One more hour. One more hour and William can finally go back home.
William loves the restaurant, he really does. He loves it's bright atmosphere and the joy Henry's animatronics give to each and every guest. He loves it's simplicity and the feeling of home it brings; but sometimes, it's too much. Too many bodies running around the tables. Too many grabbing hands looking to touch an animatronic. Too many screaming and crying children. He has enough of that at home.
The smell of greasy pizza doesn't really help, especially since it will most likely stick to William's nice suit and make his wife keep her stance until he changes. Just another downside to owning a place meant for children.
"You sure you can close alone?" Henry asks as he heads out the door, already pulling on a thick winter coat. Charlie's beside him, her nose red and her eyes watering with how often she's sneezing. It's looking like a bad cold, one William doesn't want the rest of their guests catching. "I don't want to leave you and the staff alone in this. It was a pretty big party."
William wants to beg him to stay, but he's a man of his word. "I am very sure, Henry. You get Charlie to bed, alright?" Henry nods after some hesitation and the two of them leave the restaurant. William watches for a second later, making absolute sure they're going. He's let Henry leave early before, only to find the man sitting in Parts and Service with a new project.
With a sigh, William turns back to the rest of the room. He still has the majority of an hour left, but perhaps if they can get the party over soon, then everyone can go home early. That does sound nice, as impossible as it would be.
There's a light tug on William's suit jacket and he looks down at a young girl. Her eyes are filled with worry and he kneels down quickly. "Sir? I can't find my mom."
"Your mother?" The girl nods, her blonde curls bouncing with the motion. "Well, let us find her, alright?" He stands and offers to take her hand, which she accepts. Now, with a new goal in mind, William walks through the crowds in hopes to find this poor girls mother. "What does she look like?"
The girl thinks on it for a moment. "Um...she's got hair like mine. Red lips and brown eyes. Um...a pink purse."
"Alright." The description isn't very exact, but it's the most he can hope for. So, with nothing but those few ideas in mind, William searches the room for any adult that may look like that. He spots a few blonde women, a few others with red lips, but none look quite right. "Is that her?" He points to one of them, but the little girl shakes her head. He points to another with the same result.
Parents start to clear out with their children and by the time the hour is almost up, William is staring at a near empty room, the only people remaining being one last parent that does not belong to the girl, the staff, and William's own children.
He kneels down again, hoping to sooth the tears that are already escaping this poor girl's eyes. "Do you know her phone number? Or perhaps your address?" A young child should never accept rides from strangers, but if her parents somehow accidentally left her behind, then it's the only option, aside from somehow getting contact with them.
"I don't know." The girl cries, sounding even closer to just sobbing. William thinks for a moment, not sure what else to do. He stands suddenly, taking the girls hand again, then walks up to the last parent.
"Excuse me, but do you know this girl?" The parent turns, looking irritated to be stopped from gathering their children, but then they look at the girl and nod.
"Yeah, that's Gabriel's friend. Why is she still here?"
That's a wonderful question. "It seems her mother has evaded us and I'm hoping to return her home."
The parent gives him an apologetic smile and they go to kneel in front of the girl. "Didn't your mother leave already?" The girl -Susie- just shrugs. "Well, I'll give you a ride home, okay?" She nods along and the parent stands again, giving William a smile. "Thanks for keeping track of her. I really don't know how she could've been left behind."
"Thank you for taking her home. I don't think her parents wouldn't have liked her riding with a stranger." He knows he wouldn't be very happy to find his own children did the same. Especially his youngest. But then again, he wouldn't be so stupid as to leave his child in the first place.
With a professional nod, William lets the last guests leave. He turns to his own children now, spotting Evan and Elizabeth near the arcade. He walks toward them, already feeling a headache coming on from wandering around the same room.
"We're going home." He announces and the two stand with minimal grumbling. They seem to enjoy Freddy's more than he does, but even they grow tired of it after so many visits. "Where's Michael?" He askes then, looking around the room.
"I saw him go into the storage closet." Elizabeth announces as she dusts off her dress. "He's probably smoking."
He better not be. William makes his way to the storage room, the two children following close behind for different reasons -Evan, because he's scared of being alone; and Elizabeth, because she finds joy in Michael getting in trouble. William opens the door and he freezes at the sight.
Michael's standing there, his small figure slightly hunched as he looks down at the Spring Bonnie suit. He turns too quickly at the sound of the door squeaking and William spots something dark on the floor below him. After what feels like ages, William finally steps into the room, pulling Michael away from the suit. "What the hell are you doing?!" He shouts, his entire body going cold as he sees red on the Foxy mask, as well as the floor. "What did you do?!"
The boy stares up at him, his eyes dilated and wide. When no answer comes, William grabs at his shoulder and pulls him out of the room. Michael breaks out of the hold once they're in the hall again.
"Michael, you cannot mess with that suit! It's dangerous!" William stopped using it after he nearly died in the shitty thing. He still has the scars from it too, like a pattern burned across his skin. It was the most painful thing he's ever lived through and if that were to happen to Michael...he wouldn't be able to live with himself. "Michael, you promise me you'll never touch that thing again, do you hear me?! If you set off a springlock-"
"I'm fine!" Michael shouts back, his usual attitude returning in full force. "I didn't even touch it! Stop freaking!"
"I have every right to freak out!" William grabs his shoulder again, directing all three of them out of the restaurant. "Henry and I both retired those suits for a reason, Michael! If I see you going near it again, you'll be getting more chores then you'll know what to do with!" It's a threat he uses often and he's made true on it only once. He kept Michael up all night, making him clean the whole house. It was after they found out he had been stealing cigarettes from the local drug store. They used the money he earned to pay for each and every pack, then made him swear to never smoke again.
Once they're all in the car, William looks at his oldest child one more time, his heart still racing at the mere thought of what could've happened. He knows those suits look interesting and anyone would be curious to see what it's like to wear one, but it's too risky. Honestly, William should've known better than to put it on after it got wet. He should've known better but he did it anyway and it nearly costed him his life. He won't let that happen to anyone else.
"I love you." William says, though, it's quiet. Michael doesn't respond, his eyes still staring out the window. So, William turns the car on and takes them all home.
Maybe he should just get rid of the suits, sentimental value be damned.
William sighs as he takes another drink. It burns on the way down, but that's why he likes it. It's distracting from the issue at hand. That, and he'll start feeling the buzz soon enough.
"Five." Henry lets out a low, bitter laugh. "Five children have been orphaned in the last two months. And they've all been left at Freddy's." The man lets out an unsteady breath and William can feel the weight of the conversation. The kids are asleep, thankfully. This isn't a topic William would want them to hear about. It's too...too much. No child should hear of a parent killing serial killer. "What do we do?"
"Maybe...we plan ahead." William speaks at last, his throat protesting every word, but he doesn't care at this point. The police will come to them first, pointing fingers and filing accusations that may seem perfectly possible. It would make sense, even, to blame the two of them for this. The children have all been at Freddy's after all. All of the parents have gone missing there. "We can open a new place with new animatronics-"
"William." Henry sounds doubtful.
"-and we'll them program to watch the children." William finishes his idea. "We'll connect them to the police's data bases, let them scan every adult in the room."
"Don't you think that's dangerous?" Henry leans forward, still looking disbelieving. "Sure, putting better security around the restaurant is a good idea -a great one, even- but using the animatronics? The children get too close to them. It could be dangerous."
He has a point, William knows. If they were to program them to simply report any findings, people could still go missing. It wouldn't put a full stop to this. But programming the animatronics to attack? That's just stupid. But what choice to they have? William takes another drink, his fingers drumming mindlessly on the couch's arm rest.
After a long moment, Henry speaks again. "Let's do it." William turns to him, more than a little surprised. "I can put some safety precautions in there, only activate the attack mode at night maybe? I don't know. It still feels stupid but...I sat with Fritz all night, waiting for his father to pick up the phone. We waited so long and when he never showed...it was horrible. I never want someone else to feel like that. It's terrifying, and not just for a child! I was scared, William!"
"I know." He says, his voice soft. He was scared for Susie that first night, and then with Gabriel. He waited with both of them for so long, he called Julia to take the kids. Even the police couldn't find them and now they're all alone. They lost their homes, their loved ones, so quickly.
What if that was Evan? What if that was Elizabeth, waiting with a complete stranger for someone to finally come get her after dance practice? What if they never showed up? What if Michael was left to care for them alone in some old orphanage?
William downs the rest of his drink, wincing at the taste. It may be stupid, but it's the best plan forward. With these animatronics, no one will hurt again. No one will be left behind and no parent will be taken away from their child.
It doesn't help. It never helps. The animatronics don't work the way they should. Parents go missing and they report no suspicious activity. It makes no sense, because the children are still being left behind! They're still waiting long after closing! It's gotten to the point where the police have told them to just take any lost children to the orphanage, like some kind of sick lost-and-found. Or an animal shelter. They can't keep doing this. They can't keep letting this happen.
They get desperate and William has a new idea. He'll make animatronics that count every adult in the room. They'll keep track of them and when one of them leaves, William will know. He'll find out when they were last seen and where they possibly could've gone. They'll find out who's doing this.
The opening day, William sets up the animatronics in all corners of the new restaurant. Henry helps him, the saint he is. They put Funtime Freddy near the front entrance, giving them two pairs of eyes to watch anyone who leaves and comes in. Then, they set up Funtime Foxy near the kitchen, watching the employees who come in and out with orders. Ballora stands guard in front of the stage, twisting and twirling with her minirinas, giving them eyes on every child who will be watching the show. Finally, Cirus Baby will be in the back party room, making sure no one escapes through the back door or hides in the staff-only sections.
It's perfect. No one can get past this. No one. And William checks each camera from where he's sat in the security room. He flips through the cameras as Henry greets the guests. Freddy counts every single adult who walks in. Two, five, seven, eight, thirteen, then nine. Bonbon counts the children and William writes it all down, likely looking equally as insane as he feels. He's like Dr. Frankenstein watching his creation.
Ballora keeps track of the children who watch her, even as her eyes are closed. The minirinas note that one has left the room and he tracks the child as they go to Funtime Foxy, who's willing to play them a song. She gets the child to laugh, then his eyes watch as that same child goes to another room, their adult gone.
William looks again, flipping through the first few cameras until he can find the parent for that child. They're at the front, smoking a cigarette with someone else. But that's fine. Just so long as they don't disappear, it's fine.
By the end of the first day, William's eyes have glazed over and he barley takes in any information. He's counted ten families all leaving, not a single child forgotten. He counts another thirteen that arrive throughout the day. It's stressful the whole way through but it's necessary. He'll find out what's happening. No more children will lose their families. No one else.
The last family exits the restaurant twenty minutes after closing and William sights, finally signing off of the security cameras. He leaves the room, more exhausted than he has never been after a day of work. His arms ache and he's slightly worried about the drive home, but a cup of coffee should keep him awake long enough to get home. And it's just as he walks into the back room, intending to retrieve Elizabeth from Circus Baby's side, that he realizes he's failed once again.
His daughter is staring at the body and Evan is crying. William runs to them, pulling them away from the scene, but even still, he can't seem to look away.
Charlie is covered is blood, her pants soaked through as she screams over her father's dead body. She looks up to William, her eyes filled with sorrow and confusion. "Help him!" She screams, her small hands grabbing at Henry's shirt, trying to pull him up but he won't move. She tries and tries and the more William watches, the more he wants to scream himself.
He was so careful. So calculated in how he watched each guest. It never occurred to him that...that Henry...
"Oh God!" William feels sick as he leans closer to Charlie. He doesn't care how the now cold blood paints his pale hands like a canvas. He pulls Henry into a sitting position and listens to the silence of his heartbeat. There's nothing there. He's cold. This happened a while ago, maybe more than an hour? William can't think straight as he holds the man he once called an old friend, once cared for so deeply. Without Henry, what is he? Who is he? Henry's the inventor, the family man. He's the heart of not only their business, but William as well. He's the warmth to William's cold nature. They can't exist without the other.
"Uncle Will!" Charlie cries and he holds her close, scared of what this might mean for all of them. Henry's wife died a long time ago, so where will Charlie go? What will happen to their business? What will happen to William?
Another figure joins them and William watches his two children run to Michael, equally scared. The boy is quiet for a moment, looking like he's in shock at the whole display. "I called the cops." Michael says at last, his voice too calm for what's happened. "They're on their way."
William can't respond. He just looks back to Henry, touching the cold skin of his face. It feels so wrong, seeing his eyes dead like this. So empty. He used to be full of life, of warmth. He used to be so bright that even William grew irritated with it from time to time. He was such an honest, good man. Who would do this to him? Why Henry?
Why Henry?
Charlie ends up with her Aunt. It's the best option, even though William insisted she stay with the Aftons. They could love her, care for her. But he knows Henry would've wanted her to stay with her Aunt. It's better this way. But it hurts no longer having an Emily to love.
The grief only builds and by the end of the week, William decides he's done. He closes Circus Baby's Party World and sells the entire business to someone else. He stays at home, too numb to do much of anything but think of what he's lost in only a night.
He still can't understand how it happened. How did he not see this? He was watching every camera, keeping count of every single person in the whole restaurant. How did Henry slip his gaze? How...
Julia breaks the marriage off. "I can't look at you like this", she says. "You're too broken to be a husband. Too broken to be a good father."
She takes the children. All of them. He does get to see them every so often, but it's not enough. He wants to kiss his little girl good night. He wants to tuck his son into bed, even as he cries that there are monsters in his room. "The monsters will pass", he used to say. "You'll grow out of them." But now, William realizes that the monsters never go away, even if you fight back. He tried to get rid of them, but they took Henry instead. They took his best friend.
Michael doesn't say goodbye to him when Julia leaves. He keeps his head down, his eyes cloudy and lost. William wishes he could understand that boy, could possibly help him with whatever troubles he's obviously struggling with, but it's no use. He won't talk about it, only fights back if William brings it up, and hides away the rest of the time. So, William just says, "I'll miss you" and leaves it at that. He hopes they miss him too.
Years pass and William still can't spend a single day without thinking of Henry. He can't sleep without nightmares of what possibly happened. He can't live without wondering if Charlie will ever get over it. He hopes she has because living with the memory is nothing but torture.
He watches the children grow up in flashes. Michael gets older and eventually moves out, disappearing from both Julia and his own radar. But when William asks if she'll ask him to return, she just says "He's an adult. He can do what he wants."
Elizabeth goes into Middle school, then High School. She becomes popular and mean, apparently. She doesn't really pay attention during the times William visits them. She just accepts whatever expensive gift he gets her and goes back to what she was doing. Evan isn't much different, sadly. The poor boy has started to close off, similar to how Michael did. According to Julia, he threw out his stuffed Fredbear, saying it wanted to hurt him. He still gets nightmares and she said she's heard him run around his room at night, but when she confronts him about it in the morning, he avoids the question.
It feels horrible to just sit back and watch it all happen. He wants to help Julia, but how can he when he barely even knows the kids anymore? How can he hope to build any kind of connection when he's barely their father?
But as Evan's birthday comes around and William goes to visit -even though he knows no one wants him there anymore- he's surprised when Evan asks to talk privately.
They hide away in the boy's bedroom -he's got thick locks on his door and weapons in his closet. Evan looks unsure for a very long time, but eventually, he speaks up. "I know something, Father." The boy's voice is deeper than it used to be, sounding so much like William's. "I...it was a while ago, but I can't forget it. It's about...Henry."
William almost flinches at the name alone. He doesn't want to hear this, doesn't want more nightmares to keep him up, but whatever it is, Evan obviously is disturbed by it. And he'll be there for his son no matter what, damnit!
"A while ago, I saw Michael...doing something. Something bad. He was drawing something in his notebook and it looked like dead people. Then, back in Freddy's, I saw him tell a parent that their kid needed help. He led them away and...he came back alone. He was smiling, Father. I think Michael did it. He killed those people."
William doesn't move at first. He doesn't even breathe. He thinks of a younger Michael, how troubled he was. He thinks of the body they found in the suit, when they finally realized that whoever it was either worked at Freddy's or was a frequent customer.
He remembers seeing Michael in front of the suit, blood on his mask. He remembers assuming the boy might've hurt himself or something along those lines. But with that night and the body paired together...
It really was him.
"You probably don't believe me." Evan says and William shakes his head quickly. He pulls his son into a tight hug, hoping it's not too much.
"I believe you." He says and Evan relaxes, like a heavy weight has been dropped off of his shoulders. "I believe you. It...I'm sorry you had to keep this for so long. That's why you were afraid of Michael, isn't it." He already knows the answer, but when Evan nods, William starts connecting more dots.
Michael was there every time they stayed behind with a child. He was there when William told them about the security animatronics. He was there at Circus Baby's Party World.
His son is a murderer and William never realized it.
"What do we do?" Evan asks, sounding so young again. He looks tired, exhausted even. They have that in common and William wonders if he has nightmares of Michael like William has nightmares of Henry. "He's gone."
William nods slowly for a moment. "I...will find him." He says, suddenly sure of himself. "I'll find Michael and we'll make sure he doesn't do this again. Okay?"
"Just you?" Evan asks and the question is unexpected. He had assumed so...
"It's safer this way." William lets his son go, looking into those dark eyes. "You're better off staying here, where your mother and Elizabeth can protect you."
The boy looks scared. "But what if he comes back?! What if Michael kills you and-"
"He won't." William swears it. He's never believes in anything more. "He won't kill me. Not until I make sure he can't hurt anyone else, okay?" He owes it to Henry for wasting all of this time. He owes it to those orphaned children who were left behind. He owes it to the people he ignorantly let Michael kill. For their souls.
Finally, he'll finish the chase he started back then, so many years ago.
Idk if I'll do more chapters of this. It's a really cool idea and I liked writing it out, so maybe. Also, I got this idea from sumrbumr on tiktok! They do a bunch of Fnaf videos and stuff. It's kind of silly and this was a crack idea, but I treated it seriously.
