REJOICE

THERE IS NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF

YOU'VE DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT

The rest of Gron's day was spent in nightmarish solitude. It took time for him to realize what he had done, and before that, Gron was able to continue. To exist in a trance when everything around him would fall into ephemeral silence, the laughs around him would cease, becoming nothing more than a distant echo, and he himself would become nothing more than a shell. A shell covered in Fredbear suit, masking the emptiness that consumed the lone jester. He didn't remember if he entertained any kids after that, perhaps, perhaps not…Or was this before the accident?

IT WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT

But when Gron got home, all the thoughts were finally released, finally freed to ravage the lone man, never to let go. He remembered falling on his sofa as if something incredibly heavy pushed him down from above, forcing him to shake and groan like the pathetic creature he was. He was there, lying on the sofa, closing his eyes with both his hands and shaking frantically, trying to restore his breath to absolutely no avail. He knew that the Twisted one was watching, the golden figure rising above him, gleefully waiting for him to break.

DO NOT DENY IT. SEE THE TRUTH

ACCEPT THAT WHICH YOU TRULY ARE

HAVE NO SHAME

IT DOES NOT SUIT YOU

And then he thought about all of this yet again. Remembered how he took off his gloves and walked toward the animatronic carcass, praying that no one would enter the room. Remembered unlocking the suit by pulling the crank and loosening the endoskeleton. He didn't have to do it perfectly, just carefully enough so that it would not get noticed straight away. Gron was lucky that the blood didn't get onto his own suit. Even if it was to avoid spring locks, the stains on the carcass would have been immediate evidence of his involvement. He remembered putting Jack inside, starting with his hands, then feet. It has been a thorough process as his lifeless body continued to bleed out and stain the floor. He would have to clean it up as soon as it is done. It was all going well…

Until too much of the child's blood fell to the spring locks. Thankfully, it happened when Gron was already done, but the crunch he heard still haunted Gron all throughout the day. It wasn't all of it, just the arm, the arm that was mauled as the animatronic parts pierced it. He imagined how one would scream if he were alive as his body would be crushed by the piercing metal. Just like the prisoner below the ground, it was not a fate one could envy. He remembered pushing Jack's corpse deeper into the Foxy animatronic, watching his skin get mangled with countless cuts as he attempted to fit him there. When he gets found, there would not be much of a recognizable corpse even left.

ALL THE BETTER; HE WILL BE FOUND IN A PERFECT STATE

ALL OF THIS, THANKS TO YOU, FINALLY

AND TRUST ME, IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

YOU ARE GOING TO GO FAR

"Shut up…"

OH, BUT WHY? WOULD IT NOT BE EASIER FOR YOU TO EMBRACE IT, TO EMBRACE WHO YOU ARE?

"This is not who I am!" Gron tried to retort, but the sound he let out was more reminiscent of a furious, growling animal. He felt the tears emerging in his eyes once again as Jack's face emerged before him. He was crying in his last moments, even with the grievous wound inflicted upon him, he understood…He was still alive, and Gron murdered him, stifling any chance he had. Mercilessly and in cold blood, all because of fear. Only now did the jester feel his sins creeping on his back. He has taken a life. Not just life but that of a child, an innocent, pure child who had a whole life ahead of him. He will be found once someone else inspects Foxy, no matter how sooner or later that might happen, and his death will be a stain on Fazbear Inc's reputation.

It wasn't worth it.

IT WAS

He didn't deserve it.

AND YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO BE A SLAVE TO ALISON AND THIS COMPANY

He did now.

IS THAT WHAT YOU CHOOSE, TO BE SO PATHETIC IN THE FACE OF YOUR TRIUMPH

Gron's hands shook, he would not accept this. This was a murder and atrocity. It was not deserved and not needed, and now he ruined an entire family's life. Gron felt the spite burning within his chest, and yet there was another feeling. A temptation that served to further fuel this spite and shame…

YOU FEEL IT, THEN?

GOOD

YOU KNOW, DEEP DOWN

THAT THIS WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO

"NO!" Gron couldn't hold it anymore, he jumped up and was prepared to launch at the golden figure before him, but it disappeared the moment he got close.

I AM UNTOUCHABLE

YOU ARE NOT

"No, no, no…" He fell to the floor, crawling into a fetal position as his entire body shook. There was no going back from this crime, from this murder; in a single decision, Gron destroyed his entire life and robbed himself of any, even the slimmest chance to find a solution and to live a normal life. The greatest tragedy that he believed was the incident in the restaurant has now been nothing in comparison to this. Now he finally knew. Now the flat was finally pierced by his wails of agony, a prison to become Gron's hell.

He murdered a child.

And there was no going back from this.

…

The moment William heard about an emergency meeting, he knew something wrong had happened. For the first time since him joining the company, a message was sent by Alison for all employees that work in the restaurant, be it security guards, performers, engineers, and even cleaners, to gather in the halls of Fredbear's Family Diner after its closing hour, as he needed to make an announcement. The fact in itself was enough to annoy William, as it meant yet another day of him staying late, taking even more from the time of which he had very little. But soon, he found out that there was an incident behind this. A young boy went missing, last seen in Fredbear's. He vanished without a trace, with his parents reporting it a day prior.

Were it not for the knowledge William possessed, he would've been surprised and shocked that someone would go missing in this seemingly safe place, but now he accepted that it was perfectly in line with everything he witnessed below the surface. And this made William rage even further. There was only one explanation for this, Alison's own workings. The people down here were clearly held against their will, and he would, no doubt, continue the pursuit of new victims, whatever he wanted them for. William was certain that this meeting was nothing more than a way for him to cover his tracks. Either way, he had to suffer through it.

When William found himself there, the building has been already full of workers claiming up the space around the different tables. William did not want to come down earlier than required. He had little taste for large crowds, especially when they consisted of people either in league with Alison or those who were left in the dark whom William had to constantly lie to. An outlier, an involuntary servant…Hardly a fate one could envy. There were many words shared among them, and it was clear that most of that personnel were clueless.

"You haven't seen anyone do anything strange, right?"

"I think I saw this kid a couple times with his friends here, strange…"

"Maybe he ran off?"

"Why would he?"

Of course, William sought to find Gron first and foremost; granted, it has not been difficult. The jester sat at the small table in the corner in complete solitude, looking down at the floor, utterly exhausted and tired. When William saw him, he immediately regretted not approaching Gron after their ordeal. He was almost malnourished, occasionally letting himself shiver. William's work was pressing enough, but it was nothing compared to Gron having to work inside of a spring lock suit while always having this knowledge in the back of his mind.

"Hello there." William attempted to sound lax but failed miserably at this attempt, allowing his quiet voice to expose his caution. Gron immediately looked up as if forced to suddenly be pulled away from his trance and looked around in panic. "Are you…Alright?"

"Ah, yes…Just tired." Gron breathed heavily before finally allowing himself to look at his friend. His eyes were reddened.

"Sorry I haven't called you; those days have been an absolute mess."

"No, no, it's…Alright." Gron's voice shook, making William observe him all the more carefully. This wasn't just tiredness, whatever he wanted it to look like. Gron was scared; his pale face and shivering gave it away. "How are your days going?"

"Good enough; work on the trio is in full progress, and I hope they will be ready soon enough," William announced, causing Gron to look up with intrigue.

"Really? Oh, that's wonderful news. You've done a great job with Foxy and…Well, I'm sure those will be great as well." Gron forced a smile out of himself. His eyes ran around in an even more frantic fashion as he couldn't force himself to maintain eye contact.

"Well, thanks for your appreciation…How have you been?"

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary, just a little bit of work here and there, some with the suits…"

"How are Lynda and Charlie? You didn't tell them, did you?"

"No…" Gron's voice grew quiet and grim. "Of course not. I haven't even seen them since then; I don't think I'm ready…"

This time, William wouldn't even encourage Gron to invite them in. It was better to keep them away from the chaos that occurred in Fredbear's for everybody's benefit. There was something different about Gron, something William couldn't quite pinpoint. However, he didn't want to pressure his friend into telling. It could be just the stress he felt since witnessing the underground. No doubt that Gron's hallucinations would make it even worse than it already was.

"Have you heard the news?" Gron asked, immediately looking away with an awkward gaze, probably realizing how strange this question sounded, considering that this was the exact reason for any of them being here.

"About the kid?"

"Yeah…" Gron responded cautiously. "Fuck, what is it we got ourselves into…Sorry for getting you into this. I really am."

"It's fine…It was your idea, but I went along with it after all." William reassured him.

"Do you think it's Alison? Or someone from his clique? The bastards…" Gron clenched his fist.

"Oh, I don't doubt that. He performs experiments on people down below. Who's to say that he wouldn't seek out children for some of them?" William stated as his voice grew more boisterous, although he still had to keep himself quiet to prevent anyone else from hearing it. "Now he'll obviously try to cover his tracks by whatever means necessary."

"I guess…"

Soon both men turned towards the hallway as a familiar figure made its way to the center of the hall. Alison walked slowly, helping himself with the cane, as many workers waved at him and welcomed their boss. William didn't even want to pretend to be joyous. Surely even Alison himself would understand why.

"Greetings, ladies, and gentlemen! Thank you all for coming." Alison announced before taking a spotlight at the center of the dining hall. "I promise I will not take too much of your time, but there is a certain incident that has to be cleared up." He looked over the room carefully. William could swear that he focused on him and Gron before turning his gaze towards others yet again. "A missing child has been reported, as you all know. Jack Garcia, a boy that frequented our establishment, has gone missing, last seen in the halls of Fredbear's."

"Has he not been found yet? Why would it matter that he was seen here?" One of the guards asked.

"It is enough for the police to launch an investigative attempt…This is where they will start, no doubt. Of course, it goes without saying that the child going missing is a tragedy, and our company deeply sympathizes with Jack's parents. However, we must ensure that this case is not weaponized against Fazbear Inc, as I am sure none of us had anything to do with it."

"Is that what you care for? The business?" A woman's voice spoke up. "A child went missing. We have to help find him in any way we can."

"I understand your distress, ma'am, but we have to be strategic. Cases like those are commonly used to launch campaigns and witch-hunts against places and establishments that were unfortunate enough to get involved due to the sheer proximity of their location. It is hardly fair that all the employees and the company at large have to suffer because of allegations, would you not agree? Now, during the days of investigations which will begin very soon, I strongly encourage all of you not to talk with the police, as everything you say will be used against us in court if those allegations go through. Let them have their investigation, but it must be as separate from Fazbear Inc's inner workings as possible to ensure the growth of our company. I have already gathered a team to work with them, so there's no need for more contributions. Other than that, please continue with your daily routine as always and let others do their job." Alison took a pause before taking a breath and reaching his conclusion. "Follow those instructions, and those turbulent days will go smoothly. I am sure that the truth will be discovered soon enough. Any questions?" After being met with silence, a smile emerged on Alison's face. "Good. Well, as I said, I won't hold you for too long, have a good evening, everyone." He announced before taking a hasty leave, heading towards the hallway outside.

This is where William's reflexes worked. He could not allow Alison to leave without at least trying to understand the truth. It wasn't often Alison who had any free time to meet up with his employees, and this opportunity should've been valued. He must have known something. He wouldn't be as eager to stifle any attempts to discover the truth otherwise.

"I'm going to ask him what's really going on in here." William looked at Gron. "Are you with me?"

"I…No, I think I'll go home…I'm just really tired." Gron shook his head, prompting William for a swift goodbye. He couldn't linger for too long if he wanted to meet Alison.

"See you soon, then…We'll find a way out of this, I know."

"Huh…"

William paid no heed to Gron's reclusive behavior; all he wanted now was to talk with their boss. Avoiding other employees, the engineer made his way toward the hall, noticing Alison as he hastily walked to the exit.

"Alison," William called out to him, making the man stop and turn towards him with an unimpressed frown emerging on his face.

"Ah, Mr. Afton…" He said before letting out a chuckle. "You wanted to ask something? I believe I gave an opportunity to ask questions back in the hall…"

"Don't pretend like you don't know." William shook his head.

"Pardon?"

"You have an entire facility underground that you use to experiment on people, and you get your subjects from somewhere," William spoke fluently and confidently, yet had to remain quiet, making sure that no one was listening. To their luck, most workers chose to either linger in the hall for a little longer or use another exit. "How are we supposed to believe that the boy's disappearance is unconnected to this?"

"Very bold claim of you to make, Mr. Afton." Alison's expression changed to a smile as he spoke those words. It must have been exhilarating for him, knowing that he had full control over William and Gron and that he could strip them of everyone they loved at his first whim. "I see you believe that I took the child to my underground facility and am trying to cover it up?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Seems you didn't think this through, Mr. Afton. As you have seen, I have more than enough test subjects at the facility, and yet I never had to arrange a meeting like that for any of them."

"Everyone makes mistakes. It seems like you weren't as good at covering your tracks this time."

"No, no, no, I wouldn't get as sloppy…Especially for the sake of a single child." He shook his head as his voice grew more agitated as if the sheer idea of him being so careless was infuriating to him. Of course, there was little reason to expect him to care for the child and his disappearance, but William hope that he would at least give some clues. At least he confirmed that there were many subjects for tests still inside the facility. "I understand the reasons for your skepticism, Mr. Afton, but I advise you to stop being paranoid. I would not risk staining the reputation of Fazbear Inc by allowing such disappearances to occur in broad daylight. If there were, you would never hear of it."

"And yet you still keep me and Gron alive…That's a risk, too, isn't it?" William attempted to pierce his armor, making Alison pause for a moment. However, it did not take long for him to continue.

"To an extent, it is. But in this case, the risk is justified, and I have solid grounds for believing it to be so. Snatching a child from his parents would be catastrophic mismanagement and a self-defeating strategy."

"Huh…" There was some sense in what Alison said, but William wasn't ready to throw out the possibility of Alison making a mistake and now desperately trying to cover it up. Was he as perfect and precise as he claims he and Gron would never get into the underground facility? "So you deny it?"

"Yes, because I am not responsible," Alison spoke firmly. "Now, if you excuse me, I am a busy man, and I have duties that call. As do you, no doubt. Good night, Mr. Afton. I wish you a pleasant workday tomorrow."

With those words, Alison disappeared behind the exit, leaving William alone for a moment. Soon, other workers made their way through this hall, ending the silence in an unceremonious flow of discussion. There was nothing left to learn here; it was time to return home with yet another reminder of this company being tainted by mystery and death.