Greeting: Inside the pit, things are getting tense. Shadow and Eclipse have been caught and Rachel is all alone with Faith. What will happen now?
( Shadow and Eclipse. In the pit. Being dragged by beasts)
Eclipse's vision went blurry and objects drew lines as they moved in his view.
Okami had just kicked him in the head and oil had burst out of his snout.
" Still able to heal I see. Good, very good indeed", Okami smiled wickedly.
Eclipse glanced at Shadow who was lying beside him. Shadow looked at his friend worriedly and begged Eclipse to say something.
The wolf's eyes were rolling in their sockets and he felt as if he had been in a roller coaster.
Shadow and Eclipse were being dragged by beasts who were on their both sides.
Both animatronics were being held by armpits. The beasts were too strong for them to break free.
Eclipse vomited oil and Okami punched him again.
" I have wanted to do that since you left us. All those times, Fredbear was able to make fun of Salazar and our crew.
Thanks to you, we looked like fools in the eyes of the Masters", Okami kicked him.
" Get away from him, critter", Shadow shouted in anger.
Okami hit him in the back of the head.
" Shut up, fox. Bloody slave", he muttered.
Eclipse had healed his jaw and was able to see clearly.
" Your Masters betrayed you. We would have been betrayed as well, we had to leave. Mom knew what she was doing", Eclipse told Okami.
The broken wolf laughed so grimly that some kids, in the cages, shrieked in fear.
One of the beasts told them to shut the hell up.
Okami grabbed Eclipse's head and looked at him.
" She did? Really? She knew what she was doing. Like when she went against Electra? Or like when she thought you could save her?", Okami mocked.
Eclipse started crying. Or was that just oil, bleeding from his eyes? There was a strong scent of oil.
" Don't listen to him, Eclipse. Do not break in front of this monster", Shadow begged.
Okami punched him again, this time in the stomach.
The beasts let their slave have his fun. All four were staring at Okami like an ambush of tigers, tracking their prey.
Okami couldn't have cared less, he was already broken enough.
He had learned his lesson since when Rachel and friends had come.
He had crossed the line of life and death during that time.
" You really seem to have deep love for one another. Let me ask you, how much do you love each other?
That is a good question which is not easy to answer unless certain methods are used", said Okami.
That wasn't a good sign, especially when Okami chuckled after that. He had become as savage as the beasts, around him.
Shadow and Eclipse looked at each other when they were dragged past more cages.
The children hadn't been saved and they looked disappointed.
" We are sorry, kids. Our plan failed. We were betrayed", both animatronics thought.
Luckily, the traitor had already been banished to the fires of nether.
It didn't save them though.
The monsters, around, were looking at them, wondering if they'd get a meal.
One of the beasts glanced at them and they calmed down instantly. Shadow was amazed by that.
The red-eyed beasts were mind controlling the normal monsters to some extent.
Shadow and Eclipse both wondered if they'd die immediately or go into a cage to wait for the arena.
The beasts brought them to a smaller beast who was looking around in a dignified manner. It looked weird to see a beast like that.
It was like seeing a zombie have tea with more zombies. Its red eyes glanced at them like fire before it attacks the wood, in its path.
Okami and the four big brutes knelt down and faced the ground.
That beast was an important one.
" Lord. We found them, she was right about it. They are here", Okami told the beast and looked at it.
Its claws extended in delight. Shadow refused to gulp right then.
Eclipse recognized those claws. The long scratches, on Okami's endoskeleton face, had been made by them.
That beast was the one who had ordered Okami to be tortured and one of the ones that had carried out the sentence.
" That is very pleasing to hear, animatronic. How about the third one?", the beast said in a delicate tone.
It was the kind of a guy who had never had to speak fast.
" What third one? I don't understand", Okami shook his messed up head.
" According to her, they left the pizzeria with three animatronics and a dragon", the beast told him.
That tone was telling Okami that he was a disappointing fool. The beast spoke in a tone that sounded like a long sigh.
Okami had fear in his eyes, he had messed up again.
Shadow and Eclipse waited for something to happen.
" I am sorry, my lord. They attacked alone, I was not aware of there being a third one", Okami apologized.
" Then find her and that dragon! Now!", the beast lashed out suddenly.
Shadow and Eclipse jumped a bit. They would have fled if the beasts hadn't been holding them.
Okami jumped too and bowed down like a fearful slave.
" Yes, great sir. Yes. We will find them and kill them", Okami promised.
" No. Bring the damn critter to me. She was here last time, I can smell it. You will get to fight her and maybe earn my trust again", the beast was angry.
Then it calmed down.
" As for the dragon, you can tear it to pieces or skin it alive. We have no use for such useless tools", it finished.
Eclipse couldn't help but lash out.
" Don't hurt Faith! I swear to you! If you dare to snip even a hair from Faith's fur, I'll..", he started shouting.
His words stopped because the beast, on his left, put its claws onto his throat.
" You'll do what, animatronic? Ramble us to death? Break our hearts?", the beast asked him mockingly and smiled.
Its teeth extended and appeared to get sharper. That was the face of a piranha.
Then it did the freakiest thing. It cut its own chest open and tore its own heart out. The organ was still beating when the beast crushed it.
Eclipse's eyes were wide and he was terrified.
" We can't die. You can kill as many of us as you want but you are only killing innocent people. We just take another vessel when we are ready.
Death is nothing but a door for us", the beast told Eclipse and suddenly died where it stood.
For a moment, Eclipse and Shadow were silent. Then a monster came around one of the cages and looked at them.
Suddenly, its black eyes turned red as the beast's soul took over. The dead soul left and the beast came in.
" We keep on coming back and every time we get stronger", the beast told Eclipse.
The body was different, taller and stronger, but the voice was the same. It had died but there it was again.
It grabbed Eclipse's throat and laughed. For a second, Shadow expected Eclipse to die.
The beast let him go and walked away.
" Master. What do we do with them?", one of the four beasts asked it.
The leader beast chuckled as it turned around.
" Put them into a cage. Let them mingle with the children a bit. Then make them fight, it should be a delicious show", the beast answered its servant calmly.
Shadow and Eclipse were almost taken away like dust by the wind.
They could hardly realize what was going on until they were in a cage already. The beasts had ran to get it over with quickly.
Eclipse was thrown in and he landed on a child.
Shadow followed his friend fast and hit his head on the cage's edge.
The two animatronics shook their heads as the door closed behind them. Eclipse checked quickly if the child was alright.
The beasts looked like they would have wanted to spit at the animatronics.
Instead, they resisted the temptation and walked away casually like normal people.
The children remained silent and sobbed a bit. Only sobbing though, their tears had run out days earlier.
Sobbing wasn't caused by the new animatronics, the children had already been sobbing before they came.
Eclipse and Shadow saw that there was nothing they could have done.
The children would need to get out in order not to sob anymore.
" That's it, Shadow. We are goners", Eclipse let out a deep sigh.
" We'll figure something out, Eclipse. I'm sure they won't find Faith and Rachel", Shadow replied to him.
" Shhh!", a tiny voice commanded.
It was a boy, next to Shadow. Both animatronics looked at him.
" Quiet. The monsters will hurt us if we speak. We don't like the pain", the boy whispered.
The animatronics nodded and Shadow patted his head.
" I'm sorry. We came here to rescue you but they caught us.
I'm Shadow and this is Eclipse. We are from the Fazbear's pizza", Shadow apologized, whispering.
The boy was reluctant to respond to his words. The children couldn't be comforted.
" Nice. Good job", the boy said angrily, full of sarcasm.
" Hey. Not all is lost, children. We at Freddy's are still full of love", Eclipse tried to cheer the kids up.
" They won't smile at you very much. And neither will I", said an animatronic in the cage, next door.
" We must. We can't fall into darkness. There is still hope", Eclipse told the animatronic.
Shadow recognized that animatronic. It was the one that had killed her brother. She was beaten up and appeared to be a wolverine of some sorts.
" We all think that at first. After we have killed our friends and seen the kids, watching it, not so much", the wolverine shook her head.
She was alone. Her kids were long gone.
" Did they all turn into monsters, your kids I mean?", Shadow asked her.
" Is that why you are crying? We're sorry", Eclipse finished it.
The wolverine shook her head.
" I caused too much trouble. My loud shout was the last straw. They put me here and took the kids out.
I watched them die, suffering", the wolverine looked at the ground.
" It was my fault though. The rules are to be obeyed. You fight down there or the children, you love, die", she added.
Eclipse and Shadow were already filled with hatred for that place. The same kind as Rachel.
Eclipse wanted to burn it down to the ground. When they got out, Eclipse was going to have Faith set the place ablaze.
" I'm sorry. We would have helped you all but we couldn't. We had to defend the children in our pizzeria", Eclipse's ears drooped.
" A sweet thought. If you have kids, they will soon destroy your place. Then all your friends and kids will be right here too.
Soon, the kids will be insane and your friends will be dead", the wolverine responded with a desparate and angry grin.
All hope had been drained from that wolverine. That was what the death of the kids, they loved, would do to them.
Shadow and Eclipse still refused to give up hope though.
The wolverine saw her time come as a beast walked closer to her cage.
" I'm going now and my friends will embrace me on the other side. Do not think that you can escape. But don't be afraid.
We can only go to Heaven because Hell is right here", the wolverine smiled at the two males.
She was taken away to the arena one last time. The kids watched in horror as the monsters cheered.
Eclipse and Shadow tried to stop the kids from watching but the monsters, nearby, stopped them.
The kids would die if the animatronics did anything funny.
All of the sudden, neither wanted to escape from that place. They couldn't bear the death of the children.
All they could do was watch as the wolverine entered the arena. She charged at her foe which was a bear.
The kids were crying and both male animatronics were grinning. It was hard and more painful than any wound.
Eclipse found the one thing that hurt as much as his mother's death.
The wolverine faced the bear with a smile on her face. Her only goal in life was to die.
She extended her arms to her sides and welcomed death with open arms. The bear stopped and looked at her.
" Kill me please. I don't want to be hurt anymore. It is too much", the wolverine sobbed, staring at the bear.
The bear animatronic nodded to her and, with one quick pull, tore her upper jaw off.
The wolverine fell to the sand that was on the ground. The monsters were bored by that one but it was still amazingly gruesome.
Meanwhile, the kids buried their faces into their hands once again.
Eclipse and Shadow hugged each other.
" What are we going to do? We can't escape from here without getting all the kids killed", Eclipse asked Shadow.
They were speaking in their own heads so no one else could hear them.
" They are going to put us down there and we are going to have to fight one another", Shadow sighed.
" It's either one of us or the kids in this cage. Help me, mom", Eclipse pleaded.
Shadow thought about Antonio and his teachings. They couldn't rely on Rachel and Faith.
Eclipse sobbed, thinking about Luna and Salazar. Shadow would need to die but he didn't want to kill him.
Shadow would fall to the ground like a man who had just gotten paralysed.
Shadow would be as dead as a stone and he would be dragged away to the other side of the hills.
Those hills that were surrounding the pit. Eclipse thought about that for a moment.
One of the animatronics would need to die. Shadow would fall down like a paralysed man.
Eclipse's eyes widened. He knew two things: The beasts would come to take them very soon.
And he knew what to do.
" I love you, Eclipse. You are a good friend and I trust you with my life", Shadow said right then.
" I trust you too. But will you really trust me with your life?", Eclipse asked him, the wolf was no longer crying.
" Of course", Shadow raised his other eyebrow.
" Then we might have a chance, brother. I just got an idea but you ain't going to like it", Eclipse told him.
The children, in the cage, backed away when the door opened. The beast, at the front, smiled grimly at the animatronics.
" Hi there, fellas. I think you already know what is coming. You don't seem like fools", it told them.
" It's not hard to imagine. You guys are making it easy for everyone. Just think what sadistic brutes with no intelligence would do", Eclipse insulted them.
There were three other beasts and they growled at Eclipse.
The one at the front started laughing maniacally. The rest calmed down as it glanced at them.
" Our animatronic friend thinks he is funny. Making us angry is bold but stupid", it turned again to look at Eclipse.
" Why would it be stupid? You are going to kill us anyway, there's nothing you can threaten us with", Shadow told defiantly.
The beast raised its index finger and shook it from side to side slowly.
" Don't be so sure, animatronic. We are offering you a chance to live. You see, Okami, that insignificant animatronic, can't find your friends.
Our boss thinks you know where they are", the beast said slowly.
Whenever it had used the term ´animatronic´ there had been disgust in its voice.
That made Eclipse and Shadow even more defiant.
" If you ever think you can persuade us to help you find our friends, don't bother. We will never help you.
Kill us if you like, we will never help the likes of you. That is even if we believed you in the first place", Eclipse said angrily.
Then Shadow added some foreign words that emphasized their point.
" No need to get hostile like that, little guardian. Save it for the arena", the beast whispered.
Then the journey began again. They were ripped out of the cage and dragged along like puppets.
" What will we do, Eclipse?", Shadow asked his friend.
" If you wish to save me as well as the kids and you do really trust me, do not heal", Eclipse answered him.
Shadow took it in.
The arena was much bigger than it had seemed. The lights were blinding and the shouting was way louder in open space.
They were in the spotlight where everyone could see them
Eclipse was pushed against the sand and Shadow was dragged to the other side of the arena.
A beast gave Eclipse a club, which was what he wanted. The club was perfect for what he desired to do.
" Get up, animatronic. If you only wish to insult us, then so be it. We will kill your friends sooner or later.
That dragon is going to suffer first, it will make my buddies here feel better", the bossy beast growled.
Eclipse grinned as he was forced to stand up. Shadow had been given a club too.
" Mom, give me the power to do this. Dad, offer me the strength of the Elders", Eclipse breathed.
His words were lost in the wind but he knew they would get to their destination.
Shadow had other thoughts in his head, on the other side of the arena.
" I can't heal. But why? I'll die if I don't heal", he thought.
Maybe that was Eclipse's point! Perhaps, Eclipse wanted to win and tricked Shadow into letting himself get killed.
Eclipse let out a shout of anger and the monsters cheered. Then he charged at Shadow.
The fox charged as well and attacked his friend. Eclipse's eyes were lethal and he was going for the kill.
Shadow refused to heal even as Eclipse hit him in the chest. Something in Shadow's system broke and he found it harder to move.
It had also stopped him from feeling much pain. Eclipse healed as fast as he could when Shadow hit him in the head.
" Come on! Fight! I know you can do better", Eclipse demanded.
The monsters cheered as Shadow wounded Eclipse badly.
" Should I pull out my katanas?", Shadow thought.
They would have done the job easily. The club was heavy and hard to swing.
He shrugged it off and kept on fighting. There seemed to be no rationality in Eclipse's moves.
He dodged and countered. Shadow was hit in the left arm, which shut it off completely. He had to heal or else he would lose the battle.
" Never! Eclipse told me not to heal so I won't", Shadow told himself.
He kept on fighting with his legs and right hand. Eclipse was aiming for the arms and legs.
Shadow's system was failing. His core was fine but his vision went blurry.
Eclipse came close to hitting Shadow's core but he missed. Shadow wondered if Eclipse was doing that on purpose.
They fought more, brother against brother. They had developed a mutual trust for each other over the past months.
Ever since Leslie had died the first time, Eclipse had been there to comfort Shadow.
Eclipse was a true sweetie on the inside even if it wasn't obvious at that point.
Shadow had never thought about getting neither a girlfriend nor a boyfriend. But if he ever had to get one, it would be Eclipse.
They had bromance going on. Shadow had learned that term from a movie.
That thought was inside Shadow's mind as Eclipse wounded his other arm and paralysed it.
The club fell from Shadow's hand and he looked miserable. His arms were limp, he couldn't see anything.
Eclipse clawed him in the face and the body. Then finally aimed for the legs, above the knees to be exact.
The monsters clapped their hands and claws when Shadow fell to the ground, all exhausted.
A beast came to Eclipse and laughed.
" I think we have a winner now! Tell him what to do!", the beast shouted to the monsters.
" Finish him! Finish him!", the crowd demanded.
Eclipse raised the club.
" I won't heal if you say so", Shadow said, breathing very heavily.
Eclipse glanced at the beast briefly.
" And that was your last mistake, brother", Eclipse told Shadow angrily and hit him in the legs.
Shadow screamed in pain as Eclipse hit him in the chest a couple times.
Shadow lost his bearings and his vision went black after Eclipse hit him in the neck twice and, to be sure, once in the head.
Oil burst out of Shadow like a flood. He let out a sound of drowning and went completely limp.
Then the club fell to the sand.
" The fox is dead!", the beast yelled after checking it out.
The monsters cheered and Eclipse was escorted back to the cage.
He looked at Shadow one more time.
" I'm sorry", he apologized.
Shadow was dragged away, no part of him was moving anymore. Eclipse burst into tears as Shadow was dragged over the hill, on the other side of the pit.
Farewell: There was no other way, they had to fight. If only the monsters didn't find Rachel and Faith now.
That is the only thing that is missing from this nightmare. See you and: THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE IS TO WRITE.
