Shadows

He couldn't see it but he could hear it. It sounded like it was moving, trying to slip around them from another way. Jeremy started to move towards the sound but was grabbed by Lidiya.

"Jeremy, what are you doing?!" Lidiya hissed. "That thing is between us and the generators! We need to find a way around!"

"I just need to see which one it is," he said. "I just need to see."

She slapped the sides of her head. "You have got to be kidding me! We only have fifteen minutes, less than that now!"

"I know." He looked back at her. "Do you know where you need to go?"

"Give me a moment…" She thought for a bit, looking around with the beam. "Yes, yes I do. I know these areas pretty well."

"Okay. I've got an idea. You know how to shut the generators down. You get there while I draw its attention, keep it away while you do your thing."

"Are you out of your mind?! There's no way I'm going to let you do that!"

"We don't have a choice! It's either that or we get swarmed by bots or hunted down by this thing. Just go, I'll be fine!"

She opened her mouth to argue, but another sound cut her off. A low, guttural growl. It came from somewhere to their left. Jeremy flashed the beam down the hall. There were the eyes, emerging from around the corner and… were those rabbit ears? Yes, yes they were! It shielded its eyes from the intensity of the beam, but there was no question which one it was.

"Now's your chance!" He turned back to Lidiya. "Go, go! I'll be fine, just go!"

"Jeremy…" She'd seen it too. He was ready for what she was about to tell him, but she didn't. "Don't do anything stupid."

"No promises."

They gave each other's hands a reassuring squeeze before she let go and sprinted in the direction of the generator room. A loud thudding came from down the corridor and he flashed the light, just in time to blind Nightmare Bonnie and halt its advance while it shielded its eyes.

"That's right, you leave her out of this. I'm the one you want, right here!" he yelled.

Nightmare Bonnie lowered its hands. Its eyes centred on Jeremy, jaw twitching as it growled. Was it trying to speak, like it did before? Jeremy opened his free hand, but kept his distance. Neither of them moved.

"Bobby, it's me. I know you're in there. It's me. It's Jeremy, it's your brother. You know me."

The Nightmare didn't move. It stopped growling, staring at him. Was that a good thing? Jeremy decided that it was. He inched a little closer to it, lowering the beam towards its chest. He could still make it out in the dark.

"You recognised me before, didn't you?" he went on. "Back at the house. You knew who I was. You said my name. Jeremy. Can you say it? Just try, go on."

It didn't speak. Just stared.

"Okay, that's okay. Talking's a little hard, that's fine." A little bit closer. "I know you've been through something really bad. I know it must be confusing. But it's okay now. I'm here for you. You're going to be okay."

Jeremy stopped. Was that the growling again or the machinery? He saw its left hand twitch.

"Bobby? Bobby, come on, don't do this."

He let the flashlight dip towards the ground. The claws on the hand flexed. The growl was rising in its throat. The growl rose into a roar and it lunged.

The claws missed Jeremy by inches as he leapt back. He shone the beam back in its face and it faltered again. He backed away, then turned and broke into a run. He swerved around a corner, making for the wall at the end that split off two ways. He looked back over his shoulder.

It hadn't tried to pursue him. Not by running. But he could still hear it, moving somewhere nearby. Was that his brother inside the monster, leaving him alone? Or was it just toying with him, letting him think he'd gotten away only to track him down later?

Jeremy swallowed, going through his options. Without his suit, there was no way he could fight it and he couldn't outrun it forever. Eventually he'd wear out or it would corner him. The corridors were completely bare of anything useful and he wasn't going to use his only source of light as a club. Maybe if he could get into one of the rooms down here, there might be something…

A thought occurred. The testing rooms. They had security doors, that's what Freddy and the others told them after their escape. If he could get him inside one of them, lock it from the outside…

Okay, he just had to find them. How had they described them? Large, with big doors and tinted glass windows for observation from the outside, like a giant mirror. Would that be somewhere in the centre or towards the edges? Or were they all testing rooms of some description?

He whipped around when he heard another snarl. It was close. But why didn't it just attack? If it wasn't his brother and it was just the monster, under the Puppet's control, why was it playing this game? Game…

Jeremy thought back to his encounter with it. It hadn't tried to move until the flashlight wasn't on it. Was that part of the game too? Like a flashlight version of Grandma's Footsteps or those monsters from that British sci-fi show?

A metal whirring made him turn. A bot was approaching him down another corridor. It froze in place when the beam of the flashlight hit it. It had almost reached him. Jeremy backed away from it, turning quickly to be sure the corridor was clear and then snapping back. Of course having only one thing to watch would be too easy. It was slow though, so that was something.

"That's why you're prowling around, isn't it?" he murmured. "You're trying to catch me out. Well, Bobby, this is one game you're not going to win so easily."

He'd reached a wall but it felt different to the others. It was cold, metal. A door? He glanced around. A security door! This must be one of the testing rooms. He pressed the button next to it, fist-pumping when it opened.

There were markings next to the security door button. It looked like they'd been crudely drawn on the wall. It was the same map, with one of the square blocks highlighted. He was all the way on the right side of the testing area. He quickly committed to memory, then hurried into the room.

He ran into a corner just behind the door and turned off his flashlight. He pressed a hand over his mouth, hoping his breathing wouldn't give him away.

It was so dark. He could barely make out the room he was standing in. But he could hear though. Metal footsteps getting closer. The sound of something much larger trying to move quietly. Breathing or was it hissing? How close was it?

Something heavy slammed against the side of the frame. Jeremy only just suppressed a stunned yelp. The scraping of something sharp made him cringe. The growling followed, as did the heavy footsteps. His thumb went to the button of his flashlight, but didn't push it. He had to wait until it was far enough inside.

It was stepping into the room. He could just make out its eyes in the dark. It wasn't looking at him, but how long would it be until it turned around? It stopped. He pressed the button. The light flickered, but didn't turn on.

"What? No, no!" He slapped the side. "Come on, work!"

The growling intensified. He looked up. It was staring right at him. Footsteps were getting closer, faster. He hit once more and the light flashed on. The Nightmare stopped. If he had just been a second late…

Jeremy swallowed. He crept underneath its outstretched claw, edging along the wall back to the door. A couple of bots had followed behind it. They were frozen too. He was able to angle the beam to keep them all in its glare. He moved until he could feel the emptiness where the door had opened.

He took few breaths and quickly turned. He didn't see the bot in the doorway until he turned to run. It grabbed him by his arms, forcing them by his side.

"Get off me!" He kicked it, but it didn't budge. "Let me go, get off-!"

Something much larger and stronger plucked him from bot's grasp. The Nightmare lifted him up and up. He could see every one of its many teeth. The light had fallen to the floor, casting a dim glow just beneath it. But it wasn't freezing. Not now it had him.

"Bobby! Bobby, come on!" Jeremy cried. "You don't want to do this, bro! Listen to me, it's Jeremy, please!"

It didn't relent. It didn't react. Jeremy struggled with all he was worth, the Nightmare bringing him closer towards its gaping jaws.

Billy was cuddling Hermana. He could feel her trembling, glancing fearfully about the room. Theodore and Clyde looked equally tense. Billy wanted to tell them that they were going to be okay, but he didn't know if he could. He wasn't sure if he believed it himself.

He stared at the Puppet, stuck in his Lefty suit. He had to be being controlled. He had to be. It was the only hope they had now, otherwise what else could they do? The moment they did anything, he'd bring those bots back. They could probably fight, but Jeremy and Lidiya were stuck out there. If they weren't able to get to them in time…

The monitor was still up. Ten minutes left on the timer. He didn't know if they'd made it or if they were still in there. He knew it wouldn't be as simple as the Puppet made it sound. He'd have something planned for them. Billy thought he'd heard some roars a few times and shivered at the thought of them trapped in there, with the Nightmares.

"We could try and rush him," said Clyde quietly. "There's only a few bots in here. We take them down quickly, then go for him."

"Too risky," replied Theodore. "You saw how many of them are waiting out there, above us. And we don't know how well reinforced that suit is. If we can't break through it-"

"But we gotta do somethin'," squeaked Hermana. "We're runnin' outta time and the others are countin' on us in town."

"Exactly," said Clyde. "If Vev were here, she would-"

"But Vevina isn't here! We can't just act rashly, not with what's at stake!"

"Then what do you suggest we…?" Clyde frowned, then suddenly screamed. He clutched his head and fell to his knees. "No… no, not again!"

"Clyde!" Theodore knelt by his side. He glared at the Puppet. "Stop it! Leave him alone, he hasn't done anything!"

The Puppet said nothing. Billy wasn't sure if that was because he couldn't speak inside the suit or he just didn't care enough to try.

Before Billy knew what he was doing, he charged the Puppet. He barrelled right into his legs, knocking him to the ground. He climbed onto his tummy, balling his fists as he slammed them into his metal face.

"Stop hurting him!" He punched his nose. "You said you wouldn't hurt them!" He punched his jaw. "I promised you what would happen if you did and now…" He slammed both his fists down on his chest. "I'm going to make you sorry!"

The eye of the Lefty suit stared blankly at him. Before Billy could throw another punch, he was pulled off by the scruff of the next. He wriggled around, trying to get himself loose. He could hear the others yelling to stop, to let him go. The Puppet was raising a clenched fist. Billy braced himself, hoping it wouldn't hurt too much.

The Nightmare stopped moving Jeremy towards its mouth. It had frozen in place again. An odd groaning sound came from somewhere inside it. Before Jeremy could begin to wonder what was going on, he heard it.

"Je… re… myyyy…"

He opened his eyes. The Nightmare's hands were trembling. It dropped him to the ground and he hurriedly got to his feet.

"Bobby? Bobby! Yes, it's me!" He could feel his eyes moisten, something trickling down his cheeks. "It's your brother!"

The groan became a growl. The growl became a roar. The roar became a screech as it grasped its head and wailed. Its frenzied movements smashed nearby bots and Jeremy only just got out of its way. He called his brother's name, but it didn't stop. He ran to the door to get out of its way, but stopped. He wanted to stay, to try and see if he could help.

But there were people counting on him. His friends. His mom. They needed him. He was reminded of Hawthorne's synths, when they were fighting to keep the Puppet's control off. The only way he'd been able to help then was to do what he had to do. Right now…

"I'm sorry, bro," he whispered.

He pressed the button. The door slammed down, locking it inside. Jeremy didn't think it had even noticed. He double-checked his current location and sprinted to the generators. A few more bots were scattered around, but he kept on running.

A loud, electrical humming met his ears. Four more bots were standing in the doorway to the generator. A flashlight beam held them in place. That could only mean…

"Lid!" he called out, edging around the frozen bots. "Lid I'm here!"

"Jeremy? Oh thank god!" She was standing in a control room near the massive generators as they churned and hummed. "Get the security door, quick!"

"On it!"

He pushed the bots who had made it inside to the ground before shutting out the ones that didn't. He hurried up to join Lidiya while she moved over the control console she was sat at.

"I haven't made any progress. I've been trying but the bots wouldn't leave me alone!" Lidiya gestured to the frozen bots. "Makes it kind of hard to focus! I tried to close them out, but-"

"It's okay." He shone his light on the ones that had made it. "The Nightmare's locked up in one of the testing rooms."

"That's a relief. What happened?" Her eyes radiated concern. "Were you able to, you know…?"

He shook his head, wiping his eyes. "Doesn't matter now. How long do you need?"

"Um, let me see…" She ran her eyes over the console, moving her flashlight so she could see. "A couple of minutes, maybe more."

"Do we have a couple of minutes?"

The door suddenly buckled. A loud roar echoed from outside.

"We're about to find out," she said.

"Stop… it… please…"

Billy looked up. That wasn't recordings. That was the Puppet's voice, muffled inside the suit. It sounded as though each word took a lot of effort to even say. His fist was trembling violently, like he was trying to stop it from completing its movement.

"Trust… me…"

That was asking a lot. Billy had never wanted to ignore something so much. Even though he had helped them get away, the Puppet had still caused them so much pain. He'd used them, made them do things they didn't want to do. Part of Billy knew he deserved this.

But then he remembered when he played them the voices. The voices of the children. The last ones they would ever make. He could have still been tricking them, but maybe… just maybe…

Billy relaxed in the Puppet's grip. At the same time, the Puppet's arm went back to his side. He was suddenly snatched out of his hand by Hermana, who wore a look like blazing fire. She shoved the Puppet away.

"If you've hurt one hair on his little head, I'm gonna-!"

"Hermy, no!" He hugged her again. "It's okay, I'm okay."

"You call this okay?" Clyde was back on his feet, his look just like Hermana's. "This creep just tried to get into my head again and you think that's okay?!"

"Yes, I must agree with Clyde," said Theodore. "It seems as if he's up to nothing more than usual methods."

Billy pointed. "But look!"

They did. The bots in the room hadn't moved. They'd remained motionless where they stood. The Puppet did nothing either, only staring through the empty eye of the Lefty suit.

"He said that if we helped, he'd call in the bots. I just hit him and he didn't. He could have hit me, but he didn't. He just stopped me hitting him. He doesn't have to do this but that's what he's doing."

"Because this is what he always does! You know what he's like!" Clyde thrust a finger at him. "You weren't there when he attacked us at the house. He brought that thing with him and he put us back under his control! That's all he cares about because he's a monster, just like that thing out there!"

"But he let us go! He helped us get away! We were already trapped, he didn't have to do that! We're trapped right now but he's still giving us a chance!"

"What kind of chance involves trying to take control of Clyde again?" asked Theodore. "It feels like another layer of whatever game he's playing, quite frankly."

Hermana jumped in too. "Yeah and poor Lid and Jer-Bear are the ones he's makin' play! They're in danger, we gotta do somethin' to help!"

"But why did he just control Clyde though? Why not the rest of us?"

"He's just pissy because I broke free of him last time. Is that what that was about, huh?" he shot at the Puppet. "You trying to put me back in my place? Not this time, you little-!"

"Clyde, please, no. Everyone, please!" Billy cried. "If we try to do anything else, the bots will come down and it'll be just like before all over again. If the timer runs out before they get to the generators, then we'll fight as best we can. But please, just wait."

Billy wasn't sure if that would work. He could see they all had their doubts. He was reminded of how he used to feel back in the Fun Palace. When they all ignored him or told him to go away. He managed to keep in his tears.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Of course we do," Hermana said at once.

"Then please believe me when I say that this is the right thing to do."

They exchanged looks with each other. Billy could feel the question they wanted to ask before Clyde asked it.

"What if you're wrong?"

"Then it's the same whatever we do. If I'm wrong when the time runs out, then we fight. If we attack the Puppet and the bots now before time runs out, then we fight. Whether we like it or not, this is our only chance."

Billy could see them, weighing up his words. They looked at each other. At him. At the Puppet. Clyde's eyes especially lingered on the Puppet. He just watched them silently.

"Alright," said Clyde at last. "But the moment that timer hits zero or if he tries that again, I'm not waiting. I'm not just standing and watching while my friends are out there. Not anymore."

"Okay, so we have a problem," said Lidiya.

Jeremy flinched as the door buckled again. "Worse than our current one?"

"The Nightmare. Even if it doesn't get in here, it will when the power is out. It's a safeguard for the security doors. Even then, we've still got the Puppet to deal with. If he's being controlled inside that suit, he can still control the active bots too. Either way, things will get messy."

"Sounds like it. Any idea how we can change that?"

"Just a moment…" She pulled up a tablet from the monitor. "Power distribution controls for the generators. If could just… yes. No. Yes! They'd just need to… yes, that would work!" She looked at Jeremy. "You trust me?"

Jeremy considered the question. If she'd asked him that before all this, there was no way he would have. But this woman had put everything on the line for a cause she used to be against. She could have backed down at any time, but she'd stepped up and done the right thing.

"All the way," he replied.

"Okay. You're going to use that PA to send the synths a message when I'm ready." She pointed to a microphone point nearby. "If the Puppet's as good as his word, all hell's going to break loose so we need to be ready. Oh and get the Nightmare in here. This should shut it down too."

"What would shut it down? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to divert all of the power to the storage box in the room where the Puppet is," she said. "It acts as a connection point for him so he can have direct access to the factory systems, along with rejuvenation." She started frantically typing on the tablet and pushing buttons on the console. "If I do this, it would cause a massive power surge that would blow out all the power and really give the Puppet something to think about!"

"That sounds good, but I can't help but be concerned about something." He gestured around the room. "I'm getting the feeling this power surge will affect us too, since you're talking about getting the Nightmare in here."

She waved a hand dismissively. "This room's insulated against that, we'll be fine. Probably."

"Probably?"

The door buckled again. A gap formed between the floor and the door. Large hands started to lift it up, slowly but surely.

"Right now, it's our best shot." A loud 'ding' came from the console. "Okay, ready to go! Tell them to get him inside the box in the next twenty seconds."

"Why twenty seconds?"

"Because that's when I'm pressing this big red button to send it all into motion and that's probably how long it'll take the Nightmare to get in here." The door creaked and strained loudly as it was a quarter of the way open. "Maybe a little less. Just do it!"

He nodded and pressed the button. "Guys! Get him in the box and stay away from any power cables! I need it done in twenty seconds, do it!"

Billy was watching the countdown timer closely. Only a few more minutes. Then he heard Jeremy's voice. So did everyone else. The Puppet marched towards them. His bots did too. He could feel the beginnings of a headache, the Puppet trying to get inside his head.

"Hermy, get behind him and crouch! Guys, let's go!"

The others didn't waste any time at all. Billy, Theodore and Clyde charged the Puppet. Their combined strength caused him to fall over Hermana, who crouched down like she'd been told. He fell right into his box. He tried to get back out, but they smashed up the bots, throwing them in to keep him weighed down.

Billy looked down. There were power cables everywhere. They didn't have long left.

"Run!"

They burst through the bots guarding the door outside. They looked to see the rest of them, marching down the stairs towards them. There were so many! They gave brief looks to each other before settling in for a fight.

The Nightmare had opened the door enough that it could duck down inside. Jeremy felt a pang for what he was about to put his brother's remains through, but like Lidiya said, they'd run out of time.

"And that's twenty! Looks like the Puppet's being a little cranky!" Lidiya grinned. "Let's see if we can fix that with a controlled shock!"

She slammed her hand on the button.

Jeremy clapped his hands over his ears from the sound that pierced the room. Arcs of energy jumped off the generators, the lights flickering rapidly. Some of them struck the control room, but did nothing other than make his hair stand up.

The Nightmare roared as the electricity coursed through its body, flashes of blue sparking. Small explosions popped across its form, singing its suit. With one last juddering cry, its eyes exploded and it fell to the ground in a dead heap. At the same time, the generator stopped whirring and the lights fizzled out.

Jeremy found Lidiya in the dark. The two of them raised their flashlights and crept out of the control room. The generator had taken out the other bots too. Nothing moved apart from them. Jeremy looked over the Nightmare's fallen form.

"He said my name again. I thought I might actually be able to…" He trailed off, unable to finish that thought. "I guess not."

"I'm sorry," said Lidiya. "We had to do it."

"Yeah," he murmured. "Come on, let's go and check on the others."

Guest: Heck yeah!

Yellowscar1: Yeah that was what I was going for.

Arc of Carona: Glad you think so.

Alanuki: I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure which one you mean XD