(A/N! IMPORTANT!)
(People who are freaking out saying Jeremy didn't kill anyone and that Vincent did: WE KNOW! And we are sorry if you are upset about that, if you are, I'm a bit upset you stay on this story just to criticize us that we are doing Jeremy all wrong, if you aren't staying for the criticism or hating on Jeremy, we thank you. The reason Jeremy is the killer and not Vincent is because we wanted to try something new with the characters, giving some new personalities that people haven't given them, and also the fact that Vincent plays a role later that a murderer cannot play. Sorry for the long wait too~ :3)
This performance was going to be the show of the lifetime for the climax has arrived, after years of torture and painful waiting. For once, Vincent was on a higher level than the antagonist of this horrific play and had enough props to be able to pull him off the stage of life. The only brightness in the room being the artificial moon up hanging from the thin metal sky spotlighting the apparent protagonist down below. A mass of shadows, the interactive "audience" of the performance, interacted quite nicely with the two-faced actor that was the unmentionable killer. So nice of them to make him have the stage for himself and meet the real protagonist in person.
The crazed murderer whose name itself was infamous, looked around at the darkness that lurked on the other side of the brightened area. Then up at the light, stepping away from it only for it to follow. What was happening was unbeknownst to him, yet he wouldn't hesitate to back away from his victim's little game, only to find a weak spot and strike back with no mercy. He kept searching what possibly hid within the shadows, looking for one face in specific, a purple one in fact.
"Come on Vincey~" He called at said ghost and gestured at the shadows, "Don't tell me you're making them do all your work." The man chuckled at the mere thought. "You still think you can win this just by hiding~? Why don't you at least come and say hi~?"
Vincent shivered slightly once the killer finished, recognizing the tone of his voice. The Purple Guy wasn't one of pretenders, he was scared of the psychopath. But there was no way he would let an old fear stop him from sealing this unfinished business, he needed to end this cycle of suffering. With his grin masking his fear Vincent stepped into view looking straight at the murderer's blue eyes. His own eyes digging into the murderer's mind to create a link that would come in handy later on.
"Who said I would hide from an old friend~?" The man spoke calmly, "Nice to see you once again, you're just in time, too."
"Just in time for one of your silly games? Again~?" Jeremy answered, then shook his head, "You must be getting tired of playing the same old games again and again, they're getting quite tiring~"
"Seeing you standing there doesn't get old… actually~" Vincent's voice dropped, it glitching from the thrill that encased the room, "You may want to watch where you step~" Vincent looked behind his killer and nodded once. Seconds later him being shoved off the stage and onto the floor face-first by a dark bear silhouette, Shadow Freddy being the name Vincent called him by.
Jeremy cringed but kept his grin, pushing aside the slight pain and keeping his gun tightly gripped in his hand. The ghost approached in its physical form, not too close but not too far.
"Tsk tsk tsk… that was too easy… maybe you really have gotten weaker after all these years~" Vincent's voice reached the murderer's mind, the man's grin growing slightly wider at the thought. "So~ What were you saying about not being able to win this~?"
The infamous man's grin grew slightly wider as he raised his weapon a little, "I said it once and I won't say it twice." Jeremy stood up suddenly, aiming his trustworthy weapon at his opponent's chest. "Though I'm sure this answers your question~"
He pulled back the trigger releasing the bullet. Instead of hitting its target, his victim disappeared and the bullet hitting the wall across the room, seemingly aimed at nothing else. A presence reappeared behind Jeremy.
"My, you have gotten weaker~. Not only being able to be pushed down, but wasting bullets on a ghost~"
Angered by the taunt, the murderer spun on his heels as he curled his fingers into a fist and punched The Purple Man in the chest. Only to anger the man more as his fist went right through Vincent who slowly faded away unharmed, from the hole and outward. The purple mist being replaced by a black one that morphed into the shape of an animatronic holding tightly Jeremy's arm. Its appearance resembling that of the blue bunny, Shadow Bonnie being the sobriquet The Purple Guy has given him. The shadow pulled the man's arm and tossed him back into the stage where the creature's fellow partners awaited, one of them anxiously waiting for its cue from behind the curtains.
The man of hidden name pulled himself up and glared down at Shadow Bonnie. But instead he found a small shadow sitting on what seemed to be a chair made of mist. The silhouette of the creature resembled that of a small rabbit who glared up at him with a childish grin. Turning around he saw the shadow bear with incredibly sharp teeth that soon went for the man's head. Jeremy quickly hopped back evading the attack and kicked the creature away, it disappearing into a dark wisp and going back into the shadows.
Vincent chuckled, "Still, you fall for the same tricks~ Even little Plushtrap!" He floated a few inches off the ground, approaching Jeremy in an apparition that was barely visible, "I thought you were tougher than that… murderer of everyone who still haunts this place, and yet can be fooled by said ghosts~" Jeremy grabbed for the man's neck, but once again his hand went through and the man disappeared once more.
"Again with the silly grabbing~! Did you forget that you killed me? Maybe you should of thought that through a bit more…"
The murderer growled, clenching his gun so tight the metal creaked as if it was going to bend under the pressure. "If a fight is what you want, then come out here and show yourself! Let's finish this!"
Another chuckle echoed through the room, "And not only are you surprisingly weaker than before, you also forgot who you're dealing with~" His voice dipped from chirpy to serious, "Here is something that apparently you don't know. As much as you enjoy killing, there was one purpose to it that you seemed to have not thought of yet~ And let me tell you, it is very fun to see~"
Jeremy looked up and around, trying to pinpoint where the aimless voice was coming from. "And what would that be?" He asked, annoyance breaking through his once calm-ish demeanor.
Something cold shot through his back, but when he turned around, there was nothing there. The lights went out. A very familiar song's melody could be heard, softly hummed through the air and echoing off the walls. The animatronics woke up from their hiding spots, their eyes fading to black before the cold purple apparition stood on the stage, where Jeremy once was.
Vincent told me to stay in the office… and out of instinct I reached for the tablet and pressed all the cameras until I found Jeremy standing on the stage with a spotlight on him, the rest of the rooms being completely dark except for that one spotlight.
At first I wondered what was going through Vincent's mind when he said what he said… did he have a plan? That shouldn't even be a question, I haven't seen him do anything without some sort of idea as to how to get out of it, ranging from nearly killing me - twice - to getting me and himself out of a fire.
Footsteps approached the doorway as my eyes darted from the screen to Marion, who was just standing there, looking at me.
"Here to warn me again about Vincent?" I knew where this was going, but Marion shook her head.
"Actually, no. That is not important right now… although you've probably already seen what is going on from that." She gestured to the tablet in my hands, "You'll see in a moment what I've been warning you about… you may get a few flashbacks from when you were younger though." She walked over to behind me and to the side, looking over my shoulder at the tablet with her arms folded across her back. She seemed surprisingly calm… why was everyone acting so weird?! Wait… no… ask questions later after some things are explained, nothing is normal in this place. No one is supposed to question why, just smile, nod and carry on.
A few minutes passed and I could barely see Vincent moving around, with Jeremy just as calm as he is. That was when I started hearing someone, Vincent I guessed although the voice was faint, humming something familiar. I glanced at Marion for a moment, only to see her covering her ears, eyes shut as if to block out the melody. When the humming stopped, her eyes opened and she lowered her hands back to her sides. "What was that?" I asked, confused what just happened.
"Long story, just watch." She quickly replied back, looking back at the tablet.
Jeremy was grabbing at Vincent, but he vanished every time he got close only to reappear in physical form only a few feet behind him. It repeated multiple times, making me wonder on how smart Jeremy seemed to be… I couldn't hear Vincent, but I heard the other guy just fine… what the heck was going on?!
"Telepathy. It's a minor ability ghosts get, and if one masters it, like him, he can drive people mad by just talking to them inside their minds." Marion looked at me, apparently my puzzled expression telling her what I was thinking, "I thought you would know that by now based on how "close" you two seem to be."
I ignored her comment and focused back on the action that the black-and-white security camera was capturing.
No matter how brutal or scary this was getting, something told me to keep my eyes on the tablet, more precisely on Vincent who was where Jeremy once was on the stage.
What was happening… and what is going on with his eyes?!
"Run."
White eyes appeared alongside a large grin, his voice now distorted to match the horror-filled atmosphere. The Purple Man raised his translucent hands slightly bending the shadows to his desire. Behind the spotlighted man, the dark critters of the night shifted into shapes you'd only ever see in this haunted pizzeria. From small glitching teddy bears with a diet of human souls, to the guitarist of the band with jaws that could eat you whole. The finishing touch added by the purple ghost's two minions, both forming bright white eyes and metal fangs in the shadows' silhouetted faces.
"Let's see how much of your memory is still intact~ And how much you remember seeing me like this… except here's the catch; You're going to be the one not standing after this~ My turn to play myown little game~!"
With those words, Vincent's hands formed into fists. His militia of animatronic nightmares dispersing into certain places on the stage.
Jeremy looked around frantically, not knowing what the man would be up to now. But one thing was for sure, he was going to prove him wrong. The murderous man looked around at the shadows that surrounded him. By what it seemed he shouldn't have any hard times with simple apparitions. The man grinned, how foolish. They were shadows and nothing more, a simple wave and they would disappear.
Well… that escalated quickly. Things went from everyday-normal creepy to me thinking I was watching a supernatural movie, super-quick.
Marion still stood over my shoulder, observing the events that were taking place in the stage room. That was then my thumb accidentally rested on another camera.
"Turn it back turn it back turn it back!" She ushered me to press back to it… but something caught my eye. It was a poster of Goldy, or at least back when he wasn't human and was just a golden version of Freddy.
An erratic, childish high-pitched giggle came from around me, I couldn't tell where it was, but it made me jump and nearly drop the tablet.
"Oh no… no no no no no… but how?" Marion looked around the office, sort of panicking and on high alert of something.
"What is it? What just happened?!" I asked, not quite sure what was going on as the events going on in the party room made me jumpy.
"The hallucinations…" Marion muttered, looking down at the ground and facing away from me and sighed, "We are in deep trouble thanks to you."
"Thanks to me?!" I spun the desk chair around so I was fully facing towards her.
"You could've stopped this from happening!" Marion seethed, trying her best to keep her voice down so the others don't hear her, "If you and him are really "friends", which you're not by the way, you could've held him back from doing this! Or at least tried!"
"But look at what he is doing! He's going to get rid of Jeremy once and for all! The one who killed you-"
"He's not the one who killed us!" Marion shot back, "Before recently, I never saw his face before. Sure, he's a threat, but he's not the one behind all of us being dead-" Her face went from rage to terror in seconds, shutting her eyes and looking away, not saying anything else.
I paused and looked at her, wondering what made her stop. Maybe she finally realized I was right? I smiled and was about to talk before a deeper, more distorted voice beat me to it. I wasn't able to tell what it was saying, but I could tell it was a very deep voice… it was one I knew I have heard before…
I turned around and immediately saw what Marion saw.
Goldy was slouched in the front of the office to the left, wires coming out everywhere in the worn-down golden bear suit with a blank, black pupil-less stare. I had to slap my mouth shut just to prevent myself from screaming at the sudden appearance, but I continued to stare back at it. I noticed a faint, white dot in the middle of his eyes.
Faint words started appearing in front of me, seemingly close and close enough where I thought that I was looking too close at a computer screen: "You can't" "It's me." All in white text randomly flashing in front of me. It was then when I forced myself to look away, and the words faded away, although my racing heart did not correspond.
A few seconds passed before I opened my eyes slightly and peeked to where he was, only to find him gone. "H-huh?! What was…" I stammered, and Marion got the message and looked back, only for her eyes to narrow at where Goldy was and then look at me.
"That, Silver, is known as a hallucination. Vincent brings them up every once in a while to terrorize everyone…" She smirked, "And apparently he sent this one to you~"
I didn't know what to do… it must of been something else, although it did scare me, probably just as much or even more than Jeremy appearing out of the blue and chasing me in the hallways.
"And only trouble leads from these hallucinations… If I were you, I wouldn't go near him. Or don't even think about him to be on the safe side." She said, glancing to the hallway up ahead. She pointed to the tablet on the desk that I must've dropped when I saw Goldy, her eyes not moving from the hallway right outside the office doorway, "Keep your eyes on there. Watch."
I reluctantly picked up the tablet and pressed the Stage Room camera… and I regretted that decision immediately. "M-M-Marion…" I stuttered, not really sure what was going on. She walked over to where she was before and looked at the tablet over my shoulder, her eyes widening again.
"So it's not only Goldy he brought out…" She muttered.
"Can't you help him?! Both of you want Jeremy gone, right?!" I asked, not really knowing what else to say… or more or less what to blurt out without thinking of what to say first.
Marion glared at me for a second before glancing back at the tablet. Vincent was looking up at the camera, looking directly into it and making it look like he was looking straight at me. I only blinked back, and he was looking back at what was happening in front of him again, as if he wasn't looking at me at all.
I heard a long sigh behind me. "Of course I want him gone, everyone here does… but I tried warning you about Vincent~ It won't be long til it happens…" She made a side-glance at me, "Even now if you were to jump up and help him, you would just kill yourself in the process. Not that it would matter much at this point… it's already too late." Marion sighed again.
We focused back on the tablet, mixed worry stirring inside my head. Should I be worried about myself… no. I subtly shook my head at the thought. There couldn't be a way that Vincent would hurt me… he saved me more times than I remember him hurting me
To his left stood the silhouette of a chicken animatronic with something on its shoulder, Chica and her cupcake friend. To his right was the bunny of massive jaws, Bonnie the bunny. In front of him was the red fox, his teeth sharper than they have ever been along with what seemed to be a long tongue. Behind him sat the leader of the band, with around three small teddy bear heads in his body, each with razor-sharp teeth. Even though they were mere shadows that Jeremy could easily flick away, they still had an intimidating- no, horrifying look in their nightmare-ish appearance.
All of a sudden the man felt something heavy on his shoulders, weighing him down to the point of him doubling over. What was doing this? Jeremy looked up, his eyes widened in surprise and fear at the sight. One of the shadows was sitting on his shoulders like if he were giving it a piggyback ride. It was small, kid size in fact. Long ears and a childish grin that gave him the chills.
Plushtrap.
Out of panic, the cornered man immediately grabbed hold of the black rabbit and tossed him across the other side of the room. The small plush turning into mist as soon as it made contact with the floor, a mist that rose up and made its way into the other shadows. Their eyes became brighter in rage, wishing to avenge their fallen friend.
"Oh~ You really shouldn't have done that~"
Just then, a rattling, glitching sound came from behind the spotlighted man. He turned back only to see one of the teddy bears' jaws only inches away from his face, it sprung towards him so fast he barely had time to move out of the way of the fierce cub. Just like that the other two rattling bear cubs lunged towards the man, one of them managing to hang on to his jacket by biting down hard. The other one landing on Jeremy's face which he quickly grabbed and threw away like the rabbit. His eyes soon darted to the glitching shadow animatronic biting numerous times like a piranha at the jacket sleeve to pull itself up to his arm.
Jeremy tried to shake off the rabies filled creature but it was useless as the bear's teeth pierced through his flesh and still kept biting with no intent of letting go. The man grinded his teeth and closed his eyes tight in pain, trying hard not to scream. Opening his eyes once more, the leader of the band of horrors lunged towards the injured man soon morphing into many small bears together snapping their jaws at him.
The dark shadows continued to latch onto him, pushing him down to his fate while others drifted back into the darkness, waiting for their turn to attack and bring their prey to their doom.
A chuckle came back into the room, cutting through the air like butter, "You really have lost everything recently~ I guess this is going to be easier than I thought since you aren't as threatening as you used to be… such a shame~" Vincent snapped his fingers, and in turn something deep in the shadows snapped awake, fierce red eyes contrasting against the black void of darkness. The spotlight automatically highlighted its target. Lowering itself to all fours, it quickly sprinted full-speed towards Jeremy.
The man looked behind him in slight panic, barely having time to get out of the way of the silhouetted nightmare fox's snapping jaws. The creature let out an ear-splitting screech calling the other two shadows from the band to grab hold of Jeremy. The fox now having an easy prey, he lowered himself on all fours licking its fangs clean anxious to have a taste of the Murderer's blood.
Vincent was enjoying every second of what was happening. He stood behind the fox shifting slowly to his physical form to have a closer look. There shouldn't be a way for his victim to escape his minions' grasp. Although, there was one way and one only, but the ghost was prepared for that.
"That's it!" Jeremy shouted before pulling out his Glock 27, shooting up in the air scaring off all of the shadows that previously held him captive.
All the nightmares disappeared into dark wisps and made their way behind the curtains alerting their friend in hiding. The murderer on the other hand, he had a psychotic grin drawn onto his face. The wounds from the piranha bears and the marks caused by the tight grip of the chicken and the bunny giving him a look only seen in a horror movie. Not to mention the traces of the shadow mist that still spiraled around the psychopath.
Jeremy cackled, "Wow! Looks like your puppets failed at obeying their master..." He shot one of Vincent's knees, but the purple man stood his ground trying hard to keep his pain concealed behind his toothy grin. "Rule number one, never, EVER back off from a fight." He chuckled, "And where are your shadows now~?"
"Umf..." Vincent blurted out silently after another bullet went through his other knee making him fall to the ground. The merciless murderer approached to him with a nearly unnoticeable limp and aimed his gun at the side of his head.
"Any last words~?" The psychopath of unmentionable name taunted him, moving his finger from the side of the trigger guard to the trigger itself.
Vincent chuckled and looked straight at Jeremy, "Ah yes~. You see, I notice you just realized you're going against someone who matches your vast intellect~."
Jeremy raised an eyebrow in annoyance, "Oh really~? Who would that be? Because it surely isn't you."
Vincent smirked, "Holmes versus Moriarty~ Aristotle versus MASHY SPIKY JAWS~!"
Just then, the creature who anxiously waited for so long behind the curtains burst out and towards the murderer on all fours. The man turned to look at the creature. It was surrounded by the mist of the shadows, giving it a temporary appearance of the mangled animatronic. The creature jumped up at the railings and swung at him with great force aiming for his head.
Jeremy immediately shot what seemed to be another shadow, but to his surprise the bullet didn't go through the creature. Instead, the bullet ricocheted and landed far from the scene. The metal skeleton creature pulled the firearm away from him, tossed it off the stage and tackled Jeremy to the ground before he could react.
The shadow encased animatronic then pinned Jeremy to the ground, folding his arms behind his back making him unable to escape the death grip. Looking up at his attacker, the shadow mist began to fade away from the creature. Revealing none other than another minion.
The endoskeleton that often secretly hid in the Prize Corner was out to join the fun.
"Out of all the silly references I have made in this chapter… I always wanted to say that~!" Vincent chuckled gleefully, then continued, "Besides~ Nice one Jerry~ But I'm not the one who's falling today~"
He stood over Jeremy, apparently not showing any signs of being injured. He grinned "Again, looks like someone doesn't know how to shoot right~" Jeremy only looked up at him, his face failing to hide the shock that the ghost wasn't injured. "Shooting at a ghost isn't a very bright idea…" He quickly faded out of sight while his voice still echoing inside Jeremy's mind, "Let's see how much of your own pain you can take before you fall~"
Soon after the purple ghost disappeared, the suitless metal creature released it's grip from his prisoner who immediately hopped off the stage and dashed towards his weapon. The endoskeleton lowered itself to all fours and sprinted to the gun before the psychopath could, clawing it away from his reach.
"Like some say~ You have to work for what you want, see if you can get your weapon back~"
The Purple Man's voice echoed in the man's mind as he hurriedly ran for the gun that he could see but not touch. Every time he got close to it, something would stop him. From shapeless shadows playing catch with it to one of the two shadow animatronics holding him back. It went on like that for what felt like hours until the gun landed in a certain rabbit's small hands.
The shadow known as Plushtrap inspected the firearm curiously. Pulling the trigger a few times only to realize it was locked and he couldn't shoot. Once the man managed to get away from Shadow Freddy's teasing and came into the rabbit's field of view. Plushtrap quickly hugged the weapon tight with no intention of giving it to Jeremy.
He clenched his teeth together, annoyed by the fact that there was something else now in his way. "Give me. The gun." The rabbit shook his head stepping back stubbornly, Jeremy extended his hand. "C'mon, don't be shy~ Just give me the gun and you'll be fine~" Plushtrap shook his head again and stomped on the floor challenging the man who grinded his teeth from side to side. "Don't say I didn't warn you kid..."
The shadow child let out a screech in fright as Jeremy charged towards him. So they both broke in a chase, in and out of rooms with the poor rabbit clumsily bumping into things as he ran away from the murderous man. An eerie humming serving as the background music.
"Give it back you little brat!" Jeremy yelled at the small shadow who only made a short screech noise in denial. "I said, give it back!"
Jeremy lunged at the rabbit bursting into the Prize Corner managing to pin the small rabbit to the ground for only a couple of seconds before he wriggled out of the man's grip and ran out of the room, leaving him on the floor. He groaned in pain for he hit the ground too hard. He sat up looking around for the rogue rabbit before his gaze caught another set of eyes. Two little eyes that he thought he would never see again.
The man's eyes widened in terror as all color drained from his face. There was a small boy sitting on the balloon cart in the corner of the room. He had a similar appearance to that humanoid animatronic that gives out balloons, but his skin was white and see-through, his whole apparition the same way it was when Jeremy last saw him, except without all the blood and injuries that lead to the child's fate.
A ghost... The spirit of one of the children he murdered...
The boy hopped off the cart and pointed at Jeremy, "You..." he whispered in realization, his eyes flickering a glowing white for a split second at seeing the man's face,"You did this..."
"No..."
Jeremy ran out of the room only to see another ghost. This one was a girl, she had short light blond hair with spiky bangs and purple eyes. She wore a white and yellow dress along with a pink ribbon tied around her waist. But just like the boy from before; white, slightly transparent skin.
"I remember now…" Her eyes flashed a pale white, looking straight into his eyes with a eerie, empty glare, "It was you... You killed us..."
"No... I didn't..."
Jeremy kept running, seeing different ghosts along the way. All of them were of the children he had killed and they all said the same thing:
"You killed us..."
"Murderer..."
"He's back..."
"No! It wasn't me! Vincent did it!"
The man kept running in panic, but no matter where he went, they would be there. The reason the animatronics had life, the ones haunting this pizzeria of dark secrets. Once Jeremy looked where he was going, he realized he had ended up back where he started. The stage.
He was surrounded by them, no where to go. "Dammit..." Jeremy muttered trying to think of a way out of this mess. He glanced at the multitude of spirits when something caught his eyes, the black rabbit. "You! Get back here!"
Plushtrap gasped and made a run for it before Jeremy could get him. The man managed to get past one of the children and chased after the shadow child, being followed by the other ghosts. The small rabbit kept running until coming to an abrupt stop, turning around to the furious man.
Shaking from fear, the small creature looked straight at Jeremy and decided to try something that might scare him away. A screech like that other animatronic that everyone feared.
"Screeeeeeeaaaah~"
But it only came as if he were blowing loudly with his mouth open. Similar to a kitten failing to yowl and instead giving off a weaker, less intimidating sound.
The man chuckled, glaring at the small shadow. Plushtrap quickly attempted to run away, but it didn't work as he clumsily fell to the ground dropping the gun in the process. "You're done for kid..."
"I dOn'T tHiNk So~!"
Right before Jeremy had the time to get back his trusty weapon, a large silhouette formed in front of the fallen shadow. At first it was translucent, but soon color and texture began to fill in the empty outline of the creature. The figure appeared to be that of the torn down golden rabbit suit in a slouched sitting position.
Springtrap...
Jeremy froze as the animatronic struggled to grab hold of the collar of his shirt. When he did, the suit pulled down harshly and opened his mouth wide. Releasing his signature screech, one that no other animatronic could ever achieve in doing, the screech little Plushtrap failed to do. Just when the animatronic let go of Jeremy, he felt something hard hit the side of his face that made him hit the ground with great force. He sat up and brought a hand up to his face from the pain then glared at his attacker.
The Purple Man shook his fist with a chuckle as he became visible. "You never mess with them, understood~?"
"I do whatever I want, I'm double your age!" Jeremy growled angrily at him, "You and the little brat should respect your elders!
"Oh~ Believe me, I do respect you~" Vincent chuckled and tilted his head downwards a bit, his white eyes staring straight at Jeremy's "There's just a speeeecial way I do it..."
He stepped back at that then shook his head to glare at the ghost "You're insane." The Purple Guy laughed and leaned back with his arms crossed behind the back of his head in mid-air.
"Of course I'm insane, what did you expect~?" Vincent chirped and gestured at him, "I had someone to look up at after all~" Jeremy looked at the ghost with a grin, it twitching from the fear that fought to show. Vincent hummed in thought circling the frightened man. "You really are easier to scare now than I can ever remember before, could it be that you're reaching that certain age~?" He stopped and lowered his head, closing his eyes. "... or maybe it's because of the ghosts of your past surrounding you? Reminding you what you did back then, what cannot be reversed?"
Just like he mentioned, nine ghosts stood before the two men in the hallway to the kitchen. All of them staring at the culprit of the mass murder not so long ago.
"Murderer..."
"Monster..."
"You were the one who killed us..."
They all repeated things like these and much more. Whispers that boomed in the man's ears, that dug into his mind creating a permanent mark that he would never be able to forget.
Vincent gestured to the children, "It seems like your illusion has worn off... for the second time now is it~?" He tilted his head slightly in thought, "I wonder how that happened~"
This reminded Jeremy of something. Since when the mouse chases the cat? Since when the fish gets rid of the bear? That didn't make much sense to him, but he knew how to turn the tables in his favor again. Just the way it was supposed to be. With just some time and words, the cat and the bear would once again have their meal with ease.
Jeremy straightened his posture, standing up from the blow that the purple ghost had given him. "You're right... That is strange~" He grinned, his confidence coming back in an instant. "I've come here before to fix the animatronics not that long ago..." He scratched his chin with a chuckle, "Really, those memory chips really have been given a better use now than before."
Vincent's grin faltered for a second as his brain replayed a scene from the near past. The door opening and shutting without him seeing who left. Of course he assumed it was a mechanic or maybe someone who came back just to fix something real quick… the second guess was right, except in all the wrong ways…
Jeremy's grin widened seeing his stubborn victim slowly weakening, "Either way, I don't know what you keep blabbering about. You're just as guilty as I am or worse~" His tone dripped with venom, yet his voice was smooth like silk "In fact, if it weren't because of your voice I wouldn't have even seen the children in the first place. YOU brought those kids. YOU are the cause of their death!" Vincent stepped back as the cursed memories flooded his mind, tightly shutting his eyes at the memories that haunted him forever…
"YOU, my friend, are the murderer."
The Purple Man chewed on this for a moment. As much as it hurt him to admit and as much as he wanted to change that, it was partly... true. He was the one to lead the children to their gruesome fate. He was indeed guilty...
But the past is in the past...
The ghost knew he his insanity often went too far and that at the end everything was a mess. He knew that the children he brought to the safe room weren't going to be "safe." He has made mistakes, but what matters is what he did in the present to fix them.
"I may have done such a crime alongside you..." Vincent started as he stared aimlessly at the ground, "But there's a difference between you and I..." He looked up, still grinning. "You still have a fascination for erasing the innocent~."
With eyebrows furrowed and a death glare above a psychotic grin the man's opponent's hands formed into fists. He raised a brow and chuckled "You call yourself innocent?" He shook his head, "As far as I'm concerned, someone who kills another person isn't one bit innocent."
"Then there's no way neglecting such a fact~" Vincent shot back, "You ARE guilty, you just said it yourself~"
Jeremy glared at the ghost, the threatening look the purple ghost knew oh so well. Vincent shivered slightly at this but he glared back. Both men's gaze colliding together making it clear that a fight was to commence. It was almost as if their rage was shifting into a shapeless fog that could burn their surroundings without any effort.
Vincent stood on a black tile far from his opponent who stood in the middle of the hallway, an intimidating living centerpiece. His shadows could only watch from afar as the atmosphere itself could only make them glitch and stand back from the invisible force that sent shivers up their nonexistent spines.
"Maybe I am..." Jeremy taunted said ghost calmly despite the anger that boiled within him. "But that still won't change what you had done~"
He looked around then looked up at his killer breaking the staring contest from seconds ago. "I know." The purple ghost immediately dodged a punch from the man then slid to the left avoiding a kick aimed at his side. "Impulsive now are we~?"
A gasp escaped Vincent's lips as his enemy managed to kick him away somehow. But despite the pain he felt his grin didn't falter once for a plan was forming in his mind and it was going to be hysteric. Well, for him that is.
Jeremy grinned at the sight of his victim receiving the attack then punched his chest. To his annoyance though, his fist went right through him. Pulling his fist back, Vincent crossed his arms and chuckled silently as the hole in his chest widened and drained all color from his apparition, disappearing from sight.
"Not this again..." Jeremy muttered looking around frantically for the purple ghost, not knowing that who he was looking for was right behind him. When he looked back, he was met by a fist only an inch away from his face before he was pushed back by the force. The man got up to his knees and shook his head from the throbbing pain, "Agh... You fucking bastard..."
Jeremy then winced at a sudden burning feeling behind his left hand, he brought his hand up to his face and slipped off an old bandage he had only to reveal a V shaped scar. The scar was old from other times when he and Vincent had fought in a similar manner. However, the scar looked different now...
The V that had been cut in his hand was glowing a faint white color and it stung as if the light was cutting his hand all over again.
"What the..?" Jeremy stared at the scar as he slowly stood up.
A sudden slight burning feeling crept to the left side of his face. The feeling didn't hurt him but it made him slightly paranoid somehow, as if something was glaring at him. He looked up at were the feeling came from and was surprised to find the silhouette of his attacker. It was purple with a golden night guard badge and white glowing eyes and grin, the silhouette itself hardly visible. Strange thing though is that it walked to the side at the pace of a snail as if it were in slow motion.
At first Jeremy thought it was funny how Vincent had slowed down terribly and was unable to attack him, but it wasn't like that. The silhouette soon faded away while the eyes and grin glitched and warped to his right where his enemy's more detailed apparition was terribly close with his fist drawn back.
"Hey Jeeerryy~" The purple ghost sang before punching Jeremy yet again, sending him far from where he was before.
Jeremy shook his head and looked up at where he was only to see the silhouette looking down with his knees bended and a fist extended, the same position he last saw the ghost in before disappearing. Once he saw the silhouette slowly turning to look at him before fading away, it was then that he realized that he could see Vincent while he was invisible. A smirk began to form on the man's face as he stood from where he was, apparently the scar wasn't so useless after all.
He cautiously walked around the main party room- where he landed- and looked around for any clue of where the ghost could be. The sudden sound of something scraping the floor quick and a chuckle getting his attention, Jeremy looked at a chair which was in a different position from before. He stared at where the chair was hoping to see something that could hint Vincent's position.
"C'mon stupid scar, work!" Jeremy murmured as he looked around and shook his hand hoping the silhouette would appear again.
When he looked back at the chair, he could see the faint apparition of the silhouetted purple ghost. This time the silhouette was leaning forward sitting on the chair with a hand up to his chin and the other resting on one of his knees as if he were thinking of where to go next. Well that wasn't helpful, especially with his eyes entirely white it was nearly impossible to tell where the ghost was looking.
"What're you looking at~?"
The man immediately looked to the side only to once again be pushed back by the ghost's fist and to see him disappear leaving nothing but a silhouette behind. Now enraged by this nonsense, Jeremy hopped up to his feet and looked around while holding his scarred hand, shaking it and squeezing it. But all he saw was Vincent slowly appearing behind him, giving him a punch in the nose followed by a kick to the chest.
Jeremy cried out in pain as he crashed onto a table landing on his back leading to his back stiffening. Wincing to the pain in his spine the man brought his hands up to his back and let out an agony filled scream upon the sound of bone cracking. He then gritted his teeth as he relocated his broken nose.
"Heh, seems the age is getting to you~" The purple ghost laughed at Jeremy's pain. Something he never saw but enjoyed more than anything.
The injured killer looked around with a death glare, hoping to find the owner of the disembodied voice within his mind. However, all he found was the silhouette that Vincent last left behind. The apparition hovered over the ground, this time pulling the sides of his mouth and sticking out his tongue, mocking him.
Jeremy growled and glared at the silhouette and attempted to grab at his neck, but his hand once again went through the apparition as it vanished into thin air. A delayed vision of Vincent's current position. What the heck was he trying to play?
"Heh, can't stay around and fight for more than two seconds~?" He tried to keep his pain at bay, shouting into seemingly empty air, smirking and hoping maybe words can bring Vincent out of hiding again like before. "Typical for you, coward!"
"Better double-check that, because you never fight back~"
Jeremy's hands clenched tightly as he gritted his teeth. If he had his gun, he would already be shooting anywhere where he could see Vincent's face appear. Even if it meant spending all the bullets in his current magazine.
"Oops~" The voice laughed again, "Made Mr. Angry mad again~ Let's see how long it takes you to find me if you are that confident in killing me again~"
It was obvious in Vincent's voice that the ghost was having a lot of fun having the upper hand of the situation… but there were still ways to bring him back to his place.
"Not very long at all~ Remember what I said before about you opening your mouth more than you should?"
Silence. This was his chance.
Looking around the room, he managed to find the silhouette of his victim staring right at him. It disappeared, and that's when Jeremy took notice of the other creatures that Vincent supposedly summoned just standing around watching the fight take place.
Chills crept up Jeremy's injured spine, but his threatening appearance remained firm. He walked around the boundary of shadows searching for any signs of Vincent's presence. A shiver made its way up his arm and sneaked in his mouth making his teeth chatter from the sudden cool air.
His gaze aimed to his right side and saw the silhouette once more. This time he was grabbing his arm as he faced and seemed to be going the opposite way he was going. Not only that, but Jeremy could also feel Vincent's eerie burning gaze behind him.
Jeremy immediately spun on his heels and somehow managed to evade an attack from the ghost. For he could see an apparition with its fists raised and an angered yet surprised expression. He grinned at this, the scar was finally proving itself to be worth something even if it was awfully slow.
"Impressive... I'll give you that..."
Vincent lowered his fists and floated up to look down at Jeremy. As he did that the silhouette slowly moved its mouth as if talking before disappearing into nothingness. Jeremy looked around, but nothing came to sight. Not anything to be seen, not a cold hand to be felt.
He kept walking along the border, this time searching amongst the shadow creatures to see if either the rabbit thief or the purple ghost were there. No luck finding Vincent, but he did found something else that could guarantee his victory.
"So we meet again little one~" Jeremy spoke calmly to our frightened little Plushtrap, "Now, the gun."
Plushtrap stepped back and hid behind the Bonnie shaped shadow in fright as he gripped the claimed item. Jeremy growled angrily and next thing we see is both of them having a tug war with the weapon being the rope. The little rabbit kept screeching for Jeremy to let go but it was no use.
Jeremy stared at Plushtrap in awe, 'How can a brat so small like him be so strong?!' He thought. What he didn't know is that the piranha bears were pulling back Plushtrap while the shadow Bonnie had grip on his shoulder holding him back.
Another thing he didn't know is that behind him, a chair silently rose up into the air. With a certain hidden purple ghost holding it...
SMACK! THUD!
Jeremy's body fell to the floor unconscious. Vincent came to sight and dropped the chair to the ground, both him and Plushtrap releasing a long sigh of relief for the murderer has fallen. He walked up to the rabbit and ruffled his shadowy fur then extended a hand. Now it was the time to finish this.
"The gun please~" Vincent requested, Plushtrap nodding soon after with a smile.
Just when he was about to give Vincent the weapon, the gun fell to the ground at the sound of Vincent's cry of pain. The ghost looked up behind him and was surprised at the sight of a furious Jeremy. He pressed down where Vincent's spine meets the base of his skull with his thumb and index finger, where a pressure point was.
Vincent could feel slightly dizzy the harder Jeremy pressed leading to him subconsciously falling to his knees due to pain. Plushtrap widened his eyes at the scene playing before him and he quickly took the gun back, shakily aiming at Jeremy.
The man chuckled, "How adorable~ wanting to save him~" he mocked causing the little one to lower his ears in both fear and anger. "If you want me to let dear Vincey go~, give me back the firearm."
"Don't... d-do it..."
Plushtrap's small white eyes darted between Vincent and Jeremy. Who should he listen to? Run away and risk his master's life? Or give the mass murderer the gun and save him? A quiet squeak could be heard from the poor spring rabbit.
He hesitantly stepped towards Jeremy and gave him the gun. "Please let him go..." He quietly spoke, fear showing through him clearly.
Jeremy took the weapon and felt the grip satisfied, still not letting go of Vincent's now bruised neck. He unlocked the gun and aimed it at Plushtrap, a wide psychotic grin forming on his lips.
"Silly rabbit~"
He squeezed the trigger and a bullet went right through the shadow which became nothing but dark mist. The sound of gunfire itself scaring the other shadow creatures away, Vincent was now vulnerable for the bruises in his neck disabled his ghost ability. He couldn't escape from the murderer's grip.
Vincent struggled to unwrap Jeremy's hand from his neck as hard as he could. Plushtrap was gone, and so were his other pawns. He was now just a lonely piece on the checkered tiles with an infamous predator above him. It would only be a matter of time before he would shatter into many pieces that can't be rebuilt.
That was unless... the white queen came to the black king's aid...
"S-Silver~" He tried his best to not show much signs of panic through his telepathic connection with said girl's mind… hoping she can hear him. "Mind lending me a h-hand~?"
"Now, it's right back to where we were before~"
That voice… that eerie voice that he never liked hearing…
"I have to do something!" I quickly shot as I bolted up out of the chair, knife in hand. I was about to sprint out of the office but Marion snatched my hand and pulled me back. I stopped running and looked back at her,
"You aren't helping him." She glared at me, her stare seeming to piece through my own soul. "This is what he gets for pulling an act like this, it's what he deserves."
I pulled my hand away from her grasp,
"With all the times he's helped me, it's my turn to return the favor!"
"Favor? Favor?" Marion broke out in a small laughter. "A puppeteer must save his puppet in order for the show to go on. That's all he's doing, that's all he ever did!" Marion reached for the knife but I moved it away from her.
"Well I don't think the same way about him, I'm his friend, and we look out for-"
"Friendship has no part in this!" Marion roared. "Friendship doesn't exist to that fool! He's doesn't know what it is, and he doesn't care! Him and Jeremy were 'friends' according to him, and do you see them both having a happy little fun time out there?! The answer is no, idiot, and I think I had to point that out to you."
"Jeremy killed him and you know that! How is that fair is it happens again!? If Vincent dies, this place will sooner or later belong to Jeremy, and he doesn't give a crap about all you animatronics! He will burn you all! Don't you see that!" I hissed. Marion growled and shook her head,
"We won't let him take over this place-"
"That isn't for you to decide! Vincent was the only one who was stopping this guy from possibly murdering the new manager to take control for himself, but you're so foolish and caught up in nonsense that you can't see it!" I cut in.
At this point, it was obvious Marion was steaming with absolute rage. Countless times she warned me, but I wasn't the one to listen. She turned around, taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.
She glanced at me,
"You're a fool. An idiotic fool who can't learn from her own, and countless, mistakes. Choosing you to help us all those years ago was a mistake I made, and I learned from that mistake. Making friends with the enemy? What a shocker. Can't trust a puppet..."
I looked back at the tablet, and with the situation getting worse by the second I set it down on the table and walked towards the right door.
"I know. Puppets. Can't trust them or believe in them once so ever. Especially the black and white ones who only wanna make everyones' live's worse." And with no regret or guilt, I ran out the door and down the hall.
Not even tempted to look back.
In the meantime, Vincent struggled to release Jeremy's hand from the pressure point. To no avail, for he was now weakened by the pressure. He tried his very best to resist the urge to give up and hid his pained expression behind a faltering toothy grin.
"What's the matter Vincey~? I thought you could go ghost~" Jeremy taunted him, his laugh clearly shown through his cruel voice. "I actually went easy on you at first, why didn't you just disappear like before~?" He chuckled, "Not that I'm complaining though, you've just proven yourself to be an easy prey~"
Vincent glared up at him then closed his eyes tight. How could he have left his guard down?! Now because of his foolish act he was now once again at his predator's feet. One thing for sure though, he had to do something quick or he would be toast!
He felt himself being dragged so he opened his eyes to see Jeremy taking out the magazine of his gun and placing it on the table. Jeremy grimaced at the sight of only three bullets in it.
"Well I wasn't easy enough prey to waste most of your bullets and your energy, don't you think~?" Vincent managed to counter.
Jeremy grinned and placed the magazine back in the weapon with the help of the table's surface. "Either way, this time you have no-one to come help you… " The gun was then aimed at Vincent's temple which drew a large grin onto Jeremy's face, making him lean forward. "Now~ it's time to say goodbye~"
He slipped his finger onto the trigger's surface, "You're done for now..." Just when Jeremy was about to pull the trigger, another voice joined in along with the sound of running.
"Get away from him!"
"Agh!"
The murderous man stumbled back releasing his grip from Vincent and almost firing his gun at his victim's head. Once he looked at the cause of his pained cry, he found a deep cut in the back of his right hand. The red substance within the wound dripped out at a fast pace leading to Jeremy wrapping the bandage from before around the hand to avoid any more blood loss. As the white bandage reddened at the touch of the blood, he took a good look at his unwelcomed attacker.
Jeremy perked up at the familiar appearance then growled to himself in anger. That brat was back and still dares to confront him. Oh how much he hated that girl. Silver, was it? The one who hit him with that bat two years ago, the same one he kidnapped not so long ago. He clenched his hands into fists, the blood of all of his wounds- from the aftermath of the shadows' little game to Vincent's punches to the recent cut on his hand- dripping down staining the black and white tiles.
"So~ The little bird finally decided to come out of her cage?"
Vincent turned his head slightly and tried hard to hide a subtle smile at who ran in the room. The white queen, just as he hoped would work.
She growled and tightened her grip on the knife, one the two men easily recognized, but the reason why was another story entirely.
"Wait a minute…" Jeremy looked at the girl for a moment, seeing she was just posing there and not talking or attacking again, "Didn't I see you somewhere else before?"
Silver gave him a look of both rage and confusion, it easily seen in her eyes.
"You know then? Mike wasn't the only one invited you know, apparently Scott wanted me to go as well to that masquerade party of his~"
Vincent looked up at him, both in shock and in fear of what he just said… back then, he knew he felt like he was being watched… by eyes that were always watching…
Jeremy looked right into his eyes for a moment, piercing through as sharp as the knife Silver wielded, before looking back at the girl.
"Ah, and before I forget~ Vincey here has been keeping a secret from you~ Would he care to tell us that secret~?" He pressed his hand against the bruised spot on the ghost's neck, "Or will I have to tell her for you~?"
Vincent kept quiet, not saying anything but only giving Silver a subtle hopeless look, his usual grin nearly gone. He had nothing to counter what the murderer said, and he knew exactly what would be the price for it if he didn't come up with something soon.
"Hmph, looks like I'll have to say it~"
"N-no… you don't."
With one sentence from Vincent, a shadow pushed him to the ground, it revealing itself to be Shadow Bonnie.
Silver ran over to Vincent, kneeling beside him, protecting him from his killer.
"So, what's the plan now?" She whispered to him, which he just smirked in reply.
"You'll see in a minute~" Vincent replied, slowly standing up and steadying himself on his feet. The bruise still prevented him from turning back into his ghost form or use any of his abilities, but there was no need to. The shadow creatures he summoned seemed to be holding Jeremy to the ground, the endoskeleton staring right in the murderer's face as shadows kept him pinned to the ground, immobile.
Silver slowly approached him and couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Now for the finale~!"
Vincent quickly hopped up onto the stage, then sharply turned back to where the murderer stayed. Standing center stage and grinning, he flicked his wrist, the shadows picking up Jeremy and throwing him across the room to Vincent's feet, no longer the cruel mass killer he once was… almost finished.
"I told you once, and I'll tell it again~ You won't win. Not this time." Vincent said, looking from his killer to the rest of the room, spotting the knife in Silver's hand. "Miss Demanding, mind giving that to me please~?"
Silver hesitantly looked at her hand, the knife still dripping of Jeremy's blood from his hand. Would it be right? She remembered what happened before, the first time she encountered him… when Goldy spared Jeremy's life simply because he thought that killing him would do nothing but murdering someone.
But the more she thought, the more she realized that this would be best. Eliminating Jeremy now would mean that the ghost children could no longer be scared, nor can Vincent be afraid of him visiting only to possibly kill more children. He was a madman that needed to be taken care of for good. Otherwise the cycles would simply repeat, never stopping until something, like now, was to take place to stop said cycle of torture and fear.
Not looking back or thinking any more, Silver walked forward and reached out, the knife firmly in her hand. Vincent smiled as he kneeled down slightly and reached for the weapon.
The same one that Jeremy used to kill Vincent, only to be used in this special occasion.
"Thank you~" Vincent chirped, standing upright again and tossing the knife end-over-end, catching it again by the handle.
He could tell in Jeremy's eyes that he had indeed won… and there was only one way for him to admit it for the first time, as he went silent.
"Endo~" The endoskeleton came out of hiding from behind the curtains and to Vincent's side, "Mind holding him steady for me~?
The metal creature immediately obeyed, holding Jeremy's head steady with his face pressing against the hard wooden stage floor. Thick wisps of dark shadows held his legs and hands steady, cuffing them to the stage as well.
Vincent chuckled, "Now~ Let's see what you feel after this~" He lifted the knife right above Jeremy's neck, a couple feet away from it before it was dropped blade-down.
The knife pierced through the skin, the man letting out an agonized scream that only made Vincent smile more. He nodded and the endoskeleton let go, the shadows disappearing as well, releasing him. Jeremy now attempting to get the knife out but couldn't move much without feeling excruciating pain.
By now the rest of the audience came back, the children watching from the floor below, the two animatronic shadows now standing at Vincent's sides. Silver backed up a couple steps, looking at the spirits of the kids that were now watching their killer being punished.
"No more…"
"He will be no more soon…"
"The murderer… is dying…"
All Silver could think of was what was happening… if Goldy found out, he would be furious. But then again, this was the only thing to do to stop any more nightmares from happening… for any of her friends.
Plushtrap managed to grab the gun again, this time sure that it was safe to get it and give it to Vincent without Jeremy scaring him. Careful not to pull the trigger, which he saw fires the loud bullet, he carried it and climbed up on the stage, barely making it over by kicking his legs up and over the ledge and on top of the stage. Vincent glanced at him as Jeremy was squirming on the floor, effortlessly trying to both get the knife out and attack the purple ghost beside him.
Reaching his paws out with the gun in them, Vincent nodded in thanks and took the gun, looking at it with a large grin. "Part One done: Torture. Now~" He looked at Silver, "For your sake, you may want to head back to the office. Just as a safety precaution~"
She nodded, and only took one more glance at the scene before her, then quickly walking back to the office.
With that out of the way, Vincent turned back to his now prey. The original roles now officially switched.
"Jeremy Fitzgerald, you have finally lost."
One shot to the head finally ended the murder's reign... Only seconds afterward another attacker tackled Vincent off the stage and the ground. Luckily, he was prepared as he kicked the attacker off and aimed the gun again, finishing off two enemies at the same event.
