nothing any of us can do?" She felt her heart constrict and her legs go wobbly. She tried holding it together but instead seemed to fall apart. "There has to be something I can do. Anything!" She turned frantically to the Puppet. "What's wrong with Freddy? What do you think it could be?"
Hoping to do something useful, the Puppet floated over to Freddy Fazbear and not for the first time, began examining every inch of him. Everyone silently watched as the Puppet tried to detect signs of life inside Freddy. But the animatronic bear felt cold and lifeless to the touch. The soul of the ghost child seemed to have disappeared. It was an unsettling thought. What happened to the ghost of Bernard Walcott? And then there was only one explanation for it. Finally the Puppet looked away from Freddy, and Katrina saw the pitiful expression on the Puppet's painted face.
"There is...one possibility of what happened to…to Freddy," the Puppet spoke in a grave trembling voice. "His soul appears to have vanished. I can't sense any life in him. Because of this, I believe that the ghost of Bernard Walcott…might have moved on to the afterlife…"
"No! No, you're wrong!" Chica cried.
"But that can't be!" Bonnie said flabbergasted.
"Grrrr…dat can' be righ!" Foxy said, fighting back tears.
However Katrina and Golden were far too agonized to speak. Especially Katrina who refused to believe that the ghost boy from her dreams was forever gone. No…that couldn't be right. Yet the Puppet hung its head and wouldn't look any of them in the face. "I am so sorry. I don't know how but… Bernard Walcott's soul isn't here anymore."
"NO! Stop saying that! I won't believe it!" Katrina cried. Now she went back over to the table and again tried with all her might to get Freddy to wake up. "Freddy! Freddy! You can't be gone! You're just sleeping! You need to wake up right now! Get up!" Ignoring the others, Katrina focused on Freddy.
"Please Freddy! I'm here now! I came back for you! So you have to get up!" Katrina kept shaking Freddy over and over, aware that tears were pouring down her cheeks and the others watched her morosely. "It's not fair! I can't lose you! Not like this! This wasn't supposed to happen. You can't leave me… you can't…"
It became too much that finally Katrina broke down and wept over Freddy Fazbear's animatronic body. Her heart-wrenching sobs were unbearable, that to everyone's surprise, it was Golden Freddy who stepped forward and coaxingly took Katrina into his arms to comfort her. Nobody said anything as Katrina continued to sob uncontrollably in Golden's arms. Chica wiped away her own tears with her bib, Bonnie reached for Chica's hand and held it tightly as tears dripped from his eye-sockets, and the Puppet compassionately patted Foxy on the back who had retreated to a corner to cry in private.
After that, there was nothing left to do but to leave Katrina Marlowe in the parts & service room. She insisted on staying in there with Freddy in case he might wake up by a miracle. Golden Freddy decided to stay and guard both Katrina and Freddy. Now this only left the Puppet, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy to wonder what to do now. With their fearless leader gone, what would become of them? Freddy Fazbear was the mascot and without him…would the pizzeria even stay open?
"So what'll we do now, wee lil' puppet?" Foxy said gruffly. "We be dead in the water, aren't we? Wit' the Cap'n gone, those cheap landlubbers will probably jus' replace em'!" Despite the pirate fox's surliness, they all knew Foxy was more worried than he was letting on.
Bonnie looked troubled about something and also turned to the Puppet. "It just doesn't make any sense. How could Freddy's soul disappear like that? Are you sure he's crossed over to the afterlife? I still can't believe that his soul is really gone."
"Bonnie's right," Chica agreed. "Freddy would never leave us behind like that. He cares about all of us. I don't know what happened to his soul, but I refuse to believe that he would leave us all like that. It's not like him at all!"
The Puppet had been rubbing its chin thoughtfully and listening to the other animatronics' opinions. Then it looked over at the parts & service room and sighed. "Hmmm… I can't explain Freddy's lost soul. Is it possible that he's wandering around here? I'll try to figure this out but I want you three to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. My gut's telling me that there may be something "else" going on here."
"What gut? Yer so skinny ye could wear fruit-loops fer a skirt!" Foxy cracked, eyeing the Puppet's very thin waist. Nevertheless, the pirate fox sworn to himself that he would do whatever he could to help out Freddy Fazbear.
From the shadows, Shadow Freddy watched the three animatronics and the little Puppet. The Puppet was starting to get suspicious, he could see that now. He successfully got Freddy Fazbear out of the way, but there were other obstacles that might try to interfere. One way or another, he had to eliminate these threats and he would start with the Puppet… He had plenty of time. Shadow kept a close watch on the Puppet and plotted on the best way to get rid of the marionette.
Katrina didn't know how long she stayed in the parts & service room, she lost track of time. But she vowed to never leave Freddy's side, not even for a second. If he did wake up, she wanted to be the first thing he saw. Wanting to be closer to him, Katrina climbed up onto the table so that she could lift Freddy's heavy head and gently lay it on her lap. And then she began to pray, to hope, to wish… She didn't want to believe that Freddy was gone. In her heart, she knew that Freddy's soul was still here.
"Sniff…it's okay, Freddy. I'm still here. I won't leave you this time," Katrina whispered softly into Freddy's wiggling bear-ear. "I promise I'm going to be here when you wake up. I don't care what the Puppet says. I know you would never leave me. In fact, it feels like you're still with me."
She looked closely at Freddy's face but saw no sign of life. Freddy's eyes remained closed and he felt so cold. Katrina found it strange, Freddy was usually warm. The beloved mascot bear who had once been so lively, charismatic and strong, now laid here weak and feeble-looking. It broke her heart to see him like this. But it tore her up inside to know that he was like this because of her. These thoughts did nothing but make her feel worse than ever. Katrina didn't realize she was crying again until she saw a teardrop fall down onto Freddy's cheek.
"Oh Freddy…I never meant for this to happen," Katrina said to him. "I'm so sorry for hurting you. I wish I could go back and do things differently…but I can't. I feel like it's all my fault that you're like this. I really want to help you but I don't know how. Please give me a sign, Freddy. How can I help? Tell me!"
There was no answer. Freddy Fazbear laid stock-still and didn't make even the slightest movement. It was like he was dead… Katrina furiously shook her head and became more distraught. "You can't really be gone! I don't want to lose you, Freddy. You mean everything to me! You have to wake up so I can tell you… Tell you that I…I…" Katrina wiped at her teary eyes and felt too tired to continue.
Now Katrina lowered her head to rest on top of Freddy's chest. She hoped she was close to his heart. She'd give anything to hear his voice again. "I did this to you," she said glumly. "I never meant to break your heart…I hope you can forgive me." Katrina closed her eyes. "No matter what happens…I forgive you, Freddy. I just want you to come back."
The parts & service door was open a crack, and Chica stood there secretly watching Katrina and Freddy through the doorway. Listening to Katrina's heartfelt words and seeing the way she stood by Freddy's side, caused Chica to burst into tears again and silently weep. Then she felt gentle arms around her shoulders that moved her away from the door and guide her back to the Dining Area. She already knew it was Bonnie. There Bonnie went over to gather some napkins and then proceeded to help wipe away the tears from Chica's amethyst-colored eyes.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to spy on them," Chica said between tears. "I just…it's so sad. I really thought Katrina could help Freddy. She's taking it the hardest that Freddy is gone."
"It's alright. I think we're all a little blue right now," Bonnie said understandably. His big hand moved to caress the tears from Chica's face while smiling warmly. "Hang in there, Chica. I'm sure the Puppet will come up with the solution. We just have to hope that things get better."
Bonnie sounded so confident about the situation that Chica felt a lot better to know that at least someone was keeping a positive attitude around here. And in return, Chica decided that she needed to be strong too. Chica quickly stopped crying and reached out to take Bonnie's hand and held it for support. This time Bonnie didn't feel any of his old insecurities and felt surer of himself than he's ever been. He was feeling braver; he would have made Freddy so proud. But for now, he wanted to be here for Chica and the other animatronics.
Down by the Prize Corner, the Puppet sat on top of its music box while listening to the calming tunes of My Grandfather's Clock. The Puppet had been feeling stumped for over an hour and was trying to figure out what could possibly have happened to Freddy Fazbear. It didn't want to believe that the ghost of Bernard Walcott had moved on. No…something else was going on here. The more Puppet thought about it, that was when it remembered something from before. That foreboding feeling…the sense that something evil was lurking around. There was only one person who gave the Puppet that scary vibe and it was… Suddenly the Puppet sensed "him" coming.
This was his chance…Time to get rid of the Puppet once and for all. From the darkness itself, Shadow Freddy lunged out from the blackness and easily caught the Puppet with its paw before it had a chance to dodge him. Gripping the marionette by its skinny neck, Puppet furiously slashed its clawed-hands at Shadow's face with its ghostly pinprick eyes glowing dangerously. Shadow had to do this quickly before the Puppet summoned enough spiritual energy to fight back.
"The light won't be able to save you from where you're going…" Shadow taunted. With that, Shadow Freddy cast the entire Prize Corner into pitch blackness and quietly subdued the Puppet.
At the parts & service room, Golden's ghostly eyes lit up in alarm at once. He had been guarding Freddy and Katrina, but now he detected that something was wrong. And then he realized it… It was the Puppet…he could no longer feel the Puppet's spiritual presence. This has never happened before. There Golden instantly teleported from the parts & service room and hurried as fast as he could to the Prize Corner. Upon arriving into the room, Golden took one look over at the corner and gasped.
"Puppet? Puppet! Where are you? Puppet!" The Puppet was gone and so was its music box. Golden urgently looked all around the room, but there was no sign of Puppet. He couldn't even communicate telepathically with the highly-spirited marionette. Somebody had taken the Puppet. Golden didn't stop looking as he exited the Prize Corner and realized that something bad was happening.
His path was clear. There was no one left to stop him. Shadow Freddy cleverly hidden the Puppet, the other animatronics wouldn't be able to get in his way, not even the golden bear. It was time to claim his victim at long last. Cackling eagerly to himself, Shadow Freddy strolled unchallenged into the parts & service room. Creating a barrier of pure darkness to keep the others out. This time he was more powerful than before…and this time…he would take a soul for himself.