Mable: So, special surprise at the end of the chapter, so make sure to check it out! For now: Enjoy!

Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Seventeen

Marionette was patient; he could wait for hours with little complaint if it meant that evening would come and bring sweet freedom. He was used to the waiting, and at least this kind didn't involve him being trapped in a box. This involved dipping in and out of a tent and keeping careful watch for any wandering humans. He could hear them before they could get close enough to see and the rugged landscape- along with the location they picked- allowed for more cover from being seen. It only built up his anticipation further. He wanted to be out there, to see all he could while he could, and remember every scene as clear as the day he saw it.

He was inside when he heard footsteps approaching and knew that they were Mike's. The delight was instantaneous, and his excitement grew at the prospect of where they would soon be going. It was already afternoon and if all went well they would be out there exploring the world by nightfall. He set his sketchpad aside and waited for Mike to come in. His fingers tapped on his legs as excitement began to cause the patience to wane. He gave an eager chime as Mike entered the tent looking rather winded.

"Hey," Mike breathily greeted. He tossed aside a half empty bottle of warm water while setting the camera beside him.

"Why, hello! How did it go?" Marionette asked. He retrieved a new water bottle from the small cooler in the corner of the tent. Mike drank it greedily to try and cool himself down. Then, when he couldn't drink anymore, he poured it over his head. "Don't worry about the tent. I'm sure it'll drain out somehow," Marionette playfully remarked.

"Be glad that you're not going out there right now. It's got to be at least ninety-five degrees out there," Mike responded. He then sent the animatronic a small smile. "Check out some of the pictures though. That almost made it worth it."

Curious, Marionette moved to sit alongside Mike and lifted the camera. Looking through the small screen on the back, he peered in at the recorded photos. They certainly weren't that easy to see on the camera, but the images of the views were still amazing. Every waterfall, every towering cliff, every distant shot; it all made him want to see more. It was then that he saw a picture with Mike and a few humans. He tilted his head curiously. "Who are they?"

"I ran into a group of tourists and they sort of clung to me. You know the type: young, without worries, probably never had a job, city kids. Couldn't really shake them." Yet as derogative as Mike sounded, he was smiling, and it was obvious that he enjoyed his time even if he wasn't admitting to it. "Not like I was going to be alone anyway. You wouldn't believe how many people are out there. People who don't look like they hiked a day in their life."

"Then I suppose that us going during the day isn't going to be an option." Disappointment aside, Marionette still trilled and put an arm around him in an affectionate squeeze, forgetting briefly that he was overheated. "Still, I admire your patience. These pictures are amazing."

Of course, there was more that the Puppet wasn't saying. Such as how happy he was that Mike was fully capable of making friends even in such an unlikely situation. It might've not bothered Mike, but Marionette did worry occasionally if he was leading to Mike's lack of interest in a social life- even if that was not the case, since Mike didn't pursue an excessive social life before they started living together. It just fascinated Marionette that he could have it both ways; that he could make friends so easily without having to put in too much effort. He wasn't jealous, he was relieved.

"I think I might have found something we might be interested in though. Here, let me show you." Mike took the camera back and started to quickly click through the photos. "There's a path higher up the cliff. It's one of the harder trails and it's going to be hell to climb, but everyone was saying that it's an amazing view. So, if it doesn't kill us, it'll be worth it." He sent the Puppet a playful look. "But because some of us don't have the luxury of hovering, I'm going to need at least an hour or two to cool off before I go back out there."

"Are you sure? It would just be you getting sunstroke and me being out in broad daylight, how bad could that be?" Marionette asked with a chime. He then looked at the camera showing a path leading upwards into the cliff. His curiosity piqued as he looked closer at it. "I don't suppose there would be much of a risk of being caught if it's as difficult as you say it is." That bubbly excitement had returned, and the wait was becoming worth it. Only a little while longer and they would be off.

"…But in the meantime," Mike began as he set the camera down. "Maybe we should go ahead and make the campfire. I think you'll be safe if we're careful." While the Puppet was hesitant, he found himself curious as Mike retrieved a lighter from the bag along with some newspaper he brought solely for this purpose. He handed both over to his companion as he stepped out to arrange a makeshift firepit and gather wood. Though it was less 'gathering wood' and more picking up dried up sticks within easy walking distance.

The sun had finally shifted enough to cast more shadows into the canyon, both cutting down on the obtrusive heat and making it seem more appropriate for a fire. He came back to find Marionette by the fire pit but didn't expect to find him staring intently at an unfolded newspaper. "Find anything worth burning?" Mike asked as he dropped the wood into the pit. To answer him, the Puppet silently showed him the newspaper, and Mike found himself staring at a picture of himself.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Mike choked in aghast as he took the paper and scanned over it. "And nice, they stick me right beside Dave's mugshot. It's going to look like we were working together. Can't even escape him in the middle of nowhere." He balled up the newspaper page and started shoving it under the wood. "This one burns first."

"So, we won't be framing that one I assume. Perhaps next time," Marionette lightly quipped. He then offered the lighter. "Looking for this?"

He took it with a thanks and held back only long enough to shove more newspaper in underneath the stack. "Step one to making a fire: find something dry and flammable for tinder to start the fire. The sins of our past will work good enough, but make sure it's shoved far under the wood, so nothing remains." The Puppet nodded in agreement as he watched. "Step two: make sure the kindling starts to light so that it lights the heavier wood. Unfortunately, this whole fire is pretty much made of kindling, so we're looking at about fifteen minutes of fire at max."

The newspaper caught quickly and soon fire engulfed the evidence. "And that's how you make a basic fire… Next week I'll show you how to burn down your own business in a believable fashion. Remember: it's not arson if you own the property."

"Mike, if you want to destroy the business that badly, then we'll just give Foxy a skateboard and fill the pizzeria with 'say no to drugs' posters. Nothing kills a business faster!" He reached into the tent and pulled out a bag of marshmallows and an oddly bent metal wire. "I didn't know if we'd find a stick that would work, so I brought a clothes hanger to use."

"Hmm… Eating splinters or third degree burns from heated metal… Yeah, I think you made the right call," Mike remarked as he accepted the wire and stabbed a marshmallow onto the tip. "You want one?"

"It'll never come off of my fabric," Marionette denied. He tried to ignore the white marshmallow slowly turning crispier over the fire. "I would have to waste almost all of my evening trying to get it off." He scooted closer, putting an arm around Mike, and rested his head on the human's shoulder to peer over. Both to shield himself from being seen and to stare intently at the rotating marshmallow. He could only imagine how soft it was at the center. "I shouldn't."

"Are you sure?" Mike asked.

"No, I want it," Marionette decided. "Forget it, I don't care, I want it." Mike smirked in amusement as he pulled the wire closer to him. The Puppet eagerly reached for it, barely brushing his finger on the underside of the warm wire, and then coaxed it upwards as he carefully leaned down. He was slow, not wanting to get the marshmallow anywhere, and was just about to touch his lips to it.

"Mike!"

Blue eyes widened, and Mike straightened abruptly. The wire shifted in his grasp and the marshmallow smacked into Marionette's mask. The Puppet gave a slight staticky sound, but then fell silent as he noticed the sound of people approaching. Mike swore under his breath when he recognized the voices as his 'new friends' and he glanced to his side, only to see that the striped one had vanished. Within moments, the group that he assumed he had lost started to wander up.

"Oh, hey," he greeted them. "I thought you all were going off to get something to eat." He tried not to sound as dismissive as he was being. As nice as it had been earlier, they were now intruding past what he had wanted.

Tiffany was leading with a beaming smile and toting a bag of hamburger buns. "We are!" she chirped. "But there's so many people out where are camp is, so we came to intrude on your peace and quiet."

"We're willing to give you a burger," one of the men offered in. From behind them, he could see Dude Guy carrying up a small grill. It would probably take ages to grill that many burgers on a grill that size. "…Are those marshmallows?"

"It depends. Let me see if I have another bag," Mike dismissed as he turned and slipped into the tent. There was Marionette trying to wipe the marshmallow fluff off with the water from the cooler. "I made a terrible, terrible mistake, Mari. Now they know where we're staying and they're already trying to mooch the marshmallows. It's like I fed a stray." He looked back towards the flaps while the other continued scrubbing at his mouth. "I think I can talk them into leaving."

"No, wait," Marionette stopped, reaching out to grab Mike's arm and stop him. Like he expected the man to fly out of the tent and shoo everyone off. "They said that they were just coming to make dinner, right? Just let them stay. It can't take that long and it saves you the luxury of eating jerky and marshmallows for dinner." Mike sent him a baffled look.

"But that's going to trap you in here. The whole point of coming out here was to get you out of the house. Not get you out of the house and into a tent," Mike insisted. He then tapped his own chin and added, "You've got a little down here too."

"Trust me. It will be easier just to go with it then trying to get rid of them. All you have to do is be patient and say you're going to make it an early night," Marionette encouraged. Even if he didn't want to be confined in the tent, he didn't want anything to risk their trip, nor Mike's newfound social life. "Don't worry about me. I'll be spending most of the night trying to get this out of my fabric."

"If you're sure about this," the security guard agreed with a slow exhale. He could handle an hour or two more of them if it made it easier to get rid of them. Maybe then they would realize that he was comfortable on his own. "Alright, I'll come get you when they leave. Love you. Pray for me." Then he went back out to face them. "Looks like we're only settling on one bag."

Marionette wasn't sure how to feel about all of this. It would certainly be entertaining to watch them. They already sounded like a rather interesting bunch and didn't seem observant enough that he would risk being spotted. Not to mention that there was a side of him that was fascinated by the prospect of seeing normal people his own age acting natural. However, there was a price to pay, and that was self-segregation. To hide and watch, as a shy child might peer out amongst a group of playing children, afraid to approach out of the risk of what would come from it.

It's for Mike's own good, he told himself. It would just be a little while and then they would have the night together. For now, the Puppet just had to bide his time and wait. This body was made for that.

Charlie wasn't one to get overly anxious or to ever question her own motivations, but the drive had been excruciating. The paranoia was constant, and the hood of her jacket had barely protected her from peering eyes. Every time a car had passed she lowered her head and hoped this wasn't the one who would realize she wasn't normal. It didn't help that her driving was also slightly flawed. As in many other cases, her hands and arms worked like normal, but her legs were not made to sustain driving. Just trying to keep the points of her legs on the peddles was a job, considering that her legs kept slipping off them.

Not to mention that her legs were not precise. Slowing down or braking at all was usually punctuate with a jolt, as the brake was either pushed too little or fully thrust downwards. Thankfully, this meant she wasn't driving too quickly, but she could never be too sure. It was a nightmare; a seemingly endless drive down a long road. All the while, Baby slumped silently in the back. Once or twice she had attempted some semblance of a conversation, but lost interest when it became apparent that Charlie couldn't focus on one.

If there were any positives to not being human any longer, Charlie did notice that she had no immediate needs. No thirst, no weariness- maybe because she had slept late, and she was rather alert. She also saw the road better than she used to; it didn't seem nearly as dark. Which meant that she could see the mall as they started to approach. They were now in another town, though she couldn't remember which one, and the large mall stood proudly in view of the highway. By now it was late enough that the mall should've been closing, though a few lights were still on inside.

"We're here and it's about to close. Perfect," Baby remarked. She looked to Charlie, hearing a low ringing in the depths of her chest and knowing it was from uneasiness. The clown seemed less than concerned. "You're a young woman, shouldn't you be excited to go to a mall?" Charlie tried to let out a disagreeing huff, but instead was rewarded with unwanted ringing slipping out. She winced in slight embarrassment. "…I don't speak puppet chime. What a shame." Thus, Baby's sweet façade briefly dropped once more. "Drive behind the mall and park close to the building. We'll find a way in through there."

She did as said and the van pulled into one of the staff parking lots behind the mall. Most of the spaces looked to be empty, save one or two unattended vehicles that Baby didn't seem concerned about. It wasn't as though she would be concerned of a security guard, if there was one in the mall as it was. The van was shut off and Baby moved to the back. "I'm going to find a way inside. Please remain seated, as this will only take a moment," Baby rattled off in a very scripted manner. She then exited the back of the van and seemingly disappeared.

"This is a terrible idea," Charlie scolded herself as she sunk deeper into the driver's seat. "Why would I come here after Magictime? For what, to see an animatronic that might not be here? That might not be alive anymore?" She went to raise a hand to her face, only to shudder at the still unfamiliar sensation of the plates. "I suppose at this point I can't sink any lower. I already died, there's not much more I can lose from here." She was alerted by a tapping on the windshield and looked up to see Baby outside the van. She timidly opened the door for her. "Did you find something?"

"I found a way inside. Come on," Baby coaxed. The Security Puppet was reluctant, but slowly pushed the door open more and climbed down to the parking lot. She teetered on her legs as she shut the door behind her and hunched beside the van in paranoia. "Don't worry. Nobody's going to see you. Nobody's here," Baby assured. She then turned and glided easily down the back wall. She stopped abruptly and waited between the back door and what looked to be a large air condition vent. She was turned towards the door, so it seemed clear to Charlie that her focus was aimed there. The Security Puppet tentatively approached and looked at the door.

"Here?" she asked in confusion. "It's probably locked… Could be an emergency exit too. If that's the case, an alarm will go off as soon as its opened." She looked around desperately and turned back towards the van. "This is such a bad idea…"

"It'll be fine. We just need another door," Baby assured as she slowly turned towards the Security Puppet. "Do you have an idea? You know more about the world. How would you get in?"

"…The vent." Charlie pointed a single finger towards the closed duct. "We wouldn't be seen by the cameras in the duct and we would get in without setting off the alarm, but I stand by what I said-."

"Oh, the vent. Of course. Why didn't I think of that?" Baby inquired as she smoothly turned towards said vent. Before she could be stopped, she thrust her claw forward. It sheared into the vent opening easily, latched on, and she yanked back and pried the cover opening. Inside was an unmoving fan, and the clown knelt before crawling inside. She tugged back her claw slightly, then thrust it forward and easily broke the fan out of the vent, opening their way. "Stay close. I'll keep you safe."

"I can barely walk, Baby. I should wait in the car," Charlie pointed out as she crouched down. The glowing, green eyes peered back at her and stared blankly. "…I mean it."

"Did you really come all this way to wait in the van?" Baby simply asked. "How… Dreary… We're almost there. Wouldn't you want to see her? Wouldn't you want to meet someone else just like us?" The Security Puppet hesitated, and the clown pressed further. "Just because you're no longer human doesn't mean that you must give up everything and hide away."

There were so many things Charlie could say, but she didn't say anything, because somehow Baby knew exactly the worst thing to say. She had singlehandedly managed to say everything that would get under Charlie's skin. It was all that she heard in her own head compacted into the smallest package imaginable and stated so bluntly. Silently, Charlie lowered her head and crawled into the vent with an unknown determination. Fine, Baby didn't want her to be a lifeless animatronic waiting behind, so she would follow behind and live to regret it later.

Eventually they got to another fan and grate that Baby made quick work of. Being that the only other option was to go straight up into the ducts, and neither seemed capable of doing so, this was the best option. Baby pulled the metal back into the vent and peered out at the large, open room before them. Some of the overhead lights on the first floor were still on, but the stores were darkened, and the second floor looked entirely blackened out. They couldn't hear any signs of anyone.

"We'll stay close to the wall and find an elevator. Chica's is on the second floor," Baby instructed as she climbed out of the vent and stood. Charlie was slightly confused.

"An elevator is going to only draw attention to us. The escalators are still lit, but usually there's other stairs in malls. We can find the stairwell and climb up-… Oh." The Security Puppet's much safer idea was cut off by Baby tapping her rollerblade on the floor. "…I don't guess those are easy to climb stairs in."

"They're not," Baby assured. She then turned and started to slowly move down the wall. "Try to keep close to me. We don't need any… Security cameras seeing us." The other female did manage to catch up, mostly because Baby was forced to stay slow, and the two continued along the mall. While focused on the task at hand, Baby occasionally looked up into the darkened windows of the shops. There was only a slight interest in such meaningless things, even if her eyes lingered too long on children's toys and mannequins draped in lovely clothing.

At one point she even came to a dead stop. Charlie nearly ran into her since it was so sudden. She jingled curiously and then promptly mentally groaned at the noise's return. Only then did she see that Baby was staring into another closed clothing store. She was as still as could be as though she had managed to spot something amiss. Charlie clutched her jacket closer.

"Charlie, see that in the back?" Baby asked.

"No, what is it?" Charlie looked towards the back door. "Is it a camera, or is someone still in the back? I don't think the mall's completely empty."

"No, Dummy, the dress," Baby corrected. Slight exasperation crept on her voice. "The one with the sash around the middle. That would look adorable on you." Charlie bluntly stared at the female clown. Baby stared back and then added, "It'd look better on me, but my dress doesn't come off. Ask the Puppet to send his plaything over here to get it for you." She then turned and continued. "I can see the elevator doors in the dark. Keep up."

"You know, I'm not sure if Marionette would appreciate you calling Mike a plaything," Charlie pointed out. She wasn't exactly offended- maybe a slight bit- but she didn't enjoy hearing Baby effectively insult the only human in the conversation. It somehow made her too feel self-conscious.

"Oh?" Baby stopped and slowly turned to face Charlie. Her green eyes stared at the Security Puppet's mask as she asked in a soft voice, "Did he tell you what he does with him? He's not really a caretaker. That is just something they say."

"I know that," Charlie answered. Her lack of enthusiasm covered her embarrassment. "But you could use something a little less demeaning. It's not like Marionette uses Mike for his own enjoyment and to take care of himself." Baby grew strangely silent at this comment. "And I'm not much of a dress person," Charlie added.

"I think I spoke out of line," Baby admitted with her voice growing quiet and apologetic. "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. When I say things like that, I don't mean to come off as mean. I just…" Then, out of nowhere, Baby suddenly seemed to go through a harsh realization. Her voice was tinged with disgust, "Playmate, ugh. I sound like him." Just from how she said it, Charlie knew she neither meant Marionette or Mike but someone else. Before Charlie could question, Baby continued to skate ahead to the elevator. "Let's keep going."

Baby pressed a button and the doors opened, shining light out into the mall. It seemed uncomfortably bright, but that could've been because they were trying to hide. Charlie managed to get into the elevator right before the doors closed. The box then began to raise to the second floor. It looked like there were more higher up, but it seemed that Baby knew that Chica's was located on the second one. They then stepped out into darkness where Baby continued to search and guide. It wasn't long after that when she spotted the sign in the darkness and pointed to a large store on the second floor.

Looking closely, Charlie could vaguely see the unlit 'Chica's Party World' sign above the entrance, which was blocked by a metal grate to keep out unwanted intruders.

Baby first tried to lift the chain grating and once it became clear that this wouldn't work she instead grabbed it with her claw. She tightened her grip as hard as she could and twisted her arm. Charlie honestly didn't think this was going to work, so she was utterly baffled when the female clown broke through. Then she tried again and pulled free more until there was a small gap. She then turned to the Security Puppet.

"Now that the way is open, you can climb inside and access the panel to raise the gate. It should be beside the gate. Just be careful not to touch anything that would be an alarm," Baby guided.

Once again, Charlie started to wonder if she was making a mistake. Once again, Charlie decided to go ahead and do so. She climbed through the hole, holding onto the grate so that she didn't fall on her face on the other side, and then followed it to the wall. There was a security keypad as predicted and she glanced over it hesitantly. Her eyes fixated on the two 'raise' and 'lower' buttons.

"Let's hope this works without a code…" Charlie pressed the upper of the two and waited a few seconds. Then the gate gave a metallic squeak and began to raise up into the slot above the door. When it was about halfway raised, the lights to the store automatically came on, and Charlie looked back in paranoia before turning to the keypad again. "Let me see if I can turn those off."

"Don't trouble yourself. We won't be here too long, so nobody will notice," Baby assured as she skated underneath. She scanned over the room and took in what she could see.

The store was broken into two rooms that opened into each other, which possibly meant there was another door. The room they stood in looked like a typical party room; there were two stages and the rest of the floor was mostly comprised of tables decorated with pink and white striped tablecloths. The walls were decorated with posters. Half were of Funtime Chica and the others were just extensive ads disguised as entertainment.

Baby's eyes were immediately fixated on the larger stage. It didn't have any curtains, but was decorated with balloons, confetti, crepe paper, streamers; anything to make it look as colorful as could be. The wall behind it was painted in a bold rainbow, which went with a blue-sky theme on the walls that was partially hidden by the numerous posters. Two large cupcake figures, which looked to be made of plastic, sat on either side of the stage and stared out at the dining room with large, blue eyes. It was all decorated with so much care and seemed to fit only one animatronic, Funtime Chica herself… Who wasn't there.

While Baby approached the larger stage, Charlie approached the curtained one and reached out to open it. Instead of finding Chica inside, or even another Foxy variant, she found something slightly more unsettling. It towered over her with wide, black eyes and a toothy grimace- it didn't even look like a smile to her. It had six legs and two arms, perhaps meaning it was supposed to be a spider. In its oversized hands it held a pair of cymbals which may have been molded to it. Its exterior was shiny and clean, as though it was brand new. Tentatively, Charlie reached forward and tapped one of its legs. There was a strange, staticky feeling, but it didn't move.

A thumping noise from somewhere nearby caused the Security Puppet to jolt and give a small ring of surprise. She again mentally cursed the noise and looked back to warn Baby that she heard someone. Until she realized that Baby was missing and must have been the source of the noise. Standing alone with the spider bot only made her feel more uncomfortable and she quickly tried to hurry after the clown. She leaned on the tables to quicken herself along and entered the second room. It seemed to be more like a traditional store set with shelves and racks and was selling party supplies and merchandise.

"Baby?" Charlie asked as she looked around the room. With a weary sigh she continued inside. "She tells me not to go anywhere and then leaves. Why am I not surprised?" She hesitated by a stack of Chica bobbleheads and flicked one. "I didn't realize Chica was this popular… Kind of just struck me as the backup singer." She then looked towards the counter and noticed a set of double doors cracked open beside it. "Baby?" she whispered over. "Are you in there?"

In the back room of Chica's Party World, down a hall, and through a set of double doors, Baby found what she was looking for. Perhaps because she was so valuable, but Funtime Chica had been moved into the back room instead of being left out front with the other animatronic. She really was a monument of an animatronic. As shiny and glossy as the day she was made, with a white a pink colored body, and large purple eyes framed with lashes. Her body was poised with one hand holding a plate and cupcake with the other resting at her him and she stared vacantly ahead.

Baby tentatively skated closer to the animatronic and looked for any sort of response. No movements, no hums, not a twitch nor a stirring; Funtime Chica was not a sentient animatronic.

That meant she wouldn't put up a fight.

"This will only hurt for a moment…" Baby murmured as she focused her claw. It would only be a moment, but it would feel like much more to the clown, and she relished in that.

In an instant, she lashed out and knocked the animatronic to the floor. Chica landed stiffly on her back, still staring upwards lifelessly, and Baby was quick to start prying off the plates of her front. Each one peeled away so easily and revealed the bed of shining wires hiding underneath. She doubted that they had been scooped even once from how new and shiny they were. Baby reached her good hand down to trail a finger along one of the wires. They were so cold, so glossy and clean, that they would feel just like ice cream going down.

If Fritz really wanted her fixed, then Baby would need her fill, and only then could she be full for him. She could only imagine how proud he would be of her self-repair.

She grabbed some of the wires and pulled them free, trying to unroll them from Funtime Chica's body, being careful to unplug without breaking them. Then she lifted their ends to her ventriloquist dummy-esque mouth and let them in. She pushed the wires inside, opening and closing her mouth to guide them, and swallowed them into her body where she could then affix them where they needed to be. She would look so good; she would work so much better with her missing pieces replaced. She pulled more of them from Funtime Chica and guided them down, becoming more ravenous. It was as easy as cake, and it tasted just as good.

It would've tasted even better if she wasn't interrupted by a sharp clanging noise. Baby twitched at the intrusive noise and looked back towards the door. There stood Charlie looking on in shock at what Baby was doing.

As easily as could be, Baby slipped the ends of the wires into her body, resting her mouth again, and simply remarked, "It's not polite to stare."

"You're- You're eating her…" As shocked as Charlie was, her voice was labored by the ringing that kept wanting to come free. It was just as discombobulated as the Security Puppet herself was. Baby had never looked as frightening as she did hunched over a fallen animatronic and slowly gutting it. "You're tearing her to pieces eating her…"

"Don't get your strings twisted. She's not alive. She's not like us," Baby corrected with an impatient tone. "She's just a lifeless body full of wires. I was just… Borrowing some of them… Just a taste since we came all this way."

"You came right back here, tore her open, and started eating her! How am I supposed to stay calm about that?!" Charlie cried out in disbelief. It was then that she was struck by a sudden revelation and new accusation. "…You didn't want to come here and see if she was alive at all. This has nothing to do with the Funtime animatronics, does it?! You just wanted to harvest off her!" Her anger was clear. "That's why you suddenly wanted to be friends with me, isn't it? To bring you here?"

Baby had a few options. She could be honest and say, yes, she used Charlie as a free ride and possibly a camera deterrent because she was like the Puppet, but then again, she was still her ride. Perhaps talking herself out of this was the better option. "I just couldn't control myself…" Baby said, pretending to have a sad and apologetic voice. "I really did hope she was alive… But when she wasn't, I couldn't control myself."

"Sure, I believe you, Baby. I believe you even though it's obvious that this whole thing was an elaborate hoax," Charlie sarcastically choked. She then grew more serious. "Your lying doesn't make it any better. I realize now that when you change to the quiet voice you're just trying to placate me." By now she was picking up on the pretending and it only had her more frustrated. She couldn't believe she had been so desperate as to fall for such a flimsy charade. "You know what? Forget it. I'm going to the van and I'm leaving." She turned to head back into the hallway when Baby added in.

"You wouldn't leave me here, would you? That could put everyone in danger…" Baby's innocence started to slowly drop. "The Puppet wouldn't be happy."

"Then I guess you should hurry!" Charlie spat back. "Once I get to the van I'm leaving, with or without you!"

"Oh, you're walking there?... Then I suppose I have more than enough time to finish," Baby mocked. This was just enough to get a frustrated ring from the Security Puppet before she headed back to the double doors. She was infuriated, frustrated beyond belief, and the only thing stopping her from continuing to vent her frustrations at Baby was the knowledge that it wouldn't do any good. It would go in one ear and straight out the other. She wouldn't give Baby that amount of joy.

Charlie tugged on the double doors only to find them shut tight. She fell against them, then leaned back to use her weight to pull them, but they kept getting caught on themselves. "Did they lock? I don't even remember shutting them!" Wonderful, another thing to go wrong. Charlie was close to screaming, even if it would be unholy bell noises.

"What is it? You can't open the door either?" Baby inquired as she looked out into the hall. "Are you doing it right?"

"There's only one right way to use a door. It's just locked now," Charlie retorted with obvious frustration. She finally released them, crossing her arms in frustration, and gave an impatient huff. "It must have automatically locked from the outside… What do we do now?"

In an answer, Baby approached the door and tried it herself, as though she believed it was Charlie's incompetence that kept her from opening the doors. They were stuck tight and while she could probably break through, that would take an amount of effort that she hadn't wanted to give. Not when she had just started repairs. Seeing that they were going nowhere, Charlie began to look for another exit. Her eyes fell onto another vent. This one was positioned by the roof and looked much smaller than the air duct they climbed through but had an equally flimsy cover.

"I'm just going to have to climb through the vent there and unlock the door on the other side," Charlie explained as she pointed towards it. "I need you to boost me up."

"You'll just save yourself and leave me here," Baby accused. Charlie crossed her arms with an impatient sigh.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have lied to me to get me out here," she remarked. "Fine. We'll just sit here until the mall opens."

This last only about five seconds. Baby was certainly the type to stand her ground until Charlie backed down- and she was determined that Charlie would back down first- but it did occur to her that this wasn't the place to do it. Stubbornness was all well and good but protecting herself was just as important. Especially when the evidence of her crime was now sitting in her belly.

"Fine," the clown said. "I'll lift you into the vent and then you unlock the door for me. Just know that if you don't unlock the door, I'll be forced to break through it, which will probably set off the alarms, and then bring the security, and you won't be able to leave in time. You'll still be stumbling to the elevator."

"Alright, I get it. I didn't plan on leaving you behind. I'm not the sort of bitter and manipulative person who would do something like that," Charlie corrected with obvious intentions in her wording.

She then watched as Baby approached the vent and reached for it. The clown took a test swing before looking around, and her gaze landed on a cart for moving Funtime Chica at the end of the hall. She pointed to it and Charlie got the jest. She went to go get it herself; largely so that she could show she wasn't as useless as Baby kept implying she was. It was a struggle, but she managed to pull it back under the vent. Using the cart as a wider step stool that could support her weight, Baby broke through the flimsy vent, then easily hoisted the Security Puppet up. Charlie peered into the vent only to notice how dark it was on the other side.

"The other side might be blocked… Here, turn me so my legs go in first. I might have to kick the vent out." Baby did as she was told. While her legs were wobbly when holding her body, Charlie hoped they were still strong enough for that much, and she slid into the vent shaft. It was certainly too tight for Baby to have even considered climbing inside, even if lower to the ground. The Security Puppet pushed herself back and waited for the end of her legs to touch metal.

Strangely enough, they didn't. Instead Charlie found them poking out of the vent. Cautiously she continued to back out until she could lower herself down, landing heavily on the stage where her legs crumpled underneath. It was a thankfully quiet landing, which was good considering that the front room had changed. Somehow the lights had been shut off. While Charlie's animatronic eyes, glowing dots of green, allowed her to see in the dark well, the darkness was unsettling. She also soon realized that the gate over the front entrance had been lowered again.

This meant one of two things; either they closed automatically on a timer or someone else was here.

They would need to leave quickly, but first Charlie needed to check and see that nobody was outside the store. Whoever did this could still be nearby, and she knew Baby wasn't built to be quiet. She slowly stepped down from the stage and began to cautiously move against the wall, heading towards the front door. She had to move away from the wall to pass the second stage. The moment she was outside of it, the lights on the stage turned on and illuminated it in a bright, colorful glow. Charlie turned abruptly towards the opened curtain with a startled clinking.

…But there was no animatronic inside.

"My, my, what a delightful sound!"

Charlie jumped slightly and staggered to turn around again. The voice was new and synthetic sounding as it echoed across the room from the darkened archway. With a few heavy steps, the speaker stepped further into view.

It was the cymbal-toting spider animatronic. Unlike Funtime Chica, it was very alive and very aware of her.

"I've been waiting for you, my little bell! I was worried you might've gotten stuck!" he continued as he came in closer. His large, black eyes were fixated down on her. "I've been waiting so long for someone like you! Someone so musically inclined doesn't come around often," the animatronic explained. Its voice held an unsettling amount of interest. "Or wait, where are my manners?! We haven't even gotten acquainted!" His many legs shifted in rhythm with each other as he tilted his body forward and moved his arms as though bowing

"I am the Music Man!" he dramatically embellished. "And you are my muse!"

She had a bad feeling that this wouldn't end well.

Mable: I know cliffhangers are brutal… So, this won't be one. ^-^ I'm posting the next chapter tomorrow instead of next week. I was going to try for today, but I'd like a little more editing time to clean it up a little… Along with the fact that I'm posting this so late. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!