A/N: Welcome back guys, thanks for waiting me out and thanks for being here. This is a chapter I was really looking forwards to writing; it's basically the beginning of the storm that will be the end of Tape 2, both literally and figuratively. As always, let me know if you liked it, why you (dis)liked it, and what I could improve. And off course, happy reading!
Chapter 33: And secrets don't keep
"I'm sorry for grabbing your rose Bugs Bunny." For the first time since I met him, an apology from Balloons wasn't drenched with sarcasm. The boy-like animatronic shuffled his feet uneasily as he looked at TB with sorry, pleading eyes.
"I'm sorry too." mumbled my counterpart, not quite managing to hide his emotions behind his voice. After all, everyone in the crowded service room felt the same way: sad and powerless.
Exactly two days had passed since the bite, and thanks to a phone call that we overheard from Erik one day earlier we knew that a crew would pick up both Mangle and Balloons at this time. What would happen to them was uncertain; there was talk of recycling parts or just scrapping them completely. In any case their bodies would be destroyed, leaving behind nothing but Shadows, those dark things without will that we all feared to become. But they, along with the other Toys, didn't know anything about their real nature, the blood seals or the red book. The five still saw themselves as robots, so in their eyes it would be like dying; something that didn't sound so bad compared with the real possibilities of being erased or becoming Shadows.
"But, are we okay?" asked Balloons one more time.
"Yeah." My counterpart managed to smile feebly, and whispered with heavy emotion "We're okay."
"Well… good bye then." continued the short animatronic with uncharacteristic gloominess as he turned around and headed to the grey door.
"Good bye." replied TB, waving a small and shy hand wave at Balloons. Everyone else already bid farewell to him, so without any more words the joker and clown of the group left the room with his head down. If the workers didn't find him in his usual spot in the Game Area there would be suspicions, so he had to wait alone. The work crew would arrive at any second now, and talking was out of the question.
"Bonnie?" said Sean suddenly. I turned around and looked at him expectantly. "You didn't say goodbye to Mangle."
"That's okay Mr. Freddy." interrupted the twisted white fox before I could speak, "We said goodbye to each other last night."
"Okay then." mumbled my brother, clearly too tired or too depressed to demand more details on our meeting. He sat down next to Junior and right in front of me, groaning softly as he bent his damaged knee. Wheezing, he lowered his head and whispered sadly "I'm sorry we couldn't do anything."
"What do you mean?" asked Mangle with genuine confusion, "You were my friends. You played with me, you fixed me when I broke down, you…" She stopped suddenly, closing her eyes with force as she whispered "You even forgive me for what I did. So please, don't say you did too little. You did too much."
Sarah, who was next to her, began to shove herself closer to the white fox, but she froze abruptly as the roar of an engine approached the building before stopping outside. Less than three minute later, two employees in blue overalls entered into the room. A painful feeling of déjà-vu came over me as one of the men took out Mangle's small and exposed battery from her endoskeleton. The small yellow glow that was still in her eyes faded away immediately, and without another word they dragged her inert body out of the room.
A few moments later Erik stepped into the room with a lit cigarette between his lips. Another employee came inside right after him. "Mr. Grant, should we grab the other ones as well?" asked this last man.
The manager took a long, thoughtful drag of his cigarette, then said "Don't worry about it. They probably won't fit, but we'll get them tomorrow." He began to head back to the door, then stopped suddenly and let out a frustrated growl as he slapped his hand over his head. "Goddammit, I forgot to tell Fritz that he's taking Fitzgerald's place tonight." He shook his head. "Well, I'll just call him when get home." Without saying anything else the two men left the room, closing the door as they stepped into the Main Hall. A couple of minutes later, the car that was outside the pizzeria drove away with two of our friends, leaving us all in a mournful silence.
"Should we tell them?" Ferny's sudden and whispered question cut through the quiet room like a knife. The Toys were together in one of the party rooms, while we stayed in parts and service. For the first time since we met them, it seemed like they wanted to be alone. In the hours after the employees took away Mangle and Balloons a soft drizzle had started to fall, and the rhythmic ticking of the small raindrops combined with the thoughts of losing those two had lulled us into a melancholic silence.
"Tell them what?" asked Sean lowly, not bothering to turn around to look at Fer.
"Who they are." Ferny raised his hook as if the answer was obvious. "They deserve to know the truth."
"Sure, that's a wonderful idea professor." interrupted Sarah sarcastically, "Let's tell them everything right before they get deactivated and scrapped, surely that'll make them feel better!"
"Sarah, please…" murmured my tired brother.
But she ignored him completely as she carried on. "Let's just tell them they're dead kids, that once upon a time they were like everyone who has ever come here, that they almost surely had a family that cared for them and loved them and worried about them when they disappeared."
"We get it." interrupted Sean with a higher tone to no avail.
"But they were murdered horribly and can't remember anything about it, because we..." Sarah pointed accusingly at us with her broken wrist in one smooth motion. "We, their best friends that they trusted blindly…" She pointed at herself and put down her hand. "We decided that it'd be better if they didn't know. So we kept our mouths shut and followed the game." She lowered her head, her voice trembling ever so slightly as she muttered more to herself than us "We didn't even say anything when they took Mangle and Balloons away, we're that good at lying to them. Why should we tell the other Toys anything, right? If we're such good friends, why should we tell them everything now and ruin the little happy memories they have left, right?!"
For one second Sarah glared at Ferny with purple eyes that glowed fiercely and intensely, but that strong light faded away slowly as she let out a long, painful sigh and bowed her head in regret. "I'm sorry guys." she whispered flatly after a few seconds.
"What are you trying to say?" I asked when she had calmed down enough.
"I don't know." Sarah looked at me and shrugged. "Maybe… maybe there's a time for the truth and a time for secrets. There are days when you can tell the truth without hurting anyone too much, and then there's a time when keeping a secret is better. Just telling the truth is the best, and we had the chance to tell the Toys everything a month or two ago. But we didn't, so to avoid screwing up even more we have to keep up the secrets, even if they deserve the truth. It sucks that we have to lie to avoid making everything more painful."
"At least they don't lie as much as you!" called out an unfamiliar and angry voice, seemingly right where I was sitting.
"Who said that?!" I demanded in panic, turning around frantically but seeing no one else than my four friends.
"Who said what?" asked Ferny calmly, eyeing me with worry.
"Somebody just said that I… that I'm lying to you." was my reluctant answer. "I heard it loud and clear in my head."
I thought I had put myself into the interrogation I had feared for long, but everyone just looked at me with worried eyes. "Don, is anything wrong?" asked Sean with a concerned voice, before shaking his head and sighing with an amused smile. "I mean, besides the obvious?"
"Nothing." I answered uncomfortably, scratching the back of my head as I leaned my back against the wall. "I was just sure that I heard someone say something to me."
"Take a rest. We've all been through a lot these past days, but I think you might be getting the worse of it."
I nodded obediently at my brother's advice, and turned my head to see Jack staring worriedly at me. "I'm okay buddy, relax." I assured him.
"Please, b-be careful." he pleaded softly.
"With what?"
"With your m-mind." He stared up at me with that same friendly, concerned glow in his eyes. "Please. I d-don't want to l-lose you."
"You won't lose me." I said with a certainty that surprised me; it truly sounded like I was sure of it.
It was then that the door creaked open ever so slightly, just enough for us to see my counterpart. "Can I…" he started in a weak whisper, but he simply broke up in quiet sobs as he covered his face with his hands.
"Don, I think he needs you." whispered my brother. "He's really close to you. Just talk to him for a while."
I nodded, stood up and left the room. TB had his back turned to me, his shoulders quivering slightly as he let out tiny sobs and moans, crying in the heart-wrenching way that only a small child can.
"Hey little me." I started awkwardly, scratching the back of my head, not really sure what to say. "It's, umm… I… I feel bad about everything. We all do."
He kept crying without looking at me, holding the same pose. With his back still to me, he whimpered after multiple seconds "I'm s-sorry Mr. Bonnie. I d-didn't want you t-to s-see me cry ag…again."
"It's okay, there's no shame in crying." I told him, "You all have been really strong. If I was in your place I'd be really scared."
"I am scared!" he wailed out, suddenly turning around to face me with bright eyes and tightened fists. "I d-don't want to die! I don't want t-this place to close down! I want to s-stay here and p-play with you and everyone!" He sniffed. "I want t-to see Mangle and B-Balloons and have him tease me all the time like he used t-to! I want to have Mr. J-Jeremy back here to t-tell me that this is not my fault! I want to p-play Pac-Man with you again, o-or watch fireworks, or play hide and s-seek! I want… I…"
His words got caught up in a series of sad sobs as he covered his eyes and cried in front of me, unable to say anything else. I began to take some slow steps to him, thinking about what I could say as I tried not to cry myself. Then, when I was right in front of him, TB hugged me with all his strength, holding on to me like a lifesaver as he buried his face in my chest and bawled his heart out.
"Shh, it's okay little me." I hushed with a wavering voice, slowly putting my hand behind his head.
"It's n-not okay!" he wept out loudly, before whimpering in a barely audible voice "I want t-to go back to t-the good days. I want to l-live with you. I j-just… I d-don't want to b-be without you."
Something in the sheer honesty and pain in his words hit me like a freight train. I began to sob softly as I tightened my embrace around him, and he did the same. I knew I was his best friend, and I was happy and proud that he called me that, but I didn't realize until then just how much I meant for him. I was both taken aback and slightly ashamed of myself; I didn't deserve his trust.
We remained there for a minute or two, until he had cried himself out and began to slowly pull himself from me, his eyes still low on the ground as he began to slowly rub his elbow with his hand. "I think dying isn't that scary." he mumbled with the tired and flat voice of one who was emotionally exhausted, "I'm just scared of being alone."
I knelt down to his height, and turned my head to look at both ends of the corridor, making sure that no one could hear me. "Can I tell you a secret TB?"
"Sure." he murmured.
"Do you remember when I told you that my parents went to a place that's really far away, first Dad then Mom?" He nodded without looking at me. I sighed, and whispered "The truth is… they're dead. Both of them."
He raised his head to stare at me with shocked green eyes. "I didn't think you knew about life and death." I continued, "I never thought you were that smart. I'm very sorry."
"Do you miss them more because they're dead?" asked TB weakly after a moment.
"More than you can imagine. But my mom taught me something really important after my dad died. She told me that as long as we remember the people that we loved and lost they will never really die, because they'll live in our hearts. When I remember them, I really feel like they're by my side, like they're with me."
I was suddenly aware of the heavier sound of the raindrops against the roof; the light drizzle had turned into true rain. "Take this." I said suddenly, opening my damaged chest and pulling out his rose, "It's yours; it's always been."
TB hesitated for a moment, before taking the plastic flower from my hands and storing it in his chest. He was about to say something, but then we both saw Junior and Mini standing sheepishly by the entrance of a party room, clearly wondering if they should come any closer.
"Hey friends." started my brother's counterpart uneasily, tipping his top hat at us. "TB, Mr. Mario is in the office. He'd like to talk to us."
My counterpart gave him a solemn nod as he started to walk to the other two Toys. I was about to follow them, but then Mini looked at me and said somewhat coldly "He only wants to talk to the three of us. Sorry Mr. Bonnie."
Slightly surprised, I stood still as TB joined his companions and walked out of view to the back of the party room corridor, towards the office. After a few moments I turned around and walked back to parts and service.
"How is he?" asked my brother as soon as I stepped inside.
"I don't know." I answered, sighing as I sat down in my previous spot.
"And how are you?" he asked again, this time with more concern.
"I don't know." I repeated in the same tone. "Part of me just wanted to tell him that everything is going to be alright, and part of me just wanted to tell him the truth." An understanding silence took over our group, before I turned my gaze on Ferny as a new possibility suddenly popped in my mind. "Fer, are we sure they'll become Shadows?"
Ferny tapped his foot thoughtfully for a few seconds before saying "That seems to be the common hypothesis."
"Speak in English professor." teased Sarah.
"It's what everyone thinks, but no one is one hundred percent sure of." he replied, "We're assuming that everything Walther told us is true because it's the only information we have, but he could've been wrong."
"Or he was lying." interrupted Sean.
Ferny nodded. "But then Marionette kinda said the same thing and he isn't a liar." He raised his shoulders. "It's impossible to be completely sure, but if anyone knows how those blood seals work it's them. Maybe the Toys will actually move on."
"Maybe." I repeated, allowing myself to feel the tiniest bit of hope. For a moment the room was completely silent, except for the constant ticking of raindrops.
Then we heard Junior scream out in pain and fear.
The five of us stood up in haste and rushed out of the service room as fast as our withered bodies would allow. Ferny was in front, followed closely by me and my limping brother, then Sarah and Jack at the back.
"I should've told him not to follow us." I thought while he stepped into the Main Hall behind me, but I forgot about that when I heard a painful shriek from Mini.
With a renewed sense of panic we rushed to the back of the dark corridor towards the office. We stopped in the middle, trying to figure out where exactly the screams where coming from, when TB let out a terrorized cry.
"The office." panted Ferny, looking at the opening at the end of the corridor. When we started to step into the room the lamps suddenly turned on, blinding us momentarily as we covered our eyes from the harsh light. After a couple of seconds our eyes adjusted, allowing us to see the three Toys knelt on the floor by the left air vent, facing us with distressed glowing eyes. Marionette was a bit closer to us, his hand on the light switch, staring at us gleefully. In between them Walther sat casually on the night guard's desk, the red book by his side while he pretended to read a newspaper article.
"Wow… time does fly." started our killer with childlike enthusiasm, putting the paper aside on the table. "Can you guys believe that it's been almost a year and a half since I gave you this life? I haven't seen you in over a year, except someone who I had the pleasure to talk with some days ago." He smiled smugly at me and immediately I tightened my fist and growled in anger.
"Guys, get away from that man." ordered my panicked brother to the Toys.
"Oh, they can't do that Freddy." cut in Walther mockingly, "Not only am I blocking their bodies with my seal," he pointed at the barely visible red glow on his chest, "but I took some extra precautions."
He turned his head to the knelt-down Toys, and we finally noticed the broken wires that sprouted from their twisted knee joints. A fresh wave of rage came over me as I noticed the pain that he was giving them.
"I mean, it's not like it matters." Our killer grabbed the newspaper and threw it at our feet, letting us see the headline of the short article: Robots Scrapped. Freddy Fazbear's is Closing. "Your little friends will be destroyed by the company anyways!"
"Pups, do something." whispered Sarah pleadingly at Marionette, who simply let out a mischievous giggle as he shook his head.
"Oh, I did something!" replied the latter with a sickeningly sweet voice, "In fact I did a lot."
Mini raised her head to look at us with alarm, and groaned out meekly "Mr. M-Mario… he's with the b-bad man."
"Bad man?" rebutted Walther, faking shock as he put a hand on his chest theatrically. "That hurts sweetheart."
Sarah, my brother and Ferny stared at Marionette in disbelieve and pain, who in turn shrugged casually. "You're all so naïve." he muttered with irritation, "Oh, how I hated being nice to you all. But seeing your faces now makes it all worth it."
"Why?" Ferny's voice trembled with uncharacteristic wrath. "What did we…"
"Oh, Fernando, don't bother." My friend glared at the black figure with apprehension when he revealed his real name. "Pizza Boy and I already had this conversation. In fact, he has some interesting things to tell you all!" I felt my body turn to ice as Marionette glared at me expectantly, and whispered with anticipation "Go on Brandon, tell them everything."