Autophobia: noun

au· to· pho· bia | \ ˌȯt-ə-ˈfō-bē-ə \: A morbid fear of solitude

"So." Charlie pressed her hands together.

"So." John said. He sat next to her on the couch while Michael sat in the nearby armchair.

"...Where would you like me to start? There's a lot." She said, picking at a loose thread on the couch.

"Well, you went back. Tell me why."

Charlie and Michael exchanged glances.

"There's a reason the animatronics are malfunctioning. A big one." She began.

"Okay…"

"First of all, this is going to sound absolutely crazy. But Michael can back me up." She laughed nervously but it didn't alleviate the strained atmosphere. Both men were staring at her. "...They're possessed. By the missing children."

"Okay." John said again, slower this time.

"The children didn't just go missing. They were murdered." Michael spoke up.

"...Really? I mean, I've heard rumors about that, but is it actually true?"

Charlie relaxed. His reaction wasn't what she was initially expecting, and that was a good thing. Michael nodded.

"The man who murdered them was my father, William Afton." Michael said mournfully.

"Dad's old business partner." Charlie interjected. She put a hand on John's knee.

"Your dad didn't have a partner."

"That's what I thought too, but it's true. And I remember him. Just a little, but I remember him."

Michael stood up and pulled the large photo album off of the bookshelf.

"It's all in here." He set it on Charlie's lap and she thumbed through it until she found the page with her father and William.

"See?"

John squinted.

"Huh. Doesn't ring a bell for me. But he does." He pointed at Cassidy. Michael sat back down on the armchair and pulled out a cigarette. Charlie knew that he did so whenever he was stressed and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"That's the kid who used to cry all the time." John continued.

"Yeah. Sammy and I were friends with him." She chewed on her lip. "His name was Cassidy."

John looked to the picture of Cassidy, Charlie, and their classmates.

"Those are the missing kids, right?"

"The first group, yes." Michael said, visibly relieved at the change of subject.

"The first group?" John looked at Charlie.

"You don't remember? There were more missing kids at every location." She said softly, tears pricking her eyes. "And it wasn't just William who was responsible. My dad…he… he helped him."

"What?" John's voice was low with apprehension. Charlie turned away tearfully.

"My father murdered the kids, Henry would hide the evidence." Michael said calmly. "He even invented a machine to aid in the process."

"That's why the robots are possessed. My dad found a way to preserve their souls, but it was by trapping them. They're angry and scared." Charlie sobbed.

"Jesus…" John set the photo album on the coffee table and wrapped his arms around her. She soaked his sweatshirt with her tears. "But why did you go back?"

"I think there might be a way to… free them, but I'm not quite sure. I took the job to do some research of sorts." Michael continued to speak calmly.

"But that's not the only reason." Charlie pulled away from John and wiped her eyes.

"I had to lure my father out into the open." Michael continued, "But in the process he attacked Charlotte."

"What?!" John exclaimed, his brown eyes wide.

"I wasn't in a car accident that night. William found me and tried to beat me to death. He left me to die in the alley behind Junior's." Charlie revealed the scar on her forehead. John took her head in his hands.

"Charlie, why didn't you tell me?"

"I had to keep it a secret. Otherwise… I was afraid he'd hurt you, too."

"Is that why you've been acting so weird?"

Charlie nodded.

"Jesus, Charlie…" He turned away and buried his face in his hands. "Did you tell Chief Clay?!"

"No. I… I can't."

"What? Why the hell not?"

"My father is a dangerous man, John. Smart, too. Even if Charlotte were to come forward, there's next to no evidence. There's never been enough evidence to convict him of anything." Michael's calm demeanor was crumbling.

"He's right. There were no witnesses." Charlie said softly.

"Not enough evidence?! You have a scar! And didn't your dad find you? He's a witness!" John's voice rose.

"Don't you think he would've gone to Chief Clay already? He wants to hide it too!" Charlie snapped.

"Why?"

"Because he knows my father, John. With next to no evidence he'll worm his way out of any conviction just like he always does, and then he'll come after Charlotte again with even more of a vengeance. Do you want that to happen?" Michael dropped his cigarette in the ashtray and stood up.

"I don't believe this." John stood up too, wandering over to the wall. Charlie went over to him but he elbowed her away. "Things were just fine before you got wrapped up in this, Charlie. You just couldn't leave it alone. Maybe he wouldn't have come after you if you'd just left it alone."

"He attacked me before I knew anything!"

"Okay, but he's still after you, right? Maybe he wouldn't be if you didn't go snooping around!"

"He'd still be after Charlotte, and me, even if we hadn't gotten involved." Michael snapped.

"You shut up! You're part of the problem, pulling her deeper into this!" John whirled around to face the other man and snatched Charlie's hand. "We're leaving, Charlie, and you're telling Chief Clay everything."

"No! I can't go back!"

"So come and stay with me! This William guy won't know where you went and you don't have to be near your dad."

"No!" She broke away and her voice shook. "I'm… I'm staying right here. I have to."

"Why?"

She looked at Michael, then back at John.

"Oh. I get it." John said coldly.

"John. Wait. No. That's not what I-"

"Charlie, you're wearing his shirt, for God's sake!"

She gasped.

"No! I just didn't have anything else to wear."

"John, she's telling the truth. I would never-" Michael began.

"Oh, bullshit!" John shouted. "I saw it from the very first day, the way you look at her!"

"John, no! You have to understand. William's after both of us and we need to stick together. But that doesn't mean I don't need you too!" Charlie reached out to him and his expression softened. "I'm not going to hide anything from you anymore. Michael and I… we have to get away from here. At least for a while."

John looked angry all over again.

"What do you mean?"

"John, my father is tracking us down as we speak. We can't stay here." Michael was calm again.

"Oh, so you're running away with her now?"

"John, you have to come with us. Please." Charlie took his hands.

"...You're kidding, right?"

"No! John… I promise things will be okay. You have to trust me."

"Are you listening to yourself right now? No. No. I'm not doing this." John shook his head.

"John, please." Her voice broke. He looked down at their hands and she squeezed his. He ran his thumb over her promise ring. "Please. For me. Things will be okay."

"Charlie, things have changed. You've changed." He broke away and picked up his coat.

"John, you can help us. We need you." Michael took a step forward.

"Charlie said it herself. You two have to stick together. Why would you need me?"

"John, stop it!" Charlie grabbed his hands again.

"No, you stop it. You're out of your mind, Charlie." He yanked his hands away. "Either you come with me and deal with all of this like an adult, or you run away like a child."

"Will you at least think about it?" She pleaded. John opened his mouth but closed it again seconds later. "Just for tonight. Think about it."

John looked at Michael, then back at her.

"...Okay. I'll think about it."

Charlie threw her arms around him and he embraced her back, kissing the top of her head after a moment. When they parted, he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Michael.

John and Charlie laid in Michael's bed that night, her holding onto him tightly.

"So… where would you-we-go exactly?" He asked, shattering the longstanding silence between them.

"I was thinking Seattle. It's a big city and it would be hard for anyone to find us there." She nuzzled his neck.

"I still don't get it, Charlie. This could all be solved by going to the police."

"Even if we told the police, they'd still have to catch him. You heard Michael- William has a way of flying under people's radars and getting out of things."

"But what if he just follows you to Seattle? What then?"

Charlie didn't have an answer. What would they do then?

"...It's just better if we go. I can't be around my dad anymore, either. knowing what he did…"

"You said he trapped their souls? It kind of sounds like he was trying to help them, keep them alive somehow."

"But they're not at peace. The last thing they saw was the face of a deranged lunatic… maybe two."

She imagined William holding a dripping, blood-stained knife in the backroom at Freddy's. He was standing over the corpse of a child while her father stood behind him, having let it happen. She shuddered and John held her closer. "That machine he has… I wish I knew where it was so I could destroy it."

John stroked her hair.

"That's a reason to stay. You can find out where the machine is and destroy it, and then figure out the William thing, and everything will go back to normal."

"I don't know how you can say that." She looked up at him.

"Well… more normal than things have been."

"Things haven't been normal for a long time, John. If things were normal, I'd still be at school. I left because I was worried about dad… at the time. He was so depressed. The bathroom cabinet was full of pills. But he pushed me away, and look what happened."

"...Are you blaming him for what happened to you?"

"Yes. He knew William was still out there but he ignored him and hoped he would go away. He hoped everything would just go away if he ignored it." She threw her hands up. John sat up, causing her head to hit the pillow.

"But he was still trying to protect you, Charlie. He sold the franchise in an effort to protect you."

"And look what happened!"

"Stop. Being so angry. If you just sat down and talked with him-"

"I did!" Memories of that day, of that moment, flashed through her mind. "It only made things worse."

"How?"

"He hit me, John. He hit me when I asked him about that machine."

John froze.

"...What?"

She threw her forearm over her eyes.

"He got really mad and the next thing I knew… my cheek was hurting."

"Oh, Charlie…" John laid back down and embraced her.

"Now do you understand? I have to leave." She rolled over to face him.

"And you can. Just come with me. My roommates won't mind."

"What about Michael?"

John sighed.

"What about him? Charlie, you barely know him. The only thing you have in common is that the same lunatic is after both of you."

"I can't just leave him."

"Why? I don't get it, Charlie." John released her and sat up.

"He helped me."

"Helped you? Charlie, he only dragged you deeper into this shit."

"No, he told me the truth, and he has a plan to-"

"Does he, Charlie? Or is he just using this as an excuse to get close to you?"

"Oh, not this again! Three years, John. Three years we've been together and you think I'm- I wouldn't be wearing this ring if I…" She trailed off and held her head in her hands, her outburst causing a headache.

"I'm not going. Are you still running away with him?"

"John-"

"Answer me!"

"Yes, but you know the reasons why! Stop making this into something it's not!"

"I'm not dealing with this, Charlie. I thought about it and I'm not dealing with this." John threw his hands up and got off the bed.

"John, wait!" Charlie jumped up but he was already heading out the right door of the bedroom. It was pitch black outside and snow was falling down in droves. She chased him down the hallway and grabbed his arm. He pushed her away and grabbed his coat off of the couch.

"Forget it, Charlie. Do what you want. I won't be a part of it."

"Wait!" She screamed. He turned around. "If you… if you won't do this with me, then maybe we shouldn't do this, either." She pulled her ring off her finger. John dropped his coat. They stared at each other, heavy breathing standing in for talk. After a moment he put his coat on and sauntered over, snatching the ring out of her outstretched palm. They stared each other down until he turned around and left, slamming the front door behind him.

Charlie's breathing quickened and she sunk down to the floor, but she didn't cry. She couldn't cry.

"Charlotte?" Michael said uncertainty. She didn't turn her head, focusing on the closed door. The floor creaked as Michael took a few steps towards her.

"Don't." She held up a hand and got on her feet.

"Charlotte, I'm… I'm sorry." Michael whispered. Charlie pushed past him and walked back into the bedroom, where she laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Charlotte?"

"Just go away." Her voice was monotone.

"...Okay. But if you need to talk, I'm-"

"I SAID GO AWAY!" She threw a pillow at the door. Michael immediately shut it, but she knew he was lingering there. The tears started falling at last and she rolled onto her side, alone once again.