A/N: Welcome back guys, hope you've had a nice few weeks. As always, thanks a lot for your reviews and support, especially now that we're nearing the end of tape 3, and the end of this story. Hard to believe, isn't it?

I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Lots of emotions were had, specially regarding a certain special character. Remember: your honest opinions are highly appreciated. And as always, happy reading!

Chapter 46: Friends till the end

It's amazing how time flies by when you're having fun.

We spent the week after closing doing nothing else than playing games, reading books, listening to music, and being generally useless, lazy and happy. It was the closest thing to a vacation that I could think of. I made sure to spend a lot of time with Jack, competing against him in puzzle making just to be beaten every time, listening to the small radio that Mike gave us, and if he felt up to it, we did something with the rest of my friends.

Mike came to visit us faithfully every single afternoon, but always left before midnight for obvious reasons. Luckily for us, there was no chance to be taken over without anyone to kill, so we had the late night and early morning all to ourselves. Although we did our best to enjoy this short window of peace, deep down we knew this was the calm before the storm. And on the last night that I'd spend with Jack, Ferny came up with an interesting idea for a game, so we could all play together one last time.

I stood motionless in the backroom. There was a soft whir as the camera in the corner turned to inspect me, its little LED glowing bright red in the darkness. This meant that Jack and his brother were watching me from the office, like they had done constantly since the late afternoon.

Mike didn't forget that I was always the most aggressive. I thought, I'm sure he's about to check on Ferny any moment now.

The tiny red light disappeared and I took the chance to move swiftly out of the room. But a familiar whirring made me stop in my tracks as soon as I had stepped into the dining area. Slightly annoyed, I turned my head to see another camera aimed right at me, its LED turned on.

"Common Mike!" I screamed at the hallway in mock frustration, "You do know I'm not actually trying to kill you, right?!"

A serious of muffled laughs came from the office's hallways as an answer. "I'm not taking any chances, bunny boy!" was his teasing reply. "You know I don't play nice!"

"True." I mumbled under my breath. Staying completely still, I saw my brother and Sarah creeping their way through the darkened west hallway. It was then that the camera on me turned off, and assuming that Mike and Jack were following their usual circuit, the lens would soon be on my teammates. Sean turned to me for a moment, giving me a confident wink, before ducking into the kitchen with Sarah.

"Fer?" I whispered.

The curtains of Pirate Cove parted open ever so slightly, revealing a glowing yellow eye. "Yeah?"

"I'm going for it."

"Common, I've been stuck here the whole night!" he hissed lowly, "I just managed to get two runs to the office, and Jack closed the door on me both times!"

"Sorry!" I teased, trying my best to silence my footsteps as I entered the east hallway. It was then that a loud metallic clatter, the telltale noise of pots and pans clashing and falling, rang through the building.

"I don't even need the camera Sarah!" mocked Mike from the office, "And don't tell me you're in there with Sean!"

"Hehe, o-of course not!" was her shameful reply. I could almost hear my brother groan in frustration. Taking my chance, I walked slowly through the darkness, making sure to stay at the brim of a flickering lightbulb in front of me. Just when I thought I could make a run for it, the hallway´s camera turned to me. I saw the light from the office die out as Jack closed the door, accompanied by its familiar hydraulic woosh.

"Good job little brother!" beamed Mike proudly, his voice once again muffled by the door's thick steel, "We don't want Brandon to come in here and stuff me in a suit."

Slightly disappointed but filled with determination, I made my way to the end of the hallway at snail's pace. "Why?" I heard Jack say worriedly as I passed the office, "I thought this was only a g-game. I thought they wouldn't hurt us!"

"It was a joke." replied Mike gently, "Everything is okay little brother. I didn't mean what I said."

"Oh. Right."

I was now in the corner of the east hallway, my back flat against the wall. Slowly, cautiously, I raised my eyes to the dead camera. Any moment now. He can't keep the door down forever.

Not one minute later, I heard the door on the opposite side of the office come down triumphantly. "Oops, too bad!" Mike sneered, "Better luck next time Yogi Bear."

I put myself in a blind spot in front of my door with two long steps, realizing that Mike would probably check on me with the camera on the hallway's corner. As if to confirm my suspicions, the little device whirred to life before scanning the corner for something that wasn't there anymore. I had to bite down to stop a bubbling, nervous chuckle.

Don't check the lights… Don't check the lights…

I barely managed to hear Mike say "Can't see him." when the door rose up in front of me. Grinning like a madman, I rushed blindly into the tiny room, completely oblivious of the tall golden figure standing in my way.

I could feel the surprise coming out of Jack's eyes, but couldn't stop my heavy body. We shared the exact same thought right before the crash:

This is going to hurt.

It did hurt.

Every gear and part of my body shook with the impact. I bounced backwards and flailed my arms uselessly to somehow stay on two feet. The ceiling passed before me right as I fell on my back, before crashing against the tiles with a powerful dry bang. Splayed down like a ragdoll, I stared up at the office's lightbulb through hazy eyes.

"Are you guys okay?" asked a worried Mike.

My answer was a low, aching groan. I rubbed my lower back as I sat up slowly, head still spinning as I croaked out "I think I broke a servo somewhere. Are you alright buddy?"

No answer. I immediately shook off all my pain to check on Jack, who was strewn down on his back like me.

"Jacob, are you okay?" demanded Mike anxiously.

After a second or two, a quiet giggle left Jack's mouth. This then turned into a hearty chuckle that grew into an all-out fit of laughs. Mike and I exchanged surprised glances as Jack held unto his belly, almost doubling over from his laughter. He gradually calmed down as he sat up and looked at both of us.

"Hehe… Oww… heh." Still laughing softly, Jack rubbed the back of his head. "That was fun."

Mike raised his shoulders, mumbling a surprised and airy "If you say so." He was about to walk to Jack, when the younger brother shook his head.

"It's okay Mikey" he said casually, groaning in slight discomfort as he stood up on his own. Still sitting on the floor, I was surprised to see him walk towards me. I couldn't help but smile as he stretched his hand, beckoning me to take it with his gaze.

"What's wrong?" asked Jack, waiting for me to grab his hand.

I sighed and looked up at him. "On our first night, I helped you get on your feet. On our last night, you're helping me get on my feet. And I think that's amazing."

He turned his head shyly, but was unable to hide the spark of joy that beamed from his eyes. "Thank y-you."

I grabbed his hand and pulled myself on my feet with his help. "No, thank you."

A bang from the right side of the office stole our attention. The three of us turned around almost simultaneously to see Sarah knocking on the Plexiglas window, Sean and Ferny right beside her. "What happened?" she asked, worried. "We heard a loud noise."

Mike opened the door. "It's okay. Nobody's hurt except bunny boy's pride." The young man turned his mocking blue eyes to me, and I couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly as I scratched to back of my head.

The jovial atmosphere began to fade away when we realized that our time was up. After a few seconds, my brother simply asked "So, Don wins this one?"

Mike shrugged. "I guess."

Sean looked at me. "Nice one private." he said, trying to lift the mood.

"Thanks." was my dry answer.

Eventually, Mike had to say what no one wanted to hear. "It's 11 PM. So, I guess it's time to…"

"No." interrupted Jack somewhat rudely. Surprised, I saw how he began to tug at my arm in an almost anxious way. "Common, l-let's play again."

A knot grew in my throat as I saw him pull harder at my arm, but I couldn't budge. "Buddy, we don't have any time left." I whispered as gently as I could.

"Yes we do!" was his angry reply. This wasn't like him. "I d-don't have to go now, I can go later! Let's play again."

"Stop it little brother." said Mike firmly, "We had to leave an hour ago."

"No! No! No!" Jack was pulling at my arm with all his strength. "We're p-playing again! I can leave later!" His words fused with his growing whimpers. "I don't have to leave! I don't…"

He stopped when I grabbed his hand that was tugging at my arm, and lowered his head slowly, trying to silence his crying. "Jack, this was never supposed to happen." I said in the most leveled voice I could muster, "You were never meant to go inside that room with us. What happened to you is my fault."

"N-no it isn't…" he whimpered.

"You were meant to go back home with your brother that same night, and live the long and happy life that you deserve. That's what should've happened, but it never did. I took that away from you, and now I'm just trying to give some of that back. You can finally go home with Mike, eight years too late. But you've grown, you've learned, and you've become… you've become a very big part of me." I took a deep breath. He shook his head slowly. "I'm so lucky to have met you, and you're so unlucky to have met me. But you don't need me anymore."

"Yes I d-do!" he wailed and stuttered violently, "You and Mikey are the only p-people in the world that can understand me. No one else c-can, and I can't understand anyone. I t-tried. I tried so much. But I can't. And everyone I ever tried to t-talk with hated me after that. B-because I can't talk good, or I always want to be alone, or I'm weird or s-stupid or…"

"You're not any of those things." I interrupted, "You're my friend."

"You have other friends! Mikey is my brother, but you're my only f-friend." Jack's shoulders shook as he cried softly. "You're my only f-friend." His voice became a quiet whimper. "You're my only friend." I took his limp hand in mine and guided him out of the room gently. "You're my only friend." He followed me mechanically, uttering the same words as we headed to the door followed by all my friends. Words that grew softer each time. "You're my only friend."

He was silent by the time we reached the door. Through the window, we saw the cold November mist glow like silver under the moonlight. The night was unusually quiet; not a single car had driven by in the last hour. I was thankful for the silence. It was just like that first night with Jack, so long ago.

Mike cleared his throat, and said quietly "A friend of mine owed me a favor, so I borrowed his moving truck for Jack. There's a tiny shed in the woods behind our house where no one goes. I think it's a good hiding place for now. No one needs to know about any of this."

"I agree." said my brother firmly. "Thank you, Mike."

The young man shook his head. "No, thank you. Thank you all."

Jack's hold on my hand tightened and he let out a tiny sob. "It's okay." I whispered, resting my hand on his shoulder cautiously. "It's okay."

"I think it's better if we leave now." continued Mike, looking at me with regretful eyes. But we knew this was for the best.

Ferny walked up to us, and said gently "Jack, please take care of yourself." But Jack didn't bother to raise his head and see him in the eyes. Understanding the cue, my red friend walked away from us.

"It was great meeting you." whispered Sarah, taking Ferny's place in front of us. "Listen to your big brother, alright?" Once again, Jack remained completely stoic, as if she wasn't even there. However, he winced away slightly when Sarah tried to take his other hand. She then walked away silently.

Now, it was Sean who came in front of Jack. "I know how you feel about Don, but I don't know how you feel about the rest of us." he said in between hard honesty and friendly subtleness, "Just know that you've always been a friend for all of us, and that's never going to change."

He then turned around and began to walk away, when Jack uttered a low "Thank you." He didn't look up at Sean and his voice was barely audible, but it was still enough to make my brother and me smile.

Crossing his arms and sighing deeply, Mike looked at me once more. He didn't want to say it, but they had to leave as soon as possible. Still refusing to let go of my hand, Jack came in front of me to say goodbye.

I didn't know what to say. A million possible words and phrases rushed through my hazy mind, but I still came out empty handed. There's no easy way to bid farewell to a friend. No. To family. There comes a point when blood becomes irrelevant to the bond you form with the ones you love and the ones you lose.

"We are a family." I said, barely keeping myself together. "And a real family lasts forever. We'll see each other again, I know."

Jack nodded slightly, then raised his eyes to look into my own. Their tiny specs of white light twinkled and shone like miniature stars. "I'll m-miss you." he whimpered.

"I'll miss you more."

I let go of his hand, ready to walk away, when he suddenly wrapped his arms around me. Burying his face into my shoulder, he let out a series of tiny wails and moans. "It's okay." I said calmly, returning the embrace and stroking his back gently. "It's okay." I stifled down a sob that threatened to leave my throat. "It's… It's…"

My tough masquerade shattered under the last hug I'd ever receive from Jack, and I held unto him like a castaway to a lifesaver. "It's n-not okay." I cried lowly, "I'm not okay. Jack, I'm scared of myself. I don't want t-to hurt people anymore. I d-don't want to hurt my friends!"

"You won't." he replied quietly, "You're a good person. I'll help you, I p-promise."

"O-okay." Taking deep, shaky breaths to calm myself down, I let go of him. "Okay. Thank you."

Still sobbing quietly, he released his embrace and looked me in the eyes one last time. "You're welcome… B-Brandon."

He had never said my name, or anyone's name, besides Mike's. Sadness, nostalgia, pride, joy, and a million other emotions coursed through me as he turned around and took his brother's hand, who rubbed his eyes discretely. Clearing his throat, Mike then told us "We need to leave now. I'll see you guys in a week or so, I promise. Then we'll make an end to this."

With a decided and friendly grin, the young man waved at us and led his brother by the hand to the front door. Just before stepping outside for the first time in eight years, Jack turned to me one last time, and smiled.

My dirty finger brushed the edge of the plastic rose once more. Staring at its crumbled petals, I remembered the one it belonged to and everyone else we had lost in one way or another.

Dad. Mom. TB. Junior. Mini. Mangle. Balloons. Jeremy.

And now, Jack.

I was sitting on the floor of the west hallway, right next to the office. My friends were lying on the floor a few feet ahead of me, staring up at the damp ceiling. One would think we were all sleeping, but that was no longer possible for us. However, we were dreaming. Dreaming about a normal life, or how we could end this, or unexplainable things that only make sense inside someone's head. We were dreamers stuck in a nightmare.

A lighting's flash lit up the dark building for an instant, soon followed by the low rumbling of a distant thunder. Not one minute later, the skies opened up, and a flood of rain fell down on the building. It's raining again. I thought, When will this stop?

Over the past week after Jack's departure, a heavy storm had settled over town. There was barely any difference between day and night now, thanks to the thick dark clouds that never seemed to go away. The cheap ceiling had begun to leak constantly after a few days of rain. Besides, a large family of rats now scurried around the building, surely lured by the relative warmth of it.

We used to be happy when the pizzerias were closed, knowing that we wouldn't be a danger to anyone. However, without Jack the place felt dead. A vital part of it was missing, as important as its doors or windows or wet ceiling, and that emptiness made the place uninhabitable. Sighing, I put the flower back in my chest and listened to the never-ending rain and the occasional squealing and chirping of rats.

'Aww… is poor Brandon feeling blue tonight?' Bonnie taunted, as if he was talking to a baby, 'Does he miss his little friend?'

'Yes. But you won't hurt anyone else.' I replied mentally.

Then, I heard a low, sinister laugh in my head. 'Are you sure about that? What do you say if we teach your brother a lesson for all those years he ignored you?'

"No." I hissed in a low voice, "We are over that."

'Are you sure?' he asked with poisonous sweetness, 'Aren't you a still just a little bit mad?'

Maybe a little. I thought fleetingly before I could stop myself. But it was too late; I had opened the doors for him.

'Only a little?' he questioned, 'I'd be pretty mad.' My fingers twitched as his hate flowed through me like fire. 'It's alright to be mad sometimes…'

"Stop." I muttered lowly, "Shut up. I… I don't want to… hurt my brother…" But it was getting harder to think straight and hold him back.

'Let me out, Brandon.' he ordered harshly, 'And everything will feel better.'

Groaning in a low voice, I held unto my burning chest and shook my head, knowing deep down I was fighting a losing battle. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate.

"Private?" I heard Sean say. There was a low hydraulic whir as he stood up and walked to me. "Are you okay?"

I finally opened my eyes, just to see him standing in front of me. "Don't talk to me." I growled.

Confused, he looked down at me. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on, brother." I stood up to him with clenched fists. "I'm just angry, you know? Angry because I lost Jack, angry because of everything that happened, and angry because you never came to help me when I needed you."

When he took a step back I felt an odd satisfaction deep inside me. Grinning at the sight of his wary eyes, I closed the distance between him and me even more.

"That's right." I continued, "Did you think I forgot?" I barely noticed Sarah and Ferny looking at me with apprehension. "That I would just forgive you?!"

"This isn't you, Don." he said slowly, "He's making you say these things. You're not thinking clearly."

"Oh, but I feel fine! I feel like I can actually think clearly for the first time!"

Sean shook his head. "I know it's hard, but you have to fight it."

"Maybe I don't want to fight it." I said casually, "Maybe Bonnie has been right all along. Maybe we should… let ourselves go."

As soon as I said these words his massive hands grabbed my shoulders, pinning me against the nearest wall. "Don't even think about it." Sean whispered in my face with surprising gentleness.

"Let me go!" I screamed, twisting and squirming under his grasp. "You're not my boss! You can't tell me what to do, you scumbag!"

"Don, look me in the eyes." Growling like an animal, gritting my teeth in pure, irrational hate I glared at his round face. "Just… look me in the eyes."

Even in that state, something in his voice made me obey him. I stared at his glowing eyes for long seconds, recognizing the person trapped behind them. Slowly, very slowly, I felt that blinding hate flow out of me. My fists unclenched slowly, and my ragged breathing quieted down. A deep tiredness came over me as I realized what I had said. Covering my face in shame, I let myself slide down against the wall and muttered a low "I'm sorry."

My brother's hard grab on my shoulders turned into gentle pats. "Don't worry private. I know you didn't want to do that."

Silence reigned over us for a few seconds, until a worried Sarah asked "Do you feel better now, Brandon?"

Shrugging, I turned to look at her and Ferny. "More or less. But I know that I won't last much longer, not without someone that can hold back what's inside me. And Jack was the only one that could."

"We'll find a way." Ferny said with a small, comforting smile. "We're friends till the end, after all."

I nodded back at him. "Friends till the end."

"Friends till the end." repeated Sean solemnly.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "You doofuses want me to say it, don't you? Alright…" She let out an exaggerated sigh, before mumbling "Friends till the end. There. Happy now?"

"Very much!" was Ferny's teasing reply. Sarah only looked back at him with a warm smile.

For a minute or two no one said anything. We just stayed together in the dark hallway, enjoying each other's company. Somehow, we all knew that it would end soon in one way or another. And so, we savored these few seconds of bonding silence.

But this dreaded ending arrived sooner than expected.

"Did you guys hear that?" asked Ferny suddenly, looking at the end of the hallway nervously, ears swiveled up in alert.

"Hear what, professor?" replied Sarah.

Fer looked back to us. "I heard a metallic bang, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe it was just a rat in an air vent?" I said.

He shook his head. "It was much bigger than that."

Not ten seconds later, a loud crashing noise echoed through the building.

"He's here." whispered my brother, just as we heard another powerful crash. We stared at each other for a few moments, reluctant to leave the hallway, but knowing that we had to see what was going on. Sean took the first step and we gingerly followed him through the dark, narrow corridor.

A third crash, stronger that the previous, stopped us in our tracks. The piercing noise was accompanied by something being torn apart. We stayed at the corner of the hallway to the dining area, refusing to come out, when we heard another crash and rip. Two rats dashed next to me, surely trying to flee from whatever our murderer was doing.

The seconds ticked by slowly as we waited for another sound besides the rain and thunder, but everything remained unsettlingly silent. We stepped into the dining area slowly, not knowing what to expect. It didn't take long, however, to see the massive tear running down the paper-thin drywall close to the entrance, just a little bit too small for any of us to fit through.

We went to the wall as quickly was we could, amazed by the size of the hole and even more by what was behind it. Curious as cats, we stuck our heads together to inspect the tear. The thin plaster was covering a large room, and with the moonlight and our glowing eyes, we could barely see the screens of three arcade cabinets. The sight suddenly brought a flood of dark, bloody memories.

"This is the private party room where we were murdered." I whispered in awe, remembering our first night in this refurbished place.

The sound of slow claps behind me sent a chill down my back. Slowly, I turned around to see Walther standing in the middle of the dining area. "Very good Bonnie!" he cheered proudly, "I'm glad you remember that room." I was so transfixed by his mere presence, that I barely noticed the fire ax in his right hand and the red book in his left.

"Why are you here?" asked Sarah dryly, "There's nothing more to take from us."

The killer beamed a wide smile at her. "You're wrong, sweetheart. You're so very wrong. You see, I just don't want to wait anymore." He laid the book on the table and began to walk towards us. "I see that you still refuse to be good friends, enjoy the life I gave you and play your game." The man shrugged casually. "I'm very disappointed in you, but life carries on. For me, at least." He chuckled at his own joke, and I felt my body itch with anger. "I warned you from the very first day: if you don't play along, then it's game over."

"Killing people is not a game!" shouted Ferny, standing beside Sarah protectively.

"Very well." said the murderer coldly, raising his ax at us. "I'm afraid our friendship is over." A lighting flashed in the distance, illuminating his bloodshot eyes and wet hair. "If you don't want this life, then you won't have any life."