Things were not going as planned.
Millie, once again, found herself in the empty workshop, staring at the old bench where Funtime Freddy would usually be seated.
She stared blankly at the wall, strewn with wires, and felt as if her blood was curdling. She didn't like this, not one bit.
Within the past week, Funtime Freddy disappeared into the night and didn't return until the mornings. Millie could hardly stand it, especially when she asked him questions and he would simply leer and jest at her per usual, Bon-Bon meek and quietly petting him, using his programs to try and guide the bear to silence and peace.
Millie knew he was up to something, and she realized that keeping him from hurting other people had never been part of the promise. The realization made Millie feel sick, and no matter how much she tried to reassure herself, she could not find peace. She tried to remember a week prior-her feelings of hope and the willfulness that everything would be alright-but could feel it slip through her fingers like sand.
She could only keep imagining Funtime Freddy, prowling through the shadows as Bon-Bon desperately tried to pull him out of it, looming over an unsuspecting person-maybe a child-and luring them in. Punishing them for crimes he believed were innate to humanity and deserving of execution in turn. Some sick sense of highly inaccurate justice programmed into him by his horrible creator.
She gripped the little pink-wrapped box in her hands, wanting to throw it against the wall. She felt stupid. She felt stupid for all the songs, for eating the cake, for the bantering and bickering and leisurely conversation. She remembered carrying Bon-Bon around in her bag, Funtime Freddy's finger sliding gently over her mourning brooch, and felt ill.
She had grown comfortable.
For the first time in a long time, she made herself remember. She forced the memories out as if she were squeezing out a sponge, and they came dripping painfully, coiling around her brain like a vise. Bile stung at her throat, but she forced it down.
They were not her friends. They couldn't be. If they were, where were they? Why wouldn't they tell her what they were doing?
She remembered Hannah texting her for the last time, then never speaking to her again. Never even looking at her in the hallways. Joining in laughing at, no, bullying her.
Laughter began ringing out all around her, sharp. Sharp like a piece of rusted metal.
She stuffed the box into her bag and forced herself to breathe. She had to focus. She needed them for what she had to do, but she didn't need them for herself. They were necessary, but not wanted.
A sharp ache cut through her at the thought. She hated that she did want them. She wanted them to be here so badly, and she truly did hate herself for it.
But then she forced herself to remember again.
XXX
Millie sat in her room days later, her hand trailing over Annabel Lee's spine, eliciting a hearty rumble from the cat. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, goosebumps prickling up along her arms. Grandpa was away, and so it was just her and the cat now.
And the animatronics, which she had been avoiding. She doubted they'd even be in the shed anyways. Ever since Funtime Freddy learned how to walk and got all his systems working in tandem, he had been relishing his freedom with reckless abandon, seeming to not care about the dangers of being seen and the...dangers of whatever else he might be doing.
Millie, though, had been alight with paranoia. It had been months and months since she had felt so sick with it. She felt as if eyes were crawling all over her, watching her every move. She hadn't talked to the robots in days, and didn't want to. She was frightened of what the answer would be, and of a betrayal she always knew would be coming. She kept flashing back to the mere hours she had spent trapped in Funtime Freddy's stomach, reliving the fear until her eyes were dry of tears.
Things just weren't going as she had anticipated. As she had hoped.
She just couldn't help but remember all the fun times they had shared over the past few months. She had felt, despite all the barriers between them, that they had made connections that went deeper than flesh and metal. But if they actually cared about her, they wouldn't be disappearing like this, refusing explanations. She wouldn't feel as if she was prey again. She had to remind herself of that.
She stopped petting Annabel Lee, curling her arms around her legs and rocking. Every shadow that loomed seemed to be sharp. She wanted to cry, or puke, or just go to sleep and never wake up. The feeling of being watched was just too much for her to handle.
She considered calling Grandpa, but shook her head as she decided against it. She had been doing so well, and she didn't want to stress him out with a downswing. She didn't want to burden him with the weight of her feelings, especially since she couldn't talk to him about half of them.
She also didn't want him to stop being proud of her.
Dismayed, she slipped out of her bed and slunk downstairs. Maybe a sandwich and some soda would make her feel a bit better, especially since the psychosis had soured her appetite the whole day. Summer wasn't off to a terribly nice start.
She set to making the perfect sandwich, rooting around in the fridge for some tofurky and hummus, tongue clicking as she pondered what toppings she could use. She stood up after procuring a jar of banana peppers, which immediately slipped from her hand.
She stared at the window above the kitchen sink, the hunched shadow that darted through the trees disappearing into darkness.
The jar crashed to the floor, and the house suddenly felt like her enemy again. Juice splattered her leggings, but she didn't even notice. Her hands were shaking, her heart working into overdrive. She had a feeling that no buspar, propranolol, or prazosin could fix this.
The refrigerator door still ajar, Millie began walking to the door, grabbing some broken tennis racket her grandfather had left on the counter and her bag, phone hidden within. Her eyes were blank.
Had her "friends" been lying?
Why were they creeping through her yard in the dark? When she was all alone?
The whole world suddenly felt like her enemy, most of all herself.
Why have I been so stupid?
Millie walked into the night, following the trail to the workshop. Her hand hovered over the doorknob, trembling, before she forced it open. She forced her shoulders back, hardening her gaze.
Funtime Freddy sat there, looking back at her with bright eyes. He and Bon-Bon seemed to be sharing some kind of toy, a brightly colored plastic tangle.
"Hey there, Silly Millie! We found this in a leftover party favor bag outside a restaurant! Can you believe it? It's absolutely delightful, and what child would leave a favor bag behind? They're almost as good as the cake!"
Millie pursed her lips, fighting the spike of warmth in her chest. "Shut up." This time, it wasn't banter.
"Well well, sunshine! Someone's in a mood today!" Funtime Freddy chuckled. "Did Grandpa accidentally bleach your blacks?"
"What have you two been doing?" Millie demanded, gripping the tennis racket.
Funtime Freddy eyed her white knuckles, his eyebrows raising. "What, Millie? Are you planning to beat down all your hard work?"
"Freddy…" Bon-Bon touched his cheek. "Calm down, okay? Something is really wrong." He looked to Millie, desperate. "What's going on?"
"I… I know what you've been doing!" Millie exclaimed. "I've been feeling you stalking me, following me again. Tormenting me, like you did when you had me inside you!" She pointed the tennis racket at the two of them. "You don't care about promises! You just wanted to get fixed!"
"Millie!" Bon-Bon blinked, shocked. "No! I've told you… How much promises mean to me." His eyes flicked to the bear. "To us."
"Then tell me what I've been feeling! What I've been seeing! And tell me where you two have been! What you've been doing!"
Funtime Freddy leaned back, placing the tangle on the bench next to him. "Oh, Silly Millie. It's your own head playing tricks on you. Like any other human, your fear controls you. You feel like you can't run away from the things you feel like you've done wrong, and we are just your scapegoat. It's easier to blame everyone else around you. The shadows you see are nothing but your own." His voice was flippant. "Now calm yourself, put the racket down, and come look at my new toy."
"You are so selfish!" Millie exploded. "You don't care, you never have! After all the work I've put into you, after how hard I've tried to be nice after...after you tortured me! You're just self-absorbed and, and...evil! You don't care about birthdays, or songs, or fun!" Tears flooded freely down her face now. "You don't care about the promise, and you don't care about me! You just want to hurt people! You want to hurt me!"
Bon-Bon frantically pet Freddy's wide jawline, clearly trying to put him to sleep so he could fix the situation, but Freddy, clearly irritated now, forcefully lowered him down and huffed. "Wow, cupcake. You haven't come to see us in days and this is your grand entrance? And you call me a bad friend!" He laughed.
Millie curled her hands into fists, nails digging into her palms. "I hate you!" She dug into her bag, grabbing the little pink-wrapped box from days prior. "Even if I did come, you wouldn't be here! I hate you so much! I hate what you did to me, and what I have to live with now! I hate that I'm responsible for all of the Fazbear crap and that some freaky thing in the cemetery tried to kill me! I hate that you're still here, and I hate that I helped you! I don't wish I was dead, I wish you were!" And she hurled the box against the wall with a crash.
"Millie!" Bon-Bon cried, reaching his little arms out. "Please wait, let me talk to you! I promise it's not what it-"
But she was already out the door.
XXX
Millie charged down the sidewalk, away from home. She had no desire to even be near the workshop now, not after her meltdown. All of her fears and worries had just seemed to come crashing down, and Funtime Freddy's flippant attitude only stoked the flames. She was sure he had bad intentions now. Whatever she thought she had known was a lie.
Head down, she let the tears fall freely, sniffing as snot seemed to pour from her nose just as freely. She was shaking so hard she felt dizzy, but a quick peek through her bag revealed she had left her pills for panic at home.
But it was fine. She had made it without them. She could do it again. She just needed to get away from home.
She found herself wanting her mother and father more than anything in the world. To just be back at their house, a world away from the workshop and the horrors that were lurking beneath the laughter. She let out a sob, the agony rolling through her like a tidal wave.
She had started to love the robots. Look forward to seeing them every day. This hurt now, almost as much as when she saw Dylan with Brooke so long ago.
Millie wondered if she was the extraneous piece that always led to these betrayals. Something that just didn't mesh with the people she ended up loving. Maybe she wasn't meant to fit in anywhere.
She leaned against a lamppost, trying to catch her breath and steady her shaking limbs. She only sobbed harder, scrubbing at her red-rimmed eyes and smearing makeup all over her face as the misery wrapped her up in its pernicious arms. She wasn't sure how long she stayed there, her nails breaking as she clawed them against the pavement in panicked desperation, but when she opened her eyes she realized she was in the dark.
She sniffed, glancing up. The streetlight above her had gone out, but all the others were fine. She looked around, her breath hitching.
It was quiet.
Unnaturally so.
XXX
"Goodness, what is wrong with her?" Funtime Freddy chuffed. "I haven't seen her that upset in a good while."
Bon-Bon twisted to face him, bewildered. "Freddy! Really? She must be stressed out, with us disappearing every night! And you not wanting to talk about it! And you stopped me from putting you to sleep! You never move me out of the way!" He sounded desperate, hurt. "Why?"
"Why?" The bear echoed. His blue eyes glittered dangerously. "We've only been going out to explore. To move. We have craved freedom for so long, and we finally have it. Does she not expect us to move? And…" He stalled.
"I've been showing you the good pieces of the world. Stirring up memories that are more than blood." He put a hand to Funtime Freddy's cheek, tender. "But she doesn't know that. She has no idea. And you haven't wanted to tell her."
"And why should I?" Freddy huffed. "I ought to keep myself enigmatic. She likes that sort of thing anyways."
"No, she doesn't." Bon-Bon said gently. "She is struggling, dear one. She has been struggling this entire time. With what you did to her, and so much more."
"Well, I don't like her accusing me when I've done nothing wrong!" Funtime Freddy countered. "Why should I be responsible for all of her paranoia and fits?"
"You don't like the idea of being accused. But think of why she feels that way."
"What I did to her was an act of friendship! She cracked me up and I liked her." Freddy said haughtily. "I was doing her a favor and making her wish come true. Dying and death was all she was obsessed about!"
"She is a child." Bon-Bon's voice was small. "Things like us were supposed to be made to make children happy. To help them. Someone made us different from that. Don't you remember kind hands, backtracking where cruel ones had once been? Don't you remember the birthday parties? The laughter? Our old friends?"
"One big happy family." Funtime Freddy murmured, so quiet that it was barely audible.
"Remember Millie's laughter? Helping her with homework? Talking late into the night? Working together? Her birthday?" Bon-Bon urged. "Do you not remember seeing children through windows late at night with their families all these nights? The happiness of those families?"
"We were not meant to feel." The bear murmured. "But I feel warm when I think of it." He looked down at the hand puppet. "I was alone for so long. The nights were so cold, and the sun so hot. My only company was the whistle of the wind, sounding almost like a song that I couldn't remember anymore."
Silence.
"I do not want to be alone, Bon-Bon."
"I know, Freddy." The bunny cupped the bear's massive cheek the best he could with his little plastic paws. "You don't have to be. Millie cares, even though she is struggling right now. She will struggle other times too. But...we will be there for her. That is what friends do."
"I thought she wanted to disappear." Freddy's voice was confused now. "And I...feel like I am meant to capture. To kill. I thought it was the perfect arrangement. I wonder if…" His voice strained.
"She thought she did. But she is a broken child. But we can help make her happy. Isn't her laughter worth so much more than her silence? Than her anger?"
Funtime Freddy slumped. "I… It is hard to understand. But I like her. I like being free. I like remembering these good things. I like you, and talking to you. Talking to her. I want to keep feeling this way. I do not want to be alone."
His eyes flicked to the pink-wrapped box Millie had thrown, crumpled and cracked open on the floor.
"I do not want to break things. If Millie can fix them, perhaps so can I."
XXX
Millie stumbled to her feet, her limbs like jello. "Hello?" She rasped, her throat raw from crying. All the houses down the street were dark, it had gotten late. She wished her Grandpa would drive by and take her in his run-down car-she didn't care if he knew how much she was struggling now. There was a sudden sense of unease that had blanketed the entire world around her.
It felt like her blood was ice, every instinct inside of her telling her to run. This time it was more than anxiety, more than panic, more than paranoia.
Sweat ran down her forehead, hair sticking to her neck.
She heard a twig snap and whipped around. "H-Hello?"
Another street lamp flickered out. The darkness seemed to close in like a hungry mouth.
Millie backed away, her brain going to static.
A familiar face emerged from the darkness, standing in the still lit street lamp across from her.
The endoskeleton from the cemetery stared back at her, stooped with its head tilted. It clasped something in its skeletal hands, its mask frozen in a toothy red-smeared grin.
Millie's breath became shallow. "You."
The endoskeleton took a jerky step forward. It stretched its hand out, and she stalled. It was holding her journal from the cemetery, the one she had written her poem in.
"My journal?" She took a step back, fighting the feeling that was so much more than fear. "Why?"
The endoskeleton stopped, pulling the journal back to its chest. It flipped the little book open to the first page, flipping to the back of it. It stared down at the page her poem was written on, then hugged it to its chest.
Millie swallowed hard. What in the hell is going on?
The creature looked back up to her, and she felt Seen. It held the notebook out to her, taking a few shaky steps toward her.
"I don't know what you want, I'm sorry." She whispered. "I… I can't help you. You… The plant…" She remembered the bush, wilting away to blackness and then nothing. She imagined the same thing happening to her face. "Please, don't hurt me." It almost felt as if its gaze had locked her to where she stood, the pure agony of all of her feelings crawling up her throat to strangle her. Unbidden, tears flowed down her cheeks even more freely than they had during her panic attack. They almost felt thick with the ferocity of her emotion. The feeling of the animatronics' betrayal was raw, bringing up everything else in turn.
And now when she needed them most, they were missing. Just like everyone else.
The endoskeleton stepped closer.
Millie fell to her knees, gasping. It felt as if her heart might burst. "Please," She beseeched, anguished. "Make it stop."
The strange creature tilted its head, grasping the journal tightly. It leaned forward, its posture almost reflecting the begging tone of her voice.
It pointed one long, gaunt finger at the page, at a word.
Hope.
XXX
Funtime Freddy stared down at the open box in his hands, stunned.
Within was a metal cordless microphone, clearly freshly shined. It looked old but functional, a ring of pink painted beneath the little speaker. A gift, from Millie. A gift for him, after everything.
He had never received a gift before.
Funtime Freddy kept staring at the box before he finally removed the microphone, holding it in his free hand reverently. It was a little small in his large hands, but he thought it was perfect.
"Doesn't this feel good?" Bon-Bon said. "This is who you are. You are more than what he did to us."
"I do not know who I am." Funtime Freddy's voice was serious, but soft. "But I know what I want to do. I remember...being betrayed. I remember how much it hurt. I do not want Millie to feel that way. I want to see her smile."
"With that microphone, we can sing songs for her even better now," Bon-Bon mused. "But first I think we need to find her, apologize, and explain."
"Yes." Funtime Freddy nodded. "First we find her. Then a celebration!"
XXX
Millie stared up at the endoskeleton. It made no move toward her, only jabbing its finger at her poem.
"I don't know what you want!" Millie cried, her head throbbing. It was as if every bad thing she had ever felt was multiplying by tenfold and crushing her to nothing. "Please! Just get away from me!" Her voice was sharp with hysteria.
The endoskeleton reared back as if struck. It straightened, the hand holding the journal drooping to its side.
They stared at each other for a moment then, the silence still uncanny. The creature cocked its head as if judging her.
The last streetlamp, the one that had illuminated it when it started to approach, finally went out.
Darkness swallowed them whole.
And then it reached a haggard hand down, the tips of its fingers stained with rust and a different kind of red.
Millie gasped, feeling as if her body was made of lead. She couldn't move. She couldn't scream. She realized she regretted telling Freddy she wished he was dead. She knew now it hadn't been him stalking her, but the thing she should've been fearing all along.
She closed her eyes.
"MILLIE!"
Her eyes shot open at the bellow, and the endo jerked with surprise. It shakily twisted at the waist, peering over its shoulder.
Funtime Freddy stood there, his glossy metal hide glittering in the moonlight. He was a beacon in the darkness.
"Freddy?" Millie squeaked. The agony that throbbed in her head seemed to abate, making room for the shock.
"Silly Millie, you know I won't let anyone else take your life! That belongs to me, and I'll do with it as I see fit!" His new microphone in hand, Funtime Freddy stepped closer. "Now, you rusty little endo, let's see what's under that trench coat!"
The endoskeleton took a jilted step to the side, holding a hand up as if to protect itself. As if it were afraid. Millie thought, confused. Why would it be afraid? She felt her vision going blurry, her stomach heaving as she braced herself on the ground. She suddenly felt so tired, awareness leeching away from her as she fell to the pavement.
Funtime Freddy walked forward, something whirring inside of him and his speaker crackling to life, speaking in at least five different voices. "Why didn't the skeleton go to prom? He had 'no body' to go with! Hahahahahaha!" He took a lumbering step forward, swiping a massive hand at the endoskeleton.
More nimbly than before, than endo dodged and backtracked, hunching over once more. Its body creaked and grinded together, feet scraping across the ground and making sparks. It turned to flee then, still clutching the journal tightly to its chest.
Funtime Freddy leaned forward, preparing to give chase, when Bon-Bon tapped his shoulder. "Freddy, wait! Something's wrong with Millie!"
"Millie!" Freddy exclaimed, looking between Millie's collapsed form on the ground and the retreating endoskeleton. He turned away from his prey, instead crouching down in front of her, the whirring in his body coming to a stop. "Millie? Are you okay?"
"She's unconscious." Bon-Bon said worriedly. "I'm so glad our proximity sensors picked her up and that she didn't get far… Let's get her home before anyone comes outside and sees us."
Without another word, the bear scooped the small girl up in his vast arms-balancing the trio of her, his hand puppet and microphone-and held her to his chest. Bon-Bon began fretfully feeling her forehead and wrist the best he could from the odd angle, tutting like a mother hen.
Funtime Freddy looked down at the two of them, quiet. There was much to think about.
XXX
"Uuuugh…" Millie brushed her hair out of her face, her head aching painfully. "Wh…?" She looked up into Bon-Bon's face and jerked in surprise, gasping.
"Sorry, sorry!" Bon-Bon squeaked. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just so worried. I'm so happy you're awake, Millie Fitzsimmons!"
Millie's gaze traveled down Bon-Bon and up Freddy's arm, stopping on his face. He was staring at her intently, then quickly looked away, as if he were embarrassed at being caught. "What happened?" She asked.
"You decided that right then and there would be an excellent time for a nap, lambchop!" Funtime Freddy said. "But don't worry, we got you back safe and sound!"
"What happened to the endo?" She murmured.
"Got away…" Bon-Bon said. "But making sure you were okay was more important."
"It was so strange." Millie said. "The journal I had thrown at it, way back at the cemetery. It had it, and kept pointing to it. It was almost like it was trying to tell me something."
"Well, sentient robots certainly aren't unheard of." Funtime Freddy said sarcastically. "But still, I've never heard of one of us ever being able to...destroy things. Not like that."
"And that's not all. It was like… Everything came down on me. I couldn't control it. All I could feel was pain. Fear. It was like pure agony." She looked to Funtime Freddy. "I… I was wrong. It wasn't you stalking me. It was the endo. I think it was, like, influencing me. What I was already feeling." She paused. "I'm sorry. I should've tried talking to you more."
Funtime Freddy made a sniffing sound. "It's alright. I certainly wouldn't blame you. I've been responsible for many bumps in the night, after all!"
"But then, where have you been?" Millie pleaded. "You can't disappear and not tell me anything."
"We've been…" Bon-Bon started, but then turned to Freddy, looking expectant.
"I was trapped for a long time, cupcake." The animatronic bear finally answered. "Even before the junkyard. I am finally able, and free. We craved to taste every flavor of that freedom. But I know now… You do not mean to cage us. We are a team. We have made a promise. And… I have had so much difficulty with memory. Bon-Bon too. Exploring, seeing humans, seeing your world. It is bringing back memories and feelings, and even if there's no name or tangibility to them, it gives us somewhere to start."
"We should have been honest with you," Bon-Bon confessed. "But I think we were afraid." He glanced sneakily at his much larger partner.
"...Thank you." Millie said. "That's what I needed. Sometimes...I still really struggle with everything that's happened. That continues happening. This is a lot for me, just like it is for you. I think...I need more help from you guys. Honesty. Communication." She looked to Freddy, holding his gaze.
"I… I like you Millie. For some reason." He rolled his eyes, dramatic as usual. "You are good, and more than your crimes of humanity. Even after everything, you bring me such a special gift." He clenched the handle of his new microphone. "You are special. Everything I have done is because of that. Even when it has been...wrong."
Millie blinked. She figured this would be the closest to an apology she would ever get from him. "I think I understand. Thank you. I… I like you too, Freddy. Bon-Bon. I want you here. I don't know why, and I know it's probably stupid. But I would like to be friends. I would like to trust you." She really didn't know why-she knew the first promise would always ring heavy in her mind. Her life really was in the animatronic's hands.
"You can trust me." Funtime Freddy held up one giant pinky. "I promise. From now on, we will truly work together. We will be honest. You are a human who deserves it."
Millie sniffed. "I don't want you to die, Freddy. I'm sorry."
Funtime Freddy's mouth opened wide in his metal smile, revealing the second endoskeleton smile within. "I know, Silly Millie. You don't actually have a mean bone in your body, tough as you act."
She crossed her pinky with his. She was choosing trust. And this time, it wasn't a last resort.
"I want to figure out what the endo was trying to do. I… I don't know if it's meaning to be as scary as it is. It might even play into more Fazbear bull." Millie said, releasing her pinky.
"There is no doubt." Bon-Bon nodded. "And now that summer is here, we have more time to figure it all out."
"We will do it together." Funtime Freddy stated. "We will fulfill the promise."
A chill didn't even crawl up Millie's spine this time. She already knew the truth, and she was choosing to believe in hope. She had the evidence to now. Together, they would find the endo. Together, they'd find out everything. But now, it was time to rest. She already felt her body heavy with exhaustion. She both hoped that Freddy wouldn't declare it was time for a celebratory song, and thought that the sound of his music might be just the lullaby she needed.
Tomorrow was another day.
A/N: This chapter was such an absolute delight and an utter heartbreak to write. With this chapter, it's time for stuff to really start kicking off! I hope you enjoy, and thank you for all the support. Love you all bunches!