Why are you holding back?

Why don't you free us?

Do you want us to suffer?

You are just like them…

William Afton walked amidst the darkness, taking one light step after another, following the nonexistent trail. He didn't feel any fear or worry; he simply looked down in shame and submitted to his reality. For some reason, this dreary setting was familiar to Will, as if it wasn't any different from his everyday life. He signed the contract with the devil, and ever since, William's will wasn't his own. He felt like a puppet held back by a ruthless master who enjoyed toying with him. It wasn't until recently he broke free…Or did he?

There were four ghosts surrounding him, shapeless phantoms with empty eyes and emotionless faces, yet they moved along with him. No matter where William stepped, those four would end up right behind him. They weren't malicious, more curious about a single question. If William has truly risen up against Fazbear Inc.… Why did he hesitate and refuse to free them? Why didn't he simply break those animatronic bodies and give the suffering spirits the absolution they deserved? He didn't want to become the company's target once again, but wasn't he still proving its slave in doing so? William wasn't sure.

"Daddy…" Another empty-eyed ghost emerged before him, a silhouette of Elizabeth, pale and fading, using the last of her energy to look at William. "Why did you lie to me? I know you will never come back…You left me."

William tried to challenge it, to speak up, to promise her yet again, but he simply couldn't speak. It was a strange, oppressive feeling as if he simply didn't have enough strength to speak; William couldn't open his mouth, could barely form a cohesive thought. Speaking was out of the question.

"You think you escaped me?" A much taller ghost formed beside him, the one with a sadistic, gleeful smile on his face. "You are a part of the family, Mr. Afton, you have our mark on you…There is no escaping this, and you'd better accept that." His shadow will always wander behind him.

Finally, William reached the end of his path. A gravestone without inscription, a place of silence and flowing memories. William could not resist the pressing force around him and kneeled. Was it an attempt to pay respects to phantoms of the fallen or him mindlessly following the whims of this depressing reality?

"F…Fa…" William heard a quiet voice echoing from underground, flowing directly to his ears. There was something unsettling about it, something eerie and unnatural that made William take a few steps back. It felt like an imitation that was neither human nor animatronic and attempted to form words, but every single letter brought it immense pain.

And then, a slim, pale hand pierced the ground and arose. It was followed by another limb and another…William could not resist the shock and fell on his back, mesmerized by this monstrous sight. What emerged from the grave was a manifestation of blight and sick imagination. A humanoid monster with very long limbs and pale skin, four eyes staring from his face, all hungering. His mouth unveiled three rows of razor-sharp teeth that dripped with blood, and the creature's body was permeated by metal wires, making it look like a mutilated hybrid between man and machine. And only one word that it spoke in its distorted, twisted, and still somehow familiar voice.

"Father…"

When William woke up amidst broad daylignt, he was covered in sweat, trying to grasp for air and clutching the edges of his bed. It was a dream… It's just a nightmare. Even when sleeping, William couldn't escape his fears and worries. This led to his sleeping schedule being completely disturbed and bags emerging underneath his perpetually tired eyes. This was just another performance by Will's poisoned, self-destructive mind.

Father.

William recoiled; he could swear that he saw the creature from his dreams outside, slowly forcing its hand through the small wedge and pushing the half-open door aside. However, in the next moment, it was completely gone. At least for now…But Will knew that it always came back.

His sons were with him forever.

…

"Chrissy, wake up, you'll miss the party! "

Elizabeth's excited voice echoed in the boy's ears, tearing him away from his sleep.

"W…What…" Chris yawned and rubbed his eyes. He didn't want to get out of his comfy bed and push the soft blanket aside. It felt too good for that. For once, Chris had a good night's sleep and wanted to feel this bliss for a little longer. His sister had other plans, however.

"Come on, I have a surprise for you!" She smiled and called for Chris to follow her.

"Five more minutes…"

"But it's ten already, and everyone's been waiting for you. Let's go; I know you'll love it."

"Fine…" Fighting his overtaking drowsiness, Chris finally forced himself to stand up and follow Elizabeth. She seemed happier than usual today and could barely contain her anticipation, as if there was something important to show him. Chris didn't have any idea as to what it could be, but he was still intrigued.

Chris and Elizabeth passed past five plushies of the animatronics from their beloved show, but neither of them looked towards those toys. It didn't matter when his family awaited…

When the two children walked into the living room, Chris immediately held his eyes wide open in the most genuine of surprises.

"Happy birthday!" His older brother's jolly voice quickly squashed any remaining desire to sleep Chris still had. Mike wore a hat with a wide smile on his face. It felt strange to see him be so welcoming and warm… "You're lucky you woke up. Otherwise, I would've eaten the cake myself."

"Mike! "Clara interrupted him. Chris's mother stood beside William; both wore party hats as well. They looked silly on them, which made Chris chuckle quietly. He liked it when his family was ready to have fun like that.

"What? I'm serious! First, he forgets his birthday, and then he can't even get here on time… We're doing all the job."

"Pay him no mind, Chris." Clara looked at her son with a smile. "Happy birthday, my dear."

"I…" Chris spoke up awkwardly. "I forgot, sorry…"

"Don't be." This time, it was his father who talked. "I know you're busy at school. Too many important things to focus on instead of those celebrations, right?" William chuckled. "We can look out for you on this one."

"T…Thanks!" Chris finally allowed himself a smile.

"Come on, open the cake!" Elizabeth pleaded, making Clara take out a large white box.

"Here it comes…" She said playfully and opened the box. What Chris saw inside immediately made him open his mouth. It was rare that he felt like jumping from sheer excitement. It was a golden cake made in the form of Fredbear's head! A smiling yellow bear with his wife and open eyes looking at Chris as if he was an old friend who got his long-awaited reunion.

"W-wow… It's beautiful!" Chris spoke up with utter joy, watching all members of his family smile as they saw their beloved brother and son wake up to his best day.

It was beautiful indeed, a beautiful dream that Chris relished in, preparing for what was to come…

He wasn't sure how long the road took, but he didn't want it to end too quickly. It was an opportunity for him to take a break and rest. He wasn't even sure what he would do once he finally found his father. He finally knew the truth, finally understood what it was his father was comforting, and the realization was simultaneously comforting and terrifying. There were times when Chris feared that his dad was a monstrous murderer who never cared about anyone but himself and this company of his, but now the boy felt guilty for those assumptions. Of course, he always cared…He was his father, their father; all he did was for their sake. But even so, he still betrayed Chris by killing Lily, and she wasn't the only one…Was it worth it? To live knowing how many innocent children were killed for their sake? Chris didn't know.

When the truck arrived, Ennard slipped away the moment he felt the gates opening. He learned to be swift and indistinguishable like a shadow. It would be of use to him when he searches for father…And he was very close. Chris could feel it.

…

When Will walked into the pizzeria for yet another night, he did it only out of a pressing sense of duty. He knew that he was once again setting himself up to be their target, but there was no other way. If he misses a single night, this will be enough to raise suspicion among his mysterious overseers; perhaps they would even deliver that news to Alison, wherever he was. If he wanted to survive, Will had to investigate everything he wanted as quickly as possible and put an end to this restaurant before it was too late.

He was prepared to face them once again, to leap into this horrifying cycle without any consideration for his own well-being. As yesterday, all the animatronics were on his trail, and William spent most of the night fending them off. Strangely enough, he was used to them by this point. Even if those were souls, their movements were still restricted by their programming. Viridium connected them to mechanical bodies and forced them to comply, one way or another.

Foxy would run from the Pirate Cove; he always passed before one of the cameras on his way, allowing Will to close the door as swiftly as possible and hear the repeating sound of the animatronic bumping into it again and again. Will wondered if he would ever change his approach or whether he even could. Bonnie and Chica certainly didn't seem to change; their paths were set since the first night, halls on the left and right, and they weren't able to cross the divide a single time.

Dealing with Freddy was, perhaps, the most complicated matter of all, and the one that drained all energy out of William, always forcing him to squint his eyes and stare into the darkness, fearing that he could've missed something. Freddy was smart and careful in his approach, allowing nothing but his eyes to shine in the darkness. It was hard to spot him, especially with how chaotic Freddy's movement was, but Will tried his best. Even if it required constantly hopping between cameras and searching for the smallest sign…

"He-he-he…"

Will shivered in his chair as a playful giggle echoed in his head. It was so sudden and was very different from the mechanical laugh Will was used to by this point. It sounded like a living child, someone running around across the restaurant's halls, creating an echo of Hurricane's restaurants, of their happy and soothing atmosphere. But the giggle wasn't the only matter…William saw one of the Freddy posters change right in front of him. His eyes disappeared, and the pictured carcass changed its color to bright golden in a matter of seconds. This almost looked like Fredbear, the animatronic whose teeth crushed Chris's skull right before William's eyes. And now this machine stared into his eyes…Will couldn't look at it for long.

The moment the night guard looked away from the cameras, he found something even more horrifying before him. Fredbear's figure before him, sitting on the floor of his own room.

"What the…" William's lips quivered in fear as he felt his hands shaking uncontrollably. Fredbear's figure did not move, instead remaining frozen and immobile in a single place. His mouth, however, was covered in blood. William blinked, with chaotic words and images flashing before his eyes. They were of different animatronics staring into his soul, repeating only a few words.

It's me

It's me

It's me

"Who are you…You aren't supposed to be here!" William could not hold himself back any longer. He felt compelled to shout in fear and desperation. "Get…Get away from me!"

This wasn't real. This couldn't have been real…William closed his eyes and began to pray. When he went to the church with his schoolmates, he never understood the true point of praying. Of asking God to forgive trespassing and protect them from Satan's foul corruption and grant them the blessing…Now he understood what they meant. Now he knew it all…

When Will opened his eyes, the monster was gone without a trace already, and the sense of reality began to return. It was just a momentary hallucination, a simple trick of Will's thought. But the reality was hardly any more comforting; he still had four animatronics to fend off, and Will could already hear Foxy running towards the door. William closed it moments before the raging animatronic could make his way inside. But this time, he did not simply leave. Will heard a distorted sound coming from beyond the door, a mixture of the animatronic and the soul that attempted to break free.

"I…Will…Yarr! I will…Have ye…Walk the plank…Feed you to the sharks!"

What he could say was limited by voice lines, but even those were enough to convey Foxy's intentions, leaving no doubt in Will's mind…

It will only get worse with every night.