Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Ninety-Seven

The van needed better windshield wipers. Scott felt like he had to squint to see through the torrent of rain battering against it. Which didn't help that he was just on the verge of speeding and trying to get across town as fast as he could. He was really wishing he had put on his glasses before driving, even if he never needed them before while doing so. Ennard, Baby, and Springtrap were in the back working out a plan.

"Scott goes in first and gets a lay of the land but stays close enough to the front door that he can signal if it goes south. If that happens, Ben, you go first," Springtrap directed as he pointed towards Ennard. "Butyou wear the tarp until you get inside the house. Don't do that thing where you run in blindly without thinking. Remember, there are neighbors not too far away. We have only a small buffer zone."

"So, you're saying I should scream like a banshee and stop, drop, and roll around in the front yard?" Ennard asked flatly. There was slight humor, but he was largely still serious. Springtrap was unenthused.

"Only if you're on fire," he affirmed. Then he looked towards Baby. "I will go after Ennard and then you follow me. We follow the same rules: stay covered, stay quiet, save all fighting for behind the door."

"I think I should go after Ennard. I'm much faster than you," Baby remarked. She then gave a slight huff, "And don't treat us like children. You do realize we have both been out more than you have, don't you?"

"I lived in a sewer for at least a year and came out when I had no choice but to do so. I think I know how to avoid detection," Springtrap clarified.

"He still lives in the sewer," Baby argued, nudging her head in Ennard's direction. "And I once broke into a mall, destroyed a Chica, and left without being spotted by anyone but an out-of-tune spider."

"Ah, yes. I remember hearing about that. On the internet," Springtrap flatly corrected. "And if the footage wouldn't have been corrupted- no doubt from said spider- all of Utah would've seen Circus Baby feasting on Funtime Chica like she was a roast chicken."

"What? You- It couldn't have said I-…" Baby suddenly realized where he got the information and her eyes flashed towards Ennard in a disgruntled glow. "Why did you tell him?"

"I didn't know it was a big secret! You told me, didn't ya?" Ennard asked while raising his hands in defense. Baby huffed again and looked back towards Springtrap.

"And what do we do if they're all like Burke was? Mike, Marion, and Charlie? We need to be careful with them. Some of us might not have as much restraint as others."

"Yes, and that's why you will be behind both Ben and I," Springtrap said. This broke down into whispered bickering as the two fought like quarreling siblings fighting over the last biscuit at the dinner table. It was too much for even Ennard who rolled his blue and yellow eyes and turned around to lean between the seats.

"I think you might've had a point about leaving us behind," Ennard remarked. Scott managed to gain an awkward smile that was more than a little strain. Ennard leaned closer to him, preparing to reach behind the seat and give him an assuring hug, but then stopped when he looked at the road again. "Whoa, Scott! Where we going?"

"What are you talking about? We're going to Mike and Mari's," Scott said in confusion.

"I know that, but we're going the wrong way. You should've taken a left back there."

While Scott should've been concerned that Ennard recognized the streets this well, he was instead surprised to see that the clown was correct. He was only a few roads away from the house, but he had unintentionally turned away from it. His eyes widened and he started to look around for a place to turn around. "You're right… I must have been distracted trying to see past the rain. Sorry."

"Heh, don't be sorry! We've kind of got a lot on our plate," Ennard assured him. Scott smiled again even though it was somewhat strained and took a deep breath and continued driving.

Scott stopped at the end of the road where the street led into two more. He was trying to think whether it would be quicker to turn around or try to turn and go down the road that led in the direction of the house. He was about to ask Ennard, who was looking as well, when he had a funny feeling. It was a tingling sensation over his skin, followed shortly by a tightness in his throat and then a pounding in his chest. He recognized it as anxiety, the type typically saved for when he used to work the night shift.

Except something was different. Everything got a lot hotter in the car and his vision got only more troubled as his eyes struggled to focus on the road.

"-It'll save a lot of time," Ennard finished. Scott hadn't even realized he was talking until now. He had somewhat zoned out and shook his head to try and will it away. "Hey, you okay? You're looking a little off," Ennard pointed out. Scott nodded and tried to swallow a lump in his throat.

"Ye-Yeah, just… Nervous," the man excused. He turned down the proper road and began to drive. "Are… Are we almost there?"

"Uh, yeah… You don't know where we are?" Scott asked cautiously. This caught the attention of both animatronics in the back.

"We're lost?" Springtrap questioned in disbelief.

"No, it's alright. I just… I just can't see very-." His throat seized and he cut off with a sharp round of coughs until he could breathe properly again. Except now he was starting to panic. His heart was pounding even harder and his vision was steadily becoming blurrier every passing second. "I-I think I'm having an anxiety attack?!"

"Whoa, Scott, it's okay. Deep breaths," Ennard assured to try and calm him down. "Hey, look. There's a park right up ahead. Let's just pull over so you can catch your breath, okay? The house isn't going anywhere." The clown kindly offered. Springtrap made a noise like he was going to protest by the clown silently raised a hand and shot him down. "Let's just pull over."

"O-Okay," Scott agreed. He saw the park coming through a foggy gaze and prepared to pull over. Except when the time came, he didn't, just whizzing by the park, foot pressing harder on the gas as the van sped up. His hands tightened on the steering wheel until his fingers began to ache and the pounding in his chest spread to his head. His ears were ringing, he was panicking, and he was stuck frozen. "I can't."

"What? Err, okay, if you feel like you've gotta keep going then you do that, but you're gonna need to slow down," Ennard encouraged. Scott's only moment was to turn the steering wheel and whip around the next corner, nearly driving off the road while doing so. It caused both Baby and Springtrap to get jostled in the back, the rabbit having to hold onto the shelf and clown's back hitting the wall of the van. Ennard took a firmer tone, "Scott, you need to slow down. You're going to wreck."

"I can't," Scott choked out. He was breathing in labored pants as everything seemed to blur and shift around him, except for his own body which was cemented in place. A newfound horror started to creep up on him as he realized the buzzing in his ears was starting to deafen out Ennard's voice. This wasn't anxiety, it was something much worse than that.

His chest was hurting. He couldn't breathe. He had called the house. The snake had bitten him.

"I can't, I can't, I don't want this," the man muttered under his breath. "I don't want to do this, stop. Please don't, please stop." His eyes were now completely unfocused as he felt his foot pressing down harder on the peddle. The van jerked as it sped down the road. He wasn't sure where they were, but he didn't think they were close to too many houses. Like he had driven out here on purpose. "No, no, don't do this."

Slowly Ennard started to come to the same conclusion as Scott had and could only watch in horror as the man lost all control. In an instant Ennard started to lean over him and tried grabbing for the steering wheel. "Scott, don't let it do it! You can fight this! It's your body, take control!"

"What the hell is going on up there?!" Springtrap blurted out as he tried to get to the front. Baby stared on in growing horror.

"It's… The same. Just like that detective… Candy Cadet was right," she said in disbelief. She snapped out of it long enough to call out, "Ennard, get him off the accelerator!"

"I'm trying! He's wedged himself up here!" Ennard called back. He was trying to pry Scott's arms off the steering wheel, but he had them gripped so hard he was afraid he would injure him. "Scott, you've got to let go! We're going to wreck!"

"Hallowed Father in heaven, protect my soul from evil and spare my body of suffering," Scott muttered under his breath. He couldn't muster anything above a whisper as the tightening in his chest grew. "Protect me and free me of the- the fear that holds me." He was slowly becoming more desperate, louder. "Lord, spare me and save me from this- Save me from- Lord, God in heaven, save me from the- I promise I won't- again, never again-!"

There was a whispering voice in the back of his head, so low and deep that he couldn't make it out. He shook his head vehemently as he fought the desire to continue driving until he wrecked into another car, until he swerved into another person, until he broke through everything and destroyed himself and the animatronics in the back. He wanted to hurt himself and Ennard in one fell swoop. Tears and sweat blended on his face as he shook his head in defiance.

"Lord, help me! I'm sorry, I'M SORRY! GOD, HELP ME!" All at once, Scott swerved the van sharply, drove straight off the road, and crashed headfirst into a deep ditch.

There was an explosion of sound as the frontend smashed into the bottom of the rocky trench. Everything in the back of the van shifted forward as tools flew off the shelves. Springtrap barely held onto the shelf but was twisted forward. Baby fell into the back of the passenger's seat. Ennard, the worst for wear, was thrown clean into the front of the van, half in the passenger's seat and half against the windshield, leaving a small web of cracks. Scott was jostled but caught by his seatbelt.

Springtrap was the first to recover with a low grunt. He shook his head and looked around at the van before stopping on Baby who was still slumped against the seat. He reached for her arm. "Lizzie?"

Baby slowly lifted her head from the seat. She looked around as well and was clearly uninjured, just shaken by the sudden turn. "I'm fine… The others?"

"…Ben!" Springtrap clamored forward right as Ennard started to right himself into the passenger's seat. He watched as the clown rubbed over his mask and recently replaced eye. "Please tell me it wasn't the eye."

"Ugh, no. It was just my face, but I'll live," the amalgam muttered. He quickly snapped to alertness and looked over towards Scott, seeing that he was sitting upright in the seat, still staring ahead like he was in a trance. "Scott, are you okay?!" he asked and reached for the man. As soon as he grabbed his arm the man seemed to snap out of his trance, blinking and taking a deep breath. "Scottie? Cupcake? You with me?"

"Y-Yeah…Yeah, I'm… Oh geez…" Scott's voice cracked as the humming left his ears and he regained control of his body. All at once the tightness in his chest released; it was like fingers around his throat had loosened. Whatever was controlling him had suddenly let go, but he was even more horrified. "I- I couldn't help it. I didn't mean to," he defended as he looked to Ennard. His eyes suddenly popped open and he leapt back against the door. "God almighty! Ennard?!"

"Relax! It's okay, we're okay!..." Ennard assured. Though he then paused and then looked back to Springtrap. "I don't have something half lodged in my forehead, do I?"

Springtrap shook his head and Scott's eyes darted to him. The horrified look only grew, and he awkwardly squeezed himself beside the steering wheel, almost like he was afraid of them. He reached under his collar and clutched his cross for dear life.

Hearing that he was alright, Baby looked out the back window of the van and noticed the lights of someone driving by. It didn't look like they had seen them because they were on the other side of the street, but the next passerby would, and she gasped lightly as she realized this. She turned back towards the others.

"Someone's going to see us. Someone's going to see us and call the police, and they're going to know what happened earlier. They'll catch us and put us in Burke's basement, just like that redhead told Scott," she warned. Springtrap took this concern very seriously.

"…Forget the van, we have to leave now. We should be close enough to make a break for the house," he suggested. He started to climb towards the back doors, which was awkward with how steeply the van was angled. After a few shoves he got one of the doors open before looking back. "We can figure out what to do about the van later. Let's go."

"I… Uh…" Ennard looked back to Scott and saw the state he was in. Currently he was staring downwards, almost towards the clown's chest, and holding his cross like his last lifeline. He didn't look capable of racing down the street in this state. "You go ahead. We're gonna take another way. We'll just slow you down." Springtrap nodded and started climbing out. Baby looked back at him before Ennard grabbed her arm, catching her attention once again. "You go with him. You're not gonna want to come where we're going."

"You want me to leave you? With him like this?" Baby asked in disbelief as she gestured to Scott. He was now looking at her in a mix of shock and something that looked like sympathy. She could hear him mutter something under his breath. It almost sounded like 'Elizabeth', but he had never called her that before so she assumed she imagined it. "What do you mean, where you're going?"

"I'm gonna take the backdoor up into Mike and Mari's, but you and Springtrap gotta get there first and make sure nobody closed that hatch up," Ennard said. Baby scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"What a wonderful idea. He's hysterical and scared, so why not drag him through a disgusting sewer and into a tight tunnel. Perfect idea," she said. She considered it for a moment and then added, "…It's perfect."

Ennard winked with his new, yellow eye and made a clicking noise, pointing at her. "You got it! Alright, get moving. Don't let Springy leave you, and don't get caught!"

"I never do," Baby assured. She turned away before pausing, then looking back through the seats again at Scott. "Stay with Ennard, Scott. He will watch you… I love you."

"I… I love you too, Baby," Scott said shakily. "B-Be careful."

Baby nodded and climbed out the back with Springtrap. It took her only a few seconds to find him not climbing to the road but heading down along the ditch. She awkwardly skated along the dirt until she caught up.

"Does this lead all the way to the house?" Baby asked. Her arrival seemed to surprise Springtrap.

"No, but close enough. If I remember right, there's railroad tracks not too far from here. We can move quickly from there," Springtrap explained. He looked forward once again and kept up the pace. She expected him to ask her why she was coming with him, but he didn't, and she was almost relieved that he didn't. They continued along in silence.

Springtrap was correct about the railroad tracks and they followed them along some ways before moving to the shadows behind the houses and the quieter streets. It didn't take them too long of stalking the streets before the house appeared in view. Springtrap led the way through the grass, keeping a careful eye out as they passed dangerously close to the neighbor's house, and circled around towards the front.

It was then that he saw that the front door was left open. It was the confirmation that something had gone terribly wrong. Baby came to his side and saw as well, and she too knew this was a bad sign. Though she also had a bad feeling just looking at the house itself. Something about it gave her an uncomfortable sense of familiarity. Even as Springtrap cautiously approached the door she felt the desire to stay back, even with the rain and risk of being seen.

Thunder crackled ominously as Springtrap stepped into the doorway. It was quite a scene; the pantry door was open and most of the things that had been on the shelves were knocked to the floor, with the trapdoor to the basement left wide open. The lamp in the living room was now lying on the carpet as well. It was like something had barged straight through.

Baby crept up into the doorway behind him and was stepping inside when a disturbing noise echoed down the hallway. It sounded like a moaning, maybe a sob, but both could recognize right away that it wasn't human. They exchanged a look before Springtrap started to approach the hallway with cautiously quiet steps. The floor lightly creaked underneath him, but it wasn't loud enough to be heard over the rain outside of the hallway windows, or the moaning at the end of the hall.

He leaned over and saw the back of a hideous animatronic. While he couldn't see its face, he could see the bulk, the holes and tears, and one of its claws that it had raised and slowly clawing down the doorframe. From the ridges left in the wood it was evident that it had been doing it for quite a while. It was clear that it was waiting for something inside the room. Springtrap knew better than to take it head on and instead slowly stepped back into the living room.

Baby had rolled far enough into the living room that she could see down the hall as well. Though she looked confused when Springtrap started coming back, she obeyed his suggestion when he pointed back towards the front door and rolled out first onto the front step. He followed behind and stopped in the doorway to look around and make sure the coast was clear.

"Someone's back there. I'm not sure who, but it has them cornered in that bedroom," Springtrap explained. He then stepped out and started to head for the side of the house. "We can check the windows."

"…What room was that?" Baby quietly asked. Springtrap hesitated momentarily at the question and half turned towards her. She noticed when he didn't answer her. "…It was mine, wasn't it?" Springtrap still said nothing. Baby stepped down into the wet grass and followed him, walking as the blades of grass threatening to tangle in her wheels. "Of course. It would have to be mine."

"You don't need to go inside," Springtrap suggested.

"And stay outside, standing in the rain, risking being seen? I don't have a choice," Baby said with defeat. The rabbit decided not to press further and silently led around the corner and down the length of the house.

As Baby looked around, she noticed with growing disturbance that more of this place looked familiar. Something about the yard, the fence, even the glimpses into the hallway through the window stirred long forgotten memories. She just didn't understand why they made her feel so wrong. If this was her old home, then it should've made her feel safe and warm, even if she couldn't remember much from her childhood. But it didn't; it felt like she didn't belong here anymore. For a second, she regretted leaving Ennard and Scott.

Springtrap started around the corner to the back of the house when he suddenly drew back so quickly that Baby nearly ran into him. She snapped her head up with an annoyed glint in her glowing eyes and prepared to snip at him for it, but then noticed how he was pressing close to the wall and knew he was hiding. There was something there.

"What is it?" Baby whispered. Springtrap leaned forward to peek around the corner and see, then drew back again to explain.

"It's another one. I think it's trying to get in the window," Springtrap explained. There was a metallic growl low in his chest as he hissed in distaste. "It looks like Springbonnie."

"Aren't you Springbonnie?" she asked. He gave a dry chuckle, humorless.

"You know better than to believe that there's only one suit for every model," Springtrap said almost jokingly but she couldn't tell. He took another quick look. "It has absolutely enormous teeth."

That caught her attention and she grabbed his arm and pulled him back to her. "It's one of those ones from earlier today. They all had those comically oversized teeth, but none of them knew how to use them," Baby whispered. She then looked past him and could faintly hear the scratching from out of her field of view. Her eyes glowed in a glare. "We can take him out."

"Are you sure about this?" Springtrap asked. She nodded stiffly; he knew she wouldn't back down. So, he simply turned back towards the corner. "Then follow my lead."

He only braced himself for a second before whipping around the corner and rushing the other Bonnie. It only noticed him in the last moment, looking at him out of the corner of its eye before he rammed his shoulder into it. He had become so used to being stronger than every animatronic he had come across that it took him off guard when this one stood like a brick wall. It staggered back but didn't even look threatened to fall over. It turned on him with bared teeth and claws, spreading both as its red eyes focused on him.

It gave a similar groan to the one Fredbear had been making, except it was a longer, more painful sounding noise. Fitting, Springtrap thought, and he rushed it again.

Baby came around the corner, slowed down by the wet terrain, and watched as Springtrap delivered a swift hit to the rabbit's head. It bobbled back only barely before rushing in with a slow, awkward gait, swinging its claws wildly and without thought. The first one to swing in was dodged, but the second caught Springtrap off guard and knocked him against the wall of the house. It swung again and he ducked down, feet sliding into the muck, and then uppercut it so hard its sharp teeth chattered.

All the while Baby was slowly creeping in and trying to get behind the rabbit while the other rabbit distracted it. Springtrap tried to tackle Nightmare Springbonnie around the middle and take it down, but the creature planted a foot behind it and resisted, grabbing him by the middle and spreading its wide jaws. It yanked him up and swung open its jaw impossibly wide to press its teeth against his forehead.

Before it could crush straight through Springtrap's head, Baby lashed out and seized its arm with her claw. She twisted it back and in one swift movement planted her knee in the back of Springbonnie's, causing it to stagger as its upper half swung back. It would've regained footing again if not for Springtrap pulling back and then charging the nightmare animatronic dead on.

Springbonnie was finally taken to the ground, its arm breaking off in Baby's claw and leaving only a trail of wires in its wake. Springtrap's weight fell fully atop it and he raised up to prepare to pummel it. He got as far as drawing his arm back above it when it suddenly went still. Its eyes dimmed and its body went lax beneath him, making not a word, and Springtrap drew back in surprise.

This wasn't right. It shouldn't have shut down so easily. There was always the possibility that they dislodged more internal structures, as wires did stick out around a piece of endoskeleton, but it just seemed so quick. Springtrap took a moment to look it over and make sure it wasn't going to spring back up. That was when he discovered something peculiar about the make of the animatronic.

The wires were familiar, the same as inside Baby and Ennard and a tell-tale of Afton Robotics' work. Except that they were wrapped around an animatronic frame that looked rather dated and old. In some places the metal had even tarnished, revealing its age. It did explain why the animatronic withstood his attack so well, but its mismatched nature was confusing.

Baby either didn't notice or didn't care. She instead turned her attention towards the window and reached up to tap on the glass.

Mike and Marionette had been playing the waiting game since they had gotten themselves shut up in Charlie's room. Both were on edge; Mike paced at the foot of the bed restlessly while Marionette knelt on the bed beside Charlie, looking between her and Mike and occasionally twitching with disturbance whenever the animatronics outside the door started to moan and sob. It sounded like they were mocking him, and he wanted nothing more to teleport out and silence them. But he couldn't risk it; Mike would follow him right into danger.

Then everything unexpectedly changed. In a matter of seconds, the moaning outside of the bedroom window turned into a scuffle. There was bumping and thumping against the wall and the slick sounds of heavy footsteps on wet grass. After the loudest of the noises it suddenly fell quiet outside. No moaning, no scraping, and only the slightest of movements. Mike gripped his flashlight tighter and started to hesitantly step closer. Marionette slid across the bed and put an arm out to stop him while glaring at the window warily.

But then there was a tapping on the window. One that sounded a little more direct than the scrapes that Nightmare Springbonnie had been doing. The two exchanged a look of surprise and doubt, silently asking if it was worth the risk of even looking out and getting their answer when the tapping became more insistent. Marionette lowered his arm and Mike continued to the window where he opened the curtain an inch.

His eyes widened in surprise and he turned back. "It's Baby," he said. Marionette's glare softened into a look of relief as Mike drew back the curtain. He started to open the window before hesitating. "…But what if it's not actually Baby?" he asked suspiciously. Protectiveness kicked in as he looked back and saw Marionette's face falling to fear once again.

Before they could make a full decision, Baby knocked on the window loudly. Mike looked back and she pointed to the window and then upwards impatiently.

Mike got a flat look and added, "Never mind. It's definitely Baby." He opened the window for the clown who was now tapping her foot or trying to in the puddle underneath her. "What are you doing here?"

"That's not much of a greeting, is it? You could at least invite me inside before grilling me like a common criminal. Or at least thank us for dealing with your rabbit problem," Baby remarked as she gestured a hand back towards Nightmare Springbonnie, who Springtrap was still studying and only then looked up from. "Can you let us in now? I can't be in the rain much longer."

Mike stepped aside and allowed Baby to climb through the window. It was a bit of a struggle getting her skirt through but soon she was standing in the bedroom. Springtrap followed while Mike kept an eye on Springbonnie, only looking away to offer Springtrap a hand and help him in. Baby rolled across the bedroom, unconcerned about the rainwater dripping off her, and at her unfamiliar familiar surroundings.

There were things knocked over on the moved dresser that were clearly Charlie's. Her books and various knickknacks were perched atop it and anything left over from the little girl whose bedroom this once was were long gone. Baby didn't know if she was relieved to not see them and have the memories resurface or disappointed that nothing of her own seemed to be left. It was almost like Charlie had fully replaced her in this house. She couldn't understand why that would bother her.

Her eyes trailed over to the nightstand and over the silver bell pendant left there, Charlie's. Then to the green jacket slung over the bedpost, Charlie's. The rabbit doll at the edge of the bed, Charlie's. Then to the Security Puppet herself laying splayed out half under the covers. She was sleeping soundly, and Baby found that odd.

"How is she sleeping through this? More importantly, why haven't you woken her up? I think the bear breaking down the door may be more important than beauty sleep," Baby fussed as she looked to Marionette. The Puppet immediately got a look of distress before turning back towards the one in the bed and wringing his hands.

"We tried, but… We can't. She won't wake up," he revealed with an off-tune sound of distress.

"You can't? What do you mean, you can't?" Baby pried. She looked down at the Security Puppet and to her it looked like she was just sleeping peacefully. There wasn't even a look of pain or distress; they had to be overreacting. "She's just exhausted and you're not trying hard enough to wake her." Baby reached out and began to shake Charlie's shoulder, but there was no response. "…Charlie?" She shook the puppet harder until it was causing her prong bell to ring. It started to sink in. "I… I don't understand. Was she broken? Did they break her?"

"She isn't broken, but… I don't know. I can't tell if it's a signal through those animatronics that's keeping her like this and I just can't hear it or if she was damaged earlier and this is just a delayed reaction… Or if it's something else," Marionette admitted. He reached out and grabbed Baby's wrist to stop the shaking. Baby met his gaze for only a second before withdrawing her arm and silently turning away.

"I would volunteer that it is whatever possessed Burke," Springtrap spoke up. He turned to Mike and explained, "That's what we were coming to warn you about. Candy Cadet confirmed that something has been controlling people through the phone lines. Normally I would be doubtful, but he speaks the truth… And it was all but confirmed when it took control of Scott and forced him to wreck the van."

"What?!" Mike exclaimed. "Where is he?! Is he okay?!"

"He's fine for now. It released him quickly, only concerned with getting in our way," Springtrap explained. This eased the security guard's panic a little. "He tried calling before we came over, which could have been how it took ahold of him."

"When you say, 'for now'-?"

"Ben's taking him through the sewers as we speak. Through one of his many shortcuts."

"My condolences." Mike looked back towards the bed. "But jokes aside, that doesn't bode well for Charlie. How would it have gotten her? She hasn't been on the phone at all tonight. I was the one on the phone all afternoon, why didn't it go for me?" Springtrap didn't have much of an answer. Mike was exasperated as he looked down at Charlie, trying to swallow the worry threatening to rise. "It made some sense when we thought it was only aiming for humans," he muttered.

Marionette couldn't understand it. It would make sense that something was keeping Charlie asleep, but how something could possess already possessed machines was baffling. Or humans that were in full control of their bodies. More so the human aspect, as he knew animatronic bodies were a little more pliable. When he had been forced to take control of animatronics in the past-…

Suddenly the puppet had a revelation; he could possess animatronics too, so maybe he could use that to his advantage.

He turned himself to look up at Mike who was standing behind him. "I have an idea." The man got an interested look. "…but you're not going to like it."

"I already don't like that tone, so it's not much further to go," Mike muttered with a weary exhale. "It involves us taking out Fredbear, right?"

"No, though we should do something about him before he breaks down the door," Marionette said as he sent a wary glance at the door before looking back at Mike. "Maybe the reason Charlie isn't waking up is because this spirit is trying to possess her but doesn't know how to puppeteer animatronics. Up until now it has only been controlling humans, but controlling an animatronic means trying to possess a body that's already possessed. Worst case scenario, it may try to force Charlie out of her body to take over."

"No. That can't happen," Baby denied. It sounded a lot more like stubborn denial than reasonable disagreement. "That can't be possible."

"I think it can, but I would be able to tell if Charlie wasn't with us anymore. She's still very much with us… For now," Marionette cryptically said. He got a more determined look than any he had that night, even including their day inside of the facility. "But as you all may know; I can possess other animatronics. I don't like doing it, but I can do it, and I doubt Charlie would protest if I was doing it to save her life."

"So, wait, you're saying you're going to possess Charlie?" Mike asked and Marionette nodded. "And then if you possess Charlie you think it would cancel out whatever this is? Or overpower, push it out or something like that?" The puppet nodded once again. "Alright. I'm up to speed…" Mike clicked his tongue thoughtfully and asked, "So, then what happens if this thing tries to possess your body while you're possessing Charlie?"

"It won't be able to."

"But what if it does?" the man protested more firmly. Now Marionette was forced to consider it and he gave it a few silent seconds of thought.

"…Possession isn't instantaneous. Especially for something that doesn't physically have ahold of its victim. If I feel it starting to take hold, I will draw back out. Then we can either try again or figure out another plan."

"We'll be figuring out another plan," Mike affirmed. It was clear that he was already not entirely on board with this one. At least Marionette seemed confident, even if Mike knew there was little way that he could be. He gave a slow exhale and asked, "Is there any way I could pull you out of it if I had to?"

"I'm going to have my strings wrapped around her. If I get into trouble then just pull them loose," Marionette encouraged. He then turned himself around and reached towards Charlie. "I'm going to go ahead and try. I don't want to waste anymore time and risk her losing her body entirely."

"This plan scares the hell out of me," Mike announced. The Puppet hesitated for a moment.

"…I know. It scares me too." Marionette strings started to slide down from his wrists, and he maneuvered them around Charlie. "Baby, can you help me lift her?"

Baby silently did so, easily lifting Charlie's upper half so that his strings could fully encircle her. Mike frowned and looked towards Springtrap wondering if he was going to protest, but he didn't. Marionette made sure to be careful as he enwrapped the other puppet and slowly started to take control. After a few moments, he slouched forwards. Mike almost grabbed for him then but held back when he realized the puppet was still technically upright, still knelt even with his head drooped, so he was still somewhat in control of himself. The man crossed his arms uncomfortably as he watched.

"What do we do now?" Baby asked as she looked between the two Mikes. Neither of them looked certain.

"Watch and wait. Pull Mari out if something goes wrong and make sure those things outside don't get in," Mike offered. He barely dragged his eyes off Marionette long enough to look at her. "Maybe once Scott gets here; I can use his phone to send a call out to Jeremy and warn him. I'm not going to take the chance with either of ours. I don't even know where I left mine."

At the mention of Scott, Springtrap suddenly flashed on the scene he saw out in the front room. Including the torn apart pantry that led down into the basement where they would be coming up.

"I have to go," he abruptly announced as he turned to the window. "Your pantry door was broken through. I can only assume that's how those things got in, but that's also how Ben will be- Damn!"

"What?" Mike asked. Springtrap pointed out the window and he looked too to see that Nightmare Springbonnie was now missing. "You've got to be kidding me! I thought you took that thing out!"

"I thought I did! Damn it all, I knew it went down too quickly!" Springtrap vented as he pounded his fist once against the window frame. Then with a growl he began to climb out. "Just another thing I have to put up with in this house. Keep the window shut and don't open it for anyone human unless I'm with them," Springtrap affirmed. Without another word he began to slink around the house, and Mike shut and locked the windows and drew the curtains.

It was now that Fredbear decided to stir again with a loud bang. Its pressure on the door was so intense that it forced the dresser an inch back. Both Mike and Baby looked over, with the latter giving a sigh and rolling over. She easily pushed the dresser back into place before leaning against it with her arms folded on top.

"Think you can keep him out?" Mike asked.

Baby nodded but was strangely quiet, reaching out to examine and fiddle with a couple of loose parts Charlie had been keeping on her dresser. Probably for research purposes as they were beside her robotics books.

"I'll keep an eye on the window… While I'm keeping an eye on Mari," Mike offered. He looked back to Marionette's hunched form and felt that same foreboding feeling. Almost like, ironically, someone else was pulling all the strings. Like he had little control on the situation. He barely knew where everyone was and even those who he did weren't safe. Not to mention the dread for those who weren't accountable.

He hoped Jeremy just forgot to come home tonight.

"Better get you to a hospital."

With that, Foxy's run was over much shorter than he intended it to be. Which wouldn't have been as disappointing if he didn't have such a wide audience who he had boasted to before beginning the game. Foxy was practically the master of Sit 'N Survive, so to see that lower score was painful, and Balloon Boy's laugh was salt in the wound. The Minireenas on his shoulders were silent, unimpressed.

"A'right, so I be a bit rusty! There be plenty 'o tokens to be provin' me point," Foxy defended as he fumbled to get another out of the basket sitting on a stool beside the arcade machine. Now the three Minireenas joined in with the giggling, two sitting on Foxy's shoulders and one perched on his head. He was sure it was Daisy from how unafraid of falling she was. "Arr, ya won't be laughin' at Cap'n Foxy long, ya scallywags!"

Jeremy caught the end of this exchange while he was walking back from the rocket riders. Plushtrap and Lilium had decided that they wanted another ride together, so he had turned it back on for them. He smiled in amusement at Foxy's little protest as he continued to the Fruity Maze game, where the two Bidybabs were trying to figure out how to play together.

"Okay, girls. I'm all-." Jeremy only got that far before he broke down in an unexpected coughing fit. The twins looked back in surprise as he hacked into his fist and thumped it on his chest. "Sorry."

"Ya okay over there, Lad?" Foxy called back. "Sounds like it be time fer another swig 'o cherry brine." Jeremy grimaced at the thought.

"I'm never going to sleep tonight…" But right before he could consider arguing, he was wracked by another choking cough and decided not to fight it. "Yeah, you're right. I think it's wearing off. Girls, you just… Here." He popped another token in the machine to garuntee another go once they were done with the one they were in. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes," he assured with a smile before heading towards the kitchen.

Foxy was just about to restart the game when he heard Jeremy coughing again on the way to the kitchen. This time, though, he sounded a little wheezier before he disappeared into the kitchen. The pirate couldn't help but be a little concerned considering how much medicine it took earlier to get that under control, and at that time he wasn't sounding like this. Foxy decided to go check on him and stepped back from the machine.

"Gonna go check on me first mate. You all man ship without me," Foxy suggested as he plucked the Minireenas off one by one and set them down on the controls of the arcade cabinet. Balloon Boy gave a mocking laugh, one that Foxy took as him silently suggesting he was giving up, or looking for an excuse to leave, or whatever bratty thing he could imagine Balloon Boy saying. So, he decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. "Tell ya what, Lad, why don't ya take over? With all that laughter ya be dishin' out, I'm sure ya know just how to beat this game."

That quieted the short animatronic up instantly. With that hesitance, Foxy gave a boisterous laugh. "Whuzzat, Lad? Ya can make the challenge but ya won't take the challenge? Guess yer a little too wet behind the ears to go swimmin' with the big fish," he prodded.

Balloon Boy responded with a noise that sounded uncomfortably like the huff of a balloon being blown up, obviously a noise of irritation, and he pattered over to drag the stool to the arcade cabinet. So he could play, prove himself, and hopefully knock Foxy down a peg leg or two. Foxy had a suspicion that this was not going to happen and strode out of the room like he knew for certain. Only stopping for a moment over the Bidybabs to make sure they were playing nice and looking back towards Max who was watching television on the rolled out tv.

Foxy confidently strode into the kitchen where Jeremy was standing at the corner of the counter. "Want somethin' to wash that down with?" Foxy offered. He headed to the fridge and pulled out one of the half-filled two-liter of Cove Cooler and toted it to the nearest counter. He got out a plastic cup, lightly humming the Pirate Song, and only noticed Jeremy's quietness once he finished pouring the drink. "Ya alright, Lad?"

"Uh…" Jeremy sounded hesitant as he moved something on the counter. He removed his glasses and set them aside on the counter, his hand trembling like a leaf. "I… Uh…"

"Lad? Ya need to go home?" Foxy offered as he capped the bottle. The last thing he wanted was Jeremy to be feeling awful and being stuck here. That wasn't how this night was supposed to go. "Ya know, iff'n ya needed the night off, ya could slip off home and I'd watch the little rapscallions fer the night. They ain't too hard to distract if ya got enough tokens."

But Jeremy seemed hesitant. He wouldn't even look over and Foxy leaned on the counter to see closer. "Jer'my? What's going on?" Now he was starting to become worried, especially when he noticed that Jeremy's arms were shaking. "Lad, what's wrong?... Is that thing happenin' again?"

Jeremy finally started to turn more towards him and it was then that Foxy saw the look on his face. His eyes were wide with a distant look while his face was frozen in fear. He got the slightest touch of a smile for a second, or maybe it was a grimace, and swallowed dryly. His voice was hoarse.

"I-I… I want..." Jeremy's anxious smile returned. "I want to… Carve off your face…" The smile dropped as he stared at Foxy with that shaken horror. "And wear it as my mask."

Foxy was speechless by the disturbing comment. He couldn't respond at first and when he did all he could get out was, "…This some kinda joke?"

Jeremy slid his hand across the counter. Pinned underneath it, like he was trying to hold it down and keep it from running away, was a kitchen knife. Specifically, the one Tabby used to chop all the ingredients that weren't pre-sliced or shredded. His trembling fingers coiled around the handle as Foxy sat up from the counter in alarm.

"What are you doing with that?" Foxy muttered. His eye was fixated on the blade now and he felt growing panic when the blonde lifted it sluggishly, like it was almost too heavy to lift. "Put that down, Jeremy." But the man just started to slowly creep towards him, his face taking a look of blankness as unfocused eyes leveled on the fox. "Lad, you're not thinking right. I need you to put down the knife. You can do it."

The moment Foxy took a step towards Jeremy, that look of fear seized his features again. His teeth clenched and his eyes widened, shaking his head wildly in denial, and backing towards the counter.

"N-No! Stay back!" Jeremy warned as he corned himself. Foxy stopped in place and waited for a few seconds to see if the man would calm down. The blond took a few deep, frantic breaths before he nearly doubled over coughing. Foxy started to rush him, planning on snatching the knife away, but didn't get a chance before Jeremy shot upright and thrust the knife along with him.

Except the blade wasn't aimed at Foxy this time, it was aimed towards himself. Pointed directly at his own throat. This stopped Foxy directly in his tracks. He silently stared in horror, hoping Jeremy was bluffing.

It almost seemed like he was at first, but then something strange happened. Jeremy's eyes slowly lowered until they were looking in the direction of the knife. He started to point it upwards, then raised it slowly to his cheek, pressing the cold blade against his warm skin. He slowly began to drag it back down. Foxy saw him visibly wince, then noticed the tiny cut appearing on his skin, and the growing panic in his gaze.

Foxy threw caution to the wind and went for the knife again. Jeremy's eyes snapped forward at the last second and he lashed out. The pirate was just quick enough to weave back before the blade could slash across his muzzle. He could barely believe it; Jeremy, his first mate, had just took a swing at him. "He's confused. He's hallucinating, he barely knows what he's talking about!"

Jeremy was back to gritting his teeth as he looked at Foxy with an unhinged look. Then his eyes snapped to the side and he looked around at the kitchen. He stared in shock and shook his head frantically.

"I-I didn't do this… I didn't do this!" Jeremy stumbled over his own feet as he grappled at the counter and staggered to the door. Halfway there he noticed his free hand and looked down, retching as he looked at his palm, then his chest. "It's- It's all over me!" He began to desperately wipe at his chest, trying to rub away something that only he could see. "No, no, no, no…"

Realizing that the man was heading for the door, Foxy started trying to step closer again, but now much more cautiously. "Jeremy."

Jeremy took one look at him before he suddenly bolted for the kitchen door. Foxy was right on his heels but couldn't stop him before he staggered out into the main room. All the animatronics looked over at the sound of the kitchen door banging open. Any hope of seeing them snapping Jeremy out of this was dashed. All he did was look over the room with that same twisted look of disturbance before turning to run down the hall. He only got a few steps before Foxy was behind him.

"Oh no, you don't!" Foxy called before promptly tackling Jeremy to the floor. The knife dropped out of his hand and skidded about a foot away. Jeremy desperately clawed for it, crawling across the floor as Foxy tried to pin him against the tile. "Snap out of it! Whatever you see isn't real!" He slowed his crawl to a crawl, climbing up the man and reaching for his arm to stop him from grabbing the knife.

Suddenly a Minireena jumped onto his head, hissing aggressively. Then a second and a third, crawling over Foxy's back and head, thinking he was trying to attack Jeremy and fighting back. One of them yanked at his ear while the other started jabbing its hands into his eyes. One of the Bidybabs came up into his field of vision before its faceplates suddenly snapped open. It gave a horrendous screech before jump onto his upper back. With their intervention, Jeremy finally climbed out enough to grab the knife.

Daisy hopped off Foxy and started running up to her caretaker when he turned on her. She had never seen such a deranged look on his usually gentle face, and the raised knife poised to strike reminded her of bad things she wasn't supposed to remember. Jeremy looked at her like he didn't recognize her at all, and his shaky hand only clutched the knife tighter. She lost her nerve and backed away towards the others, who had stopped attacking Foxy and were all staring at their caretaker with the same shock.

The moment Foxy shifted, Jeremy found his voice. "Don't." It was firm, no longer shaking, and now back to an almost confused whisper. Jeremy slowly turned the knife sideways in his hand until it was pointed further at him than any of them. "Don't do it, Gabriel. Don't do it." His tone was chilling and distant, but nothing compared to when he continued with a mutter of, "He will do it. He's a murderer."

"Daddy, you're scaring us!" one of the Bidybabs called out. Jeremy had no reaction to her. "What's wrong with him?! Why's he got that knife?!"

"He's confused. He's seeing things that aren't really there, doesn't even recognize us," Foxy said, ignoring returning to his typical accent and purposefully ignoring that Jeremy had just said his name. He wasn't convinced that Jeremy knew it was him, not with how he was acting. "He's going to hurt himself."

"No! Daddy!" the other Bidybab cried. The Minireenas let out distressed cries and Plushtrap was chattering.

The noise seemed to trigger another mood swing as Jeremy twitched, blinked, and refocused his eyes. Now he looked at them again and his eyes popped open. He crawled back on the floor to try and get away.

"No, this can't be happening. I'm… I'm seeing things that aren't there. They're not real- No, stay back!" Jeremy cried as he pointed the knife forward at Foxy who tried to crawl closer again. Then Jeremy noticed the weapon in his own hand. "Oh God, why do I have this?!" He threw it down on the floor beside him, then immediately slammed his hand down on the handle and snatched it back up. "No, I don't want it!"

Foxy noticed the exchange and lowered his voice to whisper to the others. "We need to get that knife away from him and we can't let him get out the door," he directed. The problem was that they couldn't get close. Even when he moved the slightest bit, just to straighten himself to face Jeremy again, the blond noticed and look towards the group. He was holding the knife again too.

"Stop! Stop-… Doing that!" Jeremy's eyes trailed to the floor beneath Foxy and widened. "I-Is that blood?... Oh God!" He was lost in his hallucination again and Foxy knew it was time to strike.

Except that he didn't get a chance.

Suddenly, a loud shriek broke out from behind them. All except Foxy looked back to see Max standing behind them just close enough to the wall that Jeremy would be able to see him as well. He screamed deafeningly as his head spun and his arms twisted and flailed in a demented display. The blond stared transfixed at the scene; whatever he was seeing could be nothing less than traumatizing.

Neither he nor Foxy had realized that Balloon Boy got past them and into the office until he bolted out and snatched the knife out of Jeremy's hand. He was gone just as quickly as he came through, running into the nearest bathroom. Jeremy tried to make a grab after him but before he could, Foxy sped forward, knocking the dolls off him, and pinning the blond to the floor. Jeremy thrashed underneath him and tried to fight him off, but he couldn't, and this time when the others rushed in it wasn't Foxy who they piled onto.

"Let go! No! I didn't- It wasn't me! I didn't do it!" Jeremy yelled. He turned his head and looked off somewhere into the corner in confusion. "Help me!"

"Don't back down! We're doing this for his own good!" Foxy called to the others. This time they listened and succeeded in turning the man onto his belly. "Someone get me something to tie him with! His shoelaces or something!" he directed. The Bidybabs held down Jeremy's right leg as the Minireenas started to unlace his shoe.

Balloon Boy peeked out of the bathroom to see the scene. "Good show," Max complimented as he passed by. He stood alongside Foxy and looked down at Jeremy, watching him fall into a coughing fit before looking to the fox. "But this isn't good."

"Nah, it ain't," Foxy muttered, returning to his usual accent.

"What do we do?" Max asked, looking to him. The pirate gave a grim hum.

"We wait 'til morning and see if he snaps out of it again. That's what happened last time."

"…Oh good. There was a last time. Thank you for warning us about that." Foxy turned away with obvious shame while Max looked down at Jeremy again. "I don't want to scare you, Gabe, but I don't think Jeremy's the only one who's in there." Foxy turned to him startled, but the magician was still just as calm as ever. "Better be careful or we're going to lose him."

The worst part was that Foxy knew he was right.