CHAPTER SIXTEEN: SPILLING THE NEWS
I opened my eye to find myself surrounded by pitch-black darkness. I was hit with a wave of confusion as I tried to survey my surroundings, despite how impossible it was. I found nothing. I tried to recall how I got here, but my memory was hazy.
'What the heck is going on?' I thought to myself.
A bright light broke through the darkness, stinging my eyes. I shield my eyes with my right hand as it grew brighter. It wasn't long before everything was engulfed by this mysterious light. I shut my eyes as it became too much. I wished that whatever was the source of this light would go away.
As quickly as it happened, the light began to dim. I slowly opened my eyes as it grew weaker. When I fully opened my eyes, I saw through the gaps in-between my fingers, something standing about a good few feet away from me. I lowered my hand fully to get a better look at whoever was standing before me.
Standing about a few feet away from me was a little girl who looked to be around 6 or 7 years old. She had long brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and was wearing a light blue dress. Light was emitting from her body as if she were a ghost or something.
I stared at this girl with wide eyes. Who was she? What was she doing here? What sort of business did she have here? So many questions, yet no answers.
"Who are you?" I asked cautiously. "What's going on here?"
The little girl smiled slightly. "My name is Charlie, and we are deep into your subconsciousness. I know who you are. I've been watching you for a very long time, Mihael."
"That's kind of creepy," I complimented, shivering slightly at the thought of her watching me for God knows how long.
"Listen, there isn't a lot of time, so I must tell you something very important before you wake up," The girl, Charlie, said with a serious tone, her smile leaving her face.
"Okay, like what?" I asked curiously.
Her face became serious. "Mihael, I know you're aware that something is happening to Roxy. That something evil is trying to corrupt her. I'm sorry to tell you this, but it's true. There's an evil far beyond anything you could ever imagine hiding somewhere within the Pizzaplex. It's been waiting for the past 10 years for your return to finish the job."
I felt my heart drop and my blood turn cold. The terrifying nightmare I had a few nights prior, as well as what happened during game night came rushing into my mind. Those sinister purple eyes, and that phrase 'I've been waiting for you, Patel' being said in a very dark, menacing tone hit me like a ton of bricks. I wanted to throw up. It was like my worst nightmare was coming true.
Something clicked in my head. What did Charlie mean that it had been waiting for the past 10 years for my return to finish the job? I tried to make any sense of it all, but I came up with nothing. I felt my curiosity growing, the need to know what she meant washing away the fear.
"Hold on, what do you mean that it's been waiting for me?" I asked. "You made it sound like that whatever it is that's trying to corrupt Roxanne and use her to kill me has some personal grudge against me."
"That's because it does," Charlie said softly, her face turning grim. "You're the reason why its hold on the entire Pizzaplex was lifted 10 years ago. Along with Freddy, Roxy, and 2 others, you freed Vanessa and the other animatronics from its corruption, weakening the monster enough to where it couldn't take over anyone for a few years. While it waited for your return, it slowly regained its strength so when you came back, it would take over Roxy to finish the job."
I stared at Charlie as the words slowly sank in. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but since Charlie said there wasn't a lot of time earlier, I had to ask the more vital questions. There was one I wanted answered more than any.
"But, why Roxanne?" I asked, anger in my tone. "Why is it so obsessed with taking over Roxanne and using her to kill me?"
Charlie's face became angry. "While it's strong enough to take you out, it prefers to corrupt someone else to do its dirty work. Since Roxy is the least confident out of the animatronics, it's taking advantage of her weakness, using it against her by feeding her lies and fueling her insecurities. I know that something has warned you that soon, it will fully corrupt Roxy. If that happens, she'll be under its control… permanently. Nothing you do or try will undo its hold on her, leaving you with no choice but to destroy her."
I felt my heart skip a beat upon hearing that. The thought of having to destroy Roxanne made me sick to my stomach. A flow of rage washed over me. I clenched my hands into hard fists as my body shook. There was no way in hell I was going to let that happen.
I glared at Charlie, who showed no reaction. "What can I do to stop it?"
To this, she smiled. "There are a few ways. You can either find some way to remove its currently weak hold on Roxy or by defeating the monster itself. While none of these ways will be easy, they are the only ways to save her."
A rush of determination washed over me. While finding a way to save Roxanne by removing the corruption sounded like a great idea, I wanted to take the fucker doing this down. I wanted to do both at the same time. Nobody messes with my loved ones and gets away with it.
"Will it be possible to do both choices at the same time?" I asked, determination present in my tone.
Charlie looked at me with shock for a moment before she regained her composure. She gave me a serious look.
"Yes, it is," she replied. "However, if you really want to take down that monster, you have to tell your friends about what's going on right now. This way, they can be ready for when the time comes. When you come face to face with it, don't be fooled by its appearance. It's just as strong as any human and it will try to weaken you by feeding on your weaknesses. It will be wise to have someone by your side for the fight. If you plan to bring all of the animatronics with you to the fight, make sure you find some way to render them all immune to its corruption."
"Understood," I said with a nod. I noticed that everything was slowly becoming brighter. "What's going on?"
"You're waking up," she said. "Remember what I told you. Inform all of your friends about what's happening so you can all be ready for when it happens again and when it's time for you to face it."
As it grew brighter, something clicked in my head. While she said her name was Charlie, I wanted to know what her full name was. Something told me that there might be more to this girl than meets the eye.
"Charlie, there's something I need to know," I said. By this point, it was becoming difficult to see. The brightness was beginning to hurt my eyes.
"What is it?" she asked.
"What's your full name?" I asked. The brightness has become so great I was forced to close my eyes.
There was a pause before she finally spoke. "It's Charlotte Emily. And Mihael, be careful from now on. You have no idea how much danger you're in right now."
Then, everything turned white.
I groaned as I slowly returned to consciousness. I sat up and rubbed the back of my head with my left hand. I opened my eyes to find myself in a familiar room sitting on a familiar purple couch; Roxanne's Green Room. I looked around the room, wondering how I got here.
I got up from the couch and began pacing back and forth while rubbing the back of my head with my hand. I tried to recall what happened, but it was all fuzzy. Something in the very back of my mind was urging me to remember what happened moments prior. I grew frustrated as I failed to remember it all. I had a strong feeling it was something important, but what was it?
The sound of the door sliding open snapped me out of my thoughts. I yelped as I fell flat on my ass, shielding my face with my right hand. I watched Freddy, Chica, Montgomery, and Roxanne step into the room. An expression of relief formed on their faces as Roxanne ran over to me, oil building up in her eyes.
"Mihael, you're awake!" Roxanne cried out as she helped me get back onto my feet, relief present in her tone. "I was so worried! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess," I said, a little confused. "What's going on? How did I get here?"
Roxanne looked down at the floor, her ears pinning against her head, her tail tucked itself between her legs, and she was pushing her index fingers against each other. It pained me to see the wolf mascot like this.
"We found you lying on the floor in the Atrium just a few hours ago," Roxanne said. "I carried you here and rested you on the couch where I checked you for any injuries. We've been waiting for you to wake up so we could ask you what happened. So, did something bad happen to you back in the Atrium?"
She looked up from the floor and made eye contact with me. I tried to recall what happened, but once again, it was all fuzzy. I felt myself becoming frustrated again at not remembering. I rubbed the side of my head with my right hand, trying to see if that could help. I walked over to the couch and sat down on the far-left side, resting my right elbow on my leg. I continued to try forcing myself to remember what happened, growing more frustrated as time passed.
"Mihael?" Roxanne asked cautiously. "Do you remember?"
"No, I don't," I growled. "I don't get why. It's like something is trying to keep me from remembering. Something in my gut is telling me it's something important, but I can't for the life of me remember."
"How important?" Freddy asked.
"Very important," I replied. I pressed my hands against my head. "Why can't I remember?"
I watched Roxanne slowly walk over to the couch, worry plastered on her face. She sat down next to me and gently rested a hand on my back. She slowly began rubbing my back, like how someone would when they try to calm someone down. I felt the frustration wash away, feeling calmer as she rubbed my hand.
"Does this help?" she asked softly.
"Yeah, it does," I replied. There was a moment of silence as Roxanne continued rubbing my back softly. With me now fully calm, maybe trying to remember won't be as difficult.
"I'm sorry that you can't remember," Roxanne said softly.
"You don't have to apologize for it," I said. "It's not something of your doing. Things like this happen, and that's something I hate with every fiber of my being. I wish I can remember."
Silence filled the room, which I was grateful for. It helped greatly that Roxanne was rubbing my back, keeping me calm. I tried again to remember but nothing came up. If it weren't for Roxanne softly rubbing my back, I probably would've exploded by now.
"Hey, Mihael?" The sound of Chica's voice calling out snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Yes, Chica?" I asked, looking at her.
"I have to ask; do people talk in their sleep?"
That question took me by surprise. There have been instances where a number of people have been found to talk in their sleep. There were a number of reasons as to why that happens. Some of the reasons include REM sleep behavior disorder, night terrors, and stress. I didn't see myself as the kind to talk in their sleep. However, Chica questioning if people talk in their sleep made me question it.
"Well," I began to say, "it has been found that there are people out there in this world that talk in their sleep. Not everyone does that. Just a select few, I guess. Why do you ask?"
There was a brief pause before the chicken replied. "While you were unconscious, you were talking in your sleep."
"Well, it was more like whispering," Freddy pointed out.
"What was I whispering?" I asked, genuinely curious as to what it was I was whispering.
"It was only two words," Montgomery replied. "They both sounded like names."
"What were they?" I asked, getting slightly impatient.
"They were 'Lisa' and 'Charlie'," Roxanne answered. "You just kept on repeating those words. Do they sound familiar to you? Are they names of people you know?"
As soon as those words fully registered in my head, everything came flooding back to me. The warning during the race, seeing the strange animatronic staring down at me from the foot of the stairs near Roxy Raceway, meeting Charlie, and the conversation that followed.
A rush of fear washed over me as I began shaking violently. I felt my eyes begin to water from the sheer intensity of the fear. Charlie's last words before I woke up echoed loudly in my head.
"And Mihael, be careful from now on. You have no idea how much danger you're in right now."
It didn't take me long to understand what Charlie had meant. I was dealing with something far beyond my understanding that wants me dead. It was something non-human and pure evil. To make matters worse, it was hiding somewhere in the Pizzaplex, right under our noses. It looks like I was biting off more than I could chew.
"Mihael?" Roxanne cried out in worry. "Mihael, what's wrong? Why are you shaking?"
I looked down at the floor, my shaking intensifying. I heard metallic footsteps advancing toward Roxanne and I. I didn't look up as I knew who it was walking over to us.
"Mihael, what's gotten into you?" Montgomery asked cautiously.
"Mihael, say something," Freddy pleaded.
"Can you hear us?" Chica asked frantically. I finally looked up from the floor to see them looking at me with worry.
"I remember," I said simply, my voice shaking slightly.
"You do?" Freddy asked. I nodded. "What do you remember?"
"A lot," I replied.
"So do you remember what happened before we found you in the Atrium?" Roxanne asked a little too eagerly.
"Yes," I replied. I sighed. "When I was walking through the Atrium, I had this feeling of being watched. I looked to the foot of the stairs leading to the Raceway and saw something standing there. It looked to be another animatronic, though it looked weird."
"What did it look like?" Chica asked.
"It was mainly just an endoskeleton, but it looked mangled up," I said. "It had a white fox head, a second head that was simply an endoskeleton's head, and one hand. It had a red bandana over its left eye and pierced ears. It stared at me for a moment before a voice echoed in my head and I blacked out. It was a little odd, to say the least."
I looked to see them staring at me with shock and disbelief, their eyes the size of dinner plates. I couldn't help but wonder on what was going on in their heads. As I looked deeper, I saw small traces of recognition in their eyes. From the looks of it, they knew who I was talking about. I wanted to ask, but I had to explain the names I whispered in my sleep, apparently.
"And those names?" I continued. "I know them. Lisa is the name of my little sister, who was one of the kids that had gone missing 10 years prior. As for Charlie, she's a little girl I'd spoken to while I was unconscious."
"Is she someone you know personally?" Roxanne asked.
"No, I just met her," I replied quickly. "She told me something very important that I need to share with you all. I have to warn you; it's not anything good."
"Well, what is it?" Montgomery asked.
I took a deep breath to steel myself. I knew that what I was going to tell them was going to end badly. At first, the idea of not telling them popped up in my head, but I discarded that idea. If I didn't tell them, they would know I was hiding something and when they find out for themselves, it would destroy everything between us.
However by telling them, they would obviously get upset, but it would no doubt do anything to help save Roxanne. After all, she's their best friend, and someone very important to me. I didn't like getting others involved, but since this was something that concerned everyone, I knew it had to be done. Plus, Charlie wanted me to tell them, so it had to happen anyway.
"Well, are you going to tell us what it is or not?" Montgomery asked impatiently. I took another deep breath, got up from the couch, and walked to the center of the room, my back facing them.
"Mihael?" Roxanne said nervously.
"Do you guys remember what happened back at Monty's Gator Golf during game night?" I asked.
"Of course," Freddy replied.
"It was terrifying," Chica chimed in.
"What about it?" Montgomery asked.
"Is there something we need to know, Mihael?" Roxanne asked.
"Well, that won't be the last time something like that will happen," I said simply.
"WHAT?!" they all cried out at the same time. "What do you mean?!"
I sighed. This was going to be the hardest thing to say. Whether I wanted to or not, they had the right to know.
"Someone or something has a hold on Roxanne, slowly corrupting her as we speak," I began. "Charlie didn't tell me this herself, but I have a feeling that Roxanne will be taken over by this mysterious force for a moment over the course of time. At some point, it will fully corrupt her. If that happens, she'll be under its control permanently. Roxanne will be forced to do its bidding, which is to kill me. The worst part of this is that nothing we do or try will free her from its hold, meaning that we will be left with no choice but to destroy her."
I looked to the others. They had horror-stricken expressions on their faces, standing still as statues. After a moment, Freddy, Chica, and Montgomery slowly turned their heads in Roxanne's direction, the wolf having her hands over her mouth. Oil began building up in her eyes as she began shaking.
"No… no…" Roxanne whimpered, the oil threatening to break free and stream down her face.
"It was just as you feared, Roxanne," I whispered softly. "Your fears of your systems being corrupted again are happening. I wish I could say that it was all just a messed-up joke, but it's not. Right now, it is slowly corrupting you and your systems without you realizing it. It will stop at nothing till it takes over you and has you kill me."
That did it. Roxanne shut her eyes tightly and began crying, her head looking down at the floor. Everyone went over to her, the horror on their faces turning into one of worry. They knelt beside her and did their best to comfort the poor wolf. I felt bad for her, as well as enraged at the mysterious force that was doing this to Roxanne. She didn't deserve to have this happen to her.
"Why…" she whimpered softly before low growls emitted from her. "Why… is this happening?"
I watched as Roxanne stopped crying, her body now shaking with rage. Her growls grew in volume as she looked up from the floor. She opened her eyes and glared at me, her teeth bared. I felt a shiver run up my spine, but I remained where I was, showing no reaction.
"WHY?!" she screamed in fury, jumping up from the couch, balling her hands into fists. All of her friends stepped back in response to her getting up and her outburst. "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!"
I sighed. "Because this thing sees you as an easy target. It's taking advantage of your insecurities, trying to use them against you. It'll do anything to have you give in to its influence and have you kill me. It has some kind of personal vendetta against me and wants you to finish the job."
Roxanne began shaking violently, her growls turning into snarls. She flexed her fingers aggressively, like how animals do when they prepare themselves to attack. I felt slightly intimidated. I'd never seen her this furious in the few days I've known her before. It was like I was staring at a completely different wolf. Despite my feelings, I didn't show any reaction.
"Did Charlie ever tell you who's doing this?" Roxanne growled angrily through her teeth.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "She didn't tell me who it was nor the name of the culprit. She kept referring the culprit as 'it' or as a 'monster'. While she didn't say it herself, I have a feeling that we are dealing with something that's not human."
"Did she tell you where it is?" she growled viciously. I hesitated as she looked ready to charge out the door to go find it.
"She told me that it's hiding somewhere here in the Mega Pizzaplex," I replied cautiously. "She didn't tell me where in the Pizzaplex, just that it's here somewhere."
She growled once more before making a dash for the door. I gasped as I ran in front of her, pressing my hands onto her stomach. She tried to push me aside, but I kept my ground. There was no way I was going to let her try finding this bastard and take it down herself. That was my job, not hers.
"Mihael… get… out… of my… way," she growled through her teeth as she continued trying to push me aside.
"No," I grunted as I held her back. "I'm not… going… to let you… go out there… to find it… and fight it… yourself. We have no… idea… what… we're up… against."
Pairs of arms wrapped themselves around her and dragged her away. I almost lost my footing before I regained my balance. I saw Freddy and Montgomery holding Roxanne back. Roxanne began thrashing violently as she tried to wiggle herself free.
"Freddy! Monty! Let me go!" she shouted in fury, swiping at the air with her claws. My eyes widened when I saw her eyes change from yellow to purple for a split second before returning to normal.
'Oh no,' I thought to myself. 'Not again.'
"Roxy, you need to calm down," Freddy said in a soft, yet stern tone.
"No!" she exclaimed angrily. "I'm going to find this thing, and when I do, I'll rip it apart! Now, let me go!"
I took a step back in surprise. Freddy and Montgomery both looked at Roxanne with shock, but they continued to hold her back. Chica had her hands over her beak. Things were getting bad. It didn't help when I saw her eyes flashing again.
"Roxy, calm down NOW," Montgomery ordered.
"I said…" Roxanne snarled as her eyes slowly turned purple. "Let… me… GO!"
I knew I had to act quickly before it was too late. I tried to think of something but nothing came to mind. I surveyed the room to see if I could find something that would snap Roxanne out of her rage. I grew more frantic when nothing stuck out that could help.
I looked back at Roxanne, who was still being restrained by Freddy and Montgomery. I nearly screamed when I saw that her eyes were now that menacing purple. A dark, sinister smile spread across her face as she trained her eyes on me. She began laughing maniacally, which sent a shiver of fear through my body.
Without warning, she elbowed both Freddy and Montgomery in the chest. The blow sent them flying back and hitting the wall. They grunted as they hit it before falling onto the floor. I watched in horror as she flexed her fingers, readying herself to attack.
"There's nowhere to run, Mihael," Roxanne said in that familiar dark tone. "I'll kill you where you stand!"
Roxanne crouched, readying herself to pounce on me. She cried out as she launched herself at me. Instinctively, I leaped to the side, barely dodging it in time. I rolled on the ground for a second before getting back on my feet. I watched as Roxanne growled angrily before turning her head to face me.
As I stared into her purple eyes, a rush of anger flowed through me. Seeing her being forced to do something against her will filled me with a determination, a need to free her. I glared at her, balling my hands into fists. I readied myself as Roxanne slowly straightened her posture.
Taking this as my chance, I charged at her at full speed. I let out a war cry as I collided into her. She grunted as she landed on her back. I pinned both her arms and legs, putting in as much of my weight as possible. Roxanne glared at me as she tried to wiggle herself free. In the end, she finally gave up.
"Get off me," she hissed.
"Roxanne, I know you're in there!" I shouted. "Don't let this monster take you over like this! You're stronger than this!"
"I said get off me!" she shouted in my face.
"I'm not taking orders from you, demon!" I retorted. Roxanne's eyes widened. "I know you're not really Roxanne! You're just some monster who is corrupting her to be something that she's not! I don't know who you are or what you are, but know this; I will find out and when I do, I will find you and take you down myself! Nobody messes with my friends and family and gets away with it!"
For a moment, the bastard controlling Roxanne stared at me with wide eyes. I breathed heavily, my face feeling hot from the hot anger I was feeling. As if to mock me, a wicked smile spread across her face as it began chuckling darkly.
"I like to see you try," it said before Roxanne gasped and went limp. I watched with anticipation, waiting to see if Roxanne would return to normal or not.
A low groan escaped from the wolf. I watched as Roxanne's eyes slowly opened. I prayed that her eyes would be yellow instead of purple. She blinked before her eyes fully opened. A wave of relief washed over me when I saw that they were back to their normal color. She looked up to see me hovering over her. She tried to move her arms but finds that she couldn't. She looked to see that I had them pinned.
"Um Mihael, why are you pinning me like this?" she asked, sounding a little confused.
I didn't reply. Instead, I shut my eyes as the words echoed loudly in my head. It took everything I had to keep the anger from consuming me completely.
"I like to see you try."
I despised how it said it. It was saying that like it was accepting a challenge, one that it thinks it will win. It may not have said it in its own words, but it was a way of saying 'I dare you to try stopping me' and 'I know you won't succeed'. Something deep down told me that I wasn't physically strong enough to take it down in a fight. I may not be very strong, but I do know a few martial art moves that I can use to my advantage in a fight. Hopefully, they make up for my lack of strength.
"Mihael?" The sound of Roxanne's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see her looking at me with slight annoyance. I let out a sigh and slowly leaned my head forward, inching my mouth closer to her left ear. "Mihael?"
"Do you remember?" I whispered in her ear.
"What?" she asked, sounding confused. I leaned away from her ear and made eye contact.
"Do you remember anything that took place after I told you something is slowly corrupting you?" I asked softly. Her eyes widened slightly for a brief moment as a response. "Do you?"
Roxanne went into deep thought, obviously trying to see if she could remember. I waited patiently, all the while keeping her pinned down. I had a strong feeling that she won't remember, just like how she didn't remember what happened back at Monty's Gator Golf. I dreaded Roxanne's answer.
After a moment, she spoke in a low whisper. "Well, all I remember was crying before getting angry at whatever it is that's doing this to me. Then, Freddy and Monty were restraining me, and… nothing. Now, here I am being pinned to the ground by you. What happened?"
I feared Roxanne was going to say that. I closed my eyes and sighed. I opened my eyes and looked her directly in the eye.
"Roxanne, it happened again," I said. A low, horrified gasp escaped her, her eyes going wide in horror. "While Freddy and Montgomery were restraining you, I witnessed your eyes flashing. You were screaming at them to let you go, saying how you were going to rip it apart once you found it. Not long after, it got you.
"When it got you, you elbowed both Freddy and Montgomery hard enough to send them into the wall. You tried pouncing on me, but I jumped out of the way and tackled you. I had to pin you down so as to keep you from attacking me. It ordered me to let you go, but I refused, saying I know that it's it that's corrupting you to do it. After I warned it that when I found out what it was, I would take it down myself. It just smiled at me and said 'I like to see you try' before it finally let you go."
I paused. "Roxanne, it managed to take over you because you let your anger consume you. I wish I could say I was lying and making this up, but it's the truth. I would never lie to you about something like this whatsoever."
Roxanne stared at me in complete horror, my recount of what happened slowly sinking in. She began shaking her head as oil began building up in her eyes. Seeing her like this sent a stabbing pain in my heart. It was horrible to see her like this. She shut her eyes and began crying. That made the pain in my heart spike.
"Mihael…" she whimpered. "Oh no…" She whimpered some more before she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. "Oh, Mihael, what are we going to do now?! I don't want to turn into a killer! How are we going to stop whatever is doing this to me?!"
She continued sobbing loudly and uncontrollably, oily tears streaming down her face. Thankfully, I had an answer to those questions. While Charlie did say that while none of them would be easy, they were the only ways to save Roxanne Wolf. I was eternally grateful that there was hope.
"We're in luck because there are two ways we can go by that can stop the bastard," I said. Roxanne slowly regained control of herself upon hearing what I said. She opened her eyes and made eye contact with me.
"Really?" she hiccupped. I nodded. "What *hic* are they?"
"We can try to find some way to remove its currently weak hold on you or we can try to find where it is and take it down," I explained. "It won't be easy, but they are the only ways to stop this demon."
I saw a small spark of hope twinkle in her eyes. I smiled warmly upon seeing that. Roxanne smiled in return, probably thinking I was smiling because of the options I brought up. I wasn't going to bother pointing out the truth as to why I was smiling.
She looked to see that I still had her pinned down. "Um Mihael, can you get off me please?"
I nodded and got off of her, getting back up on my feet. Roxanne got back up on her feet and checked her wrists, probably wanting to see if there was any sign of damage on them. She smiled, pleased to see there weren't any signs.
Low groans caught our attention. We looked to see both Freddy and Montgomery stirring with Chica knelt next to Freddy, her hands resting on his back. Their eyes slowly opened and with some effort, they both got back up on their feet.
"Freddy! Monty! Oh, thank goodness! Are you boys okay?" Chica asked, relief present in her tone as she straightened her posture.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Freddy replied, rubbing his head with his right hand.
"Still functioning," Montgomery added. As if he remembered something, he looked to see Roxanne and I staring at him and Freddy. He glared at Roxanne intensely for a brief moment before turning it on me. "Mihael, is Roxy back to her normal self?"
"Yes," I replied calmly. "She returned to normal a few moments ago. I also have something to tell both you and Freddy. It has something to do with stopping the bastard corrupting Roxanne."
"There's a way to save her?" Freddy asked, sounding hopeful. The hard glare on Montgomery's face turned into a smirk.
"Yes," I replied. "We can try to find some way to remove its current weak hold on her or we try finding its hiding spot and take it down."
Montgomery's smirk grew slightly. "I like the idea of finding it and taking it down."
"I do as well, but according to Charlie, we can do both at the same time," I explained. "If we can try to remove its hold on her and find a way to render her immune to its corruption, it just might give us a slight advantage."
"But there's one problem," Montgomery said. "We don't know how it's doing what it's doing. We don't know if it's doing it from a distance or by some other method."
I began rubbing my chin with my right hand. Montgomery was right on that. However, it didn't hurt to try taking her to get checked out in Parts and Service. I had no idea on how Ben and Ian did maintenance work on them when they took them to Parts and Service, but it was worth a try, to say the least.
"You're right on that, Montgomery," I said. "But, it wouldn't hurt to try taking Roxanne to Parts and Service to see what's wrong. We might not find anything, but it might give us an idea as to how it's doing what it's doing."
Everyone went into deep thought, obviously thinking it over. I hoped they might agree to give it a try. Even if we don't find anything that stands out, at least that says we did try our best. If that monster is corrupting Roxanne from a distance, that spells trouble. I'll have to think of something to slow its corruption in the meantime.
"It's worth a shot," Freddy chimed in.
"I agree with Freddy," Roxanne said. "I'm willing to do anything to stop whatever it is that's trying to corrupt me."
"Me too!" Chica added.
"I guess we can try," Montgomery said reluctantly. I smiled, grateful that they were giving it a shot.
Something clicked in my head. I had no clue how long I was out. It could be morning for crying out loud. I reached into the right pocket and pulled out my phone. I turned it on. My eyes widened when I saw it read 5:52 AM.
'I've been out the entire night!' I thought to myself.
"Mihael, are you okay?" Roxanne asked.
"Y-yeah," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "I'm just surprised that it's already 5:52, which means Kyle would be here any second now." I looked at the others and thought out my words carefully. "Freddy, Chica, Montgomery, I need you to take Roxanne to Parts and Service and see if any of you can find anything. I will head to the Lobby and wait for Kyle. When he gets here, I will explain the situation and do some investigating at my house to see if I can anything that might help us. Something tells me that there's more to this 'Charlie' girl than meets the eye."
"You got it, Mihael!" they all said at the same time.
"Let's go, Roxy," Freddy said. Roxanne nodded and with that, they led her to a metal door that was to the far right of the vanity desk. The door slid open and they all entered some room before it slid shut.
I looked over to the entrance door leading out of her room. I walked over to it and it slid open. Without a moment to lose, I began running as fast as I could to the Lobby, hoping that I would get there before Kyle arrived.
Author's Note:
Here is the sixteenth chapter of 'Robotic Love'! :D
Were you guys expecting Charlie to make an appearance? To make it clear, the saga will be borrowing elements from a particular trilogy I'm sure you guys know about. It won't be following the events of the trilogy, but rather some of the elements and story points will be used for the story. Don't worry, I have it all figured out. ;)
As you guys can see, this is the start of the mystery. We can only hope that they find out what's allowing the monster to corrupt Roxanne and stop it before it's too late. To be honest, I'm happy with how it's turning out so far. Very different than what I had in mind, but I'm liking it so far.
That's all for now. Chapter Seventeen might take a bit as I plan to take a 2-day break from writing to let my creative juices refill. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, all constructive criticism is appreciated and I will see you guys in the next chapter! :)