Chapter 3:

Loneliness and Friends

Cooking the fish over the fire was going to take some time, and Gregory did not want to have him and Freddy awkwardly staring at eachother after many infrequent conversations. So, he decided that it was time to give the bear a clean-up.

Having checked whether there were people near them, he told the animatronic to sit down at a nearby stump next to the river. He then took out two pieces of cloth, which he had obtained from the van's cabinet, and soaked them in the cold freezing water.

"Let's start with your arms.", said the boy.

"Can I help?", asked the bear.

"Sure.", he replied, and gave the bear the other cloth.

Gregory carefully examined the robot's right arm exterior, instead of the tints, it was now decked with spots of brown mud. Most of them gathered around the bear's wrist, probably because of his latest supreme show off.

Though, he remained his indignant belief that the bear had cheated.

The mud was easy to wipe off, but the stains was another story. He might need some steel wool in order to scrape them off efficiently. Or, he could forcefully scrub and hope that the bear wouldn't mind. He had to let hair his down after being unfairly played, nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Freddy used his other arms to wipe off the muddy area stuck on his legs and torso. It was so dirty that he might even need to clean the rag again.

"The stains won't come off.", said Gregory, clearly annoyed. "We have to use something hard to scrape them off."

"It is alright.", eased the bear. "I do not think it is possible to fully clean me up. You do not have to push yourself."

"Okay, but how did you get these anyways?", he asked.

"I am not sure.", responded the bear. "I suspect that I got these when I was at the construction site."

"And this is why you don't miss an hourly recharge.", he said, eyes rolled.

After cleaning Freddy's right arm, Gregory went to the river to wash away to dirt stuck on the rag. Having dipped in the freezing water, he wrung the wet soaked fabric, releasing a faint brown mist mixed with gray. It looked like melted chocolate, but with a taste of the earth. The mixture mingled with the transparent liquid around them, only to be washed away by the current, forever be a part of it.

He then repeated the process until there was no dirt left.

Next, he started cleaning the animatronic's back. While scrubbing, he noticed a square located beneath the robot's neck. It had a microphone symbol, surrounded by a squarish gap. This must be where Freddy had plugged in the wire back when he was charging at the sanctuary.

"Was this where you used to charge?", he asked. "Why did you even need three charging spots in the first place?"

"Yes.", the bear answered the first question. "And to answer your second question, it all had to do with the 'just-in-case' protocol."

Gregory had long lost his count on how many times his mind went blank in just a single day. From Freddy's childish animal description, to the expired food of a high quality pizzeria. Some were acceptable, some were just straight up ridiculous. Now, whoever built Freddy must have gone mad as well. As if everything in this world doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

He might have just gone crazy after this.

"Just-in-case?", recited the boy, sounded doubtful. "Whoever came up with that name doesn't seem to be professional. Can you explain what's the protocol about?"

"I agree with you, to somewhat extent.", Freddy nodded. "As for the protocol itself..."

The bear went silent for a few moments, before started speaking again.

"There are three ways for an animatronic to recharge itself. The first and most common method are the charging stations. They accumulate electricity, storing it beneath the platform. When an animatronic enters the station with low power, the stored electricity will be diverted through their feet up to the battery."

"Wait,", halted Gregory. "how come I am not electrocuted when stepping inside with you?"

"Good question!", he remarked. "Our feet are made of a type of material that specialized in absorbing the electricity and divert it to the battery. Anything else will not be electrified except the wires. Therefore, you will be safe, even when inside my stomach hatch."

The boy sighed in relief, probably because the fact that he could have been fried to death had it not been for those safety precautions.

"The second but uncommon method is the plug behind our back.", he continued. "It is used only when the charging stations are unavailable or unreachable at the moment. It can be also used for an emergency when an animatronic is critically damaged and in need of power. A specific wire, which I had shown you before, is required to perform the procedure. It can be used on any machine that generates electricity, and directly diverts it into the core."

"Let me guess,", said the boy. "the third way are your ears."

"Correct.", he nodded again. "It is the most uncommon way to gain power. All you need are a pair of jumper cables and an accumulator or anything at generates electricity. Unfortunately, this is the most inefficient method out of all three, as some energy is wasted while being diverted to the battery."

"This explain why you weren't fully charged back then."

"Unfortunately, yes.", he frowned. "Were the efficiency to be the same the charging stations, I would have had approximately sixty-four percent then."

"So...", Gregory gathered everything the bear had been saying as he started to conclude. "there are three ways for you to be charged. Each one is a precaution of another, hence the silly name of the protocol. Weird, I thought there were four."

"Four?"

"Well, didn't you say that you can absorb a very high amount of electricity in a very short amount of time?", he said.

"Gregory, this method...", said the bear in a serious tone. "I have told you before, I would only do it if I must, as it could cause long term impairment to my battery, if worse, my core, which was not what both of us sought for."

The way Freddy suddenly switched his voice from calm and considerate, to stern and solemn hinted the boy that he should take the matter seriously. Such a precarious and risky final resolve that it should be avoid at all time if possible. Freddy was right, he must be careful not to drag himself and the bear into a dilemma, which would surely compelled the animatronic to commit an act that no-one fancied.

After cleaning up Freddy's back, Gregory once the again washed the cloth by the river. He wonder where he should be scrubbing next, as the bear has aided him with the torso, left arms and the legs.

Oh, right, that place.

Turning around, he noticed the bear had already finished wiping the mud off. His shell looked a bit more polished now, though he couldn't erase those annoying stains which seemed to have fused into one with the exterior.

Gregory thought the bear was going to hand him the dirty cloth so that he could wash it up, but what happened next snapped him out of the blue.

"Freddy! Wait!", he tried to stop the bear, but it was too late.

Freddy turned to look at him, both alarmed and taken by surprise as to why the boy shouted at him in a sudden. He kept a straight face, but the fact that it was covered in mud...

Gregory couldn't helped but bursted into tears at the hilarious sight, while the bear remained confused with his perplexed eyes.

"What is it?", he asked, head tilted.

"F-Freddy,", the boy stuttered, clearly struggled to speak. "y-you're supposed to wash the rag before using it again."

Realizing what the boy was talking about, he held out the cloth, only to gape at the abomination stuck on it.

"Oh, dear..."

The cooked fish didn't taste as bad as Gregory had thought, barely exceeded his expectation. Despite being the only resolve to fill himself, he might need to come up other alternatives. He wasn't sure how long he could be able to eat the same meal every single day.

Actually, he could, but the fish was bland as it did not have a critical flavour – salt. He vaguely recalled the show where the men took advantage of natural spices such as herbs. Though he would need to venture deeper into the forest to find one. Meanwhile, dirt worms were less appetising, at least they contained nutrition such as protein. But he didn't think Freddy would want him to eat food that crawled under the soil, not to mention eating it raw.

Gregory remained his hope high, for he still had the carton boxes that contained eggs and flour. He just needed to acquire an object that looked like a frying pan to make omelettes. Searching for one in the sanctuary would be a waste of time, as there didn't seem to be any proper kitchen appliances. And the cruel fact that the presence of the expired canned food implied that the remaining ones must have already met their fate as well.

As if the entire world had an aversion to them.

"How are you feeling now?", asked Freddy, who was still concerned about Gregory having eaten expired food.

"I'm fine, really.", reassured the boy, who was scooping water from the river. "What time is it, though?"

After asking himself, he checked his Fazwatch for time. "Huh, ten fifteen, still have a long day left."

He and Freddy could start exploring the forest right now. Contrarily, he didn't want the bear to drain his power and use up the generator fuel. He couldn't even use the van's battery again as to how inefficient it was and how it could suddenly die at any moment, which would force them to walk on bare feet.

"Freddy, how long can you last if you turn on power saving mode?", asked Gregory.

"Approximately two and half an hour if I stayed in one spot and not moving at all.", replied Freddy.

"Dang it,", he sighed. "I wanted to show you more about the forest, but I'm not sure how to deal with your stupid short-lived battery. And it's still more than nine hours left until the night comes. What do you suggest?"

The bear started contemplating, his processor unit a sparkled in light, it seemed to love solving questions and creating plans. His ears perked up and down, signaled that he was running the program. Ideas began forming a queue, waiting to be simulated. Some sounded rational yet lack precision, some sounded sensible yet lack precautions.

It was not until his mainframe released a virtual "ding" sound that he finally announced his not very perfect idea.

"I have came up with an idea on how to preserve my power, although I do not approve it much.", said the bear. "Truthfully, I want to explore the beauty of nature with you, but the generator can only be used to charge me three more times until it ran out of fuel. Having no power while the night is approaching is clearly dangerous for you. And I do not think whoever lives in that sanctuary would be pleased to find out that someone had been tampering with their generator. After this, I shall enter rest mode to conserve as much energy as possible. But it comes with a cost..."

This wasn't going well, when will the troubles stop looking for them?

"W-What cost?", asked the boy anxiously.

"It is the same as sleeping,", he replied. "which means I will be exposing myself vulnerably to the environment. You can use the Fazwatch to wake me up, but it will take more than two minutes for me to fully function and aware."

Yikes, this was definitely not good at all.

"Are there some other ways?", the boy asked again, more concerned than before.

"I am sorry, Gregory, this is the only solution.", he consoled. "You may not like it, but, it is for the sake of us."

The boy remained silent, and so did he. Their silence was soon replaced by gusts of airstream. The wind greeted the metallic bear and the human child just the same, though only one could feel its coolness. Its giddy currents danced through the woodland canopies, unaware of how its song soothed those who can hear. The wind had always been free, chaotic even, yet it too had its path, even if there were infinite possible destinations. It was air with passion, a drive that marched onwards, for every direction was an option.

The river behind them burbled in white noises, mundane to the boy, but music to the bear. Its untamed roar indicated the vigor behind its calming chorus that violently marched forward on its path into a deep lake or a large sea.

Things were never easy for both of them, since the beginning. Fate had brought them together, yet somehow regretted it and despised their bonding attachment. Fate hated it, and kept troubling them, creating more and more problems: from Freddy's short-lived battery, to the expired food, and the list went on...

All of the time spent in the Pizzaplex, it rewarded nothing but even more obstacles.

After moments of contemplation, the bear finally spoke up.

"You must understand."

"I... Yeah, I get it.", Gregory sighed in acceptance. "For both of our sake."

Freddy just nodded, he then stood up and got into the car, followed by the boy.

"Remember, look out for any potential threat, stay hidden, do not wander yourself into the forest.", he reminded the boy with a saddened gaze. "And... I am sorry."

Gregory should be mad, at how the bear kept apologizing to him, despite the fact that the sole reason for all of this mess was all his. But, what else could he do? Protest? Came up with another plan? Or be stubborn? Should he even have to listen to Freddy – a machine with much faster computation and can come up with a plan in no time?

Wait, what was he thinking? Did he just... doubt the bear? Why did he do it subconsciously? It was wrong, gravely wrong. The animatronic had swore that he would always be there and protect him. He must not betray that, never.

"I will.", he said, widely beamed at the bear.

Relieved, Freddy placed his hand on the boy's head, giving it a gentle pat. Having settled in the front seat, he bear took a final glimpse of his superstar and the woodland around him.

It uncomfortably reminded him of that moment when they had just escaped the Pizzaplex. He did not like it at all. Fortunately, he wasn't going to be shut down this time, just... 'sleeping'.

"Entering rest mode."

And just that, Gregory was alone, again.

But, Freddy was right in front of him, why would he feel lonely all of a sudden? From a lively and tender figure, to a dull and lifeless piece of metal, the once animatronic he used to call Freddy was no longer himself. It was like an empty shell. Sure, he could wake the bear up anytime he wanted, but the rest, just him and him only.

They said once you had mastered being alone, you were ready for the company of others, that didn't make it easy though. In isolation it was lonely, yet there is an art to surviving it in the best shape possible. He needed something, somebody to kill the time, or he would go mad and kept disturbing the bear's 'sleeping cycle'.

A short walk in the forest wouldn't hurt, right? He just needed to hide the van carefully.

The hills rose far on the horizon, sheer rock striking down from snowy peak. Only the base was softened by the virescence of a pine blanket. Most children would be bored of the sublime scenery, no TV, no computer - just people and tents. Not Freddy though, he would sit down and gape at the sight until the sun set and the moon rose.

And then, there's Lily, a girl who cared not about both side. She was a bit different from the others, occasionally tried not to follow the generality in which a child should go play, and took no notice of the surroundings. Who knew being a gifted student in art and photography can help you show consideration for the exquisiteness and splendor of any work of art? Not many children at her age could thought of such thing as photorealism and hyperrealism, at least they knew how to draw a person and use crayons to colour.

Although, she didn't consider herself gifted and couldn't careless, people said so only because she knew just a bit more than those average children. Maybe she was too invested in photography. There was nothing "princess" about her, just a bit independence and somewhat an early-matured mind. The girl was clearly deep in thought, journeying through the canopies, looking for a sight to behold.

Her body slender yet elegant in a way. Her hair was as waves of pure earth, softly reflecting the light of the sun, each strand moved freely in an ocean born breeze, a compliment to her stillness. Her eyes was as river waters, in glossy serenity, her aura seeped into the breezing air of nature. From under long blonde bangs shone the curious eyes, and below that a nose so freckled that the brown splotches overlapped much like fall leaves after a wind storm.

As causal as her style can be: braided ponytail in blonde, sky-blue dress striped in lines of white, a pair of knee-length socks and the typical Dorothy's ruby shoes. She wore white-framed glasses, an orange and blue patterned wristband, a beige floppy hat, and a small backpack on her right shouder. She seemed to be both a well-behaved and rebellious girl.

She wasn't supposed to wear these while on a camping trip, as she had just arrived here, but that could be changed later.

A caterpillar idly lying on a leaf, a butterfly gracefully resting on a flower, a bird happily chirped melodies on the boughs, a fish freely sailed along the calm current of water... At any time, if given a chance, she would capture the sight immediately as to not let that moment slip away in the twinkling of an eye.

As she was about to take a photo of a buck, the bushes behind her wriggled in rustle, jumped her out of the blue. Having no time to react, she could only turned around, and hoped that it wasn't a wild predator.

Much to her surprise, instead of an animal, revealed a boy whose shaggy brown hair looked like a bird nest. He had bandages on his right cheek and his left knee. His appearance was as causal as hers: a dark blue t-shirt with two white stripes positioned horizontally across his chest and tan cargo shorts. He wore white socks and a pair of white, red and cyan-colored trainers with dark grey soles.

The boy growled in pain, he hadn't notice her yet.

"Are you alright?", in British accent, she asked.

Upon asking, the boy looked up, his earth brown eyes locked at her dark blue eyes. They remained their gaze for a few seconds, before one finally spoke up.

"Y-Yeah... I'm fine.", said the boy as he patted of the dust on his clothes while slowly getting up.

"What are you doing here?", she asked again.

"I...", the boy stuttered, "I am just exploring the forest."

"Oh, so you're on a camping trip too?", she went on probing, "Strange, I don't see anybody else around here except my parents and relatives. Which part of the camping site do you come from?"

"I came from over there.", replied the boy, who then pointed his forefinger at the way he had come from. "It's that way."

"Huh, that's odd.", she commented. "From what I know, the place you mentioned is a restricted area, which is not allowed for camping."

The boy widened his eyes, seemingly shocked upon hearing that.

"Didn't you guys notice a warning sign or fences?", she demanded.

"N-No?", responded the boy, "W-We didn't see any."

"O-Oh, I must have mistaken then.", she sighed. "Sorry about that. I'm Lily, you are?"

"Gregory."

Gregory had been doing nothing for forty-five minutes straight. He tried to distract himself by sketching Freddy on the sand using a stick and contemplating the beauty of nature by the river. After that, he switched to patrolling the area near the van.

Soon, everything became tedious and mind-numbing.

It was dead boring, and he couldn't endure it. He could take a nap and skip time, but the fact that not being able to sleep irritated him so badly. He tried to find a comfortable spot, the van's driver seat was alright. But how was he going to rest while in a sitting position face to face with shining bright light, not to mention lying his head on an unstable steering wheel that spinned unexpectedly, causing him to fall down since Freddy had already taken the other spot? And in no way he would dare to lie on dirt only to be dragged away by a predator.

Since sleeping was impossible, he decided to go for a walk, enjoying the fresh air of nature. It was peaceful at first, until he missed a step and started sliding down a short hill. At first, he felt as if he was going to die, thankfully, he was still alive and healthy.

Then, he met Lily. The girl was a bit surprised to see him appeared out of nowhere. She asked where he came from, he lied, of course, for precautions, he's not that dumb to give away his location. Though, he didn't expect the idea to backfire him when she said that the place he had lied about was actually a restricted area.

Fortunately, the girl apologized him for being mistaken, which was a relief.

"Nice to meet you, Gregory.", beamed Lily, as she offered her hand to him.

"Thanks.", said Gregory as he shook her hand. "Nice to meet you too."

At that moment, the girl switched her gaze to something, seemingly stunned at its presence.

"Wait,", said the girl, "is that what I think it is?"

"What?", he was confused.

"Um... Can I take a look at your watch? Pretty please?", the girl asked with her non-existent puppy eyes.

"S-Sure.", he replied, feeling a bit awkward, he then took off the watch and handed over to her.

Lily winced happily, she grabbed the watch and began scanning it thoroughly.

"Orange and blue coloured.", she mumbled, getting louder and louder after each word. "Serial number FAZ-#420. Rectangular screen encased i a Freddy Fazbear head with buttons on the side that can be used to change volume."

Seeing the screen being dark and not showing anything, she tried double touching it. "And is screen-touch!?", she loudly exclaimed, emphasizing the word "and".

"Oh. My. Gosh! I can't believe it!", she gasped like there's no tomorrow. "It's a limited edition Novelty Fazwatch!"

Grgeory blinked. Why would a girl be so overreactive upon seeing a Fazwatch? Strange, he thought all of the children had these bought from the souvenir store. If what she had said was true, then...

"Where and how did you get it?", asked Lily, whose voice suddenly switched to serious and solemn.

"I... uh...", he didn't know what to say, though he guessed that it wouldn't hurt to tell the truth. "Freddy gave it to me."

"Freddy!?", she rephrased, eyes fully widened. "Freddy Fazbear, you mean?! You're so lucky! No wonder you were able to obtain such a rare and valuable watch."

"It's that rare?", he asked. "I never knew that."

"Of course, it's rare!", she replied, somewhat surprised. "They only sell a few thousands of them worldwide! Ordinary Fazwatches act like normal watches for children. The Novelty edition ones, on the other hand, not only they can tell the time, but can also show you the map of the Pizzaplex and send encoded messages! Not the mention, there are rumours that these watches be used to locate and talk to the animatronics as well! How crazy is that?"

While admiring the watch's exquisite and exotic design, an idea struck her mind. She smirked, but not in a mischievous way.

"It may sound awkward, but...", she said. "Do you mind if I use my camera to take a few photos of it?"

"For what?", he asked.

"Well, I wanted to surprise my friends that I was able to get my hands on the most valuable and rare Fazwatch.", she explain, arms behind her back, cheeks slightly reddened. "Don't know if it's alright for you..."

"Um... I'm fine with that."

"Thank you so much!", Lily cheerfully exclaimed while bouncing up and down. After that she gave back the watch to him, instruction the boy how to handle it. "Here, hold it like this."

Then, she used the camera, and quickly smashed the button while slowly moving around the watch, causing the camera to rapidly capture every single frame of angle and movement. Probably for those with a stubborn head that persisted on not believing the watch was a real one. Next, she put on the watch, and asked the boy to take a a few shots of her wearing it.

Grgeory did not mind at all, for he knew that he could be the only one who was able to obtain such a rare and valuable watch, given by none other than Freddy himself, had already made him feel prideful more than enough. Seeing Lily gone mad excited over it was expectable. Though he wouldn't careless if he didn't have it.

"Thanks for letting me borrow it.", she smiled. "Here, your watch."

Lily returned the Fazwatch to Gregory, who took it and put it back on.

"After this camping trip, I have to see Freddy in person this time. Last time I went there, I only got to see him performing on the stage, and bought myself a Freddy wristband as a souvenir.", she said as she raised her right arms up for the boy to examine it.

The wristband was orange and blue coloured, along with it printed a white "Freddy Fazbear" tagline, separated by a lightning symbol. Its glowing font was indistinguishable, amidst the boundary between the two and three dimensions.

Grgeory regretted not stealing one when he was back in the Pizzaplex. Then again, the bear wouldn't be happy about it.

Their conversation was brought to a halt, when a voice abruptly called out.

"Lily! Come back here! Don't wander alone into the forest!", the voice was masculine and low with a British accent just like Lily.

"It's my brother.", she sighed. "I have to get back now. Can we meet again?"

Well, Gregory had nothing to do aside from wandering around the forest. Plus, he couldn't just turn down a girl's invitation.

"Sure.", he smiled.

Having done arranging the time and place, Lily waved Gregory goodbye, before disappearing into the bushes, leaving the boy alone with mother nature.

Once again, loneliness took over.

"There's time when I saw you as not who you were, and here I was, befriended by solitude."