Chapter Thirteen
Everyone was gathered in the living room. The house was eerily quiet without the kids. Charlotte sat silently on the couch, tears streaming down her cheeks. Shaddid paced the floor while Nicole, Lizzie, and Nikki tried to comfort Charlotte as best as they could. They had already tried to locate the kids through Charlotte's tracking system, but she couldn't sense them. The others assumed that the distance between the book and the real world was hindering her senses.
Without being able to track the kids, Charlotte couldn't think of any other way to be able to find them. She didn't want to wave the white flag so soon, but the outcomes were looking bleaker by the minute.
After thinking about it for several minutes, Nikki finally spoke up. "I can find the kids," she offered quietly.
Shaddid immediately stopped pacing and shot her a look of disapproval. "That's out of the question. It's too dangerous."
"Maybe she's onto something though, Shaddid," Lizzie pressed.
He shook his head. "I'm not putting my family in danger. I want to rescue the kids as much as anyone else in this room, but we have to think about this rationally."
Sheila spoke up. "Charlotte, you said that my eyes looked like Michael's when I had my episode the other night, right?"
Charlotte nodded. "Well, I didn't say that, but yes, that's what happened. At first I thought I was seeing things because it was only for a few seconds, but Michael and Freddy are the only two people that I know who have eyes that color. The shade of blue is so unique, I would have recognized them anywhere."
"I'll do it." Sheila stood up.
"What?" Shaddid stared at his sister in disbelief. "Did you not hear what I just told Nikki? It's too dangerous."
"I may not be able to remember my episodes, but if Charlotte truly saw Michael's eyes in mine, and if I know what I do about Soul Travelers, it's that the stronger Traveler's eyes can be seen in the weaker ones," Sheila insisted. "If Charlotte really did see Michael's eyes in mine, then he's the one I've been linked to. I know it's a bit of a stretch, but we have to try, especially if it means finding the kids."
"The weaker Traveler's eyes and body is the ones that get taken over," Shaddid argued. "If you get pulled in too strongly, he may take over completely, and then you would cease to exist."
Tears formed in Sheila's eyes, but she swiped them away. "I know what the risks are, but we have to find the kids. We've spent too long as it is arguing about what to do." Shaddid started to argue again, but she cut him off. "I'll leave as soon as I find him. Nikki can look for the kids. They don't pose any danger to her, and Michael and Baby won't be able to sense her presence. They will be too focused on me and what I'm doing to pay attention to the animatronics."
Nikki's eyes lit up. "Yeah, Dad, please? Mom? This'll work, I know it will!"
"There has to be another way…" Shaddid could see he wasn't winning the argument.
"This is the only way, Shaddid. We can do this." Sheila put her hand over her brother's.
"Lizzie, help me here." Shaddid was grasping at straws.
With a shrug, Lizzie offered, "They have a point, Shaddid, and I think Sheila's idea will work. We don't have many other options at this point, and we're running out of time."
Defeated, Shaddid sighed. "Okay, but both of you be careful. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to either of you."
"We'll be okay, Dad," Nikki said with a soft smile. She sat cross-legged on the floor and Sheila joined her. The two joined hands and then closed their eyes.
Now all that Shaddid, Lizzie, and Charlotte could do was wait.
Nikki opened her eyes to darkness. She took in her surroundings; there wasn't much to see. She couldn't see anything in front of her face, it was so dark. She listened carefully for several minutes and didn't hear anything other than background noise, but she felt like she wasn't alone. Carefully, she whispered, barely loud enough for her own ears to hear, "Frederick?"
In the silence, even her voice rang loudly in her own ears. She tried again, a little louder this time, keeping her voice at a low whisper. "Frederick?"
"Nikki?" A voice whispered back to her. A dim light glowed next to her shoulder.
"Felix! Hey!" she whispered excitedly. "I found you! Where are we?"
Felix's voice answered from the darkness, making the light flicker. "I don't know. The animatronics are in manual mode. Any commands that the man and woman give, they follow without question. But the suits are powered down at the moment."
"Where is everyone else?"
"Nikki, is that you?" Amy whispered.
"Yeah, I'm here!" Nikki answered softly. "Can either of you see anything?"
"Not with the suits powered off," Frederick cut in. "They've been shut off for a while. Occasionally we can hear the two of them talking, but they have to be really close to us if that happens. They're close enough to keep an eye on us but not much else."
Again Nikki tried to move and found the action restricted. "Why can't we move?"
"We're inside Foxy," Felix whispered. "We can't be humans with the suits powered off. The program won't run."
Nikki's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
"Technically this isn't me," the light blinked. "I mean, yes, it's still Felix, but it's my soul. My remnant."
"That's weird," Nikki remarked.
Felix chuckled. "Yeah, a little."
Nikki focused on the reason for her visit. "How did you guys get here?"
The light brightened slightly. "We don't know. We woke up here, wherever here is."
"Back in the book," Nikki explained. "Where in the book, we don't know."
"I thought it smelled familiar," Frederick joked, trying to keep the mood light.
"Shh!" Billy hissed. "Someone's coming!"
Nikki strained her ears for any sound. She could hear the sounds of a generator running, along with a cooling system. Finally, she heard two voices: a man's and a woman's.
Michael's voice was the first one to filter in clearly. "We have to make sure we have everything together. Once we start this, if we fail, we won't be able to try again." The sound of clanking metal punctuated his words.
Baby responded, "I have everything I need. All that's left is the animatronics." More grinding metal sounds. "While we're at it, maybe we can fix your little problem."
"And what problem would that be?" Michael's voice gradually grew louder. He was walking towards them.
"The little female problem you told me about. I may not know that much about you, since I wasn't around you for most of my life, but I know she's not your type."
"And what do you know about my type?" he scoffed.
"Well for starters, you seem pretty annoyed by her," Baby laughed.
Nikki barely dared to breathe. Next to her, Felix's light dimmed until it was barely noticeable. All of the kids were holding their breath.
Michael continued, "We have bigger things to worry about right now. If this works and you get your body back, then maybe I'll consider it. I'm more concerned about not having this hanging over my head anymore. Dad may be dead, but that doesn't make it any easier."
Michael stopped talking, but Nikki could hear him breathing. He had to be standing right in front of them. A moment later, Nikki felt Foxy's body teetering backwards. She stretched her arms out to balance herself. Slowly she felt herself being wheeled forward. Michael must have put them on a dolly hand cart. After a few minutes, they rocked to a stop.
"I thought you would have wanted to start with Freddy," Baby commented.
"They all have to be done. The order doesn't matter. I'm just ready to get this over and done with."
"Let's do Freddy first," Baby insisted. "Please?"
"Fine," Michael grumbled. "Just shut up about it."
Nikki could hear first Michael and then Baby walk past Foxy. Felix's remnant kept silent next to her. After a few minutes, she could hear the dolly being wheeled up next to her again; this time she assumed it was carrying Freddy.
Michael and Baby lifted Freddy off of the dolly onto some sort of table. Nikki thought she heard them strapping him down. "Alright," Michael said, "let me get the chest cavity open, and we'll get started."
"No, we're doing this my way. Move."
"What are you doing?" Michael growled.
"I want to look into his eyes when it happens. His father killed me, and I want to watch him suffer for it."
Nikki do something! Frederick screamed. She's gonna kill me!
"I'll be right back, I promise," she whispered quickly to Felix. While she was returning back to her living room in New York, she could hear Baby saying something to Michael.
Before delving into Michael's mind, Sheila opened her eyes in the living room. She looked to her left and noticed that Nikki was already looking for the kids. Charlotte, Shaddid, and Lizzie caught her eye.
"What's wrong?" Lizzie questioned.
"I need you guys to cover my eyes."
Shaddid frowned. "What do you mean?"
"If I can see through Michael's eyes, he can probably see through mine. I feel responsible for what happened to the kids. I know it wasn't entirely my fault and that I couldn't control when my episodes happened, but I can't let anyone else get hurt. Just keep my eyes covered, and no matter what, don't let me see anything. Fight me if you have to."
"Are you sure, Sheila?" Shaddid asked.
"I'm positive," she nodded. "Go ahead, before I find him."
Shaddid and Lizzie joined their daughter and her aunt on the floor and covered Sheila's eyes.
It didn't take her long to find Michael. When she probed into his mind, he was wheeling a dolly over to the lineup of animatronics. First, he moved Foxy next to a metal operating table with safety straps attached. Baby said something about doing Freddy first. Sheila could feel the anger and frustration welling up inside of her. "They all have to be done. The order doesn't matter. I'm just ready to get this over and done with," he finally said.
Baby asked again to do Freddy first, and they cut her off. "Fine, just shut up about it." Michael walked over to Freddy and loaded him onto the dolly before wheeling him up to the table. Together Baby and Michael lifted Freddy onto the table and strapped him down.
Michael started to explain that he was going to open the chest cavity, but Baby was saying she wanted to do it her way. Sheila was ready to rip Baby's power module out. She just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. A name popped into her head. Danny. Who was Danny? What did any of this have to do with him?
Baby was rambling on and on about looking into Frederick's eyes when they killed him. She pulled a remote-looking device from her pocket, pointed it at Freddy, and pushed a button. Before Sheila's eyes, Freddy's outer skin faded in and out of focus until Frederick was laying there on the table.
Frederick wildly looked between Baby and Michael and pulled against his restraints. "Hey! What are you doing? Leave me alone!"
All at once, Sheila noticed that she hadn't been focused on keeping a low profile inside of Michael's head. She had gotten so engrossed in her concern with Frederick that she had exposed herself. Slowly her vision started to fade. She fought back against Michael's advances, but she couldn't ward him off. At this point all she could hope was that back in the real world, Shaddid and Lizzie were still covering her eyes.
Whoever this woman was, she was back inside his head. Michael knew this because as soon as Baby mentioned enjoying killing Frederick, he immediately found himself filled with pity, compassion, and panic. Slowly he started looking back through her eyes and found his vision restrained. Eventually everything faded to black. He couldn't see anything.
Next to him, Baby asked him what was wrong. He tried rubbing his eyes, but it didn't help. After a few moments, he could see someone's hands covering his eyes. Confused, he reached up and grasped the air, pulling at whatever hands were hindering his vision.
Back in New York, Shaddid and Lizzie watched Nikki and Sheila carefully. Both girls had been pretty quiet, aside from a couple twitches here and there. Nikki was the first one to come back through. Keeping their hands over Sheila's eyes, Lizzie and Shaddid checked to make sure that their daughter was okay. She told them she was fine, but that Frederick was minutes away from getting killed. Charlotte stifled a shuddering gasp.
"Okay, maybe Sheila can distract Baby."
Shaddid could feel Sheila's eyes open and start to move under his fingers. Slowly her hands moved towards her face, but she didn't say anything. He started to say her name until Lizzie shook her head. Shaddid watched as Sheila's hands moved towards her eyes and swiped on top of their hands.
A few minutes passed while Sheila's hands stayed suspended in midair. Shaddid didn't move until Sheila dug her fingernails into Lizzie's hands and clawed at them.
Lizzie cried out and almost released her grip, but she fought back. Sheila shook her head and pulled away from her family. A deep growl of frustration escaped from her throat. She thrashed against Shaddid and Lizzie's hands.
"Lizzie, move!" Shaddid shouted. He tackled Sheila to the ground and pinned her to the floor, keeping his hands over her eyes as Lizzie moved out of the way. With his powers, he tried holding Sheila in place, but he was struggling. With Nicole's character safety net he felt like he was reliving his encounter with Freddy all over again. His powers weren't working on Sheila, and she—or he, as Michael—could tell. "Leave my sister alone!" Shaddid thundered.
Beneath him, Sheila stopped struggling and smiled. "So she's your sister? It's Shaddid, right?" Michael's voice came through Sheila's lips. "You should tell your sister to mind her own business. She's pretty nosy. She saw some things she shouldn't have seen."
"What's he talking about?" Charlotte whispered.
Michael moved Sheila's head in Charlotte's direction. "Ah, Charlotte. I should have known you would be close by. I have to tell you though, there are some things you've been blind to, Charlotte," Michael explained. "But it's all for the best. As charming as this exchange has been, we have some kids to take care of."
"Michael, please don't do this!" Charlotte cried. "This isn't like you! Whatever Dad or Baby promised you, they're lying!"
Sheila chuckled. "It's kind of ironic that you would say that Charlotte. That's what you said the night your memory was erased."
"What are you talking about?" she blurted.
Instead of answering her, Sheila turned her head back to Shaddid. He kept his firm grip on her eyes. "Tell your sister to stay out of my head. We have some business to take care of, and I need to focus. Have a nice night."
On the floor, Sheila gasped sharply and released heaving sobs. Shaddid finally uncovered her eyes and pulled her into a hug on the floor. She clung to him and cried on his shoulder.
After talking with Shaddid and Charlotte, Michael threw Shaddid's sister out of his head with as much force as he could muster. Thankfully, he succeeded, and he could finally see out of his own eyes again. In front of him, Baby was staring at him and yelling his name. Frederick looked frozen in fear.
"Michael!" Baby snapped. "I've been yelling your name for fifteen minutes. What is wrong with you?"
He shook his head, thankful for clarity of mind. "Nothing. Just taking care of business." He stepped up to the table where Frederick was strapped down. "Let's get started."
On the table, Frederick's breathing escalated to panicked gasping. His heart thudded wildly in his chest. Once again, he pulled unsuccessfully against the restraints that were tying him down. The man and woman standing next to him were verifiably insane. Whatever they had planned, he knew they were going to kill him.
"It'll hurt worse the more you struggle," Baby crooned. "Then again, that might be fun to watch."
Michael stood in silence watching the exchange. He swallowed a lump in his throat. Even though he had feigned a dark and brooding presence with Shaddid and his sister, there was no denying the fear rooted deep within him. He was reminded of the night of Danny's accident. The same feelings that had filled him then were filling him now: panic and an overwhelming sense of nausea.
He remained silent while Baby ripped open Frederick's shirt. She felt along his chest and stopped just below his sternum. Slowly, her right arm's exoskeleton broke away to reveal the wiry endoskeleton beneath. The fingers molded into one sharp finger that was poised mere inches from Frederick's skin. She lifted her hand to strike.
"Wait!" Michael interrupted.
Baby whirled on him. "What?" she snapped. "We've already had to wait for you to regain control of your pathetic excuse of a brain. We're running out of time."
"Isn't there a more humane way of doing this? Just change him back to Freddy, and we can do it like we had originally planned."
Fire flashed in Baby's eyes. "His father created the machine that ripped my body to shreds—not only that, but he gave her back to Dad as an unfinished piece knowing that she was dangerous and could harm me—and you want to talk about humane? You don't get a say in this."
"That's not what happened, and you know it!" Michael shouted. "Dad told you to stay away from her until she was fixed. He knew there was something wrong with her, and Henry was going to fix her when they got back from vacation, but you couldn't wait." He could see the fury building in her eyes, but he continued, "You dragged Danny upstairs with you and went into the Service room and switched her on."
"Shut up!"
"You've always had to have everything your way!" Michael continued. "You were always the favorite, and you always got everything you wanted. You couldn't have Baby then, and who's to say you even deserve your own body back now?"
"I said shut up!" Baby screamed. She turned on Michael, nearly driving the sharp, pointed finger through his neck. Just in time, he ducked.
Still strapped to the table, Frederick tried to wiggle out of the straps, but the bonds were cinched too tight. Hopefully the two of them would keep fighting long enough for him to free himself.
Frederick! Nikki was back! Listen carefully, I know you guys don't know where you are exactly or how you got there, and I know you don't have a lot of time, but we just need you guys to try and hold out for a little bit longer. Distract Michael and Baby if you can.
Frederick glanced over at the couple. They were still fighting, Michael throwing punches, and Baby lunging with her skeletal sabre. They're kind of already preoccupied at the moment. They're fighting. Something about my dad.
"Your dad?" Nikki paused. I'll have to ask Aunt Nicole about that one. Just stay alive. The cavalry's coming!"
Okay, but you'd better hurry. I don't know how long they'll fight for, and Baby's pretty angry, so I'm assuming that once they're finished, she's going to go full throttle.
Nicole hurriedly scanned her notes and her story for any information on Frederick's dad, Henry, and William Afton. She knew that the two of them had been business partners. That was old news.
In her story, she found sections she hadn't written. Unphased, she skimmed through and found the conversation between Frederick and Nikki woven into the storyline. For a moment, she was impressed, but she pushed the thoughts aside. She had to find the kids.
Finally, she found a scene a few pages back from Nikki and Frederick's conversation. In detail, it described the kidnapping as well as where Michael and Baby had taken the kids. The process was being done in the main show area of the pizzeria. Michael and Baby had set up an elaborate display consisting of a table complete with restraints, a computer setup, and several tools laid out in a neat, orderly row.
To her surprise, she also found out how Michael and Baby had gotten to and from the book and New York so easily. Excited, she grabbed her cell phone and dialed Lizzie's number.
"It's an alleyway off of West 45th Street!" Nicole exclaimed.
Lizzie frowned. "Slow down, Nicole. What's on 45th Street?"
"The portal! How Baby and Michal got here in the first place! It's where they took the kids!"
Lizzie grabbed a piece of paper and started writing down the information. "Did you find out anything about the kids? How are they?"
"Michael and Baby are still fighting, so for now, everyone is okay. They set up a bunch of garbage and metal sheeting in front of the portal so no one would wander in accidentally. Somehow it's stayed open since they got here."
"Probably because of Sheila and Michael's connections," Lizzie speculated.
"I wouldn't be surprised. But I'll let you go. You'll know it when you see it. Apparently it's a pretty big setup. It'll be hard to miss. Good luck."
"Why do I have to stay here?" Nikki whined.
"It's too dangerous," her dad explained. "Aunt Sheila is staying with you, so you won't be by yourself, and Aunt Nicole is only a phone call away." He pulled his daughter into a hug and lowered his voice. "I didn't want to have to leave you here alone with her, but we don't have time to run you over to Nicole's so just be careful. If she starts to have another episode, barricade yourself in your room. That's an order." Gently he kissed her on the forehead. "Be careful. I love you."
Thirty minutes had passed, and Nikki hadn't stopped pacing since everyone left. Aunt Sheila seemed fine. She had told Nikki she was "keeping a safe distance." Nikki didn't want to put herself in danger, but she wanted to help. She had to help. After all, if she hadn't been able to contact the kids in the first place, they would still be looking for them, and all of the kids would probably have been killed at this point.
Her mind was made up. She packed a backpack with some snacks and her pocketknife. Quietly she tiptoed down the stairs and past the den where her aunt was sitting to the front door. It squeaked upon opening, and she cringed.
"Nikki, what are you doing?" Sheila jogged down the hallway and met her in the foyer. "Your dad told you to stay here."
Nikki hung her head and shrugged. "I know," she grumbled, "but I want to help! They never would have found the kids without us! It's not fair!" A pout spread over her face. "I'm going whether you want me to or not. You can't stop me." She turned on her heel and marched toward the front door.
"You're not going anywhere," Sheila reprimanded, then smiled. "Not without me anyway. Let me grab my shoes. We've got some kids to save!"
Like Nicole had said, the portal wasn't that hard to find. As soon as they stood at the edge of it, Charlotte's eyes brightened. "I can sense the kids! Finally!"
Shaddid kept his guard up. "We still have to be careful though. There's no telling where exactly the portal opens up. We know that it comes out in the pizzeria, but the last thing we want is for us to jump through into the middle of the ceremony. We need to have the element of surprise." He crouched and started to lean towards the portal, but Charlotte pulled him back.
"Maybe I should go first," she offered. "I'm the only one out of the three of us who's immortal."
"Yeah, but they'll be able to sense you quicker that way, won't they?" Lizzie questioned.
Charlotte's face fell. "Oh, yeah. I didn't think about that." She sighed. "Okay, Shaddid, you go first, but if you see anything, let me know."
He nodded. "I'll go through and make sure the coast is clear. Once it is, I'll reach back through the portal and signal for you both to follow."
Carefully, Shaddid slid one foot inside the portal, followed by his leg, his hip, and then his whole right side. Once his head was through, he listened intently for several seconds. He couldn't hear anything, but the temperature difference between inside and outside of the portal was surprising. It must have been the middle of winter in Utah.
After listening for a few more seconds and still hearing nothing, he slid the rest of his body through the portal and looked around. He was standing in a small room. There was a rather large gift box to his right and a display case and counter in front of him and to his left. Prizes of all shapes and sizes lined the walls and the floor of the display case, covered in inches of dust.
He beckoned through the portal for Charlotte and Lizzie to follow him. First Charlotte and then Lizzie squeezed through the opening and shivered at the temperature change.
"I haven't heard anything," Shaddid whispered. "Charlotte, where are we?"
Charlotte folded her arms tightly against her body. "In the Prize Corner," she whispered through chattering teeth. "The main part of the restaurant is that way." She pointed out the door into a larger room.
"Then that's where the kids are," Lizzie responded. "Nicole said they were in the main show area."
Shaddid stepped to the side out of the way of the door. "I would lead the way," he whispered to Charlotte, "but you know your way around here better than I do. You go first. Lizzie and I have your back."
With a nod, Charlotte quietly padded across the tile floor, Shaddid and Lizzie following close on her heels.
With one final shove, Baby finally knocked Michael to the floor and pinned him. "This is pointless," she seethed. "We have to pull ourselves together and get this done. As much as I hate to admit it, I need your help with this. I may have been selfish in the past, but I'm doing you a favor. As soon as this is all over, you won't have the murders hanging over your head anymore, and Danny's death will finally be avenged.
"So please," she finished, "help me with this, and I promise you we can do whatever you want once this is over with. Deal?" She retracted the lance and held out her restored hand to him.
He glared at her and took the offered hand as she pulled him to his feet. "Fine, you win," he grumbled.
The pointed mangle of a finger returned as quickly as it had disappeared. Baby returned to the table where Frederick was still trying unsuccessfully to free himself. "It only hurts for a moment," she assured him. She plunged the sharp fragment into Fredrick's chest inches from Freddy's power module.
Frederick screamed.
Charlotte, Shaddid, and Lizzie had made it to the dining room. It sounded like there was a generator running somewhere. It was a little warmer here towards the middle of the building, but not much. Other than that, there weren't any other sounds. Charlotte stayed close to the shadows and inched along the side of the wall so they could get closer to the stage in the next room. Most of what little light they had to go by seemed to be coming from the stage, so there were plenty of dark spaces to hide.
She could sense the kids, but she couldn't hear them, and it was too risky to try to communicate. There was the possibility that Baby would be able to hear them. As one unit, the three stayed low to the ground and crept across the floor.
The dining room seemed so much bigger than Charlotte remembered. Then again, usually when she was crossing to get to another room, she wasn't simultaneously trying not to be seen or heard.
A scream broke the silence, and all three of them froze in place. Charlotte's heart hammered, and her breath caught in her throat. Immediately she knew whose scream they had heard. It was Frederick. She quickened her pace, keeping an even stride across the floor to help eliminate any excess noise.
Finally they made it through the dining room into the showroom. The lights were all turned off except for a few spotlights on the stage. The three hid behind the control panel and ventured a peek above to see what was going on. Frederick was tied to a table of some kind with Michael and Baby hovering around him. Baby's right arm was currently imbedded in Frederick's chest.
Bonnie, Chica, and Golden Freddy were lined up next to each other while Foxy was standing next to the table. All of them stood like statues on the stage.
"We have to do something!" Charlotte whispered.
Shaddid tried looking for something big enough that he could throw at the adults, but he couldn't see anything in the dark.
"There you guys are!" Nikki whispered. "What's happening now?"
Nikki! I told you to stay home! her dad mentally shouted in her direction.
"I know," she responded quietly, "but you guys wouldn't have even found the kids without us, so we came to help."
Sheila smiled sheepishly from the back of the line. "I wasn't about to let her go by herself, and besides, you guys were having all the fun. So what's going on?"
"They've started the process with Frederick," Shaddid explained.
"So what's the plan of action?"
"We're working on it," Charlotte whispered.
Frederick's mind had started to block out the pain in his chest. He was starting to feel really dizzy. The room swam above him, and he could hardly tell where Baby ended, and where Michael started.
The pain stopped for a moment, and he thought he was dead.
"What's wrong?" Michael's voice sounded garbled, like Frederick was under water.
"We're not alone," Baby responded. She pulled her hand from Frederick's chest and turned towards the dining room.
Frederick gasped for breath as his eyes bounced wildly around him. The wound in his chest bled freely.
"Charlotte, you should have told us you were coming." Baby's voice carried across the showroom. "We would have saved you a front row seat. Stop hiding behind the control panel. You came to talk. Let's talk."
From the control panel, Lizzie watched Charlotte closely. The young woman looked conflicted, but she started to stand up. "What are you doing?" Lizzie whispered.
"She already knows I'm here. There's no use hiding anymore. Stay hidden and keep each other safe. If you can, get back to New York. I don't want anyone else to get hurt." Without another word, Charlotte stood from her hiding spot and walked towards the stage.
Michael watched as his sister crossed the tile floor in front of them. She definitely looked older, but she was still the same Charlotte he remembered from ten years ago. After a few moments, she stood in front of the stage looking up at them.
"Frederick, are you okay?" Charlotte asked. Her voice was choked with tears.
"I didn't say you could talk to them," Baby snapped, but then she smiled. "I bet you're wondering why we're doing all of this, aren't you? You look a bit perplexed." She looked between her brother and sister and could see the questioning look in Charlotte's eyes. Michael, on the other hand, looked ashamed.
"You know what," Baby continued, "I'm actually curious to see what your reaction would be when you learn the truth." She glanced over at Michael. "Tell her."
Michael looked down at Charlotte, tears of his own pricking the backs of his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Charlotte," he said, his voice breaking.
"I don't understand," Charlotte responded.
"Tell her what you were doing the night the kids disappeared."
He took a shuddering breath and couldn't look Charlotte in the eye. "What do you remember from that night?" he asked, his voice echoing in the empty room despite being hardly more than a whisper.
"Nothing," she whispered. "I found the kids in the storage room, but I don't remember anything before that."
"That's because Daddy erased your memory," Baby sang, elation evident on her face.
Charlotte's face bore a look of horror as she tried to read her brother's expression, and it continued as he began to speak.
Ten Years Ago
Frederick's tenth birthday party was well underway. Charlotte hadn't been able to watch the party from the Prize Counter, but she knew that he was having a good time. It was nearing seven-thirty, and even though she would be closing for the night soon, she figured now would be a good time to restock. She was out of a lot of the prizes, and it would save her time tomorrow.
After checking to make sure no customers were waiting in line, she left her station and made her way to the storage room. It was here where they kept not only the toys for the prize corner but also the Springlock suits. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed that one of them was missing.
That's odd, she thought to herself. Usually the mascot costumes were put away for the night around seven. She shrugged. Maybe someone had specially requested Bonnie before the end of the night. It wasn't altogether unusual for such requests to be made. After all, that's what Freddy's was all about: giving kids the experience of a lifetime.
She started to get a box of toys down from a top shelf when someone bumped into her from behind. "Oh, sorry," she apologized, before noticing that it was her brother. He was wearing the missing mascot suit.
"What are you doing back here?" Michael asked. His face had turned a shade of red.
"Getting some more toys," Charlotte replied slowly. "What are you doing? I thought you were off tonight."
"What's taking so long?" Dad's voice squawked over Michael's radio.
Michael ignored the radio and picked up an object from inside of Golden Bonnie's head that was lying on the floor. It was a gun.
"Michael, what are you doing?" Charlotte asked, horrified.
"I have to do this, Charlotte. You wouldn't understand." He loaded bullets into the empty chambers.
"Is Dad making you do this?" Charlotte's eyes widened with realization. "This has to do with Elizabeth and Danny, doesn't it?"
Michael shouldered his way past her and stored the gun inside his suit. "Stay out of my way, Charlotte."
"Whatever he's promising you, whatever he's telling you, he's lying!" Charlotte ran and planted herself in front of the door as a last-ditch attempt to stop him. "Please, Michael, you don't have to do this. Just give me the gun, and we can talk about it."
"He's never going to stop," Michael shouted, tears running down his cheeks. "He promised that if I do this…if I kill Frederick, that he'll finally forgive me for killing Danny." He sniffed and swiped at his cheeks with the back of his arm. "I have to do this, Charlotte. I don't have a choice."
"Listen to yourself! That doesn't make any logical sense!"
"Michael, if I have to come back there and find you," Dad's voice came back over the radio, "you'll wish you'd never been born."
Michael pulled a taser from his pocket. "Move, Charlotte."
She shook her head. "No! I'm not going to let you do this!"
"Charlotte, please move!" Michael groaned. "If Dad comes back here…" His voice trailed off.
Charlotte stayed put where she was.
Michael switched the taser on. "I told you to move. You leave me with no other choice." He set the taser against her neck and pulled the trigger.
William made his way to the back storage room. Rage welled up inside of him. Michael wasn't answering his radio, and he wasn't anywhere to be seen. If he had chickened out, William swore he'd kill him himself. He reached out to pull the door open, but it swung open of its own accord. Michael stood on the other side, shame plastered on his face.
"You'd better give me one good reason why you're not out there doing your job!" Afton seethed.
"I ran into some trouble. You said you'd keep people out of the back room. Charlotte saw me."
Afton swore under his breath. "Where is she?" he snapped.
"In there. I shocked her. She's unconscious."
"What did you tell her?" he continued.
"At this point, I don't think it matters. You'll have to erase her memories anyway since she saw me, unless you want her calling the cops and telling them that you blackmailed me into doing your dirty work for you."
Afton grabbed the material on Michael's shoulder and threw him into the hallway. "You'd better do this right," he snarled. "Just like we rehearsed."
Michael shrugged the costume back into position, set the bunny head in place, and ventured into the dining room.
When Michael had left, William opened the door again and saw Charlotte's still body on the floor. There was a mark on her neck from the taser. He scooped her into his arms and was reminded of the fateful day when he had found her like this in the alleyway behind the restaurant, covered in blood. That day, he had erased her painful memories to make life easier for her. This time, he was doing the same.
She could never know about Michael. The two of them were quite close, despite their age difference, and if she ever found out, she would be devastated. Even though he despised Michael for what he had done to Danny, he didn't want Charlotte to suffer with the burden of knowing that her brother was a murderer. Before beginning the ritual, he overturned the box of toys onto the floor.
Satisfied, he took her in his arms and sang.
Erase these memories most foul
That cause your heart to weep.
Replace them now with memories dear
Lest history repeat.
He smoothed the hair back from her face and held her until her eyes opened moments later. "Charlotte! Thank goodness! Are you okay? I found you here in the storage room. The box must have fallen on top of you when you were trying to pull it down."
Charlotte surveyed the room blankly before seeing the spilled box of toys. "Yeah," she said, rubbing her head, "it was too heavy. I should have asked for help. I'm sorry."
"It's alright, sweetheart. I'm just glad you're okay. Do you feel okay to stand?" He helped her to her feet. "Or do you need to sit down for a minute?"
She nodded. "Yeah, maybe. I feel a little dizzy, and my head hurts."
"Take all the time you need, Sweety. Come back when you're ready." He kissed her forehead gently, patted her hand, and left the room. When he re-entered the dining room, Michael was making his way over to Frederick's party table.
Afton kept up his end of the bargain and went to go find the parents attending Frederick's birthday party.
Inside of the Golden Bonnie suit, Michael made his way through the dining room towards Frederick's private party room. He could hear kids all around him cheering and calling for him as he walked past. He waved to them but didn't stop. He looked around to make sure that Dad was keeping his part of the deal and saw Afton talking to the parents. None of them had noticed him, thankfully. He breathed a sigh of relief and finally approached the party room.
"Bonnie!" Frederick cried, a grin spreading over his face. His friends joined in the excitement.
It took Michael a second to steady his breathing and his voice before getting into character. "Hey, Frederick! Happy birthday!" His heart pounded inside of his chest, and he could feel the cold barrel of the pistol against his leg. "How about I show you a special birthday surprise! Just for you!" He reached out a hand in welcome. "Come with me!"
Frederick smiled up at him and took his hand. "Can my friends come too?"
Michael's heart skipped a beat. "The surprise is just for the birthday boy," he said. His voice was shaking, and he struggled to steady it. He cleared his throat. "It'll just take a minute, and we'll be right back."
"Please, Bonnie? I really want my friends to come with me. It's my birthday wish. Please?"
Sweat started trickling down Michael's forehead. He had to get control of himself and the situation. The last thing he needed was getting speared in the Springlock suit on top of everything else. "Fine!" he snapped and then quickly recovered in Bonnie's voice, "I mean, sure, buddy! Come on, guys! This way!"
He led the way through the Employees Entrance into the back room, the kids trailing none the wiser behind him like lambs to the slaughter.
Inside the storage room, Michael told the kids to line up against the wall for the surprise. He locked the door and then told the kids, "I'm going to get the surprise! I'll be right back. Wait there."
Around the corner, Michael took off the Springlock suit, revealing his purple employee shirt underneath. He replaced the Bonnie head, which he presumed looked rather odd without the rest of the costume, but the Springlock fingers were too bulky to pull the trigger. He could see just fine through Bonnie's mouth to see what he was doing.
All he had to do was shoot the five of them and then drag their bodies outside to the dumpster. Dad had already arranged for it to be emptied first thing in the morning. Michael just hoped the task wouldn't be too messy. He wouldn't have that much time to clean everything up.
Taking another deep breath, he wrapped his fingers around the pistol's grip and walked back to where the kids were lined up. As soon as they saw them, the anticipation on their faces turned to panic.
"Bonnie?" Frederick ventured quietly.
"Shut up!" There was no reason to keep character anymore. He had to get this done. He leveled the gun at the kids. "If any of you make any noise whatsoever, this will be a lot more painful than it could be. I'm going to kill each and every one of you, and if you try to fight back, I am promising you right now, you'll regret it. Stay where you're standing and don't move."
He turned his back to make sure that the gun's safety was off and that the bullets were loaded and ready to go.
Behind him, Frederick and Felix looked at each other. Billy, Goldie, and Amy looked terrified. Felix and Frederick were scared too, but they had to do something. Whoever this guy was, he couldn't get away with this. He seemed to be fiddling with his gun. Frederick caught Felix's eye and held up three fingers. He lowered them one by one, and then nodded. Together, the two of them jumped on "Bonnie's" back.
Michael uttered a cry of surprise, and the gun went off. Frederick hung onto Michael's back and tried to knock the gun out of his hand. Michael's left hand came around behind him and grabbed Frederick's pants, finally jerking the birthday boy off his back. Michael spun around and shot as quickly as he could, hitting Frederick in the stomach.
Amy screamed and sank down to the floor, covering her ears and closing her eyes.
"Please! Don't hurt him!" Felix cried.
Michael ignored Amy for the moment instead and turned the gun on Felix. He fired once and hit Felix in the stomach. Felix gasped and fell over onto the floor. He curled into a fetal position and looked up at his killer. Michael aimed and shot again, this time at Felix's forehead. The shot buried itself in Felix's right eye, knocking him onto his back. He didn't move again.
After steadying his aim, Michael swung around and shot at Billy's chest and then aimed at Goldie. She turned her back to him after he shot, the bullet planting itself in her spine. She slumped to the floor next to Billy.
Frederick tried to sit up and crawl over to his friends. Michael stood over him and pushed Frederick onto his back with his foot. He reloaded one last bullet into the pistol and shot Frederick's knee. Frederick cried out and stopped moving.
The entire time, Amy hadn't stopped screaming. Michael ripped off the Golden Bonnie head, tossed it and the gun onto the ground, and grabbed Amy's throat, pinning her against the wall. "I thought I told you to shut up," he seethed. She started to struggle, kicking him, and narrowly missing his groin. He moved her onto the floor where he straddled her and held her legs down.
His heart was pounding, making his head throb. The smell of blood was revolting. He pressed against her throat and squeezed, just hoping that after this it would all be over. He was about to throw up. He shut his eyes tight and didn't release pressure on Amy's neck for five agonizingly long minutes. When he finally got the courage to look at her, she was staring up at him lifelessly, eyes bugged and tongue lolling out of her mouth.
With a shaky breath, he pushed himself up to his feet. He looked at the carnage around him and knew that if he didn't clean everything up spotless, his body would be joining these five in the dumpster out back.
He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and heard a gurgling, gasping breath. Quickly he whirled around to see Frederick, eyes still open and very much alive, but slowly dying. Michael walked over to him and knelt down to his level.
"I told you the surprise was only for you," Michael said, his voice wavering. "If you had listened to me, none of your friends would have died. But you had to go and share your birthday surprise with them." Hot, angry tears streaked down his cheeks. "This is your fault."
As Michael grabbed Amy's lifeless body and dragged it to the exit at the back of the room, Frederick laid motionless on the floor and turned his head slowly towards the outside exit door. A tear rolled down his cheek. "I—I'm so—sorry, Michael" he gasped.
At the exit, Michael shouldered the door open, Amy still in his arms. He looked quickly around to make sure that the back alleyway was empty. There wasn't a person or vehicle to be seen. Quickly, he pulled her body the rest of the way out the door, keeping it propped open with his foot. Sirens sounded in the distance, and he panicked. He shoved Amy's body back inside the storage room with the others, grabbed the Springlock suit, and ran.
The room grew extremely quiet when Michael finished his story. Charlotte couldn't believe what she had just heard. It wasn't true! It couldn't be! She looked between Michael and Baby and tried to read anything in their faces that would tell her that this was all some kind of cruel joke.
"I trusted you!" she cried. "The kids trusted you!"
"I told you then that I never expected you to understand, and I still don't expect you to," Michael said evenly.
Charlotte squared her shoulders and frowned at her siblings. "Well, you're not getting away with it again. Not this time."
Baby scoffed, "Sure, Charlotte. And you alone are going to stop us?"
"She's not alone." Shaddid stood from behind the control panel, followed by Lizzie, Sheila, and Nikki.
Frederick whooped weakly from the table. "You guys are screwed!"
Frederick, shut it, Charlotte reprimanded.
"Oh, look, she's brought the whole crew!" Michael said smugly. "Shaddid, hello again. And Sheila, nice to meet you, officially. Lizzie, we met briefly in town. And the little one, we haven't had the pleasure."
Nikki glared at him and took a breath to respond, but Sheila sent a thought her way. Don't let him get in your head. Trust me, it's not fun. Keep the high ground.
"Just let Charlotte and the kids go, and we'll walk away like this never happened. You'll never see or hear from us again," Shaddid offered. He finally caught sight of something he could throw towards the stage: a giant speaker system. At best, it would distract Baby for a few minutes and potentially knock Michael out. He glanced towards the stage and thought quickly.
"That's not going to work, man," Michael laughed. "You have to come up with something better than that."
"Funny you say that," Shaddid said with a smile. Telepathically, he slowly raised the speaker system. He threw the speaker in Michael and Baby's direction. "Charlotte, Lizzie: get the kids!" The speaker flew through the air and hit Michael, knocking him out cold and pinning Baby to the floor. Shaddid pushed down on it as hard as he could to hold her in place.
Charlotte scrambled towards the stage with Lizzie and started switching on the remaining animatronics. Meanwhile, Shaddid kept the speaker in place and sprinted over to the table. He unstrapped Frederick with his free hands and then surveyed Frederick's chest. The laceration was deep and still bleeding.
"Alright, buddy, let's see if we can get this fixed." He swiveled around towards Sheila. "Sheila, throw me the pendant!" Sheila tossed it in his direction, and he grabbed it with his powers and opened it. He took a deep breath. "I'll try to do this as quickly as I can, Frederick, but it's going to hurt. Take a deep breath if you can."
He scooped salve out of the pendant and packed goops of it into Frederick's chest. Frederick's body started to shake. "Hang in there, buddy," Shaddid mumbled. "We're almost done." He started to close up the wound when he heard something behind him. Funtime Freddy leered behind him. Shaddid threw him off the stage and into the wall and turned back to Frederick. The wound was closed with fresh, pink skin covering where the laceration had been. He patted Frederick's shoulder. "Give yourself a second before you stand up. We don't want you to pass out."
"They need my help," he muttered.
"You can help them in just a second. We'll go in together. Just hang on."
Sheila and Nikki watched from the sidelines, trying to figure out how they could best help the situation. Charlotte and Lizzie had finished switching on the animatronics, and Shaddid was finishing up with Frederick.
"Nikki, are you hearing what I'm thinking?"
Nikki nodded. "Whenever you're ready."
Sheila closed her eyes and projected the Puppet's likeness onto herself and onto Nikki.
Cool! This is awesome! Nikki said with a smile, although the Puppet's expression didn't change. From the stage, Mom and Charlotte both did a double take at seeing two extra Puppets.
Hey! Funtime Freddy! Come kick some Puppet butt! Nikki shouted. She turned to her aunt. We keep Charlotte's memories as the Puppet, don't we?
Puppet Sheila looked at her. Yeah, why?
We can take this guy's power module out and shut him down. Then we just have to worry about Baby.
Funtime Freddy turned in their direction and sauntered across the show area.
Foxy! Bonnie! Help us with Funtime Freddy! Golden Freddy and Chica, help Shaddid and Frederick! Sheila braced herself and waited as Funtime Freddy marched in their direction. Foxy sprinted up to the duo.
What's going on, guys? How do you both look like Charlotte? He asked.
We'll explain later. Help us get Funtime Freddy's power module out, Sheila explained.
Bonnie arrived to help the trio about the same time Funtime Freddy showed up. Foxy and Bonnie held Funtime Freddy down while Sheila and Nikki worked together to open up Funtime Freddy's faceplates and chest cavity and remove his power module.
With the two of them working together, Nikki and Sheila managed to disconnect the power module within almost thirty seconds. Funtime Freddy powered down, and Foxy knocked him over. One left to go, Bonnie winked.
Shaddid helped Frederick to his feet. "Do you think you can change into Freddy? We kind of need him."
"Yeah, I think so," Frederick said. He rolled his neck. "I don't think I can switch by myself though. I'm still feeling kind of out of it. I need Baby's fancy remote thing."
"I've got you covered." Shaddid saw it lying on the floor next to Baby. He checked on her quickly. She was still fighting against the speaker system he was holding her down with. He summoned her tracker and showed it to Frederick. "Do you know which button it is?" The two of them looked at it together and found the correct setting. Shaddid pointed the tracker at Frederick and pushed the button.
Chica and Golden Freddy ran up to help. Hey, guys! What can we do?
Frederick took control. "Hold Baby down with the speaker. Shaddid is trying to help me change, and if he's doing that, he won't be able to focus as well to hold Baby down. She's pretty strong." He turned to Shaddid. "Sorry, dude, but I can see you struggling. You look exhausted."
Shaddid nodded. "Thank you. Yeah, you guys go take care of Baby, but be careful." Golden Freddy and Chica ran off to take care of Elizabeth's animatronic.
Frederick filtered in and out of focus until he stretched and transformed into Freddy. Shaddid waited until Freddy was standing whole before him. "Are you okay now? Give me a thumbs-up if you can."
Freddy gave him a thumbs-up.
"Alright," Shaddid said, "let's go help your siblings."
Charlotte ran back up to the stage where the animatronics were holding Baby in place. She could tell that Shaddid was exhausted, but she admired him for still pushing himself to help where he could. "Let her up, guys."
Charlotte, are you crazy? Foxy asked.
Just do it, she insisted.
They all looked at each other before stepping back and allowing Baby to stand up. Shaddid stepped forward to intervene, but Charlotte stopped him. He stepped back but stayed alert. Sheila, Lizzie, Shaddid, Nikki, and the animatronics watched as Charlotte helped Baby to her feet.
Leave them out of this, Elizabeth. This is between you and me. I know what you need. You don't actually need all of them. Baby stared at her warily. I'm telling the truth. Trust me. You just need one dead soul. Leave them alone and take me.
"You really want to do this then?"
Charlotte nodded.
Nikki, what's going on? Shaddid snuck a look at his daughter.
Nikki started to reply when Baby's endoskeleton shot out and grabbed Charlotte by the throat.
"No!" Shaddid jumped forward.
"Shaddid, stop!" Charlotte choked. Baby's metallic fingers wrapped tighter around Charlotte's neck and body. "It has to be this way," she rasped.
Everyone stood and stared while Baby dragged Charlotte up the stairs and began strapping her to the table.
"There's no need for that, Elizabeth," Charlotte said softly. "I won't run. I promise."
Baby paused and then let the straps dangle at the side of the table. "If you even move half an inch, I'll make you suffer. I know how to."
A tear trickled down Charlotte's cheek. "I know you do," she said with a broken voice.
Shaddid felt completely helpless. "We can't just let this happen," he whispered. "We have to do something." Nikki turned away and buried her face in Sheila's shoulder, but then she jerked her head up to look at Charlotte, surprise written across her face. She hid a smile, which received a curious look from her mom.
Baby turned to start the process, and while her back was turned, Charlotte reached down into the side of her boot and pulled out something. "I told you not to move," Baby warned, but Charlotte thrusted a taser between Baby's chest plates and pulled the trigger. Charlotte pushed Baby onto the floor and continued tasering her.
Baby's system began to glitch and shut down. After multiple shots with the taser, Baby's lights dimmed and then finally flickered out. Breathing heavily, Charlotte opened Baby's chest cavity and removed her power module.
"Why didn't you trust me?" Baby's warbled voice questioned before growing silent.
Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief and stood up. She swiped at her eyes and nose with the back of her wrist before dropping the taser. "Where's Michael?" she asked, her voice thick.
The animatronics turned to where Michael had been lying knocked out for the duration of the fight with Baby. He finally woke up and rubbed his head. As soon as they saw he was awake, all of the animatronics flanked him and picked him up. He screamed and flailed his arms. "Charlotte, make them stop!"
Silently, Charlotte and everyone else followed the animatronics and Michael to the back storage room where the kids were killed. As soon as they entered the room, the animatronics turned to ghostly, rotten versions of themselves. Michael screamed again and tried clawing his way away from them, but they held him in place.
Charlotte watched them, confused at first, until she saw where they were dragging him. The Golden Bonnie suit was lying unused on the floor of the storage room. Frederick left Michael with his siblings and opened up the springlocks. Michael flailed his arms and pleaded with them.
"Charlotte, please! I'm sorry! Don't let them do this to me!"
Frederick looked at Charlotte. I know he's your brother, and I know he was being blackmailed by your father, but he still killed us.
I can't, Charlotte sobbed.
Charlotte, we can't hold him much longer! Amy shouted.
Frantic, Charlotte turned to Lizzie and Shaddid. "What will happen to him? If I follow through with this?"
They shook their heads. "We don't know. Nicole might know, but…"
We don't have time to call her, Charlotte! Billy grunted. We need your help! Now!
Conflict was tearing her apart. She didn't want to be responsible for killing her brother, but the kids would be avenged if this happened. She didn't know what to do, and she was running out of time. Michael was almost free.
Her heart thudded in her chest, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, and then she felt a child take her left hand. Surprised, she looked down and saw the spirit of a little boy smiling up at her. She stared disbelievingly at the spirit. "Danny?" she whispered. He giggled, smiling even bigger.
Still in shock, she felt another child take her right hand. She spun around and saw the spirit of another boy who had a mop of blonde hair on his head. "Bonnie?" she whispered, referring to her baby sibling that had died.
It's okay, Charlotte, Danny said. He'll be okay. All of them will be.
Baby Bonnie grinned. He'll be okay, Charlotte. He squeezed his big sister's hand and swung her arm.
Charlotte! Goldie said, a sense of urgency punctuating her words. He's almost free!
With a surge of courage, Charlotte stepped up to Michael. The kids were losing their grip.
"Charlotte, you know I don't deserve this. Tell them to let me go," Michael pleaded.
She smiled sadly at him. "You're going to be okay," she managed through her tears. "I'm sorry." She closed her eyes and set her hands on Michael's chest. "I love you," she sobbed, and then pushed him into the suit.
An unexplainable force threw Sheila, Lizzie, Shaddid, and Nikki out of the book and back into the alleyway off of West 45th. They stood up and brushed themselves off. The portal was closed, and the kids, Charlotte, Michael, and Baby were nowhere to be seen.
"Looks like they made it back home," Shaddid suggested.
"I want to call Aunt Nicole," Nikki said. "I want to make sure they're all okay."
Shaddid took out his cell phone as they were taking a detour down Times Square and called Nicole. He relayed to her what had happened and asked for an update on Charlotte, the kids, and on Michael, to see if he was indeed okay. The call didn't last long, but when he hung up, there was a smile on his face.
"What did she say?" Nikki asked.
"Charlotte was telling the truth," he said. "They're all okay, and it's better than we imagined. Sheila," he continued, "how do you feel? Did the connection break between you and Michael?"
Sheila closed her eyes and tried to reach out to Michael. For the first time in months, she didn't sense his presence. She smiled. "It must have. I don't sense him anymore."
With a smile, the four of them held hands as they walked through Times Square.
Nicole hung up with Shaddid and smiled at the epilogue of her book. Again, there were sections included that she hadn't written, but she couldn't have written it any better. Any form of a happy ending was always welcome.
She scrolled back to the beginning of the epilogue and started it again with a smile on her face.