"Freddy!" Millie cried, choking on smoke. "I can't find you!" She gasped for breath as she struggled through the corridor. Behind her, a ceiling beam, afire with hungry flames, fell. She screamed, the heat baking her face. She felt so small, smaller than she'd ever been. "Freddy! I can't find you! Brooke? Dylan? Grandpa? Momma? Daddy?" She began to weep, and then she began to run. "I can't get out! I can't find you!"
She dashed into a doorway, clutching at her chest as if it would help her struggling lungs. She peered inside and gasped, blood going cold despite the heat. On the floor, surrounded by flame, were both Eleanor and Sarah's broken pieces, lying in a pool of blood and oil. Black seemed to crawl across the floor, curling over the two of them, drawing them together until they melded into one. "Help us," Eleanor's disembodied voice pleaded. "I just wanted to be human."
"I just wanted to be loved," Sarah whispered. "I wanted to be pretty. Please help me."
"Help us, help us, help us, help us," More voices began to cry. "Millie, please help us!"
Millie gripped her head, feeling her vision go blurry. It was all too much. This was too big for her. The mission, the building, the ever starving fire. It was too much for her to handle.
"One big happy family," She heard a distant voice, distorted by the roar of the flames. "Gone again."
"Freddy!" She screamed. "Freddy! Can you hear me?" She collapsed to the floor, trying to choke down a breath. "Please, Freddy! Bon-Bon! Help me! Please help me! I can't do this! I can't-"
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Millie shot awake and gasped for breath, holding her neck. She was covered in sweat from head to toe, shaking uncontrollably. "Hell…" She muttered under her breath, burying her face in her hands even as her alarm continued beeping.
Annabel Lee chirped, hopping onto the bed and pushing herself into Millie's side. "I'm okay, Annabel." Millie said, sighing. "I just forgot to take my prazosin last night and had a bad nightmare." She still felt like she was choking. "I'm just a little overwhelmed. But it's gonna be okay." She scratched between the cat's ears, smiling. "I just need to shake it off and get ready for the play today."
XXX
After a hearty breakfast of buckwheat waffles and strawberries, Millie and Grandpa made their way to her early therapy appointment and then to the Unfurling Petals Theatre. Millie had only been a few times throughout her life, usually dragging her feet whenever her parents tried to take her. Now though, as Dylan's truck pulled up, she tried to be optimistic about cramming into a tiny theater to watch some bad acting.
"Hey, Mills!" Dylan smiled, waving as he hopped out of his car. "Why're you wearing that when it's so hot today?"
Millie shrugged. "My mom got it for me." She was referring to the red pleather jacket her mother had gifted her on her birthday-usually she wouldn't wear something so bright, but since it was blood red, she could fit in into her wardrobe. "Plus it goes with my outfit." She said slightly defensively.
"Well, hey, it's your funeral if you overheat!" Dylan chuckled, waving his hands in defeat.
"Now now, theatres are always pretty chilly anyways!" Grandpa said. "Those poor actors get so, so hot up there on stage!"
They began walking to the entrance together, Dylan bobbing along excitedly. "I've always really loved theater. You know, my dad actually used to work at this one when my brother and I were really little, before we moved away! He was just a janitor, but he got free passes and we came together all the time." His voice turned wistful. "We always had so much fun here. After we moved, we visited a few different ones, but Unfurling Petals was always our favorite. We had hoped to go back together again, but…" His voice trailed off.
"I'm sorry, sonny." Grandpa said softly. "It's never easy to lose a parent. But I'm sure he'll be here with you in spirit!"
Dylan's lips quirked in an almost-smile. "Yeah. I've come here a few times on my own since moving back. Sometimes I feel like he's there with me."
Millie forced a tight smile, reaching over and squeezing Dylan's hand. "I'm sure he is." She said, though she wasn't sure if she believed it. It was a little bit of a scary thought. "And I bet he's happy that you still love it so much!"
"Yeah, I guess. Just don't blame me if I get a little emotional!" Dylan laughed, only half joking.
XXX
Millie hadn't counted on the irony of the play they ended up seeing. It was something called A Father's Thesis, about a detective investigating a series of murders surrounding a decrepit old church. As the play progressed, the father grew more and more obsessed with the supernatural case and the fact that everyone thought he was crazy due to the lack of proof. He drew further and further away from his family until his wife took the children and left him, leaving him with nothing but an empty old church.
"Hey, uh," Dylan leaned over in the middle of it. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick. I'll be back!" Millie noticed that his eyes were glassy, but simply smiled. She figured the play circling around a father was a little rough on him, and didn't want to embarrass him, so she let it go.
Now, a few minutes after Dylan's departure, they were at the climax, where the hopeless father was about to take his own life to escape the spirits that had been tormenting him. A group of actors wreathed in white sheets and garlands surrounded the titular character, who sat trembling with a gun in his hands, monologuing his hopelessness.
Millie felt herself growing ever more uncomfortable, and her Grandpa seemed taken aback too. Nothing on the pamphlets had mentioned such a graphic lead up and scene. She found herself thankful that Dylan had chosen that moment to leave, and then realized that she had broken out in a cold sweat. The play was too much.
"I'm going to go check in on Dylan," Millie whispered to Grandpa. "Just to make sure he's okay."
Grandpa nodded, understanding shining in his eyes. He gave Millie's arm a squeeze, his face full of guilt. Millie shot up and darted up the stairs to the doors, pressing them open and letting out a deep sigh once she was out. She was surprised to see that the lobby was dim, and that no ushers were waiting around. That's weird.
She started down the hallway that led to the closest bathroom, playing with the sleeve of her jacket. Seeing the play reminded of her own struggles with suicidal thoughts, and even of Funtime Freddy's family falling apart. She found herself wondering where the other Funtimes could be, if they even managed to survive. It was obvious that Funtime Freddy and Bon-Bon were grieving after the exposition of their past that they could now remember, and she felt helpless. She wondered if at the end of everything, she'd still get to be with her family too, or if she'd lose hers as well.
She swallowed hard. She had talked to her therapist about it all the best she could this morning-resulting in a long discussion about fear, paranoia, and ruminating thoughts. She desperately tried to use the DBT coping skills she had been taught, but kept feeling herself return to the same dismal thinking. It was so difficult, and utterly unfair. She felt lost in the thinking, in the fear, and in the regret of wasting so much time being miserable.
She coughed suddenly, scrunching up her nose as she was finally snapped out of her thoughts. A sickeningly cloying cologne was in the air, almost reminiscent of pine. It was utterly repulsive, as if she had walked into a cloud of it.
Shaking her ruminations away, she sniffed the air and felt her stomach twist. It was as if the scent was everywhere, replacing the air in the hallway. It gave her a bad gut feeling, and not just because cologne that strong was impossible. Something was wrong.
Dylan. She felt her anxiety peak, and darted forward despite her trembling hands. "Dylan?" She called, her voice choked. "Are you there?"
The hallways were so dim, the lights flickering. The theatre really was old, but still… Combined with the scent of cologne, it was uncanny. Millie dashed into the darkness, choking on the smell of evergreens.
In the dark, she suddenly saw a flash of light, illuminating a mop of frizzy firetruck-red hair. "Dylan!" She cried, running forward. Her legs felt like jello. "There you are. You're way past the bathroom, what are you doing? That play was rough, I can tell Gramps and we can go on home-" She was rambling now, anxious.
Dylan looked at her, his eyes watery and red rimmed. Tears stains and running eyeliner streaked down his cheeks. He was stopped before a dark staircase at the end of the hallway, staring up into it as he turned away from her. "Millie, do you smell it?" He asked. "It's coming from here. Or am I crazy?"
"The yucky cologne?" Millie asked, her voice hitching in an attempt at a chuckle. "Yeah. Maybe there was a leak, a spill somewhere?"
"No." His voice was uncharacteristically flat. "It's the cologne my dad always wore. I still have a bottle." He began to sound desperate, taking a step forward. "I still have a bottle. I'll spray his old clothes with it and wear them sometimes. Is that stupid or what? I came with my mom here one time, wearing them. It was the first time I had smelled it so strongly. I tried to find it, but then it disappeared."
Millie felt her heart sinking. "Dylan… That's really weird. Maybe we should go get Grandpa?"
"I've kept coming back." Dylan continued, oblivious to how uncomfortable his friend was. "I smell it more and more every time. And the plays get more and more on the nose. He's here, and he's trying to tell me something." He looked back at her, tears freely flowing. "He committed suicide, did you know that? He was really sick. That's why I was so worried about you. If he's here, I just want to talk to him. I finally found where the smell was coming from. I just want to see him again."
"It's not him," Millie reached out, but he jerked his arm away. "It can't be him. He's gone, Dylan. Something really freaky is going on here, and someone is trying to hurt you. Please, let's go!" She realized now the light of his phone was the only thing illuminating this corner of the hallway and the first few steps of the stairs.
"Millie, I can't leave." He pleaded. "I need to tell him I'm sorry." Dylan took a step onto the first step, looking back at her. "Please, don't leave me."
"Dylan, I-" Her voice caught in her throat as two glowing spheres of gold appeared high on the stairway. Eyes, She thought. Looking right at us. "Dylan!" She rasped, terror gripping her. "Something is up there!"
Dylan whipped around, shining his light upward.
They both froze as the light revealed the owner of the golden eyes, both teens perfectly preserved in their horror.
Another animatronic, albeit smaller than Freddy and larger than Eleanor, was perched at the top of the stairwell. Long, elegant and lithe, they had the appearance of white and pink fox, metal tail swinging back and forth behind him. Their long pink claws were outstretched before them, metal maw wide open to reveal rows of knife-sharp teeth.
The robot gleamed in the bright light, then drew back, mouth closing. He brought a hand to his chest, over a speaker not unlike Funtime Freddy's. The smell of pine cologne grew even stronger as they took a step down, long leg extended like a dancer's.
"Such a pleasure to finally meet you, D-Dylan!" The fox's voice crackled like an old radio announcer, loud and reverberating through the hallway. It seemed to glitch and hitch like an old scratched up CD every now and then, the sound haunting. "Such a fondness for the old shows, so I decided you should star in one of your own! Unfortunately it's a tragedy, and now it's time time for you to take your final b-bow!"
Millie's mouth opened and closed like a fish, the shock holding her like a vise. Another one?!
Dylan took a step backward, stumbling off the stairs and into Millie. "What the hell is that?!"
"I'm a performer, dear boy! But today you are the star of the show!" The fox made the motion of straightening his metal bowtie, which didn't move. "I've been w-watching you, hearing the tales of your loss and woe. Oh, how they moved me! And every good story needs an ending-and well, you know how the old d-dramas go!"
Dylan stared up at the animatronic as if hypnotized. "My dad isn't here."
"No, he isn't, dear one! But you are, and it's your time to shine shine!" The fox threw their arms out in a flourish before jerking wildly, the movement unbidden and spastic. "It's showtime!"
And with that they lunged forward, their faceplates splitting open with a bone-rattling screech. His arms outstretched, eyes and claws flashing as they aimed for both of the humans' faces.
Millie screamed, grabbing Dylan's arm and tearing him off his feet. She scrambled forward, dragging him with her as he struggled to regain his footing and keep up. They collided together and then took each other's sweaty palms, staying linked as they took off. All they heard were mechanical growls, the puffs of air through plating, and the slightest sound of tinny steps.
And then a thud, loud and ungainly.
They turned, gasping for breath at the end of the hallway. The fox stood, rooted to the ground, the rest of his body waving around wildly as he scrabbled to try and move.
"What the heck is wrong with it?!" Dylan gasped. "Why isn't it coming after us anymore?!"
Millie struggled to breathe. "I… I think that it can't move. I don't know why." She noticed the scent of cologne fading out as the fox struggled against their invisible bindings, their faceplates still open and teeth bared. "I just think we need to go. I'll explain everything to you, okay?"
"What do you mean, 'everything'?!" Dylan said, tears still flowing.
Millie thought it strange that she wasn't the one crying for once. "I'll tell you, okay? Let's just get out of here." She pushed him forward, her knees shaking. She turned back once more to look at the animatronic fox, who was swinging back and forth, desperate to lift his unmoving feet. Behind him, a pair of green eyes sparked in the darkness.
"Wait!" They called, throwing out an arm. "Our show show!"
"Show's cancelled tonight." Millie shot at him one last time, a little braver now that he couldn't move.
She took Dylan's hand as they made haste to escape, squeezing it comfortingly. "I promise… Everything will make sense. Don't say anything to Grandpa, and we'll go to my house. It'll be okay, Dylan."
Dylan didn't say a word, lips trembling as he silently wept.
XXX
"I don't believe you." Dylan tried to say it gently. "Do you hear yourself, Millie? That would all make for a great story, but it's not real life."
"Then explain the massive fox in the stairwell!" Millie shot back, frustrated. They sat at her kitchen table, sharing some vanilla pudding her grandfather had made while he was in the living room to give them some privacy.
After they fled from the animatronic fox, they had found Grandpa looking for them. He had decided they would visit the theatre another time, and promised that he would make sure it was less heavy and...specific to the children the next time. He apologized profusely, and to Dylan's credit, he didn't even mention the fox. He was just understanding and kind per usual, chains jingling around his wrists when he took Grandpa's offered hand and shook it as an olive branch.
Grandpa had also offered to take them to a late lunch at one of the local diners, which both of them declined. Once they met up back at her home, Millie told her Grandpa that she wanted to sit with Dylan to comfort him. It took a while to unglue a very concerned Grandpa from her side, but after reassuring him (and in part herself), they were alone.
And now here they were, after Millie's long winded explanation-everything from Christmas night to Bon-Bon's discovery to the Stitchwraith to Sarah and Eleanor. And especially about her theories on Fazbear Entertainment.
"Look, I don't know what that thing was, but…" Dylan's voice trailed off. "I know I wanted to investigate stuff, and find cryptids and ghosts and all that kinda stuff. But I didn't think it was...y'know.."
"Real?" Millie said bluntly. "Well it is! And the fox seemed to have its eye on you, if it's been trying to draw you in for its dumb idea of a play or whatever. I want to keep you safe. I want to keep you in the know, because…now you're involved. I never wanted that. But here we are." She dropped her pudding spoon to the table. "And you think I'm crazy."
"I don't think you're crazy!" Dylan exclaimed. "I just think you're...uh...creative!"
Millie grumbled under her breath. "God, Dylan. You're going to end up getting yourself killed if you don't know what you're up against. Follow me." She stood up from the table, sweeping towards the front door. Dylan reluctantly followed, both of them waving hello to Grandpa as they passed. "Just going to show him Freddy!" Millie sang cheerfully despite her scowl, and Dylan stiffened.
"Millie. You're not being serious, are you? This isn't a book!" Dylan said between gritted teeth once they were outside.
"I know." She said. "It's more of a horror show." She opened the door to the workshop, hands on her hips as she stepped inside, Dylan following hesitantly. Funtime Freddy and Bon-Bon lay inside, slumped on their bench and completely inert.
"It's okay, guys." Millie said. "This is Dylan. I want him to know that you're alive."
Funtime Freddy leaned forward, eyes flickering to life. "Well, why stop at that? We could have a whole party! Or would you nerds prefer a book club?"
Dylan's mouth fell open. "H...He… Is he programmed to do that?"
"No way, strawberry! But I am programmed for other things. Say, have you ever heard of waterboarding?"
"Freddy!" Bon-Bon shushed him, one paw to his nose in exasperation. He swiveled to face Dylan, bowing slightly. "Sorry about that, Dylan Burke! Freddy just gets a little excited. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Millie has told us so much about you!"
"Where's the blonde one?" Funtime Freddy asked. "I think she'd have a meltdown over us, and I'd really like to watch that. I'm a little disappointed she's not here. Isn't she the one you're always going over to see anyways, Silly Millie?"
Millie blushed. "Shut up, Freddy! I said to show him you're alive, not torture him."
"Oh, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you cupcake?"
"Was that a threat?" Millie rolled her eyes.
"Well, you are dressed for a funeral. Per usual."
"What...is going on?" Dylan stared blankly, then walked over and plopped over at the desk chair. "This is insane."
"I have been called that before, little pepperoni!" Funtime Freddy said.
"Sssh, dear. Please calm down a little." Bon-Bon tittered, guiding Freddy's arm up high to pet his ears.
While Dylan processed what he was seeing, Millie turned to her robotic friends. She figured the shock would take a little time to wear off. "Guys. Some weird stuff happened at the play today. Something in our line of work." She proceeded to retell the events, with Dylan jumping in with the details of what he'd been noticing at the theatre over the past few months.
"Yep, no doubt about it, lambchops!" Funtime Freddy exclaimed happily. "That's our dear Funtime Foxy! Glad to hear that they've seemed to find a voice that really suits them, even if it's having a bit of trouble. They tried out so many with their parental voice sync, but never found any that made them feel right. How nice!"
"We have to go get him." Bon-Bon said. "And if his remote foot anchors were activated… Maybe there's another one of us there, trying to help him like I've helped Freddy!" He paused. "Bonnet!" He looked up at Freddy, ears clicking happily. "Our family!"
"All we're missing now is Ballora!" Funtime Freddy beamed. "And Lolbit. And the Bidybabs. And the Minireenas. But this is a fantastic start to completing the full set!"
"So… You know him?" Dylan said. "The murder fox?" He swayed back and forth in the chair like he was dizzy.
"Well yes, I am the murder bear. And I don't just know him," Funtime Freddy sighed. "He's my family. And Bonnet! Oh, how I have missed them."
"Me too, Freddy!" Bon-Bon chimed. "Millie, we have to get them. We can explain everything, and they'll listen to us. Funtime Foxy can be a little rambunctious, but we can help reign him in. I'm sure Bonnet can help too, while she doesn't have my soothing programs, she can make them...sit, for all intensive purposes. The man that helped me made her as a safe program too! Isn't that wonderful?"
"It is, but are you sure he'll listen?" Millie said. "He seemed pretty hellbent on making the perfect show."
"Oh, he'll get over it!" Funtime Freddy said flippantly. "Besides, reuniting with his lost lovers? Now that's a killer ending! Without the killing!" He turned to Millie, eyebrows raised. "That's what you want isn't it? Or can we have just a little bit of fun? This one is so nervous!"
"No, Freddy." She nodded, sighing. "If you want to go get your partners, you better behave."
"Or else what?" He challenged, bowtie spinning.
"Or else you're," Bon-Bon booped his nose. "Going to go to sleep. Getting Foxy and Bonnet matters more than anything else, okay Freddy?"
"What is happening…?" Dylan groaned, leaning back in the chair.
Millie walked over, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "I know it's a lot to handle." She decided to keep the fact that being a little less alone in all this chaos...felt nice. Two heads were better than one.
He looked up, eyes red rimmed. "I really thought you were just messing around with me. But… The fox. He's been torturing me for months. I've been going crazy, thinking my dad was trying to reach me. I never really...properly grieved, since I was so young. How are we going to get something that's taken advantage of that?"
"They aren't human like us." Millie explained. "They're AIs, and they were programmed by a very bad man. And I have a sneaking suspicion there's something darker at work here." She reached over the desk and brushed a bit of scrap metal on it. Her heart ached at its warmth. Sarah. "But I think they can reprogram themselves. Whatever evil is in them, there's also good. There's the capacity to learn and change and do better. To hope. I wouldn't be here with Funtime Freddy if I didn't believe that."
"If I may interrupt," Bon-Bon interrupted, his voice sweet. "There was another creator who did good with us. Or at least tried to circumvent the bad one's evil. We are affected by something more than just programming, dear Dylan. I am terribly sorry for what Funtime Foxy has done to you. But it seems that Bonnet tried to save you, and succeeded. I don't know why they are there together, but I am thankful that my family is that much closer to being reunited. I hope that we will be able to explain things to and help Foxy-once he winds down, they're very intelligent and self aware. I'm sure we can make things better. Better so they cannot hurt anyone as he has hurt you. And maybe even do good." His eyes flicked warmly to Funtime Freddy.
"And you can talk to me." Millie added. "I have a really good therapist, you know… Maybe I can refer you if you haven't been to a doctor in awhile. We can help you grieve properly. There's no ghosts there, but there is closure. Healing."
"Acceptance." Dylan said, and he finally sounded solid again. "I don't understand… But okay. If you're gonna be there for me, Millie, I'm gonna be there for you. I'm not letting you do this alone. Not just getting Funtime Foxy, but all of it." He reached up, taking her hand. "I will stay by your side. We can go through this insanity together."
Millie waited for her heart to throb at his touch, but it only fluttered with the warmth of friendship. Somewhere along her journey of friendship, she had learned what platonic affection was. She had accepted his feelings, and moved on. She felt like she could love him truly and genuinely now that she understood what proper friendship was, and didn't want to turn him away. "As long as you stay safe, I would love that. I could always use an extra brain." She counted on Freddy to keep his promise, and to keep them safe.
"Are you saying I'm not enough?" Funtime Freddy said snidely. "I'll have you remember that I'm the one who brought your history and math grades up to A's."
"You cheated with your robots?" Dylan asked, eyebrow raised.
"It's not cheating. It's helping." Millie huffed. "Anyways… We'll have to get Foxy. And I think we should do it soon, before he hurts anyone else."
"Would you be ready to go this evening then, Millie?" Bon-Bon inquired.
"Oh, if we're going so soon, I'll need a nice polish!" Funtime Freddy chuckled. "It's been a few years!"
"More like a lotta years. I'm sure he's missed you so much." Millie muttered sarcastically. "But you're wanting to come, Dylan? Are you sure?"
"I want to see it for sure." He said. "Put all those old ghosts to rest. And see if he can really be...contained."
Millie heard the unspoken question. Can these things be trusted? She was surprised at how long it had been since she had asked herself the same thing.
"I'm going to head home and get ready. Come nighttime, I'll pick you up."
"Aw, no trip inside me?" Funtime Freddy said. "Pity. Oh well, I'm sure Bonnet will want a ride!"
Millie snorted. "I'll wait until Grandpa's asleep. And Freddy can sneak there himself and meet up with us."
"No one will see him?" Dylan asked, clearly dubious.
"I know I'm big, but I can assure you, I'm a master at reconnaissance." Funtime Freddy grinned. "I can give you a demo if you'd like, tomato-head. I've learned some techniques from studying guerilla warfare!"
"...Uh, that's okay." Dylan said. "But that sounds good. I'll be around sometime near eleven."
"That gives us plenty of time to prepare. An old building like that shouldn't be too hard to get into, and Freddy can keep an eye out for security, police, anything like that. He's got a mimic ability to help us out." Millie nodded. "We'll meet up, get the dog to sit-"
"He's a fox, Silly Millie." Funtime Freddy chimed.
"-Fox to sit, and go from there." She fist bumped Dylan, who shakily stood up, still staring at the animatronics like they were from another world.
She looked back at them, and smiled. Then to Sarah, and Eleanor's power module in a jar on the shelf. A sadder smile. She guessed they really were.
...And the world was only going to expand.
Millie figured some more pudding and a nap was in order. Right after a few hours of working on Sarah. She found herself glad it was still so early in the day, and that she had time.
She hoped she'd have more, when tonight was over.
Tomorrow, or rather tonight, was another day.
A/N:OUR LITTLE SHOWBOAT IS HERE! I'm very excited to be writing them. As a heads up, FTFoxy is a he/they in this story and their pronouns will be swapping around. It's also inferred they are transgender! Anywho, I hope you guys are having a lovely weekend, and whatever you choose to celebrate, I hope you're having a wonderful holiday time or just a wonderful day. :3 As always, thanks for all the love and support!