Mable: Merry late Christmas! So, you're probably wondering why this chapter took so long. The idea was to have a double length chapter up by Christmas, but, uh… The time constraints still applied. XD Though I hope it's worth the wait. Enjoy!

The Butcher's Traps

Chapter 8: H-U-N-T-E-D

The drive to Mike's apartment was uncomfortably quiet. Charlie sat in the back with Sammy and held his hand while the rest of him remained folded into the safety of the box. Mike was in the passenger's seat stewing to himself and glaring out the window at the passing scenery. This left Jessica to drive and silently take in the atmosphere of clashing emotions across the car.

They pulled up to the apartment to see the full extent of the damage and found a few changes since they left. Such as the broken front window now being covered with cardboard and duct tape. The massive hole left by Bear Trap Freddy hadn't been filled, which at least assured them that Freddy hadn't reburied himself in it. Charlie's car was left untouched where it had been parked.

The three humans got out of the car to get a closer look at the scene. Jessica hissed as she looked at the chunk taken out of the yard. "I bet that's what that hole at the park looked like before they filled it," she said. She visibly shivered. "I thought Lamar was just exaggerating or wrong when he said they found a leg. That's just terrifying to think they can do that."

"It's even worse when you see it in person. All it would take is one wrong step and in the dark…" Charlie trailed out cryptically, not wanting to finish that thought. She sighed and continued, "You guys go ahead. I'm going to call John and tell him what's going on before he hears about it from someone else." She had put it off long enough. No matter what his reaction was, it would be better than if he heard it second hand.

Jessica gave an encouraging nod and Mike gave a distant, "Sound's good." He walked to the front door and, after finding it locked, unlocked it, and let himself into the apartment.

Jessica could read from his motions alone that he probably needed some space. "Actually, I think I might just wait in the car and let you guys do your thing," she said. Charlie agreed and got out her cellphone to call John as her friend returned to her car. As luck would have it, John answered this time, giving her no chance to avoid this any longer.

"Hey, John. It's me…"

Meanwhile, Mike walked into his apartment and saw a train wreck. It had been ransacked, but it was clearly not from any thieves or looters, just from one steam engine of a bear charging through. Curtains had fallen, the television was knocked over, and through the kitchen he could see that the backdoor was gone and replaced with flimsy, wood panels. The window beside it retrieving the same cardboard treatment.

A lone paper rested on the ground and Mike picked it up to see that it was a handwritten letter from his landlord.

Mike,

There was a break-in last night. I had the police come by to take a report but if anything's missing then you're going to have to call them and add to the report. Here's the number to the officer who was here. Ordering replacement doors and windows, should be here in about a week.

-B

That was it. He didn't even seem concerned that Mike wasn't at the apartment when it happened and apparently didn't report him missing even though he never came home.

"That's an assuring thought," Mike muttered tiredly. He crinkled up the note and tossed it onto the couch. He wasn't calling the police; he had enough of that for today. Instead, he continued to walk around and look at the damage to the house. Something broke in here last night and almost killed him, and nobody even noticed he was gone. He could be dead right now and nobody would've cared.

It was feeling more and more like he was back at Freddy's.

Suddenly Mike made a beeline into the bedroom and to his dresser. Thankfully, the room had been untouched, and he yanked out the bottom drawer and pulled out folded clothes until he reached the stash hiding underneath. There lay a slew of old tasers. All of them were dead, some of them flat-out broken, but he was desperate for anything so he searched through to find the one in the best condition.

These tasers were made specifically by Fazbear Entertainment to subdue animatronics. They were powerful, lightweight, and could take down a mechanical monstrosity in one discharge. The only problem was that getting batteries for them was virtually impossible now that the company went under. After trial and error, Mike had discovered that the newer tasers could be charged with a car battery, but even then, it would only give enough power for a few shocks.

He wasn't supposed to have these. Normally only technicians would've had them and they would've been forced to turn them in before they were let go, but by time Mike worked at Freddy's nobody was there to count the supplies anymore. Most of them had been dead when he took them. Just having one in his hand felt incriminating, though that could've been from Burke's lecture earlier.

Mike gave a weary sigh and picked up one of the tasers to look closer, only to catch a glimpse of black and white out of his peripheral vision.

Sammy was hovering right beside him. He had gotten used to the Puppet silently sidling up on him, but he hadn't expected him to somehow get himself out of the box, out of the car, and into the apartment without any discernable noise. Which would mean that he had gotten in without Charlie since she wouldn't have had enough time to move him in.

But the surprise was nothing compared to the uncomfortable situation he found himself in when Mike realized that he was holding a taser meant to control animatronics in front of a sentient animatronic.

He could've explained what it was used for and why he had so many sitting in his drawer, and why he never said he had them even after he agreed to keep the Puppet there, or really anything that would easily smooth over the situation. Instead, just like when he became defensive with the police chief, words fell out without much thought or tact.

"I never used them. I just kept them in case I needed to," Mike defended. He was kicking himself the second after he said it. "Good job sounding sketchy as all hell, Schmidt. No wonder Burke thinks you're an Afton."

But much to his surprise, Sammy just reached out his hand like he was asking for the taser. Mike raised a brow and handed it over. The Puppet turned it over in his hands carefully, studying it like a human might look over a knife they were afraid to get cut by. Mike couldn't tell if he hadn't seen one before or if he had and was trying to get some other information from it. It was hard to tell; though the gentle way it touched it and the slight shift in its eyes seemed to suggest a familiarity.

It almost looked fascinated by what was just a piece of machinery. It was then that Mike caught himself staring and averted his gaze.

"I don't know if they'll work on those things, but I thought it's worth a shot. Better than nothing… I prefer a false sense of security than harsh reality. I've had enough of that," he said. Sammy chimed in either agreement or understanding, and Mike tapped his fingers on his knee thoughtfully. "Charlie's studying robotics. What do you think, could she get these working?"

Sammy hummed thoughtfully and started to shrug, but then caught himself- this was Charlie they were talking about. He had seen the skill she had when it came to robotics and repairs. He gave a much more confident nod and a positive chirp. Besides, it would be good for her to have something like this on her.

"Then I'll leave it to her. Now come down here and help me figure out which of these she's going to need."

Sammy eagerly accepted the invitation and knelt on the carpet alongside him. He waited patiently as Mike searched around inside the drawer and eventually started handing over tasers and parts that he thought looked like they were in good condition. Sammy would then study and feel them until he deemed them useful. Good ones were stacked between them, bad ones dropped into the corner of the drawer.

It was a nice distraction. It almost felt like a game if the Puppet pretended it was. Anything to get his mind on better things. Thankfully, Mike was just interesting enough to keep his focus for a little while.

Meanwhile, Charlie had just walked into the apartment and was staring at the sheer damage left in last night's wake. All while half-listening to John still on the phone, voicing his concerns. She started to drift further into the memories of the night before as she realized how lucky they had gotten. If it had been Bonnie blocking the front door then things could've ended differently.

It was John saying her name that snapped her out of it. "I'm here. Sorry, I was just… Looking at the apartment. It's sort of a mess," Charlie said. "But don't beat yourself up about it. I'm glad you didn't answer, because we really needed to get out of the city and I don't know how comfortable it would've been trying to squeeze you into Jessica's room," she said, trying to lighten the mood. Her smile faded as she entered the kitchen.

The table had been shoved aside and her toolbox had been knocked to the floor with its contents scattered. Ella had thankfully not been knocked off or else her porcelain shell would've probably been irreparably damaged. It didn't change the sheer scope of the damage though; whatever that second bear was breaking both the window and through a door. It had to have been huge, but she hadn't gotten a good look.

"I know, but I should've been there for you. Hell, I'd sleep in a gas station bathroom if it meant keeping you safe… Clay has more than one guest room, doesn't he? Maybe I should stay over with you."

Charlie eyes widened in horror as his suggestion that he spend the night near her, a walking target, lined up with sight of the destroyed kitchen.

"No, don't do that," she said a little too quickly. She caught herself fast enough to work in an excuse. "There's no reason for you too. Clay's going to be there with other officers and they're going to keep everything out. I don't want you putting yourself in-… Putting yourself in the middle of this when we have everything under control. You'll just keep yourself up over nothing."

"Charlie, I know it's not nothing. I can hear it in your voice," John affirmed with concern. "I'm not saying I'm going to run out and beat Freddy with a baseball bat, but I could at least try to give you a little peace of mind. It's not much, but it's the one thing I know you need. You shouldn't go through this alone."

"I… I would feel better if I didn't have to worry about anyone else. Now that I know these things are coming after me, I can deal with them. I just… I need to know that nobody else is going to get hurt because of me," Charlie said. Just saying all of that made her feel too vulnerable. "I'm sorry to cut this short but I need to get my stuff packed up and out to the car. I'll call you back later, I promise."

"…Alright, Charlie. If that's what you want," John agreed with a tired exhale. "But just think about it."

"I will." But Charlie had already made up her mind. As soon as the call was ended, she crouched down and began to put the tools up. She was only halfway through when Mike came out to find her.

"Hey, you got a minute?" he asked. He was carrying two tasers and a battery, handing over one of them with the battery. "So, these are tasers that were made to "pacify" animatronics back at Freddy's," he said with air quotes. "Now they're old and dead, but I thought maybe you could look at one and see if you could get it working. This one I'm going to hook up to the car battery because that's how I got it working last time. Barely, but working."

Charlie recognized the taser immediately. It looked almost exactly like the one she had found in Afton Robotics, before it had become spare parts around the workshop when she took it apart trying to study it. Now she was regretting that decision, but at the time it too was out of charge and she was looking to see if there was a way to replace the battery. Then it had just fallen by the wayside.

It was different now. She had studied more advanced robotics lessons since then, got a little hands-on work done, and had a reason to get the tool working. With the drive and the knowledge, Charlie was determined to get it working again. "Thanks. I'll see what I can do," she said, hiding her budding confidence. "But no promises."

"With these things? I can't even guarantee it won't burst into flames the second your crack it open," Mike said with a light scoff. Then he looked past her at the damage to the back door and window. "What a mess."

"At least it looks sealed off. I don't think you'll have a problem with someone trying to get in," Charlie offered. She regretted the comment immediately, not wanting to give him ideas about staying when all that existed of a back door was a thing piece of plank. "But you're still planning on going to a motel?"

"Yeah, I just can't trust the place until something happens with Freddy," Mike admitted.

Relieved, Charlie nodded in understanding. "Same. At least it shouldn't be much longer."

"Don't be shocked if those things don't show up, and don't get a false sense of security either. I think there's a good chance that they're not going to show up in a crowded place. That's probably why they've avoided being spotted. Who knows, there might be some sort of elaborate program to recognize cops and split."

"Do you think they'd be that advanced?"

"Honestly? No, but some of the old Freddy bots used to have facial recognition, so it's not totally out there."

Unsurprisingly, this did nothing to ease her fears. If anything, the prospect of facial recognition fit too well when considering that these bots were recognizing women based off similar features. She continued thinking about it through packing up Ella and her tools and felt no better by time they left the apartment.

Hours later the thoughts returned too. The mental speculation on how these animatronic beasts worked in the concept of functional robots instead of wild animal. There was no instinctual drive, there wasn't a brain capable of learning abstract concepts beyond basic patterns and similarities, and little willpower of its own. They seemed capable of self-preservation in the sense that they knew to hide themselves in the daylight, but that could've been as simple as light sensors or a built-in timer.

Not to mention how someone was able to build these monstrosities without anyone finding out. Charlie knew William was capable of evil acts and covered them well, but this seemed beyond what one man could do. Though thinking back to Afton Robotics, he at least had the means to build them. Maybe even a place to hide them for years. It made Charlie feel sick.

She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the task at hand. Currently she sat cross legged on the bed in Mike's motel room, studying the inside of the taser and writing notes on what she found inside, and brainstorming ideas to get it recharged. It wasn't ideal conditions for working, but she wanted to stay with Sammy until Mike got back from work and decided to start on the taser early.

Sammy was kneeling on the bed alongside her. He had Theodore sat in his lap with an arm wrapped around the doll to keep it pulled close to his slender middle. He held the bunny doll with a gentleness one might use with a child. In contrast, his other hand was rapidly squeezing a stress ball that Mike had found at the apartment and given him. The rest of his body was so still and gave the illusion of total calmness, but the sharp compressions gave away how wound up he really was.

She felt the same way. Even since sunset she hadn't been able to shake the feeling of impending doom, but she had still put off going to Clay's. Instead choosing to wait it out in this motel room with her brother and hope that Mike made it back before anything else did.

The motel room wasn't much to look at. There was a simple double bed with a comforter styled to look like a patchwork quilt, a small TV that Sammy was currently watching, two chairs and a small table by the window, a door to the bathroom, and a locked door leading into the next room. The room was at the very end of the motel and away from any other rented rooms, as to keep the risk of someone hearing or seeing Sammy at a minimum.

She knew she would've had an easier time working at the table, but she didn't want to sit that close to the window, and she didn't feel like rearranging furniture. It just felt better to sit alongside Sammy on the bed. Even if they were just sitting alongside each other, no longer trying to distract themselves with mindless games of Tic-tac-toe and Hangman.

She was drawn out of her blank staring at her notebook- trying to remember what she was supposed to be writing down next before she got lost in thought- when she heard a car pulling up outside. Sammy must've heard it too as his head snapped over to stare at the door. Charlie set everything aside and got up to answer the door, reassured now that Mike had gotten back.

Except when she peeked out the window, she realized it wasn't him but Jessica, who noticed she had been spotted and waved back. Charlie unlocked the door and opened it for her.

"Hey! Ready to get going?" Jessica asked. She feigned a lighthearted tone, as though she was whisking her friend off to a night on the town instead of a night hiding in the police chief's guest room. Charlie grimaced and looked back into the room at Sammy. Jessica's already tentative smile dropped. "Oh no. What's that look mean?"

"I was really hoping you were Mike. He still hasn't gotten back from work yet… Hold on a second." Charlie shut the door slightly and addressed her brother. "I'm going to let Jess in," she warned. He nodded in understanding and she opened the door, ushered Jessica in, and shut and locked it securely behind her. "Mike's not back yet," she started again, only to stop when she turned around to an unexpected scene.

Charlie had warned Sammy so that he would have enough time to go into the bathroom or cover himself before Jessica came in, but much to her surprise he had done neither. He was still on the bed where she had left him, with the only change being that his gaze was back on the television and he had stopped squeezing the ball, now letting that arm drop to his side. He was rigid, holding Theodore tight to his middle.

Jessica was equally surprised and outright staring at the Puppet. Knowing this was exactly what was making him uncomfortable, Charlie began where she left off and got Jessica's focus back on her instead.

"I don't want to leave Sammy alone. Let's just wait here until Mike gets back," she suggested. She knew Jessica was going to protest, she saw it in her face, and was quick to defend. "Last night they weren't active until after midnight and it's only just turned eleven. We should have a little more time."

"But who says that's a rule? They could've just been waiting for a quiet time to strike when they had a clear opening," Jessica suggested.

"That's… True, I'll admit, but both Mike and Sammy have said that Fazbear animatronics used to become active after midnight. Since these are clearly some version of Freddy's gang, there's a good chance they follow the same rules," she explained. While Jessica looked to believe her, she didn't look ready to agree, so Charlie compromised. "Just ten minutes. If he's not back by then, we'll head to Clay's."

The blond sighed and nodded in agreement. Charlie walked back to the bed to start putting away the taser into her bag so she could look at it again later. As she watched her walk by, Jessica noted Sammy staring at her, but when she made eye contact the Puppet swiftly looked back towards the television. It was so quick that she could've believed she imagined it but knew she hadn't.

"I'm going to leave this notebook with you in case you and Mike decide to get in a heated debate," Charlie attempted to joke. She tore out her recent taser notes, folded them up, and slid them into her jeans pocket.
Sammy gave a stiff nod and her face softened, and she reached out to pat his shoulder. She had planned on telling him directly not to sneak and follow her, but now it didn't seem necessary.

A second car pulling up this soon was entirely unexpected. Jessica looked out the window and jumped straight into action. "Okay, Mike's here. Time to go," she announced and walked over briskly, grabbed up Charlie's bag, hooked an arm around hers, and began to almost drag her to the door. Almost like she was currently outrunning the bears. Charlie barely got in a one-armed hug with Sammy before being pulled away.

Mike came in and had to quickly step aside as Jessica pulled Charlie by. The blond flashed him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but we've got to go," she said.

"You know what they say: "You can check out any time, but you can never leave"," Mike said nonchalantly. Watching them leave without much change in expression and locking the door behind him. He looked tired, but it was a different kind of tired than the typical 'chasing trespassers through an abandoned mall' kind. "Sorry I'm late. I got caught up."

Sammy gave a chime of assurance and kept his head tilted away while he tried to cover the worry on his face. Mike sat down on the foot of the bed beside him and kicked off his shoes. He exhaled tiredly, looked to the Puppet- and briefly acknowledged the rabbit on his lap, and then turned his gaze to the television. His attention was clearly on something else.

"First of all, the guy who takes the graveyard shift gets there late. He's usually about five or ten minutes off, but this is over thirty minutes. This is long enough I should be getting paid overtime. So, when he finally shows up, I ask him 'what gives? Where've you been?' in my typical 'I could really care less' sort of way…" Mike sighed again. "And he bursts into tears."

Now that caught Sammy's attention. He looked to Mike with curiosity as the man continued. "Turns out that he got in a fight with his girlfriend of three years and they had broken up, that's why he was late. Now I'm standing there feeling like a jark, he's crying his eyes out, and the next thing I know I'm sitting there listening to his life's story, telling him it's going to get better, that he's going to meet someone else. Eventually he pulls himself together and I finally get out of there."

Sammy got a touch of a sympathetic smile and reached back for the notebook. He was just about to write down a message commending Mike for his patience when the man continued.

"And then I'm driving back thinking I dodged a bullet when it suddenly dawns on me how empty my life is."

The pen stopped instantly.

"This guy had a girlfriend for years who he cared about enough that he was bawling over losing her. He's got a brother and a family who cares about him. He owns his own house and he only works the night shift because he takes classes during the day. He's a student and he owns his own house. I don't have any of that. I've never dated anyone for more than a few dates, folks are gone, no house, no career, no degree. My life is literally going night shift to night shift and barely keeping my head above water," Mike vented. His voice fell significantly. "It's pathetic."

The Puppet stared silently and Mike huffed before pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry. You've got enough to worry about with all this going on. I'm just blowing off some steam here."

But Sammy wasn't satisfied with that answer. The pen hit the paper and began to write with the same velocity as when he had been squeezing the stress ball, which was now forgotten beside him. The moment Mike noticed and started to glance over the notebook was thrust into his hands. He read the line left for him.

"Just because you don't have the perfect life doesn't mean you don't have a good life. Personally, I think you're wonderful."

The corner of Mike's mouth quirked with a smile. "Yeah, well… Thanks." No quips, no snark, and he handed the notebook back. "Wonderful might be stretching it."

Apparently, Sammy wasn't content with this as he immediately went back to writing. It took longer before he handed the notebook over again.

"But you are. You have done so much for us and you haven't asked for anything in return. You're letting me stay with you even after last night. You should be afraid of me, yet here you are talking to me like I'm a real person. Nobody's done that other than Charlie. That is wonderful of you."

This was the first time they really acknowledged the elephant in the room. There was comments here and there, and occasionally talk about Freddy's, but Mike tried his hardest to avoid directly addressing what Sammy was. He toed that line but never felt safe enough to cross over. Now he was given an opening and he decided to take the plunge.

"I could say the same thing. I wouldn't think you'd trust someone who worked at Freddy's after everything that went down there. Charlie said you were the one who told her to ask me," Mike said. He looked to Sammy in questioning and received a nod. "Why me? Was it just because I was the one you saw the most?"

Sammy shook his head and wrote down another message. This one was shorter and more direct.

"You looked trustworthy."

Mike audibly scoffed at this as he handed the notebook back. "Try telling that to Burke… Heh, guess things might've ended differently if you saw me walking around in this," he joked, tugging at the shoulder of his security guard uniform. "Last I remembered, night guards and animatronics didn't exactly do well in the same room." He was joking, of course, but he was also fishing for answers. He wanted to know more.

The Puppet began to write something down when he suddenly stopped short. His briefly turned his head to glance at Mike again, seemingly contemplating something, and then began to write a lot slower. Mike quirked a brow but stayed silent, wondering if he had gone too far. This time Sammy almost hesitantly handed over the notebook and the man looked down to read-

"That uniform looks good on you. It really brings out the silver hue in your eyes."

That was the last thing he expected to read tonight. Any direction he thought the conversation was going in flew straight out the window.

"Where did this come from? Is he just trying to change the subject or is this some kind of-?" Mike sneaked a look at the Puppet. In contrast to his usual direct and unabashed staring, he was now looking towards the carpet much more timidly, twirling the pen in his fingers. That cleared it up right away. "…Okay, starting to see that wonderful comment in a whole new light."

He had to be taking this the wrong way. This was just an innocent compliment that he twisted up because it seemed a little too intimate. Sammy was just being direct. From what conversations they had through the notebook messages, that seemed to be the case. Mike just needed to ignore the implications he imagined and just thank the Puppet for his compliment. Maybe ask about the night shift and see where it went.

Unfortunately, this was Mike Schmidt, the man who decided to repeatedly test his luck, and the man who had been toyed with numerous times by said Puppet.

"I guess I'll take your word for it…" Mike said. A slow smirk stretched across his face as he looked over out of the corner of his eye. "I was wondering why you were always staring. Turns out you just can't keep your eyes off of me." Sammy reacted with a startled ring and an expression to match it, dropping his pen. "Don't get me wrong, I am flattered. I just never expected you to be carrying such a torch."

Now Sammy turned to him with a flair of static and a frustrated frown. Mike returned with a flash of a smile. The Puppet turned away, still dialing with irritation and embarrassment. Mike playfully rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I'm just having a little fun with you. I'm not used to getting compliments without a catch," he apologized, still thoroughly amused. The static died down but he could tell Sammy was still peeved. Trying to salvage the mood, he reached behind them for the remote. "Mind if I look around?"

Sammy shook his head and Mike began to flip through the channels. It was a few minutes of quiet tension before Mike started to wonder if he had really offended the Puppet. It wasn't until the animatronic scribbled down another note and passed it over that he found out the real reason for his silence.

"I'm worried about Charlie. I should be with her. I can't protect her from here."

"Stripes, you know she's where she needs to be," Mike said sympathetically. "We held our own last night but we could've lost our handle on the situation easily. At least now she's being guarded by a bunch of armed police officers who are authorized to use a lot more force than either of us are. She's probably asleep-… Okay, she's probably wide awake right now, but she's safe and secure. That's good enough."

The Puppet nodded stiffly and set down the pen so he could pull the rabbit plush into a protective hug. Holding and shielding it as he wanted to but couldn't do to her. It smelled like the same fabric refresher spray that she used on the couch; it smelled like home.

Mike decided to ignore everything that happened earlier and slid in closer to put an arm around the Puppet. He shuddered at his touch; his nerves probably frayed from the whole ordeal.

"Think about it like this: you're watching out for me tonight. Making sure I don't get into any more trouble, or that I don't split with Charlie's car in the middle of the night," Mike offered with another reassuring smile. "Trust me, once it hits midnight those hours are going to fly by like that." He snapped his fingers. "Now come on. Help me find something half-decent to watch."

Another nod and Sammy finally lifted his head to look at the screen again. He shifted closer into the comforting hold and tried to wind down a little. It was just one night, and it wasn't even midnight yet.

Charlie's feelings mirrored Sammy's with only slight differences. She didn't want to leave him like this and felt an emptiness with him gone, but she knew it was for the best. She was silent the drive back to Clay's.

She found herself staring at the shadows of distant hedges and trees as she got out of Jessica's car. The air felt colder than it had only minutes earlier, spreading goosebumps up her covered arms. She could feel their dead eyes staring out from the bushes without knowing if they were there or not. They couldn't be there, she knew that, and yet she half-believed they were. She hurried to get into the house.

What awaited her inside was something entirely unexpected. Charlie led the way into Clay's den only to be taken aback to see John, Lamar, and Marla sitting on the couches. Carlton was to be expected, but nobody had said anything about the others dropping in. Especially since she had assured John that he didn't need to.

"Guys? What are you doing here?" Charlie asked. She had her suspicions that she already knew.

"Surprise! We're joining the stake-out!" Marla exclaimed with a cheesy smile. A smile no doubt used to cover any shred of doubt or unease. Charlie smiled a little.

"I-I appreciate the sentiment, guys, but you don't have to do this. I don't think Clay's going to go along with this," she said. Of course, he wouldn't. Three more people- four if counting Jessica- risking their lives, getting in the middle of a police investigation, including his own son; there was no way Clay could agree.

"We already talked to him and straightened it out," John said while standing from the couch and coming to meet her in the entryway.

"How did you manage that?" she asked in disbelief. That sinking feeling was returning and every word felt like quicksand.

"I just told him that the only way he was going to make me leave is in the back of a police car. Didn't put up much of a fight after that," John said. His mouth quirked in an amused smile, but it faded fast when he noticed the slowly growing distress on his girlfriend's face. He took her hand in his and held it tight. "Charlie, what is it?" he asked. "You've got to tell me what's on your mind. I can't help if you don't."

"I don't want you guys to do this," Charlie admitted. She turned to the others with trepidation and remorse clear on her face. "I don't want you to get in the middle of this too. I already got Mike involved and now his apartment's been destroyed, Sammy's had to go through all of this, and I just… I… I don't want more people having to go through this because they're trying to help me. I'll be safe with Clay and the police. Nothing's going to get to me."

"If you believe that then why won't you let us stay with you?" Jessica quietly challenged. Charlie's mouth shut as she ran out of viable protests. The blond laid a gentle hand on her arm. "We're here because we're worried about you. We're not going to be able to sleep knowing you're going through this alone, so just let us do this. We know what we're getting into."

"But you don't. This isn't like before. These things are nothing like Baby. They're literal monsters built to kill people! They could kill any of us if we got too close, and they're coming directly for me," Charlie warned.

"Then will you please let us help you?! We want to be here for you! We're not just going to hide at home and let you face them alone!" Marla exclaimed. She took Charlie by the shoulders and stared up into her eyes with fierce determination. She huffed, regaining her composure, and clarified her point, "We love you, Charlie. We're not going to let you take this alone."

"I don't want to be the reason one of you gets hurt," Charlie quietly rebutted. Her voice losing most of its vigor. "It's hard enough knowing that three woman died just because they looked like me…"

This was followed by a long pause. Even with such assurance in what she was saying, Marla didn't know how to reply to that. None of them did. It was by sheer luck that Lamar volunteered a response.

"I understand. You don't want us to be the reason we stay, because then you feel like it'll be your fault if we get hurt. Okay then, we won't stay for you," he said. He paused, then he nodded at the redhead on the other end of the couch. "We'll stay for Carlton."

"I'm cool with that," Carlton agreed.

"Carlton…"

"You know what they say: you don't have to run faster than the monster. You just have to run faster than your friends."

"Carlton!"

"But they're not getting in here," he said firmly. "Dad's not going to let them. He'll be drawing his gun and calling for backup long before that. So, why not just… Ride this out together? Worked out for us last time."

Charlie had figured out by now that she wouldn't be able to talk them out of this. Though by now their words were starting to have an effect on her, promising her an escape from a night of fear and loneliness. She didn't want to put them in danger, but she still wanted them here. She managed an honest smile. "If you're all sure about this… Thanks, guys."

There were a few comforting or relieved smiles, including John's own. "No problem, Charlie. There's nowhere else I'd rather be," he said. He started to lead her to the couch when she stopped.

"But you have to promise me that you'll trust me. Because if they do start to get in, I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep us all safe, not just me. Even if that means leading them away from the house. I know for a fact that I can outrun them, so if I do you can't follow me," Charlie insisted. The others agreed, but John seemed reluctant.

Eventually he gave a defeated nod and a simple, "If you say so."

With everything seemingly squared away, Charlie finally came with him to sit on the couch. The one they were on had its back to the window but had a couple of feet between the couch and it. It still made her feel a little vulnerable. Sat between Jessica, John, and Marla- Marla sitting on an ottoman she scooted over to the couch- Charlie looked past the other couch and into the dining room, where she could see Clay walk by on his cellphone. She couldn't hear his conversation but from how he was pacing it was most likely a call out to the station.

"Did you get the taser working?" Jessica asked curiously.

"No, and I didn't get Mike's." Even though she was rushed out the door, she had already made up her mind to leave the working taser with him in case something came for him and Sammy. The still broken one sat in her back beside her feet; she would need to start working soon. "But Clay knows about the tasers, so I'm guessing the police will probably have some on hand," she added.

"I wonder if a stun gun would work, one of those ones with the darts. That would be their best bet if they don't want to risk losing an arm," Lamar remarked. He grabbed up the remote. "Anyone care if I turn the TV back on?"

"Sure but keep it low. We need to keep an ear out," John agreed, stretching his arm across the back of the couch behind Charlie. Lamar clicked it on and started flipping around.

Jessica slumped on the couch beside Charlie with a mix of worry and fatigue. The latter probably from the disrupted sleep of the night before. She noticed Clay's pacing as well and turned to Carlton.

"Hey, how's your mom taking this? I can't guess this would go over well with all the fighting," she asked. Marla got a tense grimace and Carlton held the same apathetic look.

"Well, she doesn't know I'm here, so she hasn't taken it yet. You'll know when she does. You should be able to hear it over in St. George," he remarked. Then he slumped further into the couch cushions. "We'll live."

'We'll live' seemed like a good sentiment to hold right now, and as the night crept on past midnight the room settled down. Clay came out to join them, alert and awake, and offered Charlie a place in the guest room. Unwilling to sleep at what was effectively the witching hour, she offered it to Jessica, and after a little longer the blond almost reluctantly went to lie down. Then it was just a matter of waiting.

Little did any of them know, but there was a harsh wake-up call coming very shortly.

But it wasn't for Charlie.

The pulsing had returned.

At first Sammy thought he was imagining it since it was so faint, but as the seconds ticked by, he felt it grow. That familiar throbbing deep inside his head that had previously coincided with the arrival of the monsters. Soon it got to the point where he could feel each footstep the thing took as it crept ever closer. Not willing to risk it getting closer, he frantically shook Mike awake.

"I'm up. I'm up!" Mike said before he was fully awake. He slung his body upright and tried to focus through blurry eyes. It didn't take him more than seeing the Puppet's panicked look to know exactly what was going on. "…They're out there?" he asked in alarm. Sammy nodded, and Mike sprung from the bed in a heartbeat.

The hotel room was reasonably brightened by the light of the television and coming from the bathroom, so he didn't risk turning on the bedside lamp. He just quietly and hastily made his way to the window and peek out through the curtain. The outside light illuminated the area around the car enough that he could see there was nothing there.

"Are you sure they're out there? I don't see anything," Mike said. He turned back to Sammy. "Did you hear them walking around or something?"

The Puppet fumbled momentarily as he struggled on how to explain it. Forgoing the notebook, he tried to sign by pointing at his head and making squeezing motions with his hands, trying to simulate the pulse.

Mike stared back almost blankly. Then just decided it had to be some sort of haunted animatronic thing and gave a simple, "Sure." He didn't get it but the Puppet seemed sure. He looked back out the window.

There wasn't any sign of anything out there and he couldn't even hear the footsteps. He assumed by now he would've saw some sort of a sign. Which he got as soon as he looked out the other side of the curtain.

There was a familiar bear trap sitting open in front of the door.

Mike hissed a swear and shut the curtain quickly. He got away from the window as fast as possible and back to Sammy's side, where he spoke in frantic whispers.

"That goddamn bear trap is back out there. Freddy is out there somewhere," he said, pointing a thumb at the door. Sammy shuddered at the thought. This confirmed his worst fears; they were all out there. Mike continued to vent, "Charlie's not even here! How the hell did they follow us?!"

It was this question along with the timing of the throbs in his head that made Sammy piece it all together. It was like he had been dropped in a bathtub full of ice water. Every time they appeared, he felt that pulsing. That familiar pounding that reminded him of the bear suit that once held him, but he had always assumed it was some sort of premonition he couldn't control. He had visions before after all.

Except that was not what was going on. Sammy wasn't detecting their approach; they were using some sort of locator beacon to find were tracking him.

"What's going on?" Mike asked upon seeing the floating puppet begin to twitch and clench his hands. By now he was very paranoid that the other was having some sort of psychic intuition. Sammy snatched up the notebook and frantically scribbled down a short reply before holding it up to him.

"They're tracking me!"

The man took in the words and was straight to the point. "We're screwed."

The pulsing suddenly got quicker and Sammy shirked back even before the dull sound of heavy footsteps could be heard outside the window. Mike spun around and backed further from the door; arms thrust out as though shielding the Puppet behind him. His eyes widened as he saw the shadow of a large form on the other side of the curtain. Then came the subtle sound of scraping on glass.

"We've got to get out of here," Mike said. Sammy tapped insistently on his shoulder and pointed towards the door leading to the next room. "Yeah, that's our best bet with that thing blocking the door."

The scraping was getting louder and soon turned into insistent tapping. Mike knocked boldly on the door and desperately hoped someone had checked in after he left. Alas, this wasn't the case.

Sammy's gaze was fixated on the window with a newfound horror now that he was aware that they knew where he was. He backed further as the tapping became more insistent, like the creature on the other side was calling him. He pressed into Mike's back with a full body shiver and then reached to grab his arm in panic. Mike could feel his fear through his movements and turned to the Puppet.

"New plan. You can teleport, right? I've seen you do it," he said. Sammy nodded, still staring at the window until he was turned by the shoulder to face Mike. "Stay with me. I need you to teleport through the door and unlock it from the other side." A good plan with one fatal flaw. Sammy shook his head. "What, you can't?" Mike asked.

Sammy tried to write the issue down, but found his hand shaking too badly to use the pen and notebook. Eventually he threw them both down in his franticness and instead pointed to his eyes and then the door.

"You have to see the door? You have to see what's through the door, the room?" Mike guessed. The Puppet nodded, but this didn't detour the man. This was the only chance they had to go on. He dropped down onto his hands and knees and tried to see if he could see under the door. There was a small gap between the door and the carpet, but not enough to see clear underneath.

The action gave Sammy an idea though and he tapped Mike's shoulder again and when he looked up pointed him towards the mirror outside of the bathroom. They could use a mirror to look underneath.

"Perfect. Okay, we need to find something reflective…" Mike got up and ran to the bedside table where he tore open the drawer. There wasn't anything inside except a box of tissues and a Bible.

It was then that the creature outside the window ran out of patience. Maybe it had heard movement closer to the door or maybe it was tired of waiting, but it struck the window with something hard and shattered a section of it. The thick glass barely held as it continued smashing its way through.

"Forget it, we're using that one!" Mike yelled as he ran to the mirror. He had only two things of use on his belt, the half charged taser and a heavy-duty flashlight, and he used the latter to break the glass. He then used a hand towel from the bathroom to pick up one of the shards. He hastily returned to the door and crouched down. "Come on!"

Sammy had grabbed up Theodore and was clutching him tightly as he watched the creature start to come through. If it had been Bear Trap Freddy, he would've fought it immediately, but this creature, this other bear, awoke a deep fear inside of him. It was clearly the source of the pounding in his head, the one who was tracking him. He only looked away when Mike called him.

"Here, quick!" Mike instructed as he pressed the glass into the carpet and tried to aim it under the door. He slid it half under, barely keeping his hand steady as he heard the monster breaking in behind them.

Sammy dropped to his knees beside him, peered at the mirror with glowing eye, and watched as it angled more inside until he caught a glimpse of the space just beyond the door. He then tossed Theodore into Mike's lap and vanished. Within seconds, he could be heard trying to unlock the door from the other side. Mike stood up and looked back in time to see the other bear crawling through the window.

It had razor-sharp teeth and matted, mustard yellow fur. The coloring reminded him uncomfortably of something he once thought he saw at Freddy's. He pulled the taser out just in case.

Except that was when the door between the rooms swung open. Mike ran through, tossing the doll back to Sammy, and slamming the door shut. He then went to lock it, but instead of finding a dead bolt or turning lock, he just found a basic key lock on the other side. No way to lock or unlock it without a key.

"How did you- Never mind. Tell me later. We're out of here." Mike ran across the empty motel room and to the window. He caught the tail end of the massive animatronic crawling through and looked down at the bear trap, following its chain to where it circled around the corner at the edge of the building and knowing Freddy was likely back there. "I think we can make a run for it. On the count of three. One… Two… Three!"

Mike got out Charlie's car key, unlocked and threw open the door, took one step out, and then threw himself back in and pulled the door closed just in time to dodge the fluid that splattered against it.

"Bonnie's back!" he hissed. He could hear the liquid sizzling on the wood and Bonnie's heavy, wobbly footsteps moving closer. "Forget it, we've got to run!" Without another word, he barged back out the door.

Glue Trap Bonnie apparently had a recovery time and it was just long enough that Mike was able to sprint to the car. He unlocked the driver's side and Sammy threw himself in only a moment before Mike did, slamming the door shut behind him and shoving the key in the ignition. He peeled back in reverse just as Bonnie broke into a jaunty gait towards him. Freddy came out around the side of the motel but wasn't alone.

There was a fourth animatronic accompanying them. Mike could only make out Chica's deformed head, hollowed out like a bird skull with beady, glowing eyes, over a bell-shaped body. Its front had the fabric peeled back to reveal thick endoskeleton bars, like a papier-matche project gone terribly wrong.

"Look! Look at that! What the hell is that?!" Mike pointed and tried to yell over the frantic puppet music that began the moment Sammy got into the car. He hit the brakes, pulled the car out of reverse, and floored it.

As a parting gift, Glue Trap Bonnie scraped at the driver's window as he drove by, then gushed the tar over the backseat window behind it. Mike looked in the mirror as he peeled out of the motel and noticed that all three animatronics were moving a lot faster than they had the night before. Still not enough to catch up, but enough that they could've trapped the car in. Hissing through his teeth, he fumbled for his phone.

Charlie awoke with a start to her phone ringing. She hadn't even remembered falling asleep but could feel that she was leaning on someone's shoulder. She would've assumed it was John if she wasn't leaning the wrong way. Much to her embarrassment, she realized that she had fallen asleep on Clay's shoulder. She pulled back quickly and muttered an apology, Clay seemed entirely unbothered.

She got her phone out of her pocket and answered it. "Hello?"

"They were right outside the motel room! They just broke through the window- I'm pulling down East First, you got to tell Clay I'm coming! You wouldn't believe how fast these things are!" It was Mike and his words were all blurring together as he rushed them out quickly and loudly, struggling to even hear himself over the music in the car.

"Mike?! What do you mean, they found you?!" Charlie gasped in surprise. She shot to her feet as her words caught the attention of Clay, John, and Lamar. It even roused Marla and Carlton who were curled on the couch together. "Did they get to you?! Did they hurt- you?!" She barely caught herself, but she could hear Sammy's music so she knew he was there.

"No, we're fine! But we're not going to be for long! I'm coming over there right now, and I'm bringing him so you're going to have to figure something out fast! I've got to go or I'm going into a telephone pole!"

"Okay, just be careful and come straight here," Charlie finished. She reluctantly ended the call and turned to Clay who was already getting up. She knew he already heard plenty but brought him up to speed. "Mike was ambushed at the hotel. He's coming here."

"Good. Did he say anything about which one attacked him?" Clay asked.

"No, he just said… He said 'they'. That there's more than one." He nodded and took out his radio to alert the officers outside to keep an eye out. Charlie turned back to John who ran to her side and lowered her voice. "Sammy's going to be with him. We're going to have to hide him."

"I think we're going to have trouble doing that in Clay's house, but we'll see what we can do," John agreed. He thought a moment longer before getting an idea. "We'll hide him in the guest room. It's the safest bet."

"I'll go wake up Jessica," Marla volunteered. She hopped up from the couch and hurried off, already toting the energy she might've had if she was awake the whole time. Lamar watched her go before speaking up.

"I don't know. Is there a window in there? If these things are breaking out windows then we should probably be avoiding them. What about the basement? We could hole up down there," Lamar suggested.

"But then we could get ourselves cornered," John said. He and Lamar continued discussing it, but this was where Charlie stopped paying attention to the conversation and instead kept her gaze out the front window.

She couldn't understand. If they were after her then how had they found them? Had they recognized her car? Did they see her leaving the motel room and get confused? There had to be some explanation for this.

Her own car peeled into the driveway only a minute later and barely missed Clay's and the cruiser parked outside. She knew it was him, and apparently, she wasn't the only one as Clay hustled to the door before she could even consider an excuse to stop him. He unlocked and opened the front door. She watched him look out with a look of fierce determination and then do a jarred double-take.

"What is that?" he asked pointedly. Charlie knew exactly what it was.

"Charlie's science project. I'm not going to be the reason it gets wrecked," Mike lied on the fly. He practically barged past Clay and stumbled over the carpet before righting himself. Thankfully, he had managed to wrap Sammy up in the throw blanket before he came in, though because he was carrying him in his arms the blanket didn't do as good of a job covering him. His striped legs dangled out.

"Lord, give me strength," Clay muttered. He seemed to eye the exposed fabric but made no further comments as he shut and locked the door again.

Charlie was at Mike's side in seconds and ushered him back to the guest room. "The room's back here. This way," she said. While thrilled that they arrived safely, she could see how shaken Mike was. Perhaps even more so than the night before. That alone told her how serious the situation was.

Jessica was sitting up on the bed talking to Marla when Charlie and Mike rushed in. She sprung to her feet questioningly but didn't ask any questions, just getting handwave signal from Charlie and turning to guide Marla out of the bedroom. The moment they were out the door, Charlie started to peel back the blanket. "They're gone-."

She was caught off-guard by Sammy literally springing to life and clasping her in a tight hug. Though it wouldn't last, as Sammy was already looking for a hiding spot. For him there was no safety in this house- there was no safety in any house now that he knew it was only a matter of time before they followed him. He looked for a convenient place to hide and fixed upon a closet.

The Puppet broke their embrace to take her wrist and lead her to the door. Charlie understood his intentions almost immediately and watched as opened the door and slid inside. Part of her wanted to protest, to tell him that he would be safe, but seeing him desperately look back at her from out of the darkness assured her that his comfort was more important.

"I'm going in," she said to Mike. He was standing there vigorously combing his fingers through his hair and only stopped long enough to give a silent thumbs up. Charlie then climbed into the closet.

The closet seemed to only be used to hold spare coats as the floor of it was almost entirely cleared except a few old shoe boxes. The longer coats still hung down far enough to reach them, so she pushed them aside to make a little place to sit. She noticed the position Sammy had taken, with his legs folded to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, and it worried her.

"What happened?" she asked as she took his hand. "What did you see?"

But it wasn't what he had saw, but when he knew. He looked to her with guilt, his glowing eyes being the only thing illuminating the darkness and took her hand in his. Holding open her palm, he traced letters on it.

"T-H-E-Y W-E-R-E-N-T F-O-L-L-O-W-I-N-G Y-O-U. T-H-E-Y W-E-R-E F-O-L-L-O-W-I-N-G M-E." This startled Charlie, especially since they had already witnessed evidence of it. They had gone straight to him. Sammy began to trace again and spelled out, "I-M S-O-R-R-Y."

"No," Charlie blurted out immediately. "No, don't be. Just-… We'll figure it out. It's no different than when they were after me, okay? We'll just… We'll find out what's going on." But he knew it wasn't that simple, not now that he knew the mechanics. She pulled him back into a hug, crouched there in that small closet. Bad memories were already trying to creep up as Charlie held him tight.

Part of her half expected a monstrosity to throw open the door and rip Sammy away from her, just like he did last time.