It was still nighttime outside, but Mike Schmidt's shift had ended. The animatronics were no longer in automatic mode; the souls of dead children no longer had control over them. Evan watched as Golden Freddy faded away. He had spared his brother, and he was proud of it. He had always felt that Michael hated him, but that feeling wasn't mutual. The eight-year-old boy's ghost then headed towards the dark storage room. The souls of his friends had decided to hide there when daytime came. He passed through the door and was greeted by the smiles of his friends.
"So, how was it?" Gabriel exclaimed without even giving him a chance to fully enter. Evan chuckled; it had been a while since he had seen them so happy.
"How? What do you mean?"
The children burst into laughter immediately. The young Afton joined them, despite his confusion. He was getting more and more nervous.
"Well, William's face after a rough time, how was it?" clarified Jeremy, wiping away tears of laughter.
Evan clenched his teeth, clearly uncomfortable.
"Oh... that...," he mumbled.
"You must have seen him when you killed him! And by the way, I saw you teleport, that was really cool !" Susie applauded.
The boy discreetly stepped back and managed a shy smile at the girl.
"Thanks, Susie. And yes, it's true that... I saw him... die," he announced, his voice becoming quieter.
Evan hardly ever lied, unlike his father, who had convinced the whole town of his innocence. The boy then felt Fritz's arm wrap around his shoulder from behind.
"And then? Was there a lot of blood?"
"No! Well... a little. I strangled him, and..."
Foxy's soul gave him a scrutinizing look.
"What? Seriously, matey ? I would have shoved my hook right into his..."
"He's my father! Don't you understand? Even though I get that you wanted to kill him, I wanted it to be quick."
Yet another lie. If it hadn't been Michael in front of him, he would have probably torn him apart. The three boys crossed their arms.
"You're no fun, Evan," Fritz added.
The liar lowered his head shamefully. Being the smallest, he was always intimidated. Chica's soul's eyes softened.
"Leave him alone, Fritz! He killed William, that's all that matters!" Susie retorted.
A clap echoed behind them, interrupting their conversation.
"Congratulations! Bravo, Evan Afton, for finally kicking the ass of that burden that is your father."
They all turned to Cassidy. The atmosphere relaxed as the usually tough soul became joyful. It was almost suspicious...
"Are you serious?" Evan asked fearfully, not taking his eyes off her exaggerated expression.
The girl pinched his cheek.
"Of course I'm serious. After all, you're the killer of the killer. What courage did you have to face this man alone!"
Evan pulled away and rubbed his cheek.
"Aren't you exaggerating a bit? I just strangled him, after all," Evan murmured.
Cassidy burst into laughter.
"Oh, of course! That's why I haven't seen William's corpse anywhere."
A shiver ran through the ghostly boy.
"What?!" the other four exclaimed.
Only Cassidy kept that teasing smile.
"Your father vanished as if by magic. After all, at Freddy's, all of your fantasys come true ! Even imaginary murders!"
Evan felt Gabriel's confusion, Jeremy's disapproving headshake, Susie's disappointed gaze, and Fritz's clenched fists. It was too much for him. He started crying.
"Cassidy, stop it!"
Objects around them trembled in the face of this sudden outburst. Of all the souls, Evan was probably the most powerful, yet he remained a crybaby. The girl's laughter silenced.
"Oh... In that case, why shouldn't we check the old camera footage? It might..."
"I don't think it's necessary," Gabriel interrupted.
Freddy's soul lowered himself to the level of the youngest boy.
"Did you kill William or not? Be honest, Evan."
"That guard wasn't my father..." he revealed in an almost indiscernible voice.
The others widened their eyes. Out of all possible answers, that was the most unexpected.
"What did you just say?"
"...He was my BROTHER!"
The shelves collapsed one by one, but the children had more important matters to deal with.
"William is your brother?" Jeremy chuckled.
Evan shot him a dark look.
"Of course not. I just realized that Mike Schmidt is Michael, my older brother."
Bonnie's soul looked puzzled.
"I'd recognize him among thousands. That man was our killer."
The youngest boy struggled to keep his mouth shut.
"It's true that he seemed to be William," Gabriel confirmed.
"You should wear glasses, Ev," Fritz giggled.
"Normally a child doesn't have the same face as their father; it would be uncanny," Susie affirmed.
Cassidy gave him the coldest of looks.
"Let him come up with excuses. He doesn't care about what we've been through; he just wants to defend his father. It's understandable. After all, Evan and William are Aftons."
Evan quickly realized that everyone was against him. The boy resisted the urge to have a temper tantrum. He rushed through the door with such force that he nearly knocked it over and made his way to the main area of the pizzeria. It was the first time in a long while that he had cried under a table.