Before The Dark Times

by End of Grace

FNAF, Bendy, Nightmares all meet here. If you haven't read The Fix Series, this is not going to make sense, so please read that or at least the last chapter. As far as the Freddy group is concerned its nothing but blue skies ahead now that the Afton family has been put to rest...or has it? Mike is slowly learning that the gift of "Joys of Creation" is a lot more than he can handle.

2. Growing Pains

Before The Dark Times

By

End Of Grace

Chapter Two: Growing pains.

Big Daddy loved James from the moment he was brought home, he was his first grand cub after all and most likely going to inherit the place when he was old enough and Connie wanted to retire, so he had to look after him. Big Daddy was a very proud bear and as far as he was concerned James was the best at everything. Best at dribbling, best at farting, best at cooing, even best at filling up his diaper, as far as the over-large animatronic bear was concerned James was number one in everything. Hence the whole idea of something happening to James would cause the bear to throw a fit, hence why security at Nightmare was extremely tight, every animatronic took turns guarding the young infant and Connie...and in some respects Jack too, if they had too. So when high pitch screams followed by James cries, Big Daddy stopped what he was doing, knocked everything out of his way, as he rushed to find the crying child and whatever had upset him. He found Connie standing in the doorway trying to comfort the crying baby, her eyes full of worry, as she looked from him and back in the room.

"What happened? Is James alright?"

"He's fine big guy, but it's Baby, something has happened to her, you need to call Mike now"

Big Daddy looked in and saw Belle holding her sister, both were crying while being surrounded by Baby's broken limbs.

"I'll call him," he said as he quickly turned and ran to the main office where the phone was. What the hell had happened to Baby?

Mike arrived about an hour later by taxi carrying his large tool bag, Plush ran out to grab it from him and help him into the store, while quickly filling him in again about Baby's condition.

"We moved her to your workshop out the back Uncle like you said and took all the parts we could find too but it's weird"

"What is it?"

"Well her wires… they are pulled to breaking point but it looks like its been happening over time and her joints are all strained too like she's been stretched"

Mike frowned as he followed the gold bunny to his office and saw Belle being comforted by Bon Bon. The red-haired twin saw Mike and ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry Daddy! I'm so sorry!"

"What are you sorry about sweetheart? Is it something to do with Baby?"

"She made me promise not to tell. She said she wouldn't be my sister anymore if I did"

"Ok. I understand but if it is really serious like this, you need to tell me, otherwise accidents like this can happen, or next time even worse you know?" Belle nodded as Mike patted her hair "Now tell me what Baby didn't want me knowing"

"She's growing daddy. She's taller than me now and her hair is longer too"

Mike looked confused as he knelt in front of Belle "Can you be more specific?"

Belle looked nervous "We were taking turns brushing each other's hairs when I noticed her's had grown almost a full two inches, so I asked her to stand up so we could measure our hair to prove to her, that hers was longer but when we faced one another, I noticed she was taller then I was, by almost an inch"

"But we're animatronics...we can't grow," said BonBon, her voice box hiccuped that let Mike know she was really worried.

"Baby isn't a normal animatronic though, she is a combination of human, animatronic and magic. Belle, let's go and see your sister and see what we can do huh?"

Belle smiled up at Mike and held his hand tightly as she led him into his work show. Baby was laying down on the workbench with her limbs on a side tray. Her eyes glowed brightly as she woke up and looked up at Mike and Belle.

"Hi Mummy, Belle. I don't feel very good…"

"I'm not surprised, little girl, you know you're meant to tell me when things don't feel right," said Mike firmly as he placed his cane to the side and patted Baby on the head "What if it had been a virus or something worse? Next time it might not be just your limbs"

"Sorry Mummy"

"I know you are sweetie but I need you to promise me that you will tell me or any of the other humans that you're not feeling well, so this doesn't happen again. You almost dropped James!"

Baby started to cry a mixture of oil and water "I promise mummy! I promise!"

"Ok, now let's have a look at you"

It was as they said, the wires had stretched to the point of snapping and her joints were buckled from being pushed outwards from her growth. Which meant this could happen again until she was old enough...whenever that was. Her hair had indeed grown but that was easy to sort out with a pair of scissors...if she wanted. Mike's guts twisted. He could see her soul, a bright blue spark in the centre of her chest plate, right next to her pump and her main pipe that held his blood. This was the problem with magic, there was no logical reason for anything, it was just magic.

"Ok, I'm going to have to remodel your joints and give you extra long wires so they can grow with you and then make a second pair for you Belle"

"Huh?" Both girls said as they looked at their parents.

"Well, your twins, right? I can't have one of my girls growing without the other one can I?"

Belle smiled as widely as she could as she jumped into Mike's arms.

"DADDY!"

"MUMMY I WANT A HUG TOO!" Baby cried as she wiggled helplessly on the bench.

"Alright," Mike laughed as he hugged the other girl animatronic.

"But Daddy, are you going to have time, you got to build all those other animatronics for the new place?" Belle asked with some concern knowing how hard her dad worked.

"It will be fine Belle. I haven't even finalized the blueprints yet, plus the mall isn't finished just yet, so I have time to do a few adjustments to both of you and still have plenty of time to build the others. Besides three of them are based on Freddy, Bonnie and Chica, so it's not going to be too hard for me" Said Mike with a slight sigh "Now that I've said that, the world is probably going to come to an end"

The girls burst out laughing, calling him silly and other such names until Mike joins in their laughter, all the while hiding his intense worry. All the other animatronics simply had a glowing orb of light to show their souls and Belle was no different but Baby she was different. She had a time and date stamped over her head just as humans did.

-Line Break-

Susie Campbell walked though the studio with her head held high, her make up perfect and her clothes fitting and tight to show off her figure. She would show no weakness. She had laughed off people's sympathy over her replacement, although deep down it hurt, and she wanted to rip into everyone that mentioned it but she was saving that for one Joey Drew. She walked up to Miss Rodriguez, Joey's secretary, who looked up at her with large glasses and in some way gave the impression she was looking down at her.

"I'm here for my appointment with Joey," Susie said crisply, not liking who the dirty blond was looking at her.

The secretary rolled her eyes and placed her finger on the buzzer of the office intercom.

"Sir, your two o'clock is here to see you"

"What? I told you! No meetings today! I'm busy!" came Joey's impatient voice.

"It Ms Campbell sir"

There was a slight pause before Joey called to let her in. Miss Rodriguez smiled and was almost spiteful as she looked back at Susie.

"Mr Drew will see you now"

Susie smiled back though inside her mind she was wringing the woman's neck as she walked into Joey's Office. Joey was behind his desk and holding a hand mirror, looking over himself when she came in, clearly not bothered to greet her at the door as he used to. She walked over to the chair and sat down opposite him and waited for him to acknowledge her.

Joey looked over at her and sighed as he placed the mirror down.

"Now Susie, I get your mad at me but you gotta understand…."

"Oh I understand Mr Drew, I understood perfectly when I saw Miss Pendle standing in my spot and reading my lines, I'm guessing the momo just got lost...or not sent at all!" Susie grounded her teeth at the last part because it was more likely the truth.

"Well the truth is I thought you were ready for this other project concerning Alice Angel but now looking at you...well I'm not so sure"

Susie stiffened and sat bolt straight. Just what the hell was he implying?

"Alice Angel is quite a gal, right? She is beautiful, talented, graceful, a real angel. So to bring her to life, that person has to embody all of that, well I'm sure being the daughter of a butcher you will understand when I say no matter how you dress it up, mutton can't compete with lamb"

"I don't have to listen to…"

"Here look at yourself," said Joey ignoring her as he tossed the mirror across the desk "You've dolled yourself up like Marilyn Monroe and from a distance, you look stunning, but up close, you see the...imperfections, the cheap clothes, the cracked nails, the greasy hair, someone like that can't be an angel"

Susie wanted to jump up and slap Joey hard and storm out, but her body refused to move, pinned down by Joey's cruel words and keen observation. Joey wheeled himself around his desk until he was next to her and picked up the mirror and held it so Susie could see her face. She was crying, she looked a mess, she quickly wiped away her tears and tried to tie herself up but Joey gently placed his hand on top of hers.

"But you know what Susie, I know, how much Alice means to you, you two have a really strong connection right? The problem is Susie is you. How much do you want to be Alice Angel? What are you willing to do to become her?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean Susie, do you want to spend your life just being a voice for chairs, mushrooms and chickens? Or going back to the stage playing boring dumb characters til your too old to remember your lines or until someone better looking and young comes along. Someone that doesn't need to hide the lines around their eyes with makeup. Or do you want to live forever, being beautiful, being adored by everyone? Do you want to wake up every morning knowing you're perfect? Knowing you'll be loved by millions. Do you want to be Alice Angel Susie?"

Joey's words were hypnotic. Susie looked at her face in the mirror but it wasn't her reflection staring back it was Alice's. Did she want to be Alice? Of course, she did, she would give anything!

"Yes. I want to be Alice! I want to be an angel"

"I don't know," said Joey in a sing-song voice "You don't sound too sure and I don't think your willing to do what it takes"

Susie stood up and slammed her fist on the desk. "I will do anything, Joey! ANYTHING!"

Joey turned back to her with a slight smile "Anything? Even give up your human life?"

Susie looked stunned "Huh?"

"I mean to become Alice you have to shred your human skin. Rid yourself of everything that is Susie Campbell. Can you do that...Alice? Can you rid yourself of your human imperfections, embrace the ink and become who you have always meant to be?"

Susie's mind whirled. What did Joey mean by embracing the ink? What did he want her to do? Did that even matter? She was going to become Alice! She would be beautiful.

"What do I need to do?"

Joey smiled "Now I want you to be a hundred and one per cent certain you want to do this Susie. There is no going back afterwards"

"What do I need to do Mr Drew, tell me, and I will do it"

"Alright. Come back here tonight when everyone else is gone. I'll leave a light on for you. Then after tonight, Susie Campbell will be no more and there will only be Alice Angel and you will fulfil your every dream….and mine"

-Line Break-

Henry looked around his new office and couldn't help but smile. Sure it, he could still hear the kids and the band but it was a pleasant background noise compared to what it had been like at the studio. He had a large bright window to look out of, a lovely new desk and furniture, Mike had been very generous considering he wasn't fully sold on the idea, but there was one thing he was uncertain about. It was this weird five nights thing his nephew had explained to him. If he wanted to work through the night he was first expected to pass this test to gain the animatronics trust. Weren't they just robots though? Alright, they were highly advanced machines but still machines, right?

"Excuse me, Mr Stein? Mrs Schmidt is waiting for you on the main floor" said Emily as she knocked on the door.

"Oh thank you, Ms Emily. I'll be out in a moment" said Henry as he started to straighten up his tie. Ah yes, the meeting with the lawyer, he was a bit surprised to find out that all the legal work was done by the head of the Schmidt legal firm, but he supposes since it was her son's company she would be concerned and invested in his work too. He walked on to the main floor and looked around for Mrs Schmidt. She wasn't hard to miss in her three-piece suit and expensive-looking hairstyle and jewellery but what surprised him was the small golden bunny animatronic that was sitting next to her and holding several papers.

"Hello, Mrs Schmidt? I'm Henry Stein" he said as he shook her hand. She was a very attractive lady, elegant looking for a woman of her age, she had a few wrinkles and grey hairs.

"It's lovely to meet you, Mr Stein, your nephew has been a great help to me and my son, you should be very proud"

"I am and you must be proud of everything your son has achieved," said Henry as he slid into the booth. There was a faint gleam of shame on Mrs Schmidt's face for a moment but she quickly smiled again as if it didn't happen.

"I am now and if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have Gwen here to help me, can't be without her these days" The bunny practically beamed as she handed Mrs Schmidt some papers. "This is your contract. Please look it over and fill in any details and then sign"

Henry took out his reading glasses and started to read the contract when Tiny came over with a tray with a china cup, a cup of oil and a takeaway Freddy coffee cup.

"Ah thank you very much, my dear. I trust Freddy is looking after you Tiny?" said Mrs Schmidt as she took the drinks, placing the cup in front of herself, the oil to Gwen and the coffee to Henry. The little animatronic nodded his head and practically danced on the spot with a wide grin on his face. "I'm glad to hear it but it seems you have forgotten something…"

The little animatronic looked confused for a moment and tapped the side of his head gently with his servo. After a few moments, he snapped his fingers and reached into his pocket and held out a small red balloon and pointed to it.

"That's right dear. Will you blow it up for me?"

Tiny squealed happily and stamped his feet in excitement as he ran over to his station to blow up the balloon while the two humans laughed softly at his antics.

"You're very good with the animatronics Mrs Schmidt. I've never seen the small one wait on a table before" said Henry as Tiny bought over the balloon and Mrs Schmidt patted him gently on the head before sending him back to his station.

"He reminds me of Balloon Boy before he got his upgrades, though whenever I go to the Cove, he always insists on serving me as well, he trained Tiny you know. I know…" Mrs Schmidt laughed at Henry's confused face "that my son could have placed the information inside of him, but Mike felt it would give Balloon Boy a bit more responsibility and later have him ready to help Donna out with training new people at the store. How are you getting on there?"

"I have to say you're very good Mrs Schmidt. It says here if Mr Schmidt decides not to go ahead with the project, I will be allowed to keep my work or sell it to Mr Schmidt on the agreed sum, most businesses would insist on keeping the work"

"Yes, I said so too, but Mike insisted. He is good like that, sadly that doesn't make him a great businessman but I think I would much rather he be a good one" there was a mixture of regret and respect in Mrs Schmidt's tone that made Henry wonder if Mrs Schmidt was always on her son's side. He looked back down at the contract again and noticed something unusual.

"Um, Mrs Schmidt, about this clause here. About working late nights"

"Oh? What about it?"

"Well, I'm used to working long hours and sometimes like to work late just to get my work done. It says here since I'm not an essential member of staff I can only work during the opening hours and not after"

"That is correct. The only people allowed in or after opening hours are the cleaning staff and kitchen staff but even they must be out before midnight and not allowed back in until six am the next morning. The only people allowed in between those hours are those who have taken the five-day test, which is to say the managers, the security guards and myself"

"Yourself? You took the test?"

"Oh yes...but I only made it to the third night. Technically I should have been tested again at a later date but the animatronics all agreed that I was trustworthy and allowed it"

"I don't understand...the animatronics were the ones that decided…?"

Mrs Schmidt looked over at Henry and gave him a curious glance "Have you interacted with any of the animatronics?"

"A little…"

"I suggest interacting with them a bit more. How are you meant to draw them if you know anything about them? They have a long history, at least the ones here and at the Cove, the Nightmare bunch are quite colourful and The Sister animatronics... is well...I'll let you decide on what to think of them. Though I will tell you to be careful of Fraezar, he will insist on hugs, is very sensitive and...well not all that bright which I think just adds to his charm. Shall I tell you the reason why you have to take the test?"

Henry leaned forward "Please?"

"A long time ago, even before my son came here as a security guard, there was one security guard and one-day a guard that broke the animatronics trust so badly that the test had to be put into place. The day guard killed five children and stuffed their bodies into the spare suits out the back. The night guard was paid off by someone to mess with one of the animatronics wirings which led the animatronic to bite the head off an abusive parent and put it out of order for a very long time. So you see the animatronics do not trust the guards or anyone else that shouldn't be here during the night hours, they perceive them as a threat and treat them as such. That is why the restaurants are hardly ever burgled because it is a well-known fact that if the animatronics capture you, they will stuff you into a spare animatronic suit and that will be that. It's certainly not the nicest ways to go"

The image of Freddy covered in human blood made Henry shiver as he quickly signed the contract "I think I'm going to have to get used today work for a while at least till I get to know the animatronics"

"Good idea Mr Stein," said Mrs Schmidt as she handed the contract to Gwen and held her hand out for Henry to shake. "I look forward to seeing your work"

-Line Break-

The twins walked down the halls quietly, holding each other's hand while holding large meat cleavers with the other as they walked down the unfamiliar halls. They were not allowed to be on this level usually. This level was reserved for guests only. It was too posh and too grand for the likes of them. Yet the Lady had given them a job to do and they would do it, it was for their ma, after all, the Lady was so kind and looking after their ma now she was so poorly. They would be good boys and do what the Lady asked. Maybe if they were really good she would let them see her, they hadn't seen her in a long time and they missed her terribly. They nodded to each other and walked off into two separate rooms where a single guest was sleeping off the earlier feast. The twin walked slowly over, being ever so quiet, not that he needed to be as the guest's snores could drown out a storm. He pushed the head back and lifted the many folds of flab that hid the neck. He paused for a moment when the guest seemed to struggle to breathe under his weight and coughed and snorted loudly before returning to snore. Again the chief lifted the extra skin and lifted the cleaver high and bought it down with as much focus as he could. Which turns out wasn't enough as it only went half though, the guest wakes to try to scream and escape but the chief slams the cleaver down again and the only noise heard was the heavy thump of the head rolling to the floor. Blood poured from the body like a heavy rainfall as the chief went to work cutting the body into pieces so it would fit in his sack. Once the meat was inside the sack and he was able to carry it, the chief used the small little bathroom to the side to wipe clean his face and hands before heaving the sack on to his back. No one would question the blood on his apron, he was chief after all, things tended to get messy in the kitchen. His twin was waiting for him in the hallway, he too was dripping with blood from his apron and sack, but he smiled when he saw his brother and held out his clean hand for him to take. They walked back happily in a job well done leaving a trail of puddles of blood in their wake.

The feast was going well. Stacks of meat everywhere and no one was questioning it. It was simply too delicious. The Lady watched from above as many guests forgot their knives and forks and simply used their hands to pick up the juicy steaks and tear it apart with their teeth, juices and blood dribbling from their mouths where the meat was so rare.

"More Meat!" "More Sausages!" "More Wine!" They cried greedily even though there was still meat and wine on the tables but the Lady put in the order for more food to be brought up. One twin was cutting up a large leg when the order came and asked his twin to do the sausages. The twin huffed in annoyance as he hated making them but he went to the bench where they put all the children's kidneys, livers and other worthless things into the grinder and then followed by the press that made them come out like sausages. He then threw a dozen of them into a large frying pan and watched them sizzle. The first twin had finished making steaks out of the legs and was making chops out of the arms. The prison down below was going to have a real treat tonight with all those fingers and toes.

The Janitor herded the group of children into the Mew nursery. Most of them looked so lifeless and skinny. He was going to have to feed them up a bit before they could be...well less said about that. Most of these had come from the slave trade, mostly born from prostitutes or other slaves, they don't know what the world was like outside of this one, never tasted joy or even hope, probably don't even know how to smile. A small child couldn't climb into the bed, it was too high for it, so he reached over and lifted it in, making sure the high railings were not going to fall. The child looked up at him and blinked its large dark eyes at him before its lips moved upwards in a weird sort of smile, showing it only had a few teeth and they were wonky in any case, he couldn't see it but he could hear the child cooing up at him. He felt a small ping in his chest. He hated feeling it. Using his long arms he reached up to the top cupboard and unlocked it. They kept the toys for the "good" children up there and bought down a falling apart bear and handed it to the child. The child groped it tightly before curling up on the bed and falling into a deep sleep. The Janitor sighed and went to leave, even turning off the lights, but he stopped and looked over to where the child was and with his long arms felt around for the sheet before lifting it over the child and tucking it in for the night. He then pulled away and shook his head, after all these years, he was still a soft touch.

-Line Break-

Henry walked up to the Sister just a little after nine when their main staff came in to get things ready for the lunch rush. He wanted to quickly take some pictures and watch the animatronics when they weren't dealing with kids. Plus he had not decided who to animate just yet, though Jeremy told him it was best to do Freddy first, since he was the head bear and all, and didn't want the bear upset. Henry simply rolled his eyes at that. It was so odd how his usually serious nephew was, well almost childish, over the robots. Oops! Sorry, animatronics, he had been warned about that, the "animatronics" found it offensive. He picked up his bag with his drawing gear and knocked on the door. Luigi opened the door with a large smile and stepped aside for him.

"Mr Stein right? Mr Schmidt told me you were coming. Now I really have to warn you. We have a rule here at the Sister...when they come into work they must hug Freazar the bear. He insists"

"Seriously?" said Henry in disbelief but was surprised at the small line of people queuing up in front of the large pink and white cuddly bear, who was happily hugging each member of staff and wishing them well.

"I know it seems odd, but it's surprisingly really good for morale, you have a bad morning but when you get here, you get a big cuddle for a teddy bear asking if your ok, it just makes your day somehow and you feel better and you're able to get on with work with a slight smile. Plus if you're here all day you have to hug him goodbye as well. Plus if you're just having a crappy day you can always ask for one too. He loves giving them" Said Luigi as he led Henry over to Freazar who was saying goodbye to the last of the kitchen staff.

"Hi Mr Manager sir, do you need another morning hug?" Freazar asked as he held his arms out to hug him.

"No, I'm good for now Freazar, I'm just showing Mr Stein about, he's the new member of staff that the Doctor told you about," said Luigi as he pushed Henry forward. The Pink and white bear looked down at Henry, his little white ears wiggling back and forth, his pink cheeks glowing happily.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr Stein. Can I hug you please?" as the overly friendly bear danced on the spot.

"Um...I'm not much of a hugger," said Henry and jumped as he heard Luigi gasping. He also felt a couple of heated glare coming from a Fox animatronic, that might be Freazar's girlfriend. Freazar's ears were now hanging low, the light in his cheeks went out as he lowered his arms.

"Oh...ok...I understand" the bear said sadly as he looked down at the floor with a sad slump.

Henry had never felt so guilty before. He felt like he had just kicked a puppy, a homeless, abused, puppy with a limp.

"Wait I didn't mean that I didn't want one...just a small one...ok?" he finished lamely.

"GOODIE!" cried Freazar as he wrapped his servos around Henry's waist and hugged him tightly. Once Henry got his breath back, he was surprised by how soft and warm the bear was, he really was cuddly, he couldn't help but hug back. Then Freazar released him and smiled down at him and kissed his cheek.

"I hope we can be friends now Mr Stein"

"I sure we can Freazar," said Henry as the door opened and a mopy looking young man came in wearing a security uniform.

"ADAM!" The marshmallow bear cried as he ran from the stage over to the young man and quickly hugged him tightly.

"Who is that?" Henry asked as he watched the bear coo and cuddle the teen who was trying to assure the bear that he was fine.

"Oh that's Adam Edge, our security guard...at least for now, his mom really doesn't like him working here and is trying to get him to take another job, despite the kid not wanting too," said Luigi with a bit of concern "and from the looks of things I think he's had another fight with her this morning. Excuse me please while I'll go and talk to him"

Henry watched as the manager went over and started to speak to the teen in a soft voice and rested a hand on his shoulder. It was nice to see a manager taking some concern over his staff, Joey was never like that, hell, it was likely that Joey even remembered your name, let alone worry if you were alright. The more time he spent seeing how Mike worked and treated his staff made him realise just how bad a boss Joey was. There was a polite tap on his shoulder. He turned to be greeted by two rows of very sharp looking teeth. He looked a little higher to see it was the white and pink fox animatronic.

"Er..um...hello there…" said Henry nervously as he held out his hand. The fox smiled and grasped his hand tightly in its servo.

"Nice to meet ya, Mr Stein, names Fox '' said a deep male New York accent "Just a word to the wise, since your new and all, never, ever, refuse Freazar as a hug. It upsets him and the one thing I do not like is my missus upset, you understand me?"

"Umm...yes, sir?"

"Good," said Fox as he released Henry's hand and patted him on the back. "Now Luigi is a good manager but if ya want to speak to the brains of this outfit, you need to go and speak to Tony there, he more or less runs the place"

Henry looked over to where Fox was pointing. There was a tall, humanoid cat person in a butler suit talking to a few humans with an iPad in his servos.

"Ok, so Tony is in charge, is there any more animatronics here?" Henry asked looking around.

"Toni and the kids are probably out the back arguing over CDs again and Matron said she would try and do the ballerina thing again in Balloria's old party room. I'll give ya the tour, come on" said Fox as he started to lead Henry down one of the main corridors and for the first time Henry wondered what he had gotten himself into.

-Line Break-

Susie stepped out of the cab and quickly paid the driver. She waited until he left before looking around. The studio looked deserted, even the streets had no one on them, and the street lights were flickering giving it eerie shadows and a sense of foreboding. She tried to walk with an air of confidence but the sounding silence was deafening and the shadows seemed to be swarming around her to try and pull her away from the studio. She ran into the building and slammed the door shut behind her before leaning up against it, her heart racing. She was being silly. It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong. Anything illegal. Besides, it was only her and Joey here right? And he was in a wheelchair. She could easily get away from him right if this whole thing was some sort of horrible prank. Trying to steady her nerves, she took several large breaths and repeated a mantra that her dear mother always used to say to her.

"Dreams come true Susie. Dreams come true"

"Hey there Susie!"

Susie screamed and then quickly covered her mouth when she saw it was Joey wheeling himself towards her with a flashlight. He had that damn smile on his face. The one she longed to smack clear off it.

"Sorry about that Susie, didn't mean to scare you, to tell the truth, I wasn't sure you would turn up"

"When I made my mind up about something Mr Drew there is very little that will stand in my way," said Susie with as much spirit as she could muster. Joey just smiled and wheeled himself around and started rolling himself down the hall, clearly expecting her to follow. The studio looked eerie with all the lights off but what made it worse was the sound of the machine pumping ink throughout the building. It might have been Susie's overactive imagination but it sounded like some kind of hungry beast, roaring from starvation and looking for its next meal.

"Why are all the lights off? I can hardly see a thing" she muttered.

"Can't have anyone knowing we're here silly. They'll ask questions and it's best at the moment that they don't know the answers just yet" said Joey jovially, but there was something almost ominous about his tone. They went down a couple of levels, though dark corridors to what felt like the furthest part of the floor and from the cobwebs Susie doubted anyone came down here. Joey pushed open a door to a practically empty room save for six burning candles on the floor, lighting up an odd diagram that had been painted there.

"Ok Susie, leave your coat and bag there and go and stand in the middle of the circle," said Joey as he turned to her and noticed the slight edge of fear in Susie's eyes. "Sus...Alice. You do want this, don't you? You want to be beautiful don't you?"

Susie jumped at his words, her eyes became hard as she threw down her bag and ripped off her coat, before stepping into the circle with her fists clenched tightly and her head held high. Joey wheeled around the circle "I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on my voice and answer my questions"

Susie closed her eyes and nodded her head to let Joey know she was ready. She was ready to be beautiful. She could hear Joey's wheelchair squeak on the floorboards as he continued to circle her.

"What is your name?"

"Susie…" She heard Joey cough "No. I'm Alice Angel"

"Again"

"I am Alice Angel"

"And what does Alice look like?"

"She is beautiful! Long black hair, perfect skin, deep beautiful eyes. She has the perfect figure and her halo is glowing. She is just so beautiful"

"Again"

She repeated her words, again and again, going into more detail every time, every time she would be more and more beautiful. Susie jerked slightly when Joey took her hand and placed something made of glass in her hand. It was heavy. Warm. Moving.

"Keep your eyes closed now Alice. I want you to think of a long mirror. I want you to see yourself in that mirror Alice. See how you want to be. See Alice Angel"

Susie could see it in her mind's eye. A large grand mirror in a gold frame showing her reflection. Her hourglass frame coated in a mini black dress, with long black gloves with tiny feet with high heel shoes. She had flawless skin, kissable lips, seductive eyes with silky black hair. She had the cutest little horns and the most beautiful halo. She was perfect.

"Ok, in your hand is what is going to make you into Alice Angel, but I have to warn you, Susie, once you take that, you can never be poor, boring, ugly Susie Campbell again…" Joey warned but smiled overjoyed as Susie raised the flask of ink to her lips.

"There is no Susie! I am Alice Angel!"

She opened her mouth and it attacked. She didn't even have a moment to tilt her head back when the ink forced itself down her throat and started to spread. It was burning all the blood out of her veins, choking her heart, and filling her lungs. Ink poured out of her pores, nose and eyes, absorbing her skin. Her brain was swimming in the ink, she couldn't think, she couldn't move or scream as the ink started to devour her bones. She fell. She kept falling. She could see but couldn't do anything. She was in some kind of dark inky well with only a little light above her which she just couldn't reach and the voices surrounded her, crying and screaming. Something was picking her up, moving her, but where?

"Don't worry my dear. Soon you will be perfect, just like I promised and everyone will love you"

That sounded nice but why couldn't she see? Why couldn't she move? Where the hell was whoever that was taking her. Suddenly it went dark.

Joey had scooped up most of Susie's ink remains from her clothes and carried the puddle over to the machine and placed the ink inside. The machine howled and rattled. Ink churned and gurgled, Joey pretended or simply didn't hear the human cries as he rubbed his hands and waited. There was a loud chunk and a groan and a large thick blob came out of the nozzle. It fell to the floor with a plop, It then wiggled around like a perthitic slug. He waited for a few minutes to see if it took shape but it simply wriggled about helplessly. He snorted through his nose and pulled out his mobile and hit a number.

"Tom! IT DIDN'T WORK! What do you mean? Put in a template? What the hell am I paying you for? Yes, I know what time it is and I also know that time is money and you're wasting both! I'm going to give you one last chance to show me some results that are worth a damn otherwise your arse will be kissing the sidewalk!"

Joey snapped his phone shut and looked down at the ugly slug. He couldn't leave it out. Gods know what it would get in too. Picking up the shovel he had used to carry Susie's remains, he picked up the slug and lifted it back into the machine. Waste not, want not and all that. Damn. He was counting on the girl but maybe she just wasn't good enough. He would have to consult with the book again. There had to be something they were missing. He hummed Bendy's theme tune as he wheeled himself away from the studio, completely deaf to the sound of crying coming from within the machine.

-Line Break-

Taylor was singing and dancing along with Freddy and the band when he remembered something. He ran over to his mom who was sitting with all the other moms and babies.

"Mom! Mom! Do you have my drawing? The one I made for Freddy?" Taylor asked as he started to look down his mother's handbag.

"Er...Oh no, sweetie, I think I left it in the car" said his mom as she looked down at him from her conversation.

"Can I go and get it? I want to give it to Freddy"

"Honey it's in the car in the busy car park"

"It's not that far and I'll come right back. Please. Please. Please" Taylor knew if he made enough noise his mom would give in. His mom rolled her eyes and he knew he had won. She reached into her bag and pulled out her keys. She handed them over but held them still.

"You are to come straight back! No talking to strangers and remember to lock the car afterwards"

Taylor smiled at his mom and held the keys tightly as he wandered over to the doors and pushed them open. It was quite cool outside and the sun was setting behind the tall buildings. The car was only four down from the front and Taylor knew to stay close to the cars but to make sure the cars were not on before walking past them. He opened the car door and looked in the front seat for his drawing for Freddy.

"Got it!" he cheered as he picked it up and slammed the door shut before clicking on the button on this mom's keys to lock the car. He looked down at his drawing and smiled. He hoped Freddy would like it. A large shadow cast over him, making him shiver before he turned around, as he clenched his picture to his chest. It was a tall person...a man by the looks of it, but he had a sack over his head with one tiny hole to see through. He was wearing big welly boots, thick gloves and a huge raincoat despite it being a warm evening. On top of the sack was a hunter's hat, the kind that his grandad wears when he goes hunting, it was just as dirty and beat up too. Leaning up against the car was a large shotgun and lantern. The Hunter placed a finger to where his lips would be and made a "shh" noise as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a large sack. Taylor screamed and ran back to the restaurant as fast as his little legs could carry him. He slammed into the glass door forgetting he had to pull not push as he quickly looked around and saw the Hunter coming after him. He let out another scream and with a quick pull, he bolted inside and went running up to his mother crying out loud.

"Mom! Mom! A BAD MAN! HE HAD A SACK! HE CHASED AFTER ME!"

Shadow and Sooty instantly put down their instruments and ran outside as Freddy went to get Jeremy and Mike. Mike came out of his office and went straight to Taylor and looked the boy over as Jeremy with Freddy came out of the office, not looking amused.

"He had a sack on his head and an even bigger sack to put me in!" Taylor sobbed.

"Jeremy, tell me you got the guy on camera," said Mike but Jeremy shook his head and even jerked it for Mike to come over to him.

"Sorry, Mike but when I noticed the kid leaving I followed him with the outside camera. He was alone the whole time. He was fine one minute then something spooked him and he came running back in but nobody followed him"

"Taylor isn't known for telling tales Jeremy," said Freddy as his processor whirled his memory on the child. "And he's not prone to fits either"

Shadow and Sooty came back in, the large purple bear looking angry as he held a sack in his servo and handed it to Jeremy.

"Found it just by the cars but there are no footprints anywhere, not even on the green surrounding the car park"

"Jeremy, go over that video again and then send it to me, Shadow come with me outside," said Mike as he gave a loud whistle. "Ok, everyone. Myself and Shadow are going to make sure everything is safe out there and that the man is gone but to be on the safe side, Shadow and Sooty will be escorting you to your cars for the rest of the evening"

Everyone seemed to relax a bit as Mike and Shadow walked back outside. Once he was outside, he felt it, his eyes started to burn and his fingers tingled. Something had been here. Something...not quite human. The dark almost sooty footprints that stained the tarmac going back and forth from the cars, obviously from where it had chased Taylor to the restaurant. He gritted his teeth and slammed his cane down hard on the ground. Blue lighting zapped from his cane and fried the black marks away with a sizzle.

"Dad...is something wrong?" Shadow asked not liking the heated anger look on his normally kind parent.

"Yes Shadow, something is very wrong and it has tried to come here to snatch a child, not on my bloody watch!" Mike hissed as he matched back into the restaurant, with Shadow in tow. Mike walked up to Emily the manager and gave her his orders.

"Your to make sure everyone, customer and staff leave here safely tonight and tomorrow, work out some kind of buddy system just in case. Secondly, call all of the other restaurants and have them go on high alert, a child so much as mentions someone hanging about, even if we can't see them, are to be taken seriously and their to follow your orders as well about the customers and the staff. Safety is the number one thing, understand?"

"Yes sir," said Emily as she walked quickly to her office to make the phone calls as Mike walked to the security room. Jeremy was looking over the video again with Freddy looking over his shoulder.

"Mike, no matter what angle I put the cameras, I can't find whoever…" Jeremy stopped when he saw the look on Mike's face and sighed "Ok. What are we dealing with?"

"I don't know but it's very bad…play the video for me"

Jeremy played it from the moment Taylor closed the car door. Mike leaned in close, his jaw dropped as he frowned, as he slammed on the pause button.

"Mike…? Mike what is it?" said Freddy.

"I...don't know. It's...black...man-shaped but that's it. It was after Taylor but there was something desperate about its actions. I don't think it's from around here" said Mike "And the problem we have when or if it comes back, is that I'm the only one that can see it"

"And if whatever attacked here goes to the other pizzerias….one unwatched child..." said Freddy, his optics widening.

"Will be the first kidnapped kid" Jeremy moaned as he looked up at the video screen, still unable to see the monster that was chasing Taylor.

To Be Continued….

PLEASE REVIEW TO LET ME KNOW YOU LIKE THIS FIC!