CHAPTER FOURTEEN: REUNION
After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the door that looked to be the exit out of this damn tunnel. I mentally sighed in relief at the sight. To think it would take this long to get there. To be fair, Freddy was walking slowly, no doubt due to his systems still being damaged or something. We still didn't have an idea as to what was wrong with him.
If that wasn't even crazy enough, Roxanne Wolf held my hand for the entire walk through the tunnel. Every so often, I would look to see her looking at me with a goofy smile on her face, as if to imitate someone blushing. It was really embarrassing mainly because this was all a bit unnecessary. I didn't want to believe that Roxanne might have some romantic feelings for me. If she did, I didn't know how to feel about the whole thing.
Freddy opened the door and we exited out of the tunnel. Closing the door behind me, I looked around and was surprised to see that we were back in the Atrium. To think that there was some sort of shortcut to the room was mindblowing to me that I didn't even think it was possible.
We walked over to the stage where Freddy and his friends did their performances. Freddy stopped in his tracks once he got onto the stage. We soon followed after.
"Mihael, Gregory, my systems are failing," Freddy said before the bear pointed to something in the distance. "Go to the sound booth on the 3rd-floor balcony. Run the performance program on that disk then meet Roxy and I back on the stage. We will wait here."
"You got it," I said before looking at Roxanne, who still had her hand grasping mine. "Roxanne, can you let go of my hand?"
Roxanne looked at me before turning her focus on our hands. Maybe it was my imagination, but it looked like Roxanne was hesitating to let go of my hand. She kept looking at our hands before looking back at me for a few moments before turning her attention back to our hands. I prayed that she would let go. The more she stalled, the less time we had left.
After what felt like forever, Roxanne finally let go of my hand. I looked at Gregory and gestured for him to get moving. He nodded. We walked off the stage in the direction of where the sound booth was. As we walked past many party tables, I looked at the hand that the wolf mascot held in her own. I felt my cheeks heat up from how she held it. It was in a gentle embrace. Warm and loving. I was no way in hell expecting something like that to happen to me at a bad time like this.
"Mihael, can I ask you something?" Gregory asked so suddenly, his voice snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Um, sure, go right ahead," I replied as we walked up the stairs. There was a long pause before Gregory spoke.
"How close are you and Roxy?" he asked. It took everything I had to keep going up the stairs rather than stop dead in my tracks.
Out of all the questions, I wasn't expecting that one to come out of his mouth. At the same time, the question was somewhat expected. If I had to guess, he must've seen Roxanne grab and hold my hand for the entire walk through the tunnel at some point. I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. It was bad enough for the wolf mascot to do it for the entire and hesitate to let it go back on the stage, but it was embarrassing that now Gregory may come to think that we had some strong connection, which wasn't true.
"Well…" I hesitated, rubbing the back of my head as we reached the top of the stairs and began walking in the direction of the next flight. "We're actually not as close as you think. We've only known each other for a good few days. I can't explain why Roxanne does it anyway."
Gregory stared at me for a moment. I didn't know why, but I had a feeling he didn't believe what I said. He might be thinking that I was lying, which I wasn't.
"Are you sure about that?" he asked. "From how she was looking at you back in the tunnel, it looked like the two of you were close. Like, very close."
"We're not," I insisted. "We're sort of friends. But really, not to the point where we like 'close' close."
Gregory narrowed his eyes as we walked up the stairs. Something in my gut told me that he didn't believe me, which shouldn't have been all that surprising. All the evidence he apparently needed was how Roxanne was holding my hand and refused to let it go for a good few moments.
"That's not what I saw," he said. "I saw how she was holding your hand and looking at you like you were the most important thing to her."
"Don't say that!" I blurted out before covering my mouth with my right hand. A smirk formed on his face as we walked up the stairs.
"Looks like we got two lovebirds in the Pizzaplex," he teased. My face heated up at that. This kid couldn't be serious.
"WE ARE NOT!" I shouted, embarrassed and angry.
"Mmmhmmm," he said. "I think you see Roxy more than just a friend than you think."
"Gregory, knock it off," I growled, my feelings growing as we climbed the second flight leading to the 3rd floor.
"Mihael and Roxy sitting in a tree," Gregory teased in a songlike tone. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" I shouted angrily. "YOU'RE NOT BEING FUNNY! YOU'RE BEING VERY ANNOYING!"
"You like her more than you think," Gregory said as we reached the top of the stairs and began heading to where the sound booth was. "Think about it when you get a chance. Who knows? You might have feelings for her and just don't realize it or just don't want to admit it."
I glared at him, my anger boiling in my veins for a moment before the heat left my face. I knew he was going to do that. Kids like that love to tease others who might have a crush on somebody. It was something inevitable. Wait till they get a crush of their own. We'll see if they like it when other people tease them.
"Hey, there's the sound booth!" Gregory said, pointing to a small booth. We ran over to it and entered it. Sure enough, from the looks of it, it was indeed the sound booth.
The sound booth was small with a few electronic devices used to no doubt increase the sound or even manipulate the lights, which hung above the booth itself. To be very honest, it looked like it fitted that of a DJ.
The second the disk was inserted and activated, huge holograms of the mascots showed up on the stage, playing their instruments like they were performing in front of a large audience. Following it was the sound of upbeat music, one with a very catchy beat. I almost found myself dancing slightly to the music. I had to say, the music was really cool.
"That should do it," Gregory said. "I hope Freddy's okay. Let's back to the stage right away."
"Yes, let's," I said before we began walking back to the stage where Freddy and Roxanne were waiting for us, the loud upbeat music echoing throughout the room.
We made it back to the stage where Freddy and Roxanne were waiting for us. The holograms of the mascots were massive, looking to be at least 2 stories tall. I had to admit it was pretty impressive. To top it off, the catchy, upbeat music continued to play like it was on repeat.
As we walked, I was still a little peeved at what happened on the way to the sound booth. It wasn't that I didn't like Roxanne… well, at first I didn't due to her pride when we first met, but it wasn't to the point where I 'liked' her. I also found it to be just a bit strange, but what my mother told me the other day still stuck with me. I didn't know how to feel about that if it was true. If it was, there wasn't time to deal with feelings of love. I had a mission and I was going to see it through.
"Great job, superstars," Freddy said before pointing to something. "Just push that button over there and the lift will take us down to Parts and Service."
I looked to see a pedestal with a small button in the shape of Freddy's head. I pushed the button. The second I did, I felt the stage begin to lower down to where the Parts and Service was. It all felt strangely exciting. I had never done something like this before and to do so during the night with just me and Gregory was a bit crazy. I might've felt like the luckiest man alive if it wasn't for the circumstances that I was in.
"This is insane," Gregory said to no one in particular.
"I get what you mean," I said. "We must be the first guests to go down to where Parts and Service is. It would've felt like an honor if it wasn't for what was going on."
"I hear you," Gregory said. Silence took over, none of us saying anything for a moment. "This elevator is kind of slow."
"Not surprising," I said. "It's probably like this because of how it was designed. Don't want to cause too much strain on the gears that run this thing."
Gregory didn't say anything. I didn't wait for him to say anything at all. I just waited for this thing to finish its descent. I knew things like this took time and if any of us tried to rush it, that wasn't going to make this thing go any faster. It didn't work that way.
After what felt like hours, the lift reached the bottom. I looked ahead and saw a metal door blocking the way. If I had to guess, there had to be a small hallway that led to Parts and Service had to be on the other side of that door.
"Come on," I said. "Let's head-"
The lights suddenly going out cut me off mid-sentence. I grabbed my flashlight and turned it on. Confusion struck me like a brick. I didn't understand how the lights would suddenly go out like that. It seemed a little strange to me.
"The lights went out!" Gregory exclaimed fearfully. "Freddy, what time is it?"
"It's… 2:45 AM?" Roxanne replied. "This doesn't make any sense. It is not the end of the hour. It's 15 minutes early."
"Wait… what?" I asked, my confusion skyrocketing. "I don't really understand what's going on here."
It took a moment before sudden understanding struck them all like a bullet.
"Mihael, to make it simple, we have to get to a recharge station immediately," Roxanne said, fear present in her tone.
"Why?" I asked.
"Every hour, the power is diverted to all the recharge stations," Freddy added, worry present in his tone. "When that happens, the lights go out, and when that happens, the Daycare Attendant is free to roam the building. It will find you and Gregory."
I felt a wave of horror wash over me. It was bad enough for all of the power to be rerouted to the recharge stations, but it was an entirely different story to have the Daycare Attendant roam around the building. As if enough wasn't going on tonight.
"Then, we better get there now!" I shouted and with that, we ran over to the door, the door sliding open in response to our presence near it.
We all ran down a concrete hallway, the lights barely lighting the way down. The only thing breaking the darkness was the light of our flashlights. Our footsteps echoed loudly throughout the hallway, pretty much giving away our position to whoever was down here with us.
"Where's the recharge station?!" I shouted as we all reached the halfway point.
"To the left of the double doors!" Roxanne shouted. "We all need to hurry!"
At the far end of the hallway, I could see a set of metal double doors that probably led into Parts and Service. As we went further, I shined my light to the left of the doors and saw a recharge station just a few feet away from us, the thing shining like a beacon of hope in the darkness.
"Over there!" I shouted and we ran in that direction, Freddy and Roxanne's footsteps becoming slightly faint. I didn't bother to look behind me. If I did, I might see something horrifying coming from behind us. Plus, I really didn't want slow to down and give the Daycare Attendant the boost he needed to catch me.
In the nick of time, Gregory and I reached the station. I forced the door open and we stepped inside. I quickly shut the door behind me.
"Phew," I exhaled, wiping sweat off of my forehead. "We made-"
A loud clanking sound echoed from the other side of the door. We both looked out the small circular-shaped window… and felt my heart drop. Lying on the floor motionless were Freddy and Roxanne, both of them pinned down by Moon. As if on cue, we both watched the white rabbit appear from right around the corner, a sinister laugh emitting from her. I felt a rush of anger flow throughout my body. That stubborn of a bitch doesn't know when to give up.
"Great job, Moon," she said sinisterly. "I had a feeling that it wasn't just Freddy that was helping those kids. Looks like Roxy was secretly on their side. I bet that Mihael kid had something to do with it."
"Too bad the kids are hiding in there," Moon said, looking at us with a sinister smile. "That door won't open until the lights come back on at 3 AM."
"I'm not worried about that," the rabbit said. "I will take care of them in due time. In the meantime, Moon, take Freddy to Parts and Service. I will take Roxy to my hideout. I have something very special planned for her."
"Over my robotic body!" Roxanne exclaimed. The rabbit responded by kicking Roxanne on the side of the head. I narrowed my eyes at her, my anger boiling. However, I kept my composure calm and collected, despite the fury growing rapidly.
"Shut up, you stupid robot!" the rabbit hissed. "You have no right to speak to me in that way. I should've known that it was you who managed to break free. Not this time. You will obey me and my master whether you want to or not."
That caught my attention. Master? Did that mean she wasn't working on this alone? If that was the case, that meant only one thing; she was working for someone, someone who had to be the mastermind of all the chaos. If so, that also meant they had something to do with what was happening with Chica and Montgomery, especially with what Roxanne told me when she was trapped in her own mind earlier back in her green room.
She looked at Moon. "Now, Moon, take Freddy to Parts and Service. I will take care of Roxy. I will make sure nothing like this ever happens again."
Without hesitating, Moon began dragging Freddy away to Parts and Service while the rabbit grabbed Roxanne by her right leg and began dragging her away. Roxanne looked at us, her eyes filled with both fear and desperation. She grabbed hold of the wall, the sounds of the rabbit's loud angry grunts echoing throughout the hall.
"Mihael, Gregory, please help us!" Roxanne shouted before she lost grip and was now being dragged away. "NOOOOOO!"
"ROXANNE!" I shouted, helpless.
"FREDDY!" Gregory shouted in helplessness. The both of us began banging on the door, but the door stayed shut.
"Damn it!" I shouted, slamming my right fist on the door.
"This… this can't be real…" Gregory whispered in despair. I didn't allow myself to feel that way.
This just made things very difficult for Gregory and I. Things had just gone from bad to worse. I had no idea what that rabbit had in mind for Freddy and Roxanne, but whatever it was, something told me that it wasn't anything good. But now thinking about it, that thing had a much bigger interest in Roxanne, having said something that she had something planned for her.
I shuttered at the mere thought of what it could possibly be, yet at the same time, that very thought brought up a rage. I clenched my hands into tight fists. I swear on everything on this Earth, if she tried anything funny to her, I was going to make sure she never saw the light of day again. I would make the sonuvabitch pay in the most painful way possible.
Not only that, but something had to be done about Moon. Even though I had only seen him on the move since the incident back at the Daycare earlier, something told me that he was going to be a problem for the rest of the night. I didn't want to do it, but if had to get to the point of having to destroy him, I would do just that. That way, it would be one less thing to worry about for the rest of the night. It would make things easier.
"Gregory," I said, looking down at him while keeping my tone calm. He looked at me. "Here's what's going to happen. You will find a way to get into Parts and Service. I will go after that rabbit and save Roxanne."
His eyes widened in terror at that. I mentally rolled my eyes at that. I knew what was about to come out of his mouth. I was fully prepared for it.
"Are you crazy?!" Gregory exclaimed. "You can't go after her! She will kill you!"
"I can defend myself," I said in a low tone. "I won't let her get away with any of this. If I have to kill her, I will. No one messes with our best friends and gets away with it."
Gregory looked like he was going to throw up. I didn't know if it was the part of me having to kill her if I had to or at the idea of me fighting her. Either way, he wasn't going to stop me. Something had to be done. If nothing, things would only continue to get much worse for us.
"I… I don't know…" Gregory said, hesitation in his voice.
"Gregory, we have to make a choice," I said. "In a little bit, the door will open and once that happens, we have to spring into action on the spot. If we don't do something, there is a huge possibility that we will lose both Freddy and Roxanne and I can't have that. In case you are oblivious, the only reason we're alive is because of them. If it weren't for them, we may already be dead."
Gregory looked away, debating carefully. I waited patiently for what he would say. I could only hope he would come to his senses. If he didn't, I was going to make the choice… with or without him.
"Okay, let's do it," he said reluctantly.
"Trust me," I said. "It's our only option."
I looked out the window in time to see the area lit up. I felt a wave of relief washing over me. It looked like the lights were back on. I mentally thanked God for this. With the lights back on, the both of us will be able to split up and get both Freddy and Roxanne back. I prayed that nothing bad happened to them yet.
I opened the door and we stepped out, closing the door behind us. I looked at Gregory.
"Okay, we're going to split up," I began. "You find a way to get into Parts and Service. Since guests aren't allowed down here, the only way to get into it is if we find another security badge, which will upgrade our clearance. There should be an office nearby. There should be a pathway that leads to it in the center of the hallway."
"Okay," he said, sounding a little more confident. "But, what are you going to do about Roxy?"
"That rabbit went down the hallway back to the lift," I said. "I will use it to go after them. Once I get back to the Atrium, I will check the security cameras and use them to track them down."
"Sounds like a plan," he said.
"Alright, let's go get them back!" I exclaimed. With that, we ran down the hallway back in the direction of the lift. Once we got to the center, Gregory split up from me while I headed towards the lift.
I approached the door and it opened. Upon entering, I noticed that the lift wasn't there. I looked around to see if I could find a button to summon it. My eyes locked on a pedestal with a button. I approached it and pushed it. The second I did, I heard the sound of gears moving, signaling to me that the lift was now on the way down here. I looked up in time to see the lift slowly descending back down here.
As I waited, my thoughts shifted to Lisa. It took everything I had to keep the hopelessness from forming in my chest and face. For the whole night so far, there were no signs or indications of my little sister anywhere. I couldn't understand how that was possible. There should be some kind of hint or clue as to where she was, but none of us found anything. Despite this, I wasn't going to give up on my mission to find her.
The lift finally reached the bottom. I hopped onto it and pushed the button. The second I did, I felt the stage slowly begin to rise up back to the Atrium. I waited impatiently for this thing to reach its destination. I wanted to get back out there and find the rabbit and Roxanne. If I was lucky, and if luck was on my side, I should be able to stop the rabbit from doing anything to her. Plus, I wish I knew the rabbit's name. It would make things easier if I did.
The lift reached the top and I was greeted by the sound of music and the sight of the Atrium. I walked off the stage and began checking the cameras for any sign of them. I felt both my panic and anger grow as I saw no sign of them anywhere on the cameras. It was like they just vanished.
"Goddammit!" I shouted. "Where the fuck are you, you sick fucking bastard?!"
I continued looking but found nothing. I felt my panic grow, but I refused to show it. I didn't know if the rabbit had access to the cameras. If she did, I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of making me scared. No way in hell was I going to let that happen for a single bit.
"Mihael!" I heard a voice call out. I looked around for the sole source of the voice. It took a minute for me to catch movement in the distance.
From what I could see, it looked to be a little girl. I couldn't tell what she was wearing due to how far she was, but if I had to guess, I say it had to be a pink dress. Maybe it was my imagination but from the looks of it, that girl looked… familiar.
"Mihael!" she shouted again as she ran over to me. As she got closer, I took notice of her voice. I felt my eyes threatening to well up with tears. It couldn't be… could it?
"Lisa?!" I called out. "Lisa, is that you?!"
"Big brother!" she shouted back. "BIG BROTHER!"
I couldn't stop myself, even if I wanted to. I ran to her, my eyes on the verge of welling up. She was getting closer, yet she felt like she was miles away from me. I prayed that this right now was not some kind of trick of the mind. That I was really seeing her with my own two eyes.
Once within reach, she leaped into my arms, holding me tightly. I wrapped my arms around and did the same, a few tears escaping from the corners of my eyes. This was no dream or a trick of the mind. My little sister was right here with me, held tightly in my arms. I didn't want to let her go, out of fear that she would disappear and never be seen again.
"Lisa, thank God!" I exclaimed. "I finally found you!"
"Big brother…" she whispered, which made me hold her tighter.
"I thought I lost you…" I whimpered. "I'm so glad you're safe and sound…"
We both stayed in our embrace for a moment, not wanting to let each other go. Lisa, my little sister was alive… and safe. That was more of a blessing to me. It was like my worries for her were now gone. All that mattered now was to get Gregory out of here at 6 AM and the both of us can go home.
After a moment, we let each other go from the embrace. I wiped the tears off my face and placed my hands on her shoulders.
"Lisa, I'm glad you're safe, but I need to know," I began. "Are you hurt anywhere? Did that rabbit do anything to you?"
"No, Mihael, I'm fine," Lisa replied. "I was able to escape before she could've done anything."
That caught my attention. Escape before she could've done anything to her? I felt my anger bubble at the thought of that sonuvabitch laying a finger on my sister. If that rabbit did something, she was asking for a bullet to the head.
"What do you mean by that?" I growled. "What happened to you?"
Lisa sighed. "It's a long story."
I mentally groaned at that. As much as I didn't want to hear every single detail, at the same time, I wanted to know exactly what was going on and what she went through before this. Plus, it might slow me down in tracking down Roxanne, but there was also a chance that she might know something important.
I sighed. "Tell me everything. I want to know all of the details, Lisa."
Lisa took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes.
"It all started in the bathroom," she began. "I was in there doing my business when I heard a noise coming from the vent in the stall I was in. At first, I thought it was a mouse so I didn't pay it any mind. It wasn't until I was done did something happen, but it all happened so fast. One second, I was exiting the stall and the next thing I knew, I was grabbed and pulled into the vents. I lost consciousness when I hit my head on the wall.
"When I woke up, I found myself in some kind of room. It looked to be some kind of security office. There was a strange arcade machine there, and a word that said 'VANNY' but other than that, that wasn't anything that stood out. I looked out the windows and saw that I was in some attraction. Due to how it was positioned, I couldn't tell which attraction.
"While I was in there, I looked for an exit and found an air vent. As I did, I found something strange sitting on the desk. It looked like a syringe filled with some kind of liquid. I couldn't tell what it was, but I had a feeling it wasn't anything good. I looked around and saw another one just sitting on another desk. It was strange. The liquid was all black with red veins and it smelled awful. Something told me to swap the one with the normal-looking liquid with the strange one. So, I did exactly that. I swapped them and got rid of the one with the normal-looking liquid and managed to escape."
My eyes widened at that. I couldn't imagine what went through her head when she found herself in a strange place. However, something else caught my attention. It was the word that Lisa found written on the wall of the room she was trapped in; Vanny. Maybe it was my imagination, but that name sounded very close to another name that sounded very close to it. One I knew about.
I felt my heart skip a beat at the sudden realization. Could that mean…? It sounded ridiculous, but it was too much of a coincidence. If so, why would she do it? What could she possibly gain from all of this? There were so many questions, yet so few answers.
"Go on," I said, wanting to hear what else she had to say.
"After I exited the vents, I walked around to find the exit," she continued. "Along the way, imagine my surprise when I saw that the whole place was empty. When I found myself in the Atrium after checking all of the attractions for an exit, I went into the elevator to head back to the Lobby and that was when I heard the com loudly say 'Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex is now closed. Initiating nighttime protocols'.
"When I got to the Atrium, I saw the security doors slam shut. Try to imagine my surprise when I saw you and Gregory running towards the door. I thought I was imagining you there, but when I heard you shout, I knew I wasn't dreaming. I wanted to go over to you, but when I heard the sound of the elevator being used, I ran and hid in one of the strollers. I waited until I heard you and Gregory heading to the Daycare did I leave. I decided that when the time came, I would come to your aid. Along the way, I got myself a Fazwatch and gained access to the cameras so I could keep an eye on you and Gregory and come out when the time came.
"When you and Gregory got caught and taken to Lost and Found, I found a screwdriver, followed her there, placed it in an empty gift box, and left the room without her noticing. From that point on, I have been hiding in various places in the Pizzaplex all the while trying to hide from Chica and Montgomery. I was proud that you were handling it pretty well.
"However, that changed when I saw what happened to Freddy and Roxy on the Utility Hallway camera. I heard everything of what they were saying and that was when I decided to come out of the shadows and help you and Gregory. Plus, knowing you better, you had to have been growing very worried about me. When I saw you heading for the lift, that was when I made my move."
I stared at her, utterly stunned. To think Lisa had lasted this long on her own, all the while helping us with escaping the Lost and Found without Vanessa even knowing about it was pretty damn impressive. I felt a wave of pride washing over me. If it wasn't for her, we would've been trapped in there and Vanny would've done God knows what to us. Not only that, it confirmed what I had thought about as I was in Roxanne's green room when she told me what happened after I blacked out. Vanny was undoubtedly trying to poison. If Lisa had not swapped out the syringes, I would've been dead.
I smiled at her.
"Lisa, I can't tell you how proud I am of you," I said, pride very clear in my tone. "You saved my butt, along with Gregory. Had you not done what you did, none of us would be here right now. I own you personally."
She smiled a big one, one filled with pride. Something clicked in my head as a thought came to mind.
"Lisa, did you see where Vanny took Roxanne?" I asked. Lisa looked at me weirdly. "That has to be the name of the white rabbit we've been seeing for most of the night. Now tell me, did you see where Vanny was taking her?"
Lisa looked at me for a moment before a frown formed on her face. I didn't like the looks of that. Something told me that she didn't or had some bad news. Whatever it was, it going to go south either way.
"No, I didn't see where she was taking her," she replied. "I saw her going for the elevator, but that was it. When I tried to check the cameras, I couldn't find them. It was like they went invisible or something."
"That's okay," I said, trying my best to hide my disappointment. "We will find her one way or another, but right now, I think we should head down to the Utility Hallway and inform Gregory what we found. He no doubt must've found a way into Parts and Service where Freddy is being held."
She nodded. With that, we headed back to the stage where it began its second descent down to the Utility Hallway where we'll meet up with Gregory, who would hopefully have the badge to get into Parts and Service.
Author's Note:
In quick succession, the 14th chapter is up! :D
And look who it is! Lisa is alive and well and has now become an addition to helping Gregory get out and survive the night, however, we all know her fate unfortunately. Plus, it looks like Roxy and Freddy need rescuing. Let's all hope that they are alright. I have a bad feeling.
Either way, this was an interesting chapter for me to write. by adding Roxanne to the equation and Mihael finally reuniting with his sister, this was all planned out from the beginning. Things will only get interesting from here.
That's all for now. Keep an eye out for Chapter Fifteen for that one might be a little shorter than the others. Constructive criticism is appreciated and I will see you guys next time! :)
