Chapter 2: Lifestyle's End

Tyler sighed in relief as Kyle and him parked in front of their house. Mom was probably still up at this point and would appreciate them talking, and Charlie still talked frequently with her over the ensuing months since that very first week. Tyler groaned as he noticed exactly what Kyle meant by repeating thoughts and not being able to escape your own mind, but he must've groaned too loudly as Kyle looked at him, "You okay?"

"Not really, my thoughts have been all over the place lately. I...I just have a feeling that something bad is about to happen, you know?" Tyler explained as Kyle blanked, "Joy, so it looks like I'm not the only one, huh?"

Kyle shook his head, before sighing, "Charlie...Charlie was telling me that it should be this week when it happens, that it'll be coming for us quickly and trying to kill us even faster."

"You sure it'll be alright?" Tyler asked as Kyle looked up. Tyler could hardly believe the expression on Kyle's face, how it looked so defeated and terrified all at once, and Tyler knew that Kyle expected the worst to pass, "Fuck that noise, we're beating this thing." Tyler stated with more confidence than he had.

Tyler would be the last to admit he was terrified, but that didn't mean it wasn't true. He just knew that right now, Kyle needed someone to yell at him, to tell him to step up, "If this comes to pass and you die, then it'll be worse than Tommy dying. Mom barely is able to handle Tommy's death, and we got lucky enough that we can still see him, but you dying? None of us would be able to handle that. Tommy would always blame himself, Mom would probably die of a heart attack and I? I would probably be so heartbroken that I would welcome being a part of Foxy."

Tyler let the words hang in the air, the threat in them evident, even if not entirely the truth. Tyler knew that he had to push, make Kyle expect the worst and then pull him back from that extreme to get his hopes and courage up as far as it could go. Tyler could see the weary eyes of Charlie as she watched them, probably picking up on Kyle's distress, but Tyler knew she would keep their Mom busy and not hearing them for as long as it took, "W-"

"Kyle, I know you're terrified, but right now… Right now, you need to be the bravest of any of us. You are not allowed to die, you hear me!?" Kyle nodded hesitantly as Tyler continued on, "Look, I'm right here and I'm not letting you face this alone, neither is Charlie who's gonna be right there with you the whole way if she has her way. You're not alone in this, and like hell we're going to just abandon you to die, okay? Now, tell me everything." Tyler demanded as Kyle made to leave the card with a shake of his head.

"I-I can-"

"Kyle, listen to me," Tyler grabbed him by the arm to stop him, forcing Kyle to look Tyler in the eyes, "That wasn't a request, that was a demand. I'm using one of my win requirements this week where you have to listen to me and answer me honestly, because I know you won't do it otherwise. What can I do to help?"

"You can't...it's going after Charlie and me and there's nothing we can really do about it since…"

"Since?"

Kyle groaned, a look of terrified worry crossing his face as Tyler continued to push, refusing to back down despite that, "...It isolates people into some sort of...alternate dimension, I don't know!' Kyle shook his head, probably feeling overwhelmed if the tears in his eyes were anything to go off of, "Tyler, I honestly don't know what to do! I-I-I don't know!"

"Shh...it's okay, Kyle…" Tyler comforted his brother, feeling a bit guilty to push him so far, even if he still felt it necessary to get him the help he needed, "Look, since it's after you...how about you and Charlie just...stay back for the week? Let me handle it, okay?"

"No! It's- It's only after us, i-"

"Then we'll be able to attack it while you stay where it's safe. That bastard can be the bait we use to take it down, okay?"

"B-but-"

"Kyle, look at me," Tyler forced Kyle to stop looking at the carseat and look towards Tyler again, "I know you're terrified, but if what you say is true, then we could lose you. I'll be fine, I know how to take care of myself and it's time that I'm the one to take care of you, rather than the other way around," Tyler smiled gently as he ruffled his brother's hair a bit, much to Kyle's discomfortable amusement, "Let your older brother take care of things, okay?"

Kyle smiled, but didn't look entirely convinced, yet it was time for both of them to get out of the car and head inside. Charlie looked at Tyler and motioned him to walk aside, being taken to have a chat alone in his room after waving hello to Mom.

"Look, I get you want Kyle to be safe, but this isn't the way to go about it. It's not going after William, but us."

"I'm not letting him get hurt, Charlie, you know this," Tyler responded in just as even a tone when both of them got settled on Tyler's bed. Unlike Kyle's sterile-looking room, Tyler's was a bright blue in color, with little glow-in-the-dark stars and moons that lit up the ceiling. Usually, it feels really safe, but how it glowed around Charlie merely looked a bit creepy, "Kyle's been through enough, he doesn't need this on top of it and I'm tired of being left on the sidelines just hoping he doesn't get hurt! I'm not doing it again! Not when he could have been just like Tommy was!"

"But he wasn't," Charlie coldly intercepted, no mercy in her calm voice, "He never was, remember? Not once was he truly in danger since we made sure to make the situation as safe as it possibly could have been. This...this is just another situation."

"One that you're not in control of this time, and you know that, don't you?" Tyler spat out as Charlie flinched a bit, "You have an idea of what's coming, and you're thinking the same thing I am. That Kyle isn't ready for it, that he would break down and it would be a hard situation to come back from...don't you?" Tyler said, his voice calming into a somewhat pitying tone, "I want to keep him safe just as much as you, but we both know that Kyle isn't back to being mentally stable. It's still too recent, and he hasn't even remembered what happened back then."

"I…" Charlie tried to say before trailing off, her voice meek as she finally spoke back up, "I...was hoping that this would jog his memory…"

Tyler sighed, "I want him to remember those days too, but this isn't the way about it, Charlie. Tell me what I need to do, and I'll do it, but keep Kyle away from the restaurant's night shift enough so I can help you all out." Charlie shook her head.

"You need me to lure it-"

"I know… but I'll try to use the bastard to do it, he'll be the bait and I'll step in to stop whatever the hell is after you." Tyler assured; although, his heart wasn't fully in it. Charlie scoffed, probably noticing it.

"You and I both know that you want him dead."

"Yet if it's enough to save Kyle...I'll do it. The bastard is already suffering, and even though that doesn't feel like enough punishment, I rather have to deal with the pain of keeping him alive to help Kyle out than have to risk my brothers' lives with whatever the hell this is," Tyler admitted, watching Charlie as closely as he could as he made his case, "Look, I know you have this master plan with Kyle, but I don't want him to risk his life and I know damn well you don't either. So how about we work together, get this sorted out, and then deal with trying to jog Kyle's memories afterwards?"

Charlie looked unconvinced, but nodded regardless, "It's based on nightmares, taking the deepest, darkest fears of your mind and dragging them all to light. I...was hoping it would drag out memories of Kyle's past that would lead him to remembering what happened, but I guess that plan has come and gone, huh?" Charlie joked lightly, but Tyler didn't laugh. Charlie sighed, a similar somber expression on her face, "Yeah, I figured as much. You'll go through five nights of it, and it's not going to be anything like Kyle's first week. Kyle got lucky, you aren't going to be nearly as lucky with your opponent as it will want you dead."

"I figured as much, how will it try to kill me?"

Charlie shrugged, "That's the problem, we honestly don't know. It isolates everyone and even after it's beaten, it's never destroyed and merely takes a while to come back and try again. Each time, it's changed and evolved, changing ever so slightly. Last time, it acted like a bedroom, keeping the victim in the bedroom to try and survive. This time, we think it's going to pull through your memories and keep you moving."

"Why would it do that? Why not just take what works and just go from there?"

"Because it's doing just that. The last time it happened, the victim narrowly escaped by learning the pattern that the creature works on. If you're moving, the pattern is easier to change, harder to adapt to. We're not even completely sure it would do that, but it seems to think of it as a game, the Building forcing it to obey the rules set."

"Why not just...well…"

Charlie chuckled hollowly, "The Building desperately wants to, but the problem is that the creature is very...fickle, never staying still enough for the Building to grab. If you somehow are able to keep a link intact that we can work to, we might be able to destroy it for good, but it would require you to…" Charlie shivered, "It would require you to deal with the sixth night."

"Sixth night? I thought you said there were only five?"

Charlie nodded, "That's because no one has ever survived the sixth night. We managed to get as many people as possible out when night five was complete, but doing that made it impossible to track down the creature, and dying in night six means it also gets away. The only way that we can get it is if you manage to get through all of night six, survive, and keep it busy enough with an active link that the Building can destroy it."

Tyler nodded, taking in the info, "The link with Foxy, that links back to the Building, right?" Charlie nodded, "So all I have to do...is just stay alive and kick my memory's ass. Seems simple enough, I don't think I have anything too disturbing up in here."

Charlie laughed menacingly at that, "We both know that's a goddamn lie, Tyler. You know what you did."

"And I'll do it again! You're not allowed to judge me for that, not for what he did!" Tyler snarled, "He deserved what happened, and I'll do it a-goddamn-gain if I had the chance!"

"And the creature will take advantage of that memory, show you exactly what happened during that," Charlie explained, "The Building might not be able to kill it, but it makes sure that whatever that creature is can't lie to you."

"And how does that work?"

Charlie rolled her eyes, "Nice try, but we're not changing the subject, besides, that deals with a lot of weird metaphysical stuff that I don't think you really care enough to learn or know enough to understand."

Tyler shrugged, "Fair enough...but I'm not going to lie, I still don't regret what I did back then, and I've come…"

Charlie sighed, "Stop lying to me, Tyler. Kyle noticed," Tyler flinched, but Charlie kept going, "You've been zoning out constantly, and I notice how you flinch whenever you're around Foxy and Bonnie….as if remembering what happened back then, remembering their counterparts." Charlie continued on as Tyler flinched again.

"I…" Tyler tried to speak up, but his throat felt dry and hoarse, the words not quite making it out of his mouth.

"You know I'm right, so I'm not going to bother trying to convince you...but I also know that you're right; Kyle isn't ready for this, and he won't be, none of you are, not even me. The last few times it came, we barely managed to get them to safety, but none of them lasted a week outside of the presence before taking their lives."

"You keep saying they and them, the victims...were there others? Before us?" Charlie nodded after flinching ever so slightly, "I see...so that means there were Hosts before us like Wil-that murderer explained before…" Tyler said, stuttering over the name.

"Indeed...The animatronics...there's a life cycle on us, just like for you humans. Even for ones like Tommy and the others, they have a limited life as well, limited to how long their bodies remain in the suits, and afterwards...we get reset to our factory default settings."

"And you?" Tyler asked, managing to push aside the retorts in mind to try and learn more. Charlie never talked much about the whole Host system, and Tyler was noticing more and more that he really didn't have a choice left in being a Host of Foxy or not. He might as well learn as much as possible, especially if it could save their lives, "You didn't have a Host for years after what happened back then, and even before what happened with Kyle, yet you never once seemed to enter that factory reset form and you can easily leave your animatronic body to talk to us like this."

Charlie winced, "You're right, I don't remember getting factory reset, but I think it's because of how my previous Host went. She was stuffed into my suit for many years, and it had gotten to the point where she had slowly become a part of my very programming...so technically, I guess I'm half human now? Tyler, you have to realize something, I don't hold all the answers. I'm just as clueless as you are in all of this; I don't even know how everything with Hosts and Animatronics work outside of it being a symbiotic relationship. Okay?" Charlie explained in a bit of a begging tone.

Tyler couldn't hide his frown, realizing what Charlie wasn't saying. Charlie didn't know where to begin explaining it all and didn't know if she's gotten factory reset before. Not even that, but if the Hosts were stuffed inside, then the animatronic starts to take on human characteristics before the human side starts to fade away...maybe based on rot? If the body fully decays in the suit? Tyler shook his head in a nod, deciding to change the topic, "You might not have all the answers, but do you know anything that can help me out against the...creature as you called it?"

Charlie shook her head, "Not anything more than what I told you. What you're doing is suicidal and completely illogical, do you realize that?" Tyler nodded, "Then why-"

"Because it keeps you all safe," Tyler said simply as Charlie merely raised an eyebrow, "I'm the eldest brother, Mom always told me it's my job to keep Kyle and Tommy safe...I've failed once, and I'm not doing it again. Once is enough, and if this keeps them safe, then I'll do it."

"You're merely putting yourself in danger! What would Kyle say if you were the one to die!" Charlie exclaimed as Tyler scoffed.

"Kyle would do exactly the same thing, yelling and saying that he would do it, but that's because he learned from me. He's an older brother too, and he did all he could to keep Tommy safe, but I know...very little honestly, but I know enough for what I'm doing."

Tyler smiled as he looked at Charlie, knowing that she would understand what he was saying. So what if things tended to go horribly around them? They were family, and while the animatronics weren't technically a part of that, they were also family in a way too. Tyler wasn't sure what that said about him, but it didn't change that fact from being true. Charlie must have gotten what she wanted out of that response, for she only sighed with a slight nod before floating back downstairs, (Kyle and Mom freaked out down below, which kinda gave it away).

Tyler looked around his room, getting up and heading to his dresser before pulling something hidden away for years at the reminder. Two small photographs met his sight. The first was a very old photograph, still in black and white rather than the newer color photos that were coming out, but it was still perfectly clear for Tyler with its date of November 2nd, 1972.

The photo was taken at Fredbear's Dinner, with a baby Kyle in a young Tyler's arms, surrounded by both Mom and… Him. Behind the 'happy' family were three animatronics that Tyler never realized were in the photo before. Charlie and a weird black puppet looking animatronic were right behind Kyle and Him particularly. If it wasn't for the weirdness that made up his life now, Tyler would have pushed it off as a weird coincidence, but given that Kyle eventually Hosted Charlie...could that weird puppet animatronic be where their 'father' was?

Tyler couldn't help but shiver at that thought, not wanting to even dare think of the implications that photo held, putting it back without wanting to look at it any longer. The second photograph was a bit more recent, at the original Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria on November 2nd, 1980, with a younger Kyle and an older Tyler looking at a baby Tommy. Tyler couldn't hold the flinch back when he noticed the date of Kyle's sixth birthday and knew that this picture was taken that morning…before everything went to hell there. Pushing aside the nausea, Tyler tried focusing on the rest of the picture, trying to keep the image of jaws and fear out of his mind as best as he could. He could feel Foxy's concern loud and clear.

This time, instead of being in the background, Charlie was floating right beside Kyle with both of them grinning. Foxy was still in the background, but Tyler noticed that his younger self in the photo looked a bit nervous, probably having been in between staring at both Tommy and Foxy back and forth in fear of Foxy hurting Tommy. He was gone, but Mom was standing next to Freddy, who seemed to smile in delight at the conversation they were probably having back then...but that wasn't what caught Tyler's eye this time.

The puppet animatronic was nowhere to be seen, yet...Tyler couldn't help but feel like he was somewhere in this picture in some bastardized version of 'Where's Waldo'. Tyler didn't know how to feel about that. Tyler sighed as he put the photos up, tugging his uniform off and putting on a casual blue shirt and jeans before heading downstairs.

The night passed by in peace, none of the family able to bring themselves to ask the questions they needed to ask. Tyler didn't know why, but it honestly felt like the peaceful months had come to an end, and that lump in his stomach just sunk that much lower, that much heavier. Kyle looked towards him with a worried expression as Tyler looked back with an equally worried look.

"You...You don't have to do this, Tyler," Kyle tried to convince him to back away, "I can take care of myself and… I know the risks going in, I-I'll be fine!" His voice cracked a bit at the end as Tyler sighed and hugged his younger brother, hiding the tears that started gathering in his eyes.

"Are you two okay? Is work getting dangerous again?" Mom asked, looking very concerned as she flicked her eyes back and forth from Kyle to Tyler at the display.

"We're okay, but Kyle's thinking of doing something stupid, so I'll be taking charge of that starting tomorrow for the time being. It's just a standard routine thing, but Kyle's been getting into really bad panic attacks about it." Tyler tried to lie, but Mom merely glared at him.

"Tyler Jeremy Martinez, tell me the truth right now, or I swear that there will be consequences!" Tyler raised his hands in surrender with a look of alarm on his face at the sound of his full name.

"Okay, okay! S-Sorry, but I honestly didn't want to worry you!"

"Dodging with a lie makes me worry more, you should know this already! What is it!?"

Tyler groaned as his eyes looked around for anything that could get him away from the question, but found nothing. Defeated, he looked towards his Mom and sighed, "It's...very dangerous, but there's more than just us at stake if we don't...well…"

Mom was very quiet at that, her eyes widening a bit before glaring in Charlie's direction, and she had yet to speak a word despite the fire burning in her eyes. Tyler gulped as he hurried to finish explaining, not wanting to be on the chopping block to his mother's anger, "T-There's something that's going after th-the animatronics...specifically Charlie and...well, that one will just be used as bait and nothing more honestly, but Charlie and Kyle are in massive danger if they stay there this week!"

"And you going instead is supposed to be better?" Mom growled out carefully, trying and failing to keep an even tone as the frustration lurked not that hidden under the surface, "I've let you keep your secrets before, especially since you said you had my health in mind when you said you kept them, but now I'm starting to wonder if I made the right choice with that."

Tyler gulped before a strange feeling welled in him. He was scared, but it felt...like he was also wanting to stand up for himself. Tyler blinked, why was that strange? That's something that people do all the time, and Tyler was no exception to that, so why did it feel so foreign in his mind to do it? Tyler mentally shooed that thought away, it wasn't the time to ask about weird Host things, (Like Tyler would say it was anything but, too many weird things could be explained by it).

"Yes, it will, and you have made the right choice, Mom," Tyler spoke up clear and precise as she stared at him, "Look, it's dangerous and nothing I say will change that fact, but it's precisely that reason that I'm the one that has to step up. If I don't step in to stop whatever the hell that creature is, it'll go after everyone else, and no one has survived that before. I am the only one, besides maybe Kyle, that has a chance to beat it and save everyone else. You always told me that the job of the older brother is to protect their younger brothers, and I'm doing that, you just have to let me." Tyler explained, Mom flinching at her words being thrown back at her.

"I just don't want to see you guys get hurt…"

Tyler smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, "I know...but this is one of those times where bad things happen if we aren't there." Tyler continued as she looked towards Kyle.

"Why is it that you two keep getting into danger there?" Mom shook her head with a pained sigh, "I...I thought you two were going to be safe, responsible even…"

Tyler walked up to her, leaning down a bit and hugged her, "We are, Mom," Tyler whispered, "You've seen how happy Kyle's been lately, how happy I've been. We're going to make it through this, so don't worry, okay?" Mom shook her head as Tyler looked at her, "Mom, I'm going to do this either way."

"Why?" Mom asked desperately. Tyler merely smiled.

"Because this is something only I can do. Kyle technically could as well, but this thing attacks mentally, so that's not an option. This will save so many damn people that...I have to do it. If I don't, someone else gets hurt, many someones at that. Doing this? I have a purpose here, Mom, so like it or not, I will be doing this tomorrow." Tyler declared with absolute certainty.

Mom looked horrified for a moment before it melted into sorrowful acceptance, "I...I figured, you're a lot like your fath-"

"I am NOTHING like HIM!" Tyler snarled out, making Mom flinch back, Kyle looked massively uncomfortable and slipped out of the hug; although, Tyler wasn't sure when he did that. Even Charlie looked a bit scared, "That deadbeat left you to follow his music career and never came back! I'm doing this to save people's lives before coming back safely! I am nothing like that deadbeat bastard!" Tyler yelled on before stomping towards the front door.

"Tyler?"

"I need some fresh air, I'll be back in a bit. I have my phone, so just text if you need anything, okay?" Tyler said in a clipped tone, before noticing it and wincing slightly, "I'm sorry, I really am...but I just…"

Mom smiled hollowly, "I know...I wish you would love your father, but I know that you always took it the hardest…" She told him before Tyler went out the door to get some fresh air, "Just.. take care of yourself, Tyler, that's all I ask."

Tyler gave a small smile that reached his eyes this time, "I will, Mom, I love you."

Mom's smile grew a bit less hollow, "Love you too, Tyler." Tyler walked out the door, his feet knowing exactly where he wanted to go.

He kept the smile on, even as he began the long walk over to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria.