October 15, 2017

21 hours and 10 minutes

After the scandal, William immediately left. He needed to take a little ride, get his thoughts in order. Could he really do this to his son? And tell him that. Of course, it was all in the heat of the moment, but William still couldn't quite believe that he had actually said such a thing.

K'hadesh had been sitting on the couch all this time and listening to these screams. On the one hand, he felt a little sorry for Naomi, but on the other, he didn't care.

- Tell me, what did I say to Michael? - William asked when he saw K'hadesh in the backseat in the mirror.

- A lot of things. - K'hadesh answered. - For example, that it would be better if he was not born or that he is not your son, and also that he is a disgrace to the family.

- I'm an idiot... - William sighed. - A complete idiot.

The ghost remained silent.

At that moment, they were just passing near the pizzeria where the accident occurred. Emily's car was parked there.

- Wait, park up. - K'hadesh said.

William did so, and the men began to watch what was happening.

21 hours and 10 minutes

- Why haven't we come home yet? - Charlie pouted, peering out the dripping window in the backseat.

- Because your dad has some important things that need to be done urgently. - Henry replied, turning the next corner.

- For example? - the girl persisted.

- Listen. - father said carefully. - Do you really want to see a Marionette that badly?

- Very much! - Charlotte jumped up, hope shining in her eyes.

- Then I promise you that you will look at him tomorrow, right after we arrive from the dentist. And what's more, you'll get the very first Marionette's toy in the world!

Charlie was clearly not pleased with the promise, no matter how attractive it might seem. The girl really wanted to participate in the celebration, one of the first to see the new animatronics. Besides, her best friends were there, whose parents weren't so busy and who were allowed to have fun.

- We could celebrate together. - Charlie was sad, looking down at the bracelet. - You spend so little time with me...

The car braked, and they stopped at the entrance to the establishment.

Henry turned off the engine and turned to his daughter. It seemed to the girl that there were notes of sadness in his eyes.

- I know, baby, I know... - the man spoke and stroked Charlotte's head. - You may think that I don't love you, but I don't... You are the most precious thing in the world to me! I just... I can't let you have fun with your friends today. It's... I...

Henry hesitated, not knowing what to say. He felt incredibly sorry for his daughter. He saw how her eyes were wet from crying, and he wanted so much to let her... But fear stopped him. Despite his habitual confidence in his own creations, Henry was afraid that Charlotte might get hurt. The fact was that the Marionette is a security animatronic designed to monitor the behavior of children. He can read the number of children in the room, approximately the distance to them, and their proximity to the nearest exit. His main function is to read the color of the bracelets in children's hands. These bracelets are now always given to children when they come to the institution. Yeah-yeah, the same bracelets that were given to Chris and Charlie! There are only a few colors, and they all mean different priorities. When parents bring their children to a dinner and choose a table for themselves, they are given a bracelet depending on how far this table is from the exit.

Blue is the lowest priority. The puppet will pay attention to the child only if he suddenly starts to approach him, and accordingly, to the exit.

Children with pink bracelets receive more attention because they have a better chance of slipping past their parents.

Orange is the highest priority when children should be watched as closely as possible.

If a child with a bracelet of any color comes too close to the exit, the Marionette's task will be to get in their way, and simply not allow them to leave the building. Without the use of force, of course. All this was done for safety reasons, in case the parents could not keep track of the child, and they decided to run away. And also because of the recent incidents. If the child is at a safe distance, the Marionette will remain in his "home" — a large box resembling a Christmas gift, with purple stripes along and across.

Bracelets of different colors are designed for a clear distribution of attention, so that the animatronic does not get confused by too many children. And the shades are chosen in such a way that the Marionette does not accidentally mistake the child's T-shirt for a bracelet.

And why is Henry so worried that such a useful animatronic can harm even after his tests in the workshop? Because a failure can always happen, the programme code can be distorted for some unknown reason, and then a huge robot can do anything... That was his fear.

Now Charlie looked offended, looking at the building outside the window. The man looked at the bracelet on her right hand. It was a shade of green, and it was a little alarming. After all, is green a priority? In fact, Henry knew the answer. He independently created another bracelet with a higher priority than the orange one. For his own child.

21 hours and 15 minutes

The silence could have lasted forever, but Henry urgently needed to stop by the dinner to look at the Marionette's work and ask his deputy Scott something. He knew that the priorities of the green bracelet went beyond the building as well. Many would consider this, and indeed the whole idea of bracelets, excessive caution bordering on paranoia. However, Henry would rather be paranoid than responsible for his mistakes in front of the court.

- Charlie. - the man finally said. - I need to pop in there for five minutes. Stay here in the car for now.

The girl said nothing, continuing to look at the drops running down the glass.

- Well, don't get mad at me. - Henry smiled and patted his daughter's cheek. - Do you want to cancel the trip to the dentist tomorrow and come to work with me, and you can admire the Marionette all day?

This time Charlotte turned around, and her eyes sparkled. Undoubtedly, from joy. Realizing that his daughter agreed, he smiled and opened the door.

- Okay, just don't get out of the car, okay?

- I get it. - the girl smiled back.

And nodding, Henry got out of the car.

21 hours 17 minutes

The anticipation turned out to be so sweet that at one point William felt as if he was losing control of his own body. Only the raindrops rattled nonstop, bringing him back to consciousness over and over again. He was closer than ever now. They've been trying to do this for a whole year, and here's a million-dollar chance! It's either now or never. The man looked at the knife lying next to him in the bag. This bag has been here since Chris went into a coma. Just in case. He just felt that their long-planned plan would soon come true.

Soon... So soon.

21 hours and 20 minutes

Her father made a grave mistake, which Charlotte immediately noticed. The doors were not locked. And that means...

- No. - the girl said firmly to herself, remembering her promise to stay in the car. - Especially in the rain. And I don't like rain.

However, something prevented her from just sitting still. Something annoying, bothersome. Without thinking twice, Charlie jumped to the window and, through the drops, took a closer look at the dinner. A warm, bright light was pouring out, which beckoned her to go inside. She turned away and pouted again. This time, thoughtfully.

- I can only go out to look... I'll be right back in the car... Dad won't even guess that I went out. - thoughts were spinning in the girl's head.

Her head was in a mess. She tried to overcome her desires and curiosity, but they prevailed. The door handle was only a couple of centimeters from her hand. She just had to pull it and...

21 hours 21 minutes

Curiosity really got the better of her, and Charlie got out of the car. She tried to act as quietly as possible and carefully crept up to the windows of the establishment. The light turned out to be so bright that it literally began to dazzle her, but she quickly got used to it and began to examine what was inside. Her father wasn't around, and that's a good thing. So he was in the office, and that would give her some time. As expected, the building was small. Inside there were colorful tables and chairs, at which children and their parents were sitting. Charlotte had already been able to find several of her companions, such as Gabriel, Cassidy, Helen and Sarah, and this made her very sad again. Fredbear, to whom she had long been accustomed, was also not idle. He relentlessly delivered cupcakes to the children, although it did not seem to calm them at all. They wanted even more — the very little ones even started crying. But this did not sadden Fredbear, and he continued his work. Various garlands, paper men, children's drawings and other decorations were also hung throughout the room. In general, children's drawings became an integral part of her dad's establishment, and he was very pleased about it.

But Charlotte's main attention was attracted by a large festive box standing next to the exit of the dinner. It was ajar, and it seemed to the girl that a faint green glow was radiating from there. Suddenly, she noticed a group of children approaching the box, with bracelets of various colors. She was extremely surprised when she compared them to her own bracelet. Except that hers was green. Then a real miracle happened. As soon as the children got too close to the box, the lid was pushed aside, and a beautiful doll appeared from there. Indescribably beautiful, she made Charlotte's mouth drop open from a mixture of emotions.

The Marionette is an animatronic doll with a thin body and tall stature. This animatronic has very long arms and legs, and numerous white stripes are drawn on his arms and legs. The Puppet has three long rag fingers on each hand. In addition, he does not have feet, in their place are slightly pointed ends of the legs. He wears a white mask on his head without a hint of a nose or ears, but with black eyes and green pupils and a large smiling mouth. He has no hair, eyebrows, or eyelashes, but has bright red lips, rosy cheeks, and blue-purple streaks running from his eyes to his mouth.

The girl immediately liked the doll, causing real admiration.

First, the Marionette made one movement with his hand, then another. It all turned into a kind of dance that made the children laugh and distracted them from everything else. The doll began to circle around, gradually leading the children away from the exit, and they happily ran into her arms. Sometimes it seemed that he was floating in the air. Charlie was a smart girl and understood that since there wasn't even a step on the doll's feet, it couldn't be controlled by anything other than invisible threads. By the way, the control of his fingers and hands in general also took place from there. Anyway, Charlotte was ready to believe in a fairy tale, like a doll flying. After all, why should such a wonderful being be deprived of such a wonderful ability? Unfortunately, the performance did not last long, and soon, when the children ran away, the Marionette returned to his box. It was at this moment that the girl became sad. It was as if it wasn't enough for her. She wanted the doll to dance more.

The sadness became so bitter and unpleasant that Charlotte had already completely forgotten about her dad, who was about to return. Tears came to her eyes again. She wanted to touch her new favourite so much, but now she will have to stay up all night dreaming about it. And disappointed that she wasn't playing there with the other children right now, getting wet from the rain and forgetting about her father's promise and her own promise, she was ready to open the door and run inside. However, her lips only shook and she burst into bitter tears... Charlie is so sick of everything. She was tired of worrying about the deaths of her friends, watching them sad and crying, how dad missed Sammy, how everything had become so gray and terrible around her... And when did all this happen? After Elizabeth's death. She was the person who gave bright multicolored colors to this world along with kindness, warmth and happiness. But she's gone, she'll never see her again, and after a few years, everyone will immediately forget about her.

21 hours and 25 minutes

The angel grinned ominously, but William didn't notice it. Bright light was pouring out of the windows, and a crying girl was standing next to her, leaning against the glass. She was William's target. A little witch who doesn't even know what she's capable of.

- The hour has come, my friend. - the angel smiled. - Do that, and we'll go into the future together.

Nodding, the man stopped next to the establishment, and began to take out everything he needed from his bag. When everything was finally ready, he took an umbrella in one hand and hid a carefully sharpened knife in the other sleeve...

The hour had come.

William opened the door and got out of the car. Despite the loud bang when the door closed again, Charlotte did not pay the slightest attention to him. He heard her sobbing, and something stirred inside him. As if... Pity?

- Go ahead, William. - a voice sounded from behind, and the man recognized it as the irritated voice of the savior.

Nodding once more, he gathered his thoughts and walked closer to his victim.

- Charlotte?

Finally, the girl noticed him and turned around. Thin trickles of tears ran down her cheeks, mixed with drops of increased rain.

- Mr. Afton? - she couldn't hide her surprise.

- That's right. - He replied thoughtfully. - Why are you getting wet in the rain?

- I... I... - she couldn't tell. - I'm waiting for dad... He's about to arrive.

- Then why don't you wait for him in the car? - William persisted.

- Because... - Charlotte replied as if offended and burst into tears again.

- Time does not stand still. - there was a whisper.

Without wasting a second, the man approached again, this time covering the girl with an umbrella.

- And how soon is he supposed to be back? - William asked suddenly.

- I don't know... - Charlotte continued to squish. - A... What are you doing here?

- Oh... I have some important business that needs to be done urgently.

- And why are all adults always so busy? - she replied a little irritably.

The knife slipped neatly through his sleeve, and with a deft movement William took it in his hand, but at the same time held it behind his back. Anticipation merged with unexpected doubt, and when he could already act, his body froze.

- You're crying. But what could have upset you so much? - William was embarrassed, pretending that he was really interested.

All this was just a cover, and the false feeling of pity had already left him.

- It doesn't matter... Why are you asking?

- Because I can help. - the man replied and smiled warmly.

Charlotte, embarrassed, turned to the window. William also turned his gaze there, and saw a dancing doll that delighted many children.

- Do you like this doll? - he guessed.

- Very much... - the girl sobbed, wiping her tears for the umpteenth time.

- Then I can give him to you. - William said softly and sat down next to her.

- What? But... How? - asked Charlie, and that was the last thing a man in his right mind managed to hear.

- You'll understand now... - William replied, but not in his own voice. - You wanted to see Sammy, didn't you?

- I... I don't understand what you're talking about... - fear was born inside Charlie's soul.

Out of fear and misunderstanding, she stumbled, but tripped over a stone. The treacherous raindrops continued to drip onto her face, blocking the view in front of her. And so, she saw the man raise his hand up, and something flashed in the light of the nearest lantern... Just one blow, and the whole world instantly went out in front of the girl. The last thing she heard was the sound of a broken soul. There was no more Patience.

21 hours and 35 minutes

The knife plunged into her heart, and William realized that she would never wake up again. Charlotte didn't scream, which means death was quick. Incredible relief washed over him to the fullest, and he felt a wonderful pleasure. Closing his eyes, he ran his finger along the edge of the blade, brushing warm droplets of blood from it. But this is not the end, this is not the time to stop! The rain should have washed away most of the tracks, but not all of them. With quick movements, the man grabbed Charlotte by the arms, and quickly dragged her towards the dumpster. He threw the girl's body right between two containers, covering it with filled garbage bags. Since William was wearing gloves all this time, no fingerprints should remain, which means that no one will know about his crime. He would take all the evidence with him, and the rain would wash away the streak of blood that stretched towards the containers. The job was done, and feeling angel's satisfaction, he rushed to the car. Now all he had to do was hide, unnoticed. William was in a good mood again. The engines roared and the car started...

21 hours 36 minutes

The alarm woke up the sleeping robot, and the Marionette sensed that the object with the highest priority was in mortal danger. Being a slave to his program, he had to get up and get out of his box. This time there was no need to dance, and he himself went towards the exit. Parents and children were surprised, of course, but he had a task. The highest priority. The invisible threads, as Charlotte called them, really turned out to be threads. Electromagnetic. There was a powerful device in the building that automatically controlled all the motor functions of the Marionette. Partially, outside the building. After opening the door, the Marionette found himself outside. The creator was not there, which means he will have to act on his own. That's just when something started to damage his sensors, scanners, and the system as a whole. The robot could not understand what raindrops were and why they were damaging him. He obeyed the program. He acted the way he should have acted. This led to a very quick breakdown. When the object was already very close, the Marionette crawled. He was all sparkling, fuel oil poured from everywhere, especially from his eyes, creating a semblance of tears. And now, he is already lying close to his goal. The sensor that had signaled danger to him went silent. In the process of completely shutting down all systems, when the animatronic literally began to die, the last thing he saw was the object on which the bracelet was worn.

A child...

To entertain...

To hug...

Hugging, they died together. Human and robot. But not forever.

21 hours 46 minutes

William returned home. The house was quiet, and the lights were off everywhere. So the children were already asleep. Quietly closing the front door, the man went to the kitchen and there, turning on the light, began to wash the knife from the blood. They finally did it. They killed Charlotte. A little evil that didn't even know about its abilities. A year later, they carried out their plan. Well, that's what William thought. In fact, K'hadesh had his own plan. He had waited so long, and now it was all over. The ghost already had enough energy, and he could easily take over William's mind, control him, and commit atrocities at his hands. The "angel" smiled.

- You're doing great, William. - K'hadesh praised his partner.

William just smiled silently.

- Dad? Are you already at home? - a child's voice was heard.

The men turned around.

Little Naomi stood in the kitchen doorway with her hair down and Bonnie's toy in her hands. She looked sleepy.

- Honey, why aren't you sleeping? - William asked in a gentle voice.

- I've been waiting for you. - rubbing her right eye, the girl replied. - Where did you go?

- Doesn't matter. To the store. - her father answered. - Listen, I'm sorry I yelled at you. And in general, made this scandal.

- I'm not mad. - the girl smiled. - I'm just worried about you.

Her smile was always beautiful. He wouldn't want to see her crying again over the loss of another friend. For example, Charlotte. She doesn't know yet that she's been murdered.

- Oh, honey. - after washing the knife, William picked Naomi up in his arms. - Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine now.

- I hope so.

- Where's Michael? He's asleep, isn't he?

- And Michael left.

- What, did he leave?

- He said he'd be back soon.

- Did he tell you where he went?

- No.

- I see. - there was a little panic in William's eyes.

- Dad. - Naomi began. - Can I sleep with you tonight?

- Of course you can. - William smiled.

At that time, K'hadesh left the kitchen and headed for the workshop.

- Blah, blah, blah. - he mimicked the two. - Hate them.

The ghost sat down on a chair in the workshop and began to think. He can't just start controlling William right away. He needs some kind of plan. What the "angel" was going to do. He didn't have to think for long. He had an idea. And soon it will become a reality.