Greeting: Morning, afternoon or evening to all of you.
Chapter 70 is now here and I hope it brings you excitement and a way of escaping the real world.
Enjoy this chapter, everybody!

( Nick's bus. Uptown, Near the Popgoes pizzeria)

The head lights were reflecting off a bright sign that told them they were close.
Their bus had slowed down, Nick's goal was not to draw attention. The children were staring out the windows, it was dark.
The sun was behind the clouds but for some reason Nick could sense that the night had come.
The interior lights were off and the children huddled together. One pair was especially scared, which had brought Doug to them.
Rachel and Ray were in the front, staring into the darkness, ahead.
" It's rather foggy. Can you see much?", Ray asked Nick who shook his head.
" Not any more than you do, pal. These houses are haunting. Gotta stay alert", Nick told him.
Ray glanced at Rachel who appeared to agree with Nick on the house part. The silhouettes of the empty houses were scary.
Those had scared the two kids Doug was comforting.

The roofs and the front yards were dark silhouettes and sometimes a window could be seen.
The panes of glass were like big, blue eyes, following them as they moved.
" Why haven't they attacked us yet?", whispered Rachel.
Ray heard it clearly. Rachel had meant to ask that inside her own head. The tension was almost physical.
Rachel felt as if it could manifest as a huge monster. Of course, it was a ridiculous idea but was it really?
Rachel had seen so much, that happening wouldn't have surprised her or anyone for that matter.
" Who?", Ray whispered to her.
The bunny's ears perked up.
" The monsters had guards in the forest, by our pizzeria. I'd say we are about as close to Popgoes' as the forest was to ours.
There should be guards but there isn't", Rachel whispered back to him.

Ray felt funny, his stomach got Rachel's point. The monsters had their eyes on the bus.
Rachel wondered why they chose to watch instead of attacking. Ray agreed with her, the monsters' doings made no sense sometimes.
It was what made them creepy. It felt that there was a voice commanding the monsters to stay back.
Was it the love between the animatronics and the kids? Was it the master of those things? Was it trying to protect them or was it planning their death?
Did they have a friend or an enemy?
Ray and Rachel both voted for the same choices. The road was foggy and dangerous.
Rains had corroded the road and the concrete was slippery.

There was also one other thing.
" Careful, Nick. You see them, right?", Rachel whispered to her owner.
Nick nodded with silence stressing the tension. There were people on the road, torn up, bloody people.
They were like statues, walking on the road. It looked like they could only move their legs.
Nick drove slowly as not to hit them. They were not monsters, they didn't attack but they weren't humans either.
" What is wrong with them?", wondered Nick.
Rachel's eyes fixed onto one small girl who was holding a music box. She raised her head and looked up at the bunny.
Her white eyes were reflecting the head lights like those of a cat.
Rachel followed the girl with her eyes, the youngling did not follow. She faced down once the bus had passed her.
That had been weird and creepy.
She had not been a monster, she had neither black nor red eyes.
" Who are these people? What are they?", Ray shook his head in fear.
They hadn't panicked yet. That was good.
" Don't be too afraid of them. They don't seem to care about us. As long as we don't interrupt them, we should be fine", Nick comforted Ray.
" Shut up and get ready to hit that throttle if needed", Ray snapped at him silently.

Nick wiped some sweat off his forehead and took a deep breath. He continued and took the right.
There was a sign, telling them that it was time for fun and laughs.
" Not anymore surely", Rachel thought when she glanced at it.
Popgoes was on the sign and his smiling face was ready to play.
" We'll be best friends forever. I know that", mouthed Rachel.
That was what the speech bubble above Popgoes' head read.
Rachel had expected the monsters to write something weird on it. Something in blood and guts.
It was weird how the sign was fine.
It gave her a feeling that Popgoes was not completely finished. The monsters would have messed it up if they had actually defeated the Popgoes crew.

It gave her hope, very much of it.
" Where are you going? Shouldn't we be heading for the bus station?", Ray asked Nick.
The man shook his head.
" Let's go check it out first. If they are dead, we'll just leave. There's no point bringing the bus here for no reason", Nick explained to Ray.
The people, on the road, were left behind, something kept them away from the pizzeria.
There was a clear line of where they stopped. Rachel looked behind her and saw through the back window of the bus.
She couldn't see anything very well though. The window was stained and it was very dark outside.
The people formed a line behind the bus, right where the border was. They were staring at it and their faces looked mad.
Was it a new type of monster or something else?
The walking people were completely ignorant of everything around them. Nevertheless, the ones, in the line, were staring at the bus.
It was impossible to know what they were thinking.
The nightmares of the Apocalypse witch were never-ending.

Rachel could faintly see the heads of the people, in line. She knew they wanted her to make Nick turn the bus around.
" I'm sorry. I must get to my friends. I can't believe you", she apologized.
Rachel expected those people to be there to cause panic and fear. It meant that the monsters didn't want them to go there.
" You've got something to hide", Rachel thought.
There appeared to be a shield of some sorts that stopped the monster people from going in.
Maybe Rachel had been more right that she had thought. Perhaps, the Popgoes pizzeria was the safe haven they had been looking for.

More signs started popping out of the darkness and Nick allowed the bus to go a little bit faster.
" How are the kids?", Nick checked on Doug.
The dog came immediately and appeared happy.
" Mostly fine. They know that we wouldn't let them get hurt", Doug answered him.
Rachel smiled at the thought.
" Now we've got less to worry about. No reason to be afraid, children. We are almost safe", she thought.
Ray was looking out the windows and paid attention to narrow alleys.
" Are you okay, Ray?", Doug asked him.
The raccoon didn't glance at him since he was so focused.
" There might be monsters hiding in there. It's too quiet. Why aren't they here?", Ray explained to Doug.
" I think they can't get here", interrupted Rachel.
Ray got confused.
" Why do you think that?", the raccoon asked her, still looking out the windows.
Rachel explained her theory on the mystical shield. Doug seemed to be listening to her with perked ears.

" That's what I think", she added at the end.
Ray had been listening to her only a little. His mind was on the task, ahead.
" Don't let hope blind you, dear. We must be vigilant unless we want the children to get hurt", Ray told her.
Rachel understood why Ray was so alerted and suspicious of everything. She let Ray do his own thing, Rachel was brighter.
" He refuses to accept that I was right. Hopefully Ray is able to enjoy being safe again", she thought.
Nick was following the signs like a shark would follow a blood trail in water. They were getting closer and closer to being safe.
Nick hadn't seen Lena in a long time.
To be honest, Nick wasn't sure if she was even still alive. If the monsters were in, it didn't matter whether she had been alive or not.
Nick wished she was still alive for the sake of the kids in there. Popgoes had no staff, not as far as Nick knew.
The animatronics did everything and Lena was performing with her animatronic friends.
If Lena was dead, the animatronics would be alone in there with the children and the parents.
It sounded like a seed of chaos in Nick's head.

He stepped out of it as Ray touched his shoulder.
" Take the right very carefully. I'm not liking this", she told Nick.
" Good, Ray. Me neither", Nick patted him on the back.
The parking lot of ahead, it was surrounded by a few houses. The lucky kids, who had lived in those houses, must have had perfect lives before the Apocalypse.
The parking lot was decorated with trees and huge lamp posts.
Rachel's smile got very wide. It was amazing.
The lights were still on. Both outside and inside the pizzeria.
" I think this looks fine. If the lights are on, they must be still alive. We have made it to our friends!", Rachel cheered.
The children heard it and got excited. Some stood up and came to the front.
Doug went in front of them to stop the excited kids.
" Hey. Let's not get up yet. Return to you seats, sweeties. We will check it first and then come back to get you", Doug told them cutely.
Some insisted to get to come with them but Doug told them they were not coming.
" It's for your safety. We would never forgive ourselves if something happened to you.
We love you, we would never let you risk yourselves for nothing", Doug explained to them.

The children were reluctant to go back to their seats but they did since Doug insisted. Doug was proud of his cute kids.
He was glad to know that they were willing to stay safe.
By the door, Ray tried to see if there was any movement inside the pizzeria.
There was!
He saw someone by a window. They were looking out, staring at the bus most likely.
They were small, a child by all accounts. They must have been afraid of what was happening.
Ray turned the interior lights on. He wanted the kid to see him so they'd stop being afraid.
The light was shining at Ray's face from above. The silhouette at the window jumped up excitedly and waved at him.
It was a child, there was no doubt. Ray felt his heart melt.
Maybe Rachel was right. That kid seemed to be alright.
Ray smiled and waved back at them. The kid ran away, probably to tell the others about the visitors.
Ray knew that the lights wouldn't have been on if anyone hadn't been there.
No one knew that they were heading for the Popgoes pizzeria so it couldn't have been a trick.
Rachel came to Ray who pointed at the window.
" I saw the kid. I told you so. We are safe, this is a safe haven for us. We don't need to bother the Fazbears", she smiled at him.

Nick parked the bus quite close to the pizzeria. He turned it off as not to waste fuel.
" Who should go? At least I'm going in. Lena can be weird sometimes. If she shows up with a shotgun, I can calm her down", Nick told the animatronics.
Rachel and Ray told him that they would come. They glanced at Doug to see if he was coming. The dog glanced at the children, behind him.
" Maybe you should take one kid with you. I'm not coming", he suggested silently.
" Why? We are just risking the life of a kid for no reason", Rachel was weirded out by Doug's idea.
He had an explanation.
" You look pretty dangerous without a kid. Leaving the kids behind is abnormal behaviour and it could make them suspicious.
You need to show them that we are no threat. Before we can convince them of that, they are as dangerous as the monsters", he told his friends.
Rachel, Nick and Ray talked to each other for a moment.
" Okay. We'll take one", Rachel told Doug after that.
A girl walked around Doug's legs and came to the animatronics.
" It was her idea. Take her", Doug told Rachel.
It was the same girl who had been sleeping between Doug's thighs.
" Can I come, Rachel? I won't be a burden. I can run if anything scary comes our way", the girl asked the bunny.
Rachel kissed her on the cheek.
" Alright then. You are young but I trust you", she told the child.
They had first thought about taking the window crawler girl with them but that girl was fine too. The door opened and Doug went to the driver seat.
" Close the door and don't open it for any strangers", Nick told Doug as he walked out with the others.

Rachel, Ray, Nick and the girl were counting on him.
" And Doug! Take care of the other kids", Nick added.
" I will", Doug promised him.
Then the door closed and the pizzeria lay ahead. All four walked to the door together.
The lights were shining on them and it felt good. Rachel was happy to see working lamps again.
It was normal and comforting.
Nothing had changed at Popgoes' pizzeria. If Rachel hadn't known better, she'd have said that the Apocalypse hadn't affected that place at all.
She glanced back at the bus and saw Doug's worried face there by the window.
" Don't worry, Doug baby. We'll be back in no time", Rachel thought in her head.

The group moved to the door of the pizzeria. No one had come to open the door for them, which was weird.
The kid, by the window, had seen them. The girl was beside Ray and he was protecting her like normally.
Nick looked at the others and beckoned them to stay back.
The three others stopped as Nick went closer to the door. The door was nicely decorated and the colors shone in the light.
It was a big rainbow with tons of variant colors. Nothing had scraped the paint and the door had nothing weird on it.
Nick just wanted to make sure that his friends wouldn't get hurt.
He had a weird feeling, like it was fake, like the pizzeria was just a prop.
" Hello?", Nick knocked on the door.

He wasn't sure what he expected to happen there. As expected, nothing happened, the door remained closed.
" Let's go back, guys. There's no one here. It might seem alright but the place is empty", Nick turned around.
As he was about to walk through the group, Rachel put her hand in front of him.
" No. They're just hiding. Would you open the door in a case like this? I thought not", Rachel told him.
Nick's face agreed with Rachel's statement.
" Are you sure they're there?", he asked her.
Rachel was feeling something. Someone was alive in there.
She wanted to go in.
" That kid was no monster, I saw it from the way they walked", Rachel answered him.
Nick looked at the others.
" Okay, Rachel. Let's go inside", he told her.
They went to the door of the pizzeria and Nick grabbed the handle. He turned it and the door opened on its own.

Rachel went in first, she had not imagined it. She had heard it through the door. Her ears were turning swiftly.
" Can you hear that?", she asked her friends.
Nick couldn't hear anything.
" It's the monsters, isn't it? Why don't we run?", he asked Rachel.
Ray seemed to hear it as well.
" Rachel. Is that..?", he asked her.
Rachel glanced at the raccoon.
" It is. Poor sweetie", she answered him.
Suddenly, the animatronics took off. Nick and the girl followed them.
It was a crying child without a doubt.
The animatronics wouldn't have taken off like that otherwise.

They arrived at a room and there the child was. It was a boy whose eyes were covered in tears.
The pizzeria was no safe haven, that was obvious.
Ray gasped in shock and hugged Rachel. The bunny hugged him back.
The boy was holding a head on his lap.
" Stone. Oh no, my friend", Ray couldn't believe it.
There were other bodies in there too, adults and children. Ray let go of Rachel and went closer to the kid.
" Hey", he greeted the boy.
The young child backed away a bit.
" Don't be afraid, we are here to help you. We came to save you", Ray told him.
" Why didn't you come sooner?", the boy cried.
" I'm so sorry. He was my friend too. I'm sorry we didn't come sooner", Ray apologized and picked up the boy.
Stone's head was left to the ground. Ray checked the boy for wounds.
" There was so much noise and screams. Stone told me to hide. Mom didn't listen to Lena. The adults were shouting", the boy's explanation made no sense.
He was clearly in shock.
" Shh. Calm down. Is there anyone else here? We are going to get you to safety", Ray promised the boy.
He wiped the boy's tears.

They were walking around, the corpses were everywhere on the floors.
" Lena is in the dining room. She doesn't answer me. She made it though, we hid together. She said the voice was lying", the boy gave him an answer.
Nick knew where the dining room was so it was his turn to run.
The others followed him quickly. They wanted to get Lena and then get out.

Nick came to the dining room, where the main stage was, and ran to the old woman in the middle.
" Ave Maria. Gratia plena, Dominus tecum", the old woman was praying.
" Lena. Are you alright? It's me, I've come to save you with my friends", Nick told her.
The woman didn't pay attention to him. She was on her knees, looking at the stage.
That was when Nick looked at the stage to see what she was staring at.
He covered his mouth.
When the others came, they did the same.
" Don't look! Oh dear God", Ray covered the boy's eyes.
The girl hugged Rachel who hugged her too. Rachel spilled a tear with the girl.
They had never seen anything so horrible and cruel in their lives.
It was Popgoes and the squirrel sisters. They had been crucified to the back wall of the main stage.
The crosses were wooden and covered in oil. Their eyes had been torn out.
The expression on Saffron's face showed the others the horrible torture she had gone through. Popgoes still had the oily tears on his cheeks.
His mouth had been opened for a horrible death scream.
" I'm sorry, Lena. Oh god", Nick looked at the old woman.
Then Lena got out of it and glanced at him.
" Nicholas? Are you a ghost?", Lena asked him.
A friendly voice had suddenly woken her up. Nick shook his head.
" I'm here for real. We came to save you", he promised the shocked woman.
Lena hugged him as she realized that he was there for real.
" Oh Nick. I tried to save them and the children. There was this voice. It promised us that if we killed the animatronics, they would spare the rest of us.
The parents murdered them all.
They allowed the monsters to break in. I was shocked, I didn't know what to do. I hid and saved myself but I couldn't save the children", Lena explained to him.

Nick helped the woman up and calmed her down. She was so shocked, she couldn't even recall saving the boy.
Rachel was about to turn around, she knew they would get out immediately.
Nick helped Lena walk towards the exit. Rachel's ears perked up as she heard a cough, coming from the restrooms.
" Nick! There's someone else alive as well. I'll go get them", she told Nick.
Lena had fallen silent. Nick nodded to Rachel.

The bunny ran to the restrooms quickly to witness an oily badger who was lying there on the floor. He had a puddle of oil under him.
" Blake? I've got you", Rachel picked him up.
She hurried back to the dining room and Ray was surprised to see who was with her.
" It's Blake. And he's alive", Rachel rushed into the room.
She had underestimated her strength and fell to the floor. The floor was slippery due to all the blood.
Ray went to help both of his friends.
" Go on! We'll follow", Ray told Nick as he went to help Rachel.

Nick left the room with the two children and Lena. Ray was so happy to see Blake still alive. He knelt beside the badger.
" Go", Blake spoke up.
It came through a lot of oil, he was almost dead.
" Hey. It's me. Ray the raccoon. I came here to save you, Blake. We've got you", Ray assured him.
The badger grabbed his arm.
" You shouldn't have come here. They know. We didn't survive on our own", Blake stuttered.
It made no sense to either of the two animatronics.
" Calm down. We'll take you to our bus and fix you up", Rachel comforted Blake.
That made him flip out.
" No! I'm too heavy. They know", Blake insisted.
His finger was pointing at the ceiling.
" We're not going to leave you", Rachel told him.
Blake gathered all his strength.
" I was meant to be unharmed. I heard them speak of you. They silenced me", he pointed at his own throat which had been slit open.
The badger was panicking.
" Ray", he said then and his head hit the floor.
The dining room had fallen silent.
" What? What are you trying to say, Blake?", Ray asked him.
" This..This.. Go. All of this is..", his voice sounded like he was beneath lots of water.
Ray and Rachel listened to the dying badger as he muttered his last words.
" This is a trap", Blake muttered as oil burst out of his mouth.
The noise, of the ceiling breaking, started as soon as the animatronics realized their own stupidity.

Farewell: The next chapter will have some running in it again. Hopefully this was a satisfying chapter.
See you all next time: THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE IS TO WRITE.