Going Home in a Box
Chapter Thirty-Nine
It started out as a missing girl case. A possible runaway, not a supposed kidnapping. A call from a concerned grandfather that his granddaughter had seemingly vanished, and he couldn't get in contact with her. No calls, no note, no noticeable displacement of funds or removal of her belongings. She had just vanished supposedly, and the police were concerned but not too much so.
The girl fit the criteria for a runaway well. She was a high-school student, a loner who supposedly didn't have many friends. Talking to some of the students who knew her yielded that she had recently had a falling out with one of the few she did have. Some of the others confessed that she was bullied. Talking to her grandfather revealed that her parents had left her with him and went abroad, possibly due to monetary issues and a questionable tax history. It would make sense.
Because of that, the girl's case pretty much fizzled out by the second day. They were still calling around and gathering evidence, but attention to the case wasn't a high priority. Everyone involved assumed she would just show up one day.
Until her grandfather made an unexpected and alarming call to the police department with a new piece of information. One that made him increasingly concerned.
He noticed a smell in the garage.
A smell coming from an animatronic which he purchased at an auction not too long ago.
An animatronic that looked to be a Freddy Fazbear model.
That was when the case was handed to Clay Burke. As was every case involving animatronics, Freddy's, or mysterious circumstances in Hurricane, it was handed straight to the police chief. That was how he ended up on the possible crime scene just after dark, accompanied by two additional detectives: Detective Larson and Detective Mathews. Two men who had been partially involved with investigating situations like the Freddy's fire, the last one, and various sightings.
To describe in short details, Larson was a pale man with blond hair and blue eyes while Mathews was a dark-skinned man with ebony hair and brown eyes. Larson had more youthful features that he had to compensate for by keeping a tight face. Mathews looked older, possibly because of his goatee, but also friendlier. Both were in their thirties and married, but only Larson had kids, a son.
While the two weren't technically partners, Clay thought the two worked well together. He thought they both had potential and good heads on their shoulders.
The important part was that he knew they wouldn't talk unless it was absolutely necessary. Some things couldn't afford to get out, and this thing he saw in the backroom of this old man's house was one of them.
That was how Fritz Smith got involved.
The smell coming from the thing was musky but didn't have that smell. That didn't exactly alleviate Clay's concerns, but it did make getting the animatronic open their top priority. He assumed that someone who had experience with Freddy's would be able to deal with this delicate situation better than going in with harsher methods and risk something much worse.
Unfortunately…
"I can't help you."
In Clay's line of work, being able to keep a poker face was key. Unflinching, unwavering, straight to the point. After years of hearing lies and uncomfortable truths, this was the line that nearly broke that poker face.
"Why not?" he asked.
Fritz gave a defeated sort of shrug and gestured back to the door. "There's no way I'm qualified to work on that. You're going to need someone who's worked on an animatronic like this, like an Afton Robotics technician… Or the jaws of life."
"I take it from that wording that you know one?... Oh, for God's sake." There went the steely gaze as Clay caught on and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah, you know what's coming," Fritz said, an amused smile popping up even with the situation. "The rabbit or the clown."
Clay dropped his hand and took in a deep breath. He stood there a few moments longer considering those options, with Fritz waiting with him while sending a brief weary look back at the door. They didn't really have time to waste.
What an impossible decision.
…
It was a rainy night. Not a gentle sprinkle either but a heavy downpour that clogged up the windshield. The wipers barely keeping it at bay even at their highest setting.
As though Scott wasn't already a nervous wreck as it was.
Ennard, in contrast, was whistling. Nearly buzzing in excitement and excitedly tapping his gloved fingers on the toolbox in his lap. He was sitting with his back to the passenger seat, still able to be seen by Scott but hopefully unable to be seen when they pulled up to the scene. He didn't seem anxious at all, but Scott knew he had to be. He just kept it together and buried it under the delight of what he was happening.
And that was that the police chief himself called upon him to open up an animatronic and see what was inside.
That alone got Scott's stomach knotted up.
"So, uh…" he began and trailed off.
"Yeeess?" Ennard drawled out playfully.
"We, uh… We might see something in there."
"Nothing we haven't seen before," Ennard said with a teasing wink. Scott's mouth tightened a little. "Oh, come on. You know I'm kidding!"
Both knew that even if he was, he wasn't wrong. Ennard set the toolbox beside him so he could kneel between and behind the seats.
"Y'know, you don't have to go in with me. I'm not gonna be upset if you have to sit this one out. You can always see a demonstration of my amazing technical skills when the police aren't involved!"
"I'm not exactly worried about me. I'm worried about the girl, sure, but I'm, uh… I'm also worried about you," Scott eventually got out. He glanced over and took a steadying breath. "Not just the obvious: you getting caught. If it turns out that Clay's right, when you open up that Freddy it's not going to be pretty… Oh wow. That sounded really bad… You get what I mean."
"I've gotcha, and yeah, there's a chance of that… but I'm ready for it! I can turn it off like that," Ennard said with a snap.
Scott could never be ready, but he swallowed that thought down and chose to address the second part, because he understood that 'it' wasn't the Freddy.
"I guess that's okay? As long as you deal with the feelings later, I mean. It's not like first responders can deal with gut feelings when they get on a scene. They focus on the work first, saving lives, and then process it later. Yeah, that's healthy."
"Who said anything about processing it later? I plan to let it sit there and stew for a while and then when I just it- POW! Let it all out with one big emotional explosion!"
"Ennard."
"Yeeess?"
"You shouldn't joke about things that might be doing in the next hour or two. You'll jinx me," Scott said. He tried to joke, but his stress and exhaustion leaked through. There was a brief pause and Scott glanced over again, seeing Ennard staring at him. "That was a joke. Don't worry about me, let me worry about you." There was a continuing, telling pause. "You can tell me you were joking now."
"…I wasn't," Ennard admitted sheepishly with that uncomfortable smile in his eyes. Scott looked over with confusion and concern. "What? I rather just get it all over at once!"
"Yeah, no. That's definitely not healthy," Scott said dryly. Still unsure if this was a long skit or if Ennard was being genuine. Usually, it wasn't this hard to tell. "My point is if something does, err, come of this I think it would be better if I was with you. I don't want you to be alone if you have to see that."
"Scott, I've seen a lot of gnarly stuff. One body-…" Ennard suddenly decided that whatever that sentence was, he didn't want to finish it. So, he tried something else. "Okay, let's make a deal. You come in and join me and if it gets too intense, like if the girl's not there and I start chowing down on Freddy's spaghetti, you can just walk out and I'm not gonna be upset. Deal?"
"Deal," Scott agreed. He squinted at a street sign. Even with his glasses he could barely read it, and he took a right turn down the road and towards the supposed house. "I don't know how you do it, Ennard. How you're holding it together. I'm almost a wreck and we haven't even gotten there."
"You know me! Prepare for the worst, hope for the best! And don't be shocked if I lose a body part or two," Ennard joked. This finally got a slight smile from Scott, likely because he knew he was joking. Ennard sidled a little closer, resting his arm over the back of his seat. "Hey, this is just a thought… but maybe you're feeling a little more antsy 'cause this is a little like your accident?" he asked. His voice slowly shifting from its typical tone to a gentle softness by the last part.
"Uh…" Scott hadn't even thought about that. He blinked in realization. "You might be onto something."
Ennard had a hunch but now with that confirmation he had to choose his words carefully. He reached around and gave Scott's arm an assuring rub, feeling how tense the muscles were through his sleeve.
"Maybe we've got this all wrong. She might be okay. Heck, she might not even be there! I don't think a teenager's gonna fit inside Funtime Freddy's chubby cubby."
"Maybe. Clay seemed to think so."
"Clay's got a stick lodged somewhere and no amount of bacon grease's gonna shake loose."
There was a life on the line and their own lives were at risk of being unveiled to the public and ruined, and somehow Ennard still managed to get a laugh of him. The stress and absurdity breaking his restraint. Ennard giggling alongside him.
"Ennard, that's terrible!" he said once he got it under control.
"I know," Ennard said with gleeful eyes.
"You know I'm going to be thinking of that when I'm talking to him."
"I know~."
For a few short seconds Scott had a lapse in the utter dread threatening to swallow him whole. Then he just happened to notice the amount of cars parked around a house in the distance, a couple being police cars without their emergency lights on, and suddenly it all came crashing back. They had arrived.
Ennard noticed too and slunk into the back, giving Scott's shoulder one final squeeze as he did.
As he pulled closer, Scott could see that Clay had taken some of his recommendations to heart. He had effectively used his and a few unmanned cars to block off parts of the driveway and view. There was only one car with people in it, a patrol car with its lights on and two people inside, but it was parked further away and past the other cars. The front door was also left open as well.
One of the suggestions that hadn't been taken, oddly enough, was that Scott suggested if there was a garage to leave it open and that he could just back up to it and let Ennard inside. There was a garage, but it wasn't opened. Scott gave a slight frown but decided to let it go considering that some effort was given. If Ennard was careful, he could get inside just fine.
Considering how frequently Ennard prowled the city without anyone getting concrete photos, he was sure he could be that careful.
Scott still backed up the van into the small remaining section of driveway until it nearly bumped the garage door. He turned the van off and took a deep breath, rubbing his hands on his thighs.
"Okay!" He clapped his hands together. "Going in. You just, uh, wait out here and I'll go scope it out. I'll come back and get you."
"You got it, Boss!" Ennard agreed. "Unless I get an opening to just slip on in."
"Well, there's four cars without anyone in them… So, don't expect that opening anytime soon. Yeah, stay put."
Scott got out of the car and into the pouring rain. He spared enough time to look around before jogging around the back of the van and promptly slipped on a slick spot and barely caught himself on the back bumper. His heart leapt and pounded in his chest as he got himself back up quickly. Much to his dismay, he looked up to the back window to see Ennard looking through with a concerned look. Scott gave him a thumbs up and carefully hurried to the front door.
Clay looked from the living room to the front door as Scott came staggering in, practically drenched in the short distance he had walked.
"There you are. I was getting worried with how bad it's coming down out there," Clay greeted. He offered his hand, Scott pushing his glasses into place before accepting it. "Thanks for coming down here. I take it he's out in the car?"
"Yes, and he's ready to go. I just wanted to come in and make sure you guys were ready for him," he replied.
"Believe me when I say that I will never be ready for him," Clay said, slightly exhaling through his nose. Scott could feel the tension and felt his nerves starting to work back up but ignored them as the man continued. "The girl's grandfather is waiting in a car outside and we have an ambulance on standby," Clay explained. They stopped outside the living room where two men stood inside talking. "That is Detective Larson and Detective Mathews. They will be observing."
"By observing you mean-?"
"They will be in here the entire time," Clay explained. He took a deep breath and added, "And they will have to see him."
"…What? Wait, no. That wasn't part of the plan," Scott immediately protested. "You- You said they were going to be outside. Outside. No witnesses."
"There's still going to be no witnesses. They have both been informed of the delicate nature of the situation… But Scott, my hands are tied. I alone can't report that nothing happened here or it's going to lead to trouble, to an investigation, and possibly to me losing my job. We're going to need others to be aware of the circumstances and to back up my claim, and both Larson and Mathews are the most trustworthy I've got… Except Dalton, but she's on maternity leave."
Scott was utterly petrified. This was the worst-case scenario in his opinion and even though he understood it, it was a breach of comfort that he had trouble accepting.
Damage control. He had to do swift and immediate damage control.
"Can I talk to them? Before Ennard comes in. I'll be quick, but uh, I need them to know exactly how serious this all is. Would you mind?" Scott asked.
Clay shook his head and gestured to the door. "Be my guest."
"Do you have a… a notebook or a notepad, or something?"
"There's one by the phone. Hang on." Clay retrieved a small notepad and a pen and handed it over. Scott flipped through the yellow pages until he got past any phone numbers or notes and to blank space.
Ge took a deep breath to brace himself and adjusted his glasses. He didn't even know where to begin, how to voice the sheer importance of this and how risky all of this was. Or better still, how to get them to listen. How to talk in a way where they would listen and understand the dire nature of what they were dealing with.
Which was, ironically enough, something he used to do at Freddy's on a daily basis. Back then he had to stress exactly whose neck was on the line in only a few short words- not counting the tapes but instead the face-to-face meetings. He had to channel that. If he was going to do this then he couldn't be Scott Caldwell 'the Phone Guy', he had to be Scott Caldwell 'the manager of a morgue with a bear's name on the sign'.
He braced himself again and then strode into the living room. In that moment, when the two detectives looked at him and reminded of him of the risk of either of them speaking, it was like the accident had never happened.
"Evening, detectives. Scott Caldwell, Fazbear Entertainment," Scott greeted and offered his hand. He shook each one, listening to them introduce themselves before jumping back in. "I'm going to need to see both of your IDs. It's standard protocol. Your driver's licenses should be fine."
While they seemed a little confused, they went along with it. Likely because Clay, standing back behind Scott, had nodded in agreement with him. Mathews handed his over first while Larson took longer to get out his. Scott took them one at a time and wrote down a few notes in the notepad.
Clay watched the scene play out. He didn't noticing something silently sidling up until he heard an unexpected squeak from directly behind him. He spun around and got an eyeful of Ennard caught in the process of sneaking up behind him.
Clay, who was usually unflappable, did noticeably flinch. That alone brought a smile to Ennard's face- most noticeable in his eyes.
"Ha ha, well look who it is! Nice to see you again, Buddy," the clown teased. He held a toolbox in one hand and used the other to adjust his bowtie ribbon. "Gosh, sorry I was so late. I had to get all suited up for such a special occasion."
"I don't know if I consider this an occasion worth celebrating, Ennard," Clay replied.
"Are you kidding?! Any time you have to call me for help is worth celebrating!" Ennard said smugly.
"Mm-hm." The man seemed entirely unphased. He glanced down at the heavy, partially rusty toolbox he was lugging with him. "I hope you brought everything you're going to need. I don't think normal tools will cut it."
"No problem! These are the tools I use to break into cars. They'll work like a charm!" the clown said with a wink.
"Ennard, please. This is serious."
"Yeah, I know, but I'm a clown."
Clay wasn't amused, he was just tired.
"Well, let's get this party started! Where d'ya need me?"
"In a minute. Scott's finishing up with them in there," Clay said, gesturing to the door.
Ennard leaned to glance through before popping back to avoid the sight of the detectives. Then he casually waited. Unlike what Clay expected, Ennard didn't continue rambling on endlessly, though he couldn't tell if that was out of genuine restraint or the sudden awareness that there were people in the other room. From how he got around, he knew he must've been capable of willing dead silence.
Clay grew tired of that silence quickly. "How's your eye?"
"Ouch," Ennard said. Recoiling like he was hurt, or more likely offended.
"That wasn't a crack, I'm serious. How's your eye doing?"
"It's dead," Ennard said flatly. He pointed at the yellow eye. "This is one of my spares." Clay glanced down at his suit. "…That's right. Those spares. They're not just for show."
"I figured as much," Clay replied. He did seem intrigued, which emboldened Ennard further.
"Speaking of spares, I don't know what you plan on doing with the bear after this, but how's about I take a few souvenirs? Just as long as I get the girl out in one piece and Freddy's not alive or anything. Not running hot."
"Ben, if you can get that girl out of that suit then not only are you free to anything inside and outside of that bear, but I'll pay for your drycleaning for the rest of my natural life," Clay swore. He wasn't exaggerating. If anything he was doing the opposite. Ennard could ask for anything and Clay would be hard-pressed to deny him, if he could just get this girl out alive.
Something Ennard might've pounced on if he hadn't frozen up on the spot. His mouth snapping shut as he stared at Clay for a few seconds.
Eventually he quietly, uncomfortably, asked, "…So, just out of curiosity. Who exactly gave you my name?"
"Scott. I called him after I got out of the hospital to fill in the blanks about what happened. I blacked out much of what happened that night, and I still don't know if it was all the medication they shot me up with or the… Anyway, he brought me up to speed on a lot of what I missed, including your real name. I'm sure he was thinking I would be coming after you and wanted to protect you by making you more human… but he didn't need to. I had my eyes opened that night. Or two or three days later when I finally came out of my stupor," Clay explained. Then not missing a beat, he added on, "I hope you know that I didn't intend for what happened that night. I wasn't right in the head."
"Hey, I get it! I watched Scott have to fight himself to keep from driving into a ditch, and he STILL drove into that ditch!" Ennard said, pulling it back together after the unexpected confession from Clay.
Who knew all it took to get Burke off his back and to lighten up was for him to need something. He was going to have to offer up his services more often.
Any retort Ennard had was cut off by Scott's voice inside the room and he quieted down to listen. He was surprised by the new attitude the usually timid man's voice had adopted.
"Thank you for your cooperation. I'm sure Chief Burke has already told you, but this entire situation? Completely confidential. This cannot get out to anyone. You should be aware that if any of this leaks there will be consequences, and now that we have both of your addresses on record we can follow through with those consequences."
Both of the detectives seemed startled by this sudden change in demeanor, and the possible suggestion of blackmail.
Unsure how to react, Mathews gave a rather disbelieving, "I'm sorry?"
"That is not a threat, but a reminder that what's about to happen here is beyond anything you can imagine and telling anyone about what you see could put numerous lives in danger. Including mine and both of yours. There are some things that the public cannot know about and if they do then whatever happens after that will be on your hands. Make the right decision. Remember, you are the protecting force of the citizens of Hurricane. All of them."
Scott's voice held a tone of authority that neither of the onlookers had witnessed before, leaving the detective somewhat impressed and the clown reasonably taken aback.
"Now that's a side I haven't seen," Ennard remarked. Clay noticed, much to his dismay to notice, that he sounded especially interested instead of off-put. "Where'd this come from?"
"They're going to have to see you."
Ennard's head snapped to Clay with an uncomfortable squeak as wires rubbed together and the clicking of his mask shifting from the motion before snapping back into place. He stared for a moment, then started to wind up for a boisterous laugh and a comical, "Are you joking?" only to lose the desire immediately afterwards. Because Clay was obviously not joking. No amount of clowning could soften that up.
"Oh, that's not going to work," Ennard mumbled. His voice dropping in tone, becoming more metallic and defensive.
"There's not a choice here. Not for either of us," Clay said with sympathy.
Ennard was preparing to put up a fight when he realized that Scott was coming back. Him switching from defensive to undeniably guilty once Scott spotted him and that look of cool professionalism swapped out to alarm.
"I thought you were going to wait in the car?" he whispered.
"I know, but I was fiddling around with the door, and would you believe it? It opened!" Ennard cracked. Scott made some kind of desperate hand gesture between them and Ennard shrugged with one arm.
All while Clay called to the two detectives, "If you two will come here for a moment."
Both Ennard and Scott got an instant look of panic. Scott lifting his hands almost protectively, as though preparing to either shield Ennard or shove him out the door and barely resisting both. Ennard wasn't nearly as controlled, and that look on the other's face sent him into an immediate panic.
"No!" The word left Ennard's mouth before he realized it was coming. Elsewise he wouldn't have let that demand slip out so harshly or so fearfully, or in that voice.
Clay reacted as expected, looking at him suddenly and stopping the detectives with a pausing motion with his finger before they could even start to come over. Scott got that same look of impending doom that he had gotten in the van.
Everyone was waiting for Ennard's next move and he could tell from both of those reactions that neither expected it to be good. Strangely enough, that snapped him to attention instead of the possibly armed men standing in the next room.
All things considered, he rolled with the punches pretty well, but he didn't like this situation one bit. It wasn't an accidental spotting on the street, it was two unknown individuals getting a good look at what he was against his wishes.
Ennard understood that there was a reason. Scott knew what it was, he was just nervous. Clay wasn't out to get him. There was a reason for all of this, and he wasn't some wild animal who couldn't be reasoned with. He wasn't a monster, he wasn't even a clown, he was just a concerned citizen stepping in to maybe save a life.
So, he wasn't going to fight this.
Though he would be damned if he didn't try to stall as long as humanly possible
He regained his voice and threw up a hand. "Okay, okay, fine! I can handle it. At least let me see the beast I'm working on before they get to see the circus freak working on it," he said, dropping that hand onto his hip.
Scott didn't expect him to reel it in and was noticeably relieved. He wasn't the only one.
"That's fine. It's right through there," Clay said. He pointed towards a door that, due to its location, likely led into the garage.
That suddenly answered Scott's question to why he hadn't left it open for them. As Ennard started to the door, he hurried behind him, resting an assuring hand on his back and rubbing in little circles. The door opened and he felt the wires of his back tense through the jacket even before he saw what Ennard was looking at.
It was indeed a Funtime Freddy. What Clay had failed to say was that it was huge, at least twice the size to a normal one. It might've been seven or eight feet tall if standing, but instead it was sat to the ground with its legs sticking out before it. Its head was normal Freddy sized, but its belly was surprisingly bulbous and round. An adult human could've probably fit inside, but they definitely would be cramped.
"What- WHAT IS THIS?!" Ennard blurted out. He set down the toolbox and dramatically gestured his arms at the bear. "Look at this thing! It's built like a walk-in freezer!"
"Yeah, I think I would've remembered you telling me that Funtime Freddy was, uh… super-sized."
"This thing could've EATEN the Funtime Freddy I knew!" Ennard exaggerated. That aside, he did look genuinely thrown off.
Scott said the first thing that come to mind: "Just a… family sized bucket of chicken."
Ennard didn't even laugh, he just did a double take and was too confused to do anything but continue focusing on the bear.
He took a cautious step towards it, holding his hand out to catch Scott and push him back- which he didn't have to do since Scott stood in place- and got a closer look. It didn't attack him, so he stepped in further for a closer examination.
While its size was off-putting, it looked almost exactly like a typical Funtime Freddy. Its coloring was faded and its metal dull, thick with grime and dust in the cracks of its plates, and while all its parts looked intact its eyes were strange. A closer inspection showed that they were somehow rolled back into their sockets, blocking the eyeholes with their own wiring.
Ennard pulled off a glove and felt the side of the bear's arm. It was warm to the touch but not blisteringly hot. So, it wasn't another scarecrow Baby situation. He knocked on the bear's belly, tapped around, and then gave a firm knock.
"Something's in there," he said definitively. He drew back from the bear and stepped back to Scott, clasping his hands and rubbing them together. "Okay, time to crack this bad boy open!" His pupils shrunk as his hands tightened together. "Ha ha, gosh I really, REALLY hope I don't set something off and kill her!" he said tightly.
While startled by the bluntness, Scott recovered quickly, because he could tell Ennard was starting to get nervous. Perhaps because he was sure that 'something' was the girl, a nerve-wracking thought.
He put on a tone of confidence. "Big or not it's just a Funtime Freddy. You've worked on them, you know the ins and outs of them, you've got this."
Ennard have a half-chuckle. "That was cute… Really?"
"Sure! You're the best qualified. You're… You're the only one who could do this, Ennard. And I mean that," Scott said a little more honestly. "I don't think there's anyone alive today more qualified than you."
"Aww, that's really sweet in a dark way."
"Err, that's, uh, that's not what I meant."
"I get it!" Ennard assured. He leaned in and scooped Scott into an assuring- desperately clinging- hug. "And you know what? If you believe in me that much then, well… I gotta try, right? I'm the last chance- Burke wouldn'ta called me if I wasn't!"
"Right," Scott agreed. He returned the hug, patting down his back and trying to comfort him the best he could. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at getting him wrapped up in this, but a life was on the line… hopefully.
Ennard ruffled his face into Scott's hair, squeezed a little tighter, and then finally released him.
"Okay!" he announced, clapping his hands together once more. "Let's crack 'em open!"
Ennard picked his toolbox back up and set it down between the big animatronic and a shelf against the wall. He opened it but before taking his tools out he instead removed his other glove and shoved both of them in his jacket pockets, then removed and folded up his jacket neatly, setting it on the bottom level of the shelf right to his left.
While he did this, Scott stood behind him and looked at the memorabilia on the shelves above that one. There wasn't a whole lot of stuff that was Freddy's related. In fact, a lot of it was just junk that might've or might not have any significant value. There was a few pieces of Freddy's merch though. One was an old diner-styled plastic wall clock that used to be sold at the Prize Corners in certain locations. There was also a pizza slice wall decoration that was faded from years of use.
But what held the most value and took his attention the most was on the shelf below them. Right beside a plastic replica of Chica's cupcake laid sat what was clearly an animatronic. A small one, a familiar one.
"Hey, Ennard. Look at this," Scott said. He cautiously touched it and, when it didn't move, he picked it up around the waist. Ennard turned back in time for Scott to show it to him. "This is one of those Bonnie hand puppets, right?"
Ennard looked back and his eyes widened at the sight of the animatronic Bonnie 'hand puppet' that was usually attached to a Funtime Freddy. It looked just like the one from Afton's and was in pristine condition, just pink instead of blue.
"Hey, it's Bon-Bon! Now that's pretty neat. I didn't know they came in this color," Ennard gushed. He took the rabbit and turned it towards him. "And it's in great condition too!... Huh…" He looked back at the Funtime Freddy, specifically its present hands and its thick wrists. "It couldn't have gone with this one."
"They were probably auctioned together in a lot. You know, someone can say they're selling a full Funtime Freddy set with Bonnie included even if they technically don't go together," Scott suggested. "She's pretty cute. Is she, uh…?"
"Oh, I've got no idea- but I bet you're right! You usually are," Ennard remarked. He hummed as he turned her over to look at its underside and then poked around at its belly. He managed to open it up rather easily and looked around its insides before closing it up. Then gave it a playful tap on the nose.
Its arms shot up to cover its nose in response.
The room was very quiet. Scott surprised and Ennard silently staring at the rabbit in his hands. Then he slowly reached up and pushed the arms back down one at a time, then pressed the button again. The arms shot up once more.
"Aww, now that's really cute," Ennard cooed. He carefully set it back on the shelf where Scott had gotten it. "There you go, lil guy. You can keep us company."
As expected, Bon-Bon did not respond.
"Now let's get that stomach hatch open…" Ennard stepped over Funtime Freddy's leg and stood between them facing the bear. He rubbed at the dust beneath the bear's right cheek before finding what he was looking for. "Bingo."
He pressed something there, then under the under cheek, then twice in separate spots between the eyes, all in quick succession. Nothing happened and he hummed thoughtfully, then felt over the spot again. He tried to scrape at it a little.
"I've got a business card in my toolbox. Would you hand it to me?" Ennard asked.
Scott agreed, crouched beside the box, and quickly found the dull card pressed up against the side. He handed it over to Ennard before readjusting himself to sit in a more comfortable position, ready and willing to help out, even if all he could do was hand over tools. He found a comfortable position with his legs crossed and his back to but not leaning against the shelf.
Ennard tried to use the business card to unstick the nearly invisible button on Funtime Freddy's face. Alas, it was too thick to fit. The button was so flush that pretty much nothing else would fit.
"Oookay, plan B." Ennard tossed the card back into the box without even looking. "Couldja hand me one of my flatheads, please?... Yeah, that one! Perfect!"
Scott handed over the yellow handled tool and Ennard tried to slip it in between the facial panels between the eyes. It was a tight squeeze. On the outside, the separation between the plates looked clear and defined, but either they gathered gunk in between them, or they were simply set too closely to work with. Ennard tried breaking into the facial plates from a few angles, and with a few different tools. Under the chin, around the eyes, around the cheeks; nothing worked.
With his options slim, Ennard tossed his most recent tool back into the box and sighed.
"Looks like I'm gonna have to get hands on… or in this case-." He nudged his thumbs into the sides of the bear's mouth and applied enough pressure to tug it open. "Hands in."
"You're not actually going to stick your hands inside though, right?" Scott asked.
"Nah, just one. Just far enough in that I can try to reach up and see if I can release the faceplates from inside," Ennard answered.
"…I know you're the expert here, but I don't know if that's such a good idea," Scott continued with an uneased look. "Shoving your hand and arms into places that, uh… have a history of crunching down on anything shoved into them."
"In most cases you'd be right, but I'm a special case. I'm built to be on the inside," the clown joked. He managed to get the mouth open almost all the way. "Alright, down the hatch!" he said before sliding inside.
This was when he noticed a distinct difference between this and a normal Funtime Freddy. Weirdly, this large Freddy felt surprisingly hollow, and he wondered if he was feeling straight through into the upper portion of the stomach hatch. Though if that was the case then said hatch nearly took up all of his body.
A small tremor shook the bear's jaw. Ennard felt and started to carefully draw back his hand, but only made it halfway before the mouth suddenly reset into place. Effectively chomping down on his wrist and trapping his hand inside.
Well, that wasn't good. It wasn't as bad as it would've been if he was human, but the pressure on his wrist was tight and uncomfortable. Ennard winced at the sudden pressure and slowly looked over to see if Scott had noticed.
From the look on his face, Scott did indeed notice. The two exchanged a long stare; Scott waiting for the assumed pain to hit and Ennard waiting for the panic to set in.
Scott caved first. "…Are you okay?" he finally asked. He was trying his hardest to keep a neutral tone.
"Me? Sure! You'd be surprised how often you get bit in this line of work, heh," Ennard tried to brush off. It was hard to do so with the pressure steadily increasing on his trapped hand. "…Could you hand me the pry bar?"
"Wait, there's a pry bar? Why didn't we start with that?" Scott asked. He began to fumble through the box, hands clumsy with nervousness, and got his answer when he found said pry bar. It was nearly a quarter inch thick and nowhere near thin enough to fit into a tight space, let alone in between the crusty panels. "Do you want me to…?"
"Nah! I got it covered!" Ennard assured. He was way too embarrassed to accept any more help than this and hoping that freeing his trapped hand easily would alleviate some of it. Scott reached to hand off the pry bar before sitting back down.
He must've bumped the shelf without feeling it because while he was watching Ennard he suddenly felt something fall onto him. Already so on-guard because of the giant bear in the room, he jumped aside onto his knee and the object continued its journey to the floor with a clatter. It was none other than the pink Bonnie.
Ennard had just pried up the mouth when the scuffle happened and pulled his hand free right as his head snapped over. He quickly realized that it was nothing serious.
"You okay?" he still asked.
"Yeah, I just must've bumped the shelf or something," Scott excused.
"That bad bunny hop on you?" Ennard asked playfully, leaning in as he stepped over Funtime Freddy's leg and then crouched down beside the tiny animatronic. He carefully picked it up and dusted it off. "You okay, little guy? Took a little spill?"
The rabbit didn't respond and Ennard did a quick once-over to make sure it was alright. Scott found this rather peculiar- did he think it was alive? He didn't tend to treat random animatronics like this, so he must've.
"All good!" Ennard chirped. He tapped its nose, though not hard enough to set off any squeak or arm reflex. He then placed it into Scott's arm. "Keep an eye on this one. They're ready to jump ship."
"Sure. As long as I keep one on you, I can spare the other," Scott replied. Ennard gave a contented little rumble in his chest and slowly leaned over him, purposefully leaning over him, to start digging through his toolbox.
After a few seconds of digging, the clown gave a discontent hum. He pushed a few things around, continuing to search, stopped to think, and then finally smacked a hand to his forehead. With a groan he dragged it down his face and let it drop.
"You know that tool I've got that's flat with a hook? Kind of looks like those things painter's use? I think… I might've left it at home," Ennard admitted with defeat.
"Should I run home and get it?" Scott offered. He didn't really want to leave Ennard alone in here, but if that was a necessary tool, which it sounded like it was, then it was best if he just went ahead and got it. Maybe Clay would stay with him.
"No, I don't want you driving around in this… Tell you what, this house is FULL of junk. There's boxes and stuff all out in the hall. Go get Clay to get his little sidekicks to poke around and see if they can find something like a hook or like a thin metal… Something. Something I can use to hook these plates and give a good yank."
"Consider it done," Scott agreed a little more confidently, preferring this option more. He offered his hand and Ennard eagerly and easily pulled him to his feet. Scott set Bonnie carefully back on the shelf, patting its motionless head just in case Ennard was onto something, and straightened up his clothing to be more presentable. "Don't go sticking your hands in there until I get back!"
"Ha ha, I'll try not to!" Ennard answered. He watched Scott step out and finally let his shoulders slump. To know he was coming here to open up an animatronic and still forget a tool that valuable; that was a rookie mistake.
"Finally! I can't stand those fidgety types; they never loosen up!"
Ennard went rigid as he heard a very familiar voice. One that did not belong to him but frequently came from his mouth.
One that, in hindsight, he didn't remember as well as he thought because the pitch seemed a tad shriller than he remembered. Or perhaps just knowing where it was coming from was what gave him the feeling of nails dragging down his back.
He heard the sound of movement and turned slowly to see Funtime Freddy's eyes rolling forward to reveal a very alert gaze. Those eyes snapped to him and he knew immediately that he was dealing with a live one.
"Well, you're not what I expected," Funtime Freddy said as the looked over the amalgam before him. "You've got a real nice voice. Sounds pretty familiar…"
Ennard didn't buy that friendly tone for a second, not from a Funtime animatronic, but he played along.
"I bummed it off a guy I shared a furnace with. Looked a lot like you!" he answered.
"Looks like he really left an impression on you," the bear remarked. His eyes dancing over his exposed arms and masked face. "So, you're the technician they hired? Gee, you guys sure wear funny clothes these days."
"I find technician coveralls unbearable. They just don't do it for me. This? This is a statement, and you gotta make one when you've got such big shoes to fill," Ennard remarked. He casually- anxiously- adjusted his bow. "But don't let my appearance fool you. I'm the best technician in Utah."
"Ooo, well then, it's a good thing you're here! I have a real big problem and I just don't know what to do!"
"Lemme guess. You're stuck in a geezer's garage."
"Well, that is a problem too, but not my problem…" Funtime Freddy's voice dipped in a sinister way. "But that's not it! I don't know how to cook my potato and it's eating me up inside!"
"What does that mean?" Ennard asked in confusion.
"You knooow, a potato! A little potato all waiting to be served up. But how should I cook it? Should I… boil it?"
Something rumbled along the wall of his belly. Just from the sound alone Ennard could tell it was water being pumped through a partially clogged tubing.
"I could… bake it."
Then there came a humming, the sound of a heater slowly kicking on before popping off right afterwards.
"Or I could… dice it. Or fry it. Or mash it. Or CRUSH it. Or peel it and slice it up into little wedges! Or I could get it allll dried out until all the skin flakes right off!" Funtime Freddy gushed. There was a cruel edge to is voice that tipped off that he wasn't talking about food at all. "There's so many ways to do it! So many possibilities- I can't decide!"
Ennard stared for a long moment, then he cracked up laughing. Laughing heartily and with no sincerity while waggling a finger at the bear.
"You better not be talking about that girl!" he playfully scolded. Then his voice dropped just like, and much further than, Freddy's own. "Because if you are, I'm gonna have to gut you and eat you."
"Now you're speaking my language! And in my own voice, classy!" Funtime Freddy said unswayed. "You're a real hoot, ya know that? A lot more fun than this spud in here. Tell ya what, I'm gonna let you in on the fun. I'm gonna let you choose how this ends."
The way he said that with such sadistic joy almost set Ennard off. His chest compressed and his wires tightened, and he couldn't tell if he was preparing to reject them or just throw himself on Freddy and claw out his eyes. Ennard managed to calm himself down, keeping on the façade of cordialness with only slight unease. To keep the bear from getting suspicious.
"I don't think you're gonna like my ending, but maybe we can cut a deal. You let that girl out and I'll get you out of this garage. Whaddya say? We both win," Ennard offered. He had to pretend really hard to act like that promise didn't have a dark double meaning behind it.
"Sorry, but we're kinda in the middle of something here. Come back in about, mmm, twelve hours! Then I'll let you have her," he suggested. Ennard clenched his sharp teeth tight to hold his tongue. "…Unless you want to speed things up."
"And that means?" Ennard asked through his teeth.
"They don't know she's still alive. It's not like they'd blame you if there was an… unfortunate accident," Funtime Freddy said quietly and gleefully. "And believe me, I can make it look like an accident."
"You know I got hired to come down here and get her out in one piece. I think I'm being pretty nice in offering to let you off easy when those guys out there are planning on calling the fire department to cut you open," Ennard said, barely restraining that bubbling anger.
"They are?! Oh ho, that's too good! I'm gonna love seeing the looks on their faces when they cut into me and accidentally cut right into her! Ha, then what? They're gonna stick me in a warehouse for a bajillion years until someone forgets what I'm there for, auctions me off, and I wind up in the house of another stupid person who doesn't watch their kids. Circle of life! And death."
He said that like it had happened before. That was a terrible thought.
"Besides, this is what she wanted! She crawled in on her own, you know. All I did was shut the door behind her."
"That doesn't mean she wanted to be stuck in there! You're so full of it she was probably trying to find the source of the smell," Ennard spat.
"Now hold on, you didn't let me finish," Funtime Freddy tutted. "She was such a downer. Always dark and gloomy, and talking about death. She dressed like she was going to a funeral, and she acted like something crawled in HER and died!"
"Yeah, that's what teenagers do! That's not-… Was?" Ennard blinked and lost his focus. "Was?"
"She isn't talking much anymore!" the bear gushed. Before the clown could react, he clarified, "I guess her mouth's all dried out from being in there so long. But that was no good! What's the point of having her sit in there and not be able to hear her speak and plead? So, I dribbled a little water in down my side and watched her lick my walls trying to get some. I don't even know how long that water's been in my tank! Not that it mattered. She cried it all out later."
Ennard was about to lose it. His hands began to crackle and Funtime Freddy's eye rolled down to see.
"Oh, you don't want to do that. I don't think the poor thing could take a shock."
"You're disgusting," Ennard said in a particularly cheery voice. "And I think you're full of it again. I think- I think I could prob- probably fry your circuits without touching her! Should we test that out? Because I would really love to."
But before he could do anything, there were suddenly footsteps right outside the door. Funtime Freddy fell silent and rolled his eyes back into his head again while Ennard stood there with his hands shaking and fingertips sparking. He looked back to see Scott slowly walking back into the room. From the look they exchanged alone he realized, with both relief and remorse, that he heard the entire thing.
Scott turned his attention to the bear and steeled his nerves.
"There's no point in hiding. I already heard everything you said," he said, returning to the more forceful tone.
Funtime Freddy rolled its eyes back out to stare at him, and Scott resisted the uneasy shiver that wanted to go through his body.
"Well, well! Look who grew a backbone while they were gone. Heh, or is that just 'cause you're hiding behind this big guy?" the bear asked, his eyes darting over to acknowledge Ennard.
Scott purposefully ignored that. "It's in your best interest to take his offer. Hand over the girl and you can go back to your warehouse. Don't and we will be forced to take more drastic measures…" he threatened. His words slow and methodical to keep from stuttering or showing any weakness.
"Oh?"
"Drastic measures being deconstruction and then melted in our furnace."
"A quick dismember and flambé! Now we're speaking YOUR language!" Ennard mocked.
"Fazbear Entertainment is a family company that puts the safety of our patrons, our employees, and our profits above all else. You're not needed anymore."
"Aww, that's not nice!" Funtime Freddy scolded. "What would Gramps think when he found out what you did to his dreadful little granddaughter? That would be her life on your hands, not mine!" He looked between them excitedly. "But don't be mistaken, her life is very much in my hands now. She handed it right over."
"You're saying she willingly got in you to let you kill her," Scott said dubiously.
"Yup! Or, well, it was more a happy accident. Seee, she's all into this death stuff and would you know it, I was built for that kinda stuff! She climbs in and gets exactly what she wanted."
"Ennard's right, you're full of it," Scott snapped. His voice a little shakier but now propelled by anger. "Let us talk to her. She can tell us if she wants to die."
"That's not her say anymore…" Funtime Freddy said lowly. His voice becoming hostile and possessive, then instantly brightening back up. "Hey, I gave her the option of a quick go! She was the one who decided to make it all difficult."
In the first moment of actual movement since he started talking- and not counting when he purposefully bit down on Ennard's hand- Funtime Freddy turned his head slightly in the clown's direction. His eyes locking onto him.
"I think you're gonna get a kick out of this one. I know your kinda humor," he started. "Since she was so kind as to climb in on her own, I thought she deserved a treat. I asked her how she wanted her potato cooked and give her the full menu of humane ways to give her the nice dirt nap she's been dying for. I mention the boiling and the crushing and smooshing. Heck, I even offered to give her a nice shock! Can you guess what she chose?"
Ennard did not answer.
"To starve?" Scott guessed. It rolling on his tongue and down into his stomach like a ball of lead.
"Heh, nope! She decides… decapitation! Yeah, she wants me to really lop her head off! A real blood geyser!"
Scott's face blanched and Ennard's mouth partially dropped open. Funtime Freddy looked between their reactions before crackling with laughter.
"Oh, the looks on your faces! Oh, I really, really wish it would've worked. I would've LOVED to see you two's reaction to her head rolling out!" he gushed. Then he sobered up with a disappointed huff. "Hmph, but it turns out she was just joshing me! Trying to pull a fast one on me! I line everything up and give a quick swipe, and in the last second she DUCKS! She dodged it! She RUINED it! Well, I wasn't going to take that sitting down! Heh, or maybe I was."
A wicked edge took his voice. "You wouldn't believe the look on her face when I told her she had to choose again. That she wasn't getting out of it that easy and that I wasn't falling for it twice. It was priceless! Better than both of yours combined! I really, really thought she was gonna try it a second time... But then she takes the coward's way out and chooses to sit there until she dries out. What a sore loser!" he finished with disappointment.
Ennard made a slight gulping noise and Scott glanced over to notice that the clown had his fist to his mouth. His chest seemed to be heaving a little under his shirt too. Since he couldn't breathe, Scott recognized what was happening as him trying to resist a wire rejection. He reached out to put a hand on his arm, trying to assure him without giving the bear in front of them anymore ammo.
"But she's a lot more fun than the other ones were. I didn't think about this whole 'let 'em choose their own way out' thing so I just let them cry and scream, and then did whatever came next in my primary command index."
That was the moment everything changed. That was the second when the situation became something much worse.
Scott froze up while Ennard's heaving chest suddenly halted and his fist slowly lowered. Both were remarkably silent considering the situation. Funtime Freddy had not stopped talking.
"You win some, you lose some. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes, and oh boy, have I learned."
Ennard turned away and walked out of Scott's grasp and into the corner, or as far as he could go into the corner before he was blocked by the stuff occupying it. It was hard to imagine what he was going through when Scott himself was having trouble handling this. Angry and anxious, he faced Funtime Freddy once more.
"You know- You know what? Let's talk about what we're going to do with you. L-Let's see how you like it," Scott challenged.
"Ooo, l-l-let's," Funtime Freddy mocked.
"Well, obviously we can just deconstruct you. Or we could dump you into the bottom of a lake, let you rust down there forever. We could bury you, fill you up with dirt, and leave you there. And you wouldn't die, right? So you'd just sit there awake, forgotten, under dirt or water. Possibly with no arms and legs. Totally useless and trapped alone with your thoughts. We don't have to burn you, but you're not going back to a warehouse."
"Uh huh. Uh huh. What else? Are you gonna do to me whatever you did to him?"
Ennard stared at that corner looking for something, anything, and then he found it. He discreetly started to push things aside until he could wrap his fingers around a wooden handle.
"I don't want to hear another word out of you," Scott hissed. "Now you listen to me, because this is your final offer."
"No more offers."
Scott barely acknowledged the change in voice before Ennard smoothly stepped by and swung down a shovel into the center of Funtime Freddy's belly. It stabbed in between the plates underneath his speaker. Ennard brought all his weight down and he felt the shovel hit something metal. Then he threw all his weight on the handle and began to pry with all his might.
Slowly the panels started to be lifted, the shovel sliding deeper underneath them.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Funtime Freddy tasked. This only spurred Ennard on more as he shoved harder. There was a low creaking from the metal. "You're making a biiig mistake, buddy boy! Big, BIG mistake!"
Ennard tried to replies and wires almost came up. He clenched his teeth and pushed harder, unwilling to falter for even a moment.
"For a clown you sure aren't a lot of fun," Funtime Freddy remarked. "Ha ha, then again, I guess you aren't a clown! You're just a hunk of guts. 'Bout as smart as 'em too."
Ennard tightened his grip and gave a harsh shove.
Then there was a loud CRACK.
Before Ennard fell forward and ran right into the wall of the garage, falling half onto his own toolbox in the process. He realized what happened even before noticing how light the handle was in his hand.
The shovel had broken. The head still lodged into Funtime Freddy's belly and the handle broken as low as it could. Ennard stumbled back in front of him and beside Scott, now looking much less composed. A few of his wires were sticking out and his hands were shaking, giving him the illusion of being one twitch away from totally snapping. He wasn't what Scott was worried about though. Scott was much more concerned with the now silent bear.
Funtime Freddy's eyes slowly rolled down to look at the shovel jutting out of his belly. Then they suddenly snapped back up.
"Looks like that didn't work. Big shock."
It looked like it hadn't.
"But you know what? That gives me an idea."
Both Scott and Ennard had an ominous feeling about where this was going.
"I've got this attachment thingy that looks kinda like a shovel. Kind of like a spade. Well, not really, but good enough," Funtime Freddy said. He could've had a sparkle in his eye from the inspiration on his voice. "I'm going to skewer my little potato right through the belly while you two watch! See, she can't really react all too much. She can't cry and plead- but you two can! Oh, I canNOT wait to see the looks you get when she starts drip, drip, dripping of me!"
For a second Ennard might've thought he was bluffing, but then he heard the mechanical groan of movement inside of Funtime Freddy. He began to panic just as quickly as Scott did, who could hear the noises too.
"This is great! And the best part's that once she's gone, she's no use to me. So, you can have her. A real win-win!" Funtime Freddy gushed. "Just getting things lined up. Would ya like me to open my mouth so you'll be able to hear her scream? If she can scream- no guarantees."
"Wait, no! We can still work something out!" Scott attempted to reason.
Funtime Freddy ignored him and rattled around a little before opening his mouth wide. "Are you two ready for the show of a lifetime? Eh heh ha ha! Let's start the countdown. Ten… nine… eight…
"WAIT, WAIT, STOP! DON'T DO IT! I'LL CLIMB IN! I'LL TAKE HER PLACE JUSTLETHERGO!" Scott blurted out. He was bluffing, saying the first thing he could think of to buy time.
Ennard did not take that offer well.
Funtime Freddy only made it to three before Ennard lunged at him, and what followed next was something beyond description.
Ennard wrestled the bear in his grasp and twisted at his neck as though intending to snap it, or at least subdue it. Funtime Freddy managed to raise one of his arms and smack at the clown, but his limb was stiff and squeaked terribly as he moved. The fight would've been borderline comical in any other situation.
Until Ennard got the upper hand and forced back his head. He stared down into those cold blue eyes and gaping mouth-
-and heaved his internal wires out of his mouth and into Funtime Freddy's own.
Scott could only stare as Ennard's own metal guts entered into Funtime Freddy's husk, expecting the mouth to snap shut on them. Except that it couldn't, Ennard kept it forced open as his fingers dug in underneath his chin. Funtime Freddy yanked his head back with an aggressive shriek, somewhere between a wild animal and a mechanical monster's, but there was no escape. There were too many wires, and Ennard unraveled to provide more.
One of Funtime Freddy's rolled back eyes popped out, dangling by its own wires as a mass of wires was pushed into the tight space. Scott wasn't sure why his own eyes fixated on that spot, but he couldn't look away.
The shrieks suddenly changed to a dialing noise, a popping and scrambling 'error' sort of noise filtering out of the bear's speaker, and Ennard's fingers dug in tightly under the bear's head and around his neck. He leaned in closer, heaving- but not to reject more wires. Instead, it was sort of a reverse motion, as though trying to gulp the wires back into his body. Likely to keep from getting emaciated enough to reveal his endoskeleton.
He slid and swallowed more of them back down. A slow motion, cautious and patient, until the wires were pulled slightly taunt. Then in one sharp motion, one sudden flourish, Ennard shoved forward and twisted the bear's head and off it came. It was still connected by his own wiring until Ennard turned and threw it to the floor behind him, dislodging his wires and jerking them free of the motionless head.
Ennard caught sight of something as he did this and looked up to see Scott gawking and Clay and Detective Larson standing in the doorway behind him. The amalgam froze up, mind reeling in panic at the realization of being spotted.
He felt like a cornered animal and the way they were looking at them fit the bill well. Wires were still hanging through his teeth, still heaving with his pupils dilated, and him having no idea when they came up and how much they saw.
So, as he tended to do when in immediate danger, he yanked back up that clown façade and hid behind it like a riot shield.
"What? Never seen a clown empty his guts into a trash can?" Ennard called over the constant drone of Funtime Freddy's discombobulated noises. "Show's over! Keep moving!"
Larson was just startled enough to actually go ahead and walk away from the door. Clay gave a nod, looking surprisingly flustered himself, and stepped aside. Aside, not away. He was still outside the door and Ennard knew it.
Now it was just him and Scott, who looked shaken as well. Ennard suddenly became self-conscious and quickly began to shovel his wires back in hand over fist. Scott pulled his eyes off of Funtime Freddy's head to see what he was doing and quickly stepped in to stop him.
"Hey, whoa. Don't do that." He grabbed Ennard's wrists to stop him. Then he gathered up the wires and started to gently guide them back in. "Just like last time. Go in slow and they don't come back out."
His hands were shaking, not out of fear but instead from leftover adrenaline. He looked up but Ennard kept his eyes down, unable to make eye contact. Scott took a deep breath to calm down his own heartbeat and continued.
"Almost there… And there we go," Scott assured. The last of the wires were dragged past Ennard's teeth and he could hear the sound of them sliding together through his shirt. "Are you okay?"
Ennard nodded awkwardly and slowly reached for him before pulling him into a cautious hug. Scott eagerly returned it, rubbing over his back both to comfort him and to make sure the wires were aligning right despite the frenzied reentry.
"It's fine. You did what you had to. I… I would've done the same thing. I mean, if I could," Scott assured. Ennard hummed into his hair. "It's all over. Or, well, kind of over… Wait, no- Ennard, the girl!"
"Oh cripes! I forgot all about her!" Ennard cried. He quickly pulled back and hustled back to the bear's headless body, reaching down into the open neck. "Make sure one of us warns Burke that he's just deactivated not dead."
Scott's briefly quelled dread doubled down once more. "He's not…?"
"Don't sound so disappointed," Ennard quipped. "But no, this is just a setback. If someone puts his head back on right, he'll be right back in working order."
"That's not going to happen," Clay said, having stepped back into the doorway.
"You better make sure it doesn't! You heard him yourself, if he gets the chance he's going to kill again," Ennard warned.
Scott and Clay stared at the scene of the clown reaching around the bear's neck in an uncomfortable silence, only broken once the former turned to the latter and asked, "So you heard most of that?" Clay nodded. "…Good to know."
There was a loud creaking noise before the stomach hatch finally popped open. Ennard gave a triumphant cry before kneeling down, holding up a hand at the others before they could come up. "Stay back! Let me see."
He opened the hatch and looked inside.
There she was. The teenage girl they were looking for was inside of Funtime Freddy's oversized stomach hatch, and she was looking terrible. She was alive and conscious, looking at Ennard with wide glassy eyes that were sunken in their sockets. There was a little dried blood on her cheek, likely a result of her severely chapped lips. Even though she was technically sitting up, she was slumped against the back wall of the hatch.
Her pale skin against her black hair and dark clothes gave her an almost ghostly appearance, but that look in her eyes made her very human. It made her look less like a teenager and more like a terrified child.
"Hey there," Ennard called In gently. Purposefully making his voice quieter and lower as to not scare her, and to make it sound less like the voice of the monster who trapped her inside itself. He began to slowly come in.
She moved a little and began to pant a little harder. She made repeated motions with her mouth like she was either trying to talk or trying to swallow, but it wasn't going anywhere.
"It's okay. I'm just here to get you out, okay? I know I look scary, but that's just because I'm a clown," Ennard said. He reached for her and she got enough of a second wind to raise her arm as though shielding herself. "Okay, okay. I won't touch you. Can you come out? I'll move back, you just come out on your own," he coaxed. He leaned back into the hatch.
The girl moved very slowly as she tried to push herself forward, but then proceeded to insistently sway and buckle under a wave of dizziness. Ennard reached for her and though she tried to shirk him off, or maybe she was just trying to move in general, he pulled her into her arms. She felt so light, but it was clear that starvation was the least of her concerns. She was severely dehydrated and though she was awake she seemed out of it.
"Oookay, I'm just gonna pull you out now," Ennard said. Scott and Clay were both standing over him as he pulled her out into his lap. "There you go! All good."
Clay swore under his breath and promptly got out his cellphone. "I'm calling for the ambulance," he warned.
"Then I'm just gonna carry her out to the living room. I don't want them seeing this thing," Ennard remarked, gesturing his head towards the bear.
Clay seemed to agree. He nodded and reminded, "Be very careful with her."
Ennard resisted the urge to crack a joke because he didn't really feel like it. Instead, he readjusted her in his grasp and slowly stood up. Scott spotted him the whole time, shoving back Funtime Freddy's leg with his foot and escorting him out.
The girl had gone limp in his arms with her head resting against his shoulder. Likely not out of relief or acceptance, but because she was simply to weak to stay upright. She said something as he carried her down the hallway, but her voice was too hoarse for him to garner what it was.
"Lemme just say, I love your hair. And I'm not just saying that 'cause it's in my mouth," Ennard complimented. "Don't worry about a thing, Sweetie. Compared to that psycho the hospital's gonna be a breeze."
Larson and Mathews were both in the living room when Scott and then Ennard walked in. While Larson had forewarned Mathews of what he had seen, that didn't stop the man's eyes from nearly popping out of his head. Scott acknowledged them with a knowing look and straightened his posture back up, folding his arms behind his back as he watched Ennard lay the teenager out on the couch.
"Theeere you go. Comfy?... Okay, maybe not 'comfy', but better," Ennard assured. He gave her a gentle pat on the head, taking the time to steady himself, then turned his attention to the men on the other side of the room. "What a night, eh?"
There wasn't a good way to reply to that. Larson, who had the benefit of a quicker recovery, managed to find one, "And it's not over yet."
"Nope! But we're getting there!" Ennard said, giving double thumbs up. He then stepped in and offered his hand. "Ben Hansberry! Certified technician. This clown thing's just a side gig."
Larson hesitated in taking the hand but eventually decided to go ahead and do so. The sharp look Scott sent him at the hesitation softening dramatically as he shook the clown's hand.
"Everette Larson. I am a detective with the Hurricane Police Department. This is Detective Joseph Mathews," he introduced. The other man snapped out of his trance enough to offer his hand, surprisingly more ready to do so.
"I expected you to be a man in a clown costume. I don't know if I should be surprised or relieved," Mathews remarked.
Ennard laughed so hard at that that wires almost started coming up again.
"That's not entirely off the mark!"
He planned on continuing but cut himself off at the sound of sirens in the distance. Apparently, Clay wasn't joking when he said they had the ambulance on standby, because it couldn't have been at the hospital to get there that fast.
"Sounds like the circus finally caught up with me. Looks like it's time to split," Ennard said. He didn't think they or Scott noticed his fight or flight reflexes kicking in. Maybe Scott got a hunch when Ennard turned and hurried back to the couch. He crouched down beside it momentarily beside the girl. "Hey, I gotta bail before the fuzz finds me. You take care, Kiddo. If you need anything at all, you can find me prowling the city like a ghoul."
Ennard winked at her and hopped to his feet before rushing out of the room. He caught some of what Scott was saying to the detectives as he did.
"-what he did. The only reason she's going to survive is because he was here," he could hear Scott saying. He was flattered, he was also intrigued to hear that tone return, but he had to stay focused. He hurried into the garage and started to close up his toolbox, Scott following in a few moments later. "Maybe you should hide in a bedroom or something until they leave? I'm sure her grandfather's going with her to the hospital and Clay's not leaving anytime soon."
"Can't risk it. I'll just slip under the garage door and into the back of the van. Easy as pie!" Ennard assured him. He turned in his crouch to grab and pull on his jacket. "And then we're out of here!"
"Ennard-!"
Something suddenly fell on his head and started tumbling down his back. He barely hooked an arm back to catch it, only to feel a familiar plastic body. Bon-Bon fell off the shelf again.
Though 'fell' was a rather generous word when Scott had watched the small animatronic all but leap off onto him.
"Take me with you!" it cried.
Ennard didn't miss a beat. "Sure thing!"
He snatched up his toolbox in one hand, had the rabbit in the other one, hustled past Scott- stopping long enough to "mwah" his mouth against Scott's sweaty forehead- and then dropped it all off at the garage door so he could lift it. He peeked out to see the ambulance parked on the street nearby and, grabbing toolbox and rabbit again, squeezed under the door, got the van open, and got himself inside and the door shut before getting caught.
If he had a heart, it would've been racing. Instead Ennard felt twitchy and twisted up, but that could've been because some of his wires didn't lay right. He would have to check later. For now, he got himself hidden behind the passenger seat.
Then he had a moment to address the little rabbit in his lap.
Ennard was not shocked that the Bon-Bon was alive. In fact, he already had a hunch when the non-existent 'arm reflex' happened after he poked her nose. He just hadn't called her out at the time for her benefit, and his own to monitor her for a while longer.
"Well, hello there! Look who's finally coming out of her shell. Or off of her shelf," Ennard chirped. He gave her a playful little tap on the button. She gave a tiny squeak and caught his hand playfully between her own. "My name's Ennard and that man who's with me is Scott. What's your name?"
"Hi! I used to be Bonnie, but then they started calling me Bonnet after they colored me pink," the bunny, apparently named Bonnet, introduced. "Thank you for saving me! Thank you, thank you! I didn't want to be there anymore."
"Couldn't stand another minute with loudmouth in there?" Ennard asked.
She shook her head. "Nope! He's awful. It was really awful what he did to Millie. I saw the whole thing! He was so mean!"
Millie must've been the girl's name. Ennard's voice softened with sympathy as he realized the full extent of what Bonnet had to have witnessed from that shelf. "It really is awful… But she's okay! She's going to be a-okay now." He hoped, at least. "So, uh… You're not afraid of me?" he asked hesitantly.
"Nope!" Bonnet answered without a shred of doubt. "You were so nice to her- and me! You picked me up and didn't set me down really hard!" she gushed. Her ears started to lower as she further confessed, "Nobody's held me in a long time... And I didn't want Freddy to hold me."
"Hey, at least you weren't stuck to him," Ennard pointed out. "And he's not going to be hurting anyone else. The only person he hurt tonight was himself. And maybe me when he chomped my hand, but I've been bit by worse."
"He asked me to get inside of his belly once too, but I didn't. I thought it was weird," Bonnet admitted Her own voice taking a serious tone as she looked up at Ennard with big green eyes. "I don't think I would've come back out."
Ennard pulled her in against his chest and held her protectively. Funny, he didn't usually get attached so easily, but tonight had been a hard one. He might've gotten just as attached to a bunny shaped squeak toy.
"It's a good thing you didn't. Don't worry, you're safe now. No more Funtime Freddy, no more garage."
"Am I going to go home with you?" Bonnet asked. Pushing back with her arms to look up at his face.
"Of course! Where'd you think you were going, to the thrift store?" Ennard playfully asked. He gently tapped her ear and she giggled and swiped at his hand. "I hope you like cats."
"I like looking at cats!"
"Good enough!"
The next few minutes were devoted to listening out of the van at what was going on and watching Bonnet explore the van. She occasionally whispered gushingly about happy she was to be out of the garage and how excited she was to go home with him, and sometimes quietly complained about Funtime Freddy. The latter giving him brief glimpses into the events that transpired before he got there.
Apparently Funtime Freddy's story about the attempted decapitation wasn't a lie, and neither were the two or three days he spent chattering to the girl trapped in his belly. No doubt mocking and tormenting her the entire time. Ennard would've been a lot angrier if he hadn't successfully decapitated Freddy. In fact, it made him feel a lot better about doing so.
He was able to hear what sounded like a gurney being rolled by and heard both the ambulance leave and a couple of cars following it. At least she was going to be getting help. He might've saved a life tonight; it felt fantastic. Fantastic enough to silently pump his fists in triumph and proclaim this night a victory. He wouldn't let the bear win by dwelling on him a moment longer.
Bonnet eventually crawled over and collapsed face first into his lap. No more than a few minutes afterwards, Ennard heard someone circling the car and tensed up, only to relax when the driver's side door opened and Scott got inside.
"Welcome back. Verdict?" Ennard asked.
"Her grandpa's with her and they're on their way to the hospital. As far as he knows, she climbed inside and got stuck, but he agreed to let Clay take him. So, not our problem! Not anymore," Scott explained. He turned on the van and began to pull out of the driveway as he finished. "Clay's going to call us later to thank you personally. He might even swing by the house if it's not too late."
"Probably to arrest me for pilfering the rabbit," Ennard remarked.
"Oh, right! Bonnie! How is he doing?" Scott asked. He glanced back and Ennard pointed him down to the small rabbit laying in his lap. "Is he okay?"
"She's fine. Just tired herself out."
"Aww," Scott said. He turned ahead to watch the road again. Alas, the rain hadn't let up any since they got here. "Think she's staying with us or is she going to Jeremy's?"
"No way, this one's mine! If Jeremy wants a bunny buddy to daddy over, Michael's less than fifteen feet away," Ennard said. Scott chuckled and it was much more genuine now than earlier in the evening. He seemed relieved but tired, but the clown was still more than a little nervous. "You're still freaked out, aren't ya?" he asked playfully. Or trying to be playful, but that worry came through audibly.
"What? No!" Scott said. "Sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do. It's about what you do and why you do it, not how you do it."
"Right! Right…"
"…But if you feel up to talking about it, how did you know to, uh… do that? Have you ever done that before?"
"Nope! It was, uh… Like a spur of the moment thing. Something I thought about once but never really tried- thank goodness, right?" Ennard gave a strained chuckle and Scott's face softened with worry.
"Ennard, it's okay. Those detective aren't going to say anything, and who cares what they think? You saved a life tonight. You saved a family. That's all that counts."
"I know, I know," Ennard agreed. He gave a slight chuckle and rested his head on the seat behind him. "Betcha you're never gonna kiss me again without seeing that beautiful image flashing in your head."
Ennard didn't expect for Scott to pull over onto the side of the road. He didn't really get much time to question it either as Scott unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned between the seats, grabbed him by the jacket, and pulled him into a kiss. Scott was seldom this direct and that alone gave Ennard a clear message. It nearly short-circuited him too, or at least it felt like it.
Eventually Scott drew back with an assuring, flustered sort of smile, one utterly battered by the night it had been through. It took all Ennard's willpower to not draw him back in before he slid back into the driver's seat.
"Not that that's cleared up, let's head home," Scott said. He pulled back onto the road and continued their slow journey.
…
Back at the residence, Clay waited for proper transport to arrive so they could wheel off the bear shaped deathtrap in the garage. He hadn't taken his eyes off of it since Ennard had left and he didn't intend to until it was secured. He even had half a mind to take the head and dispose of it himself, but he had to make sure it was done properly. Even now the thing was making all sorts of obnoxious noise. He could imagine it swearing vengeance on the clown who bested it.
Speaking of the clown, Clay had to admit that he might've misjudged him. He may have not had ill will towards him, but he didn't take Ennard seriously. He thought of him as a non-threatening menace who occasionally stirred up the town before slinking off into the night. This had changed that perception entirely. If it hadn't been for him, they wouldn't have gotten to the girl free in time. He was, for tonight at least, a hero.
Thank God Michael didn't answer his phone