Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Ninety-Five
Unlike the overcrowded basement, the second floor of the facility was uncomfortably barren. No posters on the walls, not even a clock, no furniture that could be seen, and looking into some of the rooms showed almost completely barren offices. A few still had desks in them, but they were still cleaned out. They stopped in one that was deceptively stocked with file cabinets and checked inside, only to find nothing.
"Empty," Charlie sighed. She almost seemed to be speaking for Marionette who silently leaned over Mike's shoulder to look. "This is strange. They left everything downstairs, but they took everything up here."
"Maybe they didn't take it. Maybe they just carried all the paperwork downstairs and threw it into the nearest furnace," Mike offered as he shut the cabinet again. He looked over at Charlie who was starting to open one of the other drawers to reveal nothing. He hissed as he saw it, "Yeah, that looks like months of paperwork straight in the fire."
"They've got enough furnace space to spare," Jessica remarked as she passed to look around the desk. She looked around before giving a thoughtful hum. "You know, there's a lot less dust in here."
"Do you think someone's been here recently?" Charlie asked.
"Maybe, but it's also possible that they wiped this down with a strong cleaner on the way out and the dust isn't sticking to it as much," she said as she crossed her arms. She looked towards Mike with a concerned frown. "I think you have a point about a cover-up. Nobody would clean up these offices this well if they were leaving everything downstairs. Maybe something happened here?"
"Knowing everything attached to Freddy's, plenty could've happened here. It was company policy to bust out the mop and bleach before calling the cops," Mike agreed. Even this seemed a little strange though and he wasn't sure what it was, but his mind kept going to the office downstairs. "The thing is these offices aren't exactly the kind where a night worker would be staying. They'd be in one with cameras and a security door, like the one downstairs, so why would they clean in here?"
"Maybe it didn't. Maybe something happened downstairs, and they clean this out so nobody could follow a paper trail back to the higher ups," Charlie suggested. Marionette pointed to her in agreement, to which Mike raised a brow questioningly.
"You don't feel anything strange?" the security guard asked the Puppet. It was clear that Marionette was purposefully staying silent around their new companions but that didn't mean that he wasn't paying attention. If there was something amiss here- in the sense of something supernatural occurring- then he would be able to tell. He shook his head no; if there was an accident then it didn't leave an impression.
It was then that Marla spoke up from the doorway. "Hey, where's Lamar? Did he wander off?" she asked. John leaned out the door and looked both ways down the hallway.
"Lamar?" he called. He could vaguely heard shuffling in the distance and couldn't tell if it was him or another threat. "Lamar, is that you?!"
"Over here! I think I've found something!" Lamar called back. All of them left the office to follow the voice and soon found him standing at an open door leading to a short hallway. He drew their attention towards a doorstop wedged under it. "They had this door propped open. That's got to mean something," he offered.
John squinted into the dark hallway before stepping in, only to have Mike quickly overtake him. "Let me go first. I have a light," he said as he pulled the flashlight off his belt. He then started to venture into the hall.
There wasn't too much to see. There were only two doors in the hall, one halfway down and another at the end. The one halfway opened to reveal yet another emptied out broom closet with nothing in it of note, so Mike continued to the door at the end. His light fell on the sign above it and he frowned as he read 'Employees Only'. He took a deep breath and looked to the door doubtfully. This could easily be another trap.
"Are we going in?" Jessica asked. Always the curious one and the reminder that the group was leering over his shoulders. He didn't really have a choice; if he said no then chances were, they would still go in.
Mike gave a curt nod and stepped closer. Marionette followed right at his back, expecting the worst just like his companion was. Mike opened the door and started to step through when his arm was grabbed. He stopped instantly and looked back, to which the puppet gestured towards the bottom of the door with a nod. Sure enough there was a wire connected between the door and the doorframe.
"Good eye," Mike complimented. He then continued to push the door open and carefully stepped over the wire. "Watch out for this, folks. Chances are it'll do worse than just trip you up," he called back. He then flicked on his flashlight and shined it across the room. It fell on a strange display in the center of it. "What is this…?" he muttered.
He cautiously reached back and flicked on the light. Thankfully, it wasn't boobytrapped. Unfortunately, it revealed a much more cryptic scene laid out before him.
In the center of the room was a table, suggesting it had been a breakroom, but unlike the other rooms this one hadn't been cleared out. In fact, the table was completely set with party supplies. Five chairs were set around the table, each with a flimsy plate on the table before it with a party hat on each. From where he was standing, he could see that there was a plush toy sat in every chair that he could see. In the center of the table was a hunk of Styrofoam shaped and colored like a cake with six unlit candles stuck into it.
"And just when I thought this place couldn't get any creepier…" Mike thought as he carefully stepped closer. Marionette was a lot quicker and began to slowly circle the table. His mask's default smile quickly shifted to a look of disturbance and maybe even a little disgust. It didn't take Mike long to realize why. "What is this, some sort of shrine?" he asked.
Five chairs, five plush toys- Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, and another Freddy- all arranged around a birthday cake. It was clear that this was supposed to represent the missing children. Someone purposefully set this up to make a point. Now he understood why his puppet looked so upset.
As soon as Charlie stepped in and saw the scene, she recognized that it was more than just left behind supplies. She leaned back towards Jessica who was following behind her and whispered, "Maybe you all shouldn't come in." Jessica didn't answer so she knew she was probably going to anyway, but Charlie was now more focused on seeing what had been left for them. "What is this…?"
"It looks like some sort of set up to look like the missing children incident. There's five chairs, five dolls, two Freddy's… Huh." Mike noticed a black mark on the plate, sticking out from under the hat on it. He moved the hat aside to reveal that someone had written a name in black ink on the paper plate. "Susie?"
"Whoever did this is disturbed," Charlie said as an uneasy chill raced up her spine. Marla and John came up to her sides to look as well and she dug her fingers into her sleeves. "Why go this far? It couldn't have been the Purple Man who did this. It's all too new." Marionette shook his head with that same upset look. The display uneased everyone except him; he was infuriated by it. Like it was a mockery more than a reminder.
"Who's the Purple Man?" Marla quietly asked. Surprisingly, it was John who answered.
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's the man who did commit the crimes," he said. To which Charlie agreed with a brief 'right'. Marla clenched her teeth visibly at the thought.
"That name alone gives me such a bad vibe. Almost as bad as this room does…" she said with a small shudder. Only to jump and look back abruptly at a loud clicking noise, only to see that the door had closed behind them. She gave an annoyed cry. "I thought someone was going to make sure the door stayed open." She looked accusatorily towards Lamar and Jessica, who were both standing near the door and neither seemed to realize they were the last coming in, forgetting that Carlton wasn't there. They exchanged a set of guilty looks.
"Thanks, Kids. At least we have enough Styrofoam to go around before we die of starvation," Mike sardonically remarked. Though his voice was drained of energy as he turned all his focus towards the paper plate. He tapped on with his thumb. "I remember that name, Susie. She was one of the missing children, right?" he asked, showing the plate to Marionette, who looked at the plate and gave a slow nod. Mike looked in the chair, saw the Chica plush, and pointed towards it. "Was she one of the Chicas?"
Marionette didn't answer but the steadily growing static from his chest was voicing his displeasure clearly enough.
Charlie stepped forward to look at the plate before Bonnie and read the name on it out loud. "Cassidy…"
"Here's Gabe, right in front of Foxy," Mike announced. He then looked at the ones in front of the Freddy's and furrowed his brow at the names. He looked down between the dolls, which looked almost identical, "Which one of these would you say is supposed to be Golden Freddy? I'm guessing he would be the fifth one but his name's not here." Neither of the plates were listed as 'Henry' which stood out to him.
"But these are the names of the missing children?" Lamar asked. "How would someone even know this? When we were trying to research about Freddy's, they practically hid all of the names."
"It had to be someone who knew in-depth details. Who had enough access to information that they knew which animatronic housed which souls," Mike pointed out. He looked up to Marionette, saw him glaring at the table, and then looked to the others. Any amount of humor or apathy was gone, now he was dead serious. "Whoever set this up knew too much about what happened. They knew details that weren't just hidden from the general public, but unknown by even the employees. They knew everything."
There was a long pause as all the listeners processed the seriousness of this information and what this could possibly mean. A heavy silence that weighed them all down until…
"No, they didn't."
After his own silence, Mike was surprised to hear Marionette speak. He looked over in time to meet the puppet's eyes rising from the table. The lights inside glowing as his static hummed lowly.
"Because the details are wrong," Marionette continued. The man looked confused and the puppet was quick to explain. "Susie did become a Chica, Toy Chica, which was a different line from the Foxy Gabe became. This Freddy, Chris, was one of Gabe's friends who was killed with him. Neither of them were part of the group of missing children, they were part of Gabe's friend group that went missing beforehand." He then narrowed his eyes at one of the plates. "And that's Balloon Boy. These aren't even the missing children they're saying they are!"
"…How would someone who went through this much work get that many details wrong?" Mike asked in disbelief. "Half of these names aren't even available to the public."
"Because it's a sham!" A quieted 'Pop Goes' began to play in Marionette's chest as he got worked up. "Someone took what information they did have and threw it together just to scare us. I for one find that horribly insulting. Those children, my friends, deserved better than to become someone's showpiece. Especially when whatever point they wanted to make was lost by the fact that all the information is wrong!"
"It's a sham," Mike repeated thoughtfully. "Huh…"
"They were people too. They might be gone now- except Foxy and Balloon Boy- but… They deserved better than this…" Marionette's voice fell. "Is this really how they'll be remembered…?"
"Mari, no. You know it's not," Charlie assured him. He looked to her; anger replaced with sadness for him while she now looked riled. "It's just like you said. Whoever set this up just didn't care, but that doesn't mean nobody else does. This is just some sick joke."
"It's worse than a joke. It's like an accusation of some kind," Marla added as she crossed her arms.
"…That's it." Mike's blue eyes widened as it all suddenly sunk in for him. "I just figured it out. This whole thing, this whole place, I just figured out what is going on here," he announced. Everyone looked to him as he looked to Marionette. "This isn't just some old, abandoned building filled with aggressive animatronics and booby traps to keep people out. This whole thing is faked."
"What do you mean?" Marionette asked in hesitant confusion.
"Don't you find it weird that the big, scary animatronics went down with one hit each? Or that out of all the traps we ran into, none of them were actually dangerous?" Mike asked. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as his voice lowered. "Mari, someone set this whole thing up like this. The animatronics are distractions, the traps just slow us down, the whole thing is like a big game of Mouse Trap. It's all just a big showpiece."
"I'm not so sure about that… Yes, the animatronics were easy to deactivate, but we saw how deadly the traps could be. Including the traps built inside the animatronics," the puppet said warily.
"Let's think about that for a second. Freddy and Chica were barely able to move on their own and they only "attacked" to get someone off them. Freddy was made specifically made with a storage tank just like Lefty's and the second he saw you and Charlie he forgot about everyone else and went after you two. Like he was programmed to take you out," Mike pointed out. "And when he did attack it was wide, slow swings. Anyone could've dodged one of those."
"But John got injured from Bonnie. It scratched up his back badly," Jessica pointed out. For a moment it disproved the theory, but then John got a look of realization on his face.
"No, wait, Mike's got a point. Remember Bonnie got ahold of me before that, but all he did was restrain me when he had free access to do anything he wanted. When he did scratch me was when he was flailing as he was getting carried off by the conveyor belt. I don't even know if he was really aiming for me," John revealed. Then he looked back to Mike. "And he was almost as slow as Freddy."
"And he didn't notice me at all," Charlie added in. "Even when I was on top of him, he would throw me off and forget I was there. I thought that was strange."
"But Foxy…" Marionette trailed off. The point about the twisted ones not acknowledging animatronics was one he recognized, as Chica had looked through him numerous times and only swung when he was directly blocking her. Maybe Foxy was the same way. Maybe he hadn't even been able to tell who he was hooking through the vent, and in that case the human, Scott, was both their primary target. "…But what about the traps? Nobody would've survived those pipes falling on them, and whoever rigged the vents knew what heat does to us."
"We know what fire does, but it didn't get that hot, did it? Hot enough to subdue anything in there but not hot enough to kill. And unless I'm wrong, I didn't hear that heater when we walked back past that vent which means it probably shuts down after a while," Mike pointed out. Then he snapped his fingers. "And that elevator seemed fishy too. It kept acting like it was going to fall when I moved but Ennard said the brakes were fine, almost like it was trying to scare me into staying put."
"And the pipes?"
"We thought they fell when the computer clicked on, right?" Mike asked and Marionette nodded. "That computer took an awfully long time to kick on. If I didn't know better, I'd say it kicked on at the same time I moved Scott's chair out of the way. What if the computer was a mislead and the trap only went off once nobody was underneath it? There could've been a pressure plate on the floor that looked like a tile."
As baffling as this all sounded, it was starting to piece together in a way that made sense, and Mike still wasn't done.
"And you know what else I find strange?" Mike paused to look at his wristwatch. "We've been in here for… About two hours and the cops never showed up. Burke called Scott and told him that he found the evidence against me here. He would've had to know if I disappeared that this would be a place of interest, so where is he?" There was a few seconds of silence and Mike shrugged to emphasize his point.
"…Why did Detective Burke tell Scott where the evidence was? Why did he tell him he was arresting you at all...?" Marionette asked with growing suspicion. Now he was beginning to believe the other's theory and it was painting a much more disturbing picture. He looked down at the table before looking back up at the man with a newfound look of alarm and accusation. "He would have known these names…"
"Now, I'm not saying Burke is behind this. Frankly, the man's a stubborn pain in the neck whose way too entitled by his own opinion, but I don't think he's capable of this. Burke's stuck in his ways but he's not completely insane," Mike pointed out. He was certain of this and already willing to think of other suspects.
Until the puppet added, "He investigated Afton Robotics. He had access to the information Chance left behind. He was the only one, other than us, who could've known about Lefty."
Suddenly a panicked flush started to spread across Mike's neck. He suddenly felt like he was going to break into a sweat from nerves alone. Marionette was right, he hadn't even thought of that. Burke not only had the suspicion of setting this up, but he also had the means to do it to an extent. However, everyone wasn't as on board with this idea as they were.
"I don't know about this. I know Clay's been acting weird recently, but to go to this extent? That's not like him. He's never done anything like this," John pointed out as he looked around at the others. He expected to see more agreement, but while Marla seemed to agree, everyone else looked doubtful. Even Charlie wasn't sure what to think. "Why would he go this far when he could just arrest Mike?"
"Maybe he can't," Charlie offered thoughtfully. John looked to her questioningly. "He said he found evidence, but maybe he didn't. Maybe he was hoping Mike would incriminate himself."
"That sounds right," Mike agreed. "Someone as stubborn as Burke probably does believe I did that to those kids. Maybe this whole thing is an elaborate scare tactic to get me to confess. The traps are just to make sure I don't split, and Freddy was made specifically to take you out," he said to Marionette. "Because he knew we would be here together. He made it clear to Scott that he knows about you."
"Then… Why does he think you did this? There's got to be a reason you're not telling us," John pressed a little harder. "Clay's got to have some reason to suspect you beyond Magictime."
"Of course, he does," Mike said as he tossed his hands in the air. "Because I'd bet my paycheck that he, like everyone else we've ever had problems with, thinks I'm Michael Afton, the son of the Purple Man. Almost like the name Mike isn't common or something."
"We knew a Mike," Lamar said with an agreeing shrug. Almost sounding like he was saying he had a point. He noticed John's continued hesitance and added, "It's as good enough a reason as any. You said yourself- or someone said- that Clay never got over the fact that he didn't solve the Freddy case. Maybe Carlton said it. This would all make sense if that was the case. If it's just been eating at him for this long and he's so convinced that it must be Mike that he set all of this up."
"It just… Seems wrong," Marla admitted. She frowned thoughtfully before sighing in defeat. "But Carlton said that he's been acting different. His marriage recently fell apart and he's been under the weather a lot. I guess he could've finally snapped… Maybe he was upset about the kids too…" She sent a somber look at the table.
"If he was willing to go to these extremes then he should have done it sooner. He could've stopped it years ago," Marionette remarked. To which he then hesitated before snapping his head down towards the table. He scooted slowly to stand closer to Mike. "I… Oh… Oh."
"What?" Mike asked in paranoia. "What disturbing revelation did you come up with this time?" The Puppet lowered his head a little further and quieted his voice.
"They… They all heard me," Marionette whispered back. Mike raised his brows and glanced back at the onlookers, currently distracted with the circumstances at hand. He simply exhaled- inwardly relieved that it wasn't more bad news- and put an arm around him.
"Yeah, they did… Well, It was bound to happen eventually. You stick this many people in one room with that and someone's bound to break," Mike said, nodding towards the table. Marionette dropped his head into one hand in defeat. "We've got bigger problems to deal with."
Charlie agreed and approached the table for herself to look over the plates and the names. She frowned as she took in the plethora of evidence before them. Nothing to prove Mike innocent but plenty to suggest something much more disturbing afoot. It was while looking at the plates that her eyes glanced to the cake and noticed a plate underneath it too. She lifted the cake easily and was rewarded with a familiar name scribbled on the plate: Charlotte.
"I'm here too…" Charlie felt uneasy thinking of herself as a victim, but she supposed that she was, though one of the more recent ones. She was about to set the cake back down when something dropped out of it. It was a single key that she lifted to look at. Looking at the bottom of the cake showed a slit that had been cut in it to hide it. "There's a car key hidden in the cake… Wait a minute… Is this my car key?"
John looked over before shaking his head. "It can't be. Jen has your keys."
"…Could it be Dave's car key?" Charlie asked. This time John didn't respond beyond getting an uneasy look. There was no way that they could know but they both had the same suspicion, and she was seized by growing horror. She dropped the key with a sharp ring. "It is. It must be. His car… Someone knew and put it on my plate. That's- That's just…" She trailed off, obviously shaken by it.
Marionette made a move to go to her but was beaten there by Jessica and thus held back. Her friend laid her hands on her shoulders to try and comfort her.
"That's so wrong. Whoever did this is truly sick," Jessica finished for her. She then looked at the others with a newfound firmness. "And I don't think Clay's capable of this… but we know he would've had access to Dave's car keys."
"Then it IS Burke! Goddamn it!" Mike exclaimed in a mix of exasperation and panic. His sudden loss of composure caught the others off guard. Even Marionette who foresaw it coming. Mike managed to reign himself in but his worked up state remained, though now aimed at a new goal. "We need to get out of here. I don't know what we'll do about Burke but it's obvious there's nothing here we're going to find," he said before heading towards the door to try and get it open.
Marionette began to follow, hesitating beside Charlie to offer her his hand. She took it for both of their sakes, and they gave up on the room together. Mike was struggling with the door but still trying to brute force it open. Unfortunately, the wire at the bottom of the door had tightened and now held it closed. With an annoyed huff, Mike got out the radio and clicked it on. "Scott, we've got a problem."
After a few moments, Scott's voice answered. "Oh no. What now?"
"We're up on the second floor and found a room with all this… You know what? It's not important. Point is that we're stuck in the 'Employees Only' room on the second floor and we need one of your muscles to come up here and break down the door. Preferably the one that can get up the stairs quickly," Mike explained. He sounded so fed up and Marionette reached out to pat his back.
"Umm… Yeah, sure. Give him a few seconds to get up there. You just stay put and don't touch anything."
The radio call ended, and Mike slipped it back on his belt. "Who was that?" Marla curiously asked.
"That was the Phone Guy, Scott. Public enemy number two. Currently runs a home for lost and abandoned clowns," Mike remarked as he fiddled with the door again. "Why do I put us in these situations? I should've known this was a bad idea. Now I'm a sitting duck, risked everyone's livelihoods, and put Marionette on the chopping block with that bear. Jail is the least of our problems now," Mike thought. He looked to Marionette who was beside him, seeing the troubled look on his mask. "If they get their hands on him, they'll do a lot worse than jail. Especially if they know about what heat does to them."
Marionette noticed Mike was staring and looked to him. They exchanged no words, just a silent, worried stare. Suddenly their only chance of rectifying this situation quickly was gone and now they were out of ideas.
"You said clowns plural. You mean both clowns, not just the one we saw downstairs," Lamar tried to clarify. He then got a very uneasy look. "Please tell me there's no more than two clowns. If so, I'm leaving town."
Mike looked confused and both he and the puppet looked to Charlie, who spoke quickly as though defending herself. "It was Carlton. He saw Ennard on the street."
"Well, that solves the mystery of why he was asking about Circus Baby," Mike muttered.
"I knew he was going to get caught if he kept wandering like that…" Marionette whispered in concern. "And I doubt this is going to stop him."
"Scott will figure something out. He'll enact a curfew or something," the security guard remarked. Not that either was too concerned. They were much more concerned with the issues at hand. Mike put his hand on Marionette's shoulder while he squeezed Charlie's hand reassuringly. They waited along with the others.
It wasn't too long before they heard footsteps coming down the hallway towards the door. They all moved back wearily before they heard a knock on the door. "Are you guys in there?" Scott called inside.
"We're all here," Mike called back. "Door's still stuck."
"Just hang tight and give us a few seconds." There was some shuffling and whispering in the hallway for a second. "Ev-Everybody get back!" Scott called.
Less than a second later there was a few thumping footsteps before a loud bang against the door. It was enough to open the door a few inches before the wire tightened and snapped it shut again. This didn't last long as there was a second strike, nearly ripping the door off its hinges, and then a final third one that caused the wire to snap loudly and throw the door open against the wall.
Standing in the doorway was the Freddy Fazbear suit, but it wasn't Scott wearing it this time.
"Surprise! Who's ready for Freddy?" Ennard said in a voice mimicking the traditional Freddy Fazbear. That brought back some uncomfortable memories for at least Mike and Marionette, and it didn't help that he looked like he was planning on staying in character. "Hello, boys and girls! Are you ready to have fun?" He then noticed the table past them. "Looks like the party already got started without me!"
"You didn't say Freddy was alive too," John whispered to Charlie.
"Yeah, well… He wasn't. This is new to me," Charlie said with almost as much confusion. She was then guided forward by Marionette who pulled her and pushed Mike towards the door.
"Unfortunately, we're going to need to cut this party short. Burke is behind this and I've already made a fool of myself," Marionette whispered as he brushed by. "But spot-on Freddy impression." The "Freddy" gave a good-natured chuckle before stepping out to lead them, walking right past Scott who was wearing Ennard's mask. Nobody asked but they could only assume the trade-off was Ennard's idea.
Charlie's friends followed behind as they made their way back down the hallway. Carlton was waiting at the end and waved to the others, but then proceeded to stick oddly close to Scott and Ennard, largely to continue watching the Freddy suit clad amalgam. They arrived at the stairs and head down, to where Baby was waiting at the bottom. Clearly waiting for Charlie to make her way down.
The moment her and Charlie's eyes made contact, Baby pushed off and began to slowly roll ahead, crossing her arms across her chest. It was clear she was disappointed, and the Security Puppet hurried past Mike and Scott and to the clown's side.
"Baby, wait," Charlie called after her. Baby game the illusion that she wasn't stopping for her but made no attempt to continue her coasting. The puppet caught up and stood beside her. "I need to thank you. I… I know you probably weren't comfortable letting yourself be seen, but Mike wouldn't have been able to deactivate Freddy without you. You came in just in time."
"What a change. Usually I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time," Baby answered aloofly. She looked at her out of the corner of her green eyes and added, "I warned you that getting involved would put you in danger. Was it worth it just to see old friends you can no longer relate to?"
"Well…" Charlie looked back at the stairs and her friends. "…Yes."
Baby gave a low hum of static. She seemed disappointed in the answer, crossing her arms tighter, and turned her head away. "That's funny. After all the trouble they caused you, you would still throw yourself in to protect them. Would they do the same? Now that you're like us and not like them?" For a moment Charlie was prepared to defend her friends, but then she noticed the tone and the body language.
"Baby, are you jealous?" Charlie asked. It was less patronizing and more in disbelief, and maybe a little concern. Baby made a noise akin to a scoff.
"Jealous? Why would I be jealous of them? I see you more than they do," Baby remarked. That was not what Charlie meant or expected but it did answer her questions. "I would like to see one of them try to do what I did to Freddy."
"That was impressive," Charlie complimented with a small smile. She knew she had to say more than that though. "But, hey, this doesn't change anything." She laid her hand on Baby's arm to stop her, resting it above her claw. "Just because I'm getting to see my old friends doesn't mean it's going to get in between us. It just means that we can all have a little more closure, right?"
For a second Baby lifted her hand like she was going to brush her off, as Charlie expected with the clown's typical abrasiveness. But she hesitated in the motion and then did something a little less typical. She momentarily laid her hand on Charlie's, then trailed her fingers down the back of it in almost a playful way. A way she must've picked up from either Scott or Ennard. It got her point across even when words couldn't. She was upset, she was frustrated, but they were going to be fine.
Charlie gave a more confident smile back with a soft jingling that felt like flutters in her chest. Baby returned it with almost a contented sigh, before noticing the onlooker just past the Security Puppet.
Marionette had never released her hand, so he was still on the other side of her with a wide smile on his face. Watching as though he knew something. Baby huffed at him.
"Don't give me that look. You're almost as bad as the clown, and Freddy Fazbear." With that, Baby drew away and began to skate after the amalgam in question.
It was only then that Charlie realized everyone had slowed down for her- largely because Mike was just following alongside the puppets and because none of her friends wanted to pass her and risk her getting grabbed again. Her face heated and she readjusted her jacket almost nervously as she continued forward. Marionette said nothing but she noticed his lingering smile.
Up at the front, Ennard, Scott, and Carlton had gotten a little ahead of the others and were now outside the double doors that led into the front room. Seeing that their followers slowed down, Scott stopped in the hall to watch while "Freddy" continued to scout ahead, still with a jaunty bounce in his step. Carlton considered staying back but then decided to follow along after the suited one.
This only lasted until they got about out of earshot of Scott. Carlton hadn't even noticed the temporary bear slowing down until he suddenly spun around and stared him down. The young man flinched back under the suddenness of it, almost forgetting exactly what he was following.
"Stop st-staring," Ennard hissed, his voice a strange mixture of Freddy Fazbear and Funtime Freddy's. "You already saw me- twice! You've seen them already too! Why do you keep staring at me?!"
It was clear that he was becoming irritated, especially from how he was twitching through his suit. Carlton caught himself quickly and scrambled for an excuse.
"I was just… You never forget your first?" Carlton tried. It was like night and day in an instant. The bear suit straightened up, the blue eyes seeming to widen, and he just stared at the human silently.
Then without warning, he began to laugh. It was short but boisterous, as though it was somehow the funniest thing in the world. Carlton forced a partial laugh to go along with it, hoping this wasn't leading into another mood swing that would fall less in his favor.
"Okay, good effort. I'll give ya that," Ennard chirped, voice reverting entirely. Definitely the one he heard laughing in the sewer now, which he guessed was the normal voice. "But you're gonna have to start coming up with those faster if you're gonna keep staring. Consider it a bribe."
Just like that, Ennard started acting like he was fine with Carlton's observance. He wasn't entirely convinced so he decided the smartest thing was to avert his gaze. Thankfully, the others were coming.
"Alright, boys and girls! For the last stop on the tour we will visit the most magical and mysterious place of all Fazbear Entertainment facilities. A place few ever get to see… The exit!" Ennard strode through the double doors with that same playful motion and started to cross the main room. "As you can see, all of our friends who used to be made here-." He cut off when he noticed something suddenly stepped into view. He only had a moment to react. "Wait-."
A loud bang suddenly echoed through the room.
Back in the hallway, the others heard the noise and recognized it immediately as a gunshot.
Scott's head snapped over and he instantly broke into a sprint. "Ennard?!" He barged past Carlton and ran into the main room just in time to see Ennard staggering back and clutching his head. "Ennard!"
Ennard let out a pained shriek as he grabbed at the bear head. "HE-HE-HA-AH! HE G-G-GOT ME IN THE EYE!" he cried, his voice going in and out. He clawed at the eye of the suit. "S-SON OF A- SON OF A-!"
His voice broke off into angry static. It was then that they movement and looked up to see the attacker still there. In an instant, still covering his eye, Ennard shoved Scott back and stood up in front of him to shield him from any possible bullets.
Carlton was standing in the doorway and saw the whole scene, his face twisted in equal horror. "Dad, what are you doing?!"
Everyone suddenly knew exactly who it was. Mike ran ahead with the others following out into the room. Everyone had to see what had happened and soon they all knew exactly what had happened. There was Clay Burke, gun still in hand, having shot Ennard and was now standing in the middle of the room.
Mike should have been furious, but upon seeing the detective his blood ran cold. All at once something was thrust upon him that he hadn't anticipated and as he saw it, he recognized it.
It was Detective Burke, the one he expected to be behind this elaborate set up, and he was sick.
He was sweating profusely and there were pink and pale patches over the skin of his face. From his motions he was already panting and even his gun toting hand was shaking. It looked like he was barely standing there, with his eyes so dilated that even Mike could see it from where he was standing. It was upon seeing his state that Mike realized there was something much worse at play here. Something was wrong.
"Carlton, what are you doing here?" Clayton asked in shock. His voice was hoarse, and he wheezed before coughing into his jacket sleeve. His lungs sounded heavy and congested, and he waved his arm in dismissal. "It doesn't matter. Go get in the car. All of you." He clearly meant the rest of Carlton's friends, but none of them budged beyond John moving in front of Charlie to shield her, with Jessica holding her arm.
"Dad, what in the hell is going on in here?!" the redhead blurted out to no answer.
"Cl-Clay, this isn't- I know this looks bad, but you have to believe us, this isn't what you think it is!" Scott pleaded. He forcibly pushed past Ennard, pulling his mask off and trying to shield the clown.
"I should've known you'd come down here, Scott… I was counting on it," Clay said. His glassy, unfocused eyes then slowly slid to focus on Mike who was still staring dumbfounded. "You too, Mike. I knew you couldn't help yourself. You couldn't stand knowing there was a facility you hadn't found your way into. I hope it was worth it." At this, Marionette discreetly released Charlie and disappeared somewhere.
"So, you did set this all up," Jessica said with a gasp. She was horrified by the idea. "You… You set all of this up?! The animatronics, the- the traps, that horrible thing upstairs?!"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures… But I can't take credit for all of it. Most of it I found here and realized I could use it." He cut off with another heavy cough. "Fitting, isn't it, Mike? Using these things that were parts of a crime to solve a crime?"
"How- How does this solve a crime, Dad?!" Carlton blurted out. "You know, those things attacked us too!"
"You weren't supposed to be here. Mike was. Scott, maybe. The Puppet too. Had to be prepared for it. There really is no concrete evidence on the Freddy case, nothing unless we get a confession. Bring you here, show you what you've done, and you confess to get let off easier than your victims," Clay rambled. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Baby starting to skate in and aimed his gun at her. "Stay back, Elizabeth."
Baby hissed and skated back in front of Scott to shield him who was still trying to shield the wounded Ennard.
"This was supposed to be easy. Mike confesses, the case is solved, it's all over. It's finally over," Clay recited.
"That's not even how it works!" Marla blurted out as she grabbed her own hair in frustration. "That's forcing a confession! What criminal justice system would arrest someone because you forced them to confess by almost killing them?!" She looked towards Charlie and her face fell in fear. "Did- Did you know about-… About the animatronics?!" But Charlie knew he had to.
"Of course he knew. That's why he was tapping both Mike and Scott's phones. He had access to all of their secrets!" Carlton growled. He felt deeply betrayed by this. "Why would you do this?! I thought you wanted to move on from the Freddy case, but you're totally obsessed with it! It was over ten years ago!"
"I had to do this," Clay reaffirmed. He then looked back towards Mike. "Don't stall this, Mike. This is about what you did, who you are, everything."
"You really think I did this, don't you?" Mike asked in disbelief. It was then that he noticed movement and looked up to see Marionette climbing along the ceiling towards Clayton. He was going to go for Ennard's tactic, and Mike knew that meant he had to distract. "You know what? Sure, I'll come clean. I'll confess to everything," he volunteered. Clay looked to him as did everyone else. "And I'll say it loud enough that the people in the back can hear it. Hey, Freddy, you hearing this?"
"I can heeaar-r-r fine, I just ca-can't see!" Ennard answered with no amusement. He was still shielding his eye with one arm while his other was holding Scott protectively.
"Just making sure, because I'm about to drop a bombshell here," Mike said. He then faced Clay once again. "Truth is, I'm Michael Afton, William Afton's son, and I've been going from Freddy location to former Freddy location offing kids and employees in revenge because Fazbear Entertainment took over my father's company and thus destroyed my family. I killed all the kids at Fredbear's, Freddy's, the other Freddy's, whatever the names of those other places were, and I plan to eventually kill kids at Foxy's too."
Naturally, this sarcastic tone was unbelievable by all parties. In fact, he knew he was getting a few looks of exasperation; he could see Scott's but was sure Charlie had one too.
"You're lying," Clay bluntly said.
"Yeah, well what did you want me to say? You want me to confess to something I didn't do! Where did you even get this idea that I was some mastermind criminal child snatcher anyway?!"
It was then that a very strange look passed over Clay's face. His once stern look, marred with annoyance and determination, melted into something more distant. His glazed over eyes almost looked like they weren't seeing anything at all as he got that vague look. Then he explained, his voice heavy and graveled.
"I was haunted by it. The Freddy case, it was everywhere I went. Everywhere there was a clue or a face reminding me that those children were gone, and their families never got closure. I couldn't sleep, when I did I saw their murders being played out in my head. It always led back to you; I always saw you. Glimpses of you killing them until I couldn't ignore it anymore."
Suddenly Mike was getting a disturbing sense of deja-vu, and it wasn't just the words, but the state Clay was in that brought it out. His face fell and his heart pounded as he slowly started to piece together what he had first noticed when he came in.
"Couldn't take it anymore. I needed- I needed to do something… This was it, this scheme to get you to confess. I had to go through with it." Clay's hand was shaking as he focused on Mike again. "I had to do it."
Mike paused a long moment before speaking. "You woke up one day and wanted to do it…" He took a deep shaky breath. "Detective Burke of all people would know he couldn't get a confession this way. It's not going to hold up in court. That's not what you brought us here for."
"Mike… What are you talking about?" Charlie whispered from behind John and Jessica. Her voice was fearful and hesitant.
"Glenn was just like this, sick as a dog, ended up in the hospital… And suddenly he just tries to kill Fritz out of the blue, no warning, no reason. Next day he barely remembers it and he doesn't know why," Mike pointed out. "Dave Miller kidnaps those kids and holds them in that basement, says he just woke up one day and wanted to do it. Dies choking on his own breath, pale and flush at the same time."
"They were all sick…?" Scott asked hesitantly. He seemed to be catching on if vaguely. He looked back to Clay with a newfound dread.
Above, Marionette had stilled half-poised on a rafter. He was still prepared to attack at any moment but wanted to hear what Mike was saying. It was important that he listened.
Mike swallowed thickly and continued, "Chance wasn't sick, but he had dreams like that too before he tried to do something insane. Almost like something was making him do it… And don't think I didn't notice you calling Baby Elizabeth. You know more than you even know you do." There was a short pause as his voice dropped to a whisper, "When has Clay Burke ever tampered with animatronics?"
"…Never," Carlton admitted. "We've got those ones in the basement, but he's never cared about them. He was just working around them when he was investigating."
"…That's not Burke." Mike started to become more worked up and panicked. "Who is it, William? Or maybe I spoke too fast, maybe it is Dave. He wasn't that sick before he died. Or Henry… He was the one influencing Chance. It is Henry, isn't it? Because of Charlie? Took out Dave and is now coming after me again?! Because you blame me for something I didn't do again?!"
"Mike, you- you need to calm down and tell us what's going on!" Scott forced out, unwilling to take his eyes off Clay's gun. Mike turned to him with a look of terror.
"He's not sick, he's possessed!" Mike boldly accused. "And goddamn it so was Glenn! And so was-… Dave…" Blue eyes widened again as the horror returned. "Dave was possessed… Dave wasn't a copycat; he just woke up one day… And wanted to do it…"
Suddenly he remembered that distant look the man had given him when he asked that question. Almost like he didn't have an idea why he was doing it. Just like Glenn, just like Burke. The sickness was a sign and the symptoms started to link together.
"They weren't insane, they were possessed. They weren't sick, they were possessed. I… Jeremy and I both had the same symptoms..." Mike realized. "Jeremy got sick right after I got better…"
But the most telling part was that after Mike's bold accusation Burke hadn't said a word. He just stared ahead blankly at the man. His glassy eyes showed no emotion and his labored breathing was the only noise coming from him. He should've protested this or pointed out how outlandish it was, but instead he chose a silent stare, and the security guard snapped. Everyone else was just watching in silent shock.
"So…" Mike began slowly. "…Is that you, Henry?"
Clay didn't get a chance to respond when a fury of static and broken music erupted above him. He spun around and whipped his gun up before Marionette pounced down upon him. In a flash, Mike ran forward and tackled him from behind. Marionette launched down from the ceiling and in only a few minutes both were in a war with Clay over the gun.
Mike tried to rip the gun out of his hand and in the struggle another gunshot rang out. Marla screamed and was pulled back with Jessica by Lamar who yanked them into the hallway. John turned around to shield Charlie who was watching the scene in abject horror. On the other side of the room, both Baby and Ennard started trying to charge forward, the injured clown completely ignoring his pain to inflict it on the detective. Scott was barely able to hold them back, not by strength but by their own reluctance to risk hurting him.
Finally, Mike managed to shove the gun out of Clay's hand and out of both of their reach. He was half pinned under the older man and the puppet who was pinning him, so he just pointed after the weapon. "Someone grab that!" Carlton, the only person who hadn't retreated, ran up and snatched it off the floor. He then fumbled with it to turn the safety on.
Every ounce of programming told Marionette to be more aggressive with Burke, but he kept his hands on his shoulders and the strings that snared the man's arms were non-lethal. Because as angry as he was with what he had seen, if Mike was right then something worse was at play. It only made him feel more betrayed, more defensive and protective, but he couldn't justify maiming a puppet.
They both expected that the detective wouldn't stay down without a fight. That might've been the case if not for what came only moments later.
Marionette was so close and focused that he could hear the most miniscule of sounds. He could hear every breath of Mike's, every wheeze of Clay's, and both of their heartbeats with the older man's being much clearer. So, he was able to hear when Clay's already fast heartbeat quickened even further and grew erratic. It could've just been adrenaline or fear, but it didn't take long to notice that its rhythm was starting to falter. The beats were no longer even and soon it was hard to even distinguish them.
All at once, Clay inhaled sharply in pain and gave a half cough. Marionette was alarmed by the change and drew back. The detective barely reacted to beyond his hand suddenly clawing at his left shoulder and then down his chest. His labored breathing became only shallower and the look on his face was deathly, a different kind of fear. The fear of someone who knew he was about to die.
Mike got out from under Clay and Marionette grabbed his shoulder to forcibly turn him towards the man. It didn't take long for Mike to see that something was terribly wrong. He silently looked to Marionette questioningly and the puppet shook his head, denying any fault. Mike remembered back to Glenn and, once again, saw a terrifying pattern. Marionette quickly rose off Clay and backed away.
"Burke?" Mike asked as he leaned over him. The detective reacted immediately, releasing his chest long enough to push him back, now gasping for breath.
"Can't… Breathe," Clayton wheezed as he started clawing at his shoulder again. He started to try pushing himself upwards as he coughed and choked.
Carlton ran up beside them still holding the gun that was no longer a threat. Even with everything happening, he saw the distress on his father's face and began to panic. "What's going on?! What's wrong with him?!"
"I think this is what happened to Glenn. If we get him to the hospital-." Mike was cut off by Clay attempting to sit up further. This resulted in a fit of choking that caused him to cough up frothy fluid. It looked like the fluid Dave had oozing out of his mouth when he had been found in the office. "It can't be a coincidence…" Mike turned his head and said decisively, "We need to get him to the hospital now."
John ran over and Scott followed once he was sure that Baby would stay with Ennard, which she did reluctantly. Scott took charge immediately and stopped Mike and Clay's efforts to get him off the ground.
"Wait, don't get him up. It might be his heart," Scott forewarned. He then looked back towards the others. "Does- uh- Does anyone have a cellphone? Call 911 and have them send an ambulance."
John instantly pulled his cellphone out and started to dial. It didn't seem like enough though and Carlton was beginning to look frantic.
"We're out in the middle of nowhere, what if they can't find us in time?" he asked in alarm. He was becoming more worked up before he finally offered, "Can we get him into my car? I can start driving him out to the highway and meet the ambulance halfway."
"That's probably going to be best… Yeah, let's try to move him," Scott agreed. Then corrected, "You guys try to move him. I have my medicine out in the van, I might have some Aspirin." He got up and sprinted out, tripping up a little on his way out the door but still going.
Thankfully, Clay wasn't unconscious. He was having trouble standing but Mike, Carlton, and John were able to get him up. He still looked to be in pain but also seemed to be growing more confused. He had affixed his eyes on a spot in the corner and stared at it, but there was nothing there. Even when Carlton tried to get his attention his eyes followed that corner. It made Mike extremely uneasy.
Marla held the doors open for them and then opened the car door so they could get Clay in the passenger's seat. Even through what was obvious pain and continued trouble breathing, the foam dripping down his chin, Clay got himself into the seat and fumbled with the seat belt like it was out of reflex. By then he had closed his eyes and wouldn't open them for anything. Scott gave Marla a couple of aspirins before excusing himself to hurry back inside and get Ennard and Baby, who were waiting inside the doorway.
Everyone was almost in the car when John noticed something. "We're out of room. We can't all fit."
"I'll stay back," Jessica volunteered before John could. He looked to her in surprise and she firmly pushed him by the shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I'll find a way home."
John didn't argue and discreetly leaned in for chaste kiss, then climbed into the backseat with Marla and Lamar. Carlton was peeling out of the parking lot within moments, leaving her to watch with worry.
"What a nightmare," Mike muttered, pulling her out of her thoughts. He watched the car drive off before offering, "We'll drive you home. Scott's got his hands full."
Literally, it seemed, as right about then Scott came out of the building with Baby skating ahead and Ennard at his side. He was walking Ennard like the amalgam couldn't see at all, but really the clown was just continuing to nurse a painful wound. He directed him around back where Baby opened the back doors for them.
"We're- We're going to get you all fixed up very soon. You're being really strong, I promise. I've seen people get eye injuries before and they usually scream a lot more. Trust me, you're doing really good," Scott comforted as he patted the outside of his suit's arm. The clown gave a static groan.
"I should've at least clocked that guy upside the head while I still had a chance. He stole my eye and I didn't even get a potshot," Ennard muttered as he climbed in the back. "Ch-Ch-Christmas, this hurts more than any burns or scoops or- geez- anything!"
"It will all be over soon," Baby assured. "Because if you complain much longer, I will shut you off." To which she then started to shut the doors. She stopped when she noticed Jessica staring at her and began to stare back. She straightened up and her eyes began to glow with that interest, or disinterest, from earlier. Jessica didn't know what to think of Baby but distinctly had the feeling that the clown didn't like her.
It was Scott shutting the van door that snapped Baby out of her stare. She looked back him briefly and, as the van started up, closed the back doors so they could leave. Jessica hurriedly followed Mike inside.
Marionette and Charlie had stayed inside the door like Ennard and Baby had. As he was coming in, he heard them whispering to each other. He found Marionette looking very distressed while Charlie was trying to comfort him with a hand on his shoulder. Instantly Mike's face softened up.
"We should get moving. Even if they catch up with the ambulance, there's a chance the cops might come out here to see what happened depending on what they say," Mike said. He looked back towards the door before adding, "I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that they won't say anything too incriminating. Especially not with what Burke just confessed to."
"If that was Burke confessing to it…" Marionette cryptically added. He shuddered lightly and held himself. "I never even felt anything. No presence, no haunting."
"I guess there's still a chance that I just pulled that out of nowhere and this is all a series of coincidences, but I'm finding that hard to swallow." Mike noticed Charlie's uneasy look and quickly added, "But I think he's going to be fine. He got himself into the car, so he's not that far gone."
She nodded in agreement as her hand slid down Marionette's arm before falling to her side. She looked down at the floor, almost looking lost, and then asked, "…Do you really think it was my father?" Mike bit his tongue uncomfortably. "Because I was talking to Mari and Clay mentioned dreams, and I realized… I've been having those reoccurring dreams about the bear." She raised her head with a look of solemn unease, "It could've been him all this time."
Marionette dropped his head into his hand and shook in in dismay. The thought distressed him, but the thought was clearly convincing him.
"I don't know. He was just the first person I thought of. Could be a stranger," Mike reasoned. Even he didn't sound like he believed it. "We can worry about it once we get in the car, and I know we will."
Marionette's head snapped up. "What if it's Old Man Consequences?"
Mike seemed a little hesitant to believe it. "I don't know if he could do that. Besides, that's not the vibe I've gotten off him."
"What if it's me?" Marionette asked in more panic. Both Mike and Charlie looked to him in confusion. "Not- Not the possession, obviously. I meant… What if I caused what happened to Burke's heart? I was with Dave too before he died. He declined right after I confronted him, as did Burke. What if I'm doing this without realizing it, without controlling it?" he asked in horror.
"Whoa, let's not get carried away here. We all saw that something was wrong with Burke even before you came in the room. Even his kid said he's been acting weird," Mike defended. "And you weren't anywhere near Glenn when that went down."
"I was in his business, and I didn't like him. What if I subconsciously directed my frustrations towards him and it didn't affect him as much because I wasn't as riled up!" Marionette exclaimed. He had completely convinced himself. "I-I heard his heartbeat, Mike. It-It went erratic right when I was on him. It could've been me! I could've killed him and Dave!"
"Hey, hey! You're working yourself up over nothing! You didn't do this!" Mike said firmly as he took Marionette's shoulders to stop him. The puppet was already wound up enough that he was ticking, having fully convinced himself that he somehow caused what happened to Clay. The security guard held him until he calmed down enough to listen. "You didn't do this. You're stressed, you're worried, and you're jumping to conclusions because you're scared. And that's okay. I'm scared too. I'm still scared because I don't know what just happened."
Marionette was starting to slowly calm down at the assurances. His ticking began to slow down until it became totally inaudible and only then did he start thinking straight.
"You're right. I'm sorry," he said. His arms dropped to his sides as he loosened up. "I'm just having trouble accepting that something like this could happen… Possession of humans. That's horrifying."
"Yeah, it is," Mike agreed. "…But you really held your own. If anything, you saved Ennard or Baby from getting a belly of bullets and did it without getting shot. That's always a victory, right?"
The Puppet nodded stiffly before looking to the man with a somber look. Still frightened, still concerned, and Mike slowly pulled him into a hug that the animatronic quickly returned. Marionette held on so tightly that he could feel that the ticking, which he could no longer hear, was still there.
It was right in that silent moment that the warehouse door opened, and Jessica peered in. Mike and Marionette quickly separated in front of her.
"Oh, sorry! I was just checking if you were ready to go…" Jessica said in slight embarrassment.
Charlie was surprised to still see her there. "Jess? I thought you left with the others."
"She couldn't fit in the car they came in, so we're giving her a lift," Mike volunteered. Jessica got a more sheepish look.
"That's not the only reason…" She looked to Charlie and her face fell. "I just wanted a little more time," she said solemnly.
"Jess…" The Security Puppet felt that renewed wave of guilt. This was why they weren't supposed to meet again, because of the eventual goodbye… Unless. "It doesn't bother you what I am, right?"
"Not as long as you're still Charlie," Jessica answered with half-hearted joking.
"Then maybe we could- if you wanted to, if you were okay with it… Maybe we don't have to end things here," Charlie offered. "Yes, I have to be careful about who sees me, but you already know what I am. We can still meet up, or you could just call me. I'm not going anywhere. At least, not right now… Can we do that? Can we try to pick things up where we left them, even if things are different?... Can we still be friends?"
Jessica's face lifted instantly. It almost looked like she was about to start crying, but tears of joy instead of sorrow. "I would love that," she said. She reached up to wipe at her eyes as Charlie's smile returned.
Once the moment had settled, Mike took charge again. "Alright, let's get a move on before someone comes in trying to charge us with something," he announced, pointing towards the door. "If all goes well, we might actually get out of this scot free."
"I feel like there could be a joke there, but I think we lost it the moment the van peeled out," Marionette volunteered to keep the mood light. It just felt like it would be better if they acted like this was a victory. They stepped out of the Fazbear Entertainment facility and left the nightmares behind them.
…Except they all knew that the nightmares weren't behind them. They knew it wasn't over.