Lea sat cross-legged with her chin on her hands as she waited. Her sister had gone to get groceries but Lea chose to stay home. It wasn't long before she became bored and went over to visit the old lady next door. She watched a white cat pawing at a basket of yarn next to a big rocking chair across from her seat.

"You seem a bit sleepy today," the old lady said as she handed the girl a cup of tea. She took a seat in the rocker and continued her knitting after shooing the cat away. "Have you been sleeping well?"

"I sleep fine," Lea said. "I've just been staying up late the past few nights."

"Whatever for?"

Lea liked Miss Westin; the little old lady that lived next door was curious but kept to herself for the most part. She had known the sisters since they were little and always kept a watchful eye on them. Other than Alex, Miss Westin was the only person she felt she could trust to share the knowledge of the animatronics to. "I go every night to visit Bonnie and the others."

"Ah, yes I remember." Miss Westin smiled as she focused on her knitting. "Hm, I remember a long time ago when children were always wanting to go to that pizza place. What was it called? Freddy's? Time is certainly strange."

"You know that place?" Lea lifted her head. "How come you didn't say anything before?"

"I forgot." Lea almost choked on her tea. "It's not like I've ever been there," the lady said. "I was already in my thirties when that place was popular. I remember that place being big news for a while, but not in a good way."

"What do you mean?"

"There were several incidents that occurred there over the years it was open. There was that whole 'Bite of '87' incident that I heard about. They said it caused them to discard one of the main attractions."

"Bite?"

"What I remember seeing in the news most was all the missing children. One child was supposedly locked out on a rainy day. I'm not sure how no one noticed. Maybe it was just that busy? Anyways, they only went out looking around when one of those robots went outside for some reason. See, they weren't supposed to leave the building on their own like that. They found the kid dead in an alley nearby and right next to them was the missing robot. They said the rain short circuited it."

"What happened to that kid?"

Miss Westin thought for a moment. "Well, some people thought the robot did it, but the evidence suggested otherwise. They never found out who killed the poor child. Not too long after that, five more kids went missing. One-by-one. They were last seen playing at that pizza parlor, not a care in the world. They never even found the bodies."

Lea shivered and took a sip of the hot tea. "So, what happened after that?"

"Well, the place denied having anything to do with it, but they didn't stay in business for much longer, even when they tried to open different locations or use different robots. People had become very cautious of the place and the robots constantly being changed and no longer being allowed to move on their own aroused some suspicion I suppose. A friend of mine said that after all of those incidents the robots starting acting strange. Jerking suddenly or staring silently at grown ups and workers. Oh, but no one ever mentioned anything about them acting like people like you say they do. I don't think they were made to be that smart back then. Are you sure you aren't imagining it all?"

"Of course I'm not! Just ask Alex, she was there too!"

She laughed at Lea's indignant outburst. "I'm just teasing dear. I believe you. You've never lied before." Miss Westin's eyes widened and she leaned forward with a grin. "Maybe they're not just robots anymore." She whispered. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

Lea blinked, suddenly feeling a bit disturbed. "Are you saying they're haunted? By dead kids? Don't tell Alex that, she'll flip."

The lady laughed. "They say restless spirits can never move on until they get the peace and recognition they deserve. Oh yes, I just remembered, I heard that they're going to tear down the buildings on that corner to rebuild some shops."

"What?!" Lea almost spilled her tea. "No, I have to get them out of that place or they'll be crushed!"

"Yes, yes, destroying the physical host will just make it worse for the spirits."

"Stop talking about ghosts!" Lea stood up. "Miss Westin this is serious! I really like those guys, ghosts or not. How can I get them out of there though?"

Miss Westin tilted her head. "You can use my old van, I'm legally not supposed to drive anyway. What are you going to do with them when you get them out?"

Lea made a face. "I…I don't know. Alex is going to have a fit."

...

After checking up on some things and confirming the planned reconstruction of the block, Lea felt sick with anxiety. She had to get them out of there before Thursday. Three days from now, she thought. She paced around in a wide circle in her room brooding it over. How could she possibly convince Alex? She couldn't possibly understand; after all, her sister's thoughts on the animatronics were still mostly negative. But Alex was her sister. She didn't have to understand why Lea cared, just that she cared. But…why did she care?

Lea stopped in her tracks and looked over at the plush toys piled on her bed. There was something about those robots that attracted her back every night. Like, something was calling. Crying…for help. But they didn't seem sad. What did they even do all day?

The sound of the front door opening caught her attention and she ran out of her room to meet Alex in the kitchen. Lea stopped by the doorframe between the living room and kitchen and watched as her older sibling began picking up the groceries in their proper places.

Alex stopped and stared at her. "What's wrong with you?"

Lea bit her lip, trying to figure out the easiest way to explain. "There's construction on Thursday," she blurted out.

"Great," Alex sighed. "It's not going to be close enough that we hear it all day, is it?"

Lea shrugged. "Do you think we could hear something over here from that old pizza place?" Alex furrowed her brow. "That whole block is going to be torn down and built on top of."

"Wait, what?"

"We need to get them out of there."

Alex blinked, processing what Lea was trying to say. Perhaps she didn't choose the easiest way of explaining. "So, let me get this straight. You want to go to the place we broke into several nights ago and steal some old animatronics?"

"Is it really stealing if they're alive, or rather, sentient." Alive didn't seem like the right word to Lea.

Alex made a face. "Then it'd be kidnapping."

"But they're going to get destroyed!"

"What are we supposed to do with them, Lea?!"

"I don't know!" she huffed and looked at the floor. "We…I can't just leave them to get crushed."

"Lea, that's not your problem."

"But I feel like it is!" she interrupted Alex. "I don't know why, I just…I have to help them." She trailed off.

As much as Alex's mind was saying it was a terrible idea, her sister's passion about the situation greatly confused her. She made a face that was some kind of combination of annoyance, confusion and worry before lightly stamping her foot and letting out an overly exasperated sigh. "Fine!"

...

"You actually told Miss Westin about all this?" Alex asked as Lea knocked on the old lady's front door. "She actually believed you? Maybe she really is crazy..."

"Crazy's not the word I would use," Lea responded. "A better term would be adventurous."

"Adventurous indeed," the old lady smiled as she opened the door. "I'm just too old to do it myself nowadays, so you'll have to do it for me." She winked mischievously and handed Lea a black key.

"We're not even old enough to drive," Alex complained, mostly to herself.

"Well I'm too old to drive," Miss Westin laughed. "Unless you want me to, but if we're going at night I might hit a few curbs or pedestrians."

Alex made a face. "It'll already be suspicious for a creepy old white van to be lurking around in the back alleys. We don't need to draw any attention by running people over. Why do you have a van like that anyway?"

"Oh, I used to deliver packages way back when," she shooed them with her hand. "Go now, before the sun sets completely and the cars go away. You'll stand out less I think."

"Thank you, Miss Westin," Lea smiled. She went over to the van and claimed the passenger seat then stretched to look at the open space behind the front seats. It seemed big enough for the animatronics, that is, if they stayed sitting. She grabbed her seatbelt and clicked it in place as Alex started up the old vehicle. "This'll be fun," she muttered.

"This will be terrible," Alex huffed and placed the van in reverse.

...

"This alley's a tight fit," Alex said as she leaned forward to get a better view. She had stopped the van at the entrance to the alley, trying to figure out how she would get the van through. With such a narrow space and sharp turns this place clearly wasn't meant to have creepy old vans driven through it. "I guess I should back it in. You go first and guide me."

Lea quickly released her seatbelt and hopped out of the van. She looked around to see if anyone was watching them as Alex repositioned the vehicle. "Just come straight back for now." She walked backwards as the van slowly approached. If they weren't trying to be unnoticed she probably would have started making beeping noises to annoy Alex as she backed the van through. "Okay," she held her hand up. "It's going to curve sharply to your right now."

After excruciatingly slow progress they finally got the back of the van in front of the entrance Lea had made several nights ago. "I almost forgot!"

"What?" Alex turned the van off. "Hey, get off of me!"

Lea crawled halfway through the open driver side window to reach over her sister and grab something she had left on the other seat. "Gummy worms!" She snatched the bag of candy then slid back out of the window leaving Alex flustered. "Come on already, Alex." She pushed aside the cover of the makeshift entrance and waited for her sister to follow.

"Dang, I forgot my flashlight." Lea peered into the dark hallway.

"Oh, but God forbid you forget gummy worms." Alex rolled her eyes.

Ignoring her smart remark, Lea stepped out into the hallway and called out. "Hello? It's dark, we can't see! Bonnie, Chica? Freddy?... Foxy?" she said the last name quietly. After a few moments of eerie silence, two glowing yellow eyes flickered on and watched them from the darkness. "Freddy!" She ran up to greet the bear.

He looked down at her blankly for a moment before relaxing. It was strange, but it was something he did every now and then when he noticed them. Almost like he didn't realize who they were at first but quickly recovering and acting as if nothing was strange. Lea noticed it the first time, and she noticed it every time after that. She also noticed that Freddy was the only one that did that. The others never did.

"I forgot my flashlight," Lea told him. "Where are the others? I need to tell you guys something important. Really, really important."

He blinked, turned as if to walk away, then stopped and looked back at them. It hadn't even been a full week since the sisters discovered the place and the animatronics, but Lea had already figured out the meanings behind Freddy's silent and sudden movements. She wasn't entirely sure if he could speak, but she knew for a fact that he could laugh. It was obvious he planned to lead their way through the dark. "Come on," Lea gestured for Alex to follow. "Don't get lost again!"

As they entered the main party room Lea spotted Bonnie near the stage and ran over to hug him. "Lea," he smiled. "It feels like you're here early." He hugged her back.

"I am," she said. She turned to greet Chica as the chicken approached from the opposite side of the room. "We've got a bit of a situation." Bonnie and Chica exchanged glances. "They're going to tear down the block Thursday to rebuild shops, this place included. You guys need to leave."

"Leave?" Bonnie tilted his head. "Oh, but we have no where to go. There's no way out anyway."

"Of course there is, silly!" Lea smiled. "How do you think Alex and I go home every night? I'm pretty sure you guys can fit. Alex isn't too happy about it, but you guys can stay with us!"

"That's great!" Chica perked up but just as quickly took on a worried expression. "But how are we going to get Foxy out? He startles easy."

Lea thought for a moment then exchanged worried looks with her. "I think I have something in mind that could work, but I'll have to come back tomorrow."

"Can we hurry up please?" Alex shifted her feet. "I don't want someone to call the cops because there's a big van hanging out in the alley."

...

"You think we can really fit in there?" Bonnie looked up skeptically at the entrance to the vent.

"Only one way to find out," Chica smiled and pulled herself up into the vent. She slipped in easily, stopping a moment to move her broad feet and pull them in. The others cringed at the loud metal banging sounds that resulted in her climbing. "It's not so bad," her voice echoed after she had fully entered the vent.

"Good," Lea nodded. "Just go straight. Your turn, Bonnie. Watch your ears."

"Eh, all right." He still looked unsure but pulled himself into the vent anyway. "Not so bad," he muttered and rolled his eyes. "Chica, your thrashing made the space bigger that's why."

"Sorryyy," she sang from somewhere up ahead in the dark vent.

Lea looked over at Freddy who was looking at the vent worriedly. "Sounds like Chica busted up the vent so you should fit too, big guy." He still didn't move, so she climbed into the vent herself. "Whoa!" her voice echoed from inside. "Dang Chica, what did you do in here? Come on Freddy, I need a light!"

He made a strange sound, almost like a sigh, then slowly made his way into the vent. Lea turned to look at him as he crawled in and his eyes lit up to look around. "Look what she did," Lea shook her head.

If it wasn't for the light from Freddy's eyes Lea might have run right into Bonnie. "Hey, what are you doing? Get your bunny butt out of my face!"

Bonnie had stopped and was peering through the gap in the wooden planks that covered the exit. Chica had already exited but he hesitated. "Oh…sorry," he slowly pushed through the planks and looked around at the alley.

"Come on Bonnie, don't be such a chicken," Chica giggled at her own joke.

He made a face and stood up. His ears folded as he looked around worriedly. Lea dusted herself off as Freddy and Alex exited as well. Alex quickly opened the back doors to the van then went around to start the vehicle. "Please hurry before someone sees the giant humanoid animals."

Okay, everyone into the creepy van." Chica had already hopped into the van as Lea finished her sentence. "Please don't beat up the van like you did the vent." Chica leaned over Alex's seat and smiled, excited to go somewhere new after so long. Alex looked much less excited. Lea waited for the other two to get in as well before closing the doors and entering the passenger side. "We'll bring you guys home first and tomorrow we'll come back for Foxy and Puppet."

Alex grumbled something, happy that the windows of the van were tinted so much that no one would be able to see inside the van, unless they got really close and pressed their face to the glass.

...

After backing the van into the driveway Alex looked around for any people before opening the back doors and going to unlock the house. Chica didn't hesitate to jump out of the van and run inside. Immediately, she began looking around excitedly. Bonnie poked his head out from the van and looked around cautiously before quickly rushing into the house.

"Come on big guy," Lea encouraged Freddy. He made a strange clicking sound then followed her inside.

Alex sighed deeply as she watched the three big animatronics gathered in their living room.

"What do you have to eat?" Chica turned suddenly. "I'm hungry."

"Hu—What?!" Alex flinched. "How are you hungry? You're a robot!"

"But I'm hunnngry," she pouted.

"Do you want some gummy worms?" Lea pulled the bag from her pocket and opened it for her. She and Alex watched, very confused, as the bird happily ate the gummies. Lea turned to Bonnie and Freddy. "Um, do you guys want something to eat?"

"No, thank you." Bonnie was sitting politely on the edge of the couch. He seemed to have relaxed now. "Are your parents going to be surprised when they see us?"

Lea flinched slightly in surprise. "What?"

"Your parents," he repeated. "You did tell them, right?"

"We… Our parents aren't around."

"Where are they?"

"Well, Mom got sick when I was little and she passed away. Dad…he got in an accident a few years ago at work."

"Oh…" he felt bad for asking. "Sorry."

"So, you live by yourselves?" Chica asked. "Is that allowed? How old are you?"

"Thirteen," Lea said. "Alex is fourteen. It's kind of kept on the lay low that we live here alone. Miss Westin, our neighbor, pays for our house and helps us out. That van we used to get you here is actually hers."

"So, she knows about us?" Bonnie asked.

Lea nodded. "She knows about that pizza place, too. She said it got shutdown because of problems with missing kids and malfunctioning robots." She noticed them tense and look at her.

"Wait, what now?" Alex shot her a look.

Bonnie made a face, like he was trying to remember something. "I can't…remember anything like that. Well, maybe."

...

Later, as Lea was starting to fall asleep she heard someone quietly calling her from the door. She turned over, squinting to see the rabbit standing there awkwardly in the dark. "Ah, sorry, I…can I stay with you?" He suddenly seemed very childish and frightened.

"Sure," she said and was surprised when he crawled into the bed. "I thought you weren't afraid of the dark?"

"I was just trying to make you feel better," he said, glancing around the dark room. "Bad things happen in the dark."

"Well," she said. "Good things happen too." She thought for a moment. "The flowers in our garden grow at night, so when day comes you get to see how much they progressed in the dark."

"That doesn't really make me feel better," he laughed a little.

"Oh well," she turned over to face the door. "I'll protect you and you can protect me. That's what friends are for, right?"

He finally settled down and stared blankly into the darkness, listening as Lea's breathing slowed as she fell asleep. It had been so long since he'd felt warm, so long since he'd felt safe. For so long he's felt fear and pain, but he couldn't remember why and it frustrated him. The others felt the same, but they couldn't remember either. Sometimes they remembered little things, glimpses of the past, of children that seemed familiar but that they didn't know. Memories of laughter turning into screams and blood dotting the checkered floor like confetti. Immense pain from cold metal snapping around tiny bones and no longer being able to scream. Watching people walk by not knowing and being unable to tell them. He opened his eyes, and suddenly, it was day.

To be continued…