Hello folks, thank you for your support!
SalvagedFan: Well, his official name is actually Demon Springtrap, not Corey, so I'm sorry, but I won't incorporate it. Also, here's the official description of Demon Springtrap as requested: This Springtrap had a tattered suit with splotches of dark dry blood covering it and half of his right ear being ripped. Sam could also see the organs and flesh interwoven with the endoskeleton. He also had sharp teeth, with a streak of blood flowing out of the corner of his mouth and he also had sharp claws. His eyes were pale, almost white, but would at times glow in a bright red. He would twitch at times, as if glitching, and whenever he opened his mouth, she saw a mummified head hiding behind the mask, with the head giving her a look of horror, his mouth wide and frozen in the middle of a silent scream. As he reached for her, Sam recoiled a little, staring at the clawed hand, the fingertips being covered in blood that hasn't dried yet. He was mostly inspired by a Nightmare version of Springtrap (being Bite Victim's portrayal of him), the GoldenLane Studio version of Springtrap (from their FNaF series) and the name was inspired by the Spring Bonnie entity from the story Into The Pit. I hope that this clarifies things.
Dinosaur: Trust me, I have a different ending planned for Alec and Hazel than the one that happened in Lonely Freddy.
Bruhmoment: ''It's called Dark Springtrap not demon''. Nope, you're wrong. His name IS Demon Springtrap, as he is a variation of Springtrap that I had created. Dark Springtrap is actually a Funko Pop Figure based on Springtrap after the Fazbear Fright fire, but before he became Scraptrap. I hope I had managed to clarify the misconception.
Guest (1.4): I apologize for assuming things. However, okay, once again, to make things clear here, it is implied that the games are not the same, not confirmed. The events in the games we have played (including the minigames) have happened, but it was implied that these are not the same that were made by the indie game developer. Next, Scott stated that the books (specifically, The Silver Eyes/The Twisted Ones/The Fourth Closet) and the games are their own separate universe, but they still share some elements (i.e. William's name, which was mentioned first in The Silver Eyes and then mentioned again in Sister Location). However, for the Fazbear Frights books, Scott stated again that only some, not all, only some stories will be canon to the games. Rest assured, he was being serious about this. If you want to continue this discussion or have more questions, please, either PM me or go to FNaF Reddit, where I'm sure that people will answer your questions. Mind you, the FNaF Reddit is also where I got all my information from. Keep in mind that the review section is for reviewing the story I'm working on and not for criticizing Scott and/or FNaF. Thank you for the discussion, but this ends here.
Anyways, I apologize for taking a bit longer with this one, but it was mostly because of the situation in the last part of the chapter. I don't really have much to say, but the lyrics in the title should clue you in.
I also hope you guys are all safe at home, as it seems that this lockdown is going to last for quite a while. Enjoy!
Night 13
My Deeds Sent Me Too Far
''I never did go near, 'cuz I know just what I saw. Yet on a day of joy, my life ended to their flaws! Now I'm all alone, fighting monsters in the dark. I wish that I could live, but I fear I've gone too far! (…) I often do pretend, can't you see I'm broken down? I wish this were the end, but continue on I vow. Now I'm all alone, I'm still hiding in the dark. As saddened souls we roam, we can only go so far! (…) Always begging, please, yet the outcome I would dread. I've fallen to my knees, let my pride get to my head. Now I'm all alone, hearing whispers in the dark. I wander through the past, seeing memories afar. All stay strong, we live eternally! All is well in the Afton family! Lives, they fell to pure insanity! All is Hell in the Afton family!''
– Afton Family by KryFuZe
xXxXxXx
Springtrap looked around, curious about the ongoing chaos. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza was busy as always, but they seemed to have run into an issue. A woman was currently screaming at a young employee, who was trying to clean up the pizza that was lying on the floor. He had also noticed that most people were staring at the commotion, with the woman's young daughter being incredibly embarrassed by the scene her mother was making.
''I'm just glad I'm not the one who has to deal with that banshee,'' he told Sam, who was also staring at the screaming woman. Luckily, Kylie approached her to deal with the situation. ''As much as I enjoyed being the owner, dealing with entitled people and choosing beggars was the worst part of the job. God knows how many of them tried to get something for free.''
Apparently, what happened was that the woman claimed that the server gave her the wrong pizza and demanded it to be redone. When the server attempted to take the delivered pizza away in order to remake it, the woman grabbed her, demanding she get that pizza for free, along with the redone pizza, and when the server declined, the woman flipped the plate over, causing a huge mess.
''This needs to go on Reddit,'' Sam said, enjoying her slice of pizza, which she got for a lower price thanks to her employee discount, as well as the free show. ''I'm glad that I'm the animatronic technician and that I don't have to deal with customers, because this is a nightmare.''
In the end, Kylie managed to make the woman shut up, with the security guard escorting her outside and the woman's daughter sheepishly following her furious mother. Sam felt sorry for her, as nobody deserved to live with a person like that woman.
''It seems as if Anthelm isn't really the kind of person who'll bend over backwards to please a customer,'' Springtrap said. ''It's certainly an upgrade from the kind of management that I have seen.''
''Do you think that it is possible that Freddy's, for once, has a competent manager?'' Sam asked him.
''I think we'll have to wait for a while longer before anything can be confirmed. I mean, it's just been a few days since Freddy's has opened,'' Springtrap told her. Sam nodded, noticing that the server had cleaned the mess up and everyone carried on with their usual activities. ''Speaking of which, I do hope that Anthelm will shed some light on the animatronic programming.''
''If it turns out that they're not malfunctioning at all, there is nothing we can really do about the animatronics lashing out at people,'' Sam said.
''Not to mention, if they are indeed as self-aware as we suspected, they won't be just following their programming, but also act on their own,'' Springtrap added, glancing at the stage, where Freddy, Bonnie and Chica were performing. ''I think it'll be rather interesting to see what is actually going on here.''
''You know, I am a little curious about what is going on at Ricky's Wonder Shack,'' Sam told him. ''I mean, they have competition now.''
''I don't think that they are going to be worried that much,'' Springtrap replied. ''After all, Freddy's is still known for it's dark past and, despite having customers, it's not as if people are going to forget so easily what had happened.''
''True,'' Sam said, noticing a faint gleam of purple in Springtrap's eyes. ''Although, considering what Connor had done… I don't think people will forget that either, especially since it's more recent.''
Springtrap sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms.
''Speaking of which, there doesn't seem to be a sign of Connor, the Drawkills or even Raven,'' he said.
''Who knows what's going on with them,'' Sam replied. ''Honestly, I do hope that we won't have to deal with Connor again, but if he's still around, he will probably make himself known in a rather horrifying manner.''
''That's undeniable,'' Springtrap said, frowning. ''However, if he does appear, I'll make sure that he won't last long.''
''There's no doubt about that,'' Sam said, playing with the straw in her soda. ''Just don't do anything rash.''
''Well, you know me,'' Springtrap replied in an assuring tone. ''Something stupid is bound to happen whenever I get involved.''
Sam almost choked on her soda as she started laughing, with Springtrap observing her with an amused look on his expression.
''Yeah, that's true,'' she replied. ''Nevertheless, even with all the additional stress and trouble we have to deal with, I still feel happy having you here and being part of this mess. I know that I'm doing something to improve the situation and that I'm also helping you.''
''Not that I deserve that help,'' Springtrap muttered, his ears lowering slightly as he frowned, staring at the table.
''I know that those who know you would agree that you don't deserve any help, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't offer you any if I believe that it's necessary,'' she told him, giving him a determined look. ''So, don't worry about it.''
Springtrap just observed her in silence. Even though they had talked about it already, it still felt strange to have so much support. Nevertheless, he was glad to have someone supporting him, as he knew that things would've ended differently if he was once again on his own.
xXx
''So, is there anything?'' Springtrap asked Sam as she checked her e-mails. The two were in the main area, sitting at their usual spot in a booth near the stage. Springtrap did cast a few suspicious glances towards the animatronics on the stage and the prize corner, but none of the animatronics moved or did anything to show any self-awareness. He felt a little unnerved about it.
''Here it is,'' Sam said as she found Kylie's most recent e-mail. She opened the file and played the voicemail.
''Hello? Hello? First of all, I would like to thank you for your work. I have read your report and I have to admit that I haven't thought that there might be an issue with the programming itself or, as you suggested, that there might be nothing wrong with the programming at all. I decided to act upon your request and gather all the documentation about the animatronics. I have left everything I had found in my office. Once you are done reading the documents, I would like you to leave them in the drawer in my desk, please.''
Sam paused the voicemail, glancing at Springtrap. ''We should go get those files before we continue with the voicemail.''
''I'll get them,'' Springtrap said, then hurried down towards Kylie's office. He saw the documents placed neatly on the desk, grabbing all of them and briefly glanced at the pages. So far, everything seemed to be fine, but he knew that he and Sam would analyze those documents in detail in order to figure out what's going in with the animatronics. He returned back to Sam, placing the documents on the table.
''You know, even if we have the documentation, it doesn't mean that it would help us figure out what's going on,'' Sam told him.
''It's worth a try, though,'' Springtrap replied. Sam then played the rest of the voicemail.
''In the case that it turns out that the animatronics were only following their programming, rather than malfunctioning, I doubt that there is much that can be done. It is obvious that our previous technicians were not suited for this job, as the animatronics had recognized them as a danger to other people and themselves. It is rather surprising, considering how the animatronics haven't acted out during the day nor did they lash out at any of our customers, no matter how annoying they were.''
Sam and Springtrap exchanged glances, both grinning as they remembered the woman who threw a temper tantrum over her food. There was a brief pause, as if Kylie thought about what she just said.
''Well, respect is to be earned, isn't it? If you act like an unpleasant person, you will be also treated like that, right? So, moving on, as I said, if your theory is correct, nothing can really be done about it except for closely monitoring the animatronics. As for your duties, you will continue with your night shift, but I'm planning on eventually giving you the day shift, especially in case that something happens. You seem to understand those animatronics much better than I do, so I trust you to keep up with your investigation. Please, if possible, make sure that the animatronics won't lash out at anyone. I know that you are aware of what happened in the past, thanks to neglect and animatronic malfunction, and it would be great if we manage to avoid an accident at this location. If things go well, we might expect some new additions, but that is still up to debate as nothing had been settled down. In any case, I wish you a good night and I hope that this situation can be solved.''
''Honestly, I'm curious what she meant when she mentioned 'new additions','' Sam said.
''I assume that Fazbear Entertainment is planning something and that's why they want this restaurant to succeed,'' Springtrap replied. ''I'm not sure how to feel about that, though.''
''Well, there's no doubt that we'll probably find out soon what they're planning to do,'' Sam told him, reaching for the documents. ''Anyways, let's try to figure out what's wrong with the animatronics.''
Springtrap nodded and reached for a different file. It seemed like each animatronic had their own file with documentation and blueprints that covered the information about the character, endoskeleton, programming and other trivial information. He had grabbed Freddy Fazbear's file, noticing that these animatronics were known as the Showtime Animatronics and were also referred to as the New Generation.
I assume that they gave them the name based on the phrase 'It's showtime!', Springtrap thought as he continued reading Freddy's file. There was a brief description of the animatronic's character, followed by information about the endoskeleton, which wasn't really anything new to him, as he had already examined the animatronics' endoskeletons. However, it was the page that covered the animatronic's programming that interested him the most.
''So, it seems that the animatronics are programmed to entertain and interact with people, as well as having a recognition system and the ability to act independently in the case of an accident,'' Sam said as she read Bonnie's file. ''Well, so far, it is consistent with what we know, but I feel that that's not everything. I mean, there's no way that Puppet should get that aggressive when she saw my scars.''
''Yeah, and I think I have found what we're searching for,'' Springtrap told her, pointing at what seemed to be more of a footnote than an article about the animatronics. ''It should be noted that some of the coding had been taken from an already pre-existing source in order to make the animatronics more authentic and their behavior closer to their predecessors. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for any unpredictable action committed by the animatronics.''
''I'm not surprised that they put that disclaimer,'' Sam said in a deadpan tone, frowning. ''However, I am curious about what this pre-existing source is and why they would want to make the behavior of the animatronics similar to their predecessors.''
''I have a few theories concerning the latter,'' Springtrap said, reaching for Foxy's file and checking it. ''It is possible that they want to show that the animatronics are completely harmless, even if they act similarly to their predecessors. However, they decided to also cover themselves by claiming not to be responsible for any strange behavior the animatronics might exhibit.''
''So, it's business as usual,'' Sam said in a sarcastic tone, reaching for her smartphone. She then opened the camera app and took Freddy's file, starting to take photos of the documents, while Springtrap checked Chica and Puppet's files. All of them had the same footnote about the coding and disclaimer about animatronics.
''As for the source, I'm not sure,'' Springtrap added, shaking his head. ''The animatronics are not possessed, but nevertheless, Fazbear Entertainment might have found a way to make them act similarly to the animatronics that used to be possessed.''
''Honestly, I don't like how this sounds,'' Sam told him.
xXx
Static flickered before Connor's eyes, his vision clearing as he looked around the room he was standing in. It seemed as if everything worked the way he had planned it. Not only did the camera he used to monitor Ricky and The Misfits work, he could also control them remotely.
''Excellent,'' he muttered, feeling rather satisfied. However, the feeling of satisfaction vanished soon as he thought about his situation. He needed to continue with his plan if he wanted to stay here. It was extremely important to him to solve this issue as he was aware that his time was running out. Who knew how much longer he'd be able to stay here. After all, he may be haunting that suit, but no one told him about the specifics. What if something goes wrong?
He was annoyed, leaving the room and going towards the room Raven was trapped inside. The animatronic didn't say anything as he saw Connor entering the room, simply glaring at the latter. Connor didn't really care about what Raven thought of him and was more concerned with what Raven could do for him.
''I thought that you might feel lonely, considering how you're trapped here,'' Connor told Raven, who gave him a hate-filled look. ''What? Is there anything you want to tell me?''
''There are several things I would like to tell you,'' Raven replied in a sarcastic tone. ''Unfortunately, I am a family-friendly animatronic.''
Connor scoffed.
''You should be careful with what you say,'' he told Raven, reaching for the metal spike in his chest, gripping it tightly. Raven stared at the spike, knowing that moving it would damage his endoskeleton and wires vital for keeping him functional. Connor grinned. ''Anyways, now that I have all of your attention, I have a few questions for you.''
''Seriously, I have no idea what you want me to tell you. I don't know where-'' Raven's vision was covered by static as Connor moved the spike, almost ripping out several wires.
''That's not what I'm interested in,'' Connor replied coldly, fixing the damage. Raven's vision returned to normal, his eyes glowing as he glared at Connor. The latter just gave him an impassive look. ''I know now that you aren't Bran, but that doesn't mean that I'm not interested in your experience as an animatronic. As a matter of fact, you might be the next best person I can discuss this topic with.''
''What do you want to know?'' Raven asked in an annoyed tone, frustrated that he couldn't punch Connor in his rotten face.
''How did Bran leave?'' Connor asked. ''Why didn't his soul stay attached to the animatronic?''
''How am I supposed to know that?'' Raven replied, only to groan in pain when Connor moved the spike again, his vision filling with static.
''You should know as you went through it,'' Connor replied, his animatronic eyes flaring up.
''All I know is that Bran hated you, so him escaping this Hell was a blessing,'' Raven replied. ''You, on the other hand, will end up in your own Hell.''
He yelled in pain as Connor twisted the spike, tearing through some of the wires. His vision had turned black and he was twitching uncontrollably.
''I have warned you, you pathetic piece of scrap metal,'' Connor told him coldly, observing Raven, who looked like he was in agony. He then fixed the wires, knowing that he couldn't talk to Raven like this. ''So, have you changed your mind?''
''You're insane!'' Raven yelled at him. Connor frowned.
''You really don't know when to shut up,'' Connor told him. ''Should I show you what happens when you anger me again?''
Raven kept silent this time. However, he didn't answer Connor's question either. He knew that Connor would destroy him once he has no use for him and he didn't really care about that. His only regret was that he might be destroyed before he could destroy Connor. However, there was something that interested him and he hoped that Connor might provide him some insight into the matter.
''What exactly are you planning to do? Why do you want to know about Bran's experience as an animatronic? Is it because you're worried about what might happen to your own soul?'' Raven asked.
Connor gave him a strange look, then started laughing. Raven felt as if Connor was starting to lose his mind, having already feared that this might happen. Souls eventually go insane from staying bound too long to their artificial body and he knew that Connor was no different. Then, the laughter suddenly stopped, with Raven feeling an icy sensation spreading through his entire endoskeleton. Connor's eyes started to glow, giving Raven a cold look of tranquil fury.
''I need this,'' he whispered. ''I need to live on, and I'm going to do anything to stay here. My soul is going to stay attached to this suit no matter what happens!''
Raven shuddered. He was aware that Connor was far from the calculating technician he used to know, especially now that he didn't have to pretend to be a normal civilian in order to mask his true intentions. There was another question on his mind, but he was too afraid to ask it, already having an idea what the answer might be. However, it seemed as if Connor was already aware of that.
''You know, it's all about survival, and in order to survive, you have to murder,'' Connor told him. ''Considering Freddy's blood-filled past, isn't it obvious what I have to do to stay here? As long as I have victims, I will live on and my soul will stay attached to this suit.''
''You're a sick, disgusting crazy bastard!'' Raven growled. ''How did you even come to such insane conclusion that you need to kill more people in order for your soul to stay attached to the suit?! You have absolutely no idea what you're doing!''
''Trust me, I do,'' Connor replied, scoffing. ''But, you should better hope that Afton will eventually appear. Everything could be settled nicely, you know.''
''I don't believe you,'' Raven said. Connor didn't answer, simply staring back at the animatronic and grinning.
''You're smarter than you appear to be,'' he said. ''Too bad it won't save you or anyone you care about.''
xXx
A haunting, somber melody was playing on loop, this being Lost In The Manor, dark lullaby music by the Fiechters. Sam felt that it got rather quiet and wanted another lullaby or music box-style song to play over Puppet's My Grandfather's Clock while she and Springtrap were looking over the papers as they placed them back into the files.
''So, what do you think about the issue?'' Spingtrap asked her as he handed her Puppet's file over.
''I guess that we will have to wait and observe,'' Sam replied, glancing at the stage with the animatronics. ''They haven't really done anything so, unless they make a move and become threatening, there isn't much that can be done.'' She then turned to Springtrap, tilting her head. ''What do you think?''
''I agree with you,'' Springtrap told her. ''We'll have to wait and see how this situation is going to turn out.''
Sam nodded and got up, taking the files back to Kylie's office. Springtrap also got up, walking over to the stage and observing the animatronics. He knew that this issue wasn't something that could be solved easily. If anything, it would probably take for Fazbear Entertainment to cease to exist for everything to finally stop. Springtrap sighed, closing his eyes.
It's just wishful thinking…
As he opened his eyes, he realized that the animatronics were gone. Stunned, he stared at the stage, only to notice that the wood on the stage looked much older and worn. The decorations were different as well. Realizing that something was wrong, he looked around, noticing that the place had an eerie resemblance to the '90s Freddy's location. He glanced down, realizing that the animatronic suit was completely gone and he was a human again. Curious, he wondered if Henry wanted to talk to him, although he was somewhat confused why this location was Freddy's and not Fredbear's.
He then heard steps behind him and turned around. To his shock, he was confronted by a familiar young man who had an uncanny resemblance to him, dressed in worn jeans and a purple T-shirt. His arms were crossed and he glared at William impatiently. The latter was still stunned, no realizing that he was probably supposed to say something to his eldest son.
''Michael…'' William muttered.
''Hello, father,'' Michael replied in a surprisingly calm tone. William felt the chills creeping up his spine, but he wasn't sure why he felt like that. If anything, at least it was what made him snap out of his shocked state.
''I-'' As much as William feared and was hoping for this conversation to happen, he never really thought about what he should tell his son, but he had figured that simply being honest would be the best approach. If anything, it worked when he was talking to Sam. ''Well, it's… It's nice to see you…''
He suddenly realized that this was the wrong thing to say, as the last time he had seen Michael, he tried to murder him. He felt quite awkward.
''I can't say that I feel the same,'' Michael replied. William just nodded, knowing that this was going to be a long night. He sighed.
''I know, and I understand why you hate me,'' he said, his head lowered. He couldn't look Michael in the eyes. However, he wasn't going to waste this opportunity. ''What I had done… I just want to tell you that I'm sorry for everything.''
There was no response. William looked up, noticing that Michael was still glaring at him.
''Is that it?'' Michael asked in a cold tone. ''Is that all what you are going to tell me?''
William gave him a confused look at first, only to realize that it wasn't enough, that a simple apology wasn't going to cut it. However, he had also admitted that he wasn't expecting any forgiveness and he was ready for whatever Michael was going to tell him. It's not as if he had anything to lose, as he had already lost his family and he had no one else but himself to blame. He kept quiet.
''You know, the one thing I had promised to myself was that I was going to come find you,'' Michael said in a cold tone. ''I was supposed to be dead, but I wasn't. I've been living the shadows for quite long, always repeating to myself: I'm going to come find you. In the end, I did. I went along with Henry's plan as I had nothing else left. I thought it would be over, but apparently, I was wrong.''
William felt an icy sensation spreading through his chest as he remembered their encounter at the location Henry had created. He may not have cared about Michael then, but now, he hated the fact that he put his son into that situation.
''To be honest, I didn't expect this to happen at all,'' William quickly replied, even though he was aware that he probably should keep quiet.
''Yeah, I know,'' Michael replied, glaring at his father. ''However, unlike last time, I never wanted to search for you again. I had figured that whatever I would tell you wouldn't penetrate that thick skull of yours and that you would remain the arrogant insane idiot you always were. Honestly, I don't know whether it's worse that you were so self-absorbed and stupidly oblivious to the pain of other people or the fact that you just did not give a damn to think about anyone else but yourself!''
William kept quiet, staring at Michael with an uneasy look on his expression. He knew that Michael was right about everything and he figured that he should just let his son talk, or rather, rant, as he had no excuse to defend himself.
''I should've known how much of an awful person and abusive father you were, especially after you neglected me and Sammy, not to mention all that gaslighting after he had died,'' Michael added, his voice filled with rage. ''Say, have you really planned for me to end up as a walking meat suit for a deranged animatronic hybrid?''
''N-No-'' William shook his head, completely stunned. He honestly had no idea that Circus Baby and the other Funtime Animatronics would go that far. Michael had a look of doubt on his expression, clearly not believing him.
''Regardless of that, you cannot deny that you didn't try to murder me in some way,'' he said, with William having to admit that this was the truth, considering his actions as Scraptrap, and just nodded silently. He glanced at Michael, noticing that the latter looked furious, but seemed to be aware that this would be William's answer.
''May I ask you something?'' William asked in a quiet tone.
''What?'' Michael frowned.
''You made it clear that you didn't want to talk to me anymore and that you were done with everything,'' William said. ''Why did you decide to return?''
xXx
Sam was leaned against the wall, eavesdropping on the conversation between William and Michael. After having placed the files the table in Kylie's office, she walked back to the main area, only for her to realize that her surroundings have suddenly changed. Once she figured out what happened, she decided to wait in the hallway and not interrupt the conversation, as this was a matter between the two. She didn't really feel sorry for William, as Michael was rightfully upset, but she had to wonder how long this conversation would last.
''Why did you decide to return?''
There was silence inside the room, with Sam being curious about Michael's reply.
''Mike sounds really angry at Daddy.''
Stunned and confused, Sam quickly turned around, only to see a little boy and a little girl stare at her. The boy seemed to be rather shy, looking as if he was crying recently, and was tugging at the edge of his black and white stripped T-shirt. The girl was wearing a pink blouse and a blue skirt, with a dark red bow tied in her light auburn hair. Unlike her brother, she had a wide, mischievous grin on her expression, being the one who spoke to Sam.
''I assume you guys are Sammy and Elizabeth,'' Sam said, with the two nodding. ''I'm Samantha Blackburn, but you can call me Sam.''
''We know who you are,'' Elizabeth told her in a rather blunt fashion, with Sam wondering how much influence her experience as Circus Baby and Scrap Baby actually had on her. Sammy just nodded, still quiet and looking rather anxious.
''No offense, but I had expected that only Michael would appear. What are you two doing here?'' Sam asked the two.
''We wanted to tag along,'' Elizabeth replied, with Sammy looking rather uncertain. It seemed more that he was dragged here by his sister. Sam then turned to the entrance, hearing the conversation in the main area resume. She, Elizabeth and Sammy peeked into the room, noticing Michael looking rather tired, but still staring at William with a resolute look on his expression.
''You were the one who wanted to see us,'' Michael said, with William remaining quiet. ''I had contemplated whether this would be a good idea or not, but in the end, I figured that it may be worth a try.''
''You did hear me…'' William muttered, with Michael nodding.
''Michael, you've done well,'' he repeated what his father had told him. ''You're much better person than I am, and I do hope you have finally found the peace you deserved.''
''I'm sorry I couldn't be a better father…'' William said, his voice filled with regret. There was a moment of silence and it seemed as if Michael wanted to start another rant, but he didn't.
''Nothing what you say is going to fix this,'' Michael said in a quiet tone.
''I know,'' William replied. ''I am not asking for forgiveness either. However, I am still glad that I got to talk to you at least once again, even if the conversation amounted to this.''
Michael remained quiet, with Sam figuring that this was her cue to walk out. It didn't help that Elizabeth was rocking back and forth, seemingly impatient to also talk to her father. Sammy, on the other hand, didn't seem to be keen on talking to William.
''Hey-'' Sam cut herself off as she walked into the room due to Elizabeth suddenly running past her and towards Michael, with Sammy following her. William looked rather shock to see his youngest son and his daughter, clearly not expecting that the two would also be here. Michael, on the other hand, looked a bit annoyed when he saw the two.
''I told you guys to stay behind,'' he said.
''We got bored,'' Elizabeth replied, with Sammy shaking his head.
''Lizzy dragged me over here,'' he said, with Elizabeth giving him an annoyed look. Michael just sighed and glanced at Sam, who shrugged. Elizabeth then turned to William, giving him a rather self-satisfied look.
''Hi, Daddy,'' she said. ''I also heard what you said and I'm not suffering anymore. However, I agree with Mike that you were really mean and ignorant. You should have been nicer to us and other people, Daddy.''
There was a moment of silence, with William staring at Elizabeth in surprise, having never heard her speak to him like this, with Elizabeth looking rather proud of herself. Sam was rather impressed, figuring that, while Circus Baby's influence remained, Elizabeth was certainly doing better now that she wasn't part of the animatronic. William just smiled.
''I know, and I'm really sorry for the way I have treated you, Lizzy,'' he told her. Elizabeth just shook her head.
''As Mike said, nothing what you say is going to fix this,'' she added, with William being stunned for a moment. He then nodded in acknowledgement, with a look of regret on his expression.
''Um, Sam…'' Sam turned around, noticing the young boy staring at her with a look of guilt on his expression. ''I'm- I'm sorry for giving you nightmares and hallucinations. I didn't mean to…''
''Sammy, don't worry,'' Sam told him. ''I'm not angry at you or anything, although I am curious about how that had actually happened.''
''Well, I wanted to confront Dad, but I suddenly panicked and Mr. Emily then appeared,'' Sammy told her, his head lowered as he stared at the ground. ''I decided to stay in your room and think about it, and the more I did, the more afraid I got. I broke down and I accidentally caused you those nightmares due to my own fears. It wasn't my intention.''
''As I said, you don't have to worry about it,'' Sam told him in a comforting tone. ''After all, I'm fine and I managed to handle the situation.''
Sammy looked up at her, this time smiling in relief. ''I know how it feels to have nightmares and, while I don't have any bad dreams anymore, I really didn't want to put you through that.''
Upon hearing this, Michael's eyes narrowed and he titled his head, staring at his younger brother with a questioning look on his expression. William, Sam and Elizabeth noticed that, with Elizabeth tugging at his T-shirt and giving him an annoyed look in order to keep him quiet, as he wasn't really in the position to complain about having nightmares. Sammy, on the other hand, didn't notice any of this exchange, looking rather happy and satisfied.
Sammy, Michael and Elizabeth then turned to William, who felt a little uneasy, not really sure how to deal with this situation. He was actually really happy to see his children again, even though it was clear that they still hated him for what he had done. He glanced at Sam, who gave him an assuring look. He then turned to his children.
''I know that my deeds sent me too far and I sincerely apologize for what I had done,'' he told them. ''I am aware that words alone cannot change the past and I am not expecting anything from you. As I said, I'm really glad that I got to see you again and that I could tell you this, even if you don't forgive me. If you want to talk or even just yell at me for being a bad father, I will be here to hear you out. That is, if you're still willing to visit me.''
''We'll see,'' Michael said, sounding irked, with Elizabeth and Sammy agreeing with their older brother. William had a look of defeat on his expression, while Sam seemed to be rather curious and felt a bit more optimistic than William did.
I sincerely doubt that this conversation is over. Whether William is going to mend his relationship with his children depends entirely on him and Michael, Sammy and Elizabeth.
