Mable: Sorry this took so long! Enjoy!
Rated a strong T for Mike's potty mouth. XD


The Broken Circus

Chapter 16: Stepping into the Snare

John made a run for it. He squeezed past the plated-faced fox and ran as fast as he could down the tables and to the stage. He looked around frantically for a door or a hatch, but there was nothing. The room stopped there.

The only thing on the stage was a small box with some designs on the top. Though John couldn't get a good look at it before the lights started flickering faster.

He looked between the step of the stage and the tables and seeing that the fox still had its back to him, he quietly slid underneath the table.

The lights went out and the heavy footsteps tore across the room before there was a heavy bang against the side of the table. When the lights came on, John found the fox pressed up against the side of the table. As though it had run straight into it. A quick look over the table showed it half bent over. A second more and it would've leaned over and grabbed him.

John knew he was in serious trouble.

"John?!" Jessica called in. She and Sammy had been listening at the door. She could hear scuffling and something thumping around. "There's something in there with him!" she said with worry.

Sammy was just as worried. He could hear it more clearly and had gotten a semi-reading on the build of the bot, and it wasn't good. They had to get in or he had to get out fast, but there was no way to do so.

Security doors were impossible for him to unlock the way he did normal doors. If he focused hard enough, he could usually, eventually teleport to the direct other side, but that sound in the restaurant made it so he could barely keep himself up, let alone use any powers that demanded more energy. He had a suspicion when they walked in that it was purposefully implemented to put him out of commission. This proved that this whole thing was a trap.

Which meant maybe the signal hadn't been Charlie at all…

The Puppet didn't say anything but gave a frightened twang and rattle. Jessica understood it regardless.

"There's got to be another way in," Jessica said. She hooked an arm around Sammy and started to lug him along. "Let's go!"

While the two started looking around the hall for another way in, John was back on his feet trying to figure out where to hide. With the lights flickering again he quickly realized that the only chance he had was to get far enough away that the fox couldn't reach him before the lights went out. He bolted back to the security door and fit himself into the corner, facing it and bracing himself.

The lights went out and the footsteps raced towards him. He only had a second to recognize that they had gotten faster before a weight hit him in the back. He barely ducked before the fox's split and broken face could slam into the back of his head. As the lights came on, he shoved himself out from under it and darted back to the stage.

It had to be something in that box; that was the only thing standing out to him.

He leapt up onto the stage and knelt in front of the box. The top of the box was designed with eight little tiles and one empty slot, with the design on top being intricate but not immediately readable. John tried to open the box, but it was secured, not just closed but seemingly bolted down to the stage. He felt the tiles and when one moved, he realized the horrifying truth.

It was a puzzle box. He had to slide the tiles into place to decode an entirely obscure image while the lights were already flickering.

He had played with one once or twice when he was a kid. He could recall the cheap plastic toy and his frustration with it well now.

"Afton really is a sadistic son of a-."

John immediately started to slide the tiles around hastily to try to line up the complicated gilded design. He hastily jostled the pieces into new places with an idea of where they were supposed to go and yet little idea how to get them there.

When the lights shut off and he sprung up and bolted to the back wall of the stage. He heard the heavy footsteps, the fox now crashing into the tables as it barged through them before running into the stage and doubling over. He could hear its claws digging into the wood as it tried to climb up onto it.

The lights kicked on with it halfway up onto the stage. Its hands gripping at the wood. Sharp claws that looked disturbingly like exacto-knife tips sinking back into its rounded fingertips.

John had no choice to get up close to work on the slide puzzle. He was working upside down now, but with the design it barely mattered. What did matter was that he was now face-to-face with the fox. It was staring him down, frozen in place, and more than once he wasted valuable seconds dragging his eyes up from the tile puzzle to make sure it wasn't moving any close when he wasn't watching.

This time he knew time was going to be tighter. He couldn't afford to trust hiding in the corner. He had an idea, but it was the riskiest move yet.

He took as much time as he could spare to move the tiles around. They were finally coming into place, just a few more shifts and he believed he would have it solved. But that meant surviving long enough to do it.

As the lights flickered faster, John leapt down from the stage and broke into a run into the same corner. His heart pounding in his chest as he looked back and tried to memorize the layout of the room. He wouldn't have much time to look. Instead of facing the corner, he faced down the back wall, heel resting against the security door, bracing himself for a sprint.

The lights went out. In the darkness he could hear the fox right itself and run for him. Its footsteps faster, heavier, thumping across the room and closing in. He waited as long as he could before making a run for it.

He waited too long, and the fox ran up on him, but with a ram of his shoulder and already in the process of moving he was able to charge by. It was quick on his heels as he ran into the darkness before dropping and sliding underneath one of the tables. The semi-glossy tiles carrying him to the other side. The fox hitting the table so hard that it knocked it over behind him. John got up fast and rolled onto the stage just as the lights came back on.

Without sparing a moment he slid the tiles frantically around and the puzzle unraveled as he finally slid the last gilded piece into place. There was a click as the lid popped up from the box and John swung it open.

Inside the box was what he recognized as a taser. There was a paper taped to the underside of the lid and on it was written in big black sharpie marker scribble: "Try a controlled shock."

John picked up the taser. He knew what he was being told to do, he had to shock the fox to stop it. It seemed simple enough until he looked back at the fox and again took notice of the plating.

He knew from the encounters with the Butchers that the taser worked best directly applied to the metal. Broken or not, most of the fox was covered in those dense plates, and the only time they opened was when the lights turned off.

He knew what he had to do but he knew there was no way to do it safely. He was going to have to quite literally start swinging blind and hope he hit his mark.

With no other options, John gripped the taser tightly in hand and jumped back off the stage before running to the security door. He pressed his back into the corner of it and the wall and rested his thumb on the taser's button as he watched the lights begin to flicker faster and faster once again. He took a deep breath and steadied himself, his stomach feeling like it was filled with cement, his heart beating like he was running a marathon. He nearly was.

Then the power went off and he could hear the footsteps racing back. He only had one shot. He could hear it running up and stepped aside, it crashed into the corner before turning on him. It was standing over him, he could feel it, and he heard a distinct click and popping as its faceplates opened.

John struck before it could, swinging out and lodging the taser into those loosened wires. There was a burst of crackling and the fox seized and convulsed with electrocution.

Then the taser shorted and cut out. The fox animatronic stood there a moment before the metallic groan of shifting pieces signaled that it was moving forwards. Like the groan of a tree falling over. The fox fell towards him and he pressed flush against the security door and let it fall past, falling to the floor with a responding clatter. The lights clicked on as it laid still on the floor. Facial plates still open and loose, wires tumbling out of them.

There was a dull beep and suddenly the security door raised. John fell back into the hallway and landed heavily on the floor with little more than a grunt.

Hearing the noise, Jessica came running around the corner at the end of the hall.

"John!" she called. She ran up to him to help him up and caught sight of what was inside the open doorway with a gasp.

"You should've seen it when it was moving," John said.

"How did you even take it out? Did it shut down on its own?" Jessica asked in disbelief. She kept her eyes on it as she offered a hand to John and helped him up.

"No. With this." He lifted up the taser he still held tight in his hand to show her. "It was a setup. There was a locked box with a puzzle and everything, like some sort of sick game."

"Oh my God!"

"But between this and whatever is affecting Sammy, I think this whole place is either rigged like some sort of cat and mouse game or is just booby trapped. There's probably more rooms like this one," John forewarned.

Jessica was suddenly glad that she hadn't gotten too far with Sammy, who she had left to run here for John. Though before she could worry, they were interrupted.

"Jess!"

With a wobbly but weirdly quick and spidery run, Sammy ran into the hallway. His legs teetering and him staggering to the side and catching himself with a hand on the wall. A relieved smile upon seeing John but it was a brief blink and you'll miss it occurrence before the dread returned in full.

"C-Comme quick-ck!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Jessica offered John a hand to help him up and they ran down the hall to see what he found.

While this was going on, Mike and Clay had made their way into the back of the old restaurant. At the way back Mike spotted a window beside an open doorway and looked in to see a small square office. One equipped with a desk, some old monitors, even a desk fan, and another open doorway on the opposite side.

Unlike the Freddy office he was familiar with that had a line of lockers against the back wall, this one had a metal filing cabinet and some boxes. On the wall there was a metal panel that looked like a breaker box. On the wall above it was a larger rectangular panel, but it was more indented into the wall. He was more interested in the breaker box.

"Jackpot," Mike muttered and went straight for it.

Clay stepped in after him and took a good look at the security office. Considering that this place had been abandoned, the security office looked suspiciously well-used, and the computer monitors looked secondhand but not old.

Mike yanked open the breaker box and was met with nothing inside. He blinked as he stared at the metal sheet inside. Barren. It wasn't an electrical box, it just looked like one.

"What-?"

Suddenly there was a beeping noise before both security doors slammed down and sealed the office with him and Clay inside.

"What's going on?!" Clay asked. He looked back to Mike for answers, and he gestured into the box. The older man's eyes widened. "Damn, it's another trap!"

"And we walked right into it," Mike said, slamming the panel closed. He turned back only to stop and stare at something on the desk. "What's that?"

Clay looked back at the desk to see that both computer monitors had turned on. One showed a login screen asking for a password with a default profile picture and a guest username. The other had what looked like a battery bar icon on it filled up green. Though underneath it was written what it truly was for, along with a percentage which had already dropped to ninety-nine, and then ninety-eight. Clay leaned in to read the blurry green text underneath the bar.

"What is that, power?" Mike asked. He already knew it wouldn't be.

"…Oxygen," Clay corrected grimly.

"Shhhhit," Mike hissed out between his teeth. His eyes widening and his heart pounding in his throat.

"Don't panic yet. There's always a way out, we just have to find it."

A quick look at the doors showed that door controls were missing. Which meant that likely the computer was the only way to activate those doors. At least that was the hunch he got considering the doors shut and it flipped on. Clay turned his attention to the other screen once it became clear that the oxygen monitor was simply for show.

"Password protected," Clay muttered thoughtfully.

"Try 1987," Mike volunteered. He was walking around in the back corner with his hands folded behind his head, looking like he was about to have an anxiety attack. Almost already sweating through his clothes.

Clay typed in the password and tried. It gave a simple 'incorrect password' message. "No good."

"Shit!" Mike swore under his breath.

Clay noticed the hint button and pressed it. Sure enough, some had been kind enough to leave on.

"There's a hint here: 'Four letter word. Take a look around'. It could be somewhere in the office," Clay forewarned.

Mike didn't need to be told twice. He yanked open the filing cabinet and started skimming around inside. Clay started to look around the desk, yanking up and empty folder and finding a yellow sticky note stuck to the table underneath.

It read: mike Schmidt.

"Mike Schmidt," Clay muttered thoughtfully.

"What?" Mike asked.

"You."

Mike looked back in confusion and Clay flashed the sticky note at him, then turned back to the monitor and the password screen.

"It's worth a shot," he said. He tried to input 'Mike', but it was unsuccessful. "No good. Keep looking."

There was a giggle. One small and mischievous. One coming from right above Mike's head. Both he and Clay looked up and back towards it.

The upper panel above the false breaker was the opening to a vent which was now opened. Neither had noticed, so it had likely opened at the same time the doors had shut. The giggle had come from inside.

Without having to be told, Mike stepped up on the carboard boxes, ignoring when one of his shoes slipped through and settled on some junk inside, and pulled himself up onto the wall to look through the vent.

He really wished that he hadn't.

"You've gotta be…"

In the dark vent he could make out a small figure crawling towards him. It looked it might've been a Circus Baby plush toy at some time, but the fabric had torn and stuffing sunken, and through large patches and holes he could see the small endoskeleton hiding underneath. Nowhere was this more obvious than the torn-out fabric around its mouth, revealing small endo jaws hiding underneath.

And from the pattering he heard, this wasn't the only one.

"Hand me the gun!" he yelled.

He held back a hand expectantly. Clay looked to him in disbelief.

"Do you know how much a shotgun ricochets? You'll shoot your eye out!"

"For crying out- Forget it, I've got it covered." Mike yanked his taser off his belt. "Keep looking!"

He waited until one of the dolls crawled into range before hitting it with the taser. It tried to bite him before the taser made contact, then could only writhe as it was filled with volts. It then collapsed, and Mike snatched it up and tossed it as far back into the vent as he could, hitting the other one that he could see.

"There's a lot more where that came from! Last chance to turn back!" he warned. He was rewarded with more giggles and pattering through the shaft.

Meanwhile, Clay was back to work searching the office. Finally, he found the second sticky note tapped up behind one of the monitors. He pulled it out.

henRy emily.

It didn't take Clay more than a second to notice the single capitalized letter. Looking at the Mike one too he noticed there was only one capitalized letter as well, just more disguised. It seemed like those emphasized letters were spelling something else out- likely the password.

"I think I figured it out! Keep it up, Mike, I've got two more letters to find."

"You got it, Chief," Mike said. He had his arm poised waiting for one of the dolls to get close enough to strike. "How's the oxygen situation?"

Clay looked towards the meter. It looked down a good chunk and the numbers said seventy-nine percent. It was dropping much faster than he hoped.

"It's down a little," he said. Not being entirely honest, depending on one's definition of 'little'. Then he continued to search.

He found the next sticky note hidden in the bottom of the waste basket under an empty soda cup. It read: william aftOn.

The last sticky note was especially difficult to find. Clay started yanking open stuck desk drawers and ended up looking into one and finding his own name staring back: clay bUrke.

"I think I've got it," Clay called back. He looked at the notes and came up with a possible password:

OURS.

Fitting, he thought. Putting that aside, he bent over and typed the word into the computer. Except it once again rejected the password.

But before he could say anything, he noticed something had changed. The hint popped up with every failed attempt.

The hint had changed. It now read: Look Deeper.

But deeper into what? Clay had checked everywhere around the desk. He started to turn towards the file cabinet when he looked up towards the vent and the man looking into it. He had an idea.

"Mike, do you see a sticky note in there?"

"I can't see anything. It's pitch dark in the back. Hold on."

Mike hadn't been using his flashlight because he was holding on with one hand and holding the taser with the other. Though he quickly switched the taser to his holding on hand and sacrificed a little bit of his grip so he could get his flashlight out and shine it down the shaft.

At the vent end of the vent shaft, past the broken dolls both encroaching and who had collapsed from the tasing, the vent split into two directions. It was against the back wall that he saw a sticky note stuck.

"Oh Jesus."

"What?"

"There's a sticky note way down there," Mike said. He took a deep breath and heaved himself up into the vent. "Mmph, I'm going in."

"Be careful," Clay warned.

"If I was being careful, we wouldn't be in this mess," Mike muttered more to himself than Clay.

He managed to squeeze into the vent and started to crawl down towards the back. He sucker punched an approaching doll on the way, knocking it back somewhere.

"Alright, I see it!" Mike called back. His voice echoing down the shaft. "It says Michael Afton."

"Which letter is capitalized?" Clay asked.

"M, I, E, and N."

MINE. Clay didn't have to take more than a split second to unscramble them because it came to him so quickly.

"Got it."

"Good, I'm coming out," Mike called back. He started to back through the vent.

When all of a sudden one of the dolls he had crawled over sprung back to life and bit into his hand. Mike pulled back his hand with a short yelp, watching as blood oozed out of the wound, and then proceeded to use the same hand to pop the doll in the face and send it down the vent.

"Mike, I'm pulling you out!"

"Wha-?" That's all Mike could get out before Clay grabbed his legs and started to pull. Mike peddled himself back with his hands and then landed on Clay, the two crashing to the floor after losing their balance. They got up quickly.

"Are you okay?" Clay asked. He saw the blood.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. One of them bit me." Mike shook his hand out to try and ease the sting. "Don't worry, I'm up to date on my tetanus shot."

"Good. You'll need it," Clay said. He then turned back to the computer to type the password in.

Doing so he moved out of the way of blocking the window and Mike was able to see that they were not alone.

There was Sammy, Jessica, and John standing at the window staring it. Sammy had his hands resting on the glass looking puzzled and concerned, expressions matched by Jessica and John who were looking around him.

"Oh hey, look. He got out on his own," Mike remarked, pointing at John. "Totally worth this near-death experience."

Clay spared only a glance before entering the password.

The computer loaded for a dragging second. A circle spinning and hitching underneath the mouse as they waited with bated breath.

Then came a positive little jingle and Clay was brought onto the main screen. Before he could so much as move the mouse around, a pop up appeared in the center of the screen with a simple question: "Unlock/open security doors?"

Clay hesitated only a second, considering if it was a trap, only to realize that he didn't have any choice but to take the plunge. He clicked the yes.

Much to his and Mike's relief, the doors flew open.

Sammy promptly staggered in. Mike stepped forward to catch him in case he fell, and Sammy took this as permission to collapse onto him in a hug. His long arms wrapping tightly around him despite his weakened state.

"Arrrre y-youu alrrright?!"

"Yeah, I'm okay. We're okay," Mike assured him. He patted his back, the Puppet twanging with dismay as he held on tight.

"What happened?!" Jessica asked in surprise.

"Psycho Afton set some sort of booby trap. Had the doors shut on us and started sucking the air out of the room, then started piping in a bunch of feral little dolls," Mike explained. One arm hooked around Sammy and using the other to point a thumb back into the room.

Jessica's mouth dropped open and John eyes went wide, but before either could comment Clay interrupted them.

"Mike… Come look at this," he said.

"What?" Mike asked.

"Just look."

Unable to detach himself from the Puppet, he just shifted him onto his side and over his shoulder and proceeded to half-drag and half-tote him over to the desk. Clay was pointing to the oxygen percentage.

It read a staggering thirty percent.

"Whoa… That was close," Mike said, almost speechless.

"No, Mike. It wasn't," Clay said cryptically. "Do you know how much trouble we would have breathing if there's was only thirty percent oxygen in this room? We would be feeling that. That is, if we hadn't passed out first. But the air doesn't feel thin to you, does it?"

"…No," Mike agreed. His eyes widening as he came to the same conclusion as Clay.

It was a trick. There wasn't any oxygen leaving the room, there was just a bogus battery timer.

"He's a twisted man. Not even that anymore," Clay spat.

"…Wait, this doesn't make any sense," Jessica said. She furrowed her brows and looked to John, then back to them, pointing a thumb to him. "John was stuck with an animatronic and had to find a taser to stop it."

"I had to solve a puzzle too," he said.

"Yes, that!" Jessica said, snapping her fingers. "Why would Afton be setting up puzzles? We know he's insane, but I'm under the impression he's the kind of insane that wouldn't set a trap that you could beat."

Clay looked just as surprised before looking thoughtful. "He is and he isn't," he said.

"So, what, it's not him?" Mike asked. "Because he seems to know a lot about Freddy's. Maybe he's just playing with us but wants us alive."

"That's… a good point," John admitted.

"Maybe, but this seems weird," Jessica said.

She wasn't the only one it was sitting right with. Sammy had been silent- largely because of his current issue speaking- but he had been listening and no, this didn't sound like something Afton would've done. He loved to play with his prey, but he wouldn't have given solutions so simple and traps so easy to beat if that was the case. Especially since they were coming to find him and Charlie.

He wanted to see for himself. He pointed towards the desk and Mike walked him closer. He then began to look at the sticky notes, picking up one and holding it close to his face. It read Henry Emily.

They had names on them, how odd.

"The answerrr?" he asked.

"Mine," Mike replied.

"Y-rrr name?"

"No. 'Mine'," Mike clarified. "But it was made out of Michael Afton."

Sammy gasped. It was crunchy and twangy, and very noticeable to everyone there.

"What is it?" Jessica asked.

"It is-isn't him… N-Not Affton who made theeese t-traps. Wouldn't-t havvve made them soo eas- to solvvve. B-Bab-by wouldn't-t either…" Sammy explained. He then said in a moment of full clarity. "…It was Michael."

"Michael Afton?" John asked in surprise. "But he died in that fire."

"He wouldn't be the first thing that came out of that fire," Mike pointed out. "The better question is, why would he be working with Afton? He set that fire trying to kill him."

"Th-Therrre must be a rrreason. He would n-nevvverrr willllingly hel-p him…"

"The reason could very well be that he had five young hostages. Baby was the one who took the children, so Michael could've been brought on later," Clay said. "…We need to keep moving. We're not figuring this out just standing here. Did anybody see any other doors except for the other hallway."

"I'd say that hallway's our best bet," John said.

"Then let's move."

Clay hoisted up his shotgun close to his chest in case he needed it and led the way. Mike followed, still carrying Sammy who languidly let the Henry post-it note fall from his fingers after looking at it one last time. Jessica and John followed behind them, Jessica keeping a close eye out for anymore tricks.

"Hold on, Charlie. We're coming," John murmured under his breath.

The next hallway led to a closet with old supplies in it and a second party room that nobody was eager to go into. Clay looked in and upon seeing nothing of note decided there was no reason to risk stepping inside.

They continued further into the back, where the wallpaper and plaster peeled and wore away. Where the floor was thick with dust but still tiled. Where old posters had fallen off the walls and crumpled to the floor forgotten.

That was when they found a door in the way back. The 'staff only' sign on it still clear as day. Clay cautiously opened the door- a normal door, not a security door- and he found that they had walked in on their next trap.

It looked to have been a Parts and Service workshop at one point, but the room had been almost emptied and the remaining furniture- a section of shelves and a few chairs- had been pushed against the wall.

Except for two objects.

In the middle of the room were two boxes. The front one was a chest or oversized lockbox which was left open. From here he couldn't see anything inside. Behind it was an oversized gift box, or a large box that resembled one.

Even more notably, there was an old, dusty curtain hung on one of the back walls that was just wide enough to conceal a door. He had a hunch that there was something being hidden behind it.

Clay carefully stepped into the room while checking behind the door and the corners to make sure nothing was hiding. Mike followed but was stopped by Sammy grabbing his arm upon seeing the gift box. He looked back at the Puppet peeking over his shoulder, noticing the wary look settled on his mask as he eyed the box.

"Got a feeling?" Mike asked.

Jessica stopped too and turned to him. John was stepping in and paused to look at him.

Eventually Sammy shook his head. Though he didn't entirely seem convincing. John continued inside and Jessica gave Sammy an assuring pat on the arm, then took it and helped Mike lead him inside.

It wasn't clear if it was from Clay or John tripping some sort of motion sensor or if the Puppet's prescience was detected somehow, but there was a sudden winding noise coming from the large gift box.

Clay grabbed Mike's arm and yanked him over and behind him, Sammy and Jessica getting pulled too, and then leveled his shotgun on the box. "John, get over here!"

John started to follow the to come over only to stop when the winding came to an abrupt halt and was followed by music. He snapped his head to the box in surprise at the familiar tune of 'My Grandfather Clock'.

Sammy began to flail in panic. Mike turned to push him towards the door and Jessica grabbed his arm to help. They couldn't even get him there before he unexpectedly slumped. With Mike leaning forward just in time to catch him on his back, hoisting him up into an awkward fireman carry.

Clay was less concerned about Sammy being put out of commission and more paranoid about why. He shifted his shotgun in between the still open staff only door and the curtain, expecting something to come in. As it passed by John, he reflexively shot his arms up, confident Clay probably wouldn't shoot him but not liking that armed shotgun aiming at him even for a split second.

After about a minute it became clear that nothing was coming. The trap was just to put Sammy to sleep, and Clay lowered his gun once more. He gestured it towards the lockbox.

"There's a paper in there," he noted.

John carefully walked up and leaned down to grab it, Clay watching his back as he did. It was just a simple piece of paper. It was what was written on it that was so interesting.

"Let's see how well you listen. Put the Marionette in the box and it will release its twin."

Twin.

"Charlie?" John's eyes widened and he looked to the larger giftbox. He passed the note to Jessica and strode over to the box and tried to open it. When he couldn't he listened again it. "Charlie?!"

There was the slightest, muffled sound of movement inside.

He began searching for a way to open the box, but there wasn't one. No latches, no buttons, no puzzles whatsoever. Just an oversized gift box with a lid that wouldn't come off. He even gave it a shove, but it was clear it was bolted down.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Jessica said with dread. She looked between the note and the opened chest at her feet. "It's a tradeoff. He wants us to give him Sammy for Charlie."

"Well, he's out of luck then. We're not that stupid," Mike simply replied.

John knew it was a trap and tried to figure out what the catch was. If they were right about Afton not being behind the traps, then maybe there was a simple loophole on how to get out of it.

Then he got an idea.

"We have to put him in the chest," he suddenly said.

Both Jessica and Mike looked to him in surprise. Clay wasn't surprised by much of anything anymore.

"What? John, are you crazy? You know the second he goes in it's going to lock tight, and we know Afton wants him for whatever he's planning," Jessica said.

"I know, but there's no other way to open the box. There's got to be some sort of automated lock. If we can just activate it, then we can get Charlie out and then work on getting Sammy free before Afton gets ahold of him."

"You mean, ahold other than putting him in the box?!" Mike said with exasperation. He readjusted Sammy on his back, hands holding him tightly and protectively. "Forget it! Fool me once, shame on him. Fool me twice, I'm asking for it."

"Mike, listen. And I mean LISTEN. The music is coming from this box," John said, directing his head to the giftbox. "If we put Sammy in the chest and move the chest away from the gift box, then he should wake up and be able to teleport out, right?"

"We don't know that," Mike deftly argued.

"We know he can teleport when there's not some sort of noise holding him back."

"He's got a point, Mike," Clay agreed. "Even if he can't, this chest isn't that thick. We could move him out to the car, and I could get the fire department to cut him out. Say he's a piece of evidence or that someone may be trapped inside."

"That's… That's a good point, but I think it's a bad idea. There's a trick here, we just don't know what it is," Jessica disagreed.

"But if Sammy's right and the trick's set up by Michael, then there's a simple solution. And the solution is that we're trapping Sammy in a box he can get himself out of," John pointed out.

Mike hated to admit that it made sense. When John put it like that it made sense, especially with Clay backing it up. He gave the box a firm kick and realized that it was not bolted to the floor. They could drag it out of here. He could do it alone if he had to.

But something didn't sit right with him. The idea of squeezing Sammy into that box when he wasn't awake to give his consent bothered Mike deeply.

He would never trust Mike again, and Mike would never forgive himself if something went wrong.

It was too much like being trapped in that bear- that bear, in fact, that used the same signal to lure him in that had led them here to Charlie. Like this was just another elaborate beartrap without the bear. Yet… wait.

"Wait," Mike said. His brows furrowing and eyes darting with thought instead of panic. "Wait, Sammy said Charlie was under the building. You guys heard him say that, right?"

Jessica's brows raised. "I did."

Sammy wouldn't have been wrong. He said Charlie was under the building. So, either someone had carried her up and sealed her in this box, or…

Mike pointed accusatorily at the gift box. "That's not Charlie."

"I can hear someone inside-," John began.

"Doesn't matter. That's. Not. Charlie."

He was defiant. He wouldn't be swayed, that much was clear.

That made John start to doubt himself too. He looked back towards the box. The note had said to listen and that was what he had heard, but what if the note somehow meant to listen to Sammy? It couldn't, because that would defeat the purpose of capturing the Puppet in this box. He didn't know what to do and he wasn't the only one.

There was one who had an idea though. Clay's eyes squinted suspiciously at the curtain on the wall.

"Before we make any decisions, let's see what's hiding behind that," he said.

He began to creep over towards it, gun still at hand, and nudged it open. Then, upon seeing what was on the other side, he lowered his gun and yanked aside the curtain. It ended up falling from its mount and to the floor, revealing behind it not a section of wall or a window, but another security door. This one sealed shut.

"And I wonder what's behind this," Clay said solemnly. He had a few ideas. "Alright. We're back to looking for the breaker box."

How unfortunate.

Baby had known that the tests in the observation rooms were too simple. She had known and she had warned, but she had been brushed off. And here they were, having tripped and cleared two traps and not taking the bait on the third.

That was a huge problem. Not that they had gotten this far, but that they had gotten this far so quickly. That wouldn't do. She would have to step in.

Though by 'step in', she meant from the safety behind the monitor. Instead tapping across the keys of the keyboard with one hand as she ran a new command. Bypassing the safety and triggering the trap herself.

She knew it would be quite a show.

"This looks like it could be it," Jessica said as she pointed at a panel on the wall. She pulled it open to see the breakers inside. "This is it!"

There was a muffled thump.

"What was that?" Jessica asked. She got her answer when she looked back and saw everyone looking at the oversized giftbox.

There was another thump followed by a low whir and hum from inside. Something shifting and moving inside of the box.

John's eyes widened as he took a step back. Mike was right, that wasn't Charlie.

Suddenly, the box's lid split and opened and out rose something tall and horrendous, and familiar.

It was so tall that its head bumped the ceiling as it stood to full height, dwarfing even Sammy. Its body plated in a mix of chrome and matte indigo pieces, with a circular speaker in its chest from which the music was coming from and a useless button underneath it. Its arms ended at its elbows where a tangle of wires dangled out nearly to the floor. All silvery gray, save some half-hearted black stripes spray painted on near the end.

As it stepped out of its box, they could see its long legs that ended in a flat stubby base. Yet somehow it managed to keep its balance as it did, now standing tall above them. Its white painted face broken into a wide grin lined with sharp, needle-like teeth and underneath two red irised doll eyes. The red-pink stripes leading from its eyes to its mouth giving it the impression of weeping blood.

It was some kind of Puppet, but it was a far cry from Sammy. It was one clearly one of Afton's Funtime creations. The Funtime Puppet.

It leveled its red eyes on Mike, or perhaps the Puppet he was lugging on his back and began to slowly stagger forward.

"Oh sh-." Mike had to all but fall backwards to avoid the wires whipping at him and smacking the wall. "-heez!"

The Funtime Puppet slung its other arm and instead of whipping, this time pooled the wires at his feet until they slithered around one ankle. Mike used his other foot to pry them off, struggling as the Funtime Puppet tried to reel him in.

Seeing this, John lunged forward without hesitation and promptly slammed the taser into the animatronic's plated side.

…But nothing happened. He wouldn't have been entirely shocked if the jolt hadn't breached the plating, but the taser didn't respond at all.

His eyes widened in shock before he looked up to see the Funtime Puppet twisting its neck to stare back at him with a cocked head. Then in a sharp turn it swung its arm out at him. John ducked just in time to avoid the limb and ran for the door while the machine teetered on its unsteady legs.

This gave Mike a chance to pull free and he too ran for the door with Jessica. Clay stayed behind long enough to make sure John got out while the rest bolted down the hallway to the security office.

Clay aimed briefly at the Funtime Puppet but then decided against firing. There was no point. He couldn't get a good shot at its face or chest with how it was turned, and its thick plating didn't give him much confidence in wasting bullets.

He just made it into the room before Mike used the computer to shut the doors, stopping the animatronic from getting in but also sealing them in. They could see its grotesque face plate peeking in the window.

"That door's not going to hold! The way Freddy's rigs these things they lose power whenever something's banging on it," Mike warned.

"Not that it makes much difference if we can't open this door without opening both of them!" Jessica exclaimed.

"The taser didn't work?" Clay asked John. He shook his head. "Figures. It's probably the plating."

"Remember that big bear with the trap in its stomach? Charlie had to actually climb inside it to tase it. How are we supposed to tase this thing?!" Jessica asked Mike, gesturing towards the face in the window.

"We don't! We run like hell!" Mike answered.

"Then what?! Hit it with the car?!" Jessica asked with exasperation.

"…Yes! That! Exactly that! See? This is why you're the smart one!" Mike said, pointing to her almost triumphantly. A strained smile on his face. "We book it to the car and ram it and hope he's the one who gets totaled!"

"That's a terrible idea, but it's all we've got," Clay admitted. "Alright, get back against the door. Once I open the doors you have to move!"

The others agreed. Clay braced himself with a deep breath and rested his mouse pointer on the command, then got into position to get moving before clicking.

The door opened and immediately a tangle of wires burst in. Flailing and reaching for their prey.

Jessica yelped and shoved John back while Mike fell-leaned back on the desk to avoid it, then was pushed out the door by Clay. Jessic and John raced after them with the Funtime Puppet scuttling on their heels.

Making it down the hall and through the dining room, Mike made it to the front door first and proceeded to run directly into it before trying to yank it open. The door was locked tight.

"It's locked?!" Clay asked, startled.

"No, I just- mmph- wanted to let the monster catch up," Mike said. Straining as he tried to yank the door open, hoping fruitlessly that it would just give. It did not. "Come on!"

John ran into the room with the Funtime Puppet on the heels, and then its tangled wires suddenly sweeping the floor and knocking him off them. John landed heavily on his stomach as the Funtime Puppet staggered over him.

"John!" Jessica cried.

"John, keep your head down!" Clay warned.

John did, covering his head just as Clay raced in a few steps, took aim, and fired the shotgun. He hit its face dead on. The center of its plates breaking and bent open, but not enough so to reveal vital components underneath.

It did get the Funtime Puppet to wrench its head up and stare at its assailant before moving for him. John barely crawled back to avoid the animatronic's legs, watching as Clay hurried off to the side of the dining room to lead the animatronic away from the others.

Jessica looked on and realized quickly that this wasn't working. Maybe a few more shots would get through the plating, but with it now gunning straight for Clay there wasn't much chance of that. They were trapped in here with this thing and limited options, and the only one who could maybe help them was currently draped over Mike's back like an oversized scarecrow.

Having Sammy awake could give them a chance at overpowering this thing- weakened by the noise or not- but there was no way to wake him up without taking it out.

Or maybe they didn't have to take it out, she realized. Maybe they just had to silence it.

"Clay! Try to shoot for the speaker!" Jessica called out.

Clay caught on as quickly as she had and took aim, but the Funtime Puppet had learned what raising that gun meant.

As fast as a whip it lashed out its wires and smacked into Clay, flinging him over the table. One even hitting his face and leaving a shallow slice across his cheek and nose. His shotgun flinging out of his hand and clattering to the dusty floor.

Riding on adrenaline, Jessica sprinted across the room and grabbed up the shotgun. This was a far cry from the BB guns she used to shoot as a kid, but if they had taught her anything it was how to aim- even if she had to be much closer to aim with this one. The Funtime Puppet didn't notice, too busy standing over and snaring Clay with its wires.

"Hey!" she yelled.

The Funtime Puppet took notice of her and locked on when it noticed the weapon. It turned away from Clay- dragging the still tangled man off the table behind it- and started at her. She waited until it lifted its arm and instantly fired.

The shot blew out the speaker in one go, rendering it useless. Jessica could hear a ringing in her ears as she staggered back from the recoil.

But it succeeded. With the speaker broken, the music immediately stopped and the only noise coming from the animatronic was the creaking and clattering of its joints and wires as it recovered fast enough to catch up and grab for her. Jessica dropped to the floor to try and avoid it while Clay, finally back on his feet, tried to get attention back on him by wrenching its arm, and it was working.

Mike laid down Sammy by the front door and rushed in to help Jessica escape, peeling wires off her and pulling her out of its ever-desperate grasp.

That was what Sammy woke up to. The world returned and the first thing he saw was his chrome doppelganger snaring Jessica and Mike trying to pull her away. He pushed himself up from the floor and stared in shock, and then anger.

And with that anger his own music came to life- and suddenly he couldn't hear the noise holding him back.

John was running in with a chair when he heard the 'Pop Goes the Weasel' and suddenly watched the black blur that was the Puppet launch itself across the room and onto the mechanical monstrosity. Wrapping himself around its neck and head and sinking his strings under his plating.

Instantly the Funtime's attention was on Sammy. It swung an arm back to snare him with its own 'strings', yanking Jessica and Mike forward before inadvertently allowing the former to get free. Clay was still tightly wound up and struggling to pull himself out as the Funtime Puppet began to stagger around and try to get ahold of Sammy, who climbed down its back like an oversized spider.

"He's not going to be able to take that thing out alone," Mike said. He whipped out his Freddy's grade taser.

"But how's that going to work? John already tried-."

Both were cut off by a loud crash. Jessica flinching from her sensitive ears and Mike jumping from fried nerves. Both spinning back to see John knocking the broken glass out of a door using the chair he had shattered it with.

Jessica was shocked, Mike was impressed.

"I've got tools in the car! Come on!" he called to them.

Both followed him, Mike quick on his heels while Jessica was a little more careful climbing through the glass.

Carlton was looking through the windshield with his mouth dropped open, staring at the Funtime Puppet through the glass. Though now that the door was broken though he scrambled to get the door open and jumped out.

"What is that?!" he asked.

"Some sort of horrible Puppet built like Baby!" Jessica answered.

John ran to the back of his vehicle and got into his tools. Mike was by his side in an instant.

"Grab whatever you think you can use!" John offered.

Mike looked down at the somewhat meager selection and snatched up a reasonably sturdy hammer and then a rather thick screwdriver. If the plates were the problem, maybe he could break through them.

"This should work," he said with dark determination. Though that fizzled out as he saw John's weapon. "Not as well as that though."

"Well, I got dibs," John said, pulling a very sturdy shovel out of the back. "Let's go bust that thing open."

Mike nodded. With newfound comradery, the two ran together back for the door.

"You two, stay out here!" Mike called before hopping through. John close on his heels.

They came in to find the Funtime Puppet crashing into a table as it flailed its limbs, trying to strike the Puppet on its back like it was attempting to flog itself. Clay finally got himself free but was now corner behind it, trying to keep from getting swatted. Crouched down low to the floor and blocking his head with his arm.

"You're going to have to go in first," Mike warned.

John didn't need to be told twice. Taking a deep breath, eyes wide like he just realized what he was about to do, he charged in.

It took him slamming the Funtime Puppet in the face with the shovel to get its attention. It didn't damage it, but this mixed with Sammy's tugging and crawling on its back threw it off balance. It staggered back into the wall on its unbalanced legs, almost trapping Clay who managed to squeeze out just in time.

John continued to wail on it as hard as he could, using all his adrenaline to fuel each swing. He was so pumped up that he only somewhat felt when the Funtime swung down its arm and though he stepped aside, some of the coils hit him and knocked him to the floor. He got up quickly, using the handle of the shovel to force off the wires.

Mike took a swing with the hammer and in his efforts to not get hit by the Funtime Puppet's arm, instead missed completely. The second swing made contact, but the hammer did little than leave a small dent before bouncing off.

But what Mike was succeeding in doing was making himself enough of a distraction, along with John, that Sammy was able to climb down and quickly weave strings into the creature's legs. Just barely managing to cinch them together as the Funtime Puppet started to scuttle in. Tangling up its legs and getting it to stagger, and then all that was needed was John and Mike ganging up to successfully tip it over, with Sammy just barely skirting aside as to not be crushed.

The second the larger animatronic crashed to the ground, Mike and John were on top of it trying to fight. John got in one sizeable stab with his shovel before having to backpaddle and block himself from the grab of the wiry snares. Mike was luckier. Due to how it was wedged, its right arm was trapped underneath it, so he got in more time.

Using the screwdriver as a chisel, he tried to prey up the edge of the broken speaker to get to the vulnerable wiring underneath. A hard whack started to succeed in doing so, sinking the screwdriver in, and he tried to use his weight to leverage it.

He was so focused on it that he didn't notice the coils climbing up from under the Funtime Puppet. He didn't even realize what they were about to do until Sammy suddenly pounced on him from behind and wrapped his arms around his neck. Mike was startled and grabbed at the arms reflexively, only to have his questions answered when the coils overtook and tried to wrap around his throat, shielded by Sammy's arms.

But the wires still grabbed at him and tangled just as quickly as they had around Clay. Trapping his arm before he could lower it again and leaving him with only one fully free to work with. Realizing he couldn't work like this, he tried to hand the screwdriver off.

"John, take it!"

"I've got it!"

John smacked down the wires trying to grab at him before spinning the shovel in his hands, lifting it up high, and bringing it down on its side to try and slice through the wires. It didn't, but it crunched into some of them which began to twitch like they were struggling to lift back up.

It wasn't enough, he realized. So, instead he stepped up, trapping some of them under his boot and ignoring how they reflexively wrapped around his ankle, and went for the speaker.

The Funtime Puppet arched its back and twisted its legs to lift itself up off the floor, only to suddenly have its head caught between the legs of a chair and shoved back to the floor by Clay's weight.

John didn't use the screwdriver. He instead leveled up the shovel and stabbed down, twice, three, four times before the speaker cracked enough that he could get the shovel wedged in. He lifted a foot, was almost yanked off-balance himself, and brought it down on the shovel, popping the broken speaker out of the animatronic's chest.

"Okay, get back! Get back!" Mike warned.

John didn't need to be told twice and hopped back off the Funtime Puppet. Or he would've if his ankle hadn't gotten caught, causing him partially pinwheel his arms before crashing to the ground, almost banging his head on a table in the process. Clay did not step back, fully committed to holding the chair and out of danger regardless.

Mike shoved Sammy back with his back, his arms still holding on but him falling back further, and in the same motion grabbed his tazer off his belt with his free arm. Then he shoved it into the speaker port and shocked the machine.

The Funtime Puppet seized as the electricity coursed through the depths of its internal wiring. There was a staticky prickling feeling coming from its plates, but the body was insulated enough and the current weak enough that it didn't jolt him or anyone else as well. But the wires burned, seizing, and clenching around their grabbed prey, before there was sizzling and a loud popping from somewhere deep inside.

Mike finally pulled his taser back. By then he could smell the tell-tale burning scent of fried electronics. The Funtime Puppet's body went rigid the moment the taser was removed. Clay carefully checked the eyes to see that they had dimmed; it had finally shut down.

"Is it… Did it shut down?" John asked. He cautiously rising to his feet with his shovel still raised in preparation to fight.

"It looks like. Get back, we'll see," Clay said.

John got back while Sammy helped Mike pull the coiled wires off of him before the man scooted back away from it, tugged by the Puppet's hands on his shoulders. His music had quieted down so he could listen, now a soft but still quick jingle.

Suddenly Clay lifted the chair and slammed it down on the Funtime Puppet's chest with a loud clatter. Even the ones watching jumped at it. Then they waited and watched, and sure enough the downed animatronic did not respond.

"It shut down," Clay said conclusively. Though quickly added, "But don't turn your back on it just in case. We can't be too sure."

"Fine by me. I don't plan on blinking again," Mike said.

He let out a slow exhale to calm his nerves, hearing Sammy's music quieting and stopping behind him. Then he felt more weight as the Puppet leaned on him. He looked back at him.

"Sammy?"

"'M fiine," Sammy assured. "It's th-the sssound again."

"It just started back up?"

"I couldn't-t hearrr it overrr mysellf."

Well, that was better than it remotely turning on and off. He turned to offer an arm to Sammy as he got up, which he gladly took. John also stepped around the Funtime and offered his hand to Sammy, helping him up onto wobbly legs.

Soon the three were standing there staring down at the deactivated machine. John with his shovel, Mike with his taser, Sammy with a hand on John's shoulder and an arm hooked around Mike's- and with a sharp glare at the downed bot.

"Then the noise wasn't coming from him. Must be coming from an overhead speaker," John concluded.

"Oh my God," Jessica could be heard saying as she came in. Carlton was following her. "I can't believe that worked."

"I can't believe this didn't," John said with exasperation, gesturing to the taser somehow still stuck in his jeans pocket.

"Let me see it," Mike requested. John propped the shovel against his own leg and handed the taser over. Mike tried it to no response. "That's why. It's out of juice."

"Already? I just used it on that Foxy animatronic. It drained that fast?"

"These things are only good for a couple of jolts. It could've just had one in it."

"What about yours?"

"Probably one or two left. I had to hold on him a little longer." Mike handed the taser back, to which John tossed it on a nearby table. The brunette gave a shrug as he attached his own back to his belt. "Chances are it wouldn't have worked on the outside anyway."

"Don't put that thing too far away," Jessica warned. She rubbed her shoulder with a hiss. "Ugh, I think I might've dislocated my arm."

"The knockback can be a killer. Let me see," Clay said.

He came over to her, still angling himself towards the Funtime Puppet, and checked her arm. Carefully rotating it as to cause he as little pain as possible.

"No, not dislocated. But that'll be a bad bruise," he said. He got an impressed smile. "Where did you learn how to shoot?"

"From my dad. We used to shoot BB guns together."

"So, that was you first time shooting a real gun? I'm impressed," Clay complimented. He didn't need to tell her how different the two mediums were, he was sure she felt it herself.

"Well, stick me in a room with that thing, you'll be amazed what I can do," Jessica said, a little proud of herself.

Clay noticed Carlton was there and turned to him. "We found what we think is the door to where he's keeping Charlie and the boy. We'll be heading back there."

"Should I come too?" Carlton asked. Wary but equally worried, and willing to buck up if someone's life was on the line.

Clay was impressed by that too, but being that Carlton was the one here who he could convince to not put himself in danger, he wouldn't dare budge. He wouldn't take that risk.

"No. We've already triggered three booby traps set by Afton getting to that door, including this one." He pointed down at the Funtime Puppet. "It's imperative someone waits outside in case we get trapped somewhere we can't get out of. You can wait with him if you need too," Clay offered to Jessica.

"No, I'm fine. I'll walk it off," she said. She carefully rotated her shoulder and straightened up.

John wasn't paying much attention to their talking. His attention elsewhere, specifically to the animatronic at his feet.

Seeing this thing on the ground made John's stomach sink. He should've known it wouldn't have been Charlie, but he had been so desperate to find her… that he had almost handed over one of them to get her back. He might've not gone through with it, and he knew it was strictly out of desperation that he would've done it, but he couldn't help but feel guilty at the mistake he almost made.

"Sammy, I'm sorry," he suddenly said.

Mike quirked a brow only to drop it quickly. He must've caught on.

"Whateverrr forrr?" Sammy asked.

"I made a huge mistake, or I almost did. Did you see those present boxes in the back room?"

Sammy nodded.

"Well, there was a note in one of the boxes that said if we put you in it that it would let Charlie go out of the other one," John confessed.

Sammy's porcelain eyes widened in surprise.

"Actually, it said it would release his twin. We just assumed it was Charlie," Jessica corrected. She gave a weary look towards the deactivated Funtime Puppet. "So, technically the note was telling the truth, just in a really warped way."

"And I… I believed it. I thought that the note was hinting to listen and when I heard that the music was coming from inside the box, I thought maybe the trick was that- The plan was that we'd put you in the box, take the box with us, and then you could teleport yourself back out once we got away from the music."

"But we didn't. We found the door and that thing let itself out and chased us off," Mike cut in.

Sammy's shock settled into a slightly fearful, slightly sad sort of look.

"Oh…"

"I'm sorry," John apologized quickly.

"No, I-I underrrst-tand. I-I wouuld'vve handeded myself ovverrr forrr Charrrlie," he confessed. He looked to Mike. "I g-guesss I got-t luck-lucky thhhen."

"Are you kidding? You weren't going anywhere near that box," Mike said firmly.

"Now I didn't hear the exact words 'over my dead body', but they were pretty close," Jessica added in with a small smile.

Sammy was genuinely surprised. His expression brightened back up.

"Of c-courrrse you wouldn't-t," he said fondly.

There was a strange ticking, clicking noise from his chest that would've likely been a trill if he wasn't under strain.

"Thhank you, Mike."

"Hey, you would've done the same for me," Mike replied.

Between Sammy's heightened spirits and downing the Funtime Puppet without any casualties, Mike was starting to feel a bit more empowered. Of course, that could've also been the adrenaline high. He turned to address the others.

"Now that that thing's out of the way, we need to get back to that… door…"

Mike trailed off at the hand cupping under his chin and slowly turning him back to Sammy. Him still smiling but looking at him a little more fondly before leaning in.

Mike felt his pulse start to quicken as he did, but he didn't stop him.

But Sammy didn't do something as bold as planting one on him in front of an audience, but he might as well have with what he did next. He pressed his forehead to Mike's and nuzzled him, a clearer trill rumbling through his chest as he did.

Mike's face burned from blood rushing to it. Soft tingles prickled his skin. Of all times for Sammy to have to pull something like this, and of all times for Mike to realize that he was liking it a little too much.

Only then did he remember said onlookers and turn his head to look back.

Jessica's mouth slightly parted, John blinked, and Carlton quirked a brow. Clay might've furrowed his brows but covered it up by time Mike looked over.

"Nothing to see here, folks. Just a tender moment of appreciation and whatever," Mike said, waving them off. It didn't help that Sammy staunchly decided to continue nuzzling into his cheek, aware of them watching.

"Mike, there's a sticky note with my name on it stuck to the back of your jacket," Clay flatly answered.

"Oh… Sorry, Sam. Sounds like I'm taken," Mike cracked.

Sammy paused. Mike couldn't totally see his mask at this angle, but he had no doubt he was getting one of those looks.

Clay got the briefest smile of amusement, though less at what Mike said and more at what he had seen, but then it was back to seriousness.

"We should go check that door. There's a reason they had that animatronic guarding it. It could lead us straight to Charlie," he said.

Sammy snapped out of his reverie and pulled back with a crunchy gasp. Swaying back so far on his unsteady legs that Mike had to grab and steady him.

"Charlie! We must- we must- we must-!"

"I think you broke him," Carlton remarked. He went ignored.

"Let's move before anything else showed up. Speaking of, got any spare weapons?" Jessica asked.

John started to point back out through the window before Mike offered up the screwdriver with an almost apologetic smile.

Jessica gave him an 'are you serious?' look before accepting the screwdriver with a sigh.

"So… how long do I wait until I start getting worried?" Carlton asked.

"Give us at least an hour. Seeing how it went up here, there's bound to be more traps downstairs. That should be enough time to get to her," Clay decided. He gave Carlton a firm pat on the back. "We'll get her."

"I know, just… Be careful, Dad."

"We will. Keep the keys in the ignition and the doors locked."

"So, drive off if that thing wakes up," Carlton clarified, pointing at the Funtime Puppet.

"Yes."

Carlton headed outside as Clay retrieved his shotgun and reloaded, making sure his son was in the car and getting a thumbs up before leaving. He led the way with John behind him and Jessica, Mike, and Sammy bringing up the back, with the two humans helping the animatronic move a little easier.

Clay headed straight to the fuse box and flipped the main breaker. The room went pitch dark and there was the sound of a door opening, then a click as Mike clicked on his flashlight and illuminated the now open doorway.

Sure enough, they were met with a stairwell.

"The sound stopped…" Sammy whispered. He straightened out of his slouch and began to levitate again. "…I feel the signal. It's somewhere below."

"Take us to her," Clay encouraged.

The Puppet didn't need to be told twice.

"Follow me," he said. Then he hovered forward into the doorway, with Mike and the others quick on his heels.

It felt like another trap and yet they eagerly stepped into it.