The Lullaby

Chapter Three

There was a loud crack, and it was the most beautiful sound Marionette had ever heard.

The beartrap swayed as another loud bang rung through, and only then did it fall forward. The Puppet pressed back against the wall to avoid its frame and stared down at it as it laid face down on the carpet.

Behind the downed bear stood Mike with a shovel clutched in his hands. It was clear what he did, but he was not done. He drew back again and slammed the shovel down again, and again, and then raised it to switch to pointing it downwards. Planting a shoe on its back to hold it still, Mike brought the edge of the shovel down between its head and back, aiming for the neck. Strike after strike fell upon the animatronic and every crunch, crack, and break sounded harmonious.

The beartrap's gargled voice was suddenly cut off as with a final strike the shovel hit carpet underneath. The bear's head wobbled and lulled, now entirely detached, and with that the threat was finally silenced.

"Rest in pieces you one-eyed son of a bitch," Mike snarled and threw down the shovel. It fell in the gap that had once been the bear's neck. He was slightly panting, throat still sore from the bear's harsh grasp, but his attention soon changed to the Puppet who was still pressed again the wall. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern as he started to step over the bear.

All at once Marionette was hit with relief and joy, and fear, and panic, a despair, and so much more that was currently overtaking him. He began to shiver and was soon shaking hard, with his internal box letting out a strange display of chiming. It almost sounded like giggling, though was obviously some sort of spasm from his music box. His voice was a contorted mess of half words and distressed sounds- he was hysterical.

Mike crouched down and laid a hand on the striped one's shoulder. It pulled the Puppet slightly out of his growing panic, or just enough that he shoved off the wall and hugged tightly onto the security guard. He embraced as tightly as he could, still shuddering, and Mike put an arm around his back.

"It's over," he tried to reassure. "That thing's only good for scrap metal now. It's never going to touch you again." He was quick to put his other arm under Marionette's legs and then lifted him from the ground. Carefully, he stepped back over the bear and out of the guest room door.

"V-ce… Vo-ice… Charlie…"

It was so faint that Mike almost didn't hear it. Between its low volume and the Puppet's other cries of distress, it was almost impossible to decode any of it, but Mike had heard that much. It sounded like he was trying to tell him something, but then promptly gave up. Perhaps he just assumed that the guard hadn't heard him. They couldn't talk in this state, he decided. Mike said nothing and instead focused on getting his Puppet away from the disabled animatronic.

They were almost at the stairs when he heard thunderous footsteps. "Sounds like we woke up Fritz," Mike cracked as he pulled the Puppet closer. He noticed that the striped one's shaking was starting to finally slow down and his voice was quieter, but it was still much less a voice and instead a blend of various sounds, both music box and animatronic in nature. It was when he stepped into the kitchenette when Fritz came down the stairs so quickly that he nearly fell over himself.

"Mike! Thank goodness you're- You look terrible!" Fritz blurted out. He was clearly a bit too flustered and Mike sent him a weary look.

"Yeah, what else is new? This is how I always look after dealing with Freddy at three in the morning," he flatly answered. He then gestured over with his head. "By the way, I borrowed your shovel… And the living room is pretty much trashed… But the bear's been taken out, so at least that's a victory." Fritz looked down at the Puppet and Mike subconsciously held him tighter. "I need to get him upstairs. I think he was injured and there's no way we're staying down with that thing."

"No… Take him into my room," Fritz offered. The other man seemed surprised and the technician insisted. "I'm not going back to sleep anyway… You're sure the bear's deactivated?" This received a nod of agreement. "I'm going to go check it out and see what I can find off of it." He passed by, giving his friend a sympathetic pat on the back as he went. Mike continued upstairs and to Fritz's bedroom.

At this point, he did still believe that Marionette had been injured and checked him for damage as he sat him down on the bed. There were no cracks, the noises had naturally died down, and while the Puppet was now limp that could've been out of exhaustion. It didn't make Mike feel much better and even now he was still riled as though he needed to do something more. The bear was destroyed, he decapitated it himself, and he still felt on edge- still waiting for it to barge back upstairs. Still he waited for it to pick up its never-ending quest to take away his puppet.

The tears were starting to slow down now. Mike reached out and tried to wipe away the purple with his thumb.

"It didn't get a chance to hurt you, right? I'm willing to cut you open and put you back together, but only if you actually need me too," Mike asked. He tried to sound like he was still joking even when his concern was coming through. Assuming that the electricity's influence would wear off- and not wanting to address it with how exhausted he was- Marionette shook his head. "Good, because if it did then I'd be obligated to go downstairs and set the thing on fire," Mike remarked. Yet all the humor quickly dissipated as he looked down over the Puppet. He felt guilty; he felt like he hadn't done enough.

Marionette was confused when human started to lean downwards and, without much warning, lifted the Puppet to meet him in another embrace. This one felt different: this time it was Mike holding onto Marionette with that protective desperation. The reality of the bear finally hit him head on.

"I'm sorry," Mike quietly confessed. "I shouldn't have left you. It could've trapped you by time I got back. I don't know what I was thinking leaving you with it…" The Puppet was silent and still, and the human held tighter. He hated the feeling that he, like many others, had let Marionette down. He knew that feeling and that disappointment, and though he had left for the right reasons, to get a weapon, coming in when he did was a cold reminder of what his actions could've brought. It had him trapped against a wall, unable to flee; it could've swallowed him whole.

And then Marionette finally reacted. His arms slowly rose, with one draping around Mike's back and the other's fingers sliding into his hair. The Puppet turned his mask until his painted cheek brushed Mike's own and gave a tired trill. All was forgiven, if it needed to be at all. Mike regained a smile, one of relief and exhaustion. A feeling of repose settled on the room. They were alright for now. They didn't have to think about it for now.

The human finally drew back once he heard the distant sound of Fritz moving around. He then sat on the bed beside the animatronic, unwilling to even consider falling asleep now. If he even could with how much of a high he was riding from the excitement of the night. Even excitement like this could bring out endorphins that he didn't expect. It was a few minutes later when Fritz finally entered, and Mike sent another glance towards Marionette. It was clear that he had fallen asleep: his body was limp, with one arm beside him and one draped over his chest, his eyes were closed, and his smile was missing.

"I didn't know the mask changed," Fritz whispered over as to not alarm the Puppet. Mike gave a half smile.

"Yeah, he's just full of surprises," Mike agreed. He then looked back to Fritz and held up a hand, revealing cut along the palm. "You've got anything I can cover this with?"

"Sure. How'd you get that?" the technician asked as he checked it over. It didn't look deep enough for stitches, but it could've easily gotten infected. He went to get a couple of bandages and antibiotic ointment before returning. "Here, let me do it," he insisted as he took the younger's hand. "I only have normal sized ones, so we're going to have to rig three of these into one bigger one. Just bear with me… Was it the bear?"

"It was the door," Mike quipped. "I grabbed the wrong thing while getting the shovel."

"Got it. I hope you didn't dent it too much," Fritz remarked and started to work. During this time, Mike sent another lingering look at Marionette, and could tell that he was fast asleep. He was too exhausted not to be.

"…Hey Fritz?" Mike asked, not looking over. "…You know anything about a guy named Charlie?" Fritz looked to him in confusion and the younger explained. "Marionette said something about someone named Charlie. I couldn't get anything else, but when someone goes through that and is literally speechless except for a name, you know it's of significance." The confusion lingered a few moments, then Fritz's brows furrowed, his eyes widened, he stared blankly, and he dropped his head to work on Mike's hand again. The security guard sent him a suspicious look, "Don't think I didn't notice that."

"Are you sure it was 'Charlie'?" Fritz questioned. "It wasn't another name or anything? It couldn't have been a mistake?"

"No, Fritz, that's the name he gave. He said something about a voice-… The bear had a kid's voice." It was as though the lightbulb flickered on. "The bear was playing off these creepy recordings. I think Marionette must've meant that the bear had Charlie's voice. Do we know a Charlie?" He was becoming more forceful as the technician ignored him to bandage his hand. The frustration grew until Mike suddenly withdrew his hand. As the other looked back up, he narrowed his gaze in suspicion. "…Fritz, I've had a really bad night tonight. If you know something then you need to tell me now, or so help me-."

"Geez, take it easy!" Fritz whispered harshly. He sent a glance towards the closet- one that Mike noticed- and then looked back to his former co-worker. "I'll tell you exactly what I know, just don't talk too loud. We're too close to the closet."

"…What in the hell are you keeping in your closet?!" Mike blurted out in a whisper. The paranoia was growing even after Fritz gave a patient exhale.

"The stuff from Freddy's, just-… Bear with me, okay?" Fritz looked desperate as he lowered his voice to a whisper again. "So, while you went to bed, I decided to look into some of the things I got from Freddy's to hold. One of these was a box of blueprints. I went to look and, surprise, there's the bear you were talking about. It's called Lefty, or L.E.F.T.E." He sat down on the bed beside the man and leaned in to continue speaking. "Everything the Puppet said to you and everything you said to me was totally correct. That bear wasn't made to be an entertainer, it was made to capture the Puppet." He then listed on his fingers, "Lure, encapsulate, fuse, transport, and extract."

"What?!" Mike choked in shock. Even with the evidence he was surprised. "Are you sure?!"

"I'm positive. There were codes that link the bear with the Puppet's old security codes. It was made to attract the Puppet and trap him inside… And if the Puppet didn't come, I guess it was made to reverse the programming and find him."

"Oh my God…" Mike dropped his head into his hands. "How long's that thing been following him?" Then his eyes widened in shock. He straightened his back and looked to Fritz with a wild appearance. "How do we know that thing walked from Freddy's to my apartment?! What's to say that someone from Freddy's didn't just drop the damn thing off in the street?!"

"Mike…" Fritz swallowed thickly. "Charlie was Henry's daughter."

All at once something horrific started to settle together in front of him. What had been one bear with a grudge escalated into something only more horrendous. This wasn't an animatronic seeking revenge; it could very well be a plot concocted by someone higher up at Freddy's. Someone like Henry, who was capable of making these machines, and who was possibly disturbed enough to put the voice of his dead child inside of a trap. Mike felt unsafe, and when he felt unsafe he turned to frustration and paranoia- though both emotions seemed rather appropriate now.

"But why Marionette? Let's say this is Henry; what would he get out of trapping him in a bear?" It wasn't even doubt that fueled his questioning, but the insatiable need to know. Mike hated living in the dark at Freddy's, let alone when it followed him home, broke down his door, and tried to take his Puppet. His sweet and warm Puppet who had done nothing wrong since he left the pizzeria.

Fritz seemed to be grasping at straws too. "I don't know! All this seems completely insane! Then again, if we can be honest, Henry must not be playing with a full deck if he kept the business open after his daughter died there. Or, sorry, disappeared." Yet this moment of sarcasm was punctuated by a realization. "I don't know, but maybe it has to do with the others shutting down. The other animatronics recently stopped functioning. That's why the place is closing."

"Why didn't anyone say anything? They just told me they were going out of business, and they've pretty much done that three times already," Mike pointed out. Fritz gave a shrug; they kept their secrets, but neither knew why. "But you said recently. How long would it have taken him to make the beartrap?" At that question, Fritz very thin amount of sureness dropped into a look of horrified realization. Now they were in the same boat again. Even if the bear wasn't after them the whole scenario was widely disturbing to both human and animatronics. Being shoved and trapped into animatronics was literally what the management warned them about.

"So, you think it's Henry," Mike muttered. He now stared at the carpet, arms resting on his legs, looking exhausted and defeated. He released a dry chuckle and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't even know why I'm surprised. I knew Freddy's couldn't help but renege on a deal, and if that came from anyone then it came from the guy pulling the strings behind the scenes." He flinched as Fritz wrapped a friendly arm around his shoulders.

"Just in case, I think you two should consider staying here for a few days. Just until we figure this all out. It might be safer… Or it will be if I can fix that door with something better than a garbage bag." He sent a glance at the back door and winced. "Ugh… But all that glass should be a good thief deterrent, if that slice on your hand is any indication."

"Yeah, thanks…" Mike faced him again with a sincere look of thankfulness. "Really, Fritz, thank you. I didn't mean to drag you into this."

"Hey, don't worry!" Fritz defended with a smile as he stood from the bed. "If I really didn't want to play games with Freddy's, then I would've quit years ago. It had to catch up with me sooner or later." He rubbed his neck as he wandered to the door. "I'll be on the couch. I don't think I'd sleep anywhere near that bear."

"Same here," Mike agreed. Then the technician was out of sight. With an exhausted sigh, Mike slid back and laid across the bed, as he had earlier downstairs, and closed his eyes. Within moments, he fell asleep.

Mike awoke hours later to something poking at his arm. He opened his eyes to see the Puppet leaning over him. If not for him being exhausted, he might've jumped in surprise, but all he could muster was a confused look.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but Fritz needs your help burying something," Marionette alerted. He had his default smile back and sounded as normal as could be. Perhaps because of the morning sunlight that was coming through the window and falling on him. It was a reminder that the night was over, even if it didn't feel far behind them. The human gave a groggy groan and rubbed over his eyes.

"What does he want me to bury, the bear?" Mike asked, followed by a yawn.

"Yes." That was enough to cut the yawn off early. Though as he looked to the Puppet in confusion, said animatronic looked so much calmer in comparison to his horrified panic the night before. "…Of course, that's not all. I thought maybe we could talk once you're more awake," Marionette suggested. His smile slightly wavered. "About last night."

"I'm awake," Mike assured as he started to sit upwards. He rubbed over his throat and neck. "Well, I have one heck of a crick in my neck, but considering I got strangled by Fake Freddy I think I came out pretty well."

"You've got a few bruises." The Puppet reached forward and traced over the dark marks. He then prodded one of the larger ones. "Does this one hurt?"

"Yeah, but feel free to keep poking at it." Mike was just joking, but the Puppet drew back for a moment. Then he reached out instead to gently trail his fingers over the human's cheek. Mike blinked in surprise and looked over in confusion at the seemingly sudden touch of affection. It wasn't that he didn't like it- Marionette's gentle affection was always welcome- but that he knew something was off. Slowly, Marionette dropped his hand and looked down at the comforter he was kneeling on. It took him a few moments before he looked up again and dared to speak. "I was awake when you and Fritz were talking last night."

"You were? You really looked out of it," Mike admitted awkwardly. "Look, I wouldn't normally talk behind your back-."

"I want to tell you about Charlie," Marionette finally admitted. His face fell to a more somber look, but the smile still was there, and he reached out to lay a hand on the security guard's wrist. He needed that much contact and gave a mock of a sigh. "…Charlie was my one true friend when I was a human… But she wasn't a human when we were friends."

"Wait. She was an animatronic?" Mike asked in slight surprise. "Which one?"

"Charlie had a few bodies… She used to change and possess new ones. I don't know how she knew how to do that- none of the others could- but she used that to watch over me. She was a good friend… And after I died, she was the reason I was given this body. She loved this body and she gave it to me because she wanted me to stay and help her … I've never regretted becoming this, Mike. Not when I woke up as a Puppet, not when I lost Charlie, and not even in that alleyway. I think I was the only one who became closer to a second body than their original."

"How'd you lose her?" Mike hesitantly asked. He knew he was treading on dangerous territory, but Marionette responded by rubbing his wrist with that same warmth.

"She moved on to whatever lies beyond this life, something that I couldn't do. No, something I don't want to do." His fingers tightened, and Mike decided to readjust their grasp. He pulled his hand free to put his arm around the Puppet, then took the animatronic's hand with his free one. "I do miss her, Mike, but hearing that bear with her voice… I couldn't handle it. It was just too much."

"You don't have to explain anything," Mike insisted as he pulled the striped one closer to his side.

"Charlie was Henry's daughter, as Fritz said," Marionette confirmed as he stared off somberly. "…I don't know if he's coming for me because I'm the last, but he must know about what we shared. Why else would he use her voice? What… What sadistic madman would use a dead child's voice in an elaborate trap? How… How desperate must you be?" His bubbling anger was apparent and, hearing it worded like this, the human also felt it clearly. "He's a monster."

"As far as I'm concerned, Henry can go straight to hell, and he can take his bear with him," Mike remarked, pointing a thumb back towards the window. He then actually looked back and out into the backyard, where Fritz was digging a large hole behind the shed. "…You know, I actually thought you were joking about that." Marionette gave an amused, though tired chime and Mike started to stand. "Let me go help him real quick or he'll finish without me. Then we can get back to an elaborate plan for revenge."

Yet as he went to take a few steps, Marionette caught him by the wrist. "Wait. There's… There's one more thing," the Puppet quietly said. Mike looked down to him as he tightened his grasp. Odd emotions fluttered on the mask and eventually landed on a small, shy smile. "I didn't get a chance to thank you last night."

"You don't have to, Stripes."

"No, I do," the Puppet insisted firmly. "You could've lost your life last night, you nearly lost your home, and I got you tangled in all of these terrible strings. I want to give you a real thank you, Mike, because ignoring that I was incohesive last night… I think you deserve more than words." He then gently tugged the security guard down towards him. Mike leaned over the bed, brows furrowing in confusion, and was about to ask when the Puppet leaned in.

Marionette pressed his porcelain lips to the human's cheek. The warmth that spread from it was unexpected, but needed, though he didn't realize how much so until he was receiving it. It felt nice, even if it suddenly threw the nature of their relationship into question. Though after the day before Mike had trouble caring about any question of morality. Especially when he was subdued by warm fabric and cooled porcelain.

Slowly, the Puppet drew back and gave him a small smile. He was watching expectantly, looking for a reaction, and Mike reached out for his mask.

"You're something else, you know that?" Mike asked. He received a trill and chuckled lightly, rubbing over a ruby cheek with his thumb. "I don't do this to be thanked. I do this because I like you way too much for my own good."

"That makes two of us," Marionette said with a quiet trill. "…Although I must admit that you are the most 'good' that's ever come to me." He nuzzled into the human's grasp and trailed his fingers along the back of Mike's hand. All that affection pouring out. It went beyond showing thankfulness; it showed adoration that Mike wasn't used to receiving.

"Hey!" Fritz called in from the back door. He leaned in only a moment after Mike drew back from Marionette, not noticing anything as he called over. "Are you going to help me bury the body, or am I going to get stuck hiding the evidence?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Mike called back. He sent a last look towards the Puppet. "When I get back we'll figure out what our next move is. You sit tight." The animatronic nodded in agreement and the security guard followed the technician out into the backyard. There was still so much to think about. If Mike was staying here, he would have to figure out what to do with the apartment and his things- since they might all be gone right now. He would need to still balance work and this, and that was with the possibility of someone coming after them again.

"I am so screwed," Mike confirmed. Whether it be the threat of coming danger or the realization that he was in way too deep, he was forced to accept it. Not that he was trying to dig himself out. He was handed the shovel from the night before.

"It's all easy. I throw the pieces in and you just make sure it's all covered," Fritz explained. "…And then I throw down grass seed and hope it doesn't look too obvious." A good enough plan in the short term.

Apparently, Fritz knew how to dismantle animatronics, as he had taken it apart and was currently tossing it piece by piece into the hole.

"It's definitely not like a normal animatronic on the inside," Fritz explained as he dragged over a large, metal tank from behind the shed. "See this? This is the storage tank it was going to trap the Puppet in."

Mike whistled as he looked over the now separated tank. It didn't look that big outside of the bear and it would've been a tight squeeze inside that bulky bear. "To think, you couldn't even see it from the outside. Could we have gotten it back open once it locked?"

"Uh… Yeah, but it would've been hell. We would've had to get it out of the bear, we would've had to melt these latches- they're like springlocks, except they lock and they're a pain to get unlocked again. Then we would need to pry it open-."

"So, realistically, no," Mike answered. "Like: we would've tried and probably could've, but this thing wasn't meant to reopen."

"Honestly, I don't know. There might be a tool to open this, but I don't know what it is," Fritz explained. He then sent the tank down in the hole. Mike began to fill it with dirt to make sure it was packed with anything other than the Puppet. He then continued to bury the animatronic under the dirt. With every scoop, the bear was lost further to the ground. The satisfaction of dropping dirt onto that one-eyed face, glaring at the yellow eye that stared back up. This animatronic broke into his home, hunted them across town, nearly strangled him, tried to steal his Puppet, and now here was his revenge: sentencing it to a life under the dirt.

This should have been the end of the whole ordeal, but Mike had a feeling he wasn't. Even as he patted down the dirt, listening to Fritz dusting off his hands, he couldn't help but think of Henry. If their suspicions were correct and Henry had sent the bear, then this wasn't over. Mike wanted answers, even if he wasn't willing to seek them out. He couldn't afford to put himself out there or they could be found, if it was true that they were being followed. This meant that Mike only had once chance for answers and that was through the man standing with him.

"Hey Fritz, quick question. I want you to be honest with me," Mike said as he looked down at the loose soil that now hid the bear that had attacked them. "You know Henry better than I do."

"I barely know anything about him," Fritz pointed out with slight amusement.

"That's still better than I do. Anyway," Mike pointed out. He then hesitated a moment before growing serious and looking to the technician. "Let's say that this thing really was sent by Henry… Is he the type who'd track us down and try again?"

It was the one question that Fritz didn't expect. He looked to Mike in surprise and in return the younger man continued to pat down the dirt and smooth it out. Then Fritz was forced to think about it. Henry had always been the type to hide what he could instead of trying to fix it. If he knew that the bear failed then he could make something else, or worse, already had something else to send out instead. Or he could come himself to finish the job. Thinking about everything he knew about Freddy's, Fritz finally had a rather realistic answer that he knew the man would agree with.

"I hope not."

END

…For now.