None of this was fair.
A few days passed after Mike heard Chris's nonsense story about his friend being abducted, but he still couldn't let it get out of his head. Even the sheer thought made his blood boil…From what he learned from his father, that girl ran off from the restaurant, and none had seen her ever since, and there would be a search party coming soon. This seemed a little coincidental, but at least it wasn't as idiotic as what Chris told him.
That boy's imagination was his undoing…Mike hated it. Hated that he had to babysit a child who refused to grow any backbone of his own, who would always disturb Mike's sleep and talk about monsters under his bed, how he would whine and not want to go anywhere dark, how he would take even the mildest joke close to his heart…And complain, complaint, endlessly complain! Mike tolerated his 'quirks' when Chris was younger, and his parents actually spent time with their children; now, it was all on him, and Mike despised it.
His brother was a pathetic coward, and he was done with accommodating him. Mike would have to stay with Chris so that he doesn't get too scared; this would end up being a detriment to spending time with his friends. Well, if he couldn't deal with being left alone, he'll have to deal with being by Mike's side in places he hated so much. He would not accept no for an answer when he told Chris that they were going to "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza" and that if the boy would as much as complain once, he would see utter hell from Mike.
When they approached the doors of the restaurant, Mike could already see his friends sitting at one of the tables not far away from the stage. Three teenage boys with their masks of Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica lying on the table. Mike brought their own Foxy mask, too; it was somewhat of a tradition and inside joke among the quartet when they visited Fazbear establishments, leftovers from a masquerade they got them for; those distinct masks made them a 'gang,' so to speak. The animatronics were there, as well; the wondrous trio looked over their guests and sang their song in a band, as it was always meant to be.
"Look, Freddy!" Chica exclaimed in her playful voice. "Look how many quests we have! They really want to hear us sing. Are you ready?"
"Of course, anytime, I've been preparing this performance for months, and I will deliver!"
Those were the things that Chris was terrified of…Just robots with goofy voices and movement. All other children seemed to be fine with them; why did he have to get one that was messed in his head when it came to those machines?
"Can I…Wait outside?" Chris's quiet voice rang from behind Mike, making the teen look around. He saw genuine fear in Chris's eyes as one of his hands began to shake. For a moment, Mike wondered if he should just take him back home…No, he wanted to spend time with his friends, even if Chris would whine about it later on.
"And how the hell am I going to look after you? Your fault if you're still not independent enough for the father to trust you."
"I don't want to go…"
"And I do not care." Mike scoffed and grabbed Chris's hand, pushing him into the restaurant. "You may stay in the corner away from the animatronics for all I care, just don't leave the place so I can look at you occasionally. Understand?"
"I…"
"I am not going to argue it."
Chris nodded submissively and looked to the floor, unwilling to raise his eyes at all. He would probably start crying in a few minutes; Mike didn't want to listen to this any longer. Instead, after ensuring that Chris won't try to leave, Mike strolled through the halls of "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza," the new and perhaps most beloved restaurant which housed the original trio of characters and their close friend, Foxy. Always crowded, a place where the fantasies of children and adults truly come to life. And amidst this bustling life, his three friends patiently waited for Mike. When one of them, a boy with white skin and green eyes who talked the most, noticed Mike, he was quick to wave.
"Oh, look who's here! Long time no see." He smiled and moved away to allow a place for Mike.
"Not long enough to see you finally shut up about your endless stories, it seems," Mike said jokingly, receiving a wave of laughter from the three men. "At least you're in a good mood, Blake."
"I always am." He responded with pride. "I'm always optimistic and with good reason…Leave the sulking to the likes of Jim." He chuckled, looking at the boy in a red shirt with a Bonnie mask lying beside him.
"Excuse me, I am simply a realist." He retorted pedantically. "That, and I don't have it in me to listen to how you tried yet another type of beer."
"Hey, look on the bright side." The dark-skinned boy, it's a blue shirt responded. "At least he knows how to make us laugh."
"See, Lamar, gets it," Blake added confidently. "That and it's not like you two are very original with stuff you like to discuss…But maybe Mike can bring some novelty?"
"Nah, I don't want to distract you." Mike shook his head and sat on the chair; he couldn't let go of his anger just yet. He still had to watch over this crybaby, and his presence was enough to sour Michael's mood…Perhaps he just needed time. "So, what was that about beer again?"
"Oh, you missed that part; I'm actually onto something more fun now." Blake chuckled. "So, what I said about that guy…"
"You got into a bar fight." Jim said. "Somehow, I'm unsurprised."
"That retard wouldn't back off, so you know what I did?" Blake's voice brimmed with pride. "Gave him a good beating, that's why. Ran off like a pissy cunt after being punched in the face a couple of times."
"Have you considered not getting into this kind of crap?" Jim raised an eyebrow.
"And where's the fun in that?" Blake said before looking at Lamar. "And that's what I'm telling you, if you really want to woo Jane, you gotta start following my example!" Blake said, causing Lamar to look at him with puzzled eyes.
"And…Beat her up? What?"
"What? No, dumbass, being confident! Chicks are into that; I remember when I fought that fuck, a couple of girls were watching, and they were impressed!"
"How do you know?"
"They smiled and giggled."
"You know they sometimes do that if they see some retarded shit…"
"I think Blake has a point," Jim spoke up. "He sometimes takes it to extremes, though. I wouldn't have gotten that far with Marla if…"
"Oh, look, the expert is here to teach us."
"You're a bit too spiky today, Blake. What I'm trying to say is just be mature."
"I mean, we are literally going to a kid-oriented restaurant, sometimes even with the masks of the mascots. We kinda missed the whole maturity mark."
This made Mike chuckle. Yes, there was something childish in their behavior; there was no point denying that…But this was still nothing compared to his brother. He found his thoughts circling back to Chris and the bottled-up anger he felt toward his sibling. It festered horribly so, and he needed a release.
"And you, Mike?" Blake looked at him. "You're awfully quiet today; anything wrong?"
"Not really, just…" Mike sighed as he looked towards Chris, carefully trudging through the restaurant as if this was some kind of minefield. "Family issues."
"Really?" Lamar wondered. "I thought you had it quite well…I mean, your father is practically the second person in a restaurant chain that put all of Hurricane on edge." He spoke up, and Jim continued.
"That also probably means he's very busy."
"Uh-hum." Mike nodded. "Comes back late, leaves early, doesn't often talk to us. He's been like that since Mother died."
"He's probably still grieving," Jim said.
"And do you think I don't?!" Mike responded in a rather jumpy manner before calming himself down. "Sorry, I'm a little on edge…Father always focuses on his work, and that leaves me, my brother, and my sister, to look after." Mike clenched his fist. "Liz is independent enough, but Chris…He's two years older than her and still acts like a baby."
"Wasn't that the one who'd piss himself any time he saw an animatronic?" Blake chuckled. "Dude, that sucks."
Meanwhile, Mike would still watch Chris walk around the restaurant, eventually passing by the purple curtains of the pirate cove. As he was too close, they opened, unveiling Mike's favorite character from the show, captain Foxy.
"Yarr, who comes for my booty?" The sudden surge of a robotic voice made Chris jump as he clutched his Fredbear toy; Mike could also hear a quiet whimper. "Ah, ain't cha one of Freddy's friends?" This caused Chris to hastily retreat to the nearby wall, still shaking. How pathetic…
"Here he is." Mike sighed, pointing at his brother. "Always such a coward thinks the animatronics are going to kill him or something, always coming up with the most retarded stories…You should've heard him talk about the monsters under his bed all the fucking time."
"You sound really angry," Jim noted suspiciously.
"That's because I am!" Mike raised his voice again. "He doesn't respect the time I've put into him all those months; he can't allow me some time of relief and solitude because of him being such a weak-willed kid…His tenth birthday coming soon, and he still runs away from his own shadow!"
"Damn…" Lamar sighed. "I think I see why you're so pissed."
"Have you thought about 'training him'?" Blake wondered with a chuckle.
"What?" Mike wondered.
"Well…He's scared of the animatronics, right? If he whines so much about monsters under his bed, you could prank him and play the role of one…Would be hilarious."
"Hm, I don't know if I should bother…"
"I'd be fun, I promise you!" Blake reassured Mike. "Actually, you know what, while we're all here, let's do a little test run. That baby's gonna have to grow into an adult one day or another; we can prepare him for actual life so that maybe he doesn't have a meltdown every other hour." The smiling teenager turned to his friends. "Anyone with me?"
"Hm…" Jim pondered. "Honestly, I always found kids annoying, those spoiled brats, so let's have some fun."
"Don't know if it's a good idea…" Lamar sighed. "But if you two are doing it, I guess."
"And you, Mike?"
"Eh…Fine, why not do your thing, and I'll watch."
"Oh, this is going to be fun." Blake smiled as he put on his Freddy mask, Jim and Lamar followed his example. When their faces were that of the "trio," they made their way towards the unsuspecting boy with Michael following them. As they approached closer, Mike heard Chris whisper something as he looked at his Fredbear plush.
"What do you mean he's not that scary? He is…"
"Boo!" Blake's loud voice pierced the boy's ears, causing Chris to jump and turn around. It must have been scary enough for him, but the moment he realized that he had an animatronic mask on, this made his eyes widened in terror. "Sup, loser."
"W…Who are you…" Chris's lips quivered as he noticed two more boys, this time in Bonnie and Chica masks, approach him from the sides.
"Why are you asking?" Blake chuckled. "Don't you see, we're your best friends, Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica! We've come to make your life just a little bit more fun…" He enjoyed it, perhaps far too much.
"Please…Can you just go? I won't disturb you; I just…" Chris pleaded as tears began to form in his eyes, a common sight for Mike.
"Damn…" Lamar shook his head. "He really is kind of a baby, isn't he?" He shrugged before approaching Chris. "Like, seriously, what are you scared of? Are our masks? Bro, those are just some dumb animals; who cares?"
"No, you don't understand…You don't know what they can do!"
"Like what?" Blake said with an arrogant smirk emerging on his face. "Are you playing the victim here, or are you that obtuse?"
"It's…I can't explain…" He began breathing heavily.
"Probably his imagination," Jim said. "I saw some people like him, the dreaming types. Probably thinks that they will turn into some monsters with claws and eat him or rip their skin apart…Hmm, maybe it's about those metal things inside them? Afraid of endoskeletons?"
"Please, stop!" Chris closed his eyes and put his hands to his ears. "Please, leave me alone…"
"No, no, how can we when it's so fun?" Blake laughed. "Look at me, bitch boy, look at me, and stop being a coward!" Chris had no choice but to rest his eyes as tears fell down his cheeks; he was cornered with the three teens chuckling at his cowardly nature, Blake most of all. Mike wasn't sure if he wanted to join them, but there was some odd sense of satisfaction in it. He was the arrogant child who expected everyone to pamper him, and he manipulated everyone around him through tears. This wouldn't work on Mike and his three friends.
"M…Mike?" Chris looked up, noticing his older brother standing behind and watching. "Help, please tell them to stop!" His voice sounded so weak, so desperate, Chris could barely stand at all; the boy fell to his knees; he was weeping at this point as the three shadows loomed over him.
"This is sad." Jim shook his head. "He'll see a rabbit in the wild and cry because it reminds him of Bonnie or something."
"Wow, I did not expect it to be this bad. And you live with this fuck every day?" Blake shook his head dismissively and looked at Michael.
There was a quick urge in the teen to tell them to stop and intervene; he knew this was cruel. He could deal with Chris himself; maybe getting his friends to participate in this was overkill. He was just a child. After all, he would learn his lesson eventually…But then Mike remembered the story Chris told him, an absolute fiesta of nonsense as he always did, wanted Mike to believe his delusions. He had to have quite a gall for this…
"Sorry, you brought it on yourself," Mike spoke coldly before turning around. "Teach him a lesson, guys…I have to admit, it is quite fun."
He lied; it wasn't fun, not truly. In fact, this made Mike go even more bitter and think about his brother and how much Chris annoyed him. And he deserved to be taught a lesson.
…
When the night has fallen, the time has come for William to set out.
He had the most important of missions, the thought of which was enough to force endless waves of painful memories upon him. Some of them would be warm enough to make him smile, and those were the most painful ones. The ones before he knew the name of Fazbear Inc and Alison Bairren before his fate was tied to them forced William to give up everything he once cherished.
Now he had an opportunity to look those fears and memories in the face. Just like the fateful day when Clara died, and Lockjaw was born…Gron's eyes are full of fear as he couldn't believe that he was alive; William never saw him since. He knew only what Alison's spies gathered, a Hurricane legend known by the name of Lockjaw, Alison's greatest failure.
William's boss would pretend like this was a mild inconvenience, but it was impossible to hide his anger. The Frankburt suit was Alison's most important asset, and now it wasn't just lost; it was tainted. All by someone who, in Alison's eyes, was nothing more than a court jester. Neither Will nor Alison could be certain about what Lockjaw truly was. Was it still Gron, reborn as an animatronic suit, or was his mind twisted beyond any recognition? He might find soon enough…
"Here's the place…" William whispered as he opened the door of a small, abandoned warehouse at the edge of the town, clinging to the firearm in his hand. What he saw before himself was pure darkness, the pitch-black hall with only a few dim lights that shone from above from time to time.
"This is Lockjaw's hideout?" Another quiet voice echoed from behind, causing William to nod. He had four soldiers from Alison's guard following him, ready to fire at anything that moved. Everyone would feel terrified if they saw five armed men marching down the streets, but in a setting like this, it was William that felt the blood chill in his veins. He requested a bigger squad, but Alison refused for the same reason he never unveiled the truth about Lockjaw to anyone, even to most of his partners. It would attract too much attention, and he needed to deal with Gron before he could bring the truth of Fazbear Inc to light.
And now they were amidst this forsaken place, their hearts consumed by dreadful anticipation; they knew that something was here; something was watching their every step. As soon as William stepped into the central hall, he heard a distant echo of metal scrapping the floor. It was so swift yet so distinct, there could be no mistake about its nature…
"What was that?" One of the men raised a flashlight, trying to shine toward the place from which the threat came, but he saw nothing but a few rusty rods lying by the wall. "The bastard…"
"Maybe we should spread out?" Another one suggested.
"And have him kill us one by one? No, that's madness." The third man shook his head.
"He's right." William nodded. "We should stay close…I will go ahead."
"Need I remind you, you're the only one here who hasn't gone through appropriate training…You shouldn't lead us."
"Maybe, but I have gone through something else…" William took a deep breath, thinking about Gron's tears, of how his hands shook when he was unable to force himself to shoot his friend and chose to die instead. Perhaps, he will make the same choice again. There was no good outcome for William as he stepped through the door; he knew that. At least this was an opportunity to keep the last dregs of his own honor and loyalty to the people he cares for… "Let's go."
William and four men walked into the hall, stepping across the grey, rusty floor, not letting out a single sound. It got darker with every second and every step they took; many would feel the need to pray in a situation as nightmarish as this. Was he waiting to lure them into his trap? Was he watching right now? Did he have any doubts, or was he already a ruthless killing machine that is fueled by nothing but vengeance? So many thoughts that would take away Will's focus, so few answers…
He saw something lurking in the shadows, a small bleak that danced amidst the darkness before retreating further. One of the soldiers was about to open fire but decided against it. He must have understood the repercussions of revealing their position to the monster in case he wasn't aware yet. William heard another echo that would sometimes emerge amidst the sounds of their own steps. Slow, metallic ones, getting closer and further with every second, it was impossible to pinpoint the foe's position.
William scoured over their surroundings, feeling his hands beginning to shake. One wrong move and he will be at the monster's mercy, and there was definitely a monster; William had no doubt about that. All they could do was to convince Lockjaw that they weren't aware of his presence just yet and strike at the moment it would be most convenient.
But what could they do when the animatronic had them at such a disadvantage? This was William's last thought before he saw a pair of grey eyes right before him.
Moments after, the creature moved back into the darkness yet again; before William could even speak, he heard another metallic sound.
"He's here!" One of the men shouted as he turned around, but he had no time to unleash any fire. The iron chain that Lockjaw tossed at the enemy caused him to let out a momentary groan before dropping the gun and getting snatched into the darkness.
"Open fire!" Another commanded, with the remaining four shooters finally attacking. William heard some bullets deflecting, but soon this sound was dimmed by an overwhelming scream.
"AAARGH!" It was quick enough, eventually becoming a faint breathing turned silent. Lockjaw must have left the poor man no opportunity to even see the face of his killer.
Another man was quick to turn his flashlight on and point it at the creature, allowing them to get a momentary glimpse. A rusty, rotten metal carcass of a man in a fedora with a faintly-distinct golden tint…But nothing was as horrifying as his human eyes. William could only them for a moment before Lockjaw ran off.
"Find him, now!"
But he wasn't escaping, just choosing the next spot to attack; William was still shocked by how quick he was for an animatronic. This suit was far more advanced than any in the restaurants, even the 'Funtime' models. Another shooter screeched in pain, causing others to turn. A metal hand pierced his back and now clung to his internal organs, causing immense pain. One of the remaining fighters opened fire again, bullets piercing the neck and stomach of his comrade, finally ending his misery. Some of the bullets hit Lockjaw's hand, causing him to pull it out and retreat. This could've been a moment of momentary relief if William's heart wasn't already beating twice as hard as it usually did. The two comrades that still stood must have felt the same, especially looking at the disfigured body lying before them. And then they heard him.
"I cannot feel pain…You can do nothing."
The broken, methodical voice still reminded William of Gron, even if the semblance was fleeting, almost phantom. It was as if a broken, old recorder attempted to copy Gron's voice, unable to break free from countless modifiers and distorters.
"You…You have nowhere to run!" One of the shooters let out.
"Run? No…I am not running."
Moments after those words, the metallic steps became louder, each of them was directed toward the two shooters, and the bullets they sent into the darkness were absolutely powerless. Like an enraged primate, Lockjaw leaped at the nearest soldier and pinned him to the ground. With a quick push, he broke the man's hands immediately, sending him into a convulsion of agony. It was short-lived. However, the next thing Lockjaw broke was his neck.
"Take that, freak!" The final soldier screamed before taking out a minor grenade and tossing it right at Lockjaw. The animatronics was caught by surprise as the explosion pushed him aside. William could hear Lockjaw let out a scream of fury as the grenade damaged his carcass and forced him to fall. For the first time, the animatronic was weakened. The last remaining shooter had already reached out for another grenade, and he would've been quick enough to disable the carcass altogether…
But he never got to it. A single bullet that William fired through his chest was enough; he couldn't even turn around as he fell to the ground into a puddle of his own blood. The soldier must have realized in his last moments that he was betrayed; the flinching and rage in his eyes suggested that much. William was surprisingly content with this as he put his weapon down…This wasn't his first betrayal, and this was far from the most horrible; his soul was poisoned far too much to have any regrets.
Now it was just the two of them.
Lockjaw stood up, carefully surveying his surroundings; when he was ready, he finally focused on William, staring at his old friend with his ravenous eyes.
"Gron…" William reached out, only for Lockjaw to charge toward him in a fit of rage; the lone man couldn't react. Moments later, the animatronic pushed him to a wall and clenched William's neck, causing him to cough as he struggled to breathe. William felt the dirt and fresh blood dripping on his skin from Lockjaw's hand as the animatronic peered into his soul. Those were the eyes of a merciless predator with whom there could be no agreement or negotiation, the one that became a machine. Every moment could become William's last; he was at Gron's mercy once more, only this time, there was no fear in his old friend's eyes.
"Will…" The robotic voice echoed in William's head, giving him a shred of hope that his friend was still there, still maintaining a part of his old self.
"Yes…It's me…"
"You helped me," Gron responded coldly, looking at the nearby corpse. "But he sent you here…"
"It doesn't mean…I am going to go…Against you…" William coughed again. "Please, Gron…Release me…"
Finally, he could feel the metal grip weakening around him as he slowly let William go. The man took as much air as possible when he was on the ground, letting out a few extremely loud gasps as the imposing animatronic overshadowed him still.
"I heard they know to call me a different name at Fazbear Inc," Gron said with disgust; all of his usual warmth and lightheartedness was purged from his soul in an instant. "Lockjaw."
"I don't care what they call you…" William finally stood up and looked into his friend's eyes. "I know who you really are."
"Yet you are still scared," Gron responded, catching William off-guard for a moment.
"I…Yes, I am. And I have a good reason. But I also have good reason to trust you and your fight…"
"So, did he send you here?"
"Yes…I worked for him all this time; I had no choice…."
"I'm sorry about Clara." For the first time, William could hear a glint of emotion in Gron's voice.
"It was my fault…And if I step out of line again, he will harm my children. And I will not let anything stand in the way of their future, nothing…"
"How many, Will?" Gron spoke coldly, making William look up in surprise.
"What?"
"I know what you are doing there; I know children were missing. So, tell me, how many?" He spoke in a stark voice, and Will knew he wouldn't stop before getting an answer.
"Thirteen…Thirteen." William spoke through his clenched teeth, realizing that thirteen young lives were ended because of his work and Alison's machinations, thirteen futures that he destroyed to save just three.
"Now you see what I was talking about. I rebelled against them, and you submitted…And who is the bigger murderer now?"
"I am not here to argue, Gron," William responded sternly. "I helped you because I wanted to and because no one has to know…Alison would hear about you killing everyone before retreating, as far I am concerned…We never talked."
"Good. And thank you." Lockjaw nodded before turning towards his own hand.
"How does it feel to be one of them?"
"Terrifying…At first. I felt nothing, I didn't know how to explain it, I didn't know if I was somehow alive or dragged into hell…But then it became sweet. I felt no pain and this body…Oh, it has no limits. This is not just an animatronic, Will; this was created to be a proper body; I feel it! And when I gathered my senses, I knew what I must do next. Destroy Fazbear Inc at any const, and I have an idea of how."
"How?"
"Huh…" Gron turned towards him. "You are one of them, Will, and I cannot tell you this."
"Don't you trust me?"
"Not enough." Gron undercut him. "You value your children as I do mine…I know this feeling well enough. If you know, Alison will find out. You will tell him if it means saving your children."
"I…Yes, I will. I see your point, then…"
"Then there is nothing left to do." Lockjaw turned around. "My work is never done, and I do not intend to stop."
"Gron, it's been two years since we've seen each other. Don't you even want to talk?"
"No."
"Those years really changed you…"
"Being in this suit changed me. It would change anyone." Gron responded. "I just want to be free…For everyone to be free. Then we can talk. Goodbye, Will…I hope we will meet again." Gron was about to retreat to the shadows, but not before William said his final words.
"Lynda is looking for you, Gron. Nothing will throw her off the search."
The animatronic paused after hearing him, but only for a brief moment. In the next instant, he was gone.