CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: THE MEADOW
I stared intently at the ceiling, shifting slightly on the bed. The sounds of people speaking on my TV filled my ears. I wasn't paying attention to what was being said. The sound was mostly intended for background noise.
I sighed. It's been hours since the drive, along with the shocking discovery of a previous location owned by the company called Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The worst part of the discovery was learning that a similar incident took place there. William Afton lured five kids into a back room, murdered them, and stuffed their bodies into the animatronic mascots of the pizzeria. I felt a wave of anger flow through me every time that name popped up in my head.
The entire time, I've tried to get it out of my head, only for it to linger. It didn't help when Roxanne would come in to check up on me to see if I was okay. It has been getting really annoying, but I knew the wolf mascot meant well. With each visit, she became more concerned. It only made things difficult.
I sighed again as I rolled onto my left side. I looked at the clock. The clock read 3:05 PM. I wasn't surprised by what time it was. Time went by very quickly whenever I paid it no mind. It was either a blessing or a curse depending on the scenario.
The bedroom door began to open. I looked in time to see Roxanne step inside, closing the door behind her. She still had concern plastered on her face, only this time, it was more intense. My heart ached seeing that.
"Mihael, this is getting out of hand," she said. "I can't take it anymore. Something's bothering you, but you're refusing to tell me. Why can't you just tell me?"
I didn't say anything. All I could do was stare at her. Again, I didn't want to tell her that I discovered an old location owned by the company where children went missing. Even if I wanted to tell her, I doubt I would even find the strength to do so.
"Mihael, please, say something!" she pleaded. "I can't do anything if you don't tell me what's going on! Please, I beg of you! I hate feeling so helpless!"
I watched as oil began building up in her eyes. I felt my heart threaten to shatter upon seeing that. Even though I felt I wouldn't have the strength to tell her, I found that I did now. I had to tell her.
I sighed as I sat up on my bed. I looked her in the eyes.
"My drive… didn't go as I planned," I said finally.
Roxanne gasped. "What happened?"
I hesitated for a moment.
"I… I found an old, abandoned building somewhere that turned out to be a previous location the company owned," I replied slowly. "It was called 'Freddy Fazbear's Pizza'. I went inside and found an office of some sort. There were four newspaper articles sitting on the desk, each one covering something about what was going on with the place. What they covered was something… terrible."
"What did they cover?" she asked.
I took a deep breath in an attempt to steel my nerves. I had no idea how Roxanne would react to there being a similar missing kids incident. There were so many ways it could go down.
I looked her in the eyes again.
"Roxanne… five kids went missing in that pizzeria and were never found," I began. "The police arrested and charged the man responsible, but since they couldn't find the bodies, I have no doubt that they were forced to let him go. It got shut down by the health department because parents complained about the animatronic mascots emitting a foul odor, along with blood and mucus leaking out from their eyes and mouths."
A horrified expression formed on her face, her right hand over her mouth. She proceeded to stare at me, her body shaking slightly.
"Kids went missing there?" she asked, her voice weak.
"That's right," I said. "The worst part is that they disappeared the same way the kids at the Pizzaplex had 10 years ago. Vanished out of thin air."
Roxanne continued to stare at me in horror. I waited patiently for what she will do next. I had no idea what was going on in that head of hers, but I had a feeling that she was taking in what I said to her.
After a moment, she turned her back to me, shaking her head as she did.
"That can't be…" she whispered. "Who… who would do such a thing?"
I wanted to tell her that it was William Afton who did it, but I found that I couldn't say it. Just even thinking of his name sent a wave of anger through my body. It was like if I said his name, it would send me into an enraged frenzy. That was something none of us needed right now.
"That's the thing; none of the newspaper articles I read revealed the man's identity," I said finally. She continued shaking her head before she finally turned to face me.
"Is that what's been bothering you this entire time?" she asked. I nodded.
Roxanne immediately went into deep thought. I waited patiently. I had no idea what was going through her head at that very moment. It could be anything at this point. Whatever it was, I would find out when she tells me.
After a moment, she looked me in the eyes.
"Mihael, you remember that we would be going to whatever it is in the woods at 9 PM?" she asked. I nodded. "Well, I want to go see it now. I don't think staying here cooped inside the house is doing any good. Maybe by going there, it might help clear your head, put it at ease. While there, I can tell you what I've been wanting to say to you all day."
I stared at her as the words sank in. Go to the meadow now rather than wait until tonight? As much as I wanted to say 'no' and tell her I rather wait, I felt like it would be the perfect time to go. Being cooped up in my own house wasn't doing any good for me. By going to the meadow, it would undoubtedly help clear my head. It was better than being plagued by what I found any longer.
I smiled at her. A smile of her own formed on her face.
"I think that's a great idea," I said. I hopped off the bed. "Let's go. I'll show you the way."
She nodded in agreement. With that, I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and stuffed it into my pocket. We stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind us.
"How much longer, Mihael?" Roxanne whined a little as she followed behind me.
"We're almost there, Roxanne," I said as we walked. "Just a little longer."
"You said that earlier," she complained. I smirked as I rolled my eyes humorously.
We've been walking for the last 9 minutes to get to the meadow. To be honest, I couldn't blame her for constantly asking if we were almost there. She's never been to the meadow before, along with the fact that it took 10 minutes to get there. I rather take it in good humor than get annoyed with her.
"I mean it," I said. "Just a little more."
Roxanne didn't say anything, though I had a feeling that she was groaning mentally, begging for it to be over. I took in how the woods looked at the moment.
People always said that taking a walk through the woods was really beneficial for your health. Some even say that walking through the woods was far healthier than doing a workout in the gym. They even say that it helps the brain work better. From the times I took a walk in the woods to get to the meadow, I could say with experience that it's true.
In my eyes, nature was beautiful; something that we, as a species, take for granted. The thought of living in a world with no trees sends a chill down my spine. Trees add beauty to places, like a beach with its palm trees, the redwood trees in California, etc. If it weren't for them, the world would be bland.
I smiled as I saw the familiar break in the trees. Up ahead, I could see a few flowers that were part of the meadow.
"We're here," I said. I heard Roxanne sigh in relief.
About time," she said. "I thought we would never get there."
I chuckled as we inched closer to the break in the trees. A wave of excitement flowed through me as we did. I thought about the time I came here to the meadow. It was crazy that I was actually sharing my secret with Roxanne, something I thought about on the very day I would start my first night shift on the job. It was like a dream come true.
I broke through the trees first, the Sunlight beaming down on the meadow. I surveyed it with a smile on my face for a moment before I heard Roxanne walk beside me. A low gasp escaped her as she took a few steps forward. She surveyed the meadow for a bit.
"What… what is this place, Mihael?" she asked in awe. "It's so… beautiful."
"This is my secret place," I replied as I walked beside her. "This place is what we call a meadow."
I looked at Roxanne to see her looking at me with curious eyes.
"What's a meadow?" she asked.
"It's an open habitat or field that can be found anywhere in the world," I replied. "There are different kinds of meadows, many of which you can go to. This meadow in particular is one that I'm sure no one knows about, which is a good thing because I come here if I ever need to clear my head. However, those times are rare so I don't come here very often."
She looked away and continued surveying the meadow, awe forming on her face. My smile grew slightly as I surveyed the meadow myself. I was glad that she was taking a liking to the place. I didn't know what I would do if Roxanne didn't like the meadow. I mean, what wasn't there to like about the place? It was beautiful, peaceful, just overall a great place.
Now that she knows about it, it was now our own little secret. I could only hope that she would keep it a secret. I wanted the meadow to be a place that we can have to ourselves, go to whenever we wanted to get some fresh air. That would be much better than having anyone else know about it.
"When did find out about this place?" Roxanne asked. Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked at her. Roxanne looked at me, curiosity present on her face again.
"About 2 years after I moved into my house," I said. "It started off as any other day. I was looking for a job and I found myself growing more frustrated as time went on. After about 3 hours of being stressed out, I decided that I needed to get some fresh air. The idea of sitting out on the front porch and having Peter come over to talk to me, like he always does, didn't sit well with me. That's when I came up with the idea to take a walk in the woods behind the house. That's exactly what I did.
"During the walk, I took in how beautiful the woods were. Even though I wasn't much of an outdoorsy person, which I still am, I couldn't deny the beauty of it.
"As I walked, I saw a break in the trees. When I broke through, I discovered this place. The moment I saw it, I felt at peace. All of the stress washed away like dried dirt, which was an amazing feeling. I stuck around for about 2 hours before I felt like it was time for me to head home. As I headed home, I decided to keep the meadow a secret. From that day on, whenever I felt like I needed to clear my head, I would come here to do just that. It's been like that for 3 years."
Her eyes widened slightly in response. The wolf stared at me for a brief moment before she recovered enough.
"You've kept it secret for 3 years?" she asked. I nodded. "How did you manage to keep it a secret for that long?"
"Simple; I keep my mouth shut and I don't tell random strangers about it," I teased. Roxanne chuckled lightly a little before she recomposed herself.
"Now that we're here," I began as I pointed to the tree that stood on top of the small hill, "why don't we sit under that tree over there?"
She smiled at the idea. "I love to."
My smile grew slightly at her reply. Roxanne held out her right hand, smiling at me as she did. I looked at her hand for a moment before looking back at her. She still had that smile on her face. I could only stare at her like an idiot. Was she waiting for me to take her hand?
Before I could do anything, Roxanne reached for my hand. She held it gently in hers before gesturing with her head. I felt my face heat up as I nodded sheepishly. I led her up to the top of the hill, my face hot the whole way up.
When we reached the top of the hill, she let go of my hand. She sat down on the ground, her legs spreading out slightly and leaning back slightly with her hands supporting her from behind. Roxanne looked at me for a moment before she patted the ground with her right hand. I stared at her for a moment before I nodded. I walked over to her side and sat down on the ground. The ground was dry so I didn't have to really worry about Roxanne getting wet. I copied Roxanne's gesture, looking at her as I did. We stared at each other for a moment before looking away.
A gust of wind blew past me, evening out the heat in my face. My eyes closed as it happened. I felt my mind growing peaceful, a wave of tranquility flowing all throughout my body. I felt my smile grow slightly once again at this. I had no idea what Roxanne was doing or how the tranquility of it all was affecting her. I would like to assume that it was having the same effect.
"It's so quiet," I heard Roxanne whisper softly. "Is the meadow always like this?"
"You bet," I replied softly. "That's what I love about the place. It has the ability to put you at ease, soothe the soul, and wash all the negative feelings away. It's like my own happy place."
"I can see why," she said softly. Silence took over.
As we sat there with the wind blowing past our faces, I thought of all the things we did together. The solo performance, going to see her raceway, playing golf, going out on a date, and having a race in her raceway. All of them. My smile grew slightly at the thought.
Something clicked in my head as soon as I thought of the raceway. The mere sight of seeing that animatronic fox standing at the top bleachers looking down at me reminded me of how Roxanne and her friends reacted when I told them I saw it some time after I blacked out. Curiosity built up within me. If there was a time to ask about who that was, now would be the time.
"Hey, Roxanne?" I said.
"Yes, Mihael?" she asked.
"I just thought of something and I would like to ask you about it," I said.
"Sure," she said. "What is it?"
I hesitated for a moment. "Do you remember that I mentioned about seeing a fox animatronic in the Atrium?"
She didn't say anything. I waited patiently for her to reply. She never did. I opened my eyes and looked to see if she was alright. Just like last time, her eyes were the size of dinner plates, that spark of recognition in her eyes. After a moment, her face relaxed before turning into one of loss.
"Yeah, I remember," she said, her ears lowering.
"Do you know who or what that animatronic is?" I asked. There was a long pause before she nodded her head slowly.
"Yes, I do," she replied softly. "I knew them personally."
I watched as oil began to build up in her eyes. A rush of guilt washed over me. From the looks of it, Roxanne seemed to have been extremely close with that particular animatronic. It looked like losing them hit her pretty hard.
I walked over to her and sat down by her right. I rested my left hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to look at me.
"Who was it that I saw?" I asked.
She hesitated for a moment. "Glamrock Mangle."
I tilted my head to the side curiously. "Glamrock who?"
"Her name is Glamrock Mangle, Mihael," Roxanne said. "She was one of the two mascots for the attraction called Kid's Cove, alongside Glamrock Foxy, who was also a fox. They were both designed to look and talk like pirates."
I nodded my head, fascinated. I had no idea what made pirates so interesting to some people, but to hear that they used to have two animatronics that looked and talked like pirates sounded very cool. I could only imagine the accent they had when they talked. Probably how pirates talked in the movies. Maybe or maybe not.
"What was Glamrock Mangle like?" I asked.
Roxanne smiled a little. "Glamrock Mangle was awesome. She care greatly about me and my friends and had a way of showing it. She would act tough with everyone, but on certain occasions, she would show her soft and affectionate side.
"Much like Mangle, Foxy was tough and had a way of showing that he cared. He had a weak spot for little kids. Guess he didn't want to be seen as scary by the little ones."
"That's pretty cool," I said. "So, what happened to them?"
I watched the smile fade from her face. That expression of loss took its place once again. The oil that was building up in her eyes began trailing down her face.
"They were both decommissioned," Roxanne whispered remorsefully. My eyes widened, my jaw dropping a little.
Even though I had a gut feeling that was going to be the case, it was still a terrible thing to hear about. I remembered what Kyle said about having to decommission 3 animatronics in the last twelve years of the Pizzaplex's history. I had no idea who the third one was, but I would have to ask her another time.
"Why were they decommissioned, Roxanne?" I asked. She hesitated for a moment before she replied.
"In the beginning, their attraction was doing so well. Their merch was being bought frequently, and everyone loved them. However, the love and appreciation they were getting wouldn't last forever. 2 months later after the Pizzaplex opened to the public, some kids started to lose interest in them.
"'What's so great about pirates nowadays?' one would ask.
"'Pirates are so boring,' one would say.
"As the months flew by, kids slowly stopped coming to Kid's Cove. The attraction wasn't doing as well as it used to. It hit Mangle and Foxy pretty hard. They did everything they could to keep a fanbase, but it was of no use.
"One day, I was in my green room brushing my hair to get myself ready for the day when I heard loud shouting. It sounded pleading. I stopped what I was doing and looked in the reflection of my mirror. In case you didn't know, Foxy and Mangle had their green room on the opposite wall in Rockstar Row so all you had to do was look through the glass and you would see their green rooms from mine.
"In the reflection of my mirror, I saw both Mangle and Foxy being dragged away by several technicians with Kyle watching the entire time. I immediately ran out of my room and went to try stopping them, but I got pinned down by several other technicians. I tried to get myself free, but it was no use.
"Foxy looked at me with defeat on his face while Mangle screamed for help. That only made me try to get free harder, but again, it was of no use. I will never forget the last thing she ever said before she was dragged out of Rockstar Row."
"What did she say?" I asked. Roxanne hesitated for a moment as the oil continued trailing down her face.
"She said 'Please, don't forget us, Roxy!'," she replied weakly. "That was the last I ever saw or heard of her. When it was over, I was released.
"'HOW COULD YOU?!' I screamed with oil streaming down my face. 'HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?!'
"I will never forget how Kyle turned to look at me with such sorrow I have never seen before. He shook his head at me before he looked me in the eyes.
"'I'm so sorry, Roxy,' he said. 'If I had a choice in the matter, I wouldn't have let them be decommissioned. The company didn't see any reason for them to stick around. I'm sorry it had to be this way.'
"I lost it when he said that. I was so angry at him for letting them both be decommissioned. For not trying to do more to help them stay.
"'SHE'S GONE!' I screamed. 'BOTH FOXY AND MANGLE ARE GONE BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T TRY HARD ENOUGH! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! I HATE YOU!'
"I ran back to my room where I spent the whole day crying. Mangle, who I once regarded as a sister… was taken from me. I… I wish I did more to help her… and Foxy. I… I wish I did more to save them…"
That did it for her. Roxanne Wolf covered her eyes with her hands and began sobbing uncontrollably.
I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Hearing that this Glamrock Mangle animatronic was like a sister to Roxanne, only to lose her because the attraction was losing money reminded me of Lisa's disappearance and how it affected me.
"I'm so sorry, Roxanne," I said softly, resting my right hand on her shoulder. It took a moment for her to regain herself. I removed my hand from her shoulder as she wiped the oil away with her left hand. She looked at me.
"I miss them so much," she whimpered. I didn't want to see her like that anymore. I instantly remembered that Roxanne wanted to tell me something once we got here.
"So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" I asked. The look of loss faded from her face as a loving smile took its place.
Suddenly, I felt something gently rest itself on top of my right hand. I looked to see Roxanne's left hand resting on top of mine. I looked at Roxanne. A loving smile was plastered on her face.
"Roxanne…" I said slowly. She didn't say anything for a moment, the smile still on her face.
"Mihael, do you remember that we both confessed to each other of our feelings that night?" she asked.
"Yes…" I said slowly as memories of what happened that night came flooding back to me.
"Well, I've thought about it ever since," she said lovingly. "I know what I want now."
"Oh, you do?" I asked, feeling slightly nervous for some reason. She nodded. "What will that be?"
Roxanne didn't say anything. Instead, she slowly leaned her head forward, her eyes closing halfway. I wanted to ask her on what she was planning on doing. Before I could speak out a single word, she closed her eyes, planting her purple lips onto mine.
My eyes widened slightly. This was the third time she has kissed me on the lips. As it continued, I felt her grasp my arms gently with hers. Something in the back of my mind was urging me to tell her to stop, but I couldn't. Something was holding me back. But what was it?
After a moment, Roxanne removed her lips from mine. She opened her eyes, the loving smile still on her face. We stared at each other for a moment.
"Roxanne…" I finally said.
"Mihael, as I told you earlier this morning, I spent the whole night watching TV," she began. "During the night as I flipping from show to show, I stumbled upon something that caught my eye. I don't know what you call it, but it was longer than any show. It was called 'Before Sunrise'. I became really curious so I decided to watch it.
"After I watched the 'Before Sunrise', I thought about how they did things together so quickly, fell for each other so quickly too. I thought about how amazing it would be to do those exact things with you. That's when it hit me. Why I was so shy around you, why I felt so happy whenever I see you, why I'd kissed you so many times, why I finally found the strength to be myself and not someone that everyone only saw me as. I realized then why I've been feeling so strongly for you."
She paused for a moment. The love in her smile grew more. "Mihael… I love you. I know that I'm just a robot, but I know what I want, and what I want is to be with you." Roxanne Wolf cupped my right hand in both of hers, staring lovingly into my eyes. "Mihael, I'll understand if you don't feel the same for me. All I want is for you to be honest with me."
I stared at her, stunned at what she said. It took a moment for it to sink in; Roxanne Wolf was in love with me. I didn't know what to say. Never in my life had anyone come up to me and say that they loved me the way Roxanne does. I didn't know whether to feel very blessed by this. I wasn't good-looking. In fact, many people go to the Pizzaplex. I bet 100% that those that went there were way more attractive than I was. Yet, Roxanne chose me out of everyone.
I took that time to think about my own feelings about her. I thought about how I couldn't get her out of my head for a short time upon seeing her, how my subconsciousness tormented me for what I did, why I found her smile to be so cute, even to the part where I even thought about getting Roxanne out of the neighborhood and far away from Hurricane as possible if shit hit the fan. I even thought about when I wanted to knock Ben and Ian's teeth out for what they said about Roxanne. I thought about all of it.
Everything came crashing down on me. It all made sense. I realized why I felt that way and all that. They may have been small little things, but they were signs.
I felt the same for her. That much was clear. I didn't know what to think. A wave of different emotions flowed through me. While I was happy I felt the same for her, I was also worried about how it might be perceived by society.
The thing about society is that people can be cruel. Really cruel. They might like something they see on TV, but if that very thing were to happen in real life, shit would hit the fan fast. I'd dealt with bullying in my life, I didn't think I would be able to handle how everyone in Hurricane would take it.
I looked away from her, unsure what to do.
"Mihael, what's wrong?" she asked, the loving tone now replaced with concern. I didn't look at her.
"Roxanne," I began to say. "I'm really flattered you feel that way for me, but…"
"But you don't feel the same way for me," Roxanne finished, traces of heartbreak present in her tone. She let go of my hand as she looked down at the ground. "I know you like me, but it's not the same as how I feel for you. After all, who would want to be in a relationship with someone like me, an animatronic."
I looked at Roxanne, utterly stunned at what she said. Hearing her say that reminded me of how I thought about how the possibility of Roxanne and I not working out because of her being an animatronic and me being a human. I forgot about it until now.
I rested my right hand on Roxanne's shoulder as oily tears began building up in her eyes.
"Roxanne, that's not it at all," I urged. Roxanne looked up from the ground, the oily tears now trailing down her face.
"You don't have to explain it, Mihael," she said weakly. She then gestured to herself. "I mean, look at me. I'm nothing like you. I can't eat, I can't drink, I can't sleep, I can't get wet as water would fry out my circuits, and lastly, I can't perform certain acts like human females can. I've thought about that so many times when I thought about my feelings for you. It's understandable that you would prefer to do stuff like that with a real female, even after what we did together… After all, I'm just a simple animatronic…"
I stared at her in disgust. How could she think that? Yes, it was true about the things she couldn't do since she was an animatronic, but it didn't matter at all. In fact, I didn't care. With actions alone, Roxanne Wolf has proven that she was more than just a simple animatronic. She has the ability to think, cry, express emotions, fears, wants, and desires like people. She was an animatronic on the outside, but on the inside, she was human.
I let go of her shoulder and cupped my hands around her left hand. Roxanne stared at them for a moment before she looked at me.
"Mihael…" was all she said.
"Roxanne, you being an animatronic has nothing to do with it," I said. "In fact, you've proven many times to be more than just a simple animatronic. You've proven to be more human than robot. You are evolving, Roxanne, whether you see that or not.
"As for you thinking that I don't feel the same for you, it's not like that. I'm worried about how society would take it. You have no idea how cruel society can be as a whole. They may like or take an interest in something shown on screen or on the pages of a book or a comic or a manga, but when it happens in real life, they would see it as something abnormal. That's what I'm worried about. It's how people would react or what they would do if they saw us being together."
Roxanne stared at me, the oily tears coming to a stop. From the looks of it, she was taking in what I said. I could only hope that she understood where I was coming from. At the very least, Roxanne would understand that it had nothing to do with me not feeling the same for her.
After a moment, I watched her rest her right hand on top of mine. We made eye contact with each other. To my relief, I watched a small smile spread across her face.
"Then, we can face it together," she said softly. "I don't care what everyone in Hurricane thinks about you and me being together, if you do feel the same for me. I love you, and I'm not going to let their thoughts get in the way of what makes me happy. As long as we have each other, we can face anything. Don't you agree?"
My eyes widened slightly at the statement. She was right; if one is happy about being with someone they love, they wouldn't let what others thought about them get in the way. I realized that I wanted to be with her. If being with Roxanne was what would make me happy, I had the right to pursue it.
"You're right about that," I said once I regained my composure. I sighed, closing my eyes as I did. "Roxanne, you wanted to know if I felt the same for you, right?"
"Yes," she replied. "Remember, I want you to be honest with me. It is all I ask of you."
'And honesty is what you will get, Roxanne,' I thought to myself. I sighed again before I opened my eyes, looking the wolf mascot in the eyes. She waited with clear anticipation. "Roxanne… I…"
The sound of a familiar ringtone cut me off. I let go of Roxanne's hand as she let go of mine. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I checked who was calling me. I recognized the number to be that of my mother's. I smirked slightly.
'I bet she wants to know if everything was okay,' I thought to myself. I pressed the green phone icon and held the phone close to my ear.
"Hello?" I said. I mentally expected her to call me by that stupid nickname, like she usually does. To my utter surprise, she didn't. Instead, there was nothing but silence on the other end.
"Hello?" I said again. Nothing but silence. I groaned in annoyance at this. "Mother, this better not be a joke you're pulling on me."
I was expecting her to laugh and admit that I caught her, like she always did when I saw through her jokes and all. That didn't happen at all.
A familiar low, bone-chilling laugh emitted from the other side. I felt the blood drain from my face as it happened. Blended in with the laugh was the soft sound of someone whimpering.
"You really shouldn't have gotten your mother involved in this… Patel," mocked a familiar voice.
"William Afton," I whispered. I heard that familiar laugh again, along with a sharp horrified gasp from Roxanne.
"Ah, so you know my real name," he said in mocked amusement. Anger boiled inside me as he said that. "That just made things far more interesting."
"Where's my mother?" I growled through my teeth.
"Oh, don't worry, I have her right here with me," William said unpleasantly. I heard another whimper. "Let's just say; she's not in the best state right now. Neither is your stupid boss."
"What have you done to them?" I hissed.
"Let's say, I had a little fun with knocking some of the life out of them," he said sinisterly. "I have to admit; you were clever to have your little wolf stay at your house. Your little stunt has prevented me from seizing control of her. Not that it matters now. I'll have you right where I want you soon."
"Let… them… go… you sick bastard," I snarled threateningly.
William chuckled evilly. "I could, but unfortunately, it doesn't work that way, Patel. Now, here's what's going to happen. You are going to come back to the Mega Pizzaplex and fight me. If you don't come, well…" He chuckled evilly. "Your mother's never going to see the light of day again."
"LEAVE MY MOTHER OUT OF THIS!" I shouted. William laughed evilly in response.
"Oh, I'm not," he said. "Your mother was stupid enough to take your place so you can stay in the safety of your house to supervise that stupid robot. How laughable, I say. Now, I'm going to give you a choice. You can either come back to the Pizzaplex alone and fight me or you can stay at home like a little coward and I can have fun tormenting your mother before I spill her blood over the floor. So, what's it going to be, Mihael? Your call."
I growled angrily. I balled my left hand into a tight fist. How dare William threaten my mother's life like that! I should've known something like that was going to happen! How did I not see it?! If I had, my mother wouldn't be in the situation she was in right now, Kyle included!
I knew what I had to do. I was going back to the Pizzaplex to face William myself. Something deep down told me that if I lost, me, my mother, and Kyle would die, leaving Roxanne all alone. There was no way in hell I was going to let that happen. I didn't care what he would do to me, I was going to make him pay for all of the pain and suffering he's caused.
"Well?" he said, sounding slightly impatient.
"I'm coming," I said.
"Good," William Afton said while chuckling evilly. "Meet me in the Atrium. And remember, come alone. If you even think about bringing anyone with you, your mother will die. See you then, Mihael Patel. I can't wait to see you fall on your knees and beg for mercy! It'll be glorious!"
William bellowed an evil laugh before the call ended. I slowly lowered the phone away from my ear, stuffing it aggressively into my pocket. I looked at Roxanne, who was looking at me with worry. A gust of wind blew past my face.
"Mihael?" she said softly.
"Roxanne, let's get back to the house," I said sternly. "I need to grab a few items before I go. I'm going to make sure this fucker gets what's coming to him."
Author's Note:
Here is the twenty-third chapter of Robotic Love! :D
Honestly, this was an easy chapter. I wasn't expecting to finish the chapter this quick, but I'm glad I did. What did you guys think? Mihael was so close, yet the moment had to be ruined! X( (Don't worry, the moment will come.)
Now, I was thinking about having Mihael and William fight in the next chapter, but I feel like I can squeeze an extra chapter where William reveals more backstory, putting a few pieces together. What do you guys think? Should I do that or should I have them sight without much of the questions being answered? The choice is up to you.
That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. All constructive criticism is appreciated and I will see you guys in the next chapter! :)