And after every break, there is a necessary and immediate return to one's workflow. William knew and expected this, remembering the promise he had given to Alison. The engineer stayed in the company offices for a few extra hours, putting all of his time and effort into working on new spring lock animatronics, as the 4 of them had been outlined, and their designs were near impeccable, ready to be updated and worked on further. He decided to begin his work with Foxy, the most distinct of those characters and the one he believed children would love to see. The versatile endoskeleton was already in the making, and William was quite happy with how the progress had been going.
After the time had come for him to leave, there was no Sun to be seen outside, only ebon darkness with a pale moon occasionally throwing its faint glow past the gathered clouds. Chris and Elizabeth would probably go to bed by this point, and he wouldn't see them until tomorrow, but William still needed some time at home to relax before continuing to work tomorrow. Clara was waiting for him, no doubt.
Before taking his leave, however, William decided to pay a quick visit to the restaurant after its closing time and run a maintenance check on the springlock animatronics, as he was supposed to do every few days, just to show Alison that he did his best with each of the tasks given. To his surprise, he found Gron having a drink in the pizzeria in solitude. His hours as an entertainer were over, and he was free to leave beforehand, yet he decided to linger and wait for his friend.
"Want a drink?" That was Gron's first suggestion after he explained his decision to stay. "We are allowed here until midnight as employees, anyway, might use this time with purpose."
"Why here? There are plenty of other bars we can go to for a change of scenery."
"Well, here we won't have to pay for one. And then…I don't know. I just like how it feels at night. I know you aren't here all day, but you probably got the gist of how chaotic this place is with the families, the singing, and the children, of course…And now it's silence. Nothing to get distracted over, the animatronics are silent, but it still feels…Warm, you know?"
"Wouldn't your home feel the same?" William asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"Hah." Gron chuckled in response, giving enough of an indication.
"Fine…I'll drink with you, just need to check up on the animatronics first."
"Ah, of course, I'll gladly watch it if you don't mind," Gron said before following his friend to the golden suits on the stage. There wasn't too much to do, just checking that all of their parts functioned and there was no malfunction at any point, something William had done before already. Gron's curiosity, however, reminded him of what he saw yesterday.
"I saw you with those kids in the bunny suit," William said with an intrigued tone. "How did it feel?"
"Well, they felt ecstatic," Gron said as a smile emerged on his face. "It's definitely better to perform in a suit instead of trying to garner their attention by yourself."
"I don't mean them." William casually corrected him as he checked the animatronic's arm. "You know how unstable those are, and yet you volunteered.
"Ah, yeah, I did." Gron shrugged. "Someone gotta use them, right? Might as well set an example."
"And how was it?"
"It's…An experience. You have to wait while another worker puts the suit on you, the movement is restricted, and you can't be too versatile. Feels like you're becoming a robot yourself, essentially, which I suppose makes sense."
"I wouldn't risk it if I were you, and I'm saying it as someone who knows almost everything about those designs."
"Nah, it will be fine. If anything, you should try it on. We'd make a dynamic duo." Gron chuckled, making William shake his head as he tried to hide his faint smile.
"No, I'm not feeling suicidal enough to try it on." The engineer retorted.
"Shame…And here I was thinking that…"
His voice got interrupted by the steps that echoed from the nearby hallway, causing Gron and William to turn towards the door that led there. These steps were quiet and irregular, yet distinct enough that both men could notice it.
"I thought there wouldn't be anyone around here…" William said quietly.
"Hm, that's too early for the nightguard to come in."
They got their answer when a tall man with a cane dressed in a blue coat passed in the doorway. William was surprised to realize that this was none other than Alison himself, trudging through the halls of the pizzeria on his own. After every few steps, he would look to his sides as if in a fit of paranoia, desperately trying to discern if anyone was following him at the moment. He gazed at the hall, too, looking over it for a few seconds. Afterward, he immediately continued his walk further into the corridor, dissipating into shadows. He must've not noticed William and Gron as they stood behind Fredbear; as the projectors abound, the stage has been turned off, therefore having William's flashlight be the only source of light at all. The two did not have time to react as Alison departed swiftly.
"Whatever is he doing here…" Gron said suspiciously. "Shouldn't he be at home or planning whatever next expansion he wants for the company?"
"Hm…" William pondered. "Maybe he decided to check up on the restaurant. He did it before." This could've been a good opportunity to report his progress on Foxy, which will no doubt delight their boss. "I'll go talk with him about the animatronics; I think he'd like to hear some news. You want to join?"
"No particularly, no. I don't think there's much to report on my end except how many children I made laugh today."
After getting his reply, William walked towards the corridor while keeping his steps quiet. He was never the one to brag about his work much, especially after it was finished, and yet something dragged William along to follow and see Alison for himself. There was something off in his behavior, his twitching movements and constant exploration of the area around him were suspicious, to say the least, and William's curiosity got the better of him.
Eventually, he realized that there was only one place Alison could go into, and that was the safe room at the back. William noticed that the door remained half-open. Perhaps in his hastiness, Alison forgot to properly close it. The engineer made his way towards it, trying to hear if there was someone inside. He heard more steps, making William increase his pace and reach the door. He didn't dare to open it just yet and instead chose to look through a small opening.
Alison was there, walking towards the furthest wall, even though there was nothing there but a pattern of tiles. William looked closely as Bairren kneeled before a tile plate to his right and pressed one of them. With a slight exposure of force, it budged and was pressed like a button. William couldn't stop looking at it, mesmerized by the mystery. There was a faint voice that told him that he should look away and leave while it was still possible, but he paid it no heed. Alison seemed to press multiple tiles across a panel of nine. From third to ninth to fifth…When the code has been entered, something truly bewildering happened. The wall itself transformed with entire tile sets moving aside, opening up a dark passage that led directly below the ground.
"Holy…" William let out a sigh and a single word in the quietest of whispers, yet this was enough for Alison to turn around and gaze at the door. William's reflexes did not fail him this time as he hid behind the wall and got out of sight, trying to control his breath and be as quiet as possible. Thankfully, Alison decided not to investigate and made his way toward the newly-opened pass. William couldn't see it, but he heard the tiles reinstating themselves, likely once again taking the form of a wall. When he finally decided to peer inside, his suspicion was confirmed as Alison disappeared out of sight, leaving nothing but an empty room.
Without hesitation, William rushed back to the stage as the thought circulated in his mind. The code became a chaotic loop that he couldn't throw out of his head.
"Three, nine, five…" He repeated it in a whisper, trying to keep it fresh in his mind and memory. "Two, four, eight…"
When he walked into the dining hall, Gron was already back at the central table. He looked at his friend and let out a momentary smile which was immediately replaced by suspicion as he noticed William's frown and tension.
"What's wrong?" Gron asked with care, only for his friend to ignore the answer altogether.
"I need paper. Is there any?"
"What, why?"
"I need it!" William spoke up nervously, as he tried to focus on the code in his mind, even though he managed to startle Gron slightly.
"Wow, wow…There's some over there if kids want to draw on it." Takaliken pointed at the draw before them. Without any additional words, William rushed to the drawers, took out the paper, and placed it on a table, immediately drawing out a rough diagram of the pressure plate, adding all 9 tiles, and labeling them. "What the hell are you doing?" Gron walked up toward his friend, speaking with shock and misunderstanding. "Is that another task Alison gave you or something?"
"I'll explain…" William spoke as he scribbled the code onto the paper. 395248. "Here." He pushed the sheet of paper toward confused Gron.
"Eh…And what the hell is that?"
"Alison went to the back room, and used some pressable tiles," William spoke frantically, still trying to make sense of it all. "This is the code he entered, and then the wall itself opened, even the part of the floor along with it. There was the passage that led below the ground where Alison went before shutting it." William had to watch Gron's confused expression as he looked at his friend as if he was going mad.
"Eh…I didn't expect Alison's next task to be to fool me." Gron chuckled, struggling to believe the tale.
"Come on, then, I'll show you." William grabbed Gron's hand, almost pulling him to the hall while holding the paper in the other hand.
"Hey, no need for force. I'm coming!" Gron pushed back slightly, putting sense back into William. "Can you chill out for a moment?"
"I…Sorry, it's just…You need to see it." William spoke sternly, for a moment doubting his own mind and if he, perhaps, was going mad and seeing things that were not there.
When the two reached the back room, they made their way towards the wall, William walking ahead of Gron. He pointed at the tile pressure plate and pressed one of them.
"See, it's working," William claimed while pointing at the wall.
"True…" Gron spoke, looking at him with the utmost attention.
"Now just do this and that and…" William pressed the buttons in order to enter the code, and when the last one was touched, the wall moved right in front of their eyes, dispelling William's doubts once and for all. The lower section of the wall and the floor moved aside as its tiles were absorbed by those nearby, revealing a mechanism that could transform between two fixed states, much like a spring lock suit, yet even more advanced. From there on, an old staircase was unveiled, which led to a metal door with a glowing red button to the right of it.
"What the fuck…And here I thought the wall was too thick from the other side." Gron approached the passageway carefully. When he came close to the steps, the jester immediately recoiled in fear and disgust, blinking a few times as his body shivered. "Fuck…"
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, it's just…So what the hell is this?" Gron spoke with a shocked voice while still trying to keep it down. He must have had the same feeling that William felt. The very moment he witnessed this wall open, the feeling of warmth and peace immediately dissipated; it felt as if a good friend that always remained beside them got snatched in an instant, leaving them deprived of warmth. Every sound of the pizzeria became more evident than ever, be it the echo of the fan that emerged from the nearby room or the gushing of the wind dancing between the windows.
"How would I know? This is where Alison went, and he certainly wanted to make sure that he wasn't followed." William explained, trying to rationalize it in his head and failing miserably at every attempt. After another moment of silence, William took a step further toward the unknown. "Maybe that explains why there are no cameras here. He is hiding something here."
"You know, your proposal about a bar didn't sound too bad. How do you close that thing?"
"I don't know. I imagine whatever we do, he'll find out that we tampered with the system…" William's temptation grew, overthrowing any basic instincts. He was always driven toward the unknown and discovery, no matter how harmful those discoveries proved. Deep down, he knew he was making a risky decision. This passage was never mentioned to him, and was he to look at any plans of the building, by all accounts, it shouldn't have existed. Yet it was right there before their eyes. "We should see what lies there."
"What?" Gron exclaimed, trying to keep himself from shouting. "If he hid this thing from employees, he certainly doesn't want it to be seen, and if he doesn't, that means he can have manners of stuff hidden in there…I mean, maybe that's a storage room for the delivery he had? He'd need quite a lot of space for that. Why would you want to invade that?"
"Perhaps…I don't like being kept in the dark, that is all. And I don't see why he would be so secretive about a storage room."
"Then we can report it to the police."
"He would change all the codes and deny its existence, and we'll be fired and become known fools…We should go in."
"Seriously?" Gron shook his head.
"If we don't, we will never know what this room is and what Alison is hiding from us. If there is anything to report to the police, we can search for the evidence." William suggested. He didn't know what waited for them inside, yet they weren't defenseless either; at least he wasn't. His firearm was with him. He knew this was a risky idea, but it wouldn't be right to just pretend they saw nothing at all.
"I'm not so sure…" Gron sighed. "I still have the feeling that he won't be particularly happy about this. And I don't feel like getting fired from what so far looks like a stable job."
"And if we uncover something and will expose this to authorities? They might very well reward us with a hefty sum." William retorted before stepping into the darkness. The steps themselves were dirty and old; they felt as if they were going to collapse from underneath William's legs at any minute. "I will check it out. We don't have to stay for long, just to get an understanding of what this even is."
"You aren't changing your mind, are you?" Gron crossed his arms and took a deep breath, looking at William's stern and eager expression, this wasn't how they wanted or planned to spend the night, but after their discovery, it was impossible to look away. "Fine. Let's go check it out, but not too long. Who knows what kind of shit he hides there?"
"Alright. Just a peek." William reassured him moments before Gron finally stepped into the darkness as well. There was only one way for them to go. As soon as they approached the metal door, Gron pressed the red button, likely assuming that this would open the door. However, it didn't, not initially. At first, they heard an echo from the ground as a bulky metallic structure began to slowly arise, getting closer to William and Gron.
"Is that an elevator?" Will said with surprise.
"Well, let's hope nobody's there to say hello to us." Gron sighed and stood by his friend's side. William felt a temptation to draw a gun from his pocket and prepare to defend himself, but he never had enough time to actually make this decision, for in the next instant, the door before them finally opened, unlocking a silver elevator before them. There was only one button inside, and the dim light shone from the ceiling, unveiling an empty elevator. "Still want to go in there?" Gron chuckled nervously, and William couldn't deny his resolve was shaken, if only for a moment. He expected this to be a single underground room that would not get too deep, but this elevator opened pathways he did not imagine existed. This went far deeper than a single level.
"We have to see it." William pressed on and entered the elevator, beckoning for Gron to follow him. With some reluctance, the jester took a deep breath and followed his friend into the unknown. Once they were both inside, William pressed the glowing button, making the elevator's door close before a scratching sound echoed all around the walls. An arrow that pointed downwards emerged, glowing in green colors, and the elevator began its descent. It didn't look old to William, unlike the staircase they had witnessed just prior, but the echo of a metal structure descending permeated William's ears every passing second, making him feel even more uneasy,
"Fuck…" Gron continued to breathe heavily, still uncertain about this idea. Perhaps their curiosity will be something that causes them to be fired and framed. Thousands of thoughts echoed through William's head. He imagined losing a job and being fined or perhaps even jailed for a few days, causing his family to fear and worry and ending all of this as a dreadful financial loss for all of them. All passionate projects were gone in an instant, all plans and dreams crumbled…No, his mind was playing tricks with him. They were doing the right thing, Will was certain of it. "I assume we get the gist of the place and then get the hell out of there before he notices?"
"That or we confront him directly," William said casually. "Well, if our other options get exhausted, at least. It's hard to know until we've seen it for ourselves."
"Fair, fair. I'd rather not get too crazy off this particular occasion."
"It's fine. Neither do I."
Eventually, the doors finally opened, unveiling an extensive hallway before William and Gron. This was a surprising sight to see and even somewhat unnerving. He expected this to be a large underground storage room, but this place was even wider in terms of space. The hallway was colored in white colors that marked its floor, the dark grey hue of the walls, and the ceiling was too far above them, covered in black shadows and concealing its color if there even was any. There were two routes before them, one leading directly to the other end with another door emerging on the side while the other took a turn to the right, obscuring the view of what was actually there.
William made the first step, with Gron reluctantly following him.
"No way he made all of that just for the spare parts." Gron scoffed quietly, making William nod in silence.
"Let's see if this leads anywhere. We should be quiet, though."
"I could've guessed that…"
The duo continued along their path, slowly stepping forth toward the crossroads. The closer they got, the more echoing sounds they could hear. At first, they were so faint that William wondered if those were just echoes from another elevator around here, but soon he realized that those were voices. Voices of the two men speaking to each other in the neighboring hallway, one of them being very familiar. When the two got to the crossroads, they peaked to see who those were and witnessed a shocking picture.
There were only two voices, but four men stood there. The shortest of them wore a bright white coat and had a notebook which he pulled back to his chest. He was the one that spoke the most. Beside him stood a bulky man who William could swear was among those that helped Alison with the delivery yesterday, but this time he was armed. He stood behind another man, a slim one dressed in grey tunics, looking down to the floor with his body occasionally shivering. After a closer look, William realized that there were chains on his arms, his head lacked any hair, and he was completely bald. Finally, the last one was their boss, Alison Bairren.
"I am sure you know a lot about this experiment and are eager to get into details, but what I am concerned with is the result, Dr. Stein," Alison spoke in a stern tone in which there were some glints of anticipation. "I wish to see the process itself."
"Ah, of course, sir. Sorry for rambling; it's just the progress we're making and how…How groundbreaking it is. It's exciting!"
"Oh, I have no doubt about that, my friend, but no theory can beat a simple demonstration. Now, who's our subject here?" Alison spoke as he looked at the shamed and horrified man in chains. "I'd like to know who it is that will take part."
"Absolutely, sir." Dr. Stein nodded, not inviting the chained one to speak. "Mark Winston, male, 37 of age, Caucasian, was diagnosed as terminally ill with cancer in Colorado shortly before joining us here."
"Good, good." Alison smiled and looked at Mark.
"P…Please…" He begged in a gulping voice as tears fell from his eyes. "Just let me go…I won't tell anyone, I promise!" He screamed in the purest manifestation of terror, making William shiver.
"Shh, my friend…" Alison spoke in a soothing voice. "There is nothing that awaits you outside but death, and we don't want that, do we? Here, however, you have a chance to live! Not only that but a chance to become one of the pioneers of our new discovery!"
"What…I don't understand…"
"You will, soon enough. I suggest we do not delay any further and proceed." Alison said before looking at the armed guard. "John, remind others to tend to the incineration chamber while we conduct the test, would you not?"
"I will, sir."
"Good, good. Now, time for discovery! Come on, everyone." Alison announced, making the doctor nod in eager agreement.
"Device 49 is already equipped for the tests, Mr. Bairren."
After those words, Alison, Mark, and Dr. Stein entered the nearby door, leaving the guard as the only one outside. He didn't linger there, either, however, and moved towards the outer door, soon disappearing there.
"Jesus Christ…" Gron said, desperately trying not to raise his voice, even when the horrible situation that they witnessed would certainly invite such a reaction. William stayed silent for a few moments, still staring at an empty corridor as if there was someone still there. What he saw was horrifying, seeing the man shiver and beg in tears and receive no kindness from either Alison or the scientist…Even for William, that was cold and ruthless.
"They took him for an experiment of some sort," William said quietly.
"Yes, and I'd rather not find out whatever they have planned in there."
"And what do you suggest we do? Just leave this place and continue to work with him, knowing that this…This happens underground? Without any evidence? We need to find something that will expose him, and then we can leave. I think they'll be too busy with their experiment to pay attention to us."
"That is, you ignore the bloody armed guards."
"Doesn't seem like there's many of them…We'll be quiet and quick." William reassured Gron before continuing towards the door in front of them, the only one that still remained clear without anyone going inside, whatever it was that place even concealed.
"God, what the hell are we doing…" Gron followed William, continuing to shake his head in frantic fear.
When they finally opened the door, the two men found themselves amidst yet another hall, but this one was different, as the entire left side of it was made of glass and provided an observation deck to the large room below. The moment William and Gron realized how open they were, they immediately ducked behind the low fence that separated the hall itself from a giant glass wall, just low enough so they could see it.
Alison, the doctor, and Mark were there along with two more guards, who were holding the chained prisoner by his hand, guiding him towards a suit that sat against the wall on the other side of the room. They talked of something, but the sound would not reach William and Gron from beyond the glass, only some very weak and unintelligible echoes. Instead, William focused on the suit itself. It was colored in dark grey and brown colors and looked vaguely humanoid, though it gave an impression of somebody purposefully sculpting a rather twisted and demonic figure of a human. Colors that looked charred, lifeless white eyes, and sharp teeth. When the two guards came to the suit, one of them touched its back, seemingly working on something that changed the suit's layout, opening it from within.
"That's a…" William stuttered, still struggling to believe what he saw. "That is a springlock suit."
"Doesn't look like they need much entertainment…"
The other guard pointed towards the suit, inviting Mark to get inside. The man hesitated, William could notice him shaking his head reluctantly, but it did not bode well for him, for the guard immediately grabbed him by the neck and forced him into the suit. Mark did not resist at all; he completely succumbed to the force and sat inside the opened suit. After that, the guards tied it again, reinstating the springlock mechanism.
"What are they doing?" William continued to wonder, though he got his answer soon, an answer that made him freeze as the feeling of dread overtook him. The guard worked with the back side of the suit again, presumably pulling the crank yet again, but this time in a blunt and uncaring fashion.
And then the animatronic parts were pulled back together.
"AAAAAAARGH…AAAARGH…PLEA…AAAAARGH!" A loud scream pierced the entire hall. Even the glass window did not make it any quieter as Gron and William watched the 'show.' Mark twitched with a puddle of blood forming underneath him, all the while continuing to screech like a wounded animal like he was slowly eaten alive by a horror beyond his comprehension. He raised his arms as he began to scream even louder, clutching his head in an attempt to take the suit off. This hardly helped him, however, as William heard a faint echo of a bone being crushed, making the poor man cough with rivers of blood and drop his hands immediately. From there on, there were no screams at all. His body continued to twitch in silence for a few more seconds before finally freezing as the puddle of blood below him grew wider with every second.
Alison and the others watched, not attempting to help him even for a moment, not even a flinch. William could get a glimpse of Alison's face as he watched the results of this gruesome torture. Intrigue and a nod of approval, he gave to the doctor beside him, followed by a proud smile.
This merciless gaze would stay with William forever. It alone was enough to make his heart sink…But even that was not the end of it. He heard steps coming from the doorway.
…
Never in his life did Gron see something so revolting and monstrous, and yet he was mesmerized by the look of it. The screams and broken bones made him shake, made the whispers in his head grow louder as his entire body ached and his mind was undone. It was as if one of his visions, one of his hallucinations, came to life in the form of this grotesque death that he had no choice but to witness. He knew they shouldn't have gone here. They should've left the restaurant and forgotten what they saw, continuing to think that this was simply a built-in storage room, but now there was no hope for that. They saw it, they both saw it, they both descended into this twisted facility built for unknown purposes and kept secret from those that worked here…
Even when Mark stopped screaming, the screams in Gron's head did not cease. They continued to echo in his mind in a dreadful loop, eventually becoming one prolonged sound without interruptions and breaks. With each second, the screech grew more robotic, slowly becoming an amalgamation of voices, as Mark's was replaced by Gron's agonizing shout, slowly getting more and more sharp and low-pitched, reinstating the voice that belonged to the twisted one.
He didn't even notice the moment when the armed guard entered the room. Were he alone, this would've been the end of it. Thankfully, William was much quicker to react and grabbed Gron by the shoulder, dragging them into the adjacent hall beyond yet another doorway. The jester wasn't sure if it was the same one they had visited before, all of those grey walls slowly became a singular image in his mind in which he sensed no distinctions. He gave Will the charge as his friend looked for a safe place; the first thing Gron heard after the scream in his head quieted down were his friend's frantic breaths. Eventually, he found a spot by another locked doorway, well away from the observation hall they left, and it seemed that the guard did not yet take notice of them, preferring to stay in the hallway that they left, likely to watch the experiment.
"Gron, are you alright?" William spoke in a trembling voice as both of them sat beside the wall. Hearing his concerned voice allowed Gron to breathe calmly and try to reclaim his momentary sanity.
"I…I…" He breathed cautiously while still trying to come to his senses. "Christ, Christ…Where have we gone?"
"I didn't expect it to…Damn it." William clenched his fist in anger. "I'm sorry, you were right. We should get out of here."
"Fuck…Is this the corridor we've been to? We should go to the elevator."
"No, this is another one…The guard came from the elevator's side. There was no other place to retreat."
"Then where the hell do we go from here?"
"I don't know…We'll have to find another way." William said and slowly walked towards the nearby door, trying to see if there was another hallway beyond it. This one was different, yet another metallic door with a glass window at the top, allowing him to peer just enough and see what was going on there.
"Holy!" William recoiled the moment he looked at the glass. His gasp immediately echoed through the entire hallway, making Gron jump up and rush towards his friend, peering into the window. It was then that he heard yet another array of sounds, though Gron could not call those ones screams. It was breathing, hoarse and weak yet loud breathing, as if somebody attempted to take in the air while their lungs had been ripped apart. And then he saw it in the black room beyond that door. A dozen corpses, rotting and ailing, yet somehow still moving. All of them crawled on the ground, screeching and gulping in their futile attempts to imitate human voices. Each breath turned into a moan as they attempted to move across the floor, grappling the walls and looking to the window with their empty, bloodied eye sockets.
It did not last for long, not before the entire room was consumed by flames. This must have been the incineration chamber itself. The screeches and breaths grew louder and more irregular as the beasts within shivered and slowly began melting, with their grey skin slowly peeling away as they became nothing but ashes. Gron couldn't look at it. He turned away, trying to focus on what was around him and desperately avoiding thinking about the sight behind him.
"How…How?!" Gron's lips quivered in a whisper.
"They have done that experiment many times, it seems," William said grimly.
"It's impossible. It makes no sense! How can someone go through that and still be alive…"
"Alive?" William sounded perplexed.
"Don't you see those moving corpses? They are…They…" After noticing William's confused gaze, Gron quickly came to his senses as the realization hit him. "Oh, god…"
"They are just corpses, mutilated corpses…That now got burned." They were dead. All the movements and breaths were nothing more than yet another figment of Gron's sick imagination.
"Let's just…Get out of here." Gron shivered and saw William nod before looking in the other direction. There was yet another door there, which seemed like their only option unless they were to get trapped by the patrolling guard.
"There?"
"Yes, let's go."
The two made their way towards the door, praying that the room on the other side would prove to be just as empty as this hallway. They weren't too cautious with this due to the panic that struck their hearts and walked into the room as quickly as possible, looking behind them to ensure that no one was following them. When they were inside, Gron and William found themselves amidst a square, poorly lit room with two doors, one of which they used to enter. The wall to the opposite side of them was covered in machinery, be it switches, monitors, or even a few mechanical tubes that extended themselves and were connected to the main machine, a machine at which William and Gron stared with shock.
Another animatronic sat on the floor, connected to the rest of the system by three wires, one attached to its head and two more on its arms. It was colored in the hold, much like Fredbear and Spring Bonnie were, though this one did not resemble an animal. This was yet another imitation of a human, notably more refined than the one they saw before. The animatronic had a fedora and a tie on its body, while his pale eyes stared at the floor beneath him.
"Another one…" William sighed without surprise. After all, they had seen, another animatronic being stored here would hardly be shocking, yet the question remained of the machinery it was connected to. What was its purpose? What role did it play? Gron tried to examine the animatronic, but moments after he got closer, the machine's eyes suddenly moved up, starting right into Gron's, causing the jester to recoil in fear and close his eyes.
"This isn't real, this isn't real…" He breathed deeply, garnering William's attention.
"Anything wrong?"
"No…We should just keep moving." Gron shook his head and pointed at the next door. With any luck, they would discover a route back to the elevator or, at the very least, find another one.
"Yes, we should." William nodded, and the two made their way toward the door. It didn't feel right. Gron shouldn't shake off the feeling that someone else was present here, that someone watched their every move, slowly striding its eyes towards their backs, waiting for a perfect moment to…
Attack! The animatronic behind them stood up and let out a mechanical sound that was reminiscent of a scream or roar, making Gron and William immediately turn around as they saw the machine rise, slowly making its way towards.
"Jesus!" William shouted and recoiled, forced to watch the monster move towards him, one step after another, its lifeless eyes staring at Gron. William's reaction was a clear enough indication that this was no illusion or hallucination. The robot moved towards them, clanking its metal parts while its jaw would continuously open and close yet again.
Gron should've looked away and ran, but once again, the world around him froze as he was forced to witness the approaching doom. For a moment, he could see the animatronic's eyes drip with blood that fell to the floor, one drop after another, a face that gradually transformed and became more human. He saw it, saw the flesh behind the animatronic's suit, locked away, still bleeding. And then his eyes became Gron's hellish reflection, the same one that he saw countless times when he found himself alone in the dark.
"You cannot run." The twisted one spoke in a demonic voice that had been enhanced by the sounds of machinery. "You have found it, found your true calling. Rest among the mad, rest among the mad, rest among the mad…"
Before the monster could continue, Will opened fire, and some of his bullets hit the animatronic body, stalling it for a moment. Such a powerful snap quieted Gron's illusions, making the remnants of flesh and human eyes on the animatronic swiftly dissipate, unveiling it as nothing more than a mechanical body.
"Gron!" William called his friend from the nearby door. "Come here. We need to run!"
"Yes, yes…" The jester spoke frantically as he turned and ran towards William. The golden animatronic started to run faster as well, however, causing William to shoot once again. This time, the bullet did not hit the robot's body but instead destroyed one of its wires, disconnecting it from the machine. The animatronic immediately fell on its knees before collapsing entirely, tearing the other two wires apart as well, disconnecting it from the machine. It remained on the floor, completely disabled and motionless, but it was too early to sigh in relief.
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" The ear-piercing alarm rang throughout the entirety of this complex, making Gron and William look at each other with eyes full of panic.
"Shit…"
At least there was no room for hesitation now. The only out was to run as quickly as possible. The two friends busted through the door, finding yet another hallway with crossroads, although this time, it was overtaken by the red light and the beeping loop of an alarm. However, on the opposite side, William and Gron could see their salvation, another metallic door identical to that of the elevator they descended from.
"There!" Gron shouted and charged towards the exit, with William following him. It was within their reach, the pathway to freedom. When the two passed the crossroads, Gron noticed that there was an armed guard rushing from their left.
"You, stop immediately, or I will shoot!" He shouted to no avail, as the intruders were already past the crossroads making their way toward the elevator. Gron was the first to reach it, immediately pressing the button that would call the elevator down.
"Yes, that's it, the elevator! They aren't locked out yet!" Gron shouted with hope as William covered his back.
"Well, it'd better hurry. There's no way we're holding off against them!"
"I know, it should be here soon, just a…"
"Stop!" The guard finally ran across the hallway, now having both William and Gron in sight. He raised his gun and opened fire which the two avoided by ducking as quickly as possible. Before he could try and move the firearm towards the floor, William used the moment he had and fired, wounding the guard's shoulder. The man shouted, dropping his gun as he placed his hand on his shoulder, trying to stop the stream of blood and maintain his balance.
"They're here, they're here!" He shouted as loudly as he could, but it was too late for reinforcements. The elevator's door finally opened, and the two friends rushed inside, not even daring to look back. Gron could only feel the sound of doors closing behind them as the bullets bounced off them moments before the elevator began its ascension. They stood in silence. Their hands shivered as the two tried to make sense of the chaos that had occurred before them. The screams of the prisoner, the burning corpses, the armed thugs, and that mechanical monster connected to a machine…This chaos swirled in Gron's mind as the agonized voices still echoed in his head. There was nothing left to say, nothing at all; all he wanted was to just run as far as possible. It must have been the same for William.
When the doors finally opened once again, they were met with yet another white hallway, though it did not take long to recognize the place itself. This is the Fazbear Inc building, one on the upper floor. Thankfully, there were no guards here, and most employees remained in their offices, not noticing their presence. All William and Gron knew were that now was the time to run as quickly as they could, leave this place behind and call the police.
Breathing fresh air again felt like a tremendous relief, the bliss that made Gron breathe as much as he could, trying to ventilate his lungs and grasp as much air as possible. The two men couldn't even stay by the building, it was too dangerous, so they made their way to the parking side, knowing that they did not have much time at all.
"What…What the hell do we do now?" Gron finally forced himself to speak as the two got far enough from the restaurant and the Inc building.
"I'm going home and calling the police…" William breathed heavily as he opened his car's door. This has to be investigated…Damn it, we didn't even collect any evidence, but…Doesn't matter. Someone has to know!" William shouted in anger. "And you? Do you want me to get you home?"
"No, no, I'll find my way…You call the police, and I will support your testimony, I promise."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, yes…" Gron answered in a frantic voice. "There's no time to waste!"
And so it was decided, all that was left was to bring the dreadful truth to light.
…
There was much William anticipated after learning of the secret elevator. There could've been a storage room, an underground workshop for new animatronics, perhaps something to store illegal drugs, but this…This was beyond any reason. He could barely drive across the woodlands, for every time William looked outside, he could see those faces flashing in the darkness, emerging beneath the trees and clouds. The monstrous animatronics, the screaming victims, those mauled corpses that were thrown to the fire, all of this combined to create a nightmare like no other William has ever seen. He tried to piece it together, tried to understand the purpose of this experiment, what was the purpose of that entire place, yet failed to find an answer. As it stood now, what they witnessed there was depravity in its purest, most haunting, and nightmarish form.
And he will be the one to end it.
When William reached his house, he noticed that the lights were off. Everyone must've been sleeping already. Good, there was no need to disturb Clara or the children. William parked his car and rushed to the door, clutching his keys and always mentally reminding himself to be silent and not to wake anybody up.
When he opened the door, he was met with a darkened house overtaken by the silence of the night. He took his coat and shoes off as hastily as possible and made his way to the staircase, carefully tiptoeing around the hall and trying to keep calm. He'll call the police and tell them the truth. It wouldn't take too much to find the elevator; all he needed to do was to show them the pressable tiles, even if Alison would switch the code, and then…
"Dad?" Chris's shy voice echoed from behind, causing William to flinch and turn around as if he'd seen a ghost, startling his son.
"Damn…Sorry, Chris." William sighed and spoke as quietly as possible, watching confusion and fear emerge on the boy's face.
"Sorry, I didn't want to scare you." He said apologetically.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"It's just…" His lips quivered as he looked away. "I'm seeing them again, the dreams…I don't know, it's very scary, and I don't want to wake Mike up. I…"
"What about your toy?"
"He's strong, he protects me…But I feel he's growing weaker." Chris whispered. There was nothing William wanted more than to comfort him but now was not the time.
"Go to bed; it's very late," William said sternly before turning away to the staircase.
"Dad…" Chris spoke once again, making him pause. "Are you alright? You seem…Scared." Those words hit William like a knife. Chris knew true fear when he saw it and now was no exception.
"I am…Just tired. Let's talk tomorrow."
"Alright…" Chris retreated into the shadows as William rushed towards his room, finally gaining his solitude. William walked to the phone, he always kept one in his room for business calls, but it never turned out to be as handy as it was now, for he couldn't wait for the whole night. He had the story in his mind; all he needed was to tell the police as concisely and clearly as he could so that an investigation could be launched and…
The phone rang before William touched it, causing the man to freeze in shock. He did not wait for long to pick it up. However, otherwise, the sound might wake the children up. William took the phone and prepared to listen, hoping that it was not who he suspected.
"Good evening, Mr. Afton," His voice emerged from the phone. Alison spoke concisely and without a hint of anger in his voice. His politeness was already unsettling enough.
"What do you want?" William said with disdain.
"To lay out the terms, of course."
"There are no terms to be had. Whatever you were doing down there, it's…It is madness and…"
"No need to worry, ; you might overexert yourself." Alison continued to speak calmly. "Now, I want you to come to the window to your right."
"What, how do you even know?"
"Just take a look."
After those menacing words, William succumbed and walked towards the window. He saw a man with a firearm, a rifle in his hands, waiting outside and aiming it at the window. His body and face were masked in black clothing. It was impossible to discern who was in the darkness. There was also a canister by his side, and this mysterious man could see him very well.
"One rash movement, Mr. Afton, and you will be shot dead, and the next day all of Hurricane will know the tragic story of the Afton Family, and now they all perished in an accident when their house was consumed by flames at night. If you do not want that to happen…Sit down, my friend. We have something to discuss."