Chapter Twenty-One

Those Who Play With Ghosts

Oh, she should have known - THEY ALL should have known - that Mike would be recognized with similar features to William.

Michael looked like the man who butchered them, and Foxy had to be the one to vocalize it. Chaos broke out as soon as those words left the animatronic fox's maw, the others' eyes narrowing, and "Freddy's" joined in last.

Kaleia, Henry, Clara, and Charlie were the ones to shout together: "NO!"

All halted and turned attention to them. Kaleia decided to play hero, because what did she have to lose? "He looks like the man who did this to you, but he's NOT HIM, YOU HEAR ME?!"

That got them all to back off by a step, Charlie showing her admiration by floating towards her and bowing her head once, the smile remaining forever on that mask. "William Afton is the one you want," Kaleia continued passionately, clenching her hands at her sides. "Mike is just...his son. He did something a long time ago that he had no way of knowing would lead to this, because his father was always unhinged without anyone knowing until it was too late. Especially Henry, who lost his only daughter -" She nodded to Charlie. "- to someone he'd thought was a friend. What kind of friend does that? Also, what kind of friend brings everything you built together to ruin just to satisfy his bloodlust and blame it on everyone but himself? Who does this to innocent children who have nothing to do with this? And how dare he be called a loving, grieving father when he brings it onto other families who never learn what happened to their pride and joys?!"

She paused to take a breather, though it did nothing to stop the hot tears down her cheeks.

"He took my parents from me when they went out to uncover the truth."

The animatronics' jaws dropped to show all of their teeth and those of the endoskeletons' beneath.

"We also all know what his crimes did to your families," Clara piped in, being a parent herself. "Gabriel, your sister is here to not only make up for what was out of her control but she was also blamed by your own parents all because she wasn't properly watching you. Her joining the police force hasn't changed their opinions of her. She did it also because of those cop television programs you loved together. Perhaps you wanted to write mystery and crime novels one day once you got your writing style down?" The animatronic eyes widened briefly before closing. "She came to save all of you.

"Jeremy -" Bonnie's ears twitched, his eyes swirling, and the lids clicking open and shut. "- your dad...he took his life after he lost you. You were everything to him, and he was hesitant about you becoming a rockstar someday, or perhaps you'd one day grow out of it and want to do something else while still loving music...and it was taken from you. Your dad wanted to be with you again because he knew the truth."

Those eyes closed as the head bowed, the ears further spreading to either side as a gesture of sadness and heartbreak. It broke Kaleia's immensely.

Her mother-in-law then looked right at Susie in Chica's form. "I even spoke to your family, Susie. They are still together, healed enough, but they never let your memory fade. Even now they want the man who did this to pay. They are on a mission for the protection of children not only in this town or this state but across the country, to help ensure no one suffers the way you have." Except realistically, you can't save everyone.

"And Fritz...your parents broke apart. Your father all but left the state, leaving your mother to rely on drugs, and some time ago, she tried to kill my son while under the influence, because she thought he was your killer."

This caused the fox to drop his jaw wider than before, until he snapped it shut and rolled his shoulders as best he could, indicating a tremendous disappointment and heartbreak at what his family had become.

Susie's was the only one that remained intact, devoted to a mission in her memory, and that seemed to placate the chicken robot she now was.

"Bonnie" piped up now. His voice reminded Kaleia a bit of...Sonic the Hedgehog, was it? Something like that, and definitely not Bugs Bunny. "So, you guys are helping us, solving the mystery, like detectives? Like Gabe's sister?" His words glitched as if his tone wobbled with his emotions. Kaleia broke then, the kindhearted nurse kicking in, willing to give comfort to the dead and/or dying. His father was gone and he never knew until now, Fritz and Gabriel emotionally wrecked because their families fell apart, while Susie's was the only one to remain intact and honoring her with a mission.

Big question was where the hell Cassidy was. The one who was far more damaged than them.

"Jeremy," she croaked, "we should have been here sooner - someone should have been here sooner - but the past can't be changed. We're all sorry the real you is dead, and if we had the power to bring you back, we would. But yes, we've been doing that, so are any of you with us?"

~o~

The animatronics were willing to tell them about the day the "purple man in the yellow rabbit suit" took their lives, but not right now. Michael was fine with that, and nobody else objected; it was too sensitive, and they didn't want to think about the grim, nightmarish details they no doubt thought about since waking up as they were.

The bots remained standing, as they couldn't sit without crushing the tables and chairs. They could have sat on the edges of their stages but chose not to. It was a horrible existence the way they described it: never knowing their own strength even now, their nights peeking into the security office and trying to get in only to be shut out. All the guards before now either quit or worse. And then the deaths would be swept under the rug, under the new management even after William himself was booted.

They never once saw the face of their murderer, but Charlie had somehow helped them see because she'd been the very first before any of them, at the old diner.

Charlie never killed anyone while she was here and in her music box, but the same couldn't be said for the four in front of them. "We - we never wanted to kill anyone," Jeremy in Bonnie insisted vehemently. "It was like something made us, and we were all aware of it."

Something controls them.

"Then we are going to find that out somehow," Henry said. "You didn't attack Clair because -"

"Because I recognized my sister," Gabriel in Freddy answered, the angle of his face showing a smile. "And I usually don't move for some reason until the third night of the week." He glanced at her, seeing Clair wipe one corner of her eye, before turning his attention to Fritz in Foxy.

The fox brought his hooked hand in front of him, resting it above his chest. "Me be the fastest of all. I sprint faster before ye can say Davy Jones." He sighed, lowering that hook to his side, and blinking once.

Michael couldn't help but laugh at the pirate talk. Fritz seemed to enjoy talking as Foxy if it helped him cope, and he could see it. "Before we go into the serious stuff any further, I gotta ask: what do you guys do at night for fun, if any?"

They seemed to perk up, even the previously angry Susie. She answered first. "Well, we...we do just about anything. Kitchen for me because I love cooking the good old pizza; never gets old. Except I miss the real taste," she said sadly. "I hope Mommy, Daddy, and Avery are enjoying it. You know how old he is now, Ms. Clara?"

"He's supposed to be about eight now, I think. Kaleia and I didn't get to meet him when we talked to your daddy, but he said he draws, and they keep the pictures on the wall. We've seen one with a lion." If only Susie could beam like a human again, but the widening of her beak would have to do. "Your parents keep him close every time they go out, too, for his safety." The sounds emitted were little squawks and mechanical clicks in one.

"My guitar," Jeremy added, holding it up from the stage after reaching behind him and picking it up. "Never get tired, except I miss playing it with my dad. He always had fun with me, but when I'd tell him I wanted to be a rockstar, he'd have that look in his eye and say my mom who left us was into music, and that got her hooked on drugs or something. That was before I learned about drugs in class the next day."

"Oh, bud." Melinda exhaled, got up from the table, and walked over to stand in front of him, before braving for a hug the animatronic bunny needed. Correction: the little boy inside. Jeremy bared his teeth in shock as if he didn't expect that for himself. But he still spread his arms out, guitar still in hand, and his limbs then wrapped around Melinda, eyes and jaw closing in contentment once he settled.

Gabriel chuckled, body jolting with the motion. "Bro lets me practice, too, like we did with Mom and Dad. Good days, Clair, even though you wanted to be with friends?" Guilt flashed across his sister's face before it was gone, replaced with a sentimental smile as Clair recalled the good old days - as good as could be, better than things with Michael and Evan had been.

Clara, without a word, got up and went to Susie, embracing her, too, but Henry stayed behind. No matter what anyone would tell him, he still felt guilty and could have come to this sooner even after he left the business. Michael was grateful for his life being saved by this man and his mum, but the past could never be changed. They were all here now.

He and his wife were left with Fritz. The one whose mom tried to kill him under the influence - possessing THEIR shared favorite animatronic. The fox's only eye drooped as he lowered his head; he interacted with his friends, but he was stuck alone in one little stage area far from them. That was hell in itself.

"Fritz, what do you say we..." Kaleia worked around the words a bit even though she knew what it was, smiling. "...play a game? The night's still young."

Could have said the original title was "Those Who Play FOR Ghosts", but decided at the end instead. ;D The four-part YouTube series "The Fazbear Interview Logs (FNAF SFM)" by Mushroom Animates also has influential tidbits.

For the voices of the animatronics, think of BigWesProductions as Bonnie/Foxy on YouTube in Buzzare's works, along with Morgan556 as Chica, and let's say I have NO idea who for Freddy. Whoever makes sense for everyone works. And when we get to the reveal of Cassidy/Golden Freddy in the future, whoever did their voice in J-Gems' Interviewed series did a fantastic job. :)

Incredibly short chapter since the very first, the prologue. XD But inside is what counts.