This story is a sequel to Five Nights at Freddy's: The Fourth Closet.
I recently reread that book, and I really enjoyed it, however, I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and had too heavy a sense of being a cliffhanger for what was supposed to be the end of the series. So then, I had this idea going: what if Charlie and William Afton survived?
Now, I know you are going to tell me that Charlie does survive and that she comes back in the epilogue, but that is not what this fic is about. First of all, I did not like that epilogue. Charlie coming back after sacrificing herself to kill Elizabeth seems well... impossible. With the last of her energy, Charlie destroyed the ragdoll—the doll that Henry had quite literally poured his heart and soul into, in order to create the four Charlies that we know, which killed both Charlie and Elizabeth. It is like removing someone's soul and then trying to wake them up—they are just not there. Also, just the idea of Charlie dying and then coming back a second time just doesn't sit well with me. As Jessica reminded us in the final book, everyone dies.
That ending would be tragic and sad, which truly embodies FNaF, however, I don't think it should have ended that way either. Sure, it has a sense of completion, but not for me. Charlie should have at least had the time to think about the revelation—the truth about herself, and finding peace and acceptance with her friends in light of this new reality. That is why I'm writing this, and I'd also like to tie up the loose ends left in TTO, but I might not get to that. Honestly, I just want to tell this story that I've had buried in my mind for weeks.
"Charlie, are you sure you are alright with this?"
Jessica was walking on the sidewalk with her; they were on the campus of Saint Louis University, a college in Missouri. They were heading to buildings that had the dorms in them. Jessica was now nineteen, but Charlie had looked the same since she first set foot in Hurricane almost three years ago. Jessica has learned to ignore it, as neither of them could figure out a reasonable explanation for it.
"Yeah, I'm sure about it," she answered.
It was now the end of the semester, and summer was here. The two of them have decided to take a break and go somewhere for the rest of the summer. Jessica initially suggested taking a vacation in another state further south, perhaps Florida, but Charlie insisted on going back to her hometown, Hurricane. Her justification was that she wanted to see her friends again.
Jessica shook her head. She looked down, noticing the flowers that stuck out, almost popping out from the sidewalk. "I mean, there are so many places we could go, and you decide to choose Hurricane? I mean, nobody from here even knows the town exists."
"John called me earlier this morning, telling me that he wanted to show us all something. He said that he told everyone who was there for... it."
Jessica's heart skipped a beat at the mention of that word. "It? Did he mean Freddy's?" Jessica asked, not having uttered the name of the restaurant in months.
"What else could he have meant? Besides, I'm sure everything is fine. He told me to meet him at a restaurant called "Las Lupitas," which is a Mexican restaurant."
"Mexican? I swear, John has completely lost his sanity," Jessica said, giggling slightly. "I mean, you can't be serious, can you?"
"I personally think John lost his sanity more than a year ago. Besides, while I have had Mexican food in the past, I haven't actually gone to a proper Mexican restaurant before, and I really want to try it out," she said.
Jessica smiled. "You know, now that I think of it, I agree with you. I haven't had Mexican at all, but I guess there's a first time for everything." The two approached the entrance to the building. Charlie swung open the door, and the two stepped inside, past the front desk and into the hallways, which were quite plain. "Plus, I would like to see Carlton. The last time I saw him, he was in the hospital with a swollen arm, after William Afton injected him with that molten stuff... what did he call it? Remnant?"
"He definitely called it that," Charlie said. "You know, William Afton escaped, but he was never found. Do you think he died during his attempt to escape from Circus Baby's?"
"Probably. I mean, I've been talking to Carlton over the phone a lot, and Clay hasn't found any evidence that William Afton is around. I think he's dead, so it's a good idea to move on from that," she said. The two walked past several doors, approaching a staircase that led upwards. Before going up the stairs, Charlie turned to face Jessica's gaze.
"I think it's a good idea to put what happened at Freddy's behind us. It has been over a year. Elizabeth was freed from her body and locked in cold storage. The twisted animatronics have been destroyed. At this point, all we need to worry about it some grumpy old man who is on the verge of dying, using robotic technology to keep himself together. And he might not even be alive," she said. She then turned to the staircase, walking up to them. Jessica followed her as she walked up the stairs.
"Yeah," Jessica said in agreement. The two didn't speak since. They walked up the staircase to the second floor, and then they headed to their dorm, which was labeled with the words '2-23'. "Well, here we are. Let's pack up our things because I am not looking forward to driving for a whole day."
"Me neither. You know the address, right?" Charlie asked.
"No, but I could ask around. Hurricane isn't that big of a place after all," Jessica said.
Charlie smiled. "That's great." She opened the closet door, scanning the small space until she found it: a large backpack. Though it wasn't large enough for her to carry everything, it was enough to fit her essentials: clothes, makeup, and the like, without the bag being cramped and impossible to sort. She took the backpack out of the closet and set it down on her bed. Right now, the backpack was empty. She went over to her drawers, opening them and taking out her makeup and perfume, of which there were only a few items. I'm not obsessive over makeup, unlike Jessica. God, she thought to herself. She put them in the front pocket of her bag.
She looked over to the side, seeing Jessica pack up her things into medium-sized handbags. Charlie didn't have nearly as many things. She walked over to her closet, picking up her clothes—her shirts were all size 12, and her shorts and jeans were a size 18. She wasn't sure if Jessica had noticed that she wore the same clothing size since 1995, but it didn't matter for her—not yet. For her, it would be better if she avoided addressing it at all.
She picked up the shirts and folded them, walking over to the bed and placing them in the backpack. There was still some room in the bag, so she put her shorts and jeans inside the bag as well. Now, the bag was full. "I'm ready... I think," she said. "Still, I'm going to see how I look," she added.
"Alright. I'll just be packing up," Jessica said, turning around to meet her gaze. "Hey, where are you going, anyway?"
"The bathroom, where else?" she asked. "I'll be back!" She then stepped out of her dorm, walking over to the restroom which was at the end of the floor. The building was rectangular and long, and there were two restrooms on each floor, one at the ends. She walked inside the restroom, closing the door and locking it. It helps that it is summer, meaning there are very few people here.
She walked over to the mirror and looked at her reflection. God, I look exactly the same as I did two years ago. John will definitely notice, she thought to herself. She started remembering the events that happened last year—Aunt Jen had died thanks to Elizabeth, an event that she still sometimes blames herself for. Immediately following the tragedy, she had managed to lure her into the closet of Aunt Jen's house and kill her using the robot that her father used to end his own life.
However, she had also learned the horrible truth about herself—the truth that haunts her every day she wakes up. She hears her voice, repeating the same words every night: "You're nothing. You're nothing but the tears of a man that fell unceremoniously into a doll that used to belong to Charlie."
She had been unable to forget that truth, even though she has desperately tried to bury it within her mind, however, every night, the truth comes into the forefront of her mind when she is the most vulnerable. However, she has feared that the truth would one day come out. Indeed, she knew it would.
When she woke up that morning, John had found her. The two managed to escape Aunt Jen's house without any real harm. The only severe harm that was caused was John's broken legs, which had to have a cast put on them for several months. She hasn't been in physical contact with him for the majority of the year, as she returned to St. Louis a month later to continue with her degree in Robotics. However, when she was in contact, it always seemed to her that John knew something, or that he was suspicious. Charlie had gone back to Aunt Jen's house before she left for St. Louis to take any evidence that she was just a robot, and destroy it, however, a good portion of the evidence was missing. John said that he had nothing to do with it, suggesting that someone else had been looking through the house, but Charlie didn't fully accept that answer.
She took a deep breath before sighing heavily. There is nothing I can do, I suppose I should just avoid talking about it. She leaned into the sink, grabbing a cloth and running the faucet. She then proceeded to thoroughly wash her face before drying it up again. She looked back at the mirror—her eyes were strangely glossy, and her skin was less shiny as Jessica's—something she hadn't noticed before.
She searched through her bag, looking at her clothes and seeing what would fit best. Eventually, she found a pair that would fit: a purple T-shirt, a pair of blue shorts, and brown cargo boots. She then changed into those clothes, putting the pile of her old clothes on the side of the sink. She looked at her reflection, then realizing something: You idiot, you always look like that!
She shook her head, stuffing her old clothes down to the bottom of her bag. It's good enough. She took a comb and ran it through her hair for around twenty seconds before putting it back in her bag. Then, she zipped up her bag and threw it behind her back. She turned off the light and opened the door, stepping back inside the hallway. When she went up to her dorm, Jessica was already standing outside with two smaller bags in her hands.
"Are you ready?" Jessica asked.
"Ready for an incredibly long road trip that will probably take longer because of traffic? Sure," Charlie said, groaning a little. The truth was that she wasn't ready for such a long trip, though she has traveled from St. Louis to Hurricane before, that was during college. Now, there was much more commotion on the interstate thanks to people moving from schools and their jobs back to their hometowns to see their friends and family. This is going to be worse, she realized.
"I'm not, but you were the one that wanted this," Jessica said. "You can't pick an apple without planting a tree, after all."
Charlie growled. "You're sounding like John," she scoffed.
Jessica rubbed her chin, puzzled by this. "I thought you liked him."
Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I do, but I don't like it when other people imitate him." She looked out the window, seeing a few cars drive by. She then met Jessica's gaze again, frowning. "Sorry about that."
"Uh-huh. Well, let's go. We could get some fast food before we hit the road." She swallowed hard, her mouth dry. She hadn't had anything in hours, and driving for 24 hours straight on an empty stomach wasn't a bright idea. "Oh, I forgot to ask. When are we supposed to head to that diner, anyway?" she asked.
"Jessica, it's not a diner, it's a Mexican restaurant," Charlie corrected her.
"Sorry," she said. "I've had to keep track of a lot of things today. Biology is just too interesting," she said.
"Yeah yeah. Anyway, John told me to meet him at 3:00 tomorrow," Charlie said. She looked down, glaring at her watch; the clock read 2:37. "That would be in twenty-four hours."
Jessica chuckled. "Well, it would take twenty-two hours to get from here to Hurricane, right? That would give us less than two hours of breathing room. I suppose the only thing we could grab is fast food."
Charlie nodded. "Well, we only have two hours. We have to get to the road as soon as possible, so let's go," she said. The two of them walked down the staircase to the ground floor, and then they walked past the front desk and outside into the parking lot. Their cars were parked on the other side of the lot.
The two of them walked up to their cars. Charlie stared up the engine, putting her two bags into the back seat of her car. Jessica walked over to her car and inserted her key into the ignition, causing the engine to roar to life. She glanced back at Charlie, taking a deep breath. "I think it would be better if we both went in the same car," she yelled over the sound of the engine.
Charlie stepped out of the car and walked over to Jessica. "Why do you think that?"
"Being awake for twenty-four hours is almost impossible. If we both go in the same car, we could take turns driving when one of us is tired," Jessica suggested. Charlie smiled, her head perking up.
"That's actually a good idea. Now, the real question is what car to drive."
"Well, I have one idea—a game of rock, paper, scissors. We will use the car of the winner," Jessica said.
"Alright." Then, the two of them made a fist. Jessica counted down from three, and when she said "zero," the two of them opened their fists to resemble the 'weapon' they will be using. Jessica's hand resembled a pair of scissors, and Charlie's represented a rock.
"Damn it!" Jessica said. "How did you know?"
Charlie smiled. "Well, you are obsessed with forensics. I thought you would pick something like that," she said.
"That makes sense. Anyway, let's go. We don't have that much time to spend," Jessica said. She slipped into the driver's seat, closing the door. Charlie did that as well. They pulled out of the driveway and drove off.
So, here you go. For those of you who followed me from 'Forged from Madness,' you might be wondering why I decided to move onto another story. First, the main reason is that the story I want to tell simply can't happen given the time frame. Another reason is that working with a story that takes place immediately after the events of The Fourth Closet is difficult. I managed to do it for my story "Acceleration of Gravity" because at the time, I knew the main conflict and knew that it could fit in the time frame as well. So yeah, that's it. I hope you enjoyed this (mostly introductory) chapter. I promise that the next chapter will be much more interesting.