"Come on, Dad, we're running late," Charlie said. "The party's probably already going."

"I know," Henry said, turning the car onto another street. "I truly am sorry, Charlotte, but I wasn't counting on having such a long phone call this morning. I didn't know you were so eager to go to Evan's party."

"He's a sweet kid." She watched the trees blur past the window. "I almost think of him as a little brother, really." She thought this especially, since Michael hadn't been a good brother to him at all recently. The thought depressed her, especially when mixing Sammy into the situation. Siblings meant a lot to her, since she didn't have one anymore. She sighed heavily, pressing her forehead against the glass. "Dad?"

"Yes, Charlie?"

"Why do you think Michael's acting like this?"

"Like what?"

"Oh, you know." She shut her eyes. "He's acting like such a jerk, just tormenting Evan constantly. I think you've only seen some of it, but I've seen basically all of what he's done." She paused. "Ugh okay, maybe not all, but I hate it."

Henry breathed a sigh. "Ah, I'm sure. Some people go through phases, Charlie. He's in a confusing time of his life anyway, and some people just change. Sometimes for the better, but a lot of times, it may be for the worse, and you might feel like you barely recognize them anymore." Charlie reopened her eyes and gazed at her father through the rearview mirror. He now had a regretful look, his eyes shifting between the road and his feet. "Some people aren't who you thought they were, or they will become someone you feel you barely know. But don't worry, dear, I'm sure with your influence, Michael will get back on his feet." He caught her looking at him and sent her an assuring smile. "Don't lose faith in him just yet. You two used to be so close, he cares about you enough to respect your advice. And I know my daughter, you can do it."

She smiled a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just hate seeing my best friend like this." She set her jaw, lifting her head a bit higher. "I'll talk to him, actually talk to him. Or, um, I'll...I'll at least try." After these words, she went back to silently watching the different buildings and trees speed past, till they turned the last corner and neared the diner. She sat up straighter, prepared to have fun and perhaps talk some sense into her best friend. Even as a teenager, she still had an enjoyable time at parties within the diner. Something about them sparked her old, cheerful memories from there, such magical moments of her childhood. She smiled thoughtfully, watching the diner come into view. The moment it did, her smile shattered, and she pressed her hands against the glass of the window. Ambulances and police cars gathered in the parking lot, along with crowds of people standing around, some medics, and others workers or customers, all of which looked panicked, horrified, or a mixture of the two.

Henry slowed the car, staring at the spectacle with wide eyes. "What the..." He trailed off as he veered into the parking lot and slammed on the breaks.

"Dad," Charlie said, trying to keep her voice from quavering, "what...what's going on?"

"I don't know, Charlie," he replied, fumbling with his seatbelt. "Stay here, I'll go find out."

She shook her head and threw off her seatbelt.

"Charlotte—" he began, but she didn't stay to hear what he had to say. Flinging open the car door, she tripped out and rushed through the parking lot. The sights around her were so unfamiliar and terrifying in a location from her a childhood, a place so dear and familiar to her. She almost asked several medics passing what had happened, but ultimately chickened out and roamed uselessly, looking for any familiar face she could—Michael, Evan, Elizabeth, an employee she knew well. Heck, even William. But she saw no one.

Charlie stopped near the entrance to the diner, covering her mouth as she took in the world around her. The ambulances were beginning to pull out, but the police lingered, speaking with many people roaming the chaotic area. She watched them for a while, attempting to eavesdrop in hopes of figuring out what had happened. Just as she began to catch one of the many conversations around her, she startled at the sound of a loud bang. With a gasp, she spun around. A foxy mask lay on the ground several paces away, in pieces, as if someone had smashed it or thrown it violently to where it was now. Broken.

Her eyes shifted to a person who huddled near it. She was shocked to see Michael sat there upon his knees, leaning so far forward she could not see his face. He grasped his hair tightly and trembled. Overcome with a new sense of horror, she charged over and dropped beside him.

"Mike?" She put a hand on his quivering back. "H-hey, what's wrong? What happened?" He released his head and glanced up. Charlie drew back, gulping hard. She had never seen her best friend look like this—his eyes were red from crying, and his face paler than ever. It held a haunted, horrid expression she didn't recognize. He looked sunken, almost older...or perhaps younger, for he looked somehow smaller than usual, completely pathetic. But the worst part? Noticeable, crimson blood stains were splattered across his grey shirt and part of his face. It took her a moment to recover from the shock. "M-Michael," she said, her voice trembling, "why are you covered in blood?"

...

Charlie leaned against the wall and ran her hands down her face. The coding was worse than she had ever seen it. Now she was completely certain someone had been tampering with the toys, possibly for much longer than she thought. The animatronics were nearly unrepairable. At the moment, she didn't even know where to begin. She feared how the machines would act around children, but especially the adults. She wasn't out in the main dining area much, other than occasionally to survey the animatronics' functions and help out in between shows, but even she knew that the animatronics now had the bizarre tendency to act strangely around adults—namely, staring at them, non-blinking and in quite an eerie manner. She figured out how to perhaps fix a few issues, but that? She and the other technicians were at a loss.

Shaking her head, she went back to work. Just as she moved her tool towards Toy Bonnie's innerworkings, a knock came at the door. She set it aside and answered. She expected to see a coworker, or perhaps one of her friends, seeing as she was the only technician currently in parts and service, but instead, her father stood there.

"Dad?" Charlie said. "I haven't seen you here in a while. What're you doing?"

"Well, since the location might be closing for a while, I figured I should come and oversee things," he replied, entering as she stepped aside to let him. "You did hear that news, correct?"

"What? No." She shut the door behind him. "They did tell me this was the last birthday party, but I assumed they meant of the week."

"No, the location is closing. They hope briefly," he said.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." She leaned against her worktable. "The animatronics are being too screwy, I bet that's why they're shutting down. But yesterday I did hear some drama about—" she winced— "the Spring Bonnie suit?"

"Yes," Henry said, shuddering violently. "Someone used it yesterday, and on that very same day a child was found sobbing, saying a yellow rabbit tried to kill him. I...I can't help but think that—" He let out a breath and calmed himself. "Anyhow, I think they plan to reopen, unfortunately."

"But do you think the plan worked?" she said. "Did William really come?"

"I'm not sure."

"Hm. So what are we going to do? We only have one birthday party left."

"You should let your friends know to be extra alert."

"Good idea." She shifted her weight and frowned. "But do you think this plan was useless?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Charlie tugged on a strand of her hair, casting her eyes to the floor. "We did this to uncover secrets and lure William, but so far all we've got are the same mysteries and things I don't understand. I feel like we haven't figured out anything, but maybe I'm just missing something. Who's even messing with the animatronics?"

"And that's the question you should be asking," Henry said.

"True," said she, turning back to Toy Bonnie. "It has to be someone with a lot of technical knowledge. I'm a pretty good technician, and I can't figure out half of what they did." She narrowed her eyes at the animatronic. "Do you think William's behind this? We thought maybe he was, but I wasn't completely sure. However, now..." She trailed off when two other technicians entered.

"Is Toy Bonnie ready for showtime?" one asked.

"I guess as ready as he can be," she said, sealing his stomach back up. She switched him on, then her coworkers led the animatronic out. Seeing it move still gave Charlie chills. She hadn't seen the animatronics in quite the same way, ever since the incidents back at the rental shop.

"I'm proud of you," Henry said, startling her out of her thoughts.

"What?" She sent him a confused look.

"I'm proud of you." A smile crossed his face. "I've received reports about you; they say you're the most talented technician here. Always knew you would be a genius, and, well...I know I was an overprotective, old worrywart in the past, but I truly am proud of you."

"Aw." She threw her arms around him. "That's sweet of you to say, Dad. I'm mainly doing this now to solve all this horrible stuff, but I appreciate it, anyway. Thank you."

He nodded and hugged her back, his embrace a familiar one to Charlie. It reminded her of being a little girl again. With this, she tensed, and some of her happiness vanished as she briefly recalled that horrifying, rainy night. Such thoughts vanished when Henry spoke, "You're becoming a fine woman, Charlotte. If these plans don't work out, try not to stress over everything, and live a normal life."

"Hmm." She drew away from him. "It'll work out, we'll stop him." She forced a smile. It vanished, and with a gasp, she hurried towards the exit. "I'm needed out in the main area. I have to monitor everything, make sure the animatronics don't malfunction. Love you!" She waved over her shoulder, then rushed through the halls. She slowed to a normal walking pace once she neared the dining room. However, she stopped outside it. Briefly sidetracking to another room, she lifted the phone of the nearest office and dialed a familiar number.

After two rings, Michael's voice came over the line. "Hello? Who is this?"

"The boogie monster," she said. "I think you should get over here. Apparently, this is the last day the pizzeria will be open for a while."

"Wait, seriously?" he said, his voice growing louder. "Oh, come on! I thought I was on the verge of getting a night shift."

"Mike, if you know the animatronics really do kill at night, then what's the point?"

"I, uh...guess you're right, but I was also hoping to find that mysterious person on the cams."

"Hm. Guess that plan's pretty much out the window, huh?"

"I suppose." Michael sighed. "Maybe it's a good thing, I don't know. The franchise hasn't been what it was in a long time. I just wish we had caught my father."

"Me too," said Charlie. "But what would we have done if we did?"

"We could've done something, Charlotte," he said. "Just...just anything to stop him. We could have even filed charges for tampering with the animatronics, and somehow used that to catch him for the murders as well."

"Right, maybe" She glanced towards the doorway. "We can talk about this later. How about you stop by, and keep an eye on things with me and the others? Maybe your father will show up, seeing as it's the final day and all."

"Alright, I will," he said. "Should I use your lunch as an excuse again?"

"Sure, that seems to work. I don't think anyone's suspicious of us."

"Alright. See you in a few, darling."

"Huh." Charlie tilted her head. "That's a new one."

"What is?"

"The nickname."

"Oh." He chuckled. "I guess it is. Do you not like it or something?"

"No, on the contrary, I like it," she said, smiling as her face grew warmer.

"Ah," he said, a smug tone entering his voice. "Guess I'll have to call you it more often then, darling."

She laughed and shook her head. "You're too much. See you soon." She hung up, then after telling herself to keep a straight face, finally went to the dining area, where the show had already begun. She watched the stage for two minutes or so, not taking notice of any peculiarities in the animatronics' behavior thus far. Satisfied, she kept an eye on it while she rounded the room. After nearly making it all the way around, she spotted a few of her friends lurking near a corner of the room—Carlton, Jessica, and John.

"Hey guys," she said, coming up beside them. "Seen anything suspicious today?"

"Only the animatronics being complete creeps," said Carlton.

"When are they not creeps though?" John said.

"Hmm." Charlie went back to watching the stage intently. "They seem to be fine around the kids for the most part. It's strange, isn't it? I can't figure out what's wrong with programming; they shouldn't be acting like that. If they did act aggressively, they should do it to everyone, but they seem to selectively act strange and violent towards adults."

"Welp, we're in danger then," said Carlton.

"Oh, hush." Jessica waved a hand. "This is the last day we have to deal with this, I'm sure nothing will happen. We can handle a few animatronics."

"That's true." He gave a small nod. "Guess it's really Mike's psycho dad we should be more concerned about, huh?"

"If he shows up," John added. "Sometimes I wonder if our plan is even going to work."

"Me too, honestly," Charlie said, shifting her weight. "At the very least, before this all shuts down, we can try and figure out the supernatural elements."

"Ugh." Jessica shuddered. "Just the thought gives me the creeps."

Carlton smirked, sliding up behind her. "Boo," he whispered.

"You dork." She edged away and gave him a small shove. "Not funny."

John chuckled, shaking his head at them. "Don't goof around too much. The animatronics are the entertainment here, not us." Carlton commented on this statement, but Charlie did not hear, her thoughts drifting as she focused on the stage. The toys performed normally, their usual mechanical movements smooth and impressive as always. However, when her gaze met with that of Toy Freddy's, he twitched, and his eyes flickered. Shivering, she turned back to the group.

"I'm beginning to think it's definitely a good thing they're briefly closing their doors," she said. "We really need to get a handle on this animatronic situation, before someone gets hurt."

"Agreed," Jessica said, the other two nodding along. "If you ask me, it's a miracle it hasn't closed already."

"Or Fazbear Entertainment in general," John said. They then went silent, watching the rest of the performance, which went smoothly. After that, the animatronics began to roam the building, and the children feasted on food—birthday cake most of all. Charlie was soon left to herself, smiling as she watched the kids. Seeing them eased her nerves a tad. Even if the company seemed to have gotten worse since when she was a kid, knowing children still enjoyed themselves pleased her greatly.

"Hey." Jessica came over and nudged her. "I'm going to head out now. It's probably a bit strange, me being here without a kid. Call me if anything comes up."

"Okay," Charlie said, giving a smile. This smile faded as her gaze flicked upwards to the low ceiling, which to her alarm, the Mangle climbed across. "Um..." She fell back a step, reaching to grab Jessica's hand. "Jess, the Mangle is—"

"What?" Jessica spun around, facing the animatronic as its face lunged towards her. "Gah!" She backed into Charlie, the jaws of the animatronic nearly catching her. Both women stumbled and nearly fell. They maintained themselves, and glaring, Jessica waved her hand at the animatronic. "Shoo! Go away!" The Mangle stared at her, its head twitching. As she continued to shoo it away, slowly, it crawled in the opposite direction, dropping to the floor as it did. "Yikes, that thing just about gave me a heart attack." Jessica put a hand to her chest. "You should probably keep an eye on it, it could seriously hurt someone."

"I'll make sure to," Charlie said, fighting back the knot of unease lodged in her stomach. "Um...see you later I guess." Jessica nodded, and after giving her a quick hug, hurried off. Charlie was left there with all sense of enjoyment and safety lost. She couldn't dwell in her thoughts long, though, for two more of her friends approached her.

"Charlie," John said, "you're needed at the prize counter."

"Yeah." Marla rubbed at her arms. "That puppet thing is acting really creepy and glitchy; they need a technician to go sort out the issue."

"The Marionette?" Charlie said. She swallowed, almost touching her head as slight pressure built up in it. Just the mention of the animatronic nearly brought back unwanted memories, memories of that night. What had William said about the Puppet again?

"The security puppet managed to find you in time and brought you to safety. Didn't know that useless machine was capable of such a thing."

The puppet here was a rebuilt version of the very animatronic that had saved her life.

"Charlie?" John said, snapping her from her thoughts. "Is something wrong?"

"What?" She gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, no. I'll go check it out. Thanks, guys." She headed off towards the prize counter, adjusting her toolbelt. She halted near it, upon spotting Michael enter the building, her lunch in hand. He halted as well. Smiling, he waved. She waved back, and almost went over to him, but stopped herself when one of the others caught his attention. Turning away, she set off to do her job. Sure enough, behind the prize counter sat the Puppet, its thin, tall figure slumped forward. Its head lifted and twitched as she neared it.

Frowning, she reached towards it. Her hand stilled near its thin arm. With a slight smile, she drew her hand back. Despite the Puppet's unsettling appearance, she had never disliked nor been afraid of its older model, and this new one was no different. She felt comforted by it, knowing the animatronic had saved her life. Perhaps it wasn't even the rebuilt version, maybe the very machine that had prevented her demise.

"It isn't handing out prizes." Marla strolled over, startling Charlie. "It just sits there, twitching and staring or something. Kids started getting really freaked out."

"Strange," said Charlie. "I'll definitely see what I can do." She headed behind the counter, and for a while, examined the animatronic, whilst Marla watched somewhat warily. When she finished, Charlie said, "I think I need to take it to the backroom, before I can figure out what's wrong with it. Strange. This thing never breaks down."

"Huh." Marla blinked. "Weird." She shook it off. "You better hurry, then."

"I will." Charlie came out from behind the counter. "I'm just going to head for parts and service, see if I can get the other technicians to help me take it back. That thing is quite tall when it's out of its box."

"No kidding," Marla said. They waved to each other, then Charlie set out towards the backroom. She frowned deeply as she went, pondering the odd circumstances of the pizzeria. She had never noticed bizarre happenings before, back when it was mainly Henry and William who ran the place. So why were such things happening now?

She did not get to wonder over this long. Just as she entered parts and service, she froze up, for numerous alarming sounds suddenly met her ears—rushed, panicked noises and various shouts and screams. It took her a while to properly comprehend the noises and realize that something terrible had happened. Shaking her head, she rushed back out of the room and up the hall. She didn't even get to reach the door to the dining room, for someone burst through. Trembling violently, they pressed against the other wall of the corridor.

"Michael?" Charlie darted over and took his hand. He immediately clasped it tightly, staring at her with a horrified blue eye. She rested her other hand on his shoulder, murmuring comforting words in hopes of getting him to calm down, but he was in a panic, shaking from head to toe and panting so hard he started to wheeze. "Shh," she said, brushing her thumb against his hand, which had a death grip on hers. "Calm down. What is it? What hap..." Her words faded, as she took notice in the blood covering his shoes and part of his shirt. She seized up, gripping back almost as tightly. "Why are you covered in blood?"

He made an indiscernible, panicked noise, releasing her hand and edging away. Shaking his head wildly, he backed into the corner and sank to the floor. "Hey." She darted over, then lowered herself in front of him. She cupped his cheek, moving closer and murmuring, "Calm down, it's alright. W-what happened in there? Did...did someone get hurt?" Michael did not reply, and not a thing she said could calm him. He fainted, slumping forward and nearly knocking her over. After steadying herself, she hugged his unconscious form tightly and glanced towards the door in fear. At this point, she didn't even know if she wanted to find out whatever horror had happened in there.