Before The Dark Times
By
End of Grace
Chapter four: The start of things to come...
Jack came running out the front door with the bag over his shoulder when he noticed the baggy had rolled halfway down the path.
"CRAP! What the hell!" he sprinted after it and quickly grabbed the handle and peered in, James blinked back up at him in confusion, as he sighed loudly. "Right...this didn't happen, right buddy? Because if it got back to the grumpy bear we won't get our bonding time"
There was a rustling in the bushes and a small scream that made Jack jump slightly. It sounded like a woman. Had another of the old people wondered over? He wheeled James over and looked over the bush to see a tall, thin woman on all fours looking around frantically for something.
"Are you alright ms?" Jack asked, "Do you need a hand?"
The woman shook her head and continued to look around on the ground for whatever it was she was looking for. Jack was about to leave when he noticed a beautiful mask poking out from under the shrubbery. He picked it up and held it out to the woman. "Here...is this what you're looking for?"
The woman froze for a moment before she slumped forward and groaned slightly as if in defeat. She turned ever so slowly, keeping her head down so her face was covered by her long hair, as she reached out to take the mask. Jack frowned but shrugged figuring she might be a burns victim or such as he handed the mask over.
"You know you can look at me, I'm not the kind to judge or anything, besides I live with some pretty ugly characters so I'm more than used to anything unusual"
The woman slowly looked up and Jack did everything in his power not to react. Her face was...well not ugly...ok she was fucking hideous...rolls of skin flabby around her face, her eyes were sunken in, with wrinkles covering every inch of her face like a spider web. The skin was grey like it never had seen sunlight, there were warts, thick and hair and there was a weird, slightly swollen area that Jack guested should be her mouth. He smiled widely and held out his hand for her to take.
"There we go. Here, let me help you up"
He helped the odd woman to her feet, making sure she was steady on her feet before letting her go, before taking in her full appearance. She was wearing an outfit like a dress as they wore in Japan, her feet looked like they had been bound in wrapping to make them small, while her hair with grey and piled untidily on top of her head.
"Are you sure your ok? I can call someone for you?"
"I'm fine. Thank you"
Jack frowned. He would swear that he didn't see her mouth move, but he heard...something...it didn't sound like an old woman...didn't sound like a young woman either.
"Well, I'll be off, Me and my boy don't get a lot of man time together. See ya" he said as politely as he could as he started to push James away, trying to keep his movement steady as if he wasn't trying to get away from the creepy woman as fast as he could. The Lady tilted her head to the side as she watched Jack walk away. Why hadn't he screamed? How could he stand to even look at her real face? He had been so kind...friendly even...why? She slipped her mask on and sighed with relief as her body changed back to its beautiful self. She went back to a small hidden spot where a large sack was moving around violently as if serval things were fighting for room. It hadn't been a bad nights work, it was a shame she didn't pick up the babe, he would have made an excellent side dish. She looked over her shoulder and watched the small dot that was Jack until he was out of sight before turning to look at the Nightmare building. Maybe she should have her agents do a little digging about the place and its...staff.
-Line Break-
Norman walked carefully down the hallway, his eyes darting this way and that, always watching the pipes. Those useless pipes that pumped that dreaded inky slime and bearly contained it. Even now droplets were dripping down the wall like light rain. After his and Wally's close call the other day, Norman had been more alert and keeping to the upper floors rather than the lower ones that he usually worked. Something truly evil was going down, he could feel it in his bones and he knew that Joey was behind it, him and those GENT guys. He didn't trust them. Acting like they were better than everyone. Taking stuff that didn't belong to them. He'd seen them. They never saw him, no one ever did, but he saw everything around here. Susie was "missing", he didn't buy that crap about her leaving for other work, not the way she flirted with Joey and Sammy and her love for Alice Angel. Sammy was "missing" too, though he could almost see him being forced to take time off due to ill health, there was one guy about to fly over the cuckoo nest. Then there was that poor kid...what was his name...Buddy? Oh, Joey was stringing him along and playing him like a fiddle, the tight fist git. It was a shame really, the kid had talent, he could only pray that Buddy was safe, where ever he was. Norman suddenly stopped in his tracks as what sounded like a woman scream echoed through the hall. He ran towards the sound, someone needed help, was it the ink again? The ink was falling heavily down the walls, it splashed around his feet as it got deeper the further he went. There were no lights down here, the blubs had been taken to be used in the offices that were actually in use, so Norman pulled out his trusted torch and flicked it on. A woman was weeping heavily, her sad sobs echoed around the room, yet there was something off about it...like they weren't quite real...it was more like a sound effect.
"Hello? Is someone there? Ya need help?" he called out as he looked around swinging his light around. There was a machine in the middle of the room, it was huge and had an almost foreboding look about it, with all the pipes descending and surrounding it like a crown. On the floor by it, curled up like a ball, was a raven-haired woman. She...looked familiar….but not right. She looked...animated. A live cartoon. It couldn't be? Could it?
Norman placed his hand over his mouth muttering "Son of a bitch! He's really done it"
"He told me….he promised me" the wo...creature wept into its hands, hiding its face.
"Promised you what? Joey? Was it him?" Norman asked, not noticing the ink rasing around him.
"He promised me...he promised…" Norman leaned closer as the creature whipped around, half of her face was completely disfigured, twisted. "HE PROMISED ME I'D BE BEAUTIFUL!"
Norman screamed and stagged back, tripping over his own feet and fell into the pool of ink. He gasped for air as he stared horrified as the cartoon woman stood over him wielding an axe.
"Do you know what it's like? Being trapped in the inky depths? DO YOU?" She swung the axe down and into Norman's leg. He screamed helplessly as the ink wrapped around his arms and torso, trapping him there on the floor.
"Remember this face as you die. This is the face of Alice Angel!" The cartoon raised the axe above her head and slammed it down as hard as she could, shivering Norman's head from his body. She watched as his body twitch helplessly for a moment before going still. Her smile twisted as she kicked the head like a football and hummed a happy tune as she walked away.
He had escaped again. It was getting easier. They were so busy, so worried about other things that they forget to watch him. He could feel it, all of it, everything the ink touched, he could feel it like he was the one touching it. The smoothness of the pipes, the rough stone of the walls, the...what was this? Something polluting his world again? What had Joey done now? No...not Joey….it was Her. The incomplete. The failure. Let see what toy she found to play with. He wondered through the ink dripped halls and made his way to the main machine room and looked down at Norman's remains. He knew this man, he recognises the clothes, He worked here. Always tinkering with the projectors and film. He could be...useful, it was a shame he was incomplete, he would need to do something about that before feeding him into the machine with all the others. He walked through the empty offices, looking over the leftover equipment that had been abandoned or forgotten about until he came across a large broken projector. He dragged the broken machine back to the headless body and reached up to switch on the ink machine. It let out a loud howling noise, like an animal crying out in pain, as it pumped and guzzled the ink and twisted whatever had been dumped into its inky depths. He picked up the body and projector and slid them into the machine. It screamed loudly as he slammed the lid shut as an inky hand tried to escape. It rattled and shook for a few moments and then went still, what followed was the sound of a choir of voices crying and moaning. He sighed happily. It was such a beautiful sound. He wondered if his special person would like it? He saw one of his other cutouts laying helplessly on the floor. He picked it up lovingly and wiped it clean. Alright, he didn't quite look like his old self anymore, but he still was a handsome devil, his special someone would understand and approve.
"Just wait a little longer. Our work is almost complete and once we have dealt with Joey, we can call him back again. We'll all be happy in this world. I promise"
- Line Break -
It had been a long day at Freddy's as Mike slowly made his way back to his apartment. Usually, his apartment was his haven, his sanctuary, a place he could rest from the craziness that was his animatronic family. Yet over the past week, he has been on high alert from whenever he was in the building, his sixth sense was screaming danger but he couldn't see anything. A small part said he was being paranoid but he knew better, his sixth sense hasn't let him down in years and he wasn't about to question it. He has mentioned his concerns to Jeremy and Mark but both brushed it off.
"Your use to fighting ghost haunting animatronics and finding conspiracies," said Mark "Sounds to me like your looking for something to be wrong for the hell of it," Jeremy added.
Mike had half a mind to dock their pay for being so "helpful" when he heard his name being called behind him. It was Adam, jogging towards him with a wide smile and in his Fazbear uniform.
"Hey Adam, just finished your shift at the Sister?"
"Yeah" Adam panted "Everyone is missing you, it been a while since you have come over to visit, they want to show off their new acts"
"I'll make it a point to visit this week then, I've been busy with the new animatronics as well as the animations for our new website. Just seems all non-stop at the mo"
"Say Mike...um...could I hang out in your place for a while?" said Adam slightly pulling on his shirt.
"I have no problem with it unless your trying to use me as a way of not facing your mum" Adam flinched "She still giving you a hard time?"
"Not as much as she uses to, My grades came out quite high this semester so she can't use that against me and she still gets my rent money on time but…" Adam rubbed his neck with a deep sigh as Mike nodded with understanding.
Adam's mum had not taken well to Adam getting himself into danger and although Adam was old enough to make his own choices, choosing to get yourself almost killed by crazed animatronics wasn't a choice his mum was comfortable with.
"I guess I do need help with the new animatronics...shall we say...a bit of unpaid overtime?" Mike suggested with a slightly arched eyebrow. Adam smiled as he nodded eagerly as they walked up to the door of their apartment building. Mike searched his pocket for his keys when all the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He slowly lifted his head and looked up at a large security camera glaring down at him.
"When did that get put in?" Adam asked as he took looked at the camera "It's the newest model too, the one up from the ones we use at work, they are meant to be really good"
"Yeah…I guess it's a good idea for security reasons although this area isn't anywhere near as dangerous as it used to be," said Mike still glaring at the camera as he pulled out his keys. "Let's get inside"
They both entered and started up the stairs after making sure the door was shut. As they started to climb, Adam noticed more and more cameras pointing at the stairs and down each hallway.
"Say...Mike…"
"I see them. Keep your head down and don't say anything until we get to my apartment" said Mike softly as he tried to act naturally walking up the stairs. They reached their floor and went straight to Mike's apartment. Mike went to put the key in when he stopped and inhaled sharply through his nose. There were scratches all over the lock, not everyday kind, but the deep dug in-kind left when an amateur tries to pick your lock. He turned his head and looked back down the hall and saw the camera. It was pointing directly at his door. He opened his door and pushed Adam inside, slamming the door behind him.
"Mike wha?" Adam started but Mike raised his finger to his lips to be quiet and walked over to his pc and twisted the nob on his speaker. Adam covered his ears as a loud buzzing noise filled the room, after a few moments Mike turned it off and went back to the computer, pulling up a small feed from his apartments security camera.
"Mike what was….?"
"A sharp loud sonic sound that can scramble or even break any listening device. The camera shows no one entering...but about two this afternoon...there see it, the fount door moving? Someone was trying to break in!"
"But why? Should I go and look at my apartment too?" Adam asked.
"No idea but yes check, though my gut says that your door will be fine" Mike flung off his jacket and stomped into his workroom. "Adam, did you noticed how all the cameras were angled?"
"From what I saw, they were deliberately angled so no one can come into the building or up the stairs without being seen...but it also makes me wonder if there is anymore?" said Adam. "She did seem to be a little weird…."
"She?"
"Oh! The new landlord. Er...crap what was her name? Ms...Vin...Van...sorry I can't remember. She said she was going to send a letter out about some changes she was going to make. Maybe she going to improve the intercom system as well?"
Mike frowned as he looked over at the small intercom by his fount door and shivered. Something really bad was going on and he was certain he wasn't imagining it.
-line break-
Mr Purohit sat at his desk and looked at the...woman staring at him from across his desk, along with the glaring eyes of the two robots on either side of her. He didn't know what to make of her. Her eyes were wide, almost soulless and the way her body seemed to twitch,
"So Ms Venessa. You wish to offer me these...animatronics? For my mall"
"Yes. You will find them most useful, they love children, like lost children"
Mr Purohit sat back in his seat and tried not to look worried. He knew nothing about this woman but she seemed to know about his business and the overall plan of using his mall to gather, kidnap and...well that.
"The thing is Ms Venessa, is that I have hired Mr Schmit of the Fazbear company to build me some animatronics…"
The woman's body spasmed violently and then she slammed her hands down on the desk, her eyes opened as wide as they could go, her smile stretching to cover most of her face.
"Mike's Schmidt animatronics are too advance for the likes of you and your hackers. They will not serve you...not without my help….help me"
Mr Purohit wondered if he misheard the last bit and simply dismissed it. "You don't work for my employer or any of her associates. I would know"
"I did work at Critter County for a long, long, time"
"Ah, those small-timers, they had no idea what they were doing, as the saying goes "Play with fire and you are bound to get burnt" So how deep were you in Critter County dirty little secret?"
The woman looked frightened suddenly and pulled herself back in the chair. "I had nothing to do with it. Not like him. He was behind it all! I'm not…" she slapped her face so hard that Mr Purohit flinched at the sound. When she looked back at him it was in that weird manic sort of calm as if nothing unusual had just happened. "I know the names and places. Who did what and so on. If you are truly having doubts, I have worked with the Lady before and have even offered up children for the Maw, I simply wish to be of some service…in the hopes of some reward"
'Like a new body' thought Mr Purohit. He had seen some odd things in his time while in service to the Lady and seeing someone possessed wasn't that unusual, though whoever was in charge hadn't fully taken over his host just yet or she was fighting a losing battle. Either way, it was no skin off his nose and if it helped bring in more children then all the better and if this twit wasn't on the level, he was sure the cooks on the Maw would make a fine dish out of her remains.
He clapped his hands and smiled brightly "Welcome to the group then my friend and tell me the names of our new robotic friends?"
"Well, let us just call them Sun and Moon for now"
-Line Break-
Mike, Jeremy and Henry were taking an extended break at The Cove, since Mark wanted to speak to Mike who wanted to do a little TLC on Foxy, while Henry wanted to try and draw Mangle and Fox for a short pirate animation he was working on. Mike sat on the floor of the security room adjusting Foxy's knee joints while Mark watched over the security screens.
Usually, Mark would be chatting up a storm but today he was quite concentrating on his job. Mike looked up at Foxy and nodded his head towards Mark, Foxy shrugged and rubbed his hook against his ears. Mike snorted and took Foxy's servo to help him get up and walked over to the guard.
"Ok Mark, I highly doubt that there is anything going on the shop floor with Mangle and Fox watching the kids, so are you going to tell me what's going on?"
Mark sighed and slumped in his seat "I feel like shit Mike. I haven't made a video for my channel in ages. Hell, I haven't even written a script for one or even played any new games recently to review. I can't remember the last time I had any real fun with Chica...and I mean my dog, not the chicken"
"Oh...er...ok. When was your last holiday? I mean away from here"
"Can't remember" Mark moaned as he buried his face in his hands. Mike knew that Mark had a history of depression, he hid it well but there were times like now, where he reach burn out and needed to take a step back.
"Right. Hey did you ever use that gift certificate your mum sent you?"
"You mean for a flying lesson? No. Why?"
"Well, why don't you use it and take a two-week break to see your mum, I'm sure she would love to see you"
"Yeah...that would be nice" Mark muttered but then looked up at Mike "But what about the cover? Adam can't do it and your way behind on your builds. Plus Jeremy and Jack…"
"Hey, don't worry, I can hire more people, I have to anyway for the Mall place"
"I don't think you can put your own security into a place"
"I'm putting my security guard into my section of the building. Besides, I don't trust Mr Purohit...there is something...not right"
Mark rolled his eyes "Dude, you think anyone who isn't involved with Freddy's is "Not right"
"I do not!" Mike snapped as he looked over at Foxy "I don't do I Foxy?"
"I hate ta be the one to tell ye lad, but if they ain't a member of Freddy's, ya can get a bit….defensive"
Mike looked at each of them in turn "I do not! I'm a very understanding and open-minded guy!"
"Aye lad, ya are, to everyone not involved with the business..."
"Or isn't an ill child or child charity sponsor or anything to do with kids too" Mark added as if he was trying to help.
Mike glared at them before smirking "You know Foxy, I know where you have been hiding that grog of yours. Considered it now...confiscated and Mark, don't think you're getting paid for those two weeks you're having off"
Mike's laughter was drowned out by the loud complaining of both guard and animatronic. Back on the shop floor, Henry tried to concentrate on his drawings and not on the fact that his phone was buzzing every five minutes. Jeremy came over carrying two large sodas and looked concerned when he noticed his Uncle was struggling.
"Joey again?" he asked as Henry slammed the mobile on the table.
"He keeps bombarding me with texts and voicemail. I've tried to block him but he just goes to another phone and rings me"
"Maybe you should just get a new phone?" Jeremy suggested lightly.
"I don't want a new phone, I like my phone, I have very few possessions that I could take with me when I left and I fully intend to keep them," said Henry sharply but regretted it as he looked at Jeremy's hurt look. "Sorry kiddo. Joey has been doing a number on my confidence and well... I just don't want anything to do with him because he will simply talk me around and make me come back believing it was all my fault that I left in the first place"
"Well, why don't I go? I don't listen to Joey or any of his crap and get your stuff back. You make a list of the stuff you left and I'll get it"
"I don't know Jeremy. Joey is crafty, he makes you believe your hold stardust and what you're really holding gravel, he can ..."
"Uncle, I guard living animatronics that can snap normal men in two, I've taken self-defence lessons and Uncle Joey may talk the talk, but I've had to listen to Mike waffle on for hours about electronics and still function, I'll be fine"
Henry grumbled for a moment but sighed in defeat as he reached into his pocket and handed his keys to Jeremy that hung off of a Bendy keychain.
"Just be safe Jeremy"
"Uncle, I'm just going to Joey's studio, not the old Critter County. Nothing is going to go wrong"
To be continued….
I can't thank you enough for all your support this year. I'm deeply sorry for not updating sooner but I have no intention of giving up on this fic. Please continue to read and review and I'll continue soon