All the stories are true

by Dayfal

A fan of the "Five Nights at Freddy's" franchise is brought in a world where the events of his beloved video game series have yet to take place. Taken in by the Emilys, he slowly adjusts to his new life and tries to stop the murders and save those that would have originally died as well as stopping William Afton, all while he figures out the games' extensive lore from memory.

18. Chapter 18

Charlie grows sick of her father's lack of care, Cassidy gets her answers and William finishes tying his strings around his children.

Dark0000: Oh, it warms my heart to know that I could stir such a reaction out of you! You've no idea how happy I am to hear that! I try to make William as threatening as I can because my guy was a joke in all of his appearances after Springtrap.

It was a joy to read through what you thought of Lizzie, and I thank you for taking the time to leave such a lengthy comment . She's made to be William's little puppet and I love to write the dynamic between her and her dad. As a slight spoiler, she's gonna be pretty significant to what William has in store for his family.

About the chapter length, I suffer from the need to write all of my ideas for a chapter to feel satisfied enough to release it, so I don't think we're gonna see 7-8k chapters ever again, but thanks for the encouraging!

Concerning Michael, I think you're gonna be in for a treat 😁…

FayVeku: I'm glad to hear it ^_^!

Chimamire009: Thank you for the kind words! I'm happy to know I could deliver! Whenever I write the supernatural stuff, I get pretty anxious about it but it's reassuring to hear that people like it!

Also, thanks for the bookmark on AO3, that was so nice of you😊!

Matt is gonna need to bring out his A Game if he wants to save anyone, not just Charlie, but it remains to be seen ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

EthernallyDamnedSoul: I feel you, buddy. I'm excited I can make such a detestable character!

Charlie and Cass are best girls. Hopefully Matt doesn't screw it up, or is not screwed over. Frankly, the possibilities are there but we'll have to place our trust in him.

Guest: Aw, thanks😄!

Thank you for the reviews, everyone! It brightens up my day to read them!

This time a lot of our characters are going to get pretty emotional. Expect mushy stuff sprinkled here and there among the tons of angst. Trigger warnings for anxiety attacks, mentions of drugs, drug use, alluded minor, as in child, drug use, and some slight addiction… Yeah, I don't have anything to say for myself except I wish you guys will enjoy it!

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I just want to go home, don't want to be alone. Please don't cry or scream out, you won't ever get out.

She'd kept quiet the day after, waiting to see if her father would take the initiative, but he decided heading out with uncle Will was more important. She'd kept quiet this morning, thinking it wouldn't help anyone to start the day off on the wrong foot, but she could not keep quiet any longer, especially after seeing her dad avoid talking with Matt again. Charlie's patience had run thin for the man, and if he did not plan on addressing the elephant in the room she'd do it for him- or more accurately for her brother- since daddy was too busy to check in with his son.

She could not believe him. She'd given him the benefit of the doubt after they came home, but she'd expected him to make the effort and talk with Matthew even if he didn't know what to say by the next day, which her father had refused to do. Charlie had wanted to interpret what the man had done as a misunderstanding, but she wasn't dumb enough to do so. No, she understood that the man had chosen to ignore her brother of his own volition, and she could not let that slide. She didn't care if this was unbecoming of her, or if she was about to be rude and act like one of those kids that misbehaved to get their way, and she did not care if she was about to use words that would get her grounded for months. None of that mattered. She was doing this for her sibling's sake, and that was reason enough for the girl to do anything. Charlie had to get the man she had admired to realize his mistake and at least try to fix it.

She did not know how much his actions had affected Matthew. Perhaps an apology would be too late, but her dad owed his son to at least offer it in hopes to make it better. There were high chances it wouldn't, but those were the risks her father would have to take if he wanted Matt to not develop a hate for him and think of himself as a burden. It was the man's responsibility to ensure those things didn't happen, and it baffled her that she was the one who had to remind him of it. This was why her respect for her father had greatly diminished in the last two days. He was the one who had to solve these issues, so to think that his daughter had to take his place because he, a grown adult, couldn't pull himself together was absurd, and she would've laughed at it had she been told this was what it would come down to. Henry had forced her to mature and Matthew to suffer because he was too… she didn't know what his deal was, but he was too something to do the bare minimum a parent was supposed to do.

That hateful part of her mind whispered incompetent, but Charlie would've liked to think that was not nearly the case, as her dad had proven to be a capable parent since he'd taken care of her for as long as she could remember. He'd been a single parent who'd had to struggle to make her feel safe and loved by himself, and he'd done a good job thus far, so what had changed? Did the fact that now he had to take care of two children make this hard all of a sudden? That was the only explanation Charlie could think of, but it was still no excuse. She could've cut him some slack if this had involved any other person, but this was her brother they were talking about. The reason she was so strong about this. A boy who had lost everything, who had woken up abandoned at night on the road, who would never see his friends and family again, so there was no justification for the man to not do his best, and this was far from it.

She'd promised Matt she'd be there for him, and if that included giving her father a wake-up call then she had no problem doing so. She'd told her brother that he was worth it, and she hadn't lied. Charlie wouldn't lie to him. Everything she'd told him was true, and she wanted to prove it to him by making the boy feel just as safe and loved as she had so that he would never think of himself as a liability ever again.

Determined, she walked into the kitchen where Henry was preparing dinner. He smiled upon seeing her come in, thinking she could not wait to eat, but as he'd soon find out she did not intend to just sit down. The man wiped his forehead to get rid of the sweat that had formed thanks to the steam coming off of the saucepan, ruffling his daughter's hair when she halted before him. He must've noticed her frown if the worry on his face said anything.

"Hey, sweetheart, what's wrong? Is everything alright?"

"No, dad. You need to talk to Matt." that made him pause and kneel to her level, brushing a few strands out of her eyes.

"Did something happen at school?" why did he have to be like this? He knew nothing had happened at school, and yet he sounded so concerned it genuinely made Charlie furious to think that he still chose to ignore what had happened. Why did her father- why did all of the adults she knew pretend things were alright when they weren't? Was what wrong with them…?

"No, it's not about that. It's about the therapy session." she wouldn't give him time to beat around the bush and act like he did not know what was up. "That whole thing hurt Matthew, and I know you know it too, so I want to ask you to go talk to him. He needs you, dad. Please, don't just leave him alone. I know he always says he's fine but it's obvious he's lying. I talked to him, but he still needs to hear it from you that things will be okay." Henry faltered under her gaze upon seeing that his tactic would not work on her. Charlie's eyes were no longer the focus of his own.

"Dear, that's… your brother's not ready. He needs a little time before he-" the girl's eyes twitched.

"-Why do you say that?! Why do you act like he's not affected by this!?" she shouted, surprising the man. She could get punished for this if that's what her father would deem appropriate, but first, she would demand that he do what he must before he bothered her. "You can't put this off, dad. Matt doesn't need you tomorrow, or the day after, he needs you now! He needs his father right now to go tell him that it's gonna be alright! Please… stop pretending like he's fine. Matthew's not stupid, and he's not gonna get better if you ignore him like this. Please…" the tears were warning to spill if she kept talking, but she would keep going for as long as it took to convince him, even if she would later suffer the consequences for it. "I don't get what you're so afraid will happen, but I don't want to lose him. Just, stop it, please. Stop this and go make him happy. Be his father too. I'm not the only one who needs you in their lives…" Charlie hiccupped, and Henry went to comfort her only for the girl to brush his hand off her shoulder. "Tell him how much you love him. He needs to hear it… You've only ever said it to me since taking Matt in- don't you see how he looks at us when you do that? You're never there and you never let him know that he means just as much to you as I do… Just… stop it. Stop it and tell him you love him… I can't handle seeing him hurt like that- please, do something about it. I don't know what to do, dad. You do, so do it… Tell him… Don't let him hurt in silence…" she wiped her eyes, going as far as to take a step back when the man made a motion to embrace her. It wasn't her that needed the support and affection. She'd had plenty of it already.

Charlie hadn't quite said all that was on her soul, but she hoped she'd said the right things to make her father have a change of heart. If even now he would not take action she wouldn't know what she'd do. The girl did not see herself as the type to go into hysterics, but she loved her brother too much to allow this to go on further. She didn't think she could forgive her father if he remained like he was now, so she closed her eyes, begging for Henry to do what was right. He had to, because despite his faults he was her dad- the man that had offered her the best childhood any girl could ask for, the man that made the absence of Charlie's mother tolerable, the man that she knew was capable of infinite kindness. She was way past angry with him, but she still believed in him. She held on to that hope that he would not fail her brother a second time…

"I…" his tone was low. She opened one eye to stare at him, her face wry with tears. Charlie did not breathe as she waited for him to answer her. She could see the contemplation in his distant eyes, how he hesitated to agree with her. She bit the inside of her cheek, imploring her dad to be the parent his son needed. "…"

It felt as if her entire being had shattered like glass. She watched in horror as he remained still, looking at the floor instead of nodding and heading upstairs to where Matthew was. Every single happy moment she'd made with her dad resurfaced into the forefront of Charlie's mind, only now it was tainted with the knowledge that the man she'd come to admire like a fanatic, thinking he could do no wrong, was a liar and a fake. But the girl's despair was drowned out by the rage that suddenly enveloped her, and in that instance, she felt like she was about to do something she could never take back, but never in her life had she felt so betrayed as she did now. This anger was very much uncharacteristic of her, but her loyalty had been broken by the one that should have assured her he'd do his best. Henry deserved to be made aware of his true nature that not even he knew of, she was certain.

"YOU'RE A-"

"-I'm sorry." that closed her mouth, making her clench her fist thinking he would explain why he refused. She'd give him the courtesy of hearing him out before going into great detail over how he was a sad, terrible person who did not merit having two children as part of his family. "You're right, dear… I… I'm so sorry… I know he's been hurting and there's no excuse for what I've done… I- I fooled myself into thinking he was fine but the truth is that I'm just a coward." her father took hold of her hands, his eyes shining with humiliation. "You're one hundred percent right. He's my son, and I should treat him as such. I… I can't ask you to forgive me- or him, I know how much he means to you- to the both of us, but I swear to you that I'm gonna change. I- I've made a grave mistake and… it was in no way justified, but I'll try to set it right. I… I'm sorry, Charlotte… I never meant for it to be like… this…"

Charlie looked at her dad's hands as they held hers, before softening her expression, but retaining her snarl. She swallowed her anger for a while, squinting at him, then looked to the side, unable to meet his gaze, her face clearly portraying her disenchantment.

"…You're still focused on me. I'm not the one you should be saying sorry to…" she glanced at him for a brief second, making sure to shine her disdain through her glare. "…Go be a father." the man froze on the spot, seeming to finally understand how bad he'd messed up. He shakily reached to take off his glasses, his fingers trembling around their frame, and set them down on the kitchen counter. Henry nodded; his mouth opened to utter nothing.

"Y- Yeah, I will…" she moved aside to allow him to pass. Charlie did not look after him as he left. She pulled her chair at the dinner table and sat down, anxiously playing with her hair.

She sighed out of relief, but the outrage was still lingering in her chest. If she pushed past the cocktail of emotions she was feeling, she could say that she regretted acting as she had, but… but Matthew would be lost without adult support, the exact thing she could never offer him.

No one would've expected her of all people to be this way, and she did not know she had it in herself to be this harsh and cold, to her father no less, who she often liked to praise as the best person in the whole wide world, but she'd been a first-hand witness to her brother's suffering since he'd come into their home, and to her father's disregard for it. The moment that therapist woman had rejected her brother her dad should've jumped at the opportunity to help Matthew, but he didn't. Out of cowardice, leading to her having to be the responsible one.

…She'd reached her boiling point. This was what it looked like when the "angel" that was Charlotte Marie Emily snapped.

Because Charlie was sick of being a golden princess to the people that did not earn it.

She was right. She was so right he felt like breaking down and imploring for both of their forgiveness at their feet. How could he be so- so moronic as to not do what he needed to do. Why didn't he listen to his friend's advice? Will had definitely been more than off that night, but his advice had been sound, so why didn't Henry listen?... If he were to let go of his denial, he'd know the reason. It was the defining trait of his family; what had made his mother act like everything was fine after his and Jen's father would come home late at night drunk and just… make a mess, to put it lightly. Why Jen said she was okay living on her own when her house was not that far away from Hurricane. Why he never mentioned Charlie's mother, and why he did not ever think of his actual son.

The reason was that it was easier to put on the act of it all being a dream where nothing was or could ever go wrong. The Emilys, up until him, liked to live in their fantasy worlds where anything that posed a danger to the normal they were so accustomed to was a threat that had to either be eliminated or ignored. If they couldn't get rid of it then they would assimilate it into their masquerade. Everyone from his grandparents to his uncles and aunts to his mother and sister to him practiced this, and they were all cowards. Weak people that could not deal with the reality they lived in, and his daughter was so right. He was one of them.

He was scared of his creation because he did not understand it, but he allowed it to remain with his children since it had proven a reliable guardian. Henry was scared of helping the boy confront his trauma because he'd never done it himself. He was absolutely terrified of saying the wrong thing to him, because he remembered that when he'd done that, he used to get punished for it, but there was no wrong thing to say when his intention was to assist the boy. No, anything he would say that was meant to help would have its intended effect, because Matthew needed, and would take, any amount of support he would receive, no matter how shallow or half-assed it'd be. Henry understood that now, thanks to his daughter. He'd spiralled into this hellhole of doubt where he was too afraid to act since he'd think that what he'd say would make it worse when by not even trying he was refusing to help, but Charlotte had been there to pull him out. His angel.

God, how could he allow himself to fall this low? It was only thanks to his brilliant daughter that rejected to take after the bad in him that he'd managed to get over the raw fear he felt, gather his will and do something. Not because it would make him feel safer, but because he had to. As a father. For the first time in many years, Henry had the power to step out of his little fortress of lies and face the reality surrounding him. Henry did not know how he'd won in court if he was honest. Perhaps he was that good of a liar, being able to not only fool those people but also himself. It all went to show how much of a screwup he was. How he did not deserve his children because he could not get over his shit after decades of having time to deal with it.

He'd projected Sa- his son onto Matthew. Someone that he only knew of but was not really bothered to get to know and… be there for. Someone he could claim was part of his family, but whom Henry would pay the least amount of attention to- and that was just so, so evil of him to do. After spending days in court, going through countless visits, and fighting to get custody he had failed at the most basic of things as a parent; to make the boy feel loved. Nothing he could tell himself would hide that truth, and he'd have to live with that for the rest of his life, but he was prepared to do so for the sake of his children. Like being hit with freezing water the man was awoken to his faults, and he swore to get better. His darling Charlotte had just pointed toward the reflection of what he'd become, and he promised to shape that reflection into that of a father both him and his kids could be proud of.

Henry knew full well that the path of his redemption would be a long one, filled with trials and hardship, but he was going to walk it to the end, and not let the fears and vices he'd encounter along the way slow him down, because he had to prove to his children that he could be the father they deserve. Henry had to be better than his father, and better than all his other relatives. The man had to break this venomous cycle that had made him and most of the people he knew weak. For Charlotte, and Matthew.

So, with renewed resolve, he knocked on his boy's door. Matthew's voice was heard from the other side, letting Henry enter. When he opened the door he found Matt at his desk, writing. What he was writing the man couldn't tell- the blue notebook was not one used for school. His robot was sitting on the boy's bed, having stopped drawing right after the door opened. Those green lights in its eyes glowed brighter, paralyzing him in the doorframe. The air was getting toxic the more he looked at the Puppet, and Henry could feel his lungs fighting an invisible battle to allow him to breathe. He tried to cough, but his mouth just wouldn't open. He could swear he saw the animatronic's scowl deepen, and its smile sharpen, but that was impossible.

And yet whatever it was doing to him was draining almost all of his willpower to talk to the boy. He knew that the Puppet was the cause- he was not crazy. This thing- this atrocity that he had brought into this world, one of his many acts of negligence and incompetence, was wicked, and he allowed it near his children every single day. Henry's fear had reignited by being in its presence, burning with more power over him than before. He'd gone to extreme measures to avoid it such as not being home when his kids weren't there with him, but his daughter's words echoed throughout his mind, and he fought to put out the fire it ignited inside of him. Henry regretted creating this abomination, and he'd take care of it at a later date, but now tending to his boy took priority. He could not put this off.

The whole internal battle did not take more than five seconds, in which Matthew had turned around in his chair and was looking strangely at the man, seeing as how Henry was stuck in place, his eyes transfixed on Mari. Only when Matt nervously waved in the man's direction did he break out of the trance, managing to smile and wave back.

"What's up?" Matthew asked, playing with the pen in his hands.

"Um, I was wondering if we could talk." the immediate alarm on the boy's face unsettled Henry. Combating his lack of social skills, the man looked past his son's mask of wellness and found that his daughter had been correct. It hurt him to see it. "This isn't about anything you've done, I just felt like we should, if that's fine with you." he was so bad at this that he wanted to say "forget it" and go back the way he came, but he pushed through his crippling stress, not wanting to let either of his children down.

"Yeah, sure, that's fine." the boy jumped out of his chair and sat on the bed. The Puppet didn't look like it would move from its spot, which it seemed very satisfied about. Henry looked at it, keeping his tone calm. He didn't want to appear more scared than he was in front of it and his son.

"Alone, maybe?" he tried, getting Matthew to pause and stare at him quizzically. He gave up after a while, gesturing for Mari to listen to the man.

"Sorry, Stripes, you heard him." the Puppet tilted its head, the green glow dimming in an attempt to get the boy to argue for it, but Matt raised his shoulders as if to say that he didn't know either, to which its posture sank before it leaned over to the boy to wrap an arm around and pull him into a quick hug. It lasted for more than Henry was comfortable watching, the Marionette only parting when Matthew started to pat its back repeatedly. It got down from the bed, walking on pliable legs around Henry, but not before glaring at him with enough anger to make his limbs shiver. The door closed, and the man moved to sit down near the boy, holding his thighs for support.

"So… if I didn't mess up uh… what is it?" the fact that Matthew assumed he'd done something wrong just because Henry wanted to talk broke the man even further. How could he have been so… he had no words to describe himself.

"Well, I… your sister actually made me realize that I've been… treating you pretty badly since you've- you know. And I wanted to apologize for that first and foremost." there was a pause as Matt digested what he'd said, and the man saw the rising perplexity behind his son's eyes.

"I- what do you mean you've been treating me badly? I have literally anything I could ask for. I'm sorry sir, but I- I don't get what you-" Henry wished to hit himself for what he'd caused.

"-That's it. That- That sir is… I've made you use it. It's my fault that you still think it's necessary to call me by it after all this time. You- Matthew… you should feel safe and loved here but you- I haven't allowed you to- feel like you belong. We are family, Matthew. You don't need to call me sir- you shouldn't feel so- so insecure and I'm so sorry for doing this to you. I haven't shown you that you are part of this family…" how could Henry be so bad at this? He was making it seem like the boy was at fault when that couldn't be further from the truth. "Please, don't think that any of this is your fault, because it's not. Not even a little bit. You've done nothing wrong, kiddo. I… I'm the one to blame for the fact that you're uncomfortable and don't feel better after all this time and I'm sorry that I can't be of much help with what you're going through." he put a hand on Matt's back as he faced his desk, probably not wanting to hear this.

"S- Henry… You- You've done your best to help me… I just don't know how to use that help. Do- Don't blame yourself for me being how I am. It's just… that's just how I am, you know. I… I don't want you to feel guilty about something you cannot control." Matthew muttered the last part, shrinking in on himself.

"Maybe, but I could've done a better job you- I… giving you a roof over your head is not help. That was me doing- not even the bare minimum. You've gone through a lot, and for that you need people to be there for you, and I haven't done that at all…" Henry could see that he was making it worse, as he had feared, but he could not stop now. "I wouldn't forgive myself for what I've done if I was in your shoes. I'm no- not asking for forgiveness. I… know how much this has hurt you… But I promise you that I can do better if you'll give me a second chance. I know I don't deserve it… I know it, kiddo… but I want to try. I want to try my darndest to be the father you need… Because…" it was getting so hard to continue, and Matthew's perturb expression was stabbing at his very being. "I don't say this nearly enough…" in actuality, he didn't say it even once. "But I love you, kid. I do… and I wouldn't trade you for anything." Henry's voice was starting to crack. "With how I've been I know that may sound hard to believe, and I understand if you don't trust me to keep my word… I haven't been doing a good job… being your father… but you're not just some stray kid to me. You're not alone. You matter, Matthew. To me, to Charlotte, to Mari, and to your friends. You're an Emily even if you may not have been one from the get-go… I love you. Unconditionally. And I want to try again. I want to make you feel safe and welcomed here, because you are. I… I promise to never abandon you like I've been doing. If you- If you have to get things off your chest I'm here, and I'm not. You can come to me whenever you're feeling down. I can't say that I'll know what to tell you to stop you from feeling sad, but I'll try. I'll try until I do it- I'm gonna do my best to be your dad, and I swear that one day you'll stop hurting…"

By the end of his speech, Matthew's mouth was agape. The boy looked up at the man, frozen on the spot. When ten seconds passed without any response Henry started to grow concerned, thinking he'd overwhelmed the boy. He was proven right when Matthew's skin lost its colour and his pupils dilated, followed by him leaning backward, almost falling off the bed if Henry's hands hadn't been there to hold him. The boy's breathing turned shallow as he stared through the man. His hands hung limply to his sides and he would not snap out of it despite the gentle shake Henry was giving him. In mere seconds sweat had formed on the boy's forehead. He began calling out to Matthew, asking him what was wrong, but the boy would not respond. He just stared, being held up entirely by Henry. He thought he saw a vein pulsating on his son's neck right under the left ear, and when he checked Henry all but gasped, feeling what he could only assume was a pulse of around two hundred beats per minute.

Henry didn't know what to do. This had gone so much worse than he could've anticipated, and now he too was beginning to panic, unable to handle seeing his boy like that. Just as he was about to freak out, Matthew blinked a couple of times, retaking control of his respiration. But now something was different. His expression had lost most of its emotion, his brown eyes being half open while his mouth had closed into a line. He looked at his palms without speaking, making the worry rise in the man's heart. Matthew had regained some of his colour, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was not alright when he sprung in Henry's grip, his head whipping around in search of a danger that was not there.

The father did the one thing he could hope would work and embraced the boy, keeping him safe while he trashed about in his arms. It took a couple of minutes, but Matthew tired himself out and eventually hugged back. He broke out of his dad's clutch soon after however, uncomfortable with partaking in the exchange of, albeit strained, affection for more than he had to.

Matt turned around on the bed, holding his legs to his chest as he said nothing. An uneasy feeling was shared between the father and son as one took refuge in the silence while the other paced inside his mind, making up all of the worst scenarios that this could lead to. It dawned on Henry that Matthew needed to be left alone for a while, so the man got up, and with a last pat, walked out of his boy's room, not knowing what to say either.

He did not miss the ticking sound and the all-encompassing rage that radiated from the Puppet's mask, who had been waiting outside in the hallway this entire time, but he was too drained to care for it, so he allowed Mari to go back in. It was perfectly equipped to comfort kids where he was not anyway. Henry went back down the stairs, and simply hoped that this was not as bad as it seemed. He was far too ill-suited in the collective department to tell what the outcome would be, but he still prayed to any God that would listen for his son to be okay, and for Henry's forwardness to not leave a mark on the boy, because this had come out of nowhere.

Although, taking into account his reaction… the man's hope dwindled. But even if his son would not be alright, which he very well may not be, Henry would not give up. He'd sworn on everything he held dear to care for Matthew as he did Charlotte, and he'd die before he reverted to his old ways. He had all the motivation he needed to be the type of person he had to be, and he would not waste this second chance.

Henry would die before he let anything happen to the tiny breaths of life that were his children.

o0o

When he drew his animals, he often made them stand on two legs. There was just something about seeing what was supposed to look different from a human have human anatomy. He couldn't explain it, but he would much rather draw these sorts of characters than actual people, so when he practiced, he'd search for a book that had pictures of animals and use those as references. He'd gotten especially good at drawing snouts, which he had struggled to figure out in the beginning. His whole sketchbook was filled with character studies and doodles of wolves, bears, rabbits, and everything in-between. He found that he didn't like to draw objects as much though. Sharp angles and simple forms were just not his thing and did not appeal as much as drawing poses, so on that end, he could admit he was lacking. He was also pretty bad at perspective, but he had no plans on becoming an architect. He wanted his future job to involve art but he wasn't sure what kind of art. He hadn't ever tried to paint and mixing colours was outside of his knowhow. He could see himself becoming a comic book artist maybe, that sounded enticing, but those guys had deadlines they had to meet, and Michael could not be rushed when he was drawing because if he was the result would turn out horrible, and wouldn't be accepted by a publisher.

Well, he had time to figure it out. In any case, he knew he had the support of his parents- his father primarily- to pursue a career in art, for which he could not be more grateful. It still confused Mike as to what had to led his old man to change his opinions on his passion, but he could not say that he wasn't glad about it. He'd gotten the blessing to continue and was no longer chastised for doing so- he was even promised that one of the characters he had made, Foxy, would become an actual mascot at his dad's restaurant. In a way, things were looking up for Michael, but… it wasn't all well and good.

He'd messed up badly that day when he let mom overhear him working with Evan, for which he had been punished. He'd expected a beating, but his father had decided words would be more effective to make the boy realize how terrible his mistake had been, and the man had been right. Michael had cried himself to sleep that night, promising to be more careful from then on.

He wasn't the type of son to take sides, but he understood that concerning his younger brother his father was the correct one. His mother wanted to protect the little man until he was an adult, and Evan would probably end up living in their basement and never moving out if the woman had her way, whereas dad wished to shape his youngest son into a man that was not scared of his own shadow. Letting Evan be as he was now would not make him better- actions were required to be taken for the boy to change- and their father had entrusted Mike with the task of making that happen, so he had made it his personal mission to work with the little man every day when no one was looking to get him to come out of his shell.

Michael wasn't a people person, not by a long shot, but he had enough advice to give his sibling so that he would not be bothered by other kids because while Mike was not exactly safe from bullying himself, he knew how to get by and not be targeted all the time like Ev was. And the boy, well, he'd listened to some extent, but overall, not much had changed. Which was to be expected, since the little man had been made a target, it would take a lot of work to get the others to not think of him as weak. But the boy seldom came home from kindergarten with a smile on his face- at most, it was a well-hidden frown. Still, they were making some progress, so not all hope was lost. The sad part was that even now Evan believed he had imaginary friends, and given that Michael refused to acknowledge what he had seen at the dinner table that one time, he'd been unsuccessful in convincing his brother he was wrong. So, not wanting to make him more upset, he'd opted to play along and act like he believed the boy, which had improved their dynamic a small amount.

His brother trusted him a little more, and Mike could feed him any lies he could cook up so long as they had some truth to them. It was necessary, however, because Ev would not grow up if he was introduced to the whole truth at once. He had to take it slow, lead the boy on, and make him mature one step at a time. It was exhausting if Michael was being honest, but not only was it worth it, but it was also the most efficient way he could make his brother tougher. He had to look out for the little man, and be as a brother should. Something he hadn't done until recently. Perhaps he still did not get the idea of being an older brother, but he was trying to put his anger aside for Evan and lend him his hand. It was up to his sibling if he would take it, however. Michael couldn't force him.

He should stop thinking about it now; Evan wasn't here and he had to finish his sketch anyway. He had math for the next class and he'd be too tired at the end of it to continue so it was better to use the break for this.

Michael picked up his eraser to correct a stray line when a hand stomped on the paper. He cursed, preparing to tell off whoever had done that but kept his mouth shut when he saw who it was. Terrence, wearing a red varsity jacket, one of Michael's friends, looked at him with a grinning face.

"Hey, Mike, what's up?" the condescending tone was not at all obvious to Michael. Nope.

"What do you want? I'm busy."

"Right, moving your wrist up and down on a piece of paper when you could be doing that to a girl. Very fun, I'm sure. When are you gonna stop wasting time on something that's not gonna get you anywhere? I mean, dude, a tree works hard to make you that paper and you just fill it with scribbles? Not cool, man." Michael rolled his eyes, trying to pry his pal's hand from his sketchbook.

"Fuck off, will you? Go bother Chris if you're bored." he could feel his blood boiling at seeing the guy's sweaty hands stand above his drawing, but Mike did not have the grip strength to swat him off. He could push him, but he didn't want to start a fight with the jock. He made that mistake a long while ago and his drawings had been torn to pieces as a result.

"You're right, Mike. I'm very bored, that's why I want to get you to come help me with a little thing that I promise you're gonna enjoy. See, I found out about this gig-"

"-I don't care what you found out."

"Oh, come on, Mikey." God, how he wanted to reach up and punch a few teeth out of the guy's mouth. "You can't just sit in class all day doing shit. I know for a fact you're as bored as I am, so how about you ditch the loser stuff and come with me? Trust me, man, I'm doing you a favour right now."

"Mhm, and what is this thing that is so important and cool that you need me to see?" the other boy just tsked, leaning in closer.

"I don't need you to see anything, I'm doing this `cause it's something that I know you'll regret later if you miss out. And I can't tell you with all of these idiots around." he pointed to the rest of Michael's colleagues. "So, stop complaining, show a little gratitude and follow me, alright?"

"I-"

"Katherine's coming too." Terrence cut him off, smirking when he saw Michael look to the side. It felt humiliating to be convinced so easily, but it was either this or…

"…Fine… But don't-"

"-Relax, she doesn't have a clue and I'm not planning on telling her. If I did that then I'd have to watch Chris tear you a new one and I wouldn't want your mug to be made even uglier." he slapped Michael on the back as he got up, making the Afton push his hand away. Terrence chuckled. "They're waiting for us in the courtyard. Just so you know we're gonna have to sneak out for this one."

"Didn't we get caught last time we did that? Don't you think they've put someone to watch over so no one would try to leave?"

"Nah, dunno why but it's still clear. That's on them though, means we can leave whenever we want." Michael sighed, knowing he'd regret this, much like he regretted everything that had to do with his pals.

"If you say so." the two walked outside, going behind the school where a lot of the kids would spend their breaks, thinking they were interesting for hanging out in a more obscure part of the school where only the teachers were supposed to be allowed to pass through. Terrence tried to hype Michael up as they went, telling him how awesome this new thing would be. That's how the boy was, always finding new "fun" stuff for their gang to do in the otherwise dull town of Hurricane. He was the one that searched for abandoned buildings and hidden spots for them to explore and hang out in. Terrence was the kind of guy that knew everybody and had a lot of "connections", which he used to get their little group to places they shouldn't be. He was the leader of their circle, who for some reason decided to include Michael just so he could tease and torment him when he felt like it.

Terrence was also the type to get tired of something real quick, and it left Mike wondering how long it would take for the boy to come to the conclusion that the young Afton was not worth his time. He could only try to make himself as entertaining as possible to prolong it, but that was how their friendship- if it could even be called that- would end. It hurt to know that he meant close to nothing to them, but he didn't mind, since it was nice to feel like he belonged, even if that was more his impression than anything else.

That said, Mike was often reluctant to get involved in their mischief since they were idiots who were always one step away from getting caught and being sent to juvie for the kind of crap they pulled, resulting in him getting dragged along most of the time, occasionally threatened to be dropped for good if he did not want to spend time with them. So, he did. Out of fear of mockery and not knowing anyone at school. He kept quiet and did what they said, because…

Because there was no one better around. His siblings were… No. Too dumb and too young to get him. He didn't like and probably wasn't liked by any of his classmates and the only other people he could think he could spend time with were uncle Henry's kids who, well… Charlie fell in the same well as his brother and sister. She reminded him of Elizabeth enough that he had trouble standing her despite the fact that she was smart enough to hold a meaningful conversation with him. Then there was her adopted brother who both creeped and pissed Michael off.

Matthew creeped him out because he always seemed to know more about Michael than Michael himself did. The kid was too smart for his own good. He saw through Mike as easily as his father did, which should not have been feasible for an eight-year-old. He had all the answers and was not concerned with the problems Michael had, seeming to be above them in an elderly sort of way, as if he had lived them already- or at least that's how Mike saw it. He could list off many things that were wrong with the boy but the main one would have to be his comprehension of the world. Matthew was not an innocent snowflake like his adoptive sister or Evan, who was two years younger than him. He was wiser than he should've been and could fathom things such as parents arguing because they are incompatible together and should've divorced a long time ago.

But those traits were not all there was to the boy. Matthew was considerate, understanding, and unbiased, and that pissed the Afton off to no end. It made him feel as though the boy was out to get him because why else would he be so accepting of Michael and would not take him for laughingstock as most people did? There had to be a catch, but the more he tried to uncover it the more stumped he got. The boy was genuine with him, but why would someone be nice without an ulterior motive? Mike could not wrap his head around being treated like any other human being without something, anything, being expected of him in return. And yet Matthew demanded nothing for his decency. He was decent because he wanted to be. That's just how he was, and that fact was what made Michael despise and appreciate him at the same time.

A part of him would've liked to be friends with the boy, but the age gap between them would make it awkward, and Michael did not want to feel even more inadequate and looked down upon than he already did, despite the latter purely being an insecurity of his.

He and Terrence reached their friends who were waiting for them in the back of the courtyard. Chris was leaning on the side of the building, an arm around Katherine. He was dressed in a green flannel shirt with pulled sleeves and another one underneath, while she wore a simple blue shirt with ripped jeans.

"Ey, look who finally left the cave! Welcome to the world of the living, Mr. Vampire." Michael groaned, ignored him, and gave his girl a slight wave which she returned.

"Hi, Michael. How're you?"

"Uh, well, fine, except that Terrence is in one of those moods again and I don't know what's got his attention this time." he complained, to which the guy in question raised his shoulders.

"Didn't tell us nothing either. Want to clue us in, dude?" Chris asked, looking at the jock.

"You know what they say; we'll get there when we get there. Be patient, it's like just around the block." he motioned for them to follow him around the corner to the secluded area of the school fence they'd found behind a line of spheric bushes that led to the open road. They ducked behind the thicket, with Mike standing guard to make sure no one would spot them. When it was clear, he offered Terrence a thumbs up to begin climbing.

"Of course, let's play follow the leader and jump head first into everything without knowing what's gonna happen. Honestly, why am I even surprised?" said Kate as Chris let her climb up the fence before him. Mike was the last one to make it to the other side.

"You're gonna change your tune once you get a taste." assured Terrence, putting his hands behind his head, as smug as ever.

"A taste? What the hell are you talking about? I wanna get a taste." it was not surprising that Chris was instantly on board, as he did not have the patience to consider things before accepting them. It was why he and Terrence were buddies in the first place, with Michael and Katherine acting more like collateral damage to their antics than accomplices.

"Eh… okay, since you're all so curious. So basically, I know a guy-"

"-Uh oh, this won't end well." the girl interrupted him, crossing her arms and leaning on one leg like a lot of girls liked to do.

"Shut it." Chris frowned but remained silent. "So, I'm friends with a guy who can get us some really nice things to smoke. Like, I noticed everyone at school has stopped with the plain old coals, so I dug a little and found out about this dude that has started selling, and I talked to him for a while and he's willing to sell us a bunch of his stuff. It's… a bit more expensive than what you're used to but it'll be worth it, I swear."

"Wait, how much are we talking about? I got enough money on me to buy a couple of packs but those will only last me for two days at most. Like, no hard feelings but I'm not sharing with y'all, except for Kate." Chris let them know. At the rate he went through packs, it'd be a miracle if he turned eighteen and could still breathe properly, that's how much he liked to smoke. He was lucky his parents didn't care for it- or they didn't notice, whichever. Terrence stopped him before he could get angsty.

"We're not buying each one of us his own pack. We're all gonna put what we have together and then share what we get, `cause my guy doesn't sell packs. Uh, he sells in quantities, ya know. But it's legit, like…" the boy shook his head, puffing out. "You guys have no idea how awesome this'll be. How much money do you have?" he did not give them time to consider if they agreed or not.

"Fifty bucks."

"One fifty."

"A hundred."

"Perfect. And with another hundred from me, we're set. Alright, give it up, we're almost there. Mike, you have any gum?"

"Uh, yeah…? Oh, you're gonna need- yeah, never mind, you can have some." they all handed him their money as Michael said that, knowing that gum was the saviour that covered their asses from getting found out every time they smoked.

"Thanks, I knew I could count on you." Terrence took the time to count their budget and then stopped walking, pointing at an alley where some older dudes were hanging, among them one wearing a worker's vest, all looking a bit too shady even for Michael's taste. "See that guy with the sunglasses? That's him. Now, just stay here, he's a super chill dude but he doesn't trust who he doesn't know, even if you're with me. Since I know him-" he put a hand to his heart. "-I'mma be the one to go buy it and then I'll be back. Cool?" they nodded, and with that Terrence was crossing the street, shaking hands and fist-bumping with those other men, who all looked to be somewhere in their mid-twenties. Michael was not liking this, but he could not back away now, especially when those men were all watching the three preteens with squinted eyes.

"So, how's Evan been lately, Michael?" Katherine asked to pass the time.

"Oh, he's alright for the most part. He still cries from the smallest things so… I dunno, I'm kinda worried he'll never grow out of it." she nodded sympathetically, with Chris patting Mike on the arm.

"I get what you mean. Gabe is pretty shy and he only really talks with the teachers when he has to. He says he has a crush on some mean girl though, so at least he might get the courage to be more outgoing. But what can ya do? Little brothers, man… they're gonna be the death of us." for once in his life the boy said something meaningful. Michael was impressed.

Terrence returned soon enough, what he'd gotten held under his jacket. He gestured for them to get close and then pulled out a plastic bag filled with…

"Yo! Is that pot?!" Chris shouted, and all of the dudes snapped their heads around in the group's direction, ready to throw down. Seeing their dead stares made Michael gulp, and his mouth was already hitting the ground from shock.

"Shut the fuck up, Chris!" the other two and Kate all said in unison, making the boy curl in on himself, looking all apologetic.

"…Sorry." he said lowly.

"Yes, it is, but don't go fucking shouting about it, you idiot. Goddamn it, the whole neighbourhood probably heard. Ugh, alright, fuck, let's get outta here. I don't think we'll be able to smoke some this break so we'll do it the next one. Don't mention this to anyone. And I mean anyone. If someone that's not in on this finds out we're screwed, and I don't wanna sleep on the streets `cause my parents kicked me out."

On that matter, everybody was in agreement. Michael rubbed his eyes before they walked back to school. What had he gotten himself into…? Sure, he might've taken a few puffs of a cigarette here and there to fit in, but he was not a smoker like them, and taking it up a notch with actual weed… He knew he shouldn't be doing this. He knew how bad of an idea this was but… he just hoped this wouldn't bite him in the ass if he played it cool.

Who the hell was he kidding, of course it would. But did he have much of a choice? Of course, like most things in his life, he didn't. All he could do was go with the flow and see what would come out of this. Because he was too weak to say no. Because he was scared that they wouldn't accept him if they didn't see him do the things they did.

It was… really sad if he thought about it. And pitiful. He really needed better friends. Maybe his father was right about them…

Michael saw Elizabeth waiting for their father on the sidewalk where they would usually get picked up. The girl waved at him when she noticed he was approaching, and after making sure Katherine or his pals weren't around, he waved back. He watched her lazily, not feeling like putting up a front, wanting to lie down and enjoy the calm. He'd have to ask for more of that stuff from Terrence tomorrow. The guy might be a prick, but Mike had to admit he had good taste. He could see himself smoking one of those every day before classes and then not being bothered by the shit his teachers would throw. It would make going to school more bearable if anything. Though he would have to convince his father to up his allowance if he didn't want to depend on his friend, and given how good of a job he'd been doing with Evan… no, that wouldn't happen. He was lucky he was even given any money to begin with after how much he'd failed his dad.

He sighed, not wanting to think about his long list of character flaws. The boy reached his sister, his eyes half closed as he stared through her, not really listening to what she had to say.

"What are you doing here, Mike? Shouldn't you have two more hours?" her normally annoying voice did not make him wince as much as it did before. Ah, he could get used to this.

"Yeah, PE and biology-" he yawned. "-but the coach had to leave for a match or something and our teacher called in sick today. Father knows." Lizzie nodded along, then shrugged as if to say "you're clear". She could ask the man himself if she had doubts, Michael didn't care.

The two siblings shared an awkward moment of silence- awkward for his sister maybe- before she sniffed her nose, scrunching her face in disgust.

"Ew, what's that stench? Did you shower yesterday? You stink like you ran a marathon and splashed yourself in herbal tea." he rolled his eyes at her comment. His sister dearest always had a reason to complain. At least she didn't say he smelled like shit, but he had no clue what was going on in that head of hers.

"Is it that hard for you to stop exaggerating? I smell just fine, Liz, I don't know what you are on about."

"No, you don't." she aimed in an accusatory manner at him. "It's like you slept in old, rotten wood and caught its scent. It's horrible. Daddy's gonna be mad if you get in his car like that." Michael ran a hand down his face, tired of her already. And just when he thought he could relax the princess found a way to wreck his mood.

"Are you too dense to understand that I'm fine? What the hell are you even trying to do? I smell fine, Lizzie. Honestly, did you hit your head this morning? Did someone put gum in your hair and now you want to take your anger out on me?" the girl shook her head, pouting as she crossed her arms, and turned around to watch the road. Better if he didn't have to look at that smug face of hers. She might've been able to hide it most of the time, but he'd lived in the same house as her long enough to know the air of superiority she liked to carry behind that pretty smile of hers that got their father to treat her as the golden child.

"You're an idiot, Mike. Whatever. You'll see. Just don't cry when dad starts yelling at you for ruining his backseat." he was tempted to slap the top of her head to get her to shut up, but decided she wasn't worth it. He wouldn't want to get in trouble for making the princess cry, after all. She was as light as a feather and had to live in fluff her whole life, never lifting a finger for anything. God forbid she ever put in any amount of effort. The world would end before Elizabeth Afton tried to work to get what she wanted.

It took some time but eventually the purple car their dad drove stopped before them, and the siblings got in, with Michael in the middle while his sister sat to his left. The three exchanged greetings followed by Lizzie telling their father all about her day during which the older brother leaned into the headrest, his eyes looking forward onto the road. He felt like he could fall asleep there. The ambient music on the radio only served to further relax him, washing away all the nervousness that had accumulated. He envisioned that it was raining, and so he started counting the imaginary water drops that were running down the car's windows. Outside he saw them passing a waterfall, and Michael couldn't help but get lost in the vibrant green. The hood of the car disintegrated to reveal the gorgeous scenery that surrounded him, leaving the teen to watch silently marvel at the beauty of it as he was floating through the air. A vast difference from the orange and grey desert he was used to.

For a few minutes, there was nothing but Michael and nature. A refreshing breeze caressed his skin, the sun shined warmly, making the plants glow, and the sky felt like a comforting sea of pure blue. There were no sounds present besides the waterfall and the symphony sung by the birds that were hanging up on the trees. He was drooling, but he felt too good to wipe it off. His eyes lowered as he prepared to drift into what would arguably be a terrific nap only for the harsh voice of his father to shake him to reality.

"Michael."

"U- Uh, yes, sorry father. What did you say?" the man looked into the rear-view mirror at Mike, his eyes narrowed.

"I asked you how your day was." the light tone that had talked with his sister was not there anymore, replaced by a monotonous one that did not have the affection from a few moments prior.

"Oh, well, it was alright. I um… I got a B on the English test."

"Why only a B?" the man raised a brow, his eyes shifting between his boy and the road

"I think I may have made a mistake with some nouns that I was supposed to turn into adjectives, I'm not really sure. You know how our teacher is when she reviews what we do. She didn't write what I did wrong." he adjusted himself to appear more alert.

"You could've asked for clarification to know what you should work on to improve, Michael. Why didn't you?" he saw the man's fingers grip the wheel harder. Michael dared not look at his sister so he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of admitting defeat.

"Because she would've dropped my grade more if I did, she would've said that I shouldn't speak back to her and that I'm not the teacher. And she actually did that to Chris. He told her that he didn't know what he did wrong and she downed his grade from C+ to a D, and then she just complained about us questioning her in the subject that she's teaching for the rest of the class. I didn't want to risk it." his father hummed before nodding. Then he took in a deep breath as if to sigh, except it was too fast to be considered one. It was more like a sniff, and when Mike realized it, his whole body tensed.

The atmosphere in the car changed where even his sister froze in her seat, watching carefully as the speedometer's pointer went up when they entered the highway. Something creaked, and both kids could see the skin on their parent's face growing redder by the second, with veins appearing on his neck. Michael felt his sister's fingers search for his hand, and without considering it, he took them in his own, tracing his thumb over the back of the girl's palm. It was then that he looked at her and saw the cheerful expression from when she had begun her rant on what she did at school to be missing. He felt Lizzie quiver beside him so he decided to pull her a tad closer, their animosity from earlier not mattering.

The pointer passed the 150 mark, and their car overshot the exit their father would have to take to reach their house. He was thankful that smoking prevented him from getting sick. The last thing he needed was to have to puke his guts from how fast they were going. Elizabeth did not suffer from motion sickness like he and the little man did, so on that front she was okay, but the way in which her eyes scanned their dad made Michael uncomfortable. He started begging internally for it to be alright, because he didn't know what he'd do if the man had figured it out.

Mike had known he should have refused his friend, but he thought that it wouldn't hurt to try. All of his peers did- or the ones that others looked up to anyway- and they were the most appreciated and respected among their respective groups. Turning Terrence down would've been the best excuse for them to drop him in favour of someone bolder than he was, and he could not stand by and let it happen, but now he was thinking that maybe cutting ties with them would've been the better idea as opposed to going through what his dad had so justly planned for him.

Stupid. How stupid could he be to think that the smell would fade and he'd be the same afterward? How much of an idiot had Michael been to believe that no one would notice…

All the bad that his father said about him was correct. He'd known it since his brother's birth, but the constant reassurance of that fact decided this was the perfect time for the horror of it to come crashing down on Michael. The fear and daze provided the boy with the clarity to see it. He saw it now, unobstructed by the delusions he had been fed, or the fantasies of acceptance he had dreamt for himself. No…

His worth was crystal clear, and the guilt weighed on his soul so much that his eyes were watering, but he could not reach up to rub them since it would draw attention, so he attempted to blink the tears away instead, only to push them out. He kept in the whimper that wanted to leave his throat, but the face he was making got Lizzie to look up at him, scaring her when she saw the state he was in.

Pretty soon they passed Toquerville and his father still did not look like he was going to turn around. Neither sibling even thought about speaking up, because whatever was to come would only be worse if they made him even madder. Although "mad" was not the proper word to use for their dad's features. The man's frown had vanished, his teeth were now gritted to the point of breaking, the palpable fury had been transformed into a chilling aura that send shivers as deep as the marrow of his bones and any semblance of life had been incinerated from the man's visage.

All of the silent hatred that resided behind the silver of his father's irises was directed at the boy when the man caught glimpse of Mike watching him cautiously beneath the tears. His parent did not react to the crying, but kept the gaze, not watching the road, making his son unable to look away despite how suffocating it was to face him. A monster wearing Michael's face stared at him from the mirror, its ice gaze stabbing deep into the boy's soul, making him gasp.

The light of the outside world darkened until only the inside of the car was visible to the boy, and he became aware of everything that was going on around him. Every dust particle, every tremor, every twitch of movement, the texture of the leather seat, the engine's rumble, the distorted music on the radio, the laughter.

A white, segmented clown mask hung on Elizabeth's face, her dead eyes watching him distantly through the empty sockets. Her right hand had fused with a spiked claw, bone and muscle merged with metal, ripping Michael's fingers to shreds in an iron grip. A hole had been torn into her abdomen, out of which bloodied teeth and intestines were sticking out. His sister's dress was stained by the red that was dripping from the hole, and Mike spotted a couple of maggots making their way in to feed on her remains. Cockroaches started to crawl out of the clown mask's mouth, and when Michael looked away out of sheer disgust his eyes widened.

His father was gone, and in his place now stood a corpse within a furred shell, not meeting Michael's stare. Countless holes in the moulded material revealed mutilated flesh that was barely hanging onto a rusted metal frame. Strings of decayed muscle and husks of what had been organs were wrapped around mechanical components, with tiny hooks impaling the areas that still contained tissue, all sporting a ghastly brownish-red colour. Ribs and shattered pieces of a spine were lodged into motors and pistons while fragments of bone were poking out of the thinner parts of the frame, creating a mangled mess of organic tissue and inanimate metal. Plates made out of cracked plastic could be seen where the fur was not present to cover the interior. Wires were taped to the robotic devices underneath. The dirty material had lost its golden shine, being soaked in dried blood for so long that it had taken on a dark green colouring, inspiring a feeling of putrid disease in the boy's heart, made stronger by the horrid stench that was emanated from it, comparable to that of an open coffin.

Bile rose in Michael's throat, making him taste acidic. He wished to jump out of the vehicle so he wouldn't have to have that repulsive creature in his sight but then he got a look at his own body, or what remained of it, and felt like clawing at himself to take it off to prove that this was not how he looked like. His skin was a foul purple, with faint shades of black here and there, and appeared to belong on the body of someone that was malnourished, with how it struggled to stay attached to his skeleton. Dehydrated tears in it allowed for cables to emerge out of him in random spots, making the tunnels that were present under his skin which were not supposed to be there even more apparent.

Thoughts like needles for the carnage made him literally feel his brain getting perforated tens of times with each silent plea for it to stop. His lunch filled his mouth, and the boy reached to open the door, only for his hand to get burned by the fire that started the moment he touched it. Michael pulled back, watching in terror as the fire spread throughout the car. It did not hurt his numb, feeble excuse for a body, but he still whipped his head around frantically for a solution, ignoring the hooded figure that was in the front seat next to the rabbit.

Elizabeth's cadaver detached her claw from his hand to pinch his shoulder, keeping him in place for the decomposing carcass to move its head around at an almost opposite angle. The groan of old metal acted like a preview for the face of death that looked at him, its yellow eyes giving off the impression of something being not quite right. Too alive and too dead to be possible, yet very real. The permanent grin that made up half of its mask was opened slightly as if to taste the fright radiating off of Mike. The rabbit let one hand go of the steering wheel to grab its upper jaw, lifting it above its head to show the boy his own reflection.

Underneath was his father's face, sewn onto a mummified skull. It was amused.

You are not my son.

A flawless imitation of what William sounded like spoke to him, making the boy shut his eyes. There was no regret, no hidden meaning, and no trickery behind it. The words it had spoken were exactly what Michael dreaded to hear, but it was the truth, and like being kicked to the chest, Mike's breathing was cut short upon hearing it. He hyperventilated to get oxygen flowing, but regardless of how many gasps he made no air entered his lungs. It hurt too much. He couldn't handle it. It was everything he hated about himself all compiled into one simple sentence, and it was too painful to stand.

Michael had to get out, he had to get away and forget all about who he was. There was just no escape out of the pit of failure he had fallen into since he'd been born. He could not get out the normal way- he had to go with the other option because if he didn't, he'd be stuck living in this hell for the rest of his life.

He was not fine, and he would not be fine unless he ended his suffering. Unless he spared his family of his presence.

The boy jumped out of his sister's grasp and into the fire, leaving chunks of his shoulder behind, trying to pry the door open. It was locked, so Michael started bashing the window in hopes of breaking it to get out. The speed didn't matter, nor did the fact that he would fall on asphalt at 200 miles per hour. He would die if he stayed. He had to go.

Mike swung his arms until his knuckles turned to powder, but the glass was not even scratched after all of his efforts. He didn't give up. He couldn't. He kept swinging until his wrists could not hold his palms, and even then, he continued hitting the window. The fire had spread on him as well, but the only thing it did was fill the car with smoke, making it impossible to see.

A young voice- neither his father's nor Elizabeth's, more similar to his own except lacking his accent- laughed, coming from the right front seat. In that instant, Michael wanted to snap and ask what it thought was so funny, but before he could shout every single emotion that had been bubbling inside of him, he felt a voice call out his name.

"…Mike…?" he recognized his sister's voice. She sounded so terrified; part of the grudge he'd had for her tuned to worry. Tears were threatening to fall again from how shaken her usually happy tone had gotten. Hesitantly he turned, eyes closed, and opened them one by one, expecting to stare at a talking corpse, but instead, he froze when he saw that nothing of what had just happened had been real. Lizzie was alright. She was not dead, and there was no hole in her stomach or clown mask on her face. It was just them and their dad. No other passenger. No fire either, and his body was healthy-looking too, without the cables digging out of him.

He tried to say something to comfort her when her eyes registered panic behind his, not caring about how close to being hysteric he was, but William beat him to it.

"Breathe Michael." the death that had been written all over the man's expression was not there now, as if he had not given his son a look that said I will murder you. No, his father was concerned- he was actually concerned for Michael's wellbeing.

"I- I can't- I…" Liz rubbed his arm in a rare but caring motion for the spoiled child she was. He could not recall when she had ever even tried to be there for him.

"Yes, you can. You're fine, Mike. There's nothing wrong. Just relax and talk to me, we'll be home soon."

"I- but you- uh- d- didn't you go past the exit? What do you mean-"

"-No, Mike, we just left the highway. You told me about the B you got in English and then you blacked out and started hitting on the door…" a sort of protectiveness radiated out of the man as he spoke that put Mike on the edge once again. "You just had what is called an anxiety attack, son, and gave your sister quite the scare, you know. I was thinking if I should pull over and help you snap out of it but I am glad you managed on your own. You did good."

This all seemed fake to the boy. It was not adding up. Why was his father saying these things, as if he had not gotten upset about the smell?

"Yeah, I- I'm ok, M- Mike. Just don't be weird like that a- again, please?" Lizzie hugged him, an action so unlike her that the boy took his time returning the affection she rarely offered her siblings. Her innocence in that moment was not the one she liked to pretend he had to get her way, but seemed to be genuine this time, but then why was their dad…?

He shook his head, slowly calming down and resting his chin on his sister's hair, looking through the window at the forest road they had to drive on the reach their house.

"…I- I'm sorry, Liz." he said after a while, the shock keeping him from adding anything more.

"It's f- fine. I'm not mad at you. You just scared me a little is all." she mumbled; her face still buried in his shirt.

The self-loathing, shame, and agitation turned to confusion as he gazed at the understanding smile plastered to his father's lips. One meant to settle and keep him cool, the way any father would ease their child, but where had it come from? Why did his father act like he did not know what he had been up to? Why would he play the fool instead of punishing the boy? What game was this?

"Don't worry about it." the man said as if he was a psychic able to read his boy's mind. "I assume this had something to do with school but it would seem that you are not in the right state to tell me so we will discuss later what happened today. I'll make sure you are alright, Michael. Trust me."

For some reason he did… He did not want to… but he did. His father was…

The man was right- as always, and his words wrapped around the young Afton like strings, tying his mind to that command. He had to trust his father, since Mike could not afford to commit any more mistakes than he already had, in fear of what he'd heard becoming reality. He needed to be perfect to avoid his disownment. He couldn't blow off steam by being an asshole like he used to. After so long he was finally getting what he'd always wanted. He mattered enough to where his dad paid attention and cared for him. He'd even been praised for his drawing skills, not being chastised for wasting his time.

Michael did not understand what was going on, or what exactly he'd done to be worthy of this, but he had to listen to his father to prove he deserved it- that the faith put in him to look after Evan was not for nothing. The man knew best, and whatever mistakes he made were not relevant because even those were thought of beforehand and were aimed to achieve things few could see the scope of, including Mike, which was why he had to give it his all to please his father. The prospect of losing his family because he was not good enough ran in circles inside his head, further motivating him to not let it happen.

He was so sorry for what he'd done… if he could just say it… if he could be granted the relief of getting it off his chest, then the disciplining he'd receive would not hurt him nearly as much. But he at least knew that was not what his dad wished, so he would say the next best thing.

"I trust you, father." and the man's smile enlarged with that one honest phrase. He nodded to the boy and adjusted the mirror to be pointed away from his kids.

"I am glad to hear it." William then turned his gaze forward, pleased. Some of the stress left Michael at the confirmation, and he let out a breath he did not think he could hold in after what he'd seen.

He would not ignore the mercy that had been bestowed upon him. Whether his father chose to ignore what the boy had done or whether he did not know, as unlikely as it was, Mike would show his gratitude by being the son he had to be.

As he held onto Elizabeth, Michael promised he would get over his problems and put himself together. He knew the things that were expected of him, and he would not run from them anymore in an attempt to be rebellious for thinking he'd been wronged. He hadn't been. All this time he had been blind to the fact that he was the problem, not his parent, who wanted only the best for him and his siblings. Liz understood that one fact and it was the reason she had been "favoured" for her entire life. It was apparent now. Michael had to get Evan to understand as well, and he swore he'd do it. He'd been trusted with this task, and he would not fail it.

Because there was no excuse to fail. To do so would make him deserving of abandonment. He did not want to be discarded to the side like a broken toy. Michael Afton wasn't broken, and he had the reassurance that he mattered. That he was real and that he existed. He'd figured out the why of it, so all that was left was to do what needed to be done. He would.

Mike calmed down completely. He could breathe again. The boy patted his sister's head, letting go of the bitterness he'd had for her once and for all, and hugged her a little tighter.

He was fine, he was real, and he would be good.

o0o

She had taken the time to reflect as he had said, watching in dismay as her scar remained on her body. A few days in which she hadn't mentioned what he'd told her and just went about her day as she normally would have, but now it was getting weird to keep up the façade of normalcy, and since she had processed in full everything that Matthew had shared with her; what it meant for her, him, and life as she knew it, Cassidy had decided that today she would ask that he answer her questions. She hadn't made a list per se, but there were several that she wanted him to answer before all others. Namely, who had killed him, when he had died, for how long he had possessed a robot, who else died with him- Matt had mentioned that he hadn't been the sole victim-, and what had happened to his family. She didn't think he had lied about his folks, but this new development left that up in the air, so she thought that she should seek some clarification on it as well. She would not ask about his time as a ghost, however, as that felt like she'd be crossing a line.

The conversation they were about to have would remind him plenty of what he'd undoubtedly gone through, so there was no reason for her to make it harder on the boy by questioning what was most definitely the most painful part of his previous life.

The girl realized that all of her questions might be and were touchy subjects, and did not wish to make her friend remember things that would hurt him, but he had given her permission to ask whatever crossed her mind, and he'd been the one to reveal that he had died. Despite what the dummy had liked to claim, he chose to spill these secrets to her when he could've lied. She wouldn't have believed him, certainly, but it'd been an option he did not take advantage of, and that was on him.

Cassidy waited for his colleagues to pile out of the classroom, and when she did not spot him among them made her way inside to find Matthew sitting at his desk, drawing on a piece of paper. On some level she dreaded the conversation she was about to have with him because she'd never mean to cause him harm, emotional or not, but on the other hand, the girl felt like she would explode if she put this off any longer. Matt had been kind enough to not bring this up the past couple of days, but it must've been getting hard for him as well to pretend like everything was fine. Well, she of all people should not be scared of a not-so-simple chat, so with a shake of the head and a deep breath Cassidy walked over to his desk, tapping him on the shoulder to alert him to her presence. Startled Matthew snapped up to face her, his expression relaxing upon seeing that it was her. He smiled and leaned into his chair, putting his pencil down on the table.

"Good morning, Cass. What brings you here?" he asked formally, to which she grinned a little, taking a seat next to him. Better get to the point fast lest she wished to chicken out and get carried away with other things.

"Morning... I uh, I came here to talk. About the- you know."

"The- right, yeah. Um… you ready? All set, you thought it over then? Do you got like, your questions prepared and everything?" she gave him a so-so move of her wrist.

"Eh, I have an outline of what I wanna ask. Nothing's really set." the boy nodded, then sighed.

"Alright. What do you want to know?" he seemed pretty laid back for someone that was going to be interviewed about their previous life.

"Um… first thing would be… who killed you?" the moment of truth. By far the most important question.

"Uh, well, his name is… William Afton. Elizabeth's father. He uh, he used a rabbit costume to lure me away and then…" Matthew punched his palm, then shrugged. That was… not what she had been expecting. Again, with that name. Afton. It stirred a fire inside of her. That princess' father had killed her best friend and some other people. It was… anticlimactic, in a way. William Afton, from what she knew, was a nobody. She'd expected someone more well-known, but this made sense if she thought about it. A serial killer could not stand out to commit his murders, and she'd only heard of the man from his daughter, meaning he was not a renowned person. But that did not matter, what mattered was that she knew who it was that killed her friend, and being able to put a name and a face to the someone she wanted to strangle was- "-Now, uh, he hasn't done anything, as far as I know." Matthew saw what she was thinking. "Thing is, even if we know that he is a killer- or uh, will be one- we can't go after him. He has three kids and… what his wife works wouldn't be enough to sustain them. If we got him in jail- oh, sorry. I don't mean we, like- you don't have to be involved. This is… you know, heavy stuff. But, if we got him in jail his children, who are innocent, would probably starve, so..." he trailed off. Cassidy stared at him for a moment, wanting to shout.

"Matt." she inhaled. "He killed you and other people... And you don't want to go after him?!" if she had been killed and knew who did it, she would not miss a chance to go after her murderer, to find him and make him suffer until she got bored of hearing his cries for mercy only to end him in the most painful way she could imagine, and here was her friend, trying to act peaceful. She could not understand how his skin wasn't crawling knowing the man that ended his life was still out there.

"I do, but I can't right now. Believe me, I have a plan for how I'm gonna stop his crimes, I know when and how they'll occur, but at the moment it's too soon to do anything."

"Why?"

"Because, as I've said, if I got rid of him his children would starve. Currently, he's about to open a restaurant with Charlie's dad in January, you know, Fredbear's, and that was very successful in the old uh, timeline, so I'm waiting for that to happen before I start going after him, so that his wife will be able to- I guess, inherit- his salary or something along those lines. He's not unpredictable. I know when he'll try to strike, so I know when to be ready. There are only a couple of events I need to prevent before I can get rid of him."

His reasoning was… it wasn't dumb if one put aside revenge, which was what Matthew seemed to be doing, but there was one flaw she noticed almost immediately.

"Why wait though? Why would you wait for the murders to happen after the restaurant opens? You could go after him the moment Fredbear's is open." in Cassidy's mind waiting would needlessly endanger more people, so she felt as though her friend was going about this the wrong way. Matt paused, mulling over her inquiry for a brief second before responding.

"If I didn't wait, I'd be going after someone innocent. He needs to at least attempt to hurt people for the police to do anything, otherwise, they won't care. Essentially, I need proof, and proof comes by way of letting him attempt his killings. I- I don't like it either, and I wish it was different but this is how it is." Matthew put his hands in his hoodie pocket. By the way, his face bore a distant expression she could tell that there wasn't anything she could do or say to convince him otherwise.

"So, you're just gonna wait it out? Aren't you furious that you were killed?"

"I mean, I had a couple of decades to be. I'm kinda… I'm tired of seeking revenge, you know. I'd rather leave the demon to his demons if that makes sense." he said it in such a way as if that line was meant for her. There was sympathy behind his eyes directed at her, and it unsettled Cassidy. "…That's how it's gotta be. If I did anything rash now and fail, he'd suspect me, and then… Yeah, I hate it too, but William Afton is not someone you test. You either strike when he's most vulnerable or keep as far away from him as you can…" the girl looked at the floor, biting her lip. She didn't know what to feel about this. Besides anger, Cassidy felt… she pitied him. If she'd been in his place then that guy would be dead, no complications, but Matthew was- he was not her. The boy wasn't a ball of rage like her. He didn't look out for objects to break and people to hit when things got hard. He wanted to stretch it out. She didn't agree with him, but neither could she change his mind, and that pulled on her heart.

"…Okay… So, uh… when did you die, and where?"

"In a restaurant, though not Fredbear's. It was another one that is gonna be launched later. As for when… I'm not really sure. Some of my memories from back then are fuzzy, at least those involving my death, but there are two dates that I keep remembering when I think of when I died; 83 and 85, so I believe that it's either one of those two. But, well, with foresight they're not that relevant `cause I know not to be lured away… I was pretty stupid to trust that rabbit- uh, that's how William killed me. By dressing up as the golden rabbit and taking me to a backroom where there was no one to witness it." she nodded, having trouble keeping her face from cracking with anger. The more she heard the more rage bubbled up for that man, but… she'd wanted this, and she owed it to Matthew to hear him out till he was finished.

"And then you possessed a robot for decades? How long was it exactly, if you can tell?"

"Uh, four or five. It was around 2000 something when I got sent back in time here. Heh, you could say I'm an old geezer, but I'm not sure it would count." that was certainly a long time, and he'd been a robot for all of it. Trapped in a cage unable to live... No one should go through that; no kid should be forced to inhabit a metal body for literal decades and not be allowed to move on. How could anyone do that to him? How could a single person cause so much pain, Cassidy just didn't know. But one thing was clear to her, if she ever met that piece of filth face to face, she would not hesitate to hurt him just as he had hurt her friend. Because she wasn't Matthew, and she would not hold back if she had the opportunity to make him suffer.

"What do you mean?" she decided to ask to focus on something other than what she'd do to that Afton monster.

"To grow old, you have to accumulate those experiences that turn you into an adult and actually live them, but if you're stuck in a robot and don't do the things a kid should, like, progress in a way- you're not really aging. Sure, the time in which you've been around grows and you could be in your fifties, but you're still the same age mentally as when you died. I don't feel older than when I died, is what I'm trying to say. I guess there could be exceptions, but you have to live and not spend your days in a pizzeria for them to apply. If you're just… giving gifts to other children, singing on stage, etcetera- you're not living, you're just repeating the same thing over and over again, and that's called insanity."

In a strange sort of way, she understood his point of view, but shouldn't you be considered an adult if you were around for long enough, no matter how you spent that time? Although, if she pondered it further, their friendship would be incredibly uncomfortable if Matt were to be an adult in a kid's body. To her relief however, the boy acted too awkward and was still childish in some ways where "adult" would not fit him as a descriptor, so their relationship hadn't just been ruined.

"Huh…" she felt bad that she did not have anything to add to that. "…I'm sorry." Cassidy said instead, having no idea how to console him. If he hadn't told anyone any of this, then she was the only person who he could talk to about what he'd endured, and she felt obligated as his friend to try and provide him some form of comfort, even if it was way above her capabilities.

"You're… why? I- I mean, like, you didn't know and… I'm alright, you know. I'm almost over it, um…"

"You still shouldn't have gone through any of that, Matthew. I uh… let me know if there's anything I can do to help. If you ever need to talk or- I know I'm not the best at the mushy stuff, but I'm here if you wanna talk. Just… don't feel like you can't come to me with this sort of thing. I'mma promise to do what I can." the boy stared at her, his face ridden with sorrow, before looking down at the paper he had drawn on, nodding. "…Um, who else died with you? Is it kids that we know?" she opted to switch the subject, unsure what to say to make the air between them less weird.

"Yeah, some. Gabriel from your class, a couple from mine- Susie, Jeremy, and Fritz. All lured into the back by William wearing the golden rabbit suit and stuffed inside the mascots at the pizzeria after being killed. There were also a few I never met, but I knew about them. I think we were like, a dozen or so. I was on my own most of the time though. Never talked much to them, and I mean, we couldn't, given how we were inside the bots." a dozen kids had died. A dozen. Matthew talked about it like it was a normal occurrence, but she had a feeling he did not realize how big that number actually was, or had gotten used to it. Still, it was hard to imagine. That so much suffering could be caused by one person. And her friend had to deal with it on his own. "Oh, and uh, Charlie too. My sister… she- she was the first to die. But we didn't know each other back then. I was only adopted here. And there were some other kids as well, but they were accidents, not actual murders. Afton built these robots that were meant to kidnap children-"

"He what?!" her outrage had been expected, as the boy did not flinch back.

"Mhm, and his daughter Liz got too close to one of them when she was alone."

"Okay, he's a psychotic murderer, but why would he build kidnapping robots?"

"I've no idea. It could be that he's just that sick or that he had some other goal in mind other than to kill, but I dunno. Honestly, it's pointless to try and figure out why Afton is the way he is. He was probably born a lunatic. Anyway, she wasn't the only one, `cause sometime later, Michael, his oldest son, pulled a prank that went a little too far on his younger brother Evan. Michael was the only Afton kid to make it out alive until he too kinda kicked the bucket."

Not only was the man a murderer, but his whole family had perished as well. She would've said it was karma, but he probably did not care that much for them if he let his daughter die to one of his creations. But what kind of vile demon could build robots that were meant to kidnap children? Cassidy was growing less astonished with each atrocity she learned of him committing.

"Wow. So, his own kids died. Did he die at any point? Please tell me he did."

"In a sense. One night he got into the old suit he used to kill everyone in and got crushed to death by the components inside. He came back though, possessed his own corpse, and we never got rid of him after that. That's just how dangerous he is. He always comes back, no matter what. William had become immortal, so it was impossible to kill him afterward, which is why it's such a good thing that I was sent back, you know. When he's just a guy… all I have to do is make sure no metal bodies are lying around for him to attach himself to and he's gone." Matthew appeared remorseful as he said that. Perhaps he believed that she'd think less of him for wanting the man that killed him dead, but in reality, she had nothing against it. In fact, he could ask her to help him kill Afton and she'd do it in a heartbeat. Cassidy might've been just a young girl, but even she knew that a man so evil could not be allowed to live. It was good to know that Matt planned to kill him after he was done with saving who he had to. The girl hummed in thought.

"Ah, well, one last thing I wanna know. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, you can choose not to answer this if you want, but uh… sorry, I'm just kinda curious, like, what happened with your family back then? U- Uh, I don't want to like-"

"It's fine. They, they were gone then as well. I was uh… on the streets…" Matthew didn't face her, and it pained her to know that he had never had a home. That he had died and there hadn't been anyone to miss or mourn him. She felt she wasn't worthy of the life she had in comparison to him. Where he had had a short, miserable life of suffering hers had been one of luxury that she was often ungrateful for. To know that the one she called her best friend had been forced to live on the streets… Cassidy had just developed a newfound appreciation for her parents and the life they had offered her. "Sneaked into the restaurant `cause it was where all the kids went and… that was my biggest mistake. I wondered for how long I would've made it if I never went there. Not long, but… it would've been better to die on the street than to be killed by a maniac wearing a furry costume."

Matt exhaled, wiping his eyes. His hands were shaking, so she put a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him down. He looked guilty for some reason, and would still not look at her. The girl did not know why, but maybe she was misinterpreting his expression. It could've been that he was just sad and she was not reading it correctly as she wasn't the greatest at reading others. That had to be it. She was sorry she'd made him like this, but if she expressed it, he'd tell her it wasn't her fault, so she remained quiet instead, rubbing circles on his back. He settled after a while when she restarted her questionnaire again. There was one more thing she wanted to know that she'd just thought about.

"So, uh… what do you think my dream means then? If in it I was killed by the golden rabbit that killed you? Does that mean I'm gonna die?" she asked, making the connection that she might be one of the victims Matthew knew about. If it was true… she wasn't about to despair as she now knew to avoid it, but it was disturbing, to say the least, to know that you died. There was a pit in her stomach at the thought that her life had ended prematurely, and a spark of anxiety ran through her, but she pushed the sensation aside, not letting it intimidate her.

"…Uh, if you want my honest opinion… it probably means that you were one of those victims. I didn't meet all of them, so it's more than likely that you might be among them if you saw the rabbit. I mean, it could've been anything else, but the shadow monster chose that as the thing that killed you in the dream. Why would he do that unless to mess with you since it was personal, you know?" she resisted trembling at the confirmation. It would seem that her life had been saved by the simple fact that Matthew had crossed paths with her. To think that she would've been stupid enough to get killed in such a dumb manner- not that she was calling Matthew or the other children stupid, they couldn't have known they would get offed in a place where they were supposed to have fun-, considering how she did not trust most people, Cassidy was rather disappointed in her old self. Or future self- this time stuff was confusing. She hoped to have at least put up a good fight and not get slaughtered without a chance to react. That would be deeply embarrassing for someone like her.

"Then I guess I have to thank you, don't I?" Cassidy leaned forward, wanting to lighten the mood, wrapping her arms around the boy's neck and pulling him into a hug. She laughed a little at his surprised stuttering but smiled when he hugged back a few seconds later.

"Uh… what for? Like, you're having nightmares because of me-" she squeezed him tighter, shutting him up.

"Would you please stop blaming yourself? Dummy, I don't care about that, okay? Get it through that thick head of yours that it's none of your fault or I'm gonna beat it into you. Anyway, maybe it was unintentional, but thank you. If you weren't my friend, I wouldn't have known about this, and then I would've kept being a stubborn idiot that would've gotten herself killed. You would've been there to stop it, but I would've put myself in danger in the first place, not Afton, and I know I would've made it harder for you, so thanks for having the energy to put up with me and for being my friend." she felt the boy lean into the hug and embrace her further, this time not shying away from holding her just as tight. She thought she heard him whisper in return, but she it was too low to make out, so she continued. "You saved my life, Matt, and I'm not gonna let you lose yours."

"Cass, you don't have to-"

"-I do. What, do you really think I'd let you risk your life on your own like that?" she broke the hug, gazing at him softly. "I'm not gonna let you deal with this by yourself. You've been alone for too long." Cassidy took hold of his hand. "I'm sticking with you, and we're gonna send that asshole to hell together." he could say anything that came to mind, but he could not make the girl turn her back on him. She was in this now, and she would help him nail that shit stain of a human being. So long as she lived, no one messed with her friend, and both of them knew that Matthew would get himself into trouble that he'd need help getting out of, and that was what she was going to do. Cassidy would look out for him, just as he was doing for her.

"I… You sure you're up for this? I don't want you to get hurt but I mean, if you're in, you're not getting out when you think it's convenient. Odds are we're both gonna die, even with what we know. I can't stop you, but you need to get that. This isn't a game, Cassidy. Lives, actual human lives are at stake here, we can't think of this as a game."

"Matt, I know that. I- you died, and the guy that did it is out there, and he'll try to kill. I get it. I want to help you stop him. I don't want to let you risk your life by yourself. If we die then sucks to be us, but at least we die together. You're…" she sighed, her eyes pleading with the boy. "You died alone, and you were alone. I'm not gonna let you be alone now as well. This may not have been my battle or whatever at first, but now it is, and I plan to fight it with you. So please, don't be a dummy and argue with me on this. You're not alone anymore."

His eyes squinted with doubt, but then they turned to admiration, and once again guilt, or so she thought. This was the same face he'd made when he had debated if he should tell her this at all or not. She hoped she managed to persuade him, but even if she failed Cassidy would still be by his side. She could not let this go despite how dangerous it might be- she wouldn't be able to sleep at night if she knew she'd left her friend to die because she had decided to skip this one out. If she were to do that, she'd betray him, plain and simple. Whichever way she'd twist it, it would be betrayal, and she refused to be a backstabber. This was her responsibility as well by the mere fact that she knew of what Afton was truly capable of. And so, she awaited her friend's response, hoping he'd make the right choice and that she would not have to make it for him.

Cassidy brightened when she heard the boy chuckle.

"If you're absolutely certain… then fine." he held out his hand, which she took without a second thought. "I feel as though some cringe is required, so… We're seeing this through to the end."

"We are." and the two of them shook hands. A moment passed during which neither spoke, each child lost in the other's eyes. Everything he'd confessed was too complex to be fabricated in only a couple of days. Too many details for her friend to lie about, so… as alien as it was to admit it, Cassidy believed him. She trusted that every word that had come out of his mouth had been the truth, and she'd be there to accompany him as he'd do what she'd often thought of as her motto in life, which was to look out for the little guy. She'd be with him as he'd save everybody else and she'd be with him as he'd end Afton.

To kill that scumbag… it felt so right with her that the girl couldn't help but feel almost enthusiastic at the idea, however wrong that might've been for a child to feel not mattering in the slightest to Cassidy. It probably had to do with her death at his hands. If she indeed had been murdered by Afton… Oh, she had a couple of things in mind for what she would do to him. Vengeance was justice, after all. A phrase so intimate to her that she hadn't heard of before but somehow knew… Whoever had said it must've been an amazing person in her book.

Matthew coughed when he took note of the fact that they were yet to let go of each other's hands and shifted in his seat, going back to his drawing, a strained smile adorning his lips. Cassidy glanced at the clock above the blackboard and to her chagrin, the break was almost over. She moved her chair closer to the boy, taking a peek at his paper over his shoulder. The paper was split into squares, each one containing a different sketch but with the same characters. There was also text written above the figures, but it was too messy for her to read.

"What's this?"

"This is what I've been telling you about since we first met, my dear Cass." his spirit rose as soon as she'd asked that. "A brand of humour that will take over the world and make people kneel before its might. The defining feature of the gen z. The revolutionary, holly, and eternal… meme." he made his voice deeper for dramatic effect. Matthew spread his arms presenting her with his creation, eagerly anticipating her reaction, but Cassidy…

She raised a clueless brow, staring doltishly at the drawn sheet. It was so beyond her that it left the girl scratching her head.

"Excuse this one's foolishness, but I cannot see the meaning behind these scribbles." she played along, wanting to distract herself from all that she'd learned, at least momentarily.

"These are not meagre scribbles, my dear! This is art. Allow me to explain." he raised the paper and pointed at the top left square. What looked like a fat bear holding a small child, blowing his hair. "The hunter holds his food, but it's a bit hot to eat, so what does he do? He blows it a little." the bear was doing just that in the caricature. "Till it's cool, just cool." Matt read, then pointed to the next image where the bear was pointing towards himself while holding the child in one hand, his pinkie raised. "Into the mouth." the child's head was shoved into the bear's mouth in the following panel. Matthew made a pop sound, and in the second to last picture, the child's head had been crushed. "Nice." was the only word written in the last image, where the bear's jaws were painted in red while his eyes were dazed, with four masked guys looking on in shock in the background.

"So, this is a meme, huh…?" were they supposed to be this morbid? Was this dark humour? Cassidy did not find it hilarious if so, but maybe there was someone out there that would. Her problem with it however was that- "Is this missing the punchline or am I not getting it right? Like, no offense, but I don't see what's so funny here." her friend frowned, shaking his head from side to side like a parent scolding her.

"Ah, it would seem that this is too advanced for you indeed. A pity. Understanding the craft of the meme could have unlocked your full potential, but you cannot progress from the average to the enjoyer. It is with regret that I say that I am… sorry for you." Cassidy punched Matthew's arm after he bowed his head, and they both broke into giggling fits, holding onto themselves to calm down.

"You're taking this way better than I expected." he commented idly after wiping his eyes, his entire face red.

"Yeah, this uh, it all seems familiar, you know. Like I knew everything that you said but it was just locked up in some deep part of my mind, and you telling me- I dunno, triggered something in me?"

"Maybe it's like, phantom memories, from back then. I couldn't say... How's your scar, by the way?"

"Still there. I'm getting kinda worried it's gonna stay there if I don't… It's annoying to have to see it every time I get dressed." it was nice that he took the time to ask about her problems. She would've done the same for him if she didn't know that his response would stay the same whenever she asked, and she'd known him for enough time to be aware of the fact that Matthew hated repeating himself…

"It does sound like a pain… but it'll disappear eventually. I mean, it happened in the dream so, for all intents and purposes it's not actually real, you know." he offered stiffly. It was then that the bell rang, signalling the end of their chat. "Would you look at that? Save by the bell again. Heh, well, uh, I'm glad we cleared things up. I um, I guess I'll see you around. Take care, Cass." she got up from the chair, giving him one last pat on the back before she made her way out of his class.

"You too, dummy. `Cause someone really cares about you." she smiled earnestly, waved, and then was gone as quickly as she had appeared, not giving him time to process what she'd said. Matt couldn't help but ask himself if she'd meant it as a sincere compliment or if there was something more beneath the statement that only he was supposed to pick up on. Maybe he was too dense. Combine that with the fact that the conversation they'd had- which had been immensely taxing on him- and he was bound to be out of his element, not fully realizing what her words signified. But reflecting on those was nothing compared to what he felt for what he'd just done.

Matthew buried his face in his palms out of pure shame, trying and giving up on holding in the torrent of emotions that threatened to leak out. If he was lucky, he'd settle himself before his colleagues saw him bawling his eyes out all alone in the classroom, but he did not deserve such luck. He deserved to rot for being a double-crossing, two-faced liar, and despite how sorry he was for it, his apologies would not make it better.

He'd brought this upon himself by panicking and not sticking with the story he'd told Mari, and he'd be the one to witness the ramifications, just as he had with Henry a few days ago, only this time they'd be worse, and would rear their ugly head when he'd least expect it, leaving Cassidy to be a casualty, - the instant he'd think he'd get a decent grip on his life.

As it should be. Because being sorry did not cure him of his sins. It would not save Cassidy from finding out how horrible of a person he was, and that Afton was not the one she should worry about.

It only drew his punishment closer, and the people that he'd dragged into this would soon realize he was the one they should hate.

o0o

He pushed open the door with a scowl on his features. William didn't even have to round the corner to notice the smell, which was more prominent this time, proving his hunch had been right. Images of the man sitting by the wall begging for money flashed in his mind, and a small, soon-to-be-dead part of him radiated compassion, but he felt as though a vein would burst if he did not take action right this moment. It had taken no time at all for him to connect the dots. Michael getting in the car smelling like that, acting more aloof than he usually did… Had Afton been dumber he would've thanked his eldest for being so conspicuous, but he hadn't needed to analyse Michael's behaviour to know "what was up", as they say. To think that he had offered that garbage his money with the sliver of hope that the man would use it to improve his situation, to think that he had had faith, however small… No, he'd been mistaken. It had never been so clear to him. William was at fault for this happening. He was in part to blame. He might not have been responsible for the distribution, but he had helped pay the supplier.

It didn't matter that it had been done indirectly. Afton himself had contributed to a lowlife being able to sell that scum in this town, which had led to Michael getting a taste. Afton had assisted in corrupting his own son when he so loathed the influence the world had on his family. Due to his foolishness, he'd been made a hypocrite, and the future he was trying so hard to craft for his children had been tainted.

It just proved how right he had always been. That the freedom they all preached was the source of everything that was wrong. He'd been too lenient, he'd let distractions disrupt what he was cultivating, and he hadn't been controlling enough... He'd thought he would allow his kids the luxury of privacy and look where that had brought him. No more. No more refusing the pleasure, no more pretending he agreed with the lies, no more doing what others expected of him. No. More.

Those three existed because of William. They lived, breathed, and slept because of him and they most definitely belonged to him. He had yet to take advantage of his rightful role and do as he pleased, but all of that was about to change. He was their father, and as their father, he knew what was best for them. Outside influences would not be welcomed anymore. Either everyone was in line or they'd be removed. No obstacles would stand in his path. He would choose how life for his children went from now on because he was the only one who valued them to any degree; only William loved and saw potential in them whereas others would cast them aside and label them as worthless brats.

For once in twelve years, he wasn't particularly angry with Michael, as he too had been curious in his youth to try it out, but he would be damned if he allowed this to continue. He would not discipline the boy this time, but he would get rid of the problem.

He'd finally found the excuse to break the camel's back, and regarding that fact, he could not be happier. How long he'd searched for a reason to seal the deal, to rid himself of what hope he had left in people and embrace his urges. Oh, only he knew how much it had taken to find a concrete motive to finally let loose. In truth, Afton was unsure why he had restricted himself for so much time, especially after the rabbit. He had found his second calling that day, and he had denied the desire that had formed for far too long now. The beatings were nothing because he always had to be careful not to go overboard, strike where bruises would be visible, or make Michael yell too loud… No, no, no, no, this was an opportunity he could not pass up. William was certain that any other competent parent would do the same in his situation.

Only an idiot would permit something like this to repeat. Other parents might've struggled with solving this, but then the sole lead they would have would be from their kids, whereas he had stumbled upon someone that could direct him to the supplier. With gritted teeth he made his way around the few cars that were parked near Junior's, trying to ignore the smell as it got stronger, and went to the other side of the building where he spotted the "homeless" man, a joint in-between his fingers. William charged the man, leaving him unable to utter any words of surprise, swatting the spliff out of his hand and grasping him by the collar, raising him against the wall.

"I lend you my money and this is how you spend it?!" he growled, finally getting the guy to look him in the eyes.

"I- uh, k- kind s- sir, this is -s just a- a misunderstand-"

"-Cut the fucking act already! You're not homeless, you're not blind, and you most certainly are in no need of help. This is all just a play, isn't it!? Being unemployed, you don't have the cash to buy this shit and therefore put on an act to fool people into feeling sorry for you and give you their money just so you can get high. Isn't that right, Jonathan?!" sweat was already beading on the man's forehead as he trembled in William's clutch. The fear that shined through his eyes was so invigorating.

"N- No, I swear, I have a r- really bad condition- this helps keep m- my nerves down, it- it- it- it calms me, sir- I have a pre-" he began, so Afton slammed him once on the brick wall, shutting him up.

"People- wastes of air like you are what makes me disgusted to wake up in the morning. To know that I have to walk on the same ground as you. Do you know how much better everything would be if you all suddenly dropped dead? Your kind is like a plague that thrives in any environment and only causes pain and suffering. A leach that sucks the value out of all that moves. You have no idea what you've even done, do you, Jonathan?!" he then proceeded to stumble over his words until William grew tired of it and resumed talking. "My son, my twelve-year-old son, a fucking minor, dared to put that piece of crap into his mouth and fill his lungs with it, all because those like you have the bright ideas to buy them and help build a market. You help create this- this exchange, because if the seller sees that his product is being well received, he'll set up his shop around. Now, my son didn't skip classes today, so either one of his friends shared a smoke with him, or someone near the school sold it to him. I'm betting on the selling you see, since he spent this week's allowance all in one day, something he never does. So, here's what I want from you, Jonathan. You are going to tell me exactly where you get your weed from, who sells it to you, and what they look like. And if I don't like what I hear I am going to break your fingers one by one, prick out your eyes, and then dump you into the sewers to get feasted on by rats."

With ragged breathing the guy raised his hands, terrified of the threat.

"Alright- Alright- I- I'll tell you, just leave me alone, please, man-" another slam, this time making him hit his head. The whining voice of a wasted junkie burned William's ears. He talked like he was a pubescent teen despite looking to be in his early thirties. "-Ugh, shit- o- okay- uh, uh- h- his name's uh, um- To- Tony. He's like the main man you go to, y- you know. He's uh, um… oh- uh- he's around twenty I think, um, ah- I can't remember- oh, uh- he's blond, short hair- wears sunglasses and um- is freckled? Yeah- that- that's his name- like, his street name- Freckles. I- It's stupid but kinda funny I- I guess but all the boys call him that, uh- his shit is pretty expensive man, like- he asks for 200 bucks per half ounce, but it's just the best, dude, and this ain't even the only thing he sells either. Like, everything he has is s- so good, you should really try it out. You have the green to do it, maybe you could even offer some in return for me telling you…?" the man seemed to have picked up courage as he spoke to ask that, seeming to quickly forget the danger he was in. The last comment made William want to cave in his head, but he restrained himself, wanting to have his next question answered.

It was hard to believe Jonathan could be such a good actor, with his preaching of God and whatnot, being able to tell a story so well that a lesser person wouldn't have seen through the lies. But at the end of the day, he was still filth, and the fact that William had actually helped him, and was touched by him made Afton seethe with anger.

"And where the hell is his spot, hmm?! Where do you go when you want to buy from him!?"

"Well, I mean- he usually hangs around the school, in Hurricane, that's his regular spot, he s- said there's a lot of business there `cause there are a bunch of teens or whatever." the man's tone was still shaky, but some of the fear had faded.

"…The school then? Just like I thought…"

"Yeah- look, man, I'm sorry about your money- didn't mean to scam y- you, b- but I didn't have any to buy, man. It's what I do when I feel like smoking- like- people don't really bat an eye `cause I- I've got this whole thing figured out. I- I just pick the cheapest clothes from Second, tear `em apart a little, put them in the dirt, and then just wait around with my best beggar's face on to get my cash, and then I'm gone." he had the audacity to chuckle. "I d- don't like- steal or whatever. I come here `cause I heard a ton of well-off folks pass by, you- you know?... H- Hey, listen-" he reached into his pocket, pulling out another joint and holding it up for William to see. "I have another one on me- just take this one if you want but please, dude, let me go- I swear you won't see me again, okay? I don't want to get hurt, man- I just wanna do my own thing!" he cried a sound so pathetic, Afton flinched back a little. The guy's face resembled that of a small child. "I- If you like it, you could put in a good word for me with Tony- m- maybe we could get a discount if you tell him I pointed you t- to him?"

William's mouth hung open, and he barely held in a laugh. He tilted his head downwards, trying to stop his shoulders from shaking with laughter. His whole world had just stopped for a few moments.

Then, he raised his head, his expression somewhere between disbelief and amusement.

"You haven't been listening, Jonathan. Do you honestly think that I would…?" William stopped, knowing it'd be pointless to ask since the guy was not there entirely. He closed his eyes, inhaled, leaned back, and broke into a laughing fit, his voice filling the parking lot. Instantly his fury dissipated, and he even let go of Jonathan, having to cover his face in his palms to snuff out the sound of his howling. He bent over, his eyes still shut closed, and held his belly. The other guy watched him warily, before he quietly attempted to move past William to collect the fallen spliff, only for Afton to cut him off by taking a step before him out of a need to balance himself. Neither man noticed the shadow that was cast on the wall, towering over them both.

William slowly calmed down after a while, wiping his eyes, and rose to stare at the junkie, his features settling into what could be described as a satisfied look. Somehow his grin appeared legitimate, but there had been a visible shift in his silver eyes. He brought his hands up, putting them on Jonathan's shoulder, and merely smiled, exposing his pearly white teeth and gums, his lips stretching so far they split his cheeks and reached his ears. It was a painful sight to witness that shook Jonathan to his very core, keeping him frozen on the spot.

Immediately all of his instincts flared up, being amplified by his high, shouting at him to get away as fast as he could, but he could not move. His muscles refused to obey him, and his hair stood on edge. All he could do was stare into those grey eyes that were devoid of life. It was as if the man in front of him was just a corpse disguised as a human.

"Thank you." was all William said, making the other man wince. He sounded proud, and actually grateful towards the junkie. Those two words had been spoken from the heart, although who had been behind them was unknown. Whether the darkness within was responsible, or the mask, did not matter. It knew the next thing it had to do, and its excitement could be felt emanating off of it in waves.

The stress made Jonathan's gaze wander to the joint in his fingers. Despite what his gut told him, the guy he'd ripped off had thanked him, so that must've meant he was okay with it, and since he said he didn't want a smoke then maybe John could light up his last one, and take a few puffs. He was even willing to share if the other man changed his mind to make up for scamming him. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out his lighter, not really aware of his windpipe constricting until it was too late.

He dialled the number while in the telephone booth, wiping his hands, occasionally tilting backward to look where the other guy was slumped. He had a feeling he would get up and leave for some reason. It might've been due to his paranoia, but deep down he knew it'd be alright. It had been far easier than he imagined anyway, and the best thing about it was that he knew he would sleep peacefully at night because what he'd just done could not come back to bite him. That was not William's arrogance speaking either, it was the simple, cold reality of things. A nobody would not be missed, and definitely not paid any attention to, that was the sad truth on which the world operated.

Afton had let the rush flow through him for a few minutes afterward, much like he had done with the rabbit, and once again he'd felt free, only now the sensation being much more potent than before. The itch was gone, and any tension he had in his being had been cleared out, his body and mind feeling as though he'd spent the past hour having the greatest massage known to man. He was just… so at peace, so collected that he could reflect on every little detail with no mental fatigue. He could now visualize all of the emotions that had flooded him at that moment, and most were still there, making him feel giddy inside. It was so beautiful, no one could understand. Now he felt like an idiot for not trying this sooner, because he felt energized, like he was back in his prime, ready to prove what he was capable of.

It came naturally to him and felt so right that he already couldn't wait to do it again. His thoughts danced with ideas for what experiments he'd like to do next. All sorts of questions the man hadn't asked himself before were popping up, instilling a morbid curiosity in him. Things that he just had to find out… the beep of the telephone disrupted his meditation, the female operator's voice coming from the other end.

"Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?"

"Ah, y- yes, I- I'm calling to inform you of a potential d- drug dealer near Hurricane Middle School." he faked an American accent. "My son came home today with the most shocking of news, you s- see. There seems to be a person that is selling dubious substances to some of the students there. Please, I'm calling as a concerned parent, I cannot bear the thought of my child being exposed to such- such dangers- I- I would not know what to do if I found out he'd taken any of them. Uh, y- you are looking for a male in his twenties, um, with blond hair, freckles, and… oh, and wearing sunglasses, yes. I do not know his actual name, but I know he goes by Freckles while in public. I'm hoping you might know of him?" he made his voice shudder, making it sound like he was on the verge of tears. "I beg of you to send someone to check this out- the- the thought that such people are allowed to walk the streets near where my son learns is making me afraid to even send the boy to school- I am scared for his safety and the children's safety, so please, please do something about this…"

"Thank you for calling the Hurricane Police Department and bringing this to our attention. Rest assured that we will investigate this matter and catch the individual responsible. Your son will be safe, sir. Is there anything else?" she bought it.

"Um, n- no, just… please catch him. I never would've thought that such a thing was even possible here- I…" he sobbed into the receiver. It took a lot of self-control to not start snickering instead.

"It's going to be okay, sir, we'll find him. Thank you again for your call." it thrilled William that he'd managed to get the woman to sound sorry for him.

"Y- Yes, have a nice day, ma'am."

"You as well. Goodbye." with that he put the receiver back in place, blinked the acting out of his eyes, and rested his forehead on the glass of the booth. If the police didn't catch the seller, William would personally go after him, but he liked to think that those running the precinct would not allow someone like that to roam the streets. It would do badly for their reputation since he'd led the dispatcher to believe that a lot of kids were aware of the dealer. He'd give them a week. After that, if this "Tony" wasn't caught he would take matters into his own hands.

William prayed for them to not do their jobs properly. The more the merrier, as they say, and another excuse so soon would do well to raise his spirits further.

After a few dozen seconds he rubbed his temples, beginning to fix his suit. He thought he saw a mass of black in the form of a large body peering at him through the glass but when he looked there was only the half-empty parking lot. Grinning, he stepped out of the call box, heading to his car.

As he got in and held onto the steering wheel, a surge of euphoria hit him. All that he had felt five minutes ago shot back, hitting him full force. Afton's breathing got heavier, his fingers tightened on the steering wheel, drops of sweat ran down the sides of his face, and his heart beat so hard he could hear the blood being pumped in his ears. His vision also went black, and he had no sense of equilibrium for a moment before his eyesight returned. Then, a fire exploded inside of him, making William hit the wheel multiple times to let some of it out, his system unable to handle the blaze of power he felt.

Every cell in his body felt like it had been imbued with strength, basking in bliss, and William couldn't help but scream a "yeah" to the high heavens, dragging it out until he was out of breath, before switching to crackling like a madman who had just discovered the secret to immortal life. The car was hardly enough to muffle his ecstatic voice. He only stopped when his chest started to hurt and his vocal cords were close to rupturing.

Afton settled into his chair, vision darting in all directions, running his hand through his now ruined hair, but that didn't matter. Not at all. Nothing did anymore. He had been reborn. He had bathed in what made him whole and now all that was left was to go home, kiss his wife, hug his children and live his goddamned life because he was no longer bound by chains.

William David Afton was dead, and what took his place was something more than he could've ever hoped to be. Thirty-seven years it had taken, but finally, he had evolved, he had gone beyond the chasm that separated the gods from the mortal men, and any weakness of humanity that had filled him had evaporated into nothing.

He started the car, taking in one last breath as he prepared to leave the cemetery of his old self, and drove home.

William could say that he had achieved happiness. Truly, and from the bottom of the void that housed his soul, he was happy, and everything was going to be good.

---

Sorry for the delay😓! Sadly, getting reused to writing after the holidays is somewhat hard as now, I don't have as much time to write as I would've liked to, but I manage, although I cannot guarantee that the following chapters will be released on a weekly basis. Given how they're longer in length it's gonna take me a while to write them but I'mma try to get them out on time.

This one took a lot outta me to write, but I still had fun, and I love trying new things with each chapter. It was difficult mostly because for some reason I can't stick to a set word count and I just have to write it all in one go. I definitely didn't intend for it to end up at a whopping 23k words, especially since I said 18 would be the cap, but I'm happy with how it turned out, and I really hope you guys liked it! Have a nice day and I'll see y'all later. Buh-bye👋!

Chapter title from "Welcome to Freddy's" by Madame Macabre.