A gently moist breeze brushed itself up against Charlie's face as she stepped outside of the apartment and made her pull the already wound up scarf even tighter around her face. The breeze was carrying not only the cold air but also a few remnants of the rainstorm that passed through Brookhaven the night before. Delivering a somewhat fitting end to had been a dramatic day for her.
While there was a little bite to the wind, it wasn't enough to deter her from shutting the door and beginning a steady walk out of the complex. Her hands dug deep into her pockets as she walked onto the sidewalk and then down the street in the same direction that she'd driven to go pick up Jessica just a few days prior. Both her mind and heart in a tandem flutter of nerves, intermixed with a desire to just get outside and be alone.
It had been something she'd decided upon after only two hours of sitting in the apartment alone and trying to relax. But that had unfortunately proven to be a rather futile effort on her part. Once John had left, the apartment suddenly became a rather stuffy environment for her, as if she were a prisoner trapped in some darkened cell that was disguised as a home.
Although she couldn't figure out where it came from, the feeling prompted her desire for not only some fresh air but also to take an opportunity to become more familiar with the area. After making a note to John in case he was back before her, she'd slipped on some of the warm clothes that they'd just bought before heading out into the sunny yet chilled day.
Going for walks by herself was something that Charlie often did to clear her mind after she'd entered high school. With all of the stress and expectations placed upon her from seemingly everyone, they'd been not only needed but also very appreciated. Allowing herself a brief respite from the burdens of incoming adulthood. Although, ever since she'd moved to Brookhaven the walks had quickly diminished. Mostly due to her not knowing her way around the area, but that was something she intended to change.
There was a small park that she'd glimpsed while on their way to pick up Jessica from the station that she wanted to visit. It hadn't been too far from the apartment to be a danger, but not too close as to make the stroll feel rather meaningless. To Charlie, being out in the fresh air and moving made her feel more at ease, even if it was only a little.
After roughly twenty-five minutes of walking, she came in sight of the park and came to realize it was a bit bigger than expected. Though her brain was quick to remind her she'd only seen it out a car window at dusk. 'Not really an ideal viewing time.'
It was a decently sized city park, with a few small hills along with some gatherings of trees sprinkled throughout them. Despite the presence of a picnic area and a small playground, the park was nearly devoid of life. Save only for a jogger and someone reading a book on a bench near the entrance.
An overpowering feeling of serenity seemed to flow from the park that made Charlie feel rather welcome. She took a moment to pull down her scarf and inhale deeply, drinking in the relaxing atmosphere the park gave off.
Without hesitation, Charlie stepped into the park and began briskly walking around. The park, thankful that it was decently sized enough to really enjoy the atmosphere. She lost track of both time and everything around her while exploring all the different little pathways. The fact she had it all to herself only improved her mood as she continued along. It felt as though she was the sole inhabitant of undiscovered land, although it really wasn't the case.
It had always felt somewhat liberating to just pick a direction and then aimlessly walk in it for a while. Forgetting the troubles even if it was only for a comparatively brief moment and perhaps even making some kind of discovery along the way. It was a childish feeling, but one that she never got tired of experiencing. Though it had led her into trouble more than once and she had to snap herself out of thinking back on those experiences, which just so happened to include Freddy's.
That wasn't what she wanted to think about right now, not in this little world she had to herself. Freddy's was something she wanted to just shove into a box and never think about again. Sadly, the trauma she'd accumulated from the experience didn't give her much of a choice in just "forgetting." But thankfully, it could be contained if only for a moment.
Eventually, her paths led her to a bench that was situated atop one of the tallest of the hills and she sat down before leaning back to let the cool breeze blow across her face. A few loose curls of hair started lazily blowing around from beneath her hat and tickled her face. Causing Charlie to let out a brief that ended in a beaming smile as she closed her eyes while sighing contentedly.
The relaxing feeling made it seem as though the wind was blowing away the remaining anxiety and tension from her troubles with Arty. Scattering it all from her mind like leaves blown from dying trees. She found herself unable to resist giggling once again at how silly yet poetic her thoughts had gotten. Making her very briefly entertained the idea of teasing John with her "newfound poeticness."
But that thought, along with many others that had started aimlessly running through her mind began to fade away as she began drifting off. Her head began rolling to the side before it bumped against the bench. The jolt roused Charlie and she sat up and started rubbing her head.
"Ouch...okay bench naps are a bad idea for me." She groaned while nursing her head. Luckily for her, the pain quickly subsided and allowed her to stand up and stretch before she rolled up a sleeve to check the time. When she checked her watch though, she became a little surprised to discover it was only a little past noon.
That little discovery was followed up by a grumble from her stomach as if the realization of the time made it remember that she needed lunch. "Of course you'd chime in now." She teasingly mumbled to herself before taking a look around the surrounding area from atop the hill.
While she was considering just heading home and eating there, she knew that without something in her stomach it would become a rather rough walk for her. So she looked around the area for something that could satisfy her until she'd gotten home and eventually her gaze settled on a small cafe situated on the opposite end of the park.
Her eyes lit up when she spotted it and she double-checked to see if she brought some money before she set off down the hill in the cafe's direction. It wouldn't be much, but a warm drink or even a donut would be more than enough to tide her over till she got home.
She left the park and then crossed the over street into the cafe. Finding that, much like the park, it also only had a few other patrons inside and left the place nearly empty aside from the staff. But the lack of people had the added benefit of allowing Charlie to browse the menu for a bit longer than she'd normally take. Looking over each item before deciding upon a warm, sugary drink that she could barely pronounce the name of.
Just by taking a sip, she knew it was more than what she'd needed. After paying and exiting the cafe she started back down the sidewalk towards home. Though It was really less of a walk and more of a slow meandering mixed in with some light window shopping.
She found it all immensely relaxing to simply meandering her away along the row of shops, taking time to examine each window display that she passed. Though she hadn't really any intention of buying anything. But it was still a welcome distraction from her troubles.
Eventually, she ran out of stores close to the sidewalk and so she started back for real. Humming to herself while taking periodic sips from her straw though always trying to keep her eyes focused on the sidewalks ahead of her. One inattentive step could lead to either a nasty collision with someone or a rather hard fall.
But the streets and sidewalk were just as empty as both the park and the Cafe had been. Aside from a few cars and other passersby, it almost felt like Charlie had the whole world to herself.
Unfortunately, her tranquility would come to a rather sudden end as she began crossing the driveway into a rather large parking lot. She'd become so into her thoughts and drink that she hadn't noticed the large box truck making its way towards the same driveway.
The tried bedraggled looking Driver, only seeing Charlie at the last second/ But he'd been going slow enough so he was able to stop quickly, while also laying on his horn a little. Charlie jumped and swiveled her head towards the box truck with a look of repressed terror at how close its grill was to her body. The driver gave her an equally terrified and yet relieved expression.
Both of them shared a simultaneous sigh of relief before Charlie quickly moved out of the truck's way and allowed it to continue into the parking lot. Her eyes looked over the truck as it passed by and she took note of the name printed along the sides. 'Huh, Taylor Enterprises… Haven't I heard that name before?' She turned to watch the truck pull back and then moved her eyes across the building it was heading towards.
The decision was met with immediate regret as soon as her eyes focused on the large sign over the building's entrance. The grip on her drink tightening up as a gasp escaped her lips.
"No...no no no no." Charlie stepped away and shook her head, trying to keep herself from taking another look but failing. Her heart and stomach simultaneously dropped into an inescapably mass void that was created by the same cartoonish bear that she'd seen plastered on the billboard by John's college not long ago.
The warmth and cheerfulness of Freddy Fazbears' cartoonish illustration did not give Charlie any sort of comfort. Nor did his beckoning towards the building seem welcoming to her in the slightest. It seemed to take hours for Charlie to tear her gaze away from the bear and towards the building itself to take note of its appearance. Unlike the original restaurant's brick exterior, this one was a mixture of bright concrete, smooth lines, and painted panels that tried to give off a warm welcoming atmosphere to all who saw it. As if there couldn't be anything dangerous lurking within its wall.
But that didn't stop Charlie from feeling absolutely repulsed by being in its presence. Everything that had happened with Arty had indeed drawn her attention away from the new Freddy's, but now it was at the forefront of her mind again. The Restaurant screamed louder than ever for the attention she'd been trying to deprive it of.
The grip on her drink grew stronger as she tried to turn away and continue going home but her body refused to respond. The place seemed to have cast some sort of spell on her that didn't allow her to break eye contact with the restaurant. Forcing her to continue staring at it like she was in a trance.
'Brookhaven was supposed to be my escape...my release from everything Freddy's did to me!' Charlie's free hand clutched at her head as she shook from the anger that was bubbling up within her. As unreasonable and selfish as it was, she was growing furious at this restaurant. All the effort she'd put into better herself and get away from her past and it came back. Following her like some kind of angry dog chasing after a crow. Everything seemed to rise up at once and overloaded her mind with a chaotic overflow of thoughts.
'Why would someone do this? Did all the deaths mean nothing to them?' A scowl crossed her face and her free hand moved from her hand and then balled up into a fist. 'Of course, they didn't matter, otherwise, you wouldn't be staring at a new one right now.'
Charlie became completely transfixed and lost in her angry memories but one thing did catch her attention. There was a man steadily approaching her from the side of the building with a look of concern and relief on his face. Probably from both her near miss and the fact she was just standing outside the restaurant with an angered expression. Seeing his approach though, finally unlocked her body from the spell Freddy's had cast over her.
But it had come too late for her to avoid interaction with the approaching man. By the time she'd reoriented herself he was right next to her, slightly out of breath. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut before taking a deep yet quiet breath of air. Hoping that it would calm herself down as the man's breathing steadied enough for him to speak. She'd tried her best to refrain from letting her anger show on her face, but even then the best she could manage was a somewhat stern frown.
"Uhm, hey I'm...I'm so sorry about that near-miss back there. I'm uh…" he quickly trailed off as though he were trying to think of what to say. But all it made Charlie think of was some of the nervous people her aunt had dealt with at her office.
Back when she'd first moved in with her, there weren't always babysitters on hand so she'd spend time hanging in Jen's office. The man before her reminded Charlie of almost all the clients her aunt had spoken with, nervous and worried about potential legal retribution for their shady actions.
Despite his unassuming look and presence, Charlie felt like she could read him like a book. As he fumbled over his words, she quickly looked over to take some mental notes about his appearance, just in case, he'd prove to be trouble in the future. No chances were being taken after both Arty and "Dave." He was an average looking guy, with short black hair, glasses, and a yellow dress shirt and jeans. Despite being taller than Charlie, he gave off a rather harmless demeanor.
"Do you need me to call someone?" He said after finally finding his words. "I don't want to assume anything but you looked to be in shock."
"Oh, it's alright. I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings." Charlie said, forcing some positivity into her voice as well as a thin smile onto her face. Just barely hiding away the still bubbling anger. The man placed his hands on his hips, awkwardly looking away with a small sense of relief crossing his face. But it was quickly replaced with an attempt at a calm demeanor.
"Well it's not really your fault..my driver is more than a little tired from his long trip. He probably shouldn't be out on the road...at least not like that...It's probably all my fault for making him drive from Utah all alone."
"Oh really?" It was now Charlie's turn to stutter, though she quickly subdued that by taking a long sip from her cup.
"Yeah, I probably should have had it flown out here in hindsight but…" Rick trailed off while making a little "eh" noise along with a small gesture with his hands. "I didn't want to risk them getting a bit...banged up on the flight over."
The last part had been saying quieter, mostly to him but it'd still been loud enough for Charlie to catch what he'd said. Making her let out an almost audible gasp, that almost turned into a choke due to still sipping her drink.
The sound of which drew the man's attention back to her as another wave of concern crossed his face. But Charlie swallowed it down before holding out her hand reassuringly.
"I'll be fine." She said, trying to assure herself just as much as she was the man. He nodded before glancing away from her yet again. As if his mind were on other things and the conversation was a mere formality.
Charlie supposed it was for him. Just to make sure that she was uninjured and wouldn't sue. But it was clear he had no way to end the conversation so Charlie stepped up to fill that role. Mostly to put as much distance between herself and the new Freddy's as she could manage.
"If there's nothing else then I'll just be on my way." She said cordially. To which the man turned back in surprise, before giving her a polite nod.
"A-Alright then...have a good day and be safe, miss…"
"Baker." Charlie instinctively said, not really thinking much of giving him just her last name. But it seemed to stir something in the man as he suddenly took a long, hard look at her face.
Before she was able to comment on it, his eyes fully winded as he let out a gasp of his own. "C-Charlie!? Is-is uh- is that actually no wait uh.." Charlie took a step back from him, alarmed at his sudden recognition of her. Every mental defense she'd lowered was now back on high alert. The man noticed this and stepped back.
"S-Sorry I mean..you're..your father wouldn't have happened to have been Henry Elliot Baker would it?"
'He knows who you are...how?' Was all that echoed from the numbness that had taken over Charlie's body. The best she could think now was to just nod as a reply to the question. Which only served to make the man's face light up even further.
"Oh...oh my uh...this. This is great!" The apprehension drained from his face and was replaced with uncontainable delight as he laughed before clasping onto her shoulder.
"I'm sorry I didn't recognize you at first uh, you've grown up so much. Why I can remember when you were just a little girl always hiding behind Henry's legs." The hair on Charlie's arms and neck rose in response to both the statement and touch. This man not only knew who she was but had also known her as a little girl.
'That doesn't mean anything, he knew you as a child but only as a child.' Her mind cautioned. He may have known her as a child, but that didn't automatically earn someone her trust. She wanted to run away from this conversation but had unfortunately dug herself in too deep to leave. Besides, she was more than a little curious how this man knew her and she said that out loud.
"How do you know who I am?"
"Oh…you don't- of course you don't you were so little." The man awkwardly chuckled. "U I'm Rick Taylor. I was one of your father's investors in the original Freddy's, well pretty much the only one."
Charlie's mind went blank before a few vague memories started to form that could have involved Rick in some way, but she wasn't sure. When it came to the business side of Freddy's, she'd always tuned out any conversations her dad had been having because at that age it was just "boring grown-up stuff." Though it was something she now wished she'd taken more notice of after returning to the restaurant a year ago. Maybe she'd have caught onto "Dave" sooner and saved them all some trouble
Rick didn't notice her silent contemplation, nor was he bothered by the somewhat uncomfortable gaze that she gave him as he looked her over almost proudly. "Look at you, all grown up and on your own- I assume you are unless- Are you still living with your aunt?'
"No, she's more than happy to stay in Utah" Charlie politely pulled herself away and glanced back in the direction she assumed the apartment was. As if that would somehow summon someone to her aid. "I live nearby with my boyfriend."
"Oh, that's wonderful! Are you taking any courses at college?" He asked and Charlie shook her head in the negative. She didn't want to give away too much of her current life, even if Rick was genuine, she still wasn't willing to give out too much information regardless. Only giving the most simple and basic answers to hopefully placate allow Rick so she could be on her way.
But as Rick went to ask another question, something buzzed from within his pocket. He dug his hands around before pulling out a pager. He glanced up at Charlie and sheepishly raised a finger.
"Uh, one moment." He looked down at the pager and read the message while Charlie took another sip from her drink in an attempt to calm her now fraying nerves.. Once he'd finished up, Rick looked back to Charlie with a disappointed expression... "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this reunion short, I forgot that the ovens are getting installed today." He turned his body back towards Freddy's whole still keeping his gaze on her... "I'd offer you to come in but, we're still not finished so it's really not uh… that impressive yet."
'That would imply I would actually want to step back into another Freddy's.' Charlie tapped a finger against her drink and gave Rick the 'dealing with a customer smile," that Rebecca had taught her.
"That's alright, maybe I'll come to visit if I can find the time." It was perhaps the most bald-faced lie Charlie had said since her childhood as she had every intention of avoiding this area from here on out. Thankfully Rick didn't catch onto the lie and merely nodded whilst rubbing his hands. "Well I hope that you can visit again, I'd love for you to see how we're honoring your father's work."The statement nearly caused Charlie to wince but she just nodded and kept maintaining the smile.
Rick turned away from her and started to walk back before he jolted to stop. He then turned around suddenly with a bright gleam in his eyes. "Actually, uh, what if you and your boyfriend came on opening night?" Charlie was unable to prevent herself from blurting out a rather startled "What?" as Rick enthusiastically nodded.
"Yeah, you could both see the restaurant when it's all completed!" A massive grin began to spread on Rick's face, which just further unnerved Charlie.
"Well I-I uh… I don't know if that'll totally work out… Not sure if we'll be free then." Every excuse Charlie could think of began pouring in and trying to escape into her mouth. From her work schedule to John's classes. "I don't know what his classes look like then, or my work… But if things are clear maybe…" she said, hoping the last second "maybe" would placate Rick's expectations.
Instead, he began digging back into his pockets before he pulled out a little card and he'd it out to Charlie. "How about for right now, you take this and get back to me when you know a bit more. The opening isn't not going to be for almost a month anyway so you've got plenty of time to think about it."
Not knowing what else she could do without seeming rude, Charlie took the card from Rick's hands as he said goodbye and headed back towards the restaurant. Charlie returned it with a half-hearted goodbye of her own that was followed by the barest approximation of a wave. As soon as he was far enough away she bolted, no longer caring if her drink was spilled. Everything suddenly seemed to start crashing down on her all at once. The interaction breaking floodgates and allowed every negative feeling related to Freddy's to come spilling out all at once.
Her heart thumped widely within her chest while her stomach knotted itself in an endless loop. She felt worse than sick, a feeling of intense fear rose up, throwing her heart into her throat as she ran with reckless abandon back towards the apartment. Not even caring if anyone saw her. Her mind racing as fast as her feet with all the thoughts swirling around and clamoring for attention.
Rick's kindness hadn't done anything to lessen her anger, in fact, it might have made it worse. If he really was her father's investor and friend then he should've known better than to restart Freddy's. All of the tragedy that had taken place had tainted the restaurant's name to her and everyone else in Hurricane.
'In Hurricane, but not Brookhaven.' Charlie cursed to herself and scowled. He did know, that was why he'd moved the new Freddy's across the country. In much the same way she'd tried to escape her past, Rick was also trying to help Freddy's outrun its own.
It didn't take long for her to get back to the complex. All of the relaxation gone and replaced with a combination of fear, sadness, and anger. Charlie bolted up to her and John's apartment and unlocked it before hurling herself into what she hoped would be comforting. But there was little to be found as everything was now hurting.
Her legs hurt from running, her head was pounding and her chest felt like it was about to burst. She was out of breathing and wheezing out pathetic little sobs from the shock of it all.
'You knew this was going to happen sooner or later…' A mocking voice echoed from the back of her mind, taking on a tone that sounded eerily close to Dave's voice. 'There was no way that you could just leave this go.'
Charlie slammed the cup onto the nearby countertop and slumped against the door. Her shallow breaths became deeper and yet no less frantic as she slid down to the floor.
"I just want this to be a dream…" She begged quietly. Hoping that it would turn out to just be some nightmare brought on by work-related stress. But a quick glance at the card Rick gave her told her otherwise. During her sprint home, she'd clenched the paper so hard that it'd crumpled up in her hand. Crushing it to almost the point of being unrecognizable.
Her anger flared again as she stared at the paper and then she quickly rose to her feet. Rick could be as nice as he wanted, but she was determined to never again go near the new Freddy's as long as she lived. She began storming over towards the trash can, intent on tearing up the card and forgetting about it. But as she drew closer to the trash can, her body froze up. A single memory burst through the roaring torrent of thoughts, reminding her of something Rick had said when he came over to her and told her where his driver had come from. Nearly forgotten amongst everything else she'd learned.
"Utah…" Charlie slowly repeated. As if just saying it would somehow bring even more bad memories forth from the darkest pits of her mind. There was no way it wasn't a coincidence, especially with how Rick had mentioned "honoring her father's work."
Her hands tightened into fists, further crumbling up the paper as her body began to shake. She wanted to scream and make her feelings about this known but she could only stand still as angry tears began to flow from her face. Running down her cheeks and dripping onto the carpet of a home that didn't feel safe anymore.