CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: WILL-BREAKING DISCOVERIES

It took me a while, but I made it back to Rockstar Row. The entire walk, I was curious as to what Roxanne Wolf had to say. There could be a number of things she wanted to say. For all I knew, it could be all about the things she went through before she found herself back in her green room. I dreaded what it could possibly be. To be honest, it would probably be best not to force her to talk about something Roxanne would rather not talk about. Though it was a bit better than knowing none at all, it was better than putting her through emotional distraught 100%.

To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. That alone made me a bit more nervous, the dread growing slightly. Only God knows what will happen next. I had a feeling that something big was going to happen. Either good or bad, I had to be ready for whatever it was that would come my way in the next few moments. That was something I didn't like one bit.

I reach Roxanne's green room. I approached the door and it slid open in response to my presence. I stepped inside, hearing the door shut behind me. I looked to see Roxanne and Lisa sitting on the couch with Lisa's left hand resting on her shoulder. They looked in my direction at the same time, which I will admit was a little creepy. Lisa's smile was warm while Roxanne's was weak. I didn't like the looks of that.

I walked over to them, none of them moving an inch on the couch.

"I'm back," I said as I stopped about a foot away from them. I looked at Roxanne. "It's really good to see you back on your feet, Roxanne. We've been worried about you."

"I know," Roxanne said, her voice weak. "Lisa told me after I woke up. I'm sorry to make you all worried."

I nodded. I was relieved that everything was okay, despite knowing that there could be a trap that would set off at any given moment. I stayed where I was even though I wanted so badly to check to see if there was anything unusual. At the same time, I looked to see if Gregory and Freddy were around. There were no signs of them.

I found that to be a little odd. The plan was for all of us to come back to the green room when Lisa alerted us when Roxanne woke up. And yet, they were not here. I couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on.

"Hey, where's Gregory and Freddy?" I asked.

"When Roxy woke up, they were the first ones I contacted," Lisa replied. "Gregory said that he was going to finish some business and he and Freddy would be on their way once they were finished. After that, I tried contacting you for a good while until you finally picked up."

I nodded, understanding why they weren't here. That made sense. If he and Freddy were trying to take care of Chica and Montgomery, it would take them at least a good while before they got back. Heck, it took me a while to get to Roxanne's green room from the way from Fazcade. I probably would've gotten here sooner if I didn't have to hide from the Daycare Attendant.

It turned out that I didn't make it before the end of the hour. I had to hide in the recharge station in the Daycare because it was the closest one at the time. There was no way in hell I wanted to bump into that creepy bastard despite the fact that I wanted to get a bit of payback for what he did back in the Utility Hallways. At some point, something had to be done about the Daycare Attendant. He was no doubt going to get in the way for the rest of the night, which I didn't want.

"So, shall we wait until they get here?" I asked.

"We should," Lisa said with a nod. "It's important that they hear this too."

I nodded. Even though I didn't want to wait for them, Lisa made a valid point.

"So, what should we do?" I asked, wanting to know what could we do while we waited. We all looked at each other before looking at the floor, thinking about what to do.

None of us said anything. We tried to think of something, but from the looks of it, none of us could. I wasn't going to admit defeat. I knew there had to be something that we could discuss. The problem was finding out what, especially after what happened earlier.

Something clicked in my head as I thought about it. The 'Princess Quest' game. I remembered what I wanted to talk about. Lisa said to tell her about it once I got back. I must've forgotten it after I had to hide from the Daycare Attendant.

"Actually, there is something important I have to tell the both of you," I said suddenly. Roxanne and Lisa looked up from the floor and turned their attention to me. "Lisa, remember that I was going to tell you about what I didn't like seeing when I played 'Princess Quest'?

Lisa nodded. "What did you see?"

"Wait, what are you two talking about?" Roxanne asked, preventing me from replying. I looked at her to see an expression of confusion and curiosity plastered on her face.

I understood why. This was something that was discussed while she was out. This also told me that Lisa didn't tell her what was going on nor did she tell Roxanne about the 'Princess Quest' games and how they might be the key to stopping Vanny. Might as well tell her than leave her in the dark.

"While you were out, Lisa mentioned that while she was hiding, she found some strange arcade machines in the Pizzaplex," I explained. "They're called 'Princess Quest'. We believe that they might be the key to stopping Vanny, which in case you didn't know, is the name of the white rabbit we've been seeing as of late. If we play all 3 games, Vanny's hold on the Pizzaplex and on Chica and Montgomery will be removed and no more kids will go missing ever again.

"If that wasn't bad enough, we have to complete all of this before 6 AM. If we fail, there is a good chance that there won't be a second chance to stop this. Kids will keep going missing and Vanny will be able to do God knows what to them."

Roxanne looked at me for a brief moment before nodding her head, now understanding what was going on. It was a relief to know that she did. This would make things easier for what I had to tell them what I saw.

"So, about the game," I began to say. "Lisa, you were right. There is something unnatural about it While I was playing it, I saw these creatures that didn't look natural. Like they were something you would put into a virus. To top it off, when I reached the end of the game, I saw this… thing. It was like anything I've ever seen in my life.

"It looked like some kind of rabbit thing with white eyes that seemed to have shed some kind of weird substance like it was crying. It had this creepy smile that you would see on some cartoon villain in a movie. It was speaking in some kind of language that I couldn't make out at all. Just like that, the game ended.

"There is something going on about these games that we don't seem to understand. Whatever that creature was, it seems to be solely responsible for trapping the princess. I say that because I felt her fear, her desperation, all of it. It was like I was her for the entire time I played."

Lisa looked at me with a shocked expression on her face. I knew how all of that must've sounded to her. It was like a kid trying to tell their parents of some kind of dream they had the other night. I could only hope that she would take me seriously. Whatever that thing was, I had a feeling it had some kind of connection to Vanny, and to what has been going on.

After a while, Lisa regained her composure.

"That is strange," Lisa said. "I had a bad feeling that there was something off about those machines, but I had no idea it could be this bad. I don't like it one bit."

"Neither do I," Roxanne added. "None of this is natural. We need to stop this before those security doors open. I don't want any more kids going missing. This has to stop."

"I agree," I said. "This has gone on for far too long. I'm tired of seeing families being torn apart by something they can't stop in time. Once this is over, there can be peace in Hurricane."

We all nodded in agreement. We all wanted this nightmare to come to an end. Vanny and whoever the hell she's working for has been getting away with their crimes for far too long. It was about time that karma came a-knocking.

I looked out the window… and my eyes widened in shock, my mouth agape. Standing on the other side of the glass was what looked like a little girl who looked to be around 6 or 7 years old. She had long brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and was wearing a light blue dress of some kind. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was a child just standing there.

As I stared at her, a few things clicked into mind. For starters, this girl didn't like any of the kids that had gone missing. This kid was someone I had never seen before. Another thing I noticed was how this kid managed to sneak into the Pizzaplex and not be seen for the mast majority of the night. None of this made any sense. It was all so strange to me.

The girl made a beckoning gesture with her index finger and walked away from the glass. Confusion and curiosity struck me like a ton of bricks. Why did this girl want me to follow her? Did she know something I and the others don't?

"Mihael, are you okay?" I heard Roxanne ask, snapping me out of my trance. I looked to see her looking at me with a curious expression on her face.

"Yeah, I thought I saw something," I said. "I will be right back. I'm going to check it out."

"Okay," Lisa said. "Be careful."

"I will," I said. With that, I exited the green room and walked a good few feet away until I was standing in front of the glass that was Montgomery's green room.

I looked around for any signs of that girl. It took me a moment to spot her. She was standing in front of the door that led to the rehearsal room. She turned in my direction, looked at me for a tiny moment before motioning with her to follow her. As if this was some kind of horror movie, she walked right through the wall.

"What the hell…" I whispered to myself before following the strange girl. I walked over to the door and saw a message written on it. It read 'Follow The Path'.

This was all strange. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew that I was going to find out. I grabbed hold of the knob with my left hand and turned it. I pushed the door open, entering the hall before closing it behind me. I looked down to see a streak of what looked like paint on the floor.

I began to follow it, unsure of what I was going to find.

I followed the path all the way to the hallway that led back to the room with the huge shelves filled with boxes. The path led down to the center of the hallway. The beam of light from my flashlight made it easier to see it. My heart was pounding rapidly in my chest for some reason, along with a feeling of dread. I had no idea what I was going to find, but the mystery of it was making this whole thing nerve-wrecking.

At the same time, I tried looking for any signs of the little girl but couldn't find her. It was like she had never existed. None of this made any sense to me. I wished I had the answers to all of the questions I had.

I reached the center and looked to see that it was heading to the right. I looked and saw dots of paint on some of the bricks. From the looks of it, it was done in some sort of pattern. Top. Left. Right. Bottom. Left. Bottom. I looked at the top brick and pushed it. It went deep into the wall like a button. My heart skipped a beat at that. There was no way in hell this was real. However, the bridge that was now deep in the wall said otherwise.

I pushed the other bricks. They too did the same. In an instant, the wall pushed outward. I slowly grabbed hold of the side of the wall and pulled it just enough for me to slip inside and out in case shit hit the fan. I looked around with my flashlight and was astonished.

The room appeared to be some kind of hidden office. The right wall had a huge built-in desk filled with monitors that looked over the entire Pizzaplex. On the wall next to it was what looked like to be a table filled with syringes. On the opposite wall were what looked like to be pictures of kids, kids that I recognized. They were the ones that had gone missing.

I aimed my flashlight at the center of the room… and screamed. On the floor were what looked like to be a human skull. Not one… not two… over a few dozen of human skulls and bones were lying all over the floor. They were too small to be an adult. This meant only one thing; I was staring at the human remains of the missing kids.

I walked over to the bones and looked them over. None of them had any signs of fracture or blunt force trauma to the skull. I had no idea how they died, but I was pretty sure that they received one of agony. I couldn't even imagine what they had gone through inside this room.

I turned my attention to the table with the syringes. I walked over to it and picked one of them. One of them was filled with a liquid that was all black with red veins. The smell that emitted from this thing was awful. The best way I can describe it was that it smelled like a decaying corpse. It took me a moment to realize that this was the same liquid Lisa told me about. The very same one Vanny injected me with. I looked to see some of them were filled with the same thing.

"What the hell is this?" I whispered to myself. I turned my full to the wall with the pictures of the kids.

I walked over to it and took a very good long look at them. Sure enough, they were pictures of the missing kids. I looked for the picture of the girl I saw, but I had no such luck. I couldn't help but wonder who that girl was. More importantly, why did she lead me here? Was it because she wanted to show me this room? It had to be. There was no other explanation.

I continued to look at the pictures… and saw two that made me want to vomit. The pictures was that of a little girl lying unconscious on the floor and the other was of a young boy with brown hair. I recognized them immediately. It was Lisa and Gregory. How and why did Vanny take that picture? Was it to keep it as a trophy? Or was it for some other twisted reason?

I felt sick to my stomach just by looking at it. This was beyond disturbing. It was disgusting. How could someone this twisted exist in this world? There are things that I would never be able to fully understand.

I took the pictures off the wall and checked it out. I flipped the picture of Gregory to the back and saw writing on it. I began to read it.

TARGET: GREGORY

AGE: 13 YEARS OLD / NO RECORDS OF HIS FAMILY

TARGET HAS REBELLED. MASTER WANTS HIM DEAD. HE WILL BE DEAD ON HIS NEXT RETURN.

SUITABLE SUBJECT FOR REMNANT EXTRACTION.

I stared at the picture, feeling the urge to vomit. So, Gregory was a former accomplice to Vanny for some time before he changed. But, why did the boy turn his back on her? Was he working for her against his will? Was he brainwashed? There were so many questions, yet no answers whatsoever.

I turned the picture of Lisa over and saw writing on the back as well. I began to read it.

TARGET: LISA PATEL

AGE: 12 YEARS OLD / MEMBER OF THE PATEL FAMILY

SIBLINGS: MIHAEL PATEL / 17 YEARS OLD

TARGET HAS BEEN ACQUIRED. AWAITING THE OLDER BROTHER TO ARRIVE AT THE LOCATION. CONTROL OF THE ANIMATRONICS WILL COMMENCE UPON HIS ARRIVAL.

MISSION: KILL THE BROTHER AND GIVE REMNANT TO MY MASTER. HE WILL RETURN.

I stared at the words, all of it slowly sank in. I felt the fabric of reality become nothing as it all struck me. Lisa's disappearance was in no way a coincidence. All of this was planned. Vanny had been planning to kidnap my sister and use her as bait to lure me. All of this… was a trap to kill me and use me to bring back her master. I fell right into it.

To top it off, Lisa, Roxanne, Freddy, and Gregory were now caught in the center of it all. It didn't take long for the memories to come flooding my mind. After what Roxanne had told me back in her green room and what happened back in the Utility Hallways, I came to a horrifying realization. Vanny must've done something to Roxanne to ensure that when the time came, she would be back under her control. To top it off, it explained why she shut off not long after seeing me with Freddy earlier in the night. This was all a plan to kill me.

However, what terrified me the most was what the writing on the back of the pictures mentioned. They mentioned something called 'Remnant'. I had no idea what the hell that was, but I had a good idea as to why. Whatever it was, Vanny must've been collecting this Remnant to bring back her master or something.

Something clicked in my head. My eyes widened in horror as the truth hit me like a ton of bricks. The kids going missing were all randomly picked for some sick experiment to get Remnant. All of it for one purpose; to bring back her master.

I felt the blood drain from my face. I wanted all of this to be some sick nightmare that I was having. Deep down, I knew that life wasn't that generous or kind. All of this was real. The evidence was right in front of my face. The horrifying and ugly truth of Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex. A truth that will only continue if we don't stop her.

"We gotta stop her!" I said to myself. "I better get everyone ready if they are grouped together in Roxanne's green room! I better get over there now!"

I dropped the pictures of Lisa and Gregory on the floor and ran out of the room, slamming the secret door shut. I ran out of there as fast as I could back in the direction of Rockstar Row to tell them the horrifying news.

I made it back to Roxanne's green room, my lungs burning from all of the running. I approached the door and it opened. I walked inside and was relieved that Roxanne and Lisa were still there. To top it off, Freddy and Gregory were in the room with them. I was happy that they were here. It was perfect timing on my part.

I looked at Gregory and noticed a few things. His shirt, shorts, and shoes were covered in some mysterious gunk. I couldn't tell what it was at the moment. It wasn't long before a disgusting smell emitted from him. Something told me that he must've taken a trip to the Pizzaplex's garbage shoot. But how was the question? He also looked slightly annoyed.

"There you are, Mihael," Gregory said, sounding slightly annoyed. "What took you so long?"

I didn't say anything as I continued gasping for air. I was too horrified and shaken to say a thing to them. I felt disgusted at myself for not doing something that had to be done. I tried to find my voice, but nothing came out of my mouth. I was choking on my own words.

"Superstar, are you alright?" Freddy asked, his voice strangely glitchy, though there didn't seem to be anything wrong with him as far as I could tell.

Once again, I didn't say anything I've never felt so pathetic in my entire life. There was something I had to tell them, but I just didn't have the strength to say it.

Gregory walked over to me, grabbing me by the shirt with his left hand.

"Mihael!" Gregory shouted as he slapped me across the face. "Snap out of it! What is going on?!"

The slap was enough for me to snap out of my trance. I shook my head to get my thoughts straight. I wanted to tell them what I just found, but I knew that I didn't have enough time to explain. We had to stop Vanny as fast as we could.

"Listen, I don't have time to explain!" I began frantically. "We need to get to Roxy Raceway immediately! This is extremely urgent and important!"

"Why, what's the matter?" Lisa asked, her tone filled with worry. "You look so pale."

"There isn't time!" I shouted. Everyone flinched. I tried my best to regain my composure. I remembered how Freddy's voice had sounded for some reason. "Gregory, which upgrade did you give Freddy just now?"

"Chica's voice box," Gregory replied. "Now, we just need Monty's claws."

"Good, get them as fast as you can," I said. I pointed to Roxanne and Lisa with my left hand's index finger. "You two are coming with me. No questions asked. Now, let's get going!"

Freddy and Gregory nodded. They ran out of the room and headed in the direction that led back to the Atrium. I turned my attention to Roxanne and Lisa and gestured for them to follow me. They hesitated for a moment before they began following my lead in the direction of Roxy Raceway, where the second 'Princess Quest' game awaited us there.