Everything around her felt like a lie.

When William looked into her eyes and denied any knowledge, brushing off anything Lynda found as nothing more than a town legend, she knew that there was more to this. For two years, Lynda could not let go of her suspicions, but she found nothing concrete so far. Ever since children started disappearing, even since Gron began to separate himself from her and Charlie, even when it seemed like they could finally be getting together again…There was a turning point amidst all of this, and it had to do with Fazbear Inc. The mysterious company that rose to greatness even despite the missing children that were lost in 1985…And beyond.

Lynda found out that there have been cases of children going missing near those locations, especially Circus Baby. There were some children that never left their doors. To find this out, Lynda had to go as far as to find a homeless girl who had lost her brother, and the stories she told Lynda were quite worrying. It seemed that whenever a child disappeared, they became "un-personed." The few contacts they had would be silenced by various means, mostly bribes, and all records would be hastily removed. The girl told Lynda that she had to hide from mysterious men that would often come to her resting area to watch. It was crystal clear that children were going missing and that Fazbear Inc was behind this, but most people in Hurricane pretended like everything was fine a mass delusion…

Lynda would've brought this up to William if she thought she could trust him, but that sense was long gone. Even at Clara's burial, there was something strange about Will…His children were earnest in their grief, but he had something else that Lynda saw in his eyes and voice, something that reminded her far too much of guilt and shame, the same one she saw in Gron's eyes when he realized what he did in that restaurant…But why would he feel this if he had nothing to do with this? They knew how Clara died, but Gron's disappearance occurred on the very same day…It was too much to be a coincidence. Whatever plot was unfolding within the walls of the company, he was a part of it, too. And perhaps Gron's disappearance was linked with him trying to discover the truth and getting too far ahead…

Whatever the answers may be, Lynda knew she needed to learn more about this mysterious creature. When she arrived home, the woman began hastily writing all kinds of notes at her desk, trying to recreate the image of the mechanical creature as accurately as she could, judging from the strangers' words. One day she would have to venture out and seek this creature herself, no matter how dangerous it would be. And judging from what she knew, the golden phantom only lurked in places where few would go, especially at night. Where the outlaws abided…

"Mum?" She heard Charlie's concerned voice echo from behind, causing the woman to shake and turn around quickly. Her beloved boy, her innocent child who she dragged into this mess…William was right on one account; she should've spent more time with him. Charlie was a brave and independent boy, he could spend time alone or with friends to give Lynda some time, but she knew that nothing would replace parental love. "Are you alright? You seem very tired."

"I…I'm alright." She almost wanted to say that she just needed a few more days before she would be able to turn all attention toward him and reignite the warmth of their broken family…But that would be no different from what Gron did, and if she was gone, there would be no one for Charlie to fall back on. "And you?"

"I'm fine, had a hard day in school…" The boy sighed. "They give us a lot of homework, but I just finished it." Even someone as hard-working as him had his limits.

"You should go to bed; you need to rest before tomorrow's lessons."

"I don't want to," Charlie responded sternly, causing Lynda to pause for a moment. "Please, mum, I just want to understand…What are you doing? It doesn't have anything to do with your job, right? You went to Fredbear's…"

"I…Yes, I did, but it doesn't matter." Lynda shook her head. She was already putting herself in danger by trying to investigate this; endangering her son more than he already is would be akin to betrayal.

"But mum, I want to know. You said you hated that place; why do you come back to it? Is it because of Mr. Afton? What are you doing there…You speak badly of him, but…Why?" Charlie's voice began to weaken as Lynda saw him clench his fist; he wanted those answers…He needed them.

"Charlie, please, I will explain later, but I can't now. Go to bed and…"

"But I want to know!" He spoke loudly, causing Lynda to reflexively retort.

"I said go to bed, now!" The woman stood up from her chair and commanded angrily, but it did not last long. The moment she saw Charlie recoil in fear, Lynda let out a deep breath and realized that she was going too far. His desire was only natural, and whoever's fault all of this was, he didn't deserve to suffer. "I'm…I'm sorry, Charlie, I'm sorry…"

"It's alright…" The boy sighed and looked down in shame. "I didn't mean to pry."

"I shouldn't have reacted like this; I'm sorry," Lynda reassured him and sat at the table. "I…It's very important, and I'm getting nervous over it; I don't understand, and no one around me seems to even care; I…." A lone tear formed. Her eyes, at which point Charlie came to her and offered his mother a warm hug, soothing her nerves.

"It's alright, Mum. Please don't cry…" It was rare that her son would plead in such a calm, soft voice, yet there was something special about that moment…They really needed the spirit of joy and lightheartedness that Gron could bring.

"I just wish I knew…I just wish I knew what to do."

"Is it…Is it about Dad?" Charlie looked up with hope; he knew that Lynda didn't believe he was dead. "Do you think you can find him?" He wanted to believe, too.

"I'm trying."

"Did you find something? You are so busy, I was wondering if you did…" Charlie asked quietly, making Lynda go silent. She wasn't sure how to respond to this. He couldn't find out just yet…

"I am getting close to something, though I am not yet sure what it is."

"Can I help?"

"Charlie…"

"I want to help!" The boy spoke up. "I can't just sit here and do nothing while you're are so busy and dad…I don't know where he is, but he can't be dead!"

"You can do something." Lynda sighed.

"What?"

"Just give me a little more time to sort this out. I swear…I promise I will find him; I will not stop until I do."

"Will you bring him back?"

"Yes…I will."

She didn't fight for Gron hard enough while he was still here; now was the time to undo this mistake. Tomorrow will be another day for both her and Charlie…But eventually, she wanted to believe that there was the much-needed catharsis.

…

"Here it is, Mr. Afton! Welcome to our wondrous home…I am sure you will not be disappointed. Come meet the family; we are all in waiting."

It was a strange feeling that crawled on William's back as he entered the warehouse not far from the Fazbear Inc building, or at least the building that looked like it from the outside. Loud, boisterous country music and an array of dinner tables covered in white were certainly not something one would expect from a place like this.

The time when the family meets.

Or so Alison called it. He wanted to keep much of it a surprise from William, but the engineer deduced that this would inevitably have to be a gathering of allies and sponsors Alison had, of which there were many, likely from the criminal world of Utah. Fazbear Inc was, but the face of a much larger chain of operations, and William understood that very well. Of course, he was given no choice but to attend as the guest of honor. Will despised it; he wanted to be with his children. He never liked large social events, even when their target audience did not consist of criminals, but he needed to get something out of it. Alison knew William would watch and learn faces and names; he must have been confident in Will's absolute powerlessness if he was willing to show him something as private.

There were many people there, most gathered at their seats. They wore dark costumes with ties, rather intelligent and clean-looking; William was given a similar one before coming here. They discussed their matters quietly, paying little attention to their new guest, but some waved to Alison at first sight of their boss. They would whisper with interest when they noticed that Alison wasn't alone, but none displayed outright disrespect. From an outsider's viewpoint, this was no worse than a regular corporate party.

"Follow me, Mr. Afton." Alison put his hand on William's shoulder, causing the man to shiver from festering disgust, and pointed at the nearby free chair. It was between two people already in their places, an old man with grey hair and a brown costume and a young lady in a black dress and long, blonde hair. The two men went towards them, and Alison's wave was enough for them to take notice.

"Ah, Mr. Bairren!" The young woman smiled. "We've been waiting for you."

"Taking longer than usual today, Al, eh?" The old man chuckled before having his gaze slide towards William as the latter looked away so as to not display his clenched teeth. He was doing this for the safety of his children…All of this. "I think I see why…Anyway, welcome back."

"I'm glad to see you, Jason; it's been way too long." Alison shook his hand. "Thank you for sending over those viridium parts; they were impeccable!"

"Couldn't have them be anything less than that, could I?" Jason responded as Alison turned to the lady.

"As beautiful as ever, Angela…I assume your father could not come?"

"Alas, his illness still persists." Angela shook her head." We're all praying for his swift recovery…But as it stands, I am more than capable of representing the interest of our family; he prepared me for this."

"I have no doubt that you will excel, especially if Thomas trusts you." Alison smiled. "Now, I need to make some preparations before an announcement, and while I do that, there is a matter of our new guest…"

"Oh, I see." Angela smiled and looked at the engineer, trying to establish eye contact. "So this is the one you talked about? William Afton?"

"In the flesh!" Alison said with excitement. "He has a place here, so I would ask you to offer him the courtesy every newcomer should have…I would you the same, Mr. Afton. Turn around and greet your new colleagues."

"Greetings…How delightful." William sighed and looked at them. Was this the sense of awkward alienation when Chris felt when trying to communicate with his peers? William felt a similar sting, and he had no choice but to conform.

"Sit down, Mr. Afton, sit down; I'm sure you will not get bored…I will be with you all in a few minutes." Alison said before rushing off and leaving William alone with his 'colleagues.' The engineer took a seat, treading with care and allowing himself to take a deep breath. He should just act naturally…

"So, you're Alison's new 'pet,' eh?" Jason looked over at William with a smug smile. "And judging by the looks of you, it isn't exactly voluntary. Found out something you shouldn't have and had to sign a contract, right?"

"Did Alison not tell you any of this?" William wondered.

"He can be quite secretive at times…Likes surprises. We don't always meet eye to eye because of that."

"Or he simply decided to get me to do all of the hard work, including the talking." William sighed.

"Let's not get too hasty, shall we?" Angela joined in. "Let's tell more about ourselves first. I am Angela, and I'm here on behalf of my father, Victor Galloway. He has eyes and ears in every part of the state and beyond, connecting our businesses…With each other and the government. The illness is getting better of him, but I'm doing my best to continue his work."

"And I'm Jason Sterling." The old man said. "I wouldn't be surprised if you heard of me. I run a factory in West Valley City, giving Alison all the toys he needs…He should've moved over to our place like his father did, but he sees something in this little town of yours, and there is no convincing him."

"There is a certain charm here," Angela spoke up.

"No, it's a fucking shithole for all I care." Jason retorted before looking at William. "Come on, don't be shy; tell us how the hell you ended up here. I heard you're an engineer and work closely with the man. How does he treat my supplies? I hope your hands are good enough if he trusts you with them."

"Good enough." William raised his head. "I have worked in the industry of robotics for years, and I assume this is the only reason why Alison keeps me close. Were I not as useful, he would've killed me long ago."

"So it was a forceful contract?" Angela inquired.

"Yes…Now I am creating all of the animatronics and watching over their 'operations.'" William explained, thinking about Lily once again.

"So the new ones are all yours?" Jason wondered. "I've seen them earlier today…Impressive."

"And who are you protecting?" Angela continued.

"I…I have children, and I am not about to disclose their identities."

"Don't worry, I was simply a little curious." The woman shook her head before turning towards the small stage between the tables; Alison walked right towards it. "Ah, here he is…"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Alison's loud voice echoed from the stage, causing everyone to turn their gazes toward him. He walked in a rather posh manner, holding a glass of red wine in his hand. "Allow me to welcome each and every one of you to this rather pleasant gathering. I hope you've been enjoying yourselves with the food and all…But let's finally get to the matters at hand. First of all, I am glad to announce that the 'Capture a Child' project has been a resounding success!" Alison spoke with excitement that made William clench his fist once again. "Their younger souls are far more durable. Indeed, the experimentation process goes faster with them. The targets I pick are impeccable, and their demise is quickly covered. We didn't have a single failure so far. And much of this is thanks to my new employee…" Alison looked at William. "Would you not introduce yourself to the table, Mr. Afton?" All of those people were looking at him, like an audience staring at some circus freak waiting for a performance; all he could do was say as little as possible in an attempt to remain dignified. The engineer took a deep breath.

"I am William Afton, and the animatronics you might have seen in Alison's new restaurants are my creations. I brought their designs and capabilities, secret or not, to life." He explained. "That's all that truly matters."

"How humble of you, Mr. Afton." Alison shook his head. "But I would use words more colorful than his. Mr. Afton is an operator…No, a harvester. A harvester of bodies and souls that allow us to forge ahead towards the main discovery." Alison smiled triumphantly and raised the glass. "Let us drink for the cause. To immortality and beyond!"

All of them raised their glasses in a toast with proud smiles on their faces. Did those people not care about the lives they were taking in the process, about the children that have to die and then suffer for this selfish desire? William truly was among the worst hive of scum and villainy, made worse by the fact that he was one of them. Maybe they had people to protect, too; maybe they grew too enthusiastic.

"A shame my father dearest isn't here to see it." Alison looked down, trying to hide his eyes from others; William wondered what emotions would be going through his mind. "To be taken by a ravaging illness that brought him immense pain, all while none of us could do anything…Horrible, absolutely horrible. I wish we weren't as powerless and he was still with us to witness this success, but…" Alison took a deep breath before looking up; William noticed his clenched teeth. "Need I remind you how much doubt there was on his part when it came to me? How would he always say that I was never going to bring our family business to a new level? How would I always hold back? Well, well, father…Would you look at me now? At all of us…We are doing better than ever before, and so this is a cause to celebrate!" Alison raised his hands, giving a signal to a few of the working men behind him. In the next instant, they put out a banner with two faces on it, Fredbear and Spring Bonnie, the first mascots to ever be made, the ones that began the franchise. "Fazbear Inc is the new face of our business, rising up from its ashes for generations to come! And tell me, my friends, shouldn't we all be proud of our accomplishments? Should we not look to our future with confidence and certainty. I say…Our work is just beginning."

William felt as if he was in a trance, sitting there in silence and watching as people laughed and talked, inspired by Alison's speech…He was the proudest, of course, bragging before his peers and mentioning the future that would eventually come, no doubt. How shameless and arrogant it was akin to being imprisoned amidst a nightmarish cabal. William tried to stay away from the crowd and think about them…

Elizabeth, Chris, Mike.

They were at the house, waiting for him. They might have felt lonely without him, wondered what happened to their father and why he did not spend time with them…But they did not know the truth of the town they lived in, of the nightmarish deeds William now did, of the children that were lost…This reminded Will he still needed to talk to Chris about Lily. There needed to be a convincing cover-up for her disappearance, and it will no doubt pain him a lot, but perhaps it was for the better and would have his son talk to other kids, perhaps find more friends…William cut off the thought as he realized that he was in the middle of trying to justify the murder of a child.

"Mr. Afton, a moment, if I may." Alison's voice echoed from behind William as he approached the engineer in a place further away from the crowd.

"What do you want?" William crossed his hand. "If it's about the lackluster speech I gave, I'm sure you understand that…"

"I was simply wondering what you think of the atmosphere. I have tried to make it as comfortable for everyone as possible…"

"Not my type of event."

"A shame. Haven't you always told your little son to get out of his shell? What happened to practicing what you preach."

"I don't force my son to spend his time with criminals."

"So you admit that you two don't spend time together?" Alison chuckled; he knew where to hit.

"You always resort to those lowly insults when you want to push me into submission…And that means you want something from me."

"Huh…Observant, Mr. Afton, quite observant." Alison came closer. "My spies have caught a trace of our elusive friend once again; they will try to apprehend him tomorrow."

"And what does this have to do with me?" William said, pretending not to care.

"I want you to lead the charge this time."

"You want me to hunt for Gron?" The engineer recoiled. Alison wouldn't leave his friend alone; he needed the only threat to his plan caught and destroyed. Gron was doing well in his attempts to hide, but there was only so much time during which he could keep it up.

"It's 'Lockjaw,' Mr. Afton, and yes, that is precisely what I want you to do. He has proven to be a strong and elusive one, a far cry from the psychologically-broken pest that he was before merging with Frankburt…Perhaps you will be able to convince him as a former friend?"

"We didn't end on a good note, so that would be pointless."

"How unlike you, Mr. Afton, to give up on something before even giving it a try." Alison shook his head. "But either way…I will tell you about the arrangement after we are done here."

Of course, it always had to be like this.

The choice was an illusion.