A/N: Welcome back guys, thanks again for your patience.

I originally didn't plan for such a long chapter, but I went over my notes and realized there is still a bunch of stuff to clear up before ending the tape. This chap is a bit more lighthearted than the previous two or three, just to soften things up a little bit before the finale, and yes, the actual end is actually not that far away at this point!

As always, I appreciate everyone who lets me know what they liked and/or didn't like. Take care, happy early Easter, and happy reading!

Chapter 45: Closed

"I told you my little brother wouldn't hurt me!" Mike boasted with a confident smile as he laid an arm around Jack's back. The latter looked down, slightly embarrassed, but he couldn't stop a smile from appearing on his face. We were all grouped together in the dining area, waiting for the sun to come up. Despite Jeremy's news, there was a feeling of closure in the air, perhaps even relaxation. Mike had managed to survive five nights, and there would be no more night guards.

"I think Jack's blood seal made the difference again." stated a thoughtful Ferny, his stripped metal foot tapping softly on the floor, "That has always given him a bit more resistance."

"Or maybe it was just the power of love." replied Sarah airily, her voice somewhat teasing.

Fer turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Sarah, that's not a logical explanation."

She shrugged. "I know professor, I just like it more."

My brother stepped between them right when Ferny readied his counterargument. "Whatever the cause, we're happy that you made it out okay." he said.

The guard answered with a thankful smile and as he tightened his embrace on his brother. Though delighted, Jack flicked his pinpoint eyes to me for just a moment, and we shared the same bittersweet thought: he would be gone soon. What would happen to him? What would happen to us?

"You're quiet bunny boy." Mike's semi-serious statement interrupted my train of thoughts. "What's wrong?"

Slightly stunned, I laid my hand behind my head as I replied "Just… thinking about what will happen." The guard nodded in acceptance, but I knew it was clear to him what was in my mind.

"I can't believe that this place is closing today." Sean sighed with nostalgia, closing his eyes. "It feels like so long ago, but I can still remember it like yesterday. We were so happy here until it happened." He shook his head. "I wonder how long it'll be until this is all forgotten."

"More than you think." assured Mike firmly, "I'm glad this hellhole is getting shut. No one else will have to go through the things you've been through, or the things I've been through. It's for the best."

"Maybe it is." interrupted Sarah with a curiously cheery tone. "Even so, lots of kids will grow up with happy memories of this place, even of us! It doesn't make up for anything, but knowing that still makes me feel good."

"Good for you. But I swear I could burn this place to the ground one day." Mike raised his opened hands to shoulder height. "Don't get mad at me, I'm just saying."

"I think I agree with you." added Ferny. "Some secrets are best left hidden. Nothing good will come out of more people knowing about us."

"What about you, private?" asked Sean with curiosity. "Are you happy that this place is closing down?"

I stared at the dull walls and the checkered tiles, the cardboard stars hanging from a stained ceiling, the different rooms that were covered in blood at different moments: I knew them all so well. Disgusted by the memories they brought up, I was about to agree with Mike and Ferny. Then, as the sun started to rise, a single ray of golden light fell down on a table lined with party hats. The same hats that many kids wore to celebrate their birthdays, the same hats that we used to wear so long ago. Simple cheap hats that had seen many smiles through the years.

"I just wish things were different." was my soft answer, "So we could still come here and have fun like we used to."

"Even at sixteen?" questioned and incredulous Ferny.

"Even at sixteen." I replied firmly.

"Interesting." Fer tapped his foot thoughtfully, as if weighting my argument against his. "You may have a point."

"So… what do we do now?" asked Mike. "I'm happy to be alive, sure. But you're still going to be trapped in those bodies, and if you stay for too long your evil selves will take over completely."

"We'll think of something." was Sean's calm answer, "But we need to take the red book away from Walther. Securing that thing means he can't harm most of us. After that, we'll figure out a way to erase him without doing the same to Jack. And then it's over."

"What do you mean with 'most of us'?" questioned Mike, "Your second set of blood seals are all in there, right?"

"Eh, not exactly." I interrupted, scratching the back of my head softly. The young man immediately turned his eyes to mine. "There's a little problem. Walther tore the page with my blood seal out of the book, right before erasing the Toys. That was seven years ago at the old location. He said that if any of us wanted to take the book from him, he'd reach into his pocket and erase me." I was surprised how casual I sounded, almost like I wasn't describing one of the worse nights I've ever had.

"Yup, that's a problem." Frowning thoughtfully, Mike stared down at the dirty floor for a few seconds, before saying "Do you know if that's true?"

"No idea." answered Ferny, "However, it'd make sense. Since he always carries the book with him, having Brandon's seal handy is a good way to make sure we won't steal it. As much as I hate to admit it, it's a pretty clever move. If we go for Brandon's page, he'll break one of the seals in the book. And if we go for the seals in the book, he'll break Brandon's page."

Mike shrugged. "That's tricky, but we just need to be smarter than him. What does your seal look like, Brandon? Jeremy told me they're all slightly different."

"Tough question." I mumbled. "The main pattern is the same for everyone: an inverted pentagram inside a circle, that's also inside a triangle. They're smaller than a man's palm. But they all have something beside them that make them unique. In Sean's case, it's like a really crude bear head. Walther had something similar to a star in the lower left corner of the triangle. Jack had the same star, but at the top. Marionette had it drawn on the lower right corner. Those are the three special seals."

Scratching my head more heavily, I tried to picture Walther holding my page triumphantly in front of me, proud of the pain he caused. "I think my page had a simple symbol on the right. It was like a big 'Y', but the base was thick and round."

"Like two sticks coming out of something in an angle?" asked Mike. I shrugged with slight uncertainty. "Or maybe the ears and head of a rabbit?" I nodded with more security, feeling dumb for not realizing that until now.

"That makes a lot of sense." said Sean with enthusiasm, resting his finger under his chin. "Just like me, Don's seal represents the thing he was meant to become."

Mike took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, as someone who is trying to process something difficult. "That's interesting, but a bit hard to follow." He stretched his arms, trying to stifle down a yawn and failing, before checking his watch. "It's a bit past 7, you're opening up in less than an hour, and I want to sleep. I'll see you later today."

The young man then walked back to Jack and gave him a quick hug. "See you later, little brother." he whispered warmly.

Jack returned the hug. "Bye bye Mikey." He then broke the embrace, allowing Mike to walk back to the front door and grab his skateboard.

I couldn't help but sigh as Jack came to my side, his body now intensely golden thanks to the early morning light. When I saw Mike open the door, I couldn't help but ask in a raised voice "When are you coming for Jack? You said that you'd take him away as soon as the place closed down. That's today."

He stopped abruptly with his back turned to us; one hand on the doorknob, the other on his skateboard. "Y'know, bunny boy?" he replied casually, "I think I need to take care of some stuff. Find a place to hide my brother and such. And I totally forgot about all that until now." Smirking, the turned around to us. "Would it bother you to take care of him for another week or so?"

Baffled, I turned to Jack, who stared at his brother with unbelieving eyes. "Buddy," I whispered, "would you like t-"

"Of course!" Jack yelled out in joy, smiling at me.

"No problem Mike!" I answered with the widest smile I've had in months, "No problem at all!"

The MC cleared his throat as he produced a small note from his pocket and addressed the larger-than-usual audience. We stood behind him on the stage, blinking occasionally and involuntarily thanks to the show's programming. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, thank you for coming!" His voice was oddly emotional: nostalgic with a hint of joy. "It's 7 PM, and as you all know we're closing early today. It's a very special day for Freddy and his friends after all! They just had their last show, and now they're going to retire and live happily ever after. But I'm sure they'll miss you! Will you miss them?"

A small chorus of children's voices answered with a loud "Yeah!" A few kids were crying, but their parents didn't share their emotions; I'm sure most of them were happy with the shutdown.

Erik and Yin, the young woman who had repaired us, stared at the show from the corner next to the stage. It was hard to tell how the manager felt: frustration, sadness, nostalgia and happiness seemed to fuse in his eyes. Yin, however, admired us with a bittersweet smile. She'd been a semi-regular over the past five years, showing off how much this place meant for her.

Meanwhile, in the farthest corner of the dining area, a middle-aged woman and her little daughter were also fixed on the Fazbear gang's goodbye. Dave's widow wore a simple black blouse, glaring daggers at us whilst her daughter wiped away her snot and tears. Evie was perhaps our greatest fan. Now, after losing her dad, her fictional band of friends would be gone as well. I'm sure her mother was here only to make her daughter happy.

I'm sorry. I thought, I took away your husband and your father, and you'll never know the truth.

"Thank you for everything, Fazbear friends!" finished the MC, "And good night!"

A small round of applauses echoed through the room as we were forced to bow for the audience. I always hated the shows, but the idea of never seeing the innocent smiles of children suddenly made me wish for a bit more time. With mixed feelings, we waved at the costumers as they left one by one. A few kids waved back at us, as if saying goodbye to their dear friends, and for once I enjoyed the attention of our audience. The MC took the chance to leave the stage as the customers streamed out of the building. I turned my eyes and saw him go directly to his manager, when a sudden cry stole my attention.

"Evie!" The woman in black yelled at her daughter as she skipped and dodged her way to us between the costumers. "Evelyn Hobbs, come back here!"

With reddened eyes, the little girl stopped in front of the stage and looked up at us. "Hello Freddy. Hello Chica. Hello Bonnie." she squeaked through a stuffed nose, "I'm Evie, and I really like your shows. It sucks that you have to go. I'll miss you a lot." she sniffed and wiped her nose. "My mom is angry at you because she thinks you hurt my dad. I don't believe that's true, you wouldn't do that. You're kind and funny and love to sing! If any of you ever find him, could you please bring him back? That would be really cool."

Evie's mother was still busy navigating her way through the other clients, when her daughter leaned in close to us and whispered "I know you're not really real by the way. You're robots, but I still think you're cool. But my mom talks about you like you were really real! So, just play along, okay?"

"Evelyn, don't run away like that!" Her mother nagged as she came by her side, shooting quick glares at us and at Erik as she dragged her away, but the manager didn't seem to notice. "I told you they might be dangerous!"

"But they're my friends mommy!" rebutted the girl stubbornly, "And they wouldn't hurt me!"

The woman sighed. "How do you know that?"

"I just do!"

Mother and daughter kept arguing all the way to the door; they were the last clients to leave.

Accompanied by an attentive Yin, Erik and the MC exchanged a few hushed sentences before giving each other a firm handshake. The MC then walked to the main door, opened it, and almost crashed into a black figure riding on a skateboard.

"Who's that?" asked Yin curiously.

Erik sighed. "Our night guard."

The MC apologized to Mike hastily, who ignored him completely as he walked into the building. He tossed his skateboard on the floor, crossed his arms, and looked around the empty place with mild distaste. "I guess I missed the show." he sighed, exaggerating his disappointment.

"You did." was Erik's serious reply, "What are you doing here?"

Mike smirked. "Did you think I'd forget about my paycheck?"

The manager let out an exasperated sigh. "You'll get it by mail in a few days."

"How exactly, old man?" questioned Mike teasingly, "You don't know my name."

Yin raised her eyebrows in amusement. "Is that true, Erik?" she asked light-heartedly.

The manager grumbled a low "Be right back" as he walked speedily to the office.

"So…" Mike shuffled himself closer to the young woman. "Are you Erik's daughter or something like that?"

She scoffed. "Are you blind? We look nothing alike."

The man grinned cheekily. "My bad, of course you don't. You're way too cute to be that guy's daughter."

"Oh, shut up." Yin rolled her eyes and turned away with an unamused expression, but she couldn't keep herself from smiling just a bit.

I cringed inwardly, Sean let out a barely-audible groan next to me, and Sarah whispered "If I weren't dead already I would ask you two to kill my right now."

"Name's Michael Schmidt, but you can call me Mike." He approached the woman like a predator to his prey. "And you are?"

Yin smirked at him. "Out of your league."

"Damn." Sean half-whispered, half snickered, just low enough to not be heard. At the same time, Sarah was visibly struggling to hold down her laughs.

But Mike was undeterred. He chuckled at the joke, clearly trying to hide the severity of the blow. "Ahh… good one." He then turned his eyes to us, pretending to be enchanted. "Wonderful things, aren't they?"

She shrugged before putting her hands in her pockets. "You can thank me for that, although half the parents wouldn't agree with you. Some think the disappearances in this place are because of them, somehow." Yin shook her head. "Just stupid legends if you ask me."

"What do you mean with 'thank you for that'? Did you fix them after the old place closed down?" asked an impressed Mike.

Yin raised her shoulders once again. "Yup. It was an ordeal, especially with Bonnie, but it was worth it at the end."

"That's…amazing. That's genuinely amazing."

"Thanks." Once again, the woman's lips drew a small smile.

It was then that Erik finally barged out the west hallway, a checkbook swinging loosely in his hand. "Alright, let's get this over with." he grumbled, pointing threateningly at Mike with a Bic pen, "What's your damn name?"

The young man turned to him with a triumphant grin. "Mike Schmidt."

Erik raised an eyebrow at our friend. "Schmidt… sounds familiar."

For a moment, I thought Mike would take his chance to expose the manager for the death of his younger brother in front of Yin, to out his frustration with the Freddy's franchise to at least another soul. However, he merely shrugged and said "I don't know why, I've never been here before taking the job."

The older man then lowered his head indifferently before scribbling on the check. He then walked up to Mike, tore the small, light pink piece of paper from the book, and handed it to him. Clearly not thrilled with his pay, Mike took it and cramped it into his jean's pocket. The trio then exchanged awkward glances for a few seconds, not knowing how to proceed.

Finally, Erik cleared his throat. "The CEO is going to sell what he can, but with the building's reputation… it's gonna be tough. For now, everything is staying here as it is until we find a buyer."

"What about the animatronics?" asked Yin, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"There's just no use for them now. I know you like them, but they're not worth the trouble. They're simply going to stay here. If someone actually buys the building, we're scrapping them." The young woman answered with an understanding yet reluctant nod. Suddenly, the manager reached into his pants' pockets to pull out his silver zippo. He flipped up the cover, and a small orange flame danced before his tired eyes. Flipping it back down, he offered the lighter to Yin. "Please Davis, take it. You helped rebuild these things. We never would've opened if it weren't for you."

With an awkward smile, she replied "Thanks, but don't you need it more than me?"

The manager shook his head. "I'm quitting. Please, I just want to get rid of this thing."

Yin finally took the lighter from the manager's wrinkled hands. "I appreciate it." Her voice was of courtesy, not honesty. However, Erik seemed satisfied. He turned around and walked to the door, gesturing at the former employees to follow him.

Whilst Yin immediately began to walk to the door, Mike stayed by the stage and said loudly "I think I'm staying here a little bit more."

"I have to lock the place down." was Erik's serious reply.

"Don't worry old man, I have a key."

"What?!" The manager glared at him. "You made a copy of your workplace's key?! That's against our policy!"

Mike shrugged, before replying with a grin "But that's no longer your problem, is it? So you don't need to say anything."

Erik stopped and pondered this for a few seconds, whilst Yin neared the door. Eventually, he simply said "I'm locking this place down, and if you can't get out it's your own damn problem." The man then walked away from the building, leaving the female mechanic under the open doorframe.

"Michael Schmidt?" she called, gaining his attention immediately.

"What is it?"

"Yin Davis. 646-3878." And with that she shut the door, allowing the manager to lock it.

9 PM. The night was fresh, and a carefree atmosphere could be felt all around the building. Sean, Ferny, Sarah, Jack, Mike and me formed a circle on the elevated stage to tell stories and jokes, keeping our minds away from the dramatic moments that we'd been through and that were to happen again soon.

"Wait… wait… let me see if I got this right." Mike cleared his throat to kill away his laughter, but he was still grinning widely. "When Bunny Boy Brandon was four and still completely human he was scared of the puppet, right?"

"Yup." chirped Sarah.

"So, he's in the old version of this place, and he sees the puppet rise from his box."

"Correct." said Fer.

"So, he grabs his slice of pizza, throws it from all the way in the back above the heads of the costumers, and hits the damn thing in the face?!"

I shrugged and said proudly "Completely guilty."

A distant banging noise was heard from the back of the building. I turned my eyes momentarily to the dark hallways, but couldn't see anything. The rest of the group ignored it completely.

Clearly having a good time with the story, Jack repeated solemnly "He's completely guilty."

Mike shook his head. "No way, I'm not buying it."

"I swear it happened!" protested my brother energetically.

"Uh-uh. No way. A four year old doesn't have that strength and aim."

Sean was now covering his face in amusement and despair. "Michael, we got kicked out! You can ask anyone who was there that day. They'll say it was true all the time."

"He's right you know." A familiar, nonchalant voice stated from the back of the building; a voice that immediately made me feel a wave of revulsion.

Walther emerged from the dark west hallway with long, slow and confident steps. As always, his old purple uniform covered his slender frame proudly, and though a few grey hairs dotted his scalp here and there, he still beamed that unsettling sense of childishness. The red book rested under his armpit; his badge glinted in the lowlight.

Staring at the window, our killer smiled nostalgically. "Marionette told me so himself. Those were some good times, right? By the way, you'd think that someone would've fixed the air vents! You never know who might use them to crawl in here."

Mike stared at the newcomer with wide, startled eyes. "That's…"

"Yes." muttered Ferny with hate, "It's him."

"How was your last day on the stage, Fazbear gang?" asked Walther airily, "I'm sure you already miss your fans!"

"What do you want, murderer?!" demanded Sean as he stood up with clenched fists.

The man in purple shrugged. "Just saying hi to my dear friends."

"We're not your friends." I replied coldly, shoving myself closer to Jack.

The killer laid a hand on his chest theatrically. "That hurts, you know? After all I did to give you the gift of life…"

"Gift of life?!" interrupted Sarah in unusual rage, "You killed us!"

Walther smirked, stood up and walked slowly to us. "You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs." He tilted his head at Mike. "And who are you?"

The young man stood up, blue eyes boiling with anger. "The brother of Jacob Schmidt, but I'm sure that a psycho like you doesn't remember the names of the ones he killed."

Our murderer, who was now right in front of the stage and of us, smiled sweetly at Mike. "Please, you offend me. Of course I remember your little brother. He was so small and defenseless, he barely moved or talked… I had a lot of fun killing him."

The next three seconds seemed to go by in slow motion. Mike threw himself at Walther before any of us could react, and both men rolled on the floor before crashing against a table. The red book now lay sprawled on the floor, a few feet behind both. Our furious friend put the dazed murdered under him, his face contorted with wrath and pain as he punched the older man in the face. Meanwhile, Ferny and Sean, closest to the edge of the stage, jumped off and rushed to the book as Mike screamed with anger. But his scream soon turned into a groan when Walther jabbed at his nose, giving himself the chance to kick a stunned Mike off him. Sarah and me were about to jump in, ready to help the former guard.

"Stop now!" Our murderer screamed and everyone froze in place. My brother had his arm outstretched towards the book with Ferny behind him, both only a few feet away from the thing. Mike lay on the floor, panting softly, unable to move just like the rest of us. Sarah, Jack and I sat on the stage, paralyzed.

Walther stood up, looked at the scene around him and shook his head. "You know, I'm getting sick of this!" he yelled as he walked towards the book. "I gave you so much time to accept who you are, to embrace this wonderful life, and you're still rejecting it!" Passing by Sean and Ferny's side, he bent down and picked up the book, before parading around the dining area. "I've been really generous for all these years, allowing you to feel the joy of a kill, making it impossible for anyone to catch you, and how do you pay me?!" He turned to us, fury etched all over his face. "With a punch to the face, or a rude reply, or by befriending your prey! Why can't you be like Marionette?! We could all be friends, have a good time, if you just let yourselves go!"

"Never." muttered Sean, "We won't…" His knees gave out and he fell flat on the floor, growling out in pain under the influence of the murderer's blood seal.

"You can go to hell." spat out Mike, "Killing defenseless kids. Why don't you mess with someone your own size?"

Smiling at him, Walther cooed sweetly "If you say so, it'll be my pleasure." Everyone's eyes widened in surprise when Mike suddenly bent over, gritting his teeth in unimaginable pain. "You should've stayed away, friend." The young man twisted in agony at our killer's feet. "Stings a bit, doesn't it?"

"Leave him." whimpered Jack by my side, "P-please, don't hurt him!"

Our murderer hummed thoughtfully for a second, before quipping "Bucky, I'm not hurting him. I'm just giving him lots and lots of pain!"

I pushed against the invisible restraints with all I had as the figure in purple loomed over Mike, but it was useless. Jack only stared in disbelief at his aching brother and at the amused killer. "Why do long faces?" mocked the maniac, "It's not like I'm killing him or anything."

Jack's crying turned into a low, ragged whisper: "Leave… him… now."

Walther smirked at him arrogantly. "Or what? What will y-" His words choked in his mouth and he stumbled backwards, eyes wide open in fear and pain as he clutched at his chest. "Don't…" he croaked, bending over. "Don't!" His face twisted in agony. "DON'T! STOP IT NOW!" Jack's eyes were shining brightly with anger. Finally, Walther wailed out "I'm begging you, please stop!"

And he did.

Both Walther and Jack panted with exhaustion after my friend stopped erasing him. We still couldn't move as our killer backed away, and mumbled out of breath "Don't say that I didn't give you a chance to change." He then rushed back to the hallway he came from. After a minute or two we heard distant bangs as he escaped from the building through the vents. Finally, we could move.

"I… I couldn't." Jack stammered at the verge of tears. Mike stood up slowly and walked to his brother. "When he b-begged… I just couldn't do it." He lowered his head, shoulders trembling slightly as he cried softly. "What's wrong with me? Mikey, he was g-giving you so much pain. A-and it could've been over, but I let him go."

Mike came by his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder as he whispered gently "It's fine. There's nothing wrong with you, little brother, you just have a kind heart. We'll keep looking for a way."

Jack only smiled feebly at his brother.

A minute or two of silence passed by; we were still stunned by what had happened. Finally, Sarah said cautiously "So, now what?"

"Well, we could talk about what just happened." proposed my brother.

"Or we could do something more pleasant." countered Ferny.

"I agree." said Mike. "So, I brought a little radio to the office the other day. We can still listen to some shows, if you want."

We exchanged glanced for just a moment. Soon, it became clear that we all wanted the same: have fun whilst we could.