A/N: Hey, another update! Yeah, all I can say is I'm still working out the fine details of the plot as I go, so forgive me if it takes some time, but as of right now, I'm still planning on having this story wrapped up pretty soon (like a few more chapters total), so it shouldn't be too much longer. That said...as always, enjoy!
THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017, 2:04 AM
"Hi, you've reached Chris. I'm sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you."
"AT THE TONE, PLEASE RECORD YOUR MESSAGE. WHEN YOU'VE FINISHED RECORDING, YOU MAY HANG UP OR PRESS 1 FOR MORE OPTIONS."
BEEP.
"Ok, Chris. What's really happening down there? The picture you sent me looks like they're actually building some kind of monster, and even from the few years we've known each other, I know you wouldn't send that to me if you didn't need my help. I don't know if you're just being stubborn or if something else is going on, but I don't even remotely believe your last text. And since when have you started using phrases like 'smooth as butter'? Look, I've just about had it with these random updates. Give me a call back right now. I'm serious...if you don't call me back in the next fifteen minutes, I'm coming down there to see things for myself. I'm tired of waiting on the sidelines for some good news.
Hopefully I'll hear back from you, but if not...I'll be seeing you real soon."
END OF MESSAGE.
Jack couldn't believe his eyes. Surrounding him was probably the strangest crime scene he had ever witnessed. Tables were overturned and instruments and files were scattered everywhere. It looked very indicative of a struggle, but something was strangely off. Everything looked too...neat. The tables laying on the floor were positioned almost perfectly straight and symmetrically, like they had been placed there deliberately. On top of that, there were glass containers laying on the floor which were slightly cracked but intact. After examining them, Jack determined that they were fragile enough to have been broken had they hit the ground more violently.
After hearing someone clear their throat, he remembered the officers who were in the room with him.
"What do the cameras show?" he asked.
"Nothing," said Captain Holmes. "They've been tampered with. The last thing we saw was the victim's body on the gurney and then static. That's why we called you in."
Jack continued to gaze intently at the security camera, and then back at the scene before him. He re-examined several key crime scenes he'd visited in his career, ranging from a stolen briefcase with confidential documents to an inside-job heist which resulted in two employees and a client being killed. But this was in unfamiliar territory.
Is this the work of Chris Everett? he thought. He knew that that would probably be the most likely scenario in everybody else's mind, but something didn't smell right here. With his memory of the heist still fresh, he turned his eyes once more to the neatly overturned tables. It just doesn't add up. Everett's supposed to be a man on the run, and he knows that there were witnesses to confirm he's the culprit, anyway. Shouldn't he be on his way to refuge elsewhere? Why would he care so much about stealing a body that everyone already knows was killed by him via impalement? There's no secret to cover up, so there's just no point.
"Captain?" came a nearby voice. "They're about to leave with the guard's body. Should we have the detective take a look?"
"Yes," said Captain Holmes.
Jack was led to the hallway where the guard on duty, still with his name tag on label MORRIS GILLMAN, was lying motionless on a cart. As soon as Jack saw the guard, he gasped. The entire face was hollow-looking and extremely emaciated, like it had been shrunken by something out of a science-fiction movie. But this wasn't a movie...this was real. As he took a closer look, he noticed something leaking from the eyes.
"Can I get a latex glove, please?"
One of the officers handed him one and he applied it. He slowly lifted the eyelid and almost jumped in shock. The entire eye was black, with absolutely no indication that there ever was an iris or pupil within.
"What the-?" came Captain Holmes' voice.
"Did you notice this?" asked Jack.
"No. In fact, it wasn't until now that it even started...leaking like that." The tone of the hardened captain's voice was more shaken than ever.
As Jack leaned back away from the body, growing increasingly disturbed with every passing second, he noticed something on the floor. It was a footprint on the dusty floor, almost obscured but noticeable. At first, Jack's mind suspected it would be oddly-shaped like that of a certain mysterious mechanical creature, but it was human-shaped and rather large.
"Do you smell bleach?" one of the officers suddenly asked.
Jack took a sniff and was almost overcome by the strong stench. Following the smell, he pulled back the shirt of the deceased guard where the fatal stab wound was located. Against his better judgment, he smelled the wound, fully expecting it to reek of flesh and blood, but instead, all that he got was the nauseating smell of bleach.
What the-? he thought. Wounds aren't supposed to smell clean. There's no way, unless the culprit had a reason to prevent suspicion from falling on them specifically. I wonder…who could've done this?
As his mind reviewed the events from the last few days and the clean yet powerful stench grew, he suddenly remembered something that made his heart sink.
The dead manager, Derek Brody. When I passed him shortly before the incident, he smelled a lot like bleach. He was also wearing…
He took another look at the footprint on the ground and his eyes went wide.
"I need to go."
"What for?" asked Captain Holmes as he watched the detective turn and walk away.
"Something important just came up."
"What do we do?" cried Olivia as she continued following her brother through the dark vent.
"We have to get outta here," said Kendall.
"How?"
"I don't know. There's gotta be some other way back to where we came. Maybe another vent or something."
"But what about Josh?"
"He's a big boy, 'Liv. He can take care of himself." Even as he said it, Kendall couldn't help but hope that that was true.
As they continued crawling through the dark vent, the rumbling grew louder. Olivia was beginning to panic, and Kendall couldn't really blame her. Between the noise, the fact that they were lost, and the burning image of their brother fighting against this thing was enough to make him want to hurl, but he kept his bravado up for her sake.
They kept moving forward as best as they could through the dark vent, growing colder as the air conditioning gained power. Olivia whimpered, which caused Kendall to turn his attention back to her.
"What's wrong? You cold?"
"No, I'm scared. What if that thing finds us?"
He wanted to reassure her, to tell her that they were safe up here, but he couldn't, not after what they had already witnessed.
"How about we find the way out of here so that way it won't know where we are?"
Even in the dark, he could see her giving him a look that told him he was just insulting her. They both knew that they weren't safe inside or outside the building.
"Look, I don't know what to do, okay?" he said. "But we can't just sit here worrying! We have to get help!"
A loud clang came from behind them, further down the vent. Olivia squealed.
"Come on," said Kendall. He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. Their knees made loud noises on the vent floor, which made Kendall wince. He remembered when he was four years old trying to sneak candy from their Halloween jar, only to be caught when the last step betrayed him with a loud creak. If anyone was in the restaurant, they would surely take note of the loud noises coming from the vents that sounded like someone crawling. But he couldn't worry about that now. All he could think about was that face.
Finally, they reached a dead end with a grate below them. With some effort, Kendall managed to push it out. Below them appeared to be a small room of some kind. He wasn't sure if he should trust it since he didn't know who or what might be waiting for him down below, but when he looked back to the dark vent, which was now quiet, he knew it was their only choice. He swung his legs down and slipped through the grate and onto the desk. His knees slammed into the wood and he gasped in pain.
"Kendall! Are you okay?" came Olivia's voice from above.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Come on, your turn."
She carefully got into position exactly like she saw him do. She glanced down at him nervously. He nodded and lifted up his arms. She fell onto him, causing them both to crash into the desk. Kendall's head throbbed from where it made contact with the wood. He lightly pushed his sister off of him and they got up.
"Where are we?" asked Olivia.
"It looks like an office," said Kendall, taking note of the surroundings. There was a computer, a filing cabinet, and stacks of boxes filled with paper in the corner. "Maybe the boss's?"
There were papers on the desk. Kendall examined one of them. It appeared to be a schematic for something, but not a robot. The diagram was of a canister filled with some sort of mysterious substance that was drawn to be glowing. Next to it was a crossed-out word which he could make out to read "remnant." Beneath it was a new word in all-capital letters: "resurgence."
"There it is!" cried Olivia. Kendall turned to her.
"What?"
"The monster!" said Olivia, pointing at the computer screen. On the screen was a spinning 3D model of none other than the robotic creature that had been plaguing their minds for days. However, something was different: here, there was no cloak, just the endoskeleton beneath. Being much more illuminated in the diagram, the full contours of the head and neck were visible and the entire torso and legs were covered in mis-matched wires. Beneath the mask was only one eye, as they had come to know very well, and its hands were thick and bulky. At the center of its torso was a strange-looking device.
A power source: like a battery, maybe? Kendall thought. He began mulling over what he'd read in his book at home only hours before. And that's when he remembered: What about Emergency Safe Mode? Surely this thing has to have one, right? As long as it was made after 2015, he reminded himself.
"I want to go home," said Olivia. "I'm scared."
"What about Cameron? You're the one who insisted that he was here!"
"I didn't know that the monster was still here!" she protested.
"Well, we have to find a way outta here, first," said Kendall. He walked over to the door. The handle didn't budge. He unclicked the lock and the door opened with a loud creak, which caused him to cringe. He motioned for his sister to follow and they entered the dark hall.
Although it was dark, Kendall recognized the hallway. It was where the bosses' offices were. He noticed a nameplate next to the room from which they emerged: Derek Brody. The other office door was closed and locked. With no other way to go, the pair walked toward the front lobby area.
Josh's vision gradually began to deblur. His head ached terribly and the room was spinning. He'd completely forgotten where he was or what he was doing. His thoughts ran rampant through numerous possibilities. Had he overslept and was late for school? Did he get caught sneaking back into the house three hours after curfew? Was he struck by a car on the highway? Or maybe he'd been kidnapped by someone...or something...
With a jolt, reality came back to him as he recalled that he was inside of the restaurant, trying to track down Cameron. He remembered falling from the vent and running away from the creature.
But then what happened? Did I get caught?
He racked his brain.
Rebecca. I remember running into Rebecca. Did she try to save me? I remember she called me brave...and then something else.
"It's nothing personal, just business."
His heart dropped in his chest. His stomach began to feel queasy.
She betrayed me. She's part of this.
He tried to move his arms, but they wouldn't obey. Tugging them, he felt a rope preventing movement. His feet were likewise restrained, and after taking note of the situation, he realized that he was bound in a chair. To make matters worse, he couldn't see a thing. He squinted his eyes and felt fabric on his nose. He had been blindfolded. His nerves began to rise drastically as he tried to free himself, but nothing worked.
"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone there? Help me! I need to get outta here!"
"If only it were that easy," came a voice from nearby.
Josh's covered eyes widened. That sounded close...and familiar.
"Who is that?"
"Someone you've been avoiding since you first got here," said the voice.
This time, there was enough of a recognizable tone that Josh recalled a serious face. The voice wasn't as low and monotone as it was before, but it was still the same.
"Chris?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"What's going on?"
"Well, as you just found out, our bosses aren't really the nice people they want everyone to think that they are."
"But...why?"
"It's a long story," said Chris. "Even I don't know all the details, but I've suspected all along that they were up to something. Ever since I discovered this restaurant, I had a bad feeling that something weird was going on."
"So you've been, like, undercover or something?" asked Josh, amazed at how wrong he and the others had been about everything.
"I guess you could say that," said Chris, "although I'm not really the sneakiest person. That's why I knew I needed help. By the way, where's your brother?" asked Chris.
"What?"
"Didn't your brother come along with you? The clever one? I saw him sneaking that book in the other day. I figured since he liked to read so much, he'd be the one to decipher my clues on how to get in."
"How...how do you know that?"
"Well, after your curiosity that one day, I decided to keep an eye on you and your siblings."
"Yeah, 'cause that's not creepy at all," said Josh, weirded out by the information.
"Not like that," came Chris' irritated voice. "I know you think I'm a kidnapper and a murderer. That's what they wanted everybody to think, but I'm here for other reasons."
"Like what?" Josh asked.
"The same reason that you are, to find out what's going on around here."
"What is going on around here?"
After a pause, Chris responded. "I still don't know. All I know is that these people, our bosses, are up to something really bad. Ever since this place's grand opening was first announced, I had that bad gut feeling that something was wrong again. I mean, the Freddy Fazbear's franchise actually becoming a safe haven for kids? I don't think so...not after everything else that's already happened. I figured if I could get a job, I could see things for myself. When they first told me I was hired, I actually thought I'd pulled it off, but when they started treating me differently, I had a feeling they were on to me. Looks like I was right."
"But why are you so determined to fix things?" said Josh. "Why didn't you just go to the police?"
He heard Chris sigh. "It's a long story, but…"
He was interrupted by the sound of a door opening, followed by footsteps.
"Oh, good. Looks like our boys are getting acquainted," came Rebecca's voice.
"Yes, a very touching reunion," said another very familiar voice.
Josh gasped. Is that-Derek? But how-?
He felt fingers on his temple and flinched.
"Oh, calm down," said Rebecca. "I'm just taking off your blindfold, sweetie. You really are a teenage boy."
The blindfold was removed and replaced by a blinding light. His eyes slammed shut. He wanted to rub his head but forgot that his arms were tied.
"Easy, Josh," came Rebecca's soft voice above him. "Just relax. You're fine."
Slowly, he managed to adjust to the light. Before long, Rebecca's form came into view. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail and she was wearing a white lab coat. Standing a few feet behind her, dressed in an identical coat, was Derek, who looked fitter than ever despite his "death." Off to the right, strapped down firmly to a table, was none other than Chris, who looked much more tired than usual. Josh looked back at Rebecca, who matched his gaze with the same smile as before.
"What do you want with us?" he asked her.
"Well, since you had to know what's going on," she said, reaching out and stroking his face causing him to flinch again, "you've volunteered to be another observer for us, maybe even a future test subject."
"An observer for what?" said Josh.
"Our latest and greatest experiment, the one we've been working tirelessly towards our entire lives. It took years of research and experimenting, one failure after another, all in an attempt to match and hopefully surpass the ingenious creation of our late professor and mentor, Dr. Taggart."
"A brilliant man," said Derek. "Before we took that class, we were both just like the rest of the world, too naive to think that robots could ever be sentient. But they can...in fact, they are the future."
"I knew you were crazy, but this is insane!" retorted Chris.
"Why, Chris. Whatever would give you that idea?" asked Rebecca.
"Because there are only two reasons why anyone would reopen this restaurant after everything that's happened," said Chris. "Either they're an ignorant businessman wanting money who doesn't care about the restaurant's past...or they're up to something bad."
"Oh, I wonder which one we are?" said Derek sarcastically.
"When I saw you take that boy's cane from against the wall and lead him away to the back room, I knew the truth," said Chris.
"Yes, and that's also why you tipped off that detective, which was only a partial setback, by the way," Rebecca responded curtly. "Well, guess what, Mr. Sneaky? You're not the only one with a secret. It so happens that we've got the dirt on you, too."
Chris stopped struggling. "What do you mean?"
Rebecca laughed. "You honestly thought we never knew who you really were? Your face was familiar when you came to us for the job."
"And it didn't take long for us to put the pieces together," Derek added. "After all, when the son of our old friend comes waltzing in asking for a job, it tends to catch attention."
Chris' face dropped. Wait...did they actually figure it out? How?!
"What are you talking about?" asked Josh, still confused. "Who is he?"
Rebecca and Derek exchanged amused glances.
"Josh," said Rebecca, nodding to Chris, "this man has much more to do with everything than you think. He may be known to all of his friends and relatives as Chris Everett, which is his mother's maiden name, but he has another name...a name that he's been trying to keep secret from the world."
Josh said nothing. He still didn't understand.
"Are you familiar with a man named William Afton?" asked Derek.
Josh shook his head. "No. Why?"
"He was one of the owners of the original Freddy Fazbear's restaurant," said Rebecca, "as well as our old lab partner at Stanford, a brilliant man whom we both shamefully underestimated. But that's not all. Why don't you tell him the rest, Chris?"
As Josh turned to Chris, he felt that strange yet familiar chill behind him, but he didn't dare turn around to look. Chris met his gaze and turned away in shame.
"He was my father."
Josh frowned. "Okay, and what about it?"
"Do you know what my father did?" shouted Chris aggressively. "He's the one who kidnapped and murdered those kids at Freddy Fazbear's all those years ago. It's because of him that everything went wrong!"
Josh froze, attempting to let the words sink in. Is that how this is all connected?
"So you-you're the-?"
"The son of perdition, as some people would say," said Derek. "Yes, it's a shame you weren't willing to follow in his footsteps, Chris, but that's life, I suppose...full of disappointments."
Chris opened his mouth to retaliate again, but was interrupted by the strong chill of a familiar presence. A cold metal hand planted itself onto Josh's shoulder. He turned and gulped when he saw the pale face and luminous eye.
"Well?" said Rebecca. "Did you find them?"
The creature turned and looked at her. Rebecca shook her head.
"How hard can it be to find two children? The restaurant isn't that big."
Josh silently cursed himself for telling her that his brother and sister had come along. If I'd only known…
"Forget the kids for now," said Derek. "We have to get this started."
"I don't want to risk being seen," said Rebecca. "If those kids talk, we'll be done for."
"We can't afford to wait any longer," replied Derek. "The resurgence has reached its peak. Too much longer, and it might kill our test subject."
Rebecca sighed. "Very well. Let's get to it."
They walked over to the lab table in the center of the room. With a heavy whoosh, the figure standing behind Josh moved swiftly and smoothly over to the table as well. As it approached the light, Josh gasped. This was the first time he'd actually seen this thing as clear as day, and it looked more menacing than when it was hidden in shadow.
"Let us begin," said Derek as he went to grab something from nearby.
Two large, metal hands grabbed the cloak and flung it effortlessly from its shoulders. Josh bit his tongue to prevent himself from audibly gasping, though he doubted it would make a difference. The figure was unnaturally lanky; its torso was a mangled mess of protruding wires and metal pieces, making Josh wonder how it could move so sneakily without clanking around. The feet were bare without covering and the head looked like it had been severely beaten at some point.
Derek placed a container on the lab table. Josh recognized it as the container he and his siblings had come across while searching for Cameron the other day. Derek applied thick gloves and removed the small container on the inside, which still housed the mysterious, glowing substance from before. He placed the container in a holding device, keeping it elevated.
"Would you care to do the honors, 'Becca?"
"Certainly."
Applying her own pair of gloves, she carefully removed the top of the container. Grabbed a syringe, she sucked up the glowing substance until it was about halfway full.
"That should be good enough for now," said Derek. "After all, this is a test run."
Rebecca walked over to the creature. "Hold still. This will sting." She removed something from the center of the creature's chest and carefully inserted the syringe into it. A few seconds later, she removed it and reapplied the cover.
For a moment, there was only silence, but suddenly, the creature let out a high-pitched whining sound of agony and dropped to the floor, writhing and shaking like someone set ablaze.
"What's happening?!" Josh cried, unable to look away from the creature on the ground.
"It's the resurgence," said Rebecca, tapping the empty syringe in her hand. "It's taking effect."
"Resurgence?"
"Yes, the power source for our delicate creation here...or rather Dr. Taggart's creation, which we're simply helping him finish post-mortem."
"Let's not bore the young man with the tedious details," said Derek. "You probably don't really care much for science, do you, Josh?"
Technically, he wasn't wrong, but Josh still couldn't help but feel stupid at the remark.
"What about you, Mr. Afton?" said Derek, turning to Chris. "What do you think?"
"What do I think?" said Chris, mortified at the suggestion. "I think this is horrible! Do you have any idea how sick this is? Those are children in there!"
"Were," said Derek. "Now they're part of something even better, a new breed of species. Imagine it: a world without infliction and ailment. Every single disabled man, woman, and child can finally be healed forever, complete with the amazing perks of the world's best machines and free from all physical inferiority."
"Yeah, but at what cost? Only their humanity."
"We're revolutionizing humanity, Chris. Why are you so resistant?"
"Because you're so focused on forwarding your own twisted agenda that you're putting innocent children through unspeakable torment!"
"Semantics," said Derek. "If only you'd seen what we have, then you would be a believer."
"It's too bad you never got to see what your father achieved with your sister," said Rebecca. "You never got the chance to meet her, since your mother left while she was pregnant with you, but you had an older sister named Elizabeth who had...shall we say...an interesting runin with a certain animatronic girl."
"Oh, I think he already knows all about that, considering whom he's been talking to," said Derek, nodding to Chris' phone.
"Oh, really?" said Rebecca, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I guess it is fitting. Those two do make a good team...at least for a couple of amateur spies."
Josh had no idea what any of this meant, nor was he paying too close attention. He was focused on the animatronic creature still writhing on the ground like it was on fire. What was the most unsettling was the noise coming from its mouth. It was mechanical, though it sounded strangely human.
"Do you hear that?" said Derek. "That's the sound of our beautiful creation finding its power."
Josh was so mesmerized by the creature spasming on the ground. In a fleeting moment of humor, he was reminded of one of his friends back home moving very similarly after discovering that a lizard had fallen down the back of his shirt from a tree. It was hysterical, but this was not that. This was someone...or something...in great anguish, and he was starting to feel incredibly sick from watching.
Finally, it stopped and laid still on the ground. There was silence as all four of them stared down at the motionless creature before them. Rebecca and Derek held their breaths as they patiently awaited what was to come. Chris could only pray that whatever happened, it would backfire on the wicked tormentors. Josh simply watched, still having no idea what to think.
Then, without warning, it shot upright and turned to Rebecca and Derek, both of whom were now sporting large grins.
"How do you feel?" asked Rebecca.
The creature took a look down at its hands and body, examining them closely, before it looked back at Rebecca.
And then, from somewhere beneath the mask, came a low, robotic voice:
"Great."
Josh was taken aback. With how creepy and mysterious this thing was, he was not at all expecting it to actually speak, and if it did, what its voice would sound like. Chris looked as astounded as he was.
"Beautiful," said Derek. "Oh, professor, if only you were here to see this." He approached the figure and examined its body. "Can you understand us clearly?"
Another slight pause, followed by the voice.
"Yes."
"Good. Now go find those children and bring them to us!" Rebecca said, pointing.
The figure let out a loud scream and charged literally through the door, leaving a massive hole in the wall where it once stood. The proud sadistic duo turned back to their two witnesses.
"Do you see the potential now?" asked Rebecca. "A new hope for a crippled humanity. Just like our motto says: 'forget the past and move onto a brighter future.'"
Chris grunted loudly as he angrily shifted in his restraints once more.
"I swear, when we get outta here-!"
"Oh, Chris. You never were one for subtlety," Rebecca said with a laugh. "If only you'd gotten to know your father. He was a master of subtlety."
"Oh, really?" said Chris in a vain attempt to sound amused.
"Indeed," said Derek. "He was a good friend, but we greatly underestimated his talents. When his first wife died in childbirth, he was a wreck, so much so that he couldn't think straight. 'Becca and I were certain he would never be able to work again...but he did."
"Oh, when we first heard the news about Freddy Fazbear's, we were astounded," Rebecca added. "We thought there was no way that could be our Will, but it was. We've spent the last thirty years trying to track him and his lab down, wanting nothing more than to discover how he had managed to come so close to replicating Dr. Taggart's success, but we could never find either of them."
"That is...until you helped us, Chris," said Derek with a wide grin.
"And all it took was a little fake conversation when we knew you were listening, and you took off looking, giving us the perfect opportunity to follow," Rebecca added. "Now we've got it, the very last of William's secrets, which is all we were lacking in order to match and surpass his own 'remnant.' Our resurgence will prove to be better and stronger than anything Dr. Taggart or Will have created. With it, we can go beyond simply latching energy to robots like our brilliant professor."
"Or attaching a single soul to one like our late partner Will," Derek added.
"Right," said Rebecca. "With our creation, we can intermingle several entire human souls to a single animatronic, capable of speaking and thinking for themselves while combining all of their strengths and eliminating their weaknesses in their new, better existence...a superhuman living inside of a powerful machine."
Chris practically screamed in anger as his struggling became more violent than before. "Human beings aren't meant to be robots. They can't live like that! They'll be miserable for the rest of their lives, trapped in agony!"
"Right, as sorely rationalized by you and your little partner in crime," said Derek, giving another quick glance to Chris' phone.
"You're sick, both of you!" Chris shouted. "And for your information, he knows the truth better than either of you ever will!"
Rebecca sighed. "You still don't get it, Chris. In fact, I'm beginning to think that you never will, but we're not going to let your sour attitude ruin our moment. We've been looking forward to this day for decades."
"And just look at our beautiful work," said Derek, nodding to the opening where the door had been. "This shall be remembered for all eternity as one of science's most major breakthroughs...a new beginning to a broken humanity."
"Come on, Derek," said Rebecca. "Let's go see if we can find those brats. We'll be back to deal with you two..." She jabbed a finger at the boys. "...later."
"And I think we just might take this with us, too," said Derek, grabbing Chris' phone. He handed it to Rebecca. "I think you'll find some of those texts rather amusing."
"I'm sure," said Rebecca with a laugh as she slipped it into her pocket. And they left without another word, leaving their captives staring after them through the hole in the wall.
After what seemed like an eternity of silent contemplation, Josh finally breathed, having almost suffocated from forgetting how to. His mind was numb. He tried to find whatever plausible explanation he could think of for what he had witnessed, but his mind was so filled with terror and confusion that all reason was out of reach. He heard Chris still struggling next to him, making him remember that he wasn't alone.
"What do we do?" he asked.
Chris turned to him and gave him a mixed look of determination and dread.
"We have to get out of here."
The rapping on the front door was startling. Richard groaned, checking the time as he got up.
"Three o'clock in the morning?" he grumbled. "Somebody better be dying."
"Who is it, hon?" asked Emma groggily.
He peeked through the peephole and immediately opened the door.
"Detective?" The memories of the investigation came flooding back and he instantly regretted his irritation. "Is everything okay?"
"Hello," said Jack, giving a small wave of apology. "I'm terribly sorry to wake you, but something urgent has just come up. If I may, I really need to speak with your children again."
Richard and Emma exchanged worried looks. Emma nodded and Richard walked over to the stairs and began ascending.
"What's going on?" Emma asked.
"There was a murder at the morgue," said Jack, making her gasp.
"What happened?" she said in a low voice close to a whisper.
"A security guard was killed," he told her solemnly, "and the body of Derek Brody, the manager, has disappeared."
"Was it that man you're looking for?"
"Officially, he's still the primary suspect of the department, but to be honest, I'm beginning to have my doubts."
"Doubts? What do you mean?"
"I'll explain everything in a minute. First, I need to ask your children a few questions."
She exhaled in pure terror but nodded.
"It won't take long, I promise," Jack assured her as he patted her on the shoulder. "I just need a little more info and I'll be out of your hair."
She nodded again, though she was clearly still shaken to the core. He watched her guiltily. In his years of solving a handful of pretty complicated crimes, he hated seeing someone in such a vulnerable state, and he hated the fact that he was surely making matters worse by arriving in the early hours of the morning like this.
You should say something, he told himself as they waited in awkward silence, aside from Richard's footsteps upstairs, which seemed to be getting faster as he moved.
Jack cleared his throat. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't almost knick your car again coming in this time. Now that the driveway's open, it's much more spacious."
She gave him a very confused look. "What do you mean? We haven't moved the car all day."
From upstairs, they heard a loud shout of anger and panic, which was followed by fast, heavy footsteps growing gradually closer until Richard reached the bottom of the stairs, wheezing heavily as he locked eyes with his wife like a deer in headlights.
"The children are gone."
"What?! What do you mean gone?!" she cried.
"They're not in their rooms. Come on, get your shoes. We're going out looking for them."
"You can't take your car," said Jack, piecing together the information.
"Why not?"
"Because it's not there."
Richard opened his mouth, then closed it as realization hit him. He turned and slammed his fist directly into the wall, causing a few of the pictures to fall to the ground.
"That boy is grounded for life!" he screamed, making Emma and Jack jump. "Of all the stupid things he's ever done, this has got to be the worst! When I get my hands on him-!"
"That may not be necessary," said Jack as he came to another startling realization, "because if we don't hurry up, something...or someone else might beat you to it."
"What are you talking about?" said Richard, his voice shaking along with his fists.
"Come on, I'll explain on the way."
"Where are we going?" asked Emma.
"To see what secret sauce that pizzeria is using."
Kendall and Olivia entered the main showroom. It was dark and completely empty, save for the animatronics which were still motionless on the stage, staring off at a certain unknown spot in the room. One of them, holding a guitar, was looking in their direction, and Kendall couldn't help but feel queasy in its glassy-eyed gaze. At first, he had naturally been curious about the animatronics, having spent some time observing them the day of the incident. Obviously, he couldn't go off and check them out during the day when they were moving and people were everywhere, so he had secretly hoped he would get the chance to investigate them at a more convenient time. But now...staring back at them in the dead of night, he felt creeped out by them, and the thought of approaching them seemed wrong.
He was shaken from his thoughts when Olivia let out a small whimper.
"What's wrong, 'Liv?"
"They look scary," she said.
"What?"
"The animals."
Kendall was slightly taken aback by this. Part of him expected her to be ecstatic about the animatronics no matter what, since they still looked much more friendly than the creature.
Well, it is night, so everything's creepier.
"Come on, let's keep moving."
"Where are we going?" said Olivia.
"I have no idea. Wherever Josh went."
"He said to go back to the car!"
"I know, but I don't know how we can get outta here, now. I think we should try to find him."
"But what if-?" Olivia began.
"I don't know," said Kendall, knowing where she was going with the question. "We'll just have to keep a strong lookout for it."
Olivia whimpered again. She didn't like this one bit. Any minute, they could be walking in silence and then suddenly be scared by the horrifying creature. Her grip on Kendall's arm tightened, and she felt his hand pat walked over to where the snack bar was. The chairs were sprawled out everywhere, since no one had bothered touching to avoid interfering with the crime scene.
As they approached the counter, a sudden chill whooshed by them. Olivia shivered and began hyperventilating when she noticed an odd shadow standing along the wall nearby.
"K-K-Kendall," she managed to choke out.
But Kendall didn't need to hear her explanation. Turning toward the source of the chill, he saw it. It was a tall, familiar silhouette, standing motionless in the dark. A pit formed in his stomach as he visualized what it was.
"Hello."
A low, mechanical voice broke the silence. Olivia wanted to start crying but was too terrified to do so. Kendall likewise found himself too petrified in fear to form any rationalizations for what he'd just heard.
The shadow took a few steps forward, and in the dim light, the white mask came into view.
"Who wants to play with me?"
Olivia screamed as the figure charged. Kendall pulled Olivia out of its path toward the entrance to the room with the play structure.
"Come on!" he shouted as she struggled to keep up with him. "In here!"
The room was nearly unrecognizable in the darkness. All that stood before them was a looming dark structure with no shape.
"Got you!" came the mechanical voice from behind them. As soon as they turned around, the cold metal hand grabbed Kendall's shoulder. As Kendall tried prying the fingers off of himself, the other hand grabbed him underneath the opposite arm and lifted him up into the air.
"KENDALL!" screamed Olivia.
"Olivia, run!"
"But-!"
"Run! Hide! Get outta here!"
Olivia turned and disappeared into the darkness in the direction of the play structure. Kendall noticed the figure watching her for a split second before turning its attention back to him.
"Ready to play?" it asked.
The grips on his arm tightened significantly, and he felt his bones beneath begin to ache. As he looked fearfully into the glowing eye below him, he saw something staring back at him. He wasn't sure what it was, but there was something in the creature's hard, determined gaze that looked both human and not, and it was anything but friendly.
Panicking, he thrust his right hand toward the neck of the creature, searching for a switch that would hopefully activate the ESM switch he had read about. The metal was hot, nearly too hot to touch, but Kendall persisted. His fingers fumbled around the neck of the creature, but no button or switch was found. The creature watched him for a few moments, as though amused by what was going on.
After coming to the conclusion that no switch would be found, Kendall locked eyes with the creature again. The pale face slowly grew closer, and its touch suddenly became increasingly painful, like it was electrified. Kendall's breathing began to quicken as his nerves began to rise.
"Like my touch?" came the voice in a rather sneering tone. "It's only gonna get stronger!"
In a moment of sheer desperation, Kendall reared his foot back and jammed it as hard as he could into the creature's body. He felt his foot make contact with something near the center of the chest. The creature made a noise of confusion, consisting of metallic grinding, and jolted slightly. Leaping at the chance, Kendall managed to pry the hands off of himself and was dropped to the ground. Not thinking twice, he took off running back out into the main room, hoping that he could lose his hunter elsewhere and keep it away from his sister. Unbeknownst to him, however, he was not followed.
Olivia watched her brother run away from underneath one of the slides while doing her best to stay quiet. The creature looked in the direction he had run.
"Wait," came the voice from beneath the mask, only now it sounded gentler. "Where's the girl?"
"In the dark," said the same voice in the more aggressive tone from before. "Let's find the boy first."
"No," said the softer voice. "He can't go anywhere. Let's find her."
Olivia gasped and began to retreat further beneath the structure. She thought back to her last adventure with Cameron on this very structure. She desperately wished that this could be another one of her make-believe adventures with him, but it wasn't. This was very real, and very scary.
She heard and felt a whoosh nearby, followed by the return of the chill from before. She turned her head and screamed when she saw the pale face and glowing eye staring at her from only feet away. She turned and quickly made a beeline for the nearest exit, feeling the creature's reach barely miss her foot. Moving as fast as her little legs would carry her, she emerged from beneath the structure on the other side and started running for the door.
"Olivia!"
She stopped running and turned around. The creature was no longer chasing her, just standing and staring.
"Don't leave me!"
The voice, still very mechanical, was much higher-pitched and desperate-sounding. Even behind its heavily-distorted delivery, a very familiar tone of voice was detectable. Olivia stood frozen on the spot, afraid to say the name out of confusion and fear.
Without another word, the figure reached behind its back and revealed something. It was dark, but she was able to make it out as being a cane. The creature stared down at it in its own metal hands and gripped it tightly as though cherishing it. It looked back up at her.
"Olivia," said the voice in a surprisingly lighter tone.
Her hands were shaky as her mouth struggled to form the word.
"C-Cameron?"
