The discovery Charles and Cody made while reviewing security footage left both of them in shock and with far too many unanswered questions. Their eyes did not lie; this being was not human. Too strong, too rapid, even the momentary glimpses of it gave a clear enough picture. And it was rather obvious that this was what took Jacob Mann and likely all those who went missing previously.

There were no further clues for now and not that many sources to go by. Charlie has gotten the furthest when it came to this case. Owens and his other superiors wouldn't be happy if they realized he was poking his nose into it, so asking them for help was not an option. But Charlie felt the need to share it with someone, and there was only one person that came to mind, the one he met very recently. He called Elizabeth, proposing to meet for a walk in the park. He was planning to tell her the news as soon as possible, but Elizabeth's excited agreement put Charlie off that. She assumed he simply wanted to spend time with her; she must have felt that it would help her alleviate her loneliness…And for some reason, Charlie found this thought endearing. So much so that he indulged his curiosity and decided to see how this meeting would go. She was a very pleasant person to talk to, so much so that he even felt the temptation to put his job on the back burner, something he hadn't felt in a long while. Something that he shouldn't have felt after the revelation…

"I love listening to birds sing…It can be really lovely around here," Elizabeth commented as she looked around the small, lush park where the two of them met. There were very few other people there. The duo was left to themselves to enjoy the shade that was rarely found anywhere else in Hurricane and the echoes of singing.

"I don't come here that often, but maybe I should." Charlie wondered. "At least it's not as hot, easy to concentrate."

"Yeah…" Elizabeth sighed as she graced the garden with another thorough look. "I learned to concentrate at home, as hard as it was, almost forgot how it feels to just…Breathe, I guess."

"Why didn't you come here more often?"

"It's…I've been here when I was a child, both with school and my family. It was a popular place for picnics back in the day; father and mother even found a perfect spot under the shade of that…Hm, no, not that tree. I think it's not visible from here, but there is a very tall one not far." Elizabeth explained with a fainting smile on her face. Charlie saw that as much as she wanted to submerge herself in nostalgia, she could not do it without invoking painful memories. Charles had the same issue a few years ago. He knew that there was no simple way around it. The pain was inevitable, and the sooner one could learn to get accustomed to it, the better. He knew it wasn't easy and could hardly blame the young woman for having trouble with it.

"I've been here too, with father…He loved this park. All other places with abundance have nature in them, too. He would always try to cheer me and mother up." Charlie chuckled, visualizing Gron's contagious smile as he danced and entertained his family. "And you know, Mother and I could be quite moody at times. It made it even more impressive!"

"And how does it make you feel? To look at this park, imagine that you were here with your parents once. Before they left…Gone missing, I mean."

"Are you wondering if I am hurt by those memories? A little, I guess…They just became so common that I try not to care."

"Oh, I can relate." Elizabeth sighed. "They always come when you least expect them, when you thought you finally focused on something else, and then…Yeah, they just ruin your day." She explained with sadness and rising anger in her voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to whine."

"No, no, it's alright. I rarely get a chance to talk about stuff like that on my job, so…Thank you for being so kind and non-judgmental."

"Oh, you flatter me."

"No, seriously! I suffer from the same problems you do. I suppose all that is helping is me putting as much energy as possible into discovering the truth."

"Ah, yes, the case," Elizabeth spoke in a far more intrigued tone. "Any news on it."

"Yes, actually," Charlie admitted. "It was one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. I wonder what you'll think about it."

"Me, really?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "I mean, sure, but I have zero detective skills."

"You said you wanted to be a psychologist, that requires its own detective skills…I'm sorry that I can't show the recording just yet, but I got a glimpse at Jacob Mann's abductor."

"Really? Who was it?"

"A better question would be, what was it." Charlie sighed.

"What do you mean."

"What we saw wasn't a human, too large, too strong, could climb walls and destroy cameras with its bare hands. Also had this strange red light emerge around it…"

"What?!" The woman had her mouth wide open and listened attentively. "Did you see anything else?"

"It was too dark; it was only its giant hand and a split second when it jumped into the darkness while carrying a struggling Mann on its back."

"Jesus…And it didn't get hurt from this high of a jump?"

"Not that we could see. I doubt it would've made it if it expected to be hurt."

"I…Don't know what to say. I heard some rumors about paranormal beings, but…"

"See, it reminded me of something." Charles got to the point. "Paranormal is one thing, but there was a confirmed case of something similar when we were still kids and the pizzerias were open. You know, the endoskeleton that took your brother's skin and…" Charlie noticed Elizabeth shivering and realized that his direct nature wasn't always bliss. "Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"It's alright." She sighed and looked to the ground. "I remember watching the news about it back then…They called it Ennard. Do you think it's back?"

"I am not sure if it's Ennard, but definitely something similar…Possibly an animatronic, and we both know what that means." He said grimly. "I told Cody to scour the data on Fazbear Inc. and everything about their past. It might take a while, but I have faith in him. So what I wanted to ask is…Do you think that there is any merit to it? Some have told me that I'm getting paranoid with my investigation, even Cody did sometimes."

"I…I haven't seen the footage. I can't tell much." Lizzy shrugged.

"Yes, that's true, I should've…"

"But I have something to tell. I have a lead for you." Those firm words made Charles look up with impatience and intrigue. "When we talked last time, I had a sense that I forgot something but couldn't quite put my mind to it, but I think I can now. So, remember how I said I work in a club? It's called "Royal". I have an eye for some regulars, and there is one who I overheard talking about certain grievances with his past job once while he was drunk…He mentioned Alison and Fazbear Inc. I shrugged it off back then, tried not to think about anything of this sort whatsoever, but now it is important." Elizabeth laid out all the cards on the table, making Charles's heart jump in excitement. "Sorry for taking time with it, but…"

"No, no, don't be. This is exactly what I need." Perhaps now, he will finally be able to act instead of simply waiting. "Can you help me with it? Whoever this man is, I would like to speak with him."

"Of course…Anything you need."

…

"Your brother is kind of a baby, isn't he?"

"It's hilarious!"

No, no…Jim's prayers and life near a sanctuary shielded him from those terrifying nightmares for a long time now, but now that he was away, they returned. It was a common occurrence for him to see the flashes of that day, the day that defined his life, and the memories of which will never stop haunting them. He saw himself, Mike, Blake, and Lamar, all of them entranced in a burst of cruel, malicious laughter, forcing a little boy to cry and drown in endless humiliation.

"Please, let me go!"

"You heard the little man! He wants to get even closer!"

They dragged him down to the animatronic as he screamed and begged. How could they be so cruel? How could he be so cruel as to erode this vicious laughter? Jim and his friends lost their humanity with every passing moment. Their laughter grew all the more horrifying and demonic. Their bodies began to morph, their eyes lost color, and their skin melted as four deformed creatures forced a young, innocent child into their jaws.

One bite.

He began to deform, as well; his body melted and extended as he took the form of a monstrous machine made of wires and chaotic rage. No jaw could bind it any longer.

And it was ready to hunt its victims.

…

"Hello…"

"Oh, Jim, finally! I was already preparing to call you first. Remember I told you that we're doing the Fazbear Fright setup this evening?"

"Yes…"

"You coming?"

"No."

"What? Why?"

"I had some time to think and…I'm sorry, Blake, but I don't want to take any part in this."

"But you told me…"

"I know, I wanted to help you, but trying to rebuild this after all that happened to it…After what we did in that pizzeria's walls, it feels wrong. I hoped to rationalize it at first, but the truth is, it simply is wrong."

"God…I should've expected you to start whining sooner or later. I already had something prepared for you…"

"I'll stay here for some time in case you need any urgent help, but I'd rather you keep me out of this, Blake."

"You know what, fine! If you want to fuck off and miss out on an actual opportunity because you're too scared of the past, go for it!"

"Blake…"

"This fucking cult changed you, Jim, you were never such a coward before. But if that's what you are now, fine…I don't need you by my side at all!"