YEAH YEAH FINALE TIME OMGGGGG
I am very proud of the title, for reasons that'll make sense once you finish it. It was originally just going to be Cerberus, but I don't want to have the title be just one word because that's going to be my chapter theme for Pizzeria Simulator. If we get that far, which I hope we will.
Anyways it is scorching where I am. Lots of swimming to be done! I've mainly been inside, writing or storyboarding for this chapter and the next act. Which I never do, I usually just keep everything in my head and remember it all, but I like to write down my random ideas from time to time in case I do forget. I've got a lot planned!
Thanks to the slay yass mixsii for helping edit this and making sure every other word isn't describing someone's eye colour! (There's still a lot of that, you know me.)
Reviews!
Lydia-From-Limmet: I honestly want to go to Australia for a Christmas and see how different it is. And yeah, poor Evan can never catch a break. I'll give him a happy chapter next act, don't worry. Also yes, the lemonade chapter seems to be a common favourite when I've asked my friends. I'm surprised you managed to pick that up based on William's behavior, I didn't know anyone would. I'm sure he'd be honored to be the subject of your paper!
Qxr: Oh, definitely, they'd be a very epic (and chaotic) trio. I want to see them meet up sometime in actual fnaf canon, that'd be awesome.
MoonTheMagical: don't worry about being late, that stuff you've been doing sounds super cool! Which languages are you learning? Also wow you're a fast reader, especially for being up at 4. Whenever I'm up that my eyes blur. Unless I'm at a sleepover, of course, because then I've eaten 100 pounds of candy and am up all night.
mixsii: let's hang out yes! say yes or be anxious (even more underground mental illness ref, you might not understand)
Enjoy!
Chapter 82
Flames of Cerberus
milkandquackers: GUYS
milkandquackers: GUYS
milkandquackers: I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU
2Lisa: What's up?
myahxox: what :0
rubyred: dude my robotics teacher is going to assault me if he sees me texting during class so hurry up or ill assault you
milkandquackers: Mean
milkandquackers: I'll tell you guys after school meet by the bike rack ok?
2Lisa: K! :DD
rubyred: watch your back…it's duck season you know
milkandquackers: Hint taken. I'm going back to my homework out of fear for my life
milkandquackers: See you guys there and grab Josh if you see him
2Lisa: K!
myahxox: mk!
rubyred: im right behind you
Ruby rolled her eyes, setting down her phone and shooting a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure her teacher hadn't spotted her. Eyes like a hawk, that guy…
~lll~
Ducky practically flew down the hallway once the bell rang, his blue oversized jacket billowing out behind him. His black-and-white Converse which had been doodled on incessantly slapped against the linoleum floor. His shirt was a black button-up printed with multicolored flowers, a pair of white earphone wires draped down like a necklace from around his neck.
Unfortunately, he was so wrapped up in describing his outfit that he nearly barreled into Ruby, who was having a discussion with Myah beside their lockers about the best dips to pair with nachos.
Ruby whirled around, fist at the ready and hazel eyes widened, until she realized it was only Ducky. "Oh my God, Duck! You scared me!"
"Sorry." Ducky did not look the least bit sorry. He took a few more deep breaths of air, then continued. "I think Lisey and Josh are both at the bike racks with Abbie-"
"Wait, Abbie?" Ruby cut in, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Don't question it. So seriously, hurry up! This is seriously important!" Ducky wailed, bouncing from foot to foot in impatience.
"Alright, alright, we're seriously coming!" Ruby laughed, grabbing Myah's hand and racing down the hallway after him.
After rushing down the stairs and bursting out the front door, the three spotted Josh, Tulisa, and Abbie standing around the bike rack, aimlessly scrolling on their phones. Ducky skidded to a halt in front of them, blazing with energy.
"Okay. Is everyone ready?" He asked, practically overflowing with exhilaration.
"Since you're acting like…no, since you will probably pass out if you don't tell us this, then sure, I'm ready." Josh said, amused.
"Okay. So. You guys know how Abbie's really rich and stuff, right?"
"Off to a wonderful start," Abbie muttered, tossing her coffee-coloured curls over her shoulder.
Ducky ignored her. "So basically, every year her and her parents go to this beachfront cabin in Saffron. But this year they're going to Hawaii." He grinned maniacally. "And today my dad said that Abbie's parents are going to give my family the cabin for the summer, right? But my siblings are all busy with things like college and kids or whatever. So my parents said I can by by myself and invite my friends instead!"
There was a moment of silence as each person processed it, then suddenly Tulisa squealed and wrapped Ducky in a hug.
"Oh my gosh Ducky, thank you so so so much! You just saved my life!"
Ducky blinked in surprise. "Uh, you're welcome?"
Josh rolled his cobalt blue eyes. "She was going to go to some sleepaway camp where you build a bunch of little houses in some field in Colorado - sounded like community service to me."
Tulisa gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Shut up, it was going to be fun. But then it had to be cancelled because they didn't have enough people."
"Wow, wonder why?" Josh mumbled under his breath, earning himself another punch from his sister.
"I'd have to check with my mom, but I think she'd say yes. I mean, we're practically eighteen now, and it's not like we had much else planned for this summer." Ruby laughed, slinging her backpack over one shoulder. "Anyways, I've got to catch the bus and take a nap before my last shift of the month!"
Everyone said their goodbyes in unison, turning back to other people or their phones. Ruby pumped her fist in the air with a whoop, running around the cars in the parking lot and up into the bus.
Final shift, here I come!
~lll~
"Sorry I'm late you guys, the cats were freaking out and I had to lock them in the laundry room and find treats for when I get back, but Rylie has this new thing where she hides forks in the closet or toys in the fridge, so the cat treats were beside the shampoo bottles, and then my helmet was in the dishwasher, so-" She paused when a loud cracking sound exploded from the other room, like a cannonball thrown through plaster. "Uh, what was that?"
Mangle shrugged. "Cassidy, I think."
"Oh. Why's she so mad?" Ruby asked bluntly.
Freddy and Bonnie shared glances. Bonnie widened his eyes, gesturing to Ruby without looking at her. Freddy gave him the same look.
"Oh my God." Mangle rolled her eyes at the two, setting her knitting back down on the couch. "Darlings, she isn't a stupid child. Unlike you two."
Bonnie flipped her off without making eye contact, and then looking back at Ruby with a sort of uncomfortable gaze. "Well, ah, it's June 26."
Ruby nodded slowly. "O-kayyy?"
He cleared his throat. "That's the day we died."
She blinked, face flushing with embarrassment. "Oh. I'm…wow. That's- that sucks." She shook her head, red ponytail shaking with her. "Sorry, I just- don't know what to say."
"Yeah. Happy tenth anniversary, am I right? Hurr-freaking-ay." Bonnie did jazz hands for emphasis. "We should have a celebration."
Chica, who was doodling in a sketchbook printed with flowers beside Mangle, shot him a glare. "That's not funny."
Bonnie grinned teasingly. "Woah, someone's touchy."
"Gosh, I wonder why. Maybe because ten years ago, today, I was horrifically traumatized because I had to watch my friends get ripped apart and then proceed to have the same done to me? And the same thing happened to Cassidy, but worse, so she's currently panicking in the other room?" Chica quipped saltily, setting down her pen. "So sorry for not finding you hilarious. Maybe try and find a heart under all that dumb."
Bonnie's features softened, and he jumped up from the floor to the couch beside Chica. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm only kidding. Not that it's anything to kid about, but you know me."
Chica sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry. I'm just kind of on edge, you know?"
Bonnie gave her a half smile. "Yeah, well, that's understandable."
Ruby glanced between the two of them, gesturing to the door. "Um, do you guys want me to leave…?"
Bonnie waved his hands in the air. "No, no, I killed the vibe. I'm sorry. Let me perform CPR on it, I think we should play a game."
Ruby grinned, swinging her backpack straps onto her other shoulder. "Well, I've got Uno and a new wireless speaker in my bag, and once I'm back from the bathroom I'm going to decimate you guys."
"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!" Bonnie yelled after her as she walked out of the room.
Ruby hummed a tune for a song she didn't know the name of as she strolled down the hallway, a spring in her step as she floated through daydreams. She couldn't wait to get home the next day and have her mother say yes, of course you can stay with your friends for the summer! Sunburns and saltwater, cotton candy and carnivals…she could practically taste the summer ahead. And maybe-
"BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK."
Ruby scrunched her eyebrows together. What was that?! It sounded like a dog, but who would be walking their dog at - she checked her phone - 12:33? And besides, the attraction was on the side of a highway, by a dusty, loud construction site and the tiniest forest imaginable. Not exactly some suburban dreamland where you'd walk your teacup poodles.
"BARK BARK BARK BARK!"
There it was again! Ruby put her hands on her hips, reading the sign above the door where the barking sounded like it was coming from. Haunted Maze. There was another sign taped under it, written on wrinkled lined paper and scrawled in blue ink; Under Construction, Keep Out! When she tried the silver handle, it didn't budge, staying firmly in place.
With a determined look plastered onto her face, Ruby took a few steps back and ran full speed ahead, using her universal key that could open any door - her right foot.
A loud screech of metal sounded and the door tore off of its hinges, falling to the floor with a cloud of dust billowing out from underneath it. Ruby swallowed her fear, shoving and crushing it down into a pile, and crept inside.
It didn't have the same lime-green lighting as the rest of the building did. Instead, it was pitch black, only lit up in royal blue LEDs that trailed along the top of the maze walls like Christmas lights and turned her red hair purple. And while Ruby had assumed that the sign posted there was fake, it did appear to be somewhat under construction. The walls were made of light-washed sheets of oak, with some painted black and others left unfinished. The gray linoleum floor and the air around her were filled with dust, which tickled her nose and made her sneeze, though she buried it in her elbow to try and conceal the noise in case someone was in there with her, watching.
For some odd reason, it was much colder in this room than the main place, and Ruby wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she hadn't worn a white ribbed tank top and red cotton shorts with her leather jacket. At least she was wearing her combat boots and white leg warmers. That made it slightly more bearable.
"BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK!?"
This time, instead of being muffled and faint, the barking sounded sharp and directly in her ears, and Ruby grinned to herself as she knew she was close.
Tracing her left hand along the wall beside it as she walked, she started hearing panting coming from a little ways away, and she slowed her pace. The panting grew louder, and louder. How many dogs are in here?!
Ruby swallowed again, moving her pace to a sort of slow-motion run. She knew if she turned the corner she'd come face-to-face with a whole pack of dogs, and while she loved those animals, she didn't have an owner present to ask if they were friendly or not, and she'd rather not get mauled by bloodthirsty canines at that moment.
She stopped at the corner, grabbing the edge of the wall and peeking behind to check and - oh my God.
Thirty-something dogs sat or stood in a tiny open space labelled by purple painted words on the wall as The End, Great Job! Some were massive Great Danes, others little Jack Russells. Some were black or gray or white with spots or patches or solid-coats, some with russet or caramel or amber fluff. Some looked like mangy mutts, others like pedigree pups. Each was doing their own thing, some chasing each other around or playing catch with cloth dolls that looked like-
Oh, no.
That was one of Jojo's dolls. Ruby sighed as the realization set in. She knew what was going on. Jojo was adopting a bunch of puppies, like what Ruby had seen her watch on TV! There was this show about a woman who owned forty dogs, and Jojo had been telling her all about it one night and how she wished she were the lady in the show. Ruby had just smiled and nodded along, but she never thought the little girl would actually go through with it.
Of course, Ruby had no idea where she'd gotten the dogs. Maybe some customers had brought their pets with them? Odd that nobody had brought the topic up, there would be hundreds of distraught owners if that were the case. Nothing happened in Hurricane, so it probably would have made the papers. Perhaps there had been strays roaming the highways, and Jojo had coaxed them through a window or something. That wouldn't be out of character for her.
The clicking of claws behind her alerted Ruby's attention, and she spun around, hazel eyes alert and fists at the ready.
A tan-and-black patched German Shepherd sat patiently behind her, onyx eyes showing nothing but a mild curiosity as it cocked his head at her. Ruby crouched down to dog level, panicked expressions turning to grins as she held her hand out, palm us and finger slightly curled inwards. She almost said pspsps, until she remembered that it wasn't a cat.
Ruby noticed that one of the small black claws on its tan paw was painted pink. "C'mon, girl!"
Unfortunately, Ruby had made the mistake of assuming his gender.
"I'm not a girl." The dog snapped. "My name is Monty."
What the... "Did I inhale too much dust?" Ruby sputtered incredulously. It couldn't have just been her mind playing tricks on her, that dog's mouth just moved. And English words came out of it. Was she going insane? Too many night shifts, she reasoned.
"Yes, so sorry about the dust. Our owner tends not to clean much." The English-speaking dog - Monty apparently - apologized, his voice smooth and businessman-like.
"O-oh. They, uh, they should clean more." What am I even saying? What is even happening right now?!
"Well, I've got more important matters on my mind than sweeping, sweetie." A deep voice sounded from behind her, gravel coated in sugary-sweet honey. "And I think you'd better start talking about why you're snooping around back here instead of making a ruckus with your friends, hm?"
Ruby froze, sweat starting to stick the the nape of her neck as Springtrap strolled past her, spinning around and crouching down to meet her eye level. He held her gaze patiently, an amused smile on his face. "Well?"
Ruby's mouth was dry, and she swallowed. Something about this interaction seemed off, not like any other she'd had in the past. "I think you're the one who should be explaining. Why do you have a bunch of dogs in here?"
Springtrap let out a laugh, the sound both musical and rough at the same time. He turned back to her, silver eyes dancing with mirth. "I'm simply giving your dear friends a gift. It's Cassie's birthday, after all."
Ruby opened her mouth to argue, but Springtrap silenced her with a matted green hand. "Ah-ah-ah. You're going to sit here while I give them their present. And maybe if you're good, I'll let you live. It's not like you can call the police on me." His voice turned mocking, taunting. "911, hello? Yes, a zombie bunny just got rid of my ghost friends! Yes, I said ghosts…huh? What does straitjacket mean?"
Ruby struggled furiously under his grip, trying to rip his metal-and-fur hand off with her own. It didn't budge. The rusty metal claws on the ends of the suit dug into her lightly freckled cheeks as she shifted, spilling cerise from the needle-small punctures in her skin. She'd bite him if she could. I'd kill him if I could.
He seemed delighted at her struggling. "You're feisty. I think that's why I kept you so long instead of killing you once you served your purpose. At least you didn't cower and whine and weep like those other brats."
And finally, either she managed to tug him off or he'd grown bored of her silence, his hand was removed from her mouth. She could feel green fuzz stuck to her thin lips, and she wiped it off on her sleeve. "I hate you."
Springtrap clutched his heart. "Ouch. I'm hurt, Pippi, truly."
"Wow, creative redhead joke. Listen to that audience roar." She snapped.
He frowned. "Then again, Ashley Kerwin, you are quite a bother. Might be easier to off you now, would probably save me some time. I don't have a knife since your klepto friend with the white hair snooped through my room and took it, but I'm sure I can get creative. Makes is all the more fun, right?"
Ruby spat at his feet as a response.
He glanced down at her in disgust. "...Right. Okay, well, here's my answer. You sit tight, Ariel, I'm going to fetch the bleach. Do you know what happens when you consume too much? It's pretty crazy, not going to lie."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ruby snarled. "You're ugly and mean, do something nice for yourself for once."
He ignored her, examining one of the sharp claws on the tip of his index finger. "Of course, I could just slit your throat. But that's done to death and just so dull."
Ruby shot her worst if-looks-could-kill look at him, hazel eyes blazing with fury. "I want to strangle you."
Springtrap simply chuckled under his breath, standing up and clapping his hands together, Monty scurrying to his side. "Good to know, MJ Watson. I'll be back in five, and remember not to move!"
Unfortunately for him, Ruby was never very good at listening. The second he'd stepped far enough away, Ruby scrambled to her feet, tearing away from him with her combat boots clomping down the maze.
Springtrap pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "She's going to make such a racket. Monty, get the pack after her. I think she's going for her friends, so we may as well attack now. Keep two or three here with me, just in case."
Monty barked in agreement, nodding to the pack of lazy dogs. They scampered down the hallway after the running girl, claws slashing the ground and tearing up the floor. Two huskies and a Greyhound remained, rolling around with their long cherry tongues lolling out.
Springtrap exhaled, the noise full of effort. He simply hated when people escaped from his big plans. She must have gotten that from her father.
~lll~
"You know, where is Springtrap?"
Freddy glared at him, setting down his magazine. "Bonnie, shut up. Nobody wants to hear about him, especially not today."
Bonnie threw up his arms in defense. "I'm serious! Guy's been hiding for weeks now, and I'm not complaining but it's just weird, you know? He usually comes out of his hermit cave sometimes. It's usually to make fun of us, but still."
"He's not even doing that anymore. He just seems…annoyed. Or tired, or whatever." Chica replied, not tearing his gaze away from her drawing.
"And you know that how, exactly?"
Chica rolled her turquoise eyes. "Few days ago, I ran into him in the hallway. He was carrying a shovel and acting all skittish, like one of the kids - or Foxy - when they break something." She waved her pink-manicured hand with a sigh. "He totally killed someone, it was so obvious, but I don't know, it's just standard behaviour for him. It is a little odd though, the way he's been acting. I don't like it. Makes me think he's up to no good."
"Woah, shocking."
"Oh, shut up." Chica glanced around the room, a sudden twinge of worry on her face. "Hey, when's the last time any of you've seen Ruby-"
And speaking of the devil, the familiar clomping sound of Ruby's combat boots sounded from down the hall, and the tall girl skidded into the room, blood on her cheek and panting for breath with her hands on her knees.
Chica immediately threw her book to the ground and stood up, face creased with concern. "Oh my gosh, Ruby, are you okay? Do you need-"
In through your nose, out through your mouth. Ruby remembered the words her mother had taught her a few years ago whenever she was short on breath, and she concentrated on those words like a mantra as she regulated her breathing. "No *gasp* time *pant* to worry! Springtrap *wheeze* trying to kill me with *gulp* ghost dog army! They're coming after me right *inhale* now!"
"What?!" Freddy gasped, getting to his feet.
Mangle and Bonnie followed, each face a mirror of shock. Bonnie's, however, was extra confused. "What the hell do you mean, a ghost dog arm- HOLY SHIT, A GHOST DOG ARMY!"
A sea of barking, howling dogs erupted from the hallway behind her, waves of tawny black or brown or white fur and all different mixes of the three rippling throughout.
Freddy nodded, deep blue eyes wide but surprisingly, not surprised. "Okay, time to run."
The four of them each gave a somewhat terrified nod of agreement, and took off sprinting away from the massive dog tsunami trailing behind them at top speed.
"Urghhh, I'm remembering why I hated cross country!" Ruby groaned, her thighs and calves burning with overuse trying to keep up with the others.
"Man up," Was Bonnie's kind and thoughtful response.
"You are dead." She pointed out bitterly. "You don't get to brag to me about manning up when this probably feels like a quiet stroll through daises for your dumb ghoul legs."
"Stop fighting, you guys! Freddy, where are we even going?" Chica asked, speeding up to keep up with the brunet, who was shockingly fast despite his smaller and rounder size. Even Bonnie, who was built like a string bean and practically made for running, was falling behind him.
"To the kitchen. Foxy's cooking there, and we need to get him to safety. Ruby, you said the dogs were ghosts?" After an affirmative nod, he continued. "So Springtrap definitely got them with killing us in mind. So we've got to get Foxy, then Cassidy, Mari and the kids. I'm pretty sure the last few are all in the same room, I heard they wanted to cheer Cass up. And Ruby, I know we've done this to you in the past, so I'm really sorry, but because you're alive and therefore immune…"
"You want me to be bait." Ruby deadpanned with a sigh. "Yeah, whatever. This time it actually makes sense. Last year, I was literally the only one who could die from those robots when they attacked the pizzeria, plus I was one of the only ones with any decent fighting skills. And so illogically you guys throw fragile little fleshy Ruby into the center of a bunch of metal spaghetti topped with claws and teeth. Real smart, you guys, thanks."
"You're welcome. Anyways, Mangle and Chica, you grab Foxy and meet us in Mari's room. It's the only one with a lock, and I don't think dogs are great at that. If you run into any trouble…just run out of it, okay?"
The two girls gave him a thumbs-up sign and rushed into the kitchen, the smell of salt and chocolate wafting out from the door which was closed in a flash.
Once they had grabbed Foxy and reached Mari's door, however, it was firmly locked. Bonnie slammed on the door a few times with his fist, but nobody responded except a few hushed giggles.
"C'mon, let us in!" Ruby yelled, giving the door a harsh kick with the toe of her boot.
Mari's muffled voice rang out. "I'm so sorry, Jojo's *argh* holding the door shut. Joey, sweetie, let go!"
"I think I know how to make her open the door." Bonnie said, grinning evilly. Ignoring the hushed protests from Freddy and Chica, he continued. "Springtrap made an army of bloodthirsty ghost dogs that are trying to kill us…well, you guys, and they're currently chasing us down the hallway, so if you would mind letting us in, Joey, that would be great?"
The door suddenly swung open, an ash-faced Mari greeting them with pure horror on her face. "Oh my God. Yes, come on in. Hurry, hurry!" She ushered them in, shooting panicked looks over their heads as they did.
Slamming the door shut and double-bolting it, Mari spun around. "Okay. Any ideas on how we're supposed to get out of here?"
"Light the place on fire and hope we all burn with it?" Cassidy suggested lightheartedly, face shadowed from where she was curled up in a corner. Ruby noticed with a pang of sadness that her tan knuckles were bloody and split. Even if they weren't exactly the best of friends, from what she'd gotten to know of them over the past year was that Cassidy was an incredibly compelling individual, one Ruby hated to see hurt like that.
Mari gave her friend a Look. "Not helping, Cass."
But Ruby nodded slowly, a picture forming in her mind. "Actually, Cassidy, that's not a bad idea."
The raven-haired girl turned to her in surprise. "Really?!"
"Well, not the part where we die too." Ruby added hastily. "But think about it. You guys ever read Twilight?"
Chica, Bonnie (who'd watched the movie since he couldn't read), Foxy and...Malcolm each raised their hands.
Everyone stared at the child.
"What? It's a fascinating tale of our own feeble mortality, and the human spirit, as well as how far someone will push themselves for love." Malcolm said, as if he was reciting from text. In fact, he probably was.
Mari rubbed her temples impatiently. "Okay. Mal, we'll talk about that later. Ruby, back to what you were saying?"
"Okay. So basically in the book there's a bunch of sparkly vampires. And they're all immortal, right? But in the third book, the way they kill them is by mutilating them into pieces and setting those pieces ablaze. Now, we've sort of already ripped him to shreds, but if we can find a way to safely light him, and only him on fire, then we could get rid of him once and for all."
Mari opened her mouth to object, but Ruby interrupted her. "I know you guys all took a vote to keep him alive, but come on, you know he's just going to keep coming up with these schemes. Even if you lock him in a room for a bazillion years, he'll find a way to get out. He's pretty cunning, I'll give him that. He needs to be eliminated, and you all know that."
"It just seems a little cruel, you know?" Mari murmured quietly, staring at the floor. "Dying in such a gruesome way, and then being burned alive? I've heard it's agony, because your nerves are burned last. Does he really deserve that?"
Cassidy snorted in disbelief. "Uh, yes? Obviously? Jesus, Mari, are you seriously defending him? Chica and Foxy literally had limbs or eyes removed, Freddy and Bonnie watched their friends die in front of them, and I was pretty much left to bleed out. Mangle had to deal with that fact for six years before the same happened to her, not to mention all their distraught and traumatized parents who don't even fully know what happened to their precious children. Ruby, Joey, Mal and me were left as test subjects for ages, he murdered and abused his entire family, he manipulated and caused your father to kill himself, and he LITERALLY KILLED YOU, WHEN YOU WERE THREE, PRACTICALLY HIS NIECE, AND HID YOUR BODY BY THE TRASH BAGS. You've got to have a seriously sick mind to ask if he deserves that, because dying in a fire is fucking euphoria compared to what he actually deserves."
Mari swallowed, chin trembling. She blinked her burning eyes rapidly to keep the well of tears from spilling down and rendering her a hacked-up little crybaby. Mari could feel her heartbreak pouring out her mouth, her eyes and ears, bloody red and copper-tasting on her tongue. A salty tear slipped out of the corner of her eye. Backstabber.
Cassidy shook her head. "Are you actually going to cry right now? You are so pathetic, Mari."
Silence followed, everyone deep in their minds, replaying what had just happened, and Ruby had never had the expression 'deafening silence' be so fitting until right then. Until a long, wolfish howl and nails scratching at the door cut the quiet with a hatchet and brought them back to reality.
Freddy clasped his hands together, face slightly pained, but serious. "Mari, Cassidy, I'm so sorry but you guys are going to have to hold it in until after, alright? Ruby, that's a really great idea as I think that should be our plan, but we'll have to be safe, of course. Do you guys know if we have any matches or lighter fluid around?"
Foxy nodded enthusiastically. "Aye. There's some gasoline in the storage closet, and that janitor scallywag dropped a matchbox yesterday, then abandoned ship. I kept it in the secretary's desk drawer."
"Okay, good. Now, there's one other issue that we have to address, and that's-"
"BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK!"
"...That," Freddy continued. "Any ideas?"
Everyone went quiet, thinking. Then all of a sudden, Ruby's face lit up, and her arm shot to the sky.
Freddy sighed. "Does this one happen to involve arson as well?"
"Yes. For sure. You know me, pyromaniac Ruby." Ruby rolled her eyes, tone dripping with sarcasm. "No, it doesn't. Remember how I was complaining about my cats earlier, and how I needed to give them treats when I got back?"
At Freddy's nod, she continued with a grin, tossing her bag off her shoulder and pulling it into her lap, rummaging through the pockets. "Well, I happen to know that cat and dog treats are pretty similar. And what do you guys think Springtrap was using to get the dogs to behave?" She pulled out the purple fish-patterned bag with a flourish. "These!"
"Huh. You actually had a legal idea for once, Rubes. I'm impressed." Bonnie pointed out, earning himself a punch on the shoulder from Ruby (which phased through him, but he got the message.)
"So, I'll go out there and toss the treats and tell 'em to behave, and while I do that, the rest of you can grab the matches and gas and stuff!" Ruby said, earning affirmative nods from everyone else. They agreed on Freddy, Bonnie, and Mangle going to get the matches, and Foxy, Chica and Cassidy getting the gasoline. Ruby would distribute the cat treats and try to distract the dogs from the ghosts, and Mari would look after Jojo and Malcolm in their room with the lock firmly shut.
"Okay, so we're going to need to be really quiet and quick getting out, okay? We need to make the dogs think we're just sitting here, so they aren't prepared when we burst out." Freddy instructed.
"Got it, Freddles." Ruby teased with a grin. She bent down and slung her backpack over her shoulder, thinking that it was zipped up and closed.
It was not zipped up.
As if played in a horrifying slow motion video, her gray Bluetooth speaker tumbled out of her checkered bag, falling onto the floor and landing right face-down on the Play and Volume Up buttons. And it was then that Ruby remembered the song that she'd had paused on her phone earlier that morning while getting ready for school…
"SO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT, WHAT YOU REALLY REALLY WANT!" Scary's and Ginger's voices erupted from the speakers, blasting the cheery tune so loudly that half the people in the room immediately slapped their hands over their ears. The sharp barking of the hounds started up again, frenzied and loud.
"Forget quiet, let's go with quick." Freddy muttered, shoving everyone to the door and swinging it open to usher them outside, Ruby scooping up her speaker and hastily putting it on pause. "Everyone out, now! And hurry! Don't let the dogs inside!"
~lll~
Clink.
Scoop.
Clink.
Scoop.
Clink.
Scoop.
Silver metal flashed gold against the harsh lighting of the sunny amber fairy lights strung around his room. Springtrap let the bolt fall from his hand to the desk. Clink. He scooped it back up.
Plushtrap blinked the sleep from his huge black eyes rapidly from his special pillow beside him, sneezing in annoyance at being woken up so sharply.
Springtrap gave him an absent-minded scratch behind the long, velvety green ears. "Sorry, Plush. Just thinking." He sighed under his breath, leaning back in his chair with a creak. "I mean, what if this doesn't work? They'll hate me more than ever, and as much as I despise their snotty faces, it's better than boredom. Maybe I acted on impulse again. I always do that. And this time, it will have consequences."
Plush rubbed his fluffy cheek on Springtrap's hand comfortingly, nuzzling his black nose on the furry palm.
He smiled softly at the gesture, stroking the fur gently and lulling the small bunny back into the dozy haze of sleep. "So goes the spice of life, I suppose. And you never know, maybe I'll succeed and I'll finally get some change for once."
And then the door slammed open, a tearful Mari clutching the handle. She was shaking, out of breath and clearly distraught.
Time to get into character. "Charlie, what's got you so upset?" He asked, feigning concern.
Mari sniffled, wiping her nose on her black-and-white sleeve. "I-I can't tell you everything. They'll hate me. But you need to get out of here, now, and I need to tell you that…that I don't think you deserve to burn, and before all of this went down, I thought you could redeem yourself. And I wanted you to, so badly. I want to make them see you, the real you."
"I think they already have." Springtrap retorted drily. "Ever hear of a little word called decade? As in, one decade ago?"
Mari shook her head furiously. "That's not you. The real you is the one who went to his daughter's school play."
Clara forced me to.
"The one who built a whole animatronic in Elizabeth's image."
Let's not get into that.
"The one who stopped Michael from bullying Evan."
I just wanted them to shut up and leave me to read in peace.
"And I'm sure that before the divorce, you were the one who was in love with Clara more than anything."
Eh, love's a strong word. How about in like with her?
But he had to act affected by her words. If there was one thing he'd noticed among the ghosts, it was that Mari was a surprisingly influential member of the group. If they were planning some sort of attack and she believed that he was good strongly in her heart, she'd have an effect on the others. Maybe not Cassidy, but nobody listened to them anyways.
He cleared his throat, nodding with what he hoped was a thoughtful and self-reflective expression on his face. "Wow. You know, that is genuinely helpful. I never really considered how, um, how much I cared about other people. Maybe with time and effort, I could become my old self again."
Mari's face completely lit up. "See! I knew you could realize that! Everyone is capable of change, even you."
God. She's so stupid. "Yeah, I definitely see it now. Thanks, Charlie."
And then the door burst open, and Springtrap rolled his eyes at the ensemble of ghosts in front of him, because honestly, were they supposed to look threatening? Bunch of kids with angry expressions and their hands on their hips - they looked like they were posing for a bloody album cover instead of holding gasoline and matches and…oh.
"Huh, you lot are going to try and flame me?" Springtrap pondered this. "That's not a bad idea, actually. Pretty smart, so I'm guessing Cassie didn't come up with it."
Cassidy growled something unpleasant under her breath, her grip on the red can of gas tightening so hard her knuckles went white.
"Nope, not guessing. I know she didn't come up with it." He bared his sharp teeth in a grin, voice dripping with sugary saccharine. He flicked his gaze over to Ruby, who was compulsively flipping open the matches and closing them back up. "You kids and your little games. Children shouldn't play with fire, you know."
Ruby snapped her head up to meet his gaze, eyes cold. "Who says I'm playing?"
"Let's just get this over with, guys. It doesn't have to be a whole thing." Freddy muttered into Cassidy's ear.
"Yeah, okay." She uncapped the can, took one step back, and splashed the amber-tinted liquid all over him, allowing herself a drop of satisfaction at finally being allowed to do something to him, even if it was merely an annoyance.
Springtrap rubbed his eyes, spitting the foul liquid out into the floor and blinking some of it out. "Ugh, I hate water. Good thing the springlocks can't go off again, eh?"
Nobody responded. Instead, Ruby pulled a match out of the box, striking it against the metal on the side. One, two, three tries and a tiny flame sparked to life. She passed the match over to Cassidy and lifted her gaze up to Springtrap.
He sighed dramatically. "Well, before you lot burn me alive, like the cruel brutes you are, may I have a few last words?"
"Whatever."
Springtrap caught Mari's eyes, teary and filled with anguish. Poor girl. Poor, stupid girl. "I wanted to wish Cassie a Happy Birthday." He beamed at the fuming girl, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs.
Cassidy snarled, "You can take your wish and shove it up your-"
"And," He interrupted with a gleaming, almost manic smirk as he rested his chin on his fist. "Your can was leaking."
His words took a moment to settle in, dissolving like sugar in boiling water, but then the ghosts started to move around and whisper and realize that oh shit, there's a trail of gas leading from all around the building right up to Springtrap!
"Oh shit is right." Springtrap laughed, the sound dark and throaty. "Now what are you going to do? As long as I stay here, I'm perfectly immune. If you want to kill me, you'd have to set everything aflame. Only Ruby can move me, and - no offense, dear - but I doubt she can move a seven foot tall zombie rabbit made of metal."
Hushed murmurs of panic erupted from the ensemble, worrying and realizing that their big grand magnum opus of a plan wasn't actually as foolproof as their arrogant minds had thought. Springtrap allowed relaxation to spread through his veins (metaphorically speaking, of course) as he watched the calamity unfold. He turned to Cassidy, expecting to see her stressing and scared along with them, but then he realized she hadn't said a word this entire time.
She simply stared at the flickering match, completely unblinking, fixated on the orange and blue-tinged flame wavering in the air and cooking the tip of the wood a dark charcoal black. And it was then that Springtrap started to feel a bit creeped out.
"Cassie? Earth to Cassie?" He asked in a slightly nervous-tinged voice, snapping his fingers twice. Cassidy didn't shift her gaze.
The conversation of the ensemble died down, and they each turned to stare at Cassidy, concern in their eyes. Springtrap rolled his eyes at his incompetence, she was just being weird, nothing out of the ordinary.
Wordlessly, Cassidy turned to the ensemble. A flicker of sadness entered her golden eyes, but otherwise her face was completely void of emotion. "Get Ruby outside."
"What?" Ruby pinched her brows together. "Why do I have to-"
"Oh, God." An expression of pure horror washed over Freddy's face as it dawned on him what she was planning. Springtrap frowned in confusion, what was happening?
"Cassidy, let's just think about this. This is something that doesn't just affect you, okay? This affects all of us. L-let's just talk." Freddy coaxed, stumbling over his words and taking a quiet step forward, blue eyes glimmering with unspilled tears.
Cassidy shook her head, and this time her face was clear, washed pure and understanding. "I'm sorry. I have to do this." She smiled, and Springtrap realized this was the first time he'd seen her do that since her tenth birthday party. "I hope that maybe you can forgive me, someday. I'm sorry."
And with that, she dropped the match.
~lll~
Ruby always knew that this summer would be hot. Global warming, and all that. Fire season was a thing, especially in the dry, thirsty desserts of Utah.
She just didn't expect the heat to come on like this.
First the puddle under Cassidy's shoes had gone up, amber flames shooting to the sky. Little orange sparks shot a trail, one to the north and one to the south.
And then Springtrap's body went up in a blaze of licking flames and agonized screams as it turned fur to ash and skin to dust and then the walls came crumbling down and a chunk fell onto Springtrap's arm, pinning him to the floor. He was trapped. He was trapped and Mari let out choked sobs as she reached, trying to help him, but Freddy tugged her back and yelled they that needed to find Jojo and Malcolm, who were locked in a room, all alone because Mari was stupid enough to leave them to try and save Springtrap, but now he was trapped and Mari couldn't save him.
"Come on, Ruby, you need to get out of here." Chica's voice seemed a million miles away.
Hazy, foggy, some might even call it smoky. Ruby laughed a little, snorting and covering her mouth as she laughed. Smoky. That was funny.
And then she started coughing, deep hacking coughs that made her bend over and hold her stomach and seize her breath from her chest.
"RUBY!" Chica yelled, thick dark smoke clouding her face and stinging her eyes. "RUBY, GET DOWN!"
Mind filled with smoke and haze, Ruby complied, tears from the acidic smoke pouring down her face as she crawled across the burning ground, following Chica's shoes. The crackling of the fire was surprisingly relaxing, if you ignored the context. It reminded her of the summer she was nine, when her and her mother and father and Raven had gone camping. It was hot and humid and she'd had bug bites all over, but the river was cool and the hot dogs were greasy and it felt like such a magical time.
And there was the secretary's office, the papers nothing more than ash. Ruby crawled past a page, with only two words that hadn't been burned to a crisp - janitor and.
Well, he wouldn't be a Janitor And for much longer, Ruby reasoned, because this place was toast, very overcooked toast. She faintly wondered why these Fazbear places always went to hell during the summer.
"GET OUTSIDE," Chica yelled, "GET OUTSIDE NOW!"
"No…you guys need to come out with me!" Ruby mumbled sleepily. Why was she so sleepy? She'd been a night owl her whole life, she'd never needed sleep.
Chica's face was pained, her voice sorrowful and strained. "We can't, Ruby. You know that."
Ruby stood up, fingers black with soot and shaking. Her vision was blurry with tears. "But…but you'll burn. You can't just die in here! You can't just leave me!" Her voice cracked with a sob at the end.
"Our lives are over, Ruby, but yours is still beginning. You need to get out." Chica wrapped her arms around the trembling girl, burying her face in Ruby's shoulder so she didn't have to see the dejected look in her eyes. "I love you. And so do the others. Remember that, 'kay?"
And Ruby didn't know when she had left the building through the scalding door, gritting her teeth so hard one of them chipped to ignore the torturing blaze of the metal door handle. But then she was outside, on dewy green grass lit up by the fire, and she was slamming her fists on the door and screaming to let me in!
But nobody listened, Ruby suddenly saw a million tiny sparkles, and then her eyes rolled back and she collapsed onto the soft green blanket below, arms patterned with bubbling burns, white tank top stained with soot, gashes scabbing over on her cheek, and a lingering hug from her best friend remaining through her unconscious dreams.
A/N
OMGOMGMGOMGOGMG WE'RE DONE! ALMOST! Kind of! not really!
Epilogue will be posted either tomorrow or the next day, and QnA will be after that. It'll be for the past Afton characters as well as the present gang, so start thinking of questions now!
What's happened to the gang? And Ruby? And Ducky's summer plans? Find out next chapter…
And the reason Mari is overly gullible is mainly because for like 5-6 years of her life, she was kept in the bunker with Ruby and raised by William (if you can really call it raising), so Stockholm syndrome kinda kicked in. Plus he was like a second parent to her for the first four years of her life. So basically in all the development periods where she learns stuff, William was there for when she was 0-11
and he kept her 'alive' and in contact with people and gave her jobs and stuff to do, which made her grateful, and it's hard to shake that when it's such a big part of your life.
Then she was in the Shadow dimension for the rest of her life, until the grand finale last year.
Wondering what the Shadow dimension is? You'll have to wait till the next act to find out.…
Question/Challenge: what was your favourite part or character of this act?
Have an amazing day/night!
~Ghost