Charlie let out a whimper. The tattered bear looming over her was over 7 feet tall- its head almost touched the ceiling. As horrified as she was, she couldn't look away. A high-pitched noise assaulted her ears but she didn't dare cover them for fear of dropping the flashlight.
"Mmmf…. Charlotte?" Michael stirred beside her.
The bear turned its head in his direction and the rumbling noise sounded again. Charlie realized that it wasn't a rumble at all- it was deep laughter. Michael sat up and instantly recoiled, his breath hitching in his throat. He too was seeing the monstrosity before her eyes- it was written on his face. The flashlight flickered and he yanked it away from her, striking it repeatedly. It died a second later, shrouding the two in darkness.
The high-pitched noise stopped and there was nothing but the sound of subdued breathing. There was another laugh and then the flashlight flickered back to life. Charlie jumped as a warm hand covered hers.
"You… you saw it too?" Michael whispered. Charlie was shaking again, staring into the void the monster bear had previously occupied. "Charlotte, did you see it?"
"Y-yeah."
The two sat motionless for several minutes, listening intently for the deep laughter.
"It's gone." Michael said finally. Charlie glanced down at their hands and then at him, catching his gaze. "Oh.. I'm sorry." He withdrew his hand.
"It's… it's okay."
They both stared at the closet in the center of the room.
"Michael?"
"Mmm?"
"How long… how long have you been seeing it?"
"15 years- starting on the night of the… accident."
The accident. It irked her that he called it an accident. His intentions were malicious, the act was malicious. She swallowed her agitation.
"One night, in the hospital… I had to hold the door shut because it was in the hallway and wouldn't leave."
"Why didn't you just lock it?"
"The doors in those places don't lock- the doctors need to be able to get in at anytime in order to jam pills down your throat."
"I've only seen it once. I was in the hospital after… he attacked me."
"What… what exactly did... he do to you?" Michael turned to her at last.
Charlie's breath caught in her throat and she tensed. She saw William's face clearly in her mind- smug, elated to inflict pain… and death. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
"You don't have to tell me if-"
"No. It's okay." She met his gaze and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, exposing the scar on her forehead. "He hit me with something. I think it was a tire iron. A big one." Michael squinted.
"Yeah, I see it."
Charlie sighed and averted her gaze to the floor.
"I woke up in the alley behind Junior's. He left me there to die."
"But he failed, and he's furious." Michael said gravely. Charlie nodded.
"I know."
"No, Charlotte, he's furious. Furious as in, he'll kill you in the most brutal way possible. He won't let you slip away again."
She swallowed.
"...What about you?"
"It's hard to say. I think he wants to torture me more than anything else. Sick bastard will probably skin me alive." A harrowing silence settled over the pair.
"So… what do we do? He's looking for us."
"Charlotte, listen closely." Michael took her hands in his. His blue eyes were intense and foreboding- she had to avert her own. "You have to stay close to your father, no matter how tedious it is, even knowing what you know."
"What?!"
"A rift between the two of you gives my father the perfect opportunity for exploitation. It makes you both vulnerable; He could turn you against each other without you realizing it."
Charlie nodded slowly.
"Now, about Freddy's- we have to go back, even with my father and Elizabeth lurking."
"But… you said they'd trap us."
"We've thrown them off the trail by not going there tonight. They'll probably try the other location, buying us some more time."
"That's… that's good, actually. I really need to go back- there's something I need to find."
Michael looked at her quizzically.
"This is going to sound crazy, but I had a vision of a box. A locked box. I saw it in the Parts and Service room."
"What did it look like?"
"It was gray, with two locks on it."
Michael's eyes widened. He scrambled off the bed and grabbed the flashlight. Charlie scooted to the edge of the bed and watched as he pulled a box out from underneath the white dresser- the one she'd seen in her vision. He pulled out his keyring and selected a small key, which he applied to each lock.
"The letters from my mother… I kept them all." Michael picked up the box and set it on the bed between them. She immediately reached for a letter but stopped herself when she saw his pained expression.
"It's okay." He said mournfully, "I just… these are all I have left of her."
Charlie nodded and looked down at the unmade bed.
"It's okay…. I trust you." Michael reassured her. After another moment of hesitation, she unfolded a letter and started to read.
My dear Michael,
Many things have transpired since my last letter. Your father has committed more atrocities and has been discovered by Henry once again. Once again, the investigations have turned up nothing. What they do with all those little bodies, I'll never know. Elizabeth continues to idolize your father, and I fear that she will soon commit similar atrocities.
"I remember the investigation at Freddy and Friends'. I was a sophomore." Charlie commented, "It was the same story as before- the kids just disappeared without a trace. My dad and I weren't at the restaurant when it happened."
"Keep reading." Michael sighed.
Henry came to visit me the other day, shortly after he discovered your father. As usual, I am not to say a word, or else I will face dire consequences. Henry Emily is not a violent man, but he is a man of his word. Your father will not hesitate to harm me, and he knows this. I'm terrified, Michael, but leaving is not an option. I must continue to update you with information you can use upon your release.
I close by saying, once again, that when you are released, you must stop them. Your father AND Henry. They have inflicted so much pain and harm on this little town and its residents, especially the parents who will never hold their children in their arms again. Track them down, keep them from inflicting further harm. Do whatever you must. I love you, son.
Yours,
Mom
"Damn him, I don't believe this!" Charlie threw the letter into the box and turned to Michael, fresh tears streaming down her face. He took her hands again and gave them a squeeze. "He let something horrible happen, all to protect himself! I can't just stay quiet!"
"You have to, Charlotte. At least for now." Michael's voice was urgent.
"I can't… I can't!" She started to sob.
"Charlotte, I promise that all of this will end. The madness will end."
"How?"
"I have a plan. I've had a plan for a while now. But in order for it to work, you have to go on like nothing's wrong."
"What… what is it?"
"Those little bodies my mother was talking about in her letter… those little souls. They're all trapped in your father's creations. I think I can free them, but it requires very careful planning and a little more… research. That's why we have to go back."
"What are you going to do, sprinkle holy water?"
"Not exactly." Michael looked down.
"Not exactly?"
"Look, I'm still planning and working out the kinks. Once I've worked them out, I'll tell you everything."
Charlie nodded, but she was unconvinced.
"You have to trust me, Charlotte." He said softly. She looked down at their hands and then up at him.
"Well… you haven't lied yet."
He gave her a tired smile and she smiled back despite the tears still forming in her eyes.
"Now… you should sleep."
"But what if that… that thing comes back?"
"I'll keep watch, but I don't think it will."
Charlie set an alarm on her phone.
"I have to be back at the diner by 7. When does the bus stop here?"
"6:15. You'll get there with time to spare."
"At least I'll be tired and dad will believe I've been working all night." She laid down and rolled onto her side. The prospect of facing her father knowing what she knew made her physically ill, but she did trust Michael. She just hoped that nobody else would be hurt.
Charlie swallowed as her father's car came into view. She'd left Michael at the house with the promise of meeting again the following night, and it couldn't come soon enough.
"How's it going, working girl?" Henry inquired with a smile. She forced a smile of her own.
"Fine. It was pretty dead all night."
"Really? You look exhausted." He pulled out of the parking lot.
"I'm not used to staying up all night yet. I'm sure I'll get used to it soon." Her phone vibrated. It was Jessica.
Hey, are you busy? Marla and I need to talk to you.
I'm just getting off my shift at Stevie's, but you come over to my place for a while. She typed back.
"Marla and Jessica are coming over." She told her father with a yawn.
"Okay, but only for a little while. You need to take your pills and sleep."
"No, I'll sleep for two days. I don't need them anymore."
"Charlotte." He said warningly, "Remember what happened last time?" The letters. Slicing her skin, filling the hallway. The silhouette of a woman standing by the window. She recalled every detail vividly, and the mostly-healed cuts on her face stung again, if only for a moment. Then there was the matter of the nightmare monstrosity from the night before- if she didn't take the damn pills, she might see it again. She nodded begrudgingly.
"Fine."
Jessica's blue Neon was already parked outside of the house, behind Aunt Jen's green Honda. There was laughter when Charlie set foot in the house, but it fell away when she stepped into the living room. Aunt Jen was still smiling, but Marla and Jessica both wore expressions of contempt.
"Hey, guys." Charlie smiled but only got a half-hearted one from Marla in return.
"Well, I'll let you girls hang out. I'll be down here." Aunt Jen picked up a paperback novel and leaned back on the couch.
"Okay." Charlie said, once again attempting a smile as she led her girlfriends up the stairs to her bedroom. Jessica sat on Charlie's unmade bed and Marla sat on Theodore's empty chair.
"So, how was your first shift?" Marla asked flatly.
"It was good. I'm really tired, but it was good."
Marla and Jessica exchanged glances.
"What?"
"Carlton saw you on the bus with that nightguard." Jessica crossed her arms. Charlie immediately tensed. How had she missed him?
"Umm…" She bit her lip and sat down beside Jessica. "I saw him there and thought I'd say hi."
"Charlie, he heard you talking about Freddy's. You went back, didn't you?" Jessica's tone scared her.
"No! I mean, yes, we were going, but we didn't."
"Then where did you go?" Marla demanded. Charlie sighed deeply, the beat of her heart accelerating.
"We went to Stevie's, just to talk about it. That's all!" She exclaimed. "You can't tell John, he'll freak out."
"I'm pretty sure he already knows." Jessica pulled out her phone and opened her messages.
I think she's with him. She hung up on me and sounded really nervous. Charlie swallowed.
"Keep reading." Jessica urged in the same low tone as before.
I think she's going to break up with me.
"That's ridiculous!" Charlie threw the phone back at Jessica. "All I said was that I was still mad at him."
"You're mad at him for being worried and not wanting you to go off with a man you just met? Charlie, that's ridiculous! He could have attacked you." Jessica's voice rose.
"But he didn't. He told me things, secrets about Freddy's beyond anything I could have imagined!" Charlie felt a pang of renewed dread as she spoke.
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Marla inquired angrily. Charlie looked away, the feeling of dread growing in her stomach. My dad is a murderer's accomplice.
"...I can't tell you."
"Charlie, we're your friends!" Jessica shouted indignantly.
"How do I know you won't go blabbing to my dad? That's what John did!"
"Charlie, he was trying to protect you."
"I don't need to be protected! I've been protected from the truth my whole life, and it almost killed me!" There was an immediate, shocked silence. Charlie clapped a hand over her mouth.
"...What?" Marla's voice was hushed. Jessica's jaw was slack as she stared at her friend. Charlie swallowed hard.
"Go."
"What?" Marla said again.
"Just… go."
"Charlie, what…?"
"I SAID, GO!" Charlie fell onto the bed and hugged her pillow, facing away from her friends. She heard both girls get up but they lingered- she could feel them staring.
"Charlie, you've been acting all crazy since we went to Freddy's." Jessica sat back down on the bed.
"Please… just leave me alone." Fresh tears streamed down Charlie's raw cheeks. The mattress' springs bounced back as Jessica got up.
"Okay, Charlie. We'll leave you alone." Marla said softly.
"Yeah. Sorry to bother you." Jessica said sarcastically. Charlie broke into a sobbing fit the second they walked out the door. Her head was pounding again, her bones ached, and her stomach churned. She stifled her sobs at the sound of her aunt coming up the stairs.
"Charlie?"
She scrambled under the covers and pulled them over her head. Jen came in a second later and sat down on the bed. Charlie's lungs ached as she worked to slow her breathing.
"Honey, are you okay?" Aunt Jen pulled the covers down and Charlie curled into a fetal position. She felt a cool thumb stroke her temple for several seconds before pausing. It moved to the scar on her forehead and she winced. Her aunt sighed and stood up after several minutes.
"I love you, Charlie."
Charlie sobbed again as soon as the sound of Jen's footsteps in the hallway faded. I love you, Charlie. Those words were spoken by a select few- John, Aunt Jen, and her father. She was loved, yet she felt alone. She'd felt alone for a long time.