A hundred souls for one life

by Angelfortruth

A crossover between FNAF and TRTF lore: Two childhood friends are looking for a job in a newly-opened ambitious restaurant. Little do they know that by tying their lives to the restaurant and its mysterious owner, they made the biggest mistake in their lives. After they witnessed the horror that rests beneath the pizzeria, neither they nor their families can ever be safe again.

10. Act 1: The Contract

I hope you understand that your actions tonight have violated Fazbear Inc's code of conduct and, in one of the most grievous manners imaginable, Mr. Takaliken. If you attempt to leave your house either through the front door or the windows, you will be TA-A-KEN met, so I advise against attempting that. If you want this to be resolved without violence, follow those instructions. Put down your phone and take a KNIFE-E-E deep breath, Mr. Takaliken. It is very late at night, and any good worker will need a sound rest, isn't that correct? Wake up NE-EVER early tomorrow and go to the Fazbear Inc building at 11 AM. You and Mr. Afton will both be expected there. On your way, should you interact with any people, you are not to LO-OK disclose or in any way mention the events that occurred a few hours ago. It is for your benefit. After all, it is nigh impossible for you to ruin the reputation of our company, but the company can ruin yours in mere SE-ECONDS days. Go to the office which you visited for an interview with me; I'll be waiting. There, we will discuss the repercussion and further instructions for Mr. Afton and KI-I-ILL yourself. I assure you if you will follow through with each instruction, no harm will come to you or your family LI-E-E.

Good night, Mr. Takaliken. THEY'RE ALWAYS WATCHING

…

He didn't sleep this night.

All Gron could do was wallow in his own bed, shaking uncontrollably from the icy chill that permeated his body. He tried to close his eyes, but every time he did, he saw the animatronic yet again. The tormented, bloodied amalgamation of flesh and metal, created through immense agony and slow, agonizing death. Its bleeding eyes still stared into Gron's soul, making him tremble like a reflection of his own. Yet every time he opened his eyes, he would stare at a black wall in which shadows continued to lurk. The silhouettes of humanoid figures dancing in there, always taking form and dissipating in the span of literal seconds. Gron knew they were not real. He wanted to know that they weren't…And yet wherever he looked into the void, thousands of eyes stared back at him. His last resort was to look away from the wall and gaze into the depths of his, yet even then, the twisted one would be watching. They will be watching. Ever since seeing the golden animatronic and the suffering inflicted upon test subjects in the underground facility, the Twisted one's voice became louder and stronger, and it did not deteriorate even after Gron made his escape. He was always there to remind him, always there to twist his thoughts, to transform the sounds that he heard into demonic whispers that gave him other instructions.

THEY'RE ALWAYS WATCHING

THEY'RE ALWAYS WATCHING

THEY'RE ALWAYS WATCHING

This was the shadow that made Gron go against his better judgment when the scorching sun finally rose and reached for the knife he placed in his pocket before venturing to Fazbear Inc. The shadow's instructions were clear, he needed to kill. This nightmare will not be over. It will never be over; he could only kill it. Gron did not speak to anyone, avoiding every suspicious gaze that he met on the street. Was he truly that transparent in his shame and paranoia that they all saw his fear? Or was this just a figment of his imagination, and they didn't care? Gron didn't know at this point. It was too much to handle. The twisted one appeared in them. Every second person he saw would remind Gron of who followed him. Be it the flashing image of blood dripping from their eyes or an unnaturally wide smile that he witnessed on their faces, it was all a stark reminder.

And then he finally reached the Fazbear Inc offices, the place of his judgment. The shadows continued to dance at the walls, with the dozens of eyes peering out, carefully following Gron's every step.

DO NOT BE AFRAID

DO NOT BE AFRAID

TAKE HIM WITH YOU

Gron walked among the corridors, looking down to the floor while continuing to reflexively recoil at the sight of every passing human. Taking in deep breaths, Gron desperately attempted to remain calm as his soul screamed in horror. When he finally reached the office, he noticed two guards standing at the door. They were armed. But that wasn't all; William was there, as well. Standing near them in silence, looking to the floor with a static expression of shameful disappointment. Only seeing Gron made him finally look up.

"They got you too…"

"Is this the other one?" The guard asked his colleague.

"Yes, that's him. Just wait a moment. I need to search for him." After those words, Gron immediately realized how much of a fool he was. The knife was still in his pocket, yet now he had already put himself in danger due to the twisted one's guidance that he couldn't resist. The guard stood behind Gron, forcing the jester into submission and searching his pockets. It did not take long to find the knife that Gron attempted to hide. The guard took it out, looking at the jester with disgust and slight amusement, evidenced by a faint chuckle.

"That was stupid." He said before grabbing Gron's hands and pulling him to the door. The second one attempted to do the same thing to William, but he was quick to deflect him.

"I know what we're here for. I don't need 'assistance.'" He scoffed before walking to Alison's office himself.

FOOL

YOU SHOULD'VE TAKEN HIM

WITH YOU

YOU YOU YOU

The furious voice of the Twisted one made Gron shiver once again, which the guard clearly felt.

"Don't worry, the boss is forgiving." He said in a tone of mockery. "Just don't try anything."

Eventually, both Gron and William had to brace themselves and open the door before them. Alison sat at the chair, wholly consumed by reading a newspaper while sipping from a cup of black coffee. He didn't react immediately, as if there was something he had to finish reading first.

"Ahem…" William let out a sound to attract his attention, though Gron could sense reluctance and even fear in his voice.

"Ah, here you are, my friends." An arrogant smirk emerged on Alison's face as he put the newspaper away and turned towards them. "Sit down, sit down, don't be so suspicious." He spoke as the two guards entered the room, locking the door behind them. They were not leaving the three alone, which only made sense considering that Alison wouldn't be able to defend himself alone.

"Sir, this one attempted to bring in a knife." The guard was notified.

"Ah, I see…" He looked at Gron with suspicion, allowing himself a chuckle. "Well, I can understand such…Fear and passion after what Mr. Takaliken had seen. But let's make sure this does not repeat again." His voice switched to a menacing lower pitch, getting once again twisted in Gron's mind. "By the way, would you like a cup of coffee?"

YOU ARE HIS TOY NOW

YOU WILL BE HIS TOY FOREVER

"What's the point of this pretense?" William scoffed, making Gron feel relieved at the realization that he wasn't alone in this. The jester could hardly force himself to talk after a sleepless night. "We all know why we're here. Let's get this over with."

"As you wish, Mr. Afton." Alison nodded and reached for some paperwork that lay beside him. "I suppose I do not explain the entirety of your transgression. We've checked the footage and saw the exact pattern of your descent…I suppose it is on me for not perfecting the security on the facility, but now that would swiftly be corrected."

"Why…" Gron attempted to speak. "We saw what you did to that man…Why?!" His voice grew loud in a span of seconds, making one of the guards raise his firearm and point it and Gron, though Alison was quick to undercut.

"Peace, peace, he hasn't done anything…Yet." Alison made a pause before looking at Gron. "Well, besides having the gall to ask this question. Mr. Takaliken, you were never supposed to see this facility or even know about its existence. You already know far too much. In what world would I reveal you even more?" He was right, it was foolish to ask, but he had to try nonetheless. Alison spoke so coldly, so shamelessly, Gron could hardly look at him. He would always get reminded of his uncaring expression as a man was torn apart in a spring lock suit, deaf to his cries of pain and despair. And then Gron saw it too…The blood in his empty, ebon eyes. The eyes of a monster.

HE SEES YOU

"But even more than that…" Alison sighed. "You have damaged a very valuable piece of equipment, the one me and my engineers have performed a lot of work on, and if anything else called for a simple solution, this…Was infuriating." For the first time, Gron heard Alison being on the brink of losing his temper.

"Do you mean the golden animatronic?" William followed up.

"Quite right, Mr. Afton. It had a lot of worth for me…"

"For what? To torture even more people for some sick bastards' amusement?"

"Of course, that's what a simple mind like yours would make of my actions. I'm not surprised."

"You're a monster…" Gron looked up as he clenched his teeth and allowed his eyes to be filled with rage. "I don't…I don't care what you want there or if you tell us the truth, what we saw was enough! You tortured that man, made him suffer, and died in the most horrible way possible! You hid an entire facility from us and the world. You lied…You fucking…Freak!" YOU ARE PATHETIC "I don't give a fuck, I don't, I…"

"I see…" Alison smiled, once again losing his human form in Gron's eyes. This smile, this pale skin, and their eyes dripped in blood; all of this caused him to feel terror in his soul. "You'd better choose your words carefully, Mr. Takaliken. You got me quite angry with what you did to Fra…That suit, your barks will not make it worse for me, but I may get tired of them. In fact, you both should consider my decision an honor and mercy. My first idea was to take both of you into the facility and use you as my next test subjects, but as cathartic as that would've been, I decided against that."

"How delightful…" William responded with a sarcastic tone. "What made you change your mind, then?"

"First of all, the fact that the two of you have families and social connections. I might have dealt with one, but having two employees disappear on the same night would raise suspicions. I try my best not to take any of the employees. It's always a risky ploy, though it did work once or twice…" Was there a limit to his depravity at all? "But you two are rather valuable employees, as much I would rather not admit it. Your work on the animatronics is fascinating, Mr. Afton, I have seen what you have done with our beloved captain Foxy, and he is close to coming to life already! And you have a talent for entertaining children, Mr. Takaliken, not to mention being so…Eager to work in a spring lock suit when most would not take up that role even for additional payment. I will rather keep you two around, if you don't mind. Fazbear Inc needs talents like yours."

"Are we just…" Gron stuttered. "To forgive and forget? Pretend like nothing even happened?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I would have you do!" Alison responded with excitement before passing down two sheets of paper. "These are the contracts you will sign."

"And what if we refuse?" William pushed him.

"Then you will not leave this room as free men. You will be taken back to the facility where you will be experimented upon, and the world will forget you."

"Our families won't. Clara and Lynda will not stop searching for us."

"Then they will be killed too." Alison reposted calmly, making William freeze for a moment. "Simple as that."

"You psycho…" William clenched his fist. It was getting hard to control himself. "You…You can't kill that many people and have it unnoticed. Someone will find the truth."

"Maybe…But I am willing to take this risk. I have little to fear from individual truth-seekers."

"But not when the police will be on your tail," Gron added, to which Alison shook his head.

"They will look another way. Would hardly be the first time." He was so calm and confident while relaying this. Could he have connections outside of the company? The scope of Gron's dread grew with every second. What was it they got themselves into? "But let me relay the rules from the contract if you haven't glanced at it yet. You are under obligation to not disclose any information about the facility to anyone outside and inside the company unless this particular individual has clearance from me. Though I appreciate that pretending that it doesn't exist and continuing your life exactly as it was would not be simple at first, this I what I would have you do. You are also bound to Fazbear Inc you are under obligation to continue working here until your retirement or termination while also not revealing that you are bound to the outside world, presenting this as a purely voluntary decision. And lastly, you are to obey any instructions from people or me in the company that have clearance from me. You should not question those orders." He paused before looking at Gron and William. Every single word made their hearts sink. Both realized that Alison's power was far beyond their reach if even the police knew of his actions and remained silent…This couldn't end well. "Failure to abide by any of those rules will come with repercussions."

"And what…Are those?" William asked hesitantly.

"Depends on the severity of the transgression, but up to and including untimely termination of a family member." He responded, making both William and Gron go silent. "But, there are benefits, of course. If you abide by those rules, you will be under the protectorate of Fazbear Inc, and your wives, former wives, and children will share some of that as well. All of them will be honored guests at any restaurant owned by Fazbear Inc, and all of our employees will make sure to make their experience with us a most pleasant one." Alison finished before taking a breath and looking at his two prisoners. They were completely mortified. Gron couldn't even force himself to speak. Never did he feel so powerless and overtaken by another, both his mind and now real life completely stripped of control. "I already explained to you what would happen if you refuse to sign the contract. So, your answer?"

"I…" William paused before reaching out to a nearby pen, making Gron look at him with shock.

"You're signing it?"

"Not much else we can do is there," William responded in a voice of shame of defeat. "You know he isn't lying, not after what we saw…"

"Truth and only the truth," Alison added.

"He will harm them. I won't stand for that." William let out as he put his signature on the contract.

"I know…" Gron sighed as he took his contract. William was right; there was no choice for them, no real choice. He would have to submit to this monstrous, disgusting man who would use them as nothing more than pawns to be eventually discarded. And now they were his to command. "Fine, I'll sign it… I'll sign it."

NOW YOU ARE A BROKEN SLAVE, NOTHING MORE

He took his pen and put his signature on the paper.

…

Only after putting that signature on did William truly feel the ramifications of the choice he made last night. It was curiosity that endangered both him and Gron, his curiosity. He believed it would be simple, that whatever they would discover down below would be simple evidence or nothing special at all, but he couldn't have imagined this. An entire underground facility run by their boss experimenting on people, leaving them dead and their bodies horribly mutilated. He wasn't sure if he needed to even ask the question of "why." There was some logic to his actions, no doubt, though there was little point in searching for it. This hardly changed their situation. The way he spoke about killing members of their families so calmly as if it was a standard procedure…It made William's blood boil, especially when he realized that this looming threat would forever follow in their footsteps.

He could barely work in Foxy during the day. Every time William attempted to focus on the details of the skeleton and the covering, Alison's words would continue to echo in his ears, and he would feel as if he was being watched all the time. He must have been. There was no way their boss would not keep them on a short leash after such revelations. Now, Will's only solace was the naive and faint belief that if they abide by Alison's orders, they and their families would not be harmed, although, of course, trusting someone like Bairren was a foolish endeavor…Perhaps something could be done to expose him, something in secret, and over a period of time, he couldn't be omniscient even with all the agents he had.

But he'd have to think of this later. For now, there was something that William did not look forward to, for the first time in many months, returning home. He could not disclose anything about the past events and pretend that everything was normal and this was just another day at work…William never really knew if he was any good at pretending, but now he would have to find that out in the most painful way possible. And he already gave some of his fears away to Chris last night. Now there will inevitably be more questions coming his way, but he would have to do his best to manage them.

He remained silent and consumed by his own thoughts on the way back home, even hesitating as he stood by the door, unsure if he should open it just yet. Eventually, William finally braced himself and entered the house. For a while, he stood at the doorway, unable to force himself to move forward. His family was home, and he could already hear the voices from the kitchen.

"…Do you like it, mommy? I tried my best!" Elizabeth's hopeful voice was the first one William heard

"It's gorgeous, my dear!" Clara responded with pride and affirmation as her voice brimmed with joy. "I love the way you've drawn flowers…But why is Mike so sad on here? Seems like he's been sulking for hours now."

"Well, I think if we took him out, he would be quite sad…At first! I feel he just likes to pretend." Elizabeth exclaimed after a playful giggle.

"I think Chris would like it too…Chris!" Clara called out loudly.

"What, mom?" The boy's voice echoed from the nearby room. "I'm doing my maths!"

"You've been there for an hour. Come and have a break with us. Liza drew a painting she'd like to show everyone."

"Okay…" The boy responded before walking out of his room, walking slowly and tiredly as he usually did. He stopped, however, after noticing William standing there in the doorway. "Oh, hi, dad!"

"Hello." The man responded abruptly, only now realizing that he was consumed by his own thoughts and lost sight of his own surroundings.

"Mom, Liz, father's back! "Chris rushed to the table.

"Oh, is he?" Clara spoke up. "I thought I heard a door opening…Come here, Will."

"Yes, yes…" He took a deep breath as he took off his shoes and coat, ready to make his way toward the dining table past the living room. Of course, even before he reached the table, Elizabeth was already there waving at him with a smile.

"We were just wondering about when you'd return, daddy!"

"How…How was your day?" William tried to focus on the present and asked the most basic question that came to his mind moments before Elizabeth joined him.

"Oh, it was great! We had a drawing lesson today, and I did a picture of me with Chris and Mike having fun and going throw the forest." Elizabeth was giddy as they finally came towards the table. Clara and Chris were still examining the painting that lay at the table while William could finally get his first glance at it. The sheet of paper was colored green with some trees drawn in the background, while the forefront focused on the three kids that stood between them. Of course, they were drawn rather basically, but it was impressive for an 8-year-old child. Elizabeth walked into the center with a signature smile on her face; Chris was behind her, clutching his Fredbear plush, and looked around in awe. Mike tailed them off, keeping his signature, even if exaggerated frown, though he would stay by his siblings' side nevertheless.

"It's good." William commended her, finally feeling a smile coming to his face for the first time today.

"I'm glad you like it!" Elizabeth thanked him as she sat down by her mother's side. Clara was quick to reach for the kettle and pour some tea for her husband.

"Here, have something to drink." She put the cup before William, immediately making him smell the relaxing warmth.

"Thank you…Is Mike home, by the way?"

"No, but he promised to return in an hour. He hasn't been breaking his promises recently, so I trust him on that." Clara reassured William, her voice slowly becoming more cautious. "Are you alright? You seem tired…"

"It's been a long day at work, but it's fine… I'm fine." William responded, knowing that it didn't sound convincing.

"Dad was really tired when he came back home yesterday…It must be a difficult job." Chris added, immediately making Will feel a bit uneasy. Was he still suspecting something? It was hard to say, but for now, it was good to avoid that.

"You'd feel the same way if you were working on animatronics all day long. Better tell me about the school. Is it going alright?"

"Oh…Yes, actually!" Chris brightened up. "I found a new friend yesterday!"

"Really?" William knew he shouldn't have questioned it, but he couldn't help but be surprised. Chris has always kept to himself and rarely talked to others, mostly clinging to his parents and siblings; it was starting to become a problem that William and Clara sometimes discussed, wondering if they could help him become more open to new contacts.

"Yes, it's a new girl who joined recently, Lily. She watches "Freddy and Friends" as well, and she's very fun. We can imagine that we're the characters and play together." He seemed delighted in his description, making William angry that, for the exact moment, his son finally chose to come out of his shell; his father couldn't truly support him, not while a dreadful burden weighed on him. When Chris finally stopped, Clara decided to continue.

"I knew this girl for some time. She joined the ballet club as one of the kids I teach. She's a good one, really attentive and hard-working but knows when to have fun. I was a bit worried about her coming up to the new school, but it all went great, and they found common ground with Chris."

"Why worry?"

"She's from the orphanage…" Clara explained. "Her parents died when she was still very young, and she became quite shy as a result." She spoke with kindness and sympathy, making Elizabeth turn towards her.

"That's horrible, poor Lily!" The girl sounded devastated. "Don't orphanages try to find new parents for everyone?"

"Yes, but it doesn't always work out…Many children can feel like something has been missing from their lives, feel incomplete…I can't say for certain I was lucky to have a loving family, but it must feel horrible." Clara explained, visibly shaking both Elizabeth's and Chris's moods at the thought of experiencing this. They were kind children who couldn't stand watching others suffer, but sometimes William wondered if this would eventually prove itself a flaw if they retained it in adulthood. "But anyway, I'm glad she's happy…Now, how was your day, Will? You've been incredibly busy. I hope it's all going well?" She was eager to switch the topic and pushed into a direction William desperately tried to avoid.

"Who are you working on?" Elizabeth preached to the choir and joined in.

"Foxy…And he's almost ready." William announced.

"Oh, that's great! Will he be in that pizzeria as well?"

"I think there'll be another one, and he'll be there along with the main trio."

"Can't wait to see Freddy." Chris smiled, likely thinking of how glorious William's animatronics will eventually become. He wished he could think of that too, but all his thoughts about that place were clouded by thoughts of Alison and the underground bunker. Every time an image of an animatronic emerged in William's mind, he thought of the elevator again, of descending down there. As those thoughts sent chills down his spine, William suddenly looked to the window and shivered. He could swear he saw someone lurking in the darkness. In the end, it proved to be nothing, a simple branch of a tree wavering on the wind.

"Are you alright, daddy?" Elizabeth moved towards William and grabbed his hand, trying to soothe her father as his gaze peered into the darkness.

"Yes…Yes, I am, thank you." He sighed and looked at the girl with a smile.

"You really are tired…" She got even closer to him. "Maybe…Oh, I know! If you're not going to bed, do you want to watch 'Freddy and Friends' with us! There are still some episodes left, and they're great!"

She meant it in the best possible way, of course, but hearing this suggestion said so calmly and joyfully made something in William incredibly disgusted. Something that immediately dragged him back to the underground facility and put the image of that prisoner screaming in agony as he was confined to a horrifying suit. The puddle of blood that dripped from underneath him, the agony of his entire body being crushed, and the disgusting, negligent gazes that befell it. And in the incineration room where those mutilated corpses went, none would be spared or even granted a quick death.

"Jesus…" He finally let out in a whisper, but loud enough so Elizabeth could hear, immediately moving aside cautiously.

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to…" William noticed that Clara was puzzled just as well, realizing that he was on the verge of telling the truth. Some part of him wanted to convince him that this would make it easier, that together they would find a solution and bring Alison's crimes to light. But he could not endanger them with truth, not until Alison was stripped of his power. "I need some rest…If anyone needs me, I'll be upstairs."

They would suspect, no doubt, but they would never learn the truth. This was the only way to keep them safe.