The Guilty One
A/N: I am not affiliated with Scott Cawthon, or the FNaF franchise. Constructive criticism is welcomed!
...
He couldn't discern which was louder; the banging on the doors, or his heartbeat. Despite all odds, he continued talking into the phone as calmly as he could muster.
"Uh, hey, do me a favor: Uh, maybe sometime, uh, you could check inside those suits? Uh, in the back room? Uh, I'm gonna try to hold out... until someone... checks..."
…
…
They had done it.
In this never ending search for vengeance, they had done it. Again.
Another innocent life had been taken. An innocent man, whom they had mistaken for their killer, was no more.
Now, the pizzeria earned itself yet another suit with human eyes popping out of the mask's sockets, sitting front and center backstage.
The spirits possessing the four main animatronics weren't always aware of their actions. The more the years would pass, the more they'd lose themselves to their rage and to their programming. Their animalistic lust for revenge kept them blind. Blind to both their pain, and the pain they'd cause to others.
There was a perk to that fact. When they would get berserk, they couldn't feel guilt. When calm, on the other hand, they were fully aware of just how dirty their hands had gotten.
The dining room was populated, but simultaneously still and mostly silent. Chica was standing in between the tables, staring at the plastic party hats. Foxy was sitting at the edge of Pirate Cove's stage, gazing off into the distance. Freddy was standing on the Show Stage, equally still. His head was lowered.
Bonnie was the only active one of the four, pacing impatiently up and down. His joints creaked with every thumping step. Everyone present could tell that Jeremy was irritated.
"Excuse me," a girl's soft voice rang from the southern wing of the building. Everyone slowly twisted their heads to see the Marionette float towards them from the Prize Corner.
"Are you alright?"
Their silence told a lot. Charlotte knew what it meant. She wondered if there was a way for her to lighten the mood, but for once, she couldn't come up with anything special.
"It's okay... Have faith."
She got the same response…
It wasn't fair. They hadn't asked for this. For any of this. They were just children with their entire lives ahead of them, and now they were left to rot, as they were hunting down the man who had done this to them.
No, hunting isn't the correct term. Hunting implies going after the target. They were doing no such thing. They couldn't. How could they? The only thing they could do was hope he would one day come to them. Until then, they would just have to keep at it, no matter who would get caught in the crossfire. No matter how close their kill count would catch up to his.
The thought that he would be up in Heaven right now had things gone just a little differently, made Jeremy's blood boil. He hadn't asked for this!
But, who was to blame?
…
Bonnie's pupils trailed over to the slender animatronic that was gliding among them. The one who had given them gifts. The one who had given them life. The one who gave them a chance at revenge.
The Marionette.
His head started twitching, as he stretched his right arm forward. He pointed his index finger at her.
Charlotte didn't notice right away, but once she did, the sight startled her a bit. Under the right light, these child-friendly mascots could certainly look a little frightening.
"Jeremy, what's wrong?"
She was about to look behind her, just in case he was pointing at someone or something else, but a whisper stopped her. She hadn't quite caught what it was.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Yo-your fault-lt!" Bonnie's glitchy voice reverberated throughout the room. The remaining three turned their heads toward them. Foxy stood upright, while Freddy stepped off the stage.
"What?" Charlotte asked, bewildered.
"Th-this is y-your fault, Char-Charlotte! If it weren't for you, we-e wouldn't-t be trapped here!"
The explanation only served to perplex Charlotte further.
"I don't understand. How is this my fau-?"
During all this time, Bonnie still hadn't lowered his right arm.
"If-If you hadn't st-stuffed us in these suits, we'd be in a better place right-right now!" he interrupted.
Lifting his left hand, he got his large fingers through his eye sockets.
"We wouldn't be suf-suffering! Trap-ped In this hell! In these bodies!"
In a swift motion he tore off his mask, revealing his endoskeleton head. Charlotte gulped, as she thought of ways to diffuse this situation. Her friends would oftentimes get angry, or argue with each other, but never with her.
"Jeremy, listen to me. I only did that so that you could set things right, and make the one who took your lives away from you pay. I tried to give back what was stolen from you-"
"And-and look-ok where that got us! Char-lotte. We've almost ki-lled more people than he has! I don't want this! None of us do!"
Fritz didn't like the way things were heading. He hated it when the others argued. It only got more common as time went by. He got on his little stage, and partially slid the curtains, so that he could still sneak a few peeks to know when they'd stop. He began humming to himself. Maybe that way, he wouldn't have to hear the yelling.
Gabriel tried to step in, before things could get out of hand.
"J-Jeremy. Please, st-stop. This isn't good."
"Come on, Ga-Gabriel! You think I'm wrong?" Jeremy complained, undeterred. Silence ensued, minus Foxy's humming. Gabriel stayed quiet.
Susie, who had been listening intently, finally decided to speak up.
"I agree. With Jeremy-my. If you had left us b-be," she stated, glaring at the Marionette, Chica's beak wide open. "I'd be with God, and-and my d-dog now. Char-lotte. This is-is all your fault."
Charlotte's shock was beginning to fade away.
"You… I… I didn't mean-" she started in a pleading tone.
"Save it," Jeremy barked, before walking off toward the west hall. Susie followed closely. Fritz stepped out of the Cove, having heard everything, despite his efforts. He looked at the Marionette who was floating still, and at Freddy, who was staring at the floor. He decided to go with the others, leaving the two of them alone.
Gabriel looked at the Marionette, and then back at the hall. He was at a complete loss. He needed to sort out his thoughts. That's why, no matter how cruel it may have seemed, he left as well. The only companion Charlotte had left was her reflection on the checkered floor.
…
…
Four figures were slowly trudging through the dim corridor. The single light bulb overhead was flickering madly. The only place left for them to go that was spacious enough to fit all of them, was the security office.
The scene of the crime.
Bonnie was walking ahead, with Chica barely able to keep up with him. Foxy was not too far behind, unlike Freddy who almost looked like he was walking in chains.
Unbeknownst to them, there was someone waiting in the office, slumped against the wall, sitting on a pool of blood.
"Ahoy, there, lassie!"Foxy greeted, as they all walked through the left door. The others were mildly surprised they got to see that Fredbear suit twice in a single night. Thanks to the office's subdued lighting, it had a much more grim and uncanny appearance than it otherwise would have. The voice of the girl that was possessing the suit was sweet and youthful, which juxtaposed her vessel in a very jarring way.
"Hello," Cassidy replied. "Before I say anything, I have to ask. Jeremy, what happened to your face?"
Bonnie looked down at the space that separated him from Cassidy. The time it took for Jeremy to give a response made it seem like he had put a lot of thought into his words.
"I-I got a-a face-lift!"
Chica's beak slowly creeped open once again. Both her and Foxy turned their heads to glare at the bunny animatronic.
Cassidy gave him a pity laugh for his efforts.
"Uh, hehe. I'm sorry buddy, but face puns have run their course by now."
Bonnie attempted to snap his fingers.
"Worth a sh-shot."
Cassidy cleared her throat to draw attention. Much like Charlotte, Cassidy wasn't restricted by the suit's voicebox (or lack thereof), and was free to talk as she pleased.
"Anyway. You all put on quite a show tonight," she remarked simply.
Fritz was quick to reply.
"Yargh, it was a team effort, missy!"he noted, mildly annoyed.
"I wasn't talking about the night guard. I meant back there, with Charlotte."
"You mean you heard all that-that?" Susie queried, shocked.
"Why do you sound so surprised? You guys aren't exactly subtle," Cassidy jabbed.
Bonnie crossed his arms.
"W-well, what of it? Sh-She deserved-ed it!"
A sound that resembled a sigh escaped the yellow bear suit.
"Listen here, you four. I get that you're all mad at her, alright? I understand. But you need to make peace with her. If we are to get our revenge and escape this damn place, we need to work together!"
At this point, Fritz had to hold Jeremy back to ensure he wouldn't do anything rash.
"And why do we ne-ed that!? I don't want anything-thing to do with her! We should-d leave her on her own!" he protested.
At this point, Cassidy was starting to grow irritated.
"Come. On! What is that even going to accomplish? Do you really think Charlotte deserves to be treated that way?"
Seeing Jeremy back down, Susie decided to give him some support.
"Cas-sidy, do you realize what you're t-telling us to do? How are we su-pposed to be friends with her, when it's her fa-fault we're pri-son-ers in these…coff-ins! You should know better than anyone how this f-feels!"
Right as those words left Chica's voice box, a slew of barely audible whispers began to emerge from the Golden Freddy suit. Susie immediately regretted her choice of words.
The lamp that was hanging from the ceiling of the office began to swing and flicker incessantly. The fan turned off.
The whispering grew louder.
The two electrical doors of the office slammed shut, locking all five of the animatronics inside.
Fredbear began to shake and jerk violently, as otherworldly grumbles joined the whispers.
Fritz hid behind Jeremy, while Susie took two steps back, accidently bumping into the desk.
The lightbulb fizzled out and the claustrophobic room was plunged into darkness.
Freddy's eyes began to glow blue and the Toreador March melody started playing within him, like his programming told him to do when the establishment got too dark. This safety feature allowed things to get just bright enough for everyone to see that Fredbear's head was raised, and two white pinpricks for eyes were visible within his eye sockets.
The murmurs were deafening.
"I know how this feels, Susie!" Cassidy yelled.
"I know just as well as you do! You, however, were stuffed by someone who cares about you! Someone who wanted to help you!"
Every animatronic was twitching uncontrollably, as if they were having a seizure, or were being electrocuted.
"While, I was stuffed into this death trap, by someone - who wanted - to torture me!"
Susie was too scared to move, or talk, or make any sound for that matter. Cassidy sensed that. Fredbear vanished and reappeared right in front of Chica, while Cassidy continued in a significantly more hushed tone.
"Let me ask you this, Susie. Do you know how it feels to have your entire body get crushed by metal? Every single bone. Broken. Every single vein. Ruptured. Every single cavity. Filled. As you. Slowly. Stop. Breathing?"
"...!"
She backed off.
"I want all of you to make amends! We need revenge, and for that, everyone has to help! If you don't do as I say…I'll make sure you suffer."
The lightbulb turned back on. The fan was running. The doors were open. Everything was as it were. There were no yellow bears to be found.
"G-guys, are you okay? Su-Susie?" Jeremy asked. Foxy and Chica were still twitching a little.
Everyone was free to catch their breaths. Those words were a rude wake-up call, but they did their job.
While Jeremy was comforting Fritz, a feeling of guilt began to writhe within Susie. She had gotten so absorbed in her own troubles, that she had completely forgotten that Cassidy suffered a worse fate than the four of them.
The truth was that Fredbear, the suit Cassidy had been stuffed into, was…a special one.
She didn't really understand it, but from what she had gathered over the years, it had some form of faulty internal mechanism. Their killer made Cassidy experience the consequences of that first hand…
"F-Forgive me," she spoke, although odds were that the apology would fall on deaf ears.
Fritz, having calmed down just a little, attempted to break the ice.
"So, mateys. What now?"
Jeremy and Susie knew what needed to be done. They just didn't know if they could do it.
Gabriel pondered. It was true that a lot of pain would have been avoided, had Charlotte let them move on. But was she really the one at fault? Did she deserve to be ostracized?
Charlotte, who had stood by them at every instance? Charlotte, who had comforted each and every one of them when they needed it, despite all the pain she herself had gone through? Who wanted justice to be served, and ensure no one else would suffer the same way they did?
That Charlotte?
The same Charlotte who would secretly rearrange the plushies in the Prize Corner to their proper spots when the employees wouldn't bother to do so, and then claim that it was '*~magic~*' that did it? Who would try to make puns with Jeremy to ensure he wouldn't feel left out now that Cassidy wasn't hanging out with them as often? Who would keep Fritz company while the rest of them were arguing? Who would have girl talks with Susie? Who would sing "My Grandfather's Clock" when she thought no one else was around?
That Charlotte?
It's true that she had hurt them. But that couldn't be right.
…
"Oi, captain! Where are ya sailin' off tah?"
…
…
From within the depths of her gift box, Charlotte heard footsteps coming her way. She couldn't tell who they belonged to, but it didn't make a difference.
"Leave me alone. I don't want to talk," she asked once the footsteps stopped just outside.
She didn't hear them go away.
"Please, Leave. I don't want to talk to you. To anyone."
No response.
"Go away! I can't talk right now!"
She couldn't take it. If there was even a slim chance she was going to be reminded of her misdeeds, she'd rather remain confined in her box, where she was safe. Her guilt was already overbearing. Enough was enough. No more.
"Charlie."
Her…nickname. But…
"P-Please."
She contemplated it. She sensed herself folding. It was probably better to get this out of the way.
The Marionette left her box, and stood across Freddy. She was just a little shorter than him, thanks to his ears and top hat, but at that moment, she felt tiny. Gabriel could see her hands trembling from what he assumed to be anticipation. Maybe even anger. He chose his next words carefully.
"F-Friends are for-ever. We are still your-your friends. Do you believe-ve that?"
"..."
"It h-hurts. A lot-t. We're hurt. And you're hurt, too. Yet-Yet, you always stand by us. I can't speak for any-anyone else, but I'm not mad at you-you, Charlie. Be-Because…"
To anyone else, a scenario like this one was probably the worst time to say what Gabriel was about to say. But he wasn't concerned about things like that. He only did what his heart told him to.
"I like you, Charlie-lie. A lot. Even if we-we're imprisoned, I'm glad you're with me… us."
The Marionette stood there, immobile. That is, until she tightly latched onto the animatronic bear before her, as though it was going to fade away at any second.
"Gabriel… You…I…"
Freddy clumsily hugged back.
"You're so sweet…and I…I like-"
She was just about ready to say more, until she heard more footsteps coming their way. Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy caught up to them. She tried to break free, but Gabriel hadn't let go in time. He had a feeling these next couple of nights without a night guard were going to be just Jeremy and Susie teasing him non-stop about this. Thankfully, there were more pressing matters to tend to at the moment.
Charlotte gathered the right words, and started.
"I'm sorry. To all of you. You are right. I had… I had no idea of the consequences my actions would carry, and…
And you ended up paying the price for it. I'm sorry I couldn't…save you."
She looked at each of them, but she couldn't think of anything else to say, without repeating herself. The white noise of machinery left on standby was the only thing left to fill the stretch of silence.
Susie was the first to speak up.
"I-I'm sorry, too, Char-lotte. Blaming-ing you was not the solution. I see that now. Can we st-still be friends?"
"We're still y'r mates, right?"Fritz chimed in.
Charlotte couldn't help but laugh.
"Of course. Friends are forever."
Jeremy was now the center of attention.
"I apologize, as we-well. I shouldn't have pinned all the gui-guilt on you, Charlotte-te. We are all on the same bo-boat. Please forgiv-"
Charlotte was just about ready to do as Jeremy asked, but before she could utter the words, every animatronic close to her began to tweak spastically. She was shocked at first, but she knew what this meant. Morning was upon them. Her friends were going away.
"We…will all be here…until the end…of time…" came a whisper from Bonnie.
6:00 A.M.
One by one, everyone returned to their designated spots, ready to start a new day. A day that was sure to be followed by countless others. Full of the same song and dance. The same stupid songs.
Yet a hopeful tone lingered in the air.
...
Thank you for reading!
