Hello everyone and, depending on when you're going to read this, Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you have a significant other to celebrate it and if you don't, well, neither do I, so you're not the only one.

SalvagedFan: Thanks, I'm interested in seeing that piece of artwork, but we'll still have to figure out a better way of communication.

Dinosaur: There might be a Nightmares vs. Drawkills moment in the future (I certainly think it would be awesome to write it). Also, I'm pretty sure that by the end of the chapter, you have figured out on your own just how sentient the Drawkills are (pretty much Raven- if not even Springtrap-levels of sentient).

Okay, so, this is a split chapter when it comes to the information department, since a lot is going on here and will be eventually processed in the next chapter. Also, the movie briefly mentioned in this chapter is fictional and is based of the movie franchise Saw and the manga Doubt, aka Rabbit Doubt.

I hope you'll enjoy it!


Night 7

They're Calling My Name

''Five nights, it shouldn't seem so long, but it takes forever when you go all about it wrong. These halls are lined with blood I can't have on my hands. These walls, they seem to call my name, but I refuse to be another puppet in your game. Your eyes are dead inside, but tonight I leave alive. You can break down my lights and my doors, but I won't let you back in no more, no more. I'm sick of getting stuck in the same routine again. Tie me up, put me into a suit, but I'll never ever be like you, no. I know what happened here and you can't erase your past.''

No More by NateWantsToBattle

xXxXxXx

Springtrap glanced at Sam, who was curled up and asleep on the couch, then turned back his attention to the the movie both of them were watching, at least until Sam fell asleep due to rather tired. The movie in question was called Countdown, and it was about 10 people being kidnapped and put into some kind of abandoned building turned into a maze. They were forced to find a way out while avoiding traps, as well as a psychotic serial killer who would hunt them down according to the number they were assigned.

As the movie was nearing its end, it was revealed that the supposed murderer was just another victim, brainwashed into killing people and ended up dying himself at the hands of the 10th victim, a girl who was revealed to be the one who had planned this whole event. Not only that, but she also had a scrap book of photos of her victims, their numbers and how they were killed, revealing that this horrifying game was going on for quite a while.

While Springtrap was interested in the movie, he would occasionally sneak glances at Sam, wondering whether he should wake her up so she would go to bed, or just spare her the hassle and carry her up to her room. Considering how they had spent the whole day at Circus Baby's, both had decided that they wouldn't go anywhere tonight, with Springtrap noting that Sam was quite exhausted from all the work and Sam telling him that she was quite satisfied with what they had done.

Surprisingly, Emma still hadn't returned home, despite it being late at night. Springtrap and Sam had wondered whether they should call her, but they decided against it, with Sam figuring that she was just staying out late with Cassie and telling Springtrap she would call her mother if she wasn't back by midnight. Springtrap felt that it was quite ironic that Sam would have to check on Emma and would occasionally glance at the clock above the TV, eagerly waiting until the clock hands reached midnight, as he was curious about Emma's response.

However, much to Springtrap's disappointment, he suddenly heard a car outside and the front door being unlocked. Emma entered the house, carrying a shopping bag and closed the door behind her, locking it.

''Hello-''

''Keep your voice down,'' Springtrap hissed, with Emma giving him a look that was a mix of surprise and annoyance. ''Sam's asleep.''

''Okay,'' Emma whispered as she walked over to the couch, noticing Sam sleeping. She then walked over to the kitchen, placing the shopping bag on the table, with Springtrap getting up and approaching her.

''So, where have you been?'' Springtrap asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake up Sam.

''After we were done with shopping, Cassie and I ended up deciding to have a spontaneous road trip,'' Emma admitted. ''We've been just driving around and talking.''

''Sounds like a complete waste of gas,'' Springtrap told her sarcastically. Emma's eyes narrowed.

''You know, it wouldn't be a bad thing if you ran out of fuel and shut down for once,'' she replied.

''Well, I apologize for being a soul stuck inside an animatronic suit then, as that's impossible considering my current condition,'' Springtrap replied in a deadpan tone. He then sighed. ''You really had to say that, didn't you?''

''If I didn't, you probably would've questioned why I didn't tease you,'' Emma told him.

''I guess you're right,'' Springtrap said. He had to admit that he did agree with her, as it would be just strange if she didn't take a jab at him.

Both then went quiet for a while, with Emma taking the few clothing articles out of the shopping bag, simply to keep herself busy. Springtrap felt a little awkward, as there was something he wanted to talk to Emma about, but was unsure whether he should. He then figured that he had nothing to lose if he asked her for advice.

''Say, Emma…''

''What have you done now, Afton?'' Emma looked up to him, glaring at him. However, the look she gave him softened a bit when she noticed the confused look Springtrap gave her.

''Why do you think I had done something?'' he asked her.

''You have that look of guilt on your expression,'' Emma replied. ''Besides, you usually don't talk to me like this when you're happy or carefree. So, what is it now?''

''To make it clear, it has nothing to do with Sam,'' Springtrap told her, with Emma rising an eyebrow.

''It doesn't? Then, what is this about?'' she asked.

''It does concern something I had done in this past, though,'' Springtrap admitted. ''Now, the past has caught up to me and I'm not completely sure what to do about it. I figured that won't hurt to ask you for advice. I mean, I talked to Sam, but I am interested in hearing a different opinion.''

''Okay…'' Emma was puzzled.

''Say, have you and Sam ever gotten into a serious fight?'' Springtrap asked her, noticing the strange look Emma gave him. ''Don't worry, I didn't get into a fight with her. If I did, would I really still be here?''

''Well, Sam is the forgiving type of person, so it wouldn't surprise me if you did have an argument, but she let you stay,'' Emma told him in a dry tone, noting the tired look Springtrap gave her. ''Also, while Sam and I did argue at times, we never got into a serious fight, the kind of which where she would yell at me how much she hated me and how I couldn't possibly understand what she's going through.''

''Seems like you two have an amazing relationship,'' Springtrap said.

''It's not perfect,'' Emma replied. ''Sometimes, I wish I could do more for her. You know already that I trust her a lot and if she needs her own space, I let her be. However, during the past year, when she would constantly lock herself up in her room, I was wondering whether I could make her feel better in any way.'' Emma then pointed at Springtrap. ''You, Afton, weren't part of that idea, though.''

''I know,'' Springtrap replied. ''Still, you do have a better relationship with her than I had with my own children.''

Emma gave him a curious look, as if suddenly realizing what this was about. She sighed as she crossed her arms, shaking her head.

''Trust me, no family is perfect, no matter how they appear in the public,'' she told him. ''When I was 7 or 8, my father was working with this businessman on a project and we visited him and his family a few times for dinner. The mother was a housewife and their son and daughter were several years older than me. Overall, the family was wealthy and respected in their community, and the children were doing well in school, with the father often bragging how his son was studying to become a doctor. To be honest, I wasn't really interested in them, as I always had a strange feeling around the son and, while the daughter was nice to me, she would always panic if everything wasn't in its supposed place in her room when we would play with each other.''

''I assume that this story is taking a turn for the worse,'' Springtrap said, having a bad feeling about this.

''It is,'' Emma replied. ''After a while, we stopped visiting them and when I asked my father about it, he would tell me to never mention that family again. A few years later, I asked my mother about what happened to them and she revealed to me that the father had been incredibly abusive towards his family, especially towards the daughter, who would show up at school with bruises she was forced to cover with make-up. He then ended up getting drunk one night and shot her in the head, hiding the body behind the house.''

''What?!'' Springtrap stared at Emma in shock, who just nodded.

''He then told everyone that he sent her to a boarding school in Europe to cover his tracks and threatened his wife and son to keep quiet about it. Eventually, people got suspicious and everything was revealed after the son committed suicide due to the pressure he was dealing with. I don't know what happened to the wife, but I do know that the guy died in prison,'' Emma added. ''My mother told me that everyone who knew them talked how respected they were in their community and that they couldn't believe that anything tragic could happen to them. As I said, no family is perfect, but those who want to appear perfect often hide some kind of horrible secret.''

''It's quite terrifying when you think about it,'' Springtrap muttered.

''You should know…'' Emma replied in a quiet tone, with Springtrap frowning.

''I never intended for my children to get hurt,'' he protested.

''Maybe, but that didn't prevent you from creating murderous animatronics,'' Emma replied. Springtrap glared at her, but kept quiet. He felt torn between arguing his case and having to admit that she was right about him.

''In any case, about that advice…'' he muttered, then frowned. ''You know what, forget it. It doesn't matter…''

''If it doesn't matter, why did you even ask me anything?'' Emma asked.

''I asked you because I was hoping for some parenting advice, not to be mocked,'' Springtrap replied. ''Although, I guess I should've expected that from you, as you just love to mess with me.''

''I wasn't messing with you, but I had pointed out the obvious, as well as my own experience, and answered your question,'' Emma replied. ''Also, I assume that you're more frustrated with yourself than with me.''

Springtrap just stared at her, an unreadable look on his expression. Despite the fact that his eyes were glowing, he didn't seem to be aggressive. He then sighed, giving Emma a look of defeat.

''You're right, I'm sorry…'' he muttered. ''It is one thing to talk to your child after an argument, but talking to them while fully aware that you're responsible for their death... Honestly, I don't want to give them any kind of excuse for my behavior, but actually try to just talk to them normally. However, I fear that that conversation will end up in a disaster.''

''It is understandable that you would feel like this, considering how you usually tend to mess up,'' Emma said, crossing her arms. ''Listen, the only advice I can give you for this is to just be honest with yourself. You will have to deal with this whether you want it or not.''

''That's what Sam told me as well,'' Springtrap replied.

''Well, at least I know now that she's listening to me,'' Emma said, smirking. Springtrap glanced at Sam, who was still sleeping on the couch.

''I guess I should bring her upstairs,'' he muttered, then glanced at Emma. ''She was actually planning on calling you if you didn't return my midnight. Frankly, I've also been wondering why you didn't call us at some point just to make sure things are fine.''

''Haven't you constantly asked me to trust you when it came to whatever you and Sam were planning to do? Do you really believe that I would've left you two alone for so long if I didn't trust you? Of course, if you think that that's not enough…'' Emma replied.

''N-no, I didn't mean…'' Springtrap went quiet, looking rather flustered. He didn't even consider that idea. ''I-I'll get Sam upstairs…''

He could still feel Emma glaring at him, trying to ignore her. Instead, he went over to Sam and, after figuring that it was not worth it waking her up, he picked her up and carried her upstairs.

''Good night,'' he quickly added, not waiting for Emma's response. He just wanted to get back to his room as soon as possible. However, as he put Sam on her bed and turned to go back to his room, he felt something tugging his hand. He looked down, only to notice Sam staring at him. ''You're awake?''

''I was for a while,'' Sam replied, with Springtrap crouching next to her.

''I assume that you heard everything, then,'' Springtrap said, with Sam nodding. ''Honestly, I feel that I should've just kept it to myself.''

''If you ask me, I think that it was a good thing that you wanted another person's opinion, but it's up to you to decide whether it helped or not,'' Sam told him.

''I guess you're right,'' Springtrap replied, then frowned. ''So, you were awake the whole time? Why did I have to carry you to your room, then?''

''Because I'm a lazy teen,'' Sam replied, a wide smile plastered on her expression. Springtrap looked both amused and exasperated as he got up.

''Good night, Sam,'' he told her.

''Good night, Will,'' Sam replied, with Springtrap exiting her room. However, as he entered his room, a feeling of dread washed over him. He leaned against the door and took a deep breath.

I am not looking forward to this…

xXx

Springtrap was sitting in a booth at the far corner of the restaurant, leaned against the table with a blank look on his expression. His ears were lowered and his eyes were glowing in a faint purple. He felt anxious, fearing that something bad might happen, even if there was no indication that the day might end up in a disaster. He knew that he had to do something about this paranoia before it ate him up completely.

The fact that nothing had happened last night didn't help either. He spent hours pacing across his room, expecting that someone would actually attempt to contact him, but nobody did, not even Henry or that kid, which made him even more anxious. Were people even keeping an eye on him as they said that they would?

He sighed, frowning. Something told him that things might just get worse. Stop being so paranoid, this is not the end of the world.

''Springtrap?'' He looked up, noticing Sam standing next to him, placing the pizza and the soda she had ordered on the table. She then sat across him with a look of concern on her expression. ''Are you okay?''

''No,'' Springtrap replied, not even considering hiding how he felt. ''I'm constantly on edge and I feel as if something bad might happen any moment.''

''Is it because we're at Freddy's?'' Sam asked as she grabbed a slice of pizza. Springtrap snorted, not expecting that answer, but also not missing the irony.

''It is possible,'' he replied. ''Although, I'm fairly certain that Freddy's not the issue here.''

''It's about what had happened yesterday, isn't it?'' Sam said, with Springtrap just lowering his head. ''You know, I wish I could help you somehow with this.''

''That's really kind of you, but it's something I need to deal with by myself,'' Springtrap replied. ''I shouldn't have dragged you into this in the first place.''

''It's fine, I don't mind,'' Sam told him. Springtrap wanted to protest, but knowing Sam, any argument with her was already a lost cause. She was stubborn enough to keep on arguing with him.

''I appreciate that, but still…'' Springtrap trailed off when he noticed the look Sam gave him. ''I know that anything I say won't stop you from trying to help me, I'm just voicing my concerns.''

''I understand, but you are aware I know well what I got myself into,'' Sam replied.

''I do, but…''

''Hey, Spring!''

Both of them looked up, surprised to see a little girl and a boy running towards them. Sam gave them a confused look, while Springtrap recognized the two the moment they turned to him with wide grins on their expressions.

''Hi,'' he muttered, glancing at Sam, who was at first surprised, only to give him basically the same look Emma would give him whenever he got himself into trouble. It was rather scary to see how similar the two tended to be.

''It's great to see you again, Spring!'' Kathy said, while her twin brother, Kyle, gave Sam a shy look. Kathy then glanced at Sam. ''Hi, are you Spring's friend?''

''Yeah, I am,'' Sam replied. ''My name is Samantha, and you are?''

''I'm Kathy and this is Kyle,'' Kathy introduced herself and her brother, who was still giving Sam a shy look, as if unsure how to act around her.

''Nice to meet you,'' Sam replied, smiling. ''How come you two know Springtrap?''

''Oh, is that your full name?'' Kathy turned to the animatronic, who was on the verge of freaking out when he saw Sam glaring at him. He realized that he had never told Sam about his encounter with the twins.

''It is,'' he muttered. Both he and Sam then noticed that Kyle was staring at the pizza on the table with a hungry look on his expression. ''Do you want to join us?''

''Sure!'' Kathy said, with Kyle nodding. Springtrap glanced at Sam, who was still glaring at him, but she did get up to let the two sit across Springtrap, while she sat next to him. Kyle then reached for a pizza slice, only for Kathy to stop him. Kyle then gave Sam an apologetic look, having seemingly forgotten that this wasn't his food.

''Go ahead,'' Sam told him, with Kyle happily taking a slice. ''Anyways, I asked you something, didn't I?''

''We met Spring at Ricky's,'' Kyle replied.

''He told us that we should come here instead,'' Kathy added.

''I see,'' Sam said, glancing at Springtrap, who just gave her a nervous look. ''What exactly happened?''

''I came across these two when we went to Ricky's and they were pretty much abandoned by their aunt, so I told them to go to one of the employees for help,'' Springtrap explained, still feeling anxious. ''That, and I also suggested that they spend their time at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza rather than at Ricky's Wonder Shack.'' He glanced at the twins. ''I hope you two are enjoying yourselves here.''

''Freddy's is a bit nicer than Ricky's,'' Kathy said.

''Yeah,'' Kyle added. ''The kids we met didn't push us around and someone even let us play a game.''

''Are you two here by yourselves?'' Sam asked. She had figured that she would talk to Springtrap later about this, as she was more worried about two little children walking around at Freddy's unsupervised.

''No, Auntie Karen was with us,'' Kyle told her. ''She told us to wait for her, but she didn't return.''

''Wait, how long have you two been waiting?'' Springtrap asked, frowning. Kathy and Kyle exchanged glances and then shrugged.

''We don't know,'' Kathy replied. ''But, Freddy and his friends did at least two songs.''

''Auntie Karen was also supposed to buy us lunch,'' Kyle added, looking worried when he saw how annoyed both Sam and Springtrap looked.

''So, you've been alone here for about an hour, maybe more,'' Sam muttered. ''Unbelievable!''

''What's wrong?'' Kyle asked, worried that he and his sister might've done something that made Sam angry.

''Don't worry, everything will be fine,'' Sam told the two. ''You know what, I'll get you two drinks and you can also play some games if you want.''

''That would be great! Thank you!'' Kathy said. Both she and her brother looked rather excited about Sam's suggestion.

''I'll be back soon,'' she said as she got up, then turned to Springtrap. ''Keep an eye on them, Spring.''

''Sure,'' Springtrap replied, still feeling a little nervous. He knew that he probably should've told Sam about his encounter with the twins, but the recent events had made him forget about everything. At least she didn't seem to be that angry.

It took her a while to return with the soda, with Kathy and Kyle happily thanking her for it. Springtrap noticed that Sam looked annoyed, but her expression then changed to more cheerful one.

''So, does your aunt babysit you often?'' Sam asked the two.

''Yeah, but only because Mummy and Daddy work,'' Kyle said.

''She doesn't seem to be very good at it,'' Sam said. Kathy nodded.

''She forgot about us a few times, but she never forgets about our cousins,'' she said. ''Sometimes, she even forgets about getting us lunch. Mum and Dad often yelled at her about it, but she still does that stuff.''

''No offense, but your aunt is really abusive and neglectful,'' Sam said in a stern tone, with Kathy and Kyle giving her a worried look. ''I'm surprised nobody had called the cops on her.''

''Really?'' Kathy asked.

''Did we do something wrong?'' Kyle looked worried.

''Don't worry, you two did nothing wrong,'' Springtrap assured the twins, then glanced at Sam. ''Did you tell the employees?''

''I had to,'' she replied. ''You know well that there is a rule that children need adult supervision while here. I mean, Freddy's isn't a daycare.''

''That's true,'' Springtrap said.

''What should we do?'' Kathy asked them, still worried.

''Either they'll find your aunt or they'll have to call the police and your parents,'' Sam told them. ''Once again, you don't have to worry, as you're not at fault here. However, I don't think that your aunt should babysit you anymore.''

''I guess you're right,'' Kathy said.

''Does this mean that we won't be coming here anymore?'' Kyle asked.

''If your parents find you a new babysitter, then I'm sure that you can come back,'' Springtrap told the two, who looked excited.

He exchanged glances with Sam, with both knowing that this would be a bit more complicated than what they told the two. However, both hoped that this situation would end up well for the twins.

xXx

''So, are you still angry at me?''

''Not really.''

Springtrap sighed in relief, only to notice the annoyed look Sam gave him. His ears lowered, with him feeling a bit nervous. Sam then sighed, walking up to him.

''It's kind of hard to stay mad at you,'' she admitted. ''Besides, I understand that you had forgotten about it considering what happened.''

''Thanks,'' Springtrap muttered.

It was already nighttime and the two had sneaked back into Freddy's after it had closed. As for the twins, the employees couldn't find their aunt and had to call the twins' parents, who were quite furious about their children being abandoned. Nobody called the cops, but Sam and Springtrap had a feeling that Kathy and Kyle's parents wouldn't leave the two in the care of their aunt anymore. Both knew that this was a much better outcome than the alternative, as someone could easily kidnap the two, even though the twins knew what to do in case a stranger they didn't trust tried to approach them.

''Anyways, I guess we should just take a look around,'' Sam said, with Springtrap nodding.

The reason the two were even here was because Springtrap wanted to examine the animatronics due to what the kid told them. If something was wrong with them, he wanted to figure out what it was. That, and he needed some kind of distraction as he felt a growing headache due to the constant stress and paranoia he had felt, thinking about what had happened.

Sam observed him for a while, but then wandered off on her own, just looking around the place and trying to find something to busy herself with. She went to the back room, noticing the endoskeleton sitting on the ground. She crouched in front of it, staring at it.

''Hopefully, you guys won't end up getting destroyed again,'' she muttered.

''It depends on what is going to happen with this place. Personally, I wouldn't trust anyone.''

Sam froze as she realized that the voice didn't belong to Springtrap, despite the fact that it sounded male, with a British accent to it. Sam stood up and slowly turned around, noticing a young man, probably in his early to mid-20s, standing behind her. He had messy dark brown hair and blue eyes, wearing jeans and a purple T-shirt. His arms were crossed on his chest and he was smiling, as if knowing something Sam didn't know. Sam stared at him, a bit stunned, especially considering that she never heard him approach her.

''Michael Afton?'' she asked. The young man gave her a surprised look, but then smiled.

''How did you manage to figure out who I am?'' he asked.

''It wasn't that hard,'' Sam replied. ''You showed up yesterday, didn't you? I figured either you or your siblings would show up eventually.''

''That would make sense,'' Michael said, shrugging.

''So, Michael, why are you here?'' Sam asked.

''You can call me Mike if you want,'' Michael replied. ''As for why I'm here, I thought that you already had figured it out.''

''If you are here to confront your father, why are you talking to me?'' Sam asked.

''Good question,'' Michael muttered, putting his hands in his pockets. ''Don't worry, I'm planning on confronting the old man eventually, but I actually wanted to talk to you first, Samantha.''

''You can call me Sam,'' Sam told him.

''Okay, that makes me feel kind of special,'' Michael said. Sam snorted, rolling her eyes.

''So, what do you want to talk about?'' she asked, then frowned. ''Don't tell me that you're here to lecture me about how William's just trying to manipulate me or that he's a dangerous person and that I should get away from him as soon as possible.''

''Actually, no,'' Michael replied, with Sam giving him a stunned look. ''I figured that you already have enough of that talk, even though I do agree that my father is a rather dangerous person. That said, if you know what you're doing than that's fine by me.''

''Thank you!'' Sam replied, looking relieved. ''You're the first person who actually acknowledged that this is my choice and didn't constantly question me whether I'm aware of what I'm doing, and that also includes William.''

''You're welcome,'' Michael replied. ''Although, I am curious about why you're so interested in helping the old man. No offense, but he doesn't exactly deserve any help.''

''Well, I have several reasons for that,'' Sam said. ''If I have to pick one, I'd say that someone needs to keep him sane since everyone else is driving him insane.''

''I agree with that,'' Michael said. ''I mean, I saw him and his best and at his worst, the latter more often than the former, and when he loses his mind, it's Game Over.''

''I'm sorry what happened to you,'' Sam said, her tone grave. Michael shook his head.

''You don't have to pity me,'' he said. ''I'm way past that whole haunted animatronics fiasco and I'm currently doing quite well for myself. As you can see, I'm not undead anymore.''

''I didn't mean just that, but also what happened to your family,'' Sam added. Michael gave her a thoughtful look, shifting a bit and sighed.

''I guess that it couldn't be helped,'' he said. ''It's the Afton family curse, it seems.''

''It's not much of a curse as much as it is living in a dysfunctional family,'' Sam told him. ''Although, you didn't deserve to go through that kind of Hell.''

''Well, if anything, at least I got to know my father better,'' Michael said, with Sam giving him a worried look. ''I have enough experience with my father's attempts at manipulation and, honestly, the way he treats you isn't exactly the manipulative kind, even though I am convinced that he probably does have some hidden motivation, as he always does. Nevertheless, I'm sure you know this already.''

''Yeah,'' Sam muttered, only to give Michael a questioning look as she realized what he just said. ''Wait, what do you mean?''

''I've lived with the old man for quite a while and I know him,'' Michael replied. ''Sure, people might think that he's just trying to manipulate you, but this is nowhere near what he is actually capable of.''

''Sounds as if I'm getting a special treatment,'' Sam said, feeling a bit guilty. Michael noticed the look of anxiety on her expression.

''You should be glad about it,'' he told her. ''I have to admit, I was actually shocked when the old man actually showed remorse for once, and I didn't want to believe it. However, after he gave a genuine apology and had shown some signs of change, I figured that it wouldn't hurt to visit him.''

''You aren't going to forgive him,'' Sam said. It wasn't a question.

''No way, not after what he had done to me and everyone else,'' Michael replied, shaking his head. He shifted a bit, looking around the room and turned back to Sam. ''To be honest, I did hope that maybe one day he'll find humanity, but after what happened at Circus Baby's, I knew that there was no way to save him. He was too far gone and I had found myself dealing with his mess.''

''Well, now it's me who's dealing with this mess, so, don't worry about it,'' Sam said. ''I hope you and your siblings have managed to get along.''

''They are doing better now,'' Michael said, then bit his lip. ''It took a while, though, for us to accept what had happened and let go of the past.''

''Are you okay?'' Sam asked as she noticed the troubled look on his expression.

''Let's just say that I know how it feels to be eaten away by guilt,'' Michael said. Sam just nodded, with Michael looking away. ''I should've kept an eye on both of them, but instead, I just had to be the dumb teenager who believes that consequences don't exist.''

''William told me that he did read you the riot act after that happened to Sammy,'' Sam muttered.

''He did, but it didn't feel as bad as the guilt I felt afterwards. Sammy didn't really leave as far as I was concerned,'' Michael replied. ''I was stuck with having nightmares for quite a while and he was the one behind them, telling that it was a punishment for what I had done to him. That was the most that he could do.''

''I'm glad then that you had managed to reconcile with them,'' Sam said, giving him a smile.

''Yeah, me too,'' Michael said. ''Anyways, could you do me a favor?''

''Sure,'' Sam replied.

''I'd like you to rely to my father that, so far, Elizabeth, Sammy and I are indeed at a better place and that we did hear him apologizing for what he had done to us,'' Michael said.

''Okay.'' Sam nodded.

''Also, thanks for confronting the old man for what he had done,'' Michael added. ''You have no idea how many times I wanted to do that, but couldn't for one reason or another. At least, now I have a chance to do that.'' He then glanced at the endoskeleton, frowning. ''I wish you luck with these guys. They may not be haunted, but that doesn't mean that they are harmless.''

''You don't trust any kind of animatronic at this point, do you?'' Sam asked, a small smirk on her lips.

''No,'' Michael replied. ''Honestly, after spending ages dealing with them, I have enough of these guys. I do hope that it ends better for you than it did for me.''

''Thanks,'' Sam said. ''I hope I'll see you again soon, it has been nice talking to you.''

''I feel the same,'' Michael replied, turning towards the door and opening it, walking outside.

As Sam followed him a moment later and peeked into the hallway, she noticed that no one was there. Taking a deep breath, she went towards the main area, feeling somewhat content. She noticed Springtrap standing next to the box where Puppet was, staring at it with an unnerved and tired look on his expression. She walked up to him.

''Hey, Will,'' she said, drawing Springtrap's attention. ''Are you okay?''

''I'm fine, more or less,'' he said. ''I just feel a little anxious, though, but I guess it's just me being stressed out. Although, I'm not completely sure…''

''You looked a bit lost there,'' Sam told him, with Springtrap nodding. ''Well, I hope this will cheer you up, then. Michael told me to tell you that he, Sammy and Elizabeth are at a better place and are doing well, and that they also heard your apologizing for what you had done to them.''

Springtrap stared at Sam in shock, his eyes glowing in a silver and green color, only to suddenly switch into a bright purple.

''Michael was here?!'' he asked, his voice cracking. Sam nodded, noting the look on his expression. He looked quite desperate, but there was also a glint of hope in his eyes.

''Yeah, and we kind of talked,'' she told him. ''He said he would visit you soon, though.''

''I see,'' Springtrap muttered, clenching his fist.

''It's not the kind of family reunion you'd look forward to, but they're calling for you and it is obvious that you'd have to eventually talk to them,'' Sam said.

''I know,'' Springtrap replied. ''However, what I fear the most is how that meeting will turn out. I just don't want it to end up in another disaster.''

He was deeply concerned with the upcoming conversation, but despite the anxiety he felt, he could see a glimmer of hope.

Even if they end up screaming at me for being a failure of a father, I know at least that they still haven't completely given up on me.