"Hahahahaha!"

Jack felt his blood bubble as fear shot through his body like a bolt of lightening. Balloon Boy's pre-recorded giggle sounded off right above his head as he hid behind the worn-and-torn Freddy Fazbear suit. Within seconds he heard a clomp-clomp-clomp of heavy metallic footsteps drawing closer to the noise and to him.

Stay calm. The more you freak out, the more likely he is to notice you.

But it was simply impossible for him to convince his own heart to cease its frantic pounding as the trapped murderer drew closer and closer. A shadow appeared on a nearby wall and Jack felt rather pathetic for feeling the strong urge to piss his pants at the sight of a bunny-eared silhouette.

At last, Springtrap entered.

He was mostly hidden by the shadows that the walls and stacked boxes cast, but this was the first time that Jack had seen a prowling Springtrap this close. He had been quite close that one time when the bunny animatronic had nearly pounced on him, but Springtrap had been so still that time that he might as well have been a lifeless robot.

Seeing Springtrap on the move so close was different. His glowing eyes flickered erratically back and forth, as if searching for something (Jack curled up into a little ball to make sure that he didn't end up being that something.) The former Purple Man moved slowly, his steps heavy, as if even after many decades of being trapped he had yet to get used to his cumbersome body. His head and ears twitched horribly, to the point where it almost looked like he was about to have a mechanical seizure, and when he finally stood in the midst of the room, mere feet from the Freddy suit that was Jack's hiding place, a call came from his withered, grinning maw.

"Heeeee…eeeeeee….He….eeeeeeeeeeee….."

Jack's fear turned to fascinated wonder for a moment. The hell? Is…is he saying 'help me'? Guess that would make sense, I imagine being stuck in a suit hurts like hell. Sorry, though, buddy: I'm not gonna risk my neck for your sake. I'm here to help the kids, not a killer.

Fortunately, there was a cry of "Hi!" from the nearby room. Springtrap's ears twitched in an almost eager manner as he slunk towards the Puppet's distracting sound.

Clomp! Clomp! Clomp…clomp…clomp….clo…

The sounds of his metallic feet pounding on the dusty floor subsided and Jack's frenzied heart slowly began to slow its pace. The night guard cautiously stepped out of his hiding place and once he was certain that Springtrap was out of sight, he skittered as quickly and quietly as he could towards the exit, being careful to hold Bonnie's guitar so that it wouldn't make any noise until he was far enough away.

He made it to the exit in one piece, which was about as much as he could ask for. Resisting the urge to bolt out of Fazbear's Fright (The Horror Attraction), run home, and cuddle up under his blanket like a frightened four-year-old, he gently plucked at the strings of Bonnie's guitar. He played a few notes of the Toreador March (which, he recalled, was Freddy's theme: a theme that the Fazbear Company had likely given to their mascot since it was public domain), but Bonnie did not appear. The night guard wracked his brain for childhood memories, trying to recall the songs he had listened to on the few occasions he and his brother had been permitted to enter a Fazbear establishment.

At last, a song struck him. He continued to play the Toreador March, but he sang softly:

"Hello there, Bonnie!

Wanna come and play?

I think you're special

In your own way

I'd love to sing a song with you

It's my favorite thing to do…'

Before he could even hope to finish the last stanza, a timid voice did it for him:

"'Cause I love you…through and through…"

Jack took a deep breath and turned to see a faded, translucent figure sitting by the exit. Bonnie, in his phantom form, looked so much like Springtrap that it almost made Jack cringe. Instead, however, the night-guard smiled softly and held the guitar out towards the phantom. Bonnie gazed sadly at the instrument and shook his head.

"I can't…" he muttered. "I can't hold it anymore…I can't play…"

"Then I'll play for you," Jack offered, "and you sing. You're a much better singer than me, anyway."

He played and the sadness in Bonnie's see-through eyes became curiosity. The guard sat down beside the ghost and played for so long that his fingers started to hurt. Jack was afraid that Springtrap was going to hear their song number and interrupt, but he forced the fear that he felt to stay away from his face, making sure that only warmth and encouragement was visible as he smiled at Bonnie.

At last, Bonnie began to sing:

"Come play with Freddy

Play the day away

All Freddy's friends have

Come here to say:

We'd love to sing a song with you

It's our favorite thing to do!

'Cause we love you through and through!"

Jack could sense a small spark of happiness fill Bonnie's ethereal form as he sung, and by the time he finished there was a smile on his face.

"You're a great singer," said Jack.

"Thanks…you seem nice. Are you the new night guard?"

Jack nodded. "But don't worry, I'm not a bad guy."

"Don't worry, I know Purple Man's dead…sort of. But he got punished, that's what matters."

"So, Bonnie," said Jack gently, "if you know Purple Man's not a threat anymore…why are you hiding? Your friends have been giving me scares ever since I started working here!"

"They have?" giggled Bonnie. "Oh, I didn't know that. Y'know, I used to love hunting the night-guard. I was always the first out! Well, most of the time. Chica sometimes got up earlier than me, but most of the time I was first!"

"You musta' been a force to be reckoned with!"

"The night-guards always had some…choice words for me!" laughed Bonnie. He became crestfallen, however, as he muttered, "But…there's no point to that anymore. I might as well just…relax…sleep…but every time I try to sleep for good…I just feel so bad."

"Bad? Why? Bonnie, you haven't done a thing wrong."

"I…I did something wrong, though…"

"Could you tell me?"

Bonnie curled up into a little ball and started to fade into invisibility.

"Bonnie, please," pleaded Jack, "I wanna help you. Whatever happened, I'll understand. You're just a kid, Bonnie."

Bonnie stopped disappearing.

"I'm not a kid," he insisted in a weak and rather childish manner. "I…well…all right, I'll tell you. I…don't remember that well…but…there was this kid…and we locked him up…in the back room…"

Hey, have I mentioned yet that I'm evil? No? Well, I am. See you in two weeks!

(Or one, depending on how much free time I have and how long I can type for.)

Also, ten points to anybody who knows where I got that song from. I'll give you a hint: it involves a certain Youtuber.

As usual, special thanks to:

KuraiFriend

XXPay4XtraShippingsXX: Your name is always hard to type, but your comments are always well-appreciated and so I shall get every X in there! :)

shadowspawn666

The hazel-eyed bookworm

Fabro de Verbis

Jeyhellix (the artist formerly known as unknown)

Thanks to all of you for being understanding and for taking the time to review!

Please review this chapter, guys! We're almost up to fifty reviews! I'm about to explode from joy!

Thanks again for reading and I'll see you soon for another Flaaaaaaasssshhbaaaaaack!