Hey all, I've been writting nearly non-stop for the past two days to get this chapter out before the year itself ends.
I feel proud to have succeeded in that and this one is fairly big.
I do apologise for any grammar mistakes, I did not intend to rush this chapter out, but hopefully there shouldn't too many.
A massive thanks to both May07 and Disasterteen13 for their reviews, and to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or followed this FNAF story, you have been an immense help.
There is a sing along song in this one and its Crawling by CG5.
Enjoy :-)
Chapter 37.
Echoes of the Past.
"In the morning you will wake, or in the morning you could be dead."
Sammy Lawrence from Bendy and the Ink Machine by the Meatly.
"W…E W…I…L…L C…O…M…E A…N…D F…I…N…D Y…O…U!" {WE WILL COME AND FIND YOU!}
Those words flooded back to Balloon Boy as suddenly jolted himself upright, his senses on full alert as fear swept through like a wave crashing onto the shore.
And like a wave, it quickly passed as his immediate surroundings held no danger to him.
Still breathing quickly as his inner tension began to subside, he looked around, finding himself to be sitting on the floor of where he was.
The area itself was lit, more than enough for him to see clearly. As it turned out, it was a rather large room, that the overhanging lights struggled to cover, leaving the corners in shadow. Looking down at the floor, he saw that it was reflective, casting his reflection right back at him. He looked like he had been through hell and back, with his body having several purplish bruises around his neck, on his back and shoulders. His nose had stopped bleeding thankfully, but it was evident that he had been bleeding a lot.
His whole body started to ache as his sense of feeling returned, making him grit his teeth, repressing the pain.
Slowly, he pushed himself off the floor, his arm muscles ached in protest to the move, but BB ignored it. Gazing around the room, he noted that everything was quiet, too quiet. Taking a few wobbly steps forward, trying to readjust his balance, the sounds echoed through the stale air as his feet made contact with the polished floor. His sense of fear hadn't truly disappeared and for good reason, given what he had just been through.
"WE WILL COME AND FIND YOU!" Those words echoed inside his head, they would come for him and the others.
They made their intentions very clear. BB could see them in his mind's eye, dragging themselves out of the ground behind the pizzeria and making their way across the nation to find the Fazbears, regardless of whatever obstacles stood in their way.
And yet their reasoning was understandable, and BB felt immensely guilty for it.
Everyone felt guilty about what they had done to their former friends, but no one's guilt was as great as Puppet's. Given what she had see and done, it was a status that she had earned, although understandably it was not a title, she wanted by means of imagination. Yet, she was there at the beginning, encountering the first ghost child who Vincent had killed outside Fredbear's Family Diner. She had given the first lot of ghost children a new home within Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Goldie, although she hadn't informed them of her decision.
At the time she was desperate to save them from the enteral despair of death that was claiming them. Hoping that giving them a vessel would provide some comfort amidst their new harsh reality. However, her action had thrusted her into an uneasy situation, as she knew or largely suspected that Vincent was the killer, based on the memories of ghost child that now resided inside of her. Yet she couldn't prove that it was him and obviously Vincent wouldn't do anything that would incriminate himself.
So, for a long time when the second pizzeria was opened for business, Puppet watched Vincent and he watched her in return, while the others were largely unaware.
Yet, she was in the deep end, unable to expose Vincent or find a way to help those who she had taken under her care. Because when the ghost children began to possess the Originals at night, searching for their killer with vicious intent, she couldn't do anything to stop them.
She was even forced to fight to maintain control over herself, as the ghost child whose soul had found refuge inside, attempted to gain dominance. In the end it didn't take long for them to become restless with despair and anger. It was an internal fire that she could never put out and it strained her mental state, trying to do so much at once, while Vincent wandered about her carefree.
Balloon Boy sighed at the memory of seeing her looking so gloomy and depressed in her music box. He felt sorry for her, often thinking that it was the constant requirement of having to entertain horde after horde of children. He had attempted to cheer her up, strike up a conversation, being the enteral opportunist that he was, but she merely replied with simple phrases that were meant to cut the conversation short.
Looking into her white dots for eyes, which he always thought were like diamonds in a clear night sky, he could see that something was bothering her. Little did he or the others know just how deep her pain ran, like a tree whose roots could never be removed from the soil that they clung to. Closing his eyes for a moment and he could see her, all alone and cold inside, while the rest of the pizzeria moved on around her in its festive joyous atmosphere.
Flashback. . .
The New and Improved Fazbear Pizzeria, July 1987.
"Here's your balloon, please do come again, we are open all summer long!" Balloon Boy exclaimed, handing a yellow balloon to a boy, who was the last one in the queue.
"Thanks BB," the boy replied graciously, taking the balloon, before rushing off to join the crowd of other children, who were waiting before the show stage for the Toys' sing along.
With his collection of balloons gone, BB decided to have a wander around until someone came to him with a fresh batch. Toys Freddy, Bonnie and Chica were behind the stage, getting ready to go, properly about to preform one of their classic hits.
Turning in the direction of Kid's Cove, Mangle could be seen entertaining the littler kids with fairly tale stories, this one happened to be Little Red Riding Hood.
"And the Big Bad Wolf said, all the better for eating you my dear!" She exclaimed reenacting the scene and spooking several of the children, who gripped eachother in fear.
Taking his attention elsewhere, BB spied Puppet in her music box handing out prize plushies to the children who had beaten the arcade games.
And she didn't seem to be all to happy when doing it.
"Here's your Bonnie plushie, congratulations for winning," she remarked dispassionately, although the girl seemed to be very happy about getting her prize plushie to notice.
"Thanks!" she beamed joyously.
Then another child, a boy wandered up, presenting his series of golden ticket strands as proof of his victory.
"May I have a Foxy plushie please?" He asked, pointing to it on the shelves. Puppet responded by reaching out for it. Taking the soft plushie with both hands, she plucked it off its shelf and then dropped it into his edger hands.
"Thank you!" He responded eagerly, before racing off to join the growing horde that faced the stage in preparation for the upcoming show.
As Puppet continued to hand out the remaining plushies, Balloon Boy walked over. She seemed to have noticed him approaching, as her eyes turned in his direction briefly before returning to her duties. With the last child to be given a plushie racing past BB, Puppet now turned her full gaze towards him.
"How are things?" Balloon Boy asked casually, striking up a conversation.
Puppet sighed, seeming to drop to her knees and gripped the edges of her music box.
"Hard going as usual, but each day brings a larger crowd," she replied, sounding as if she didn't like her line of work.
Her white dots for eyes which shined like stars in the night sky narrowed, clearly expressing her sullen mood as she pushed her raven black hair behind her ears.
She then continued with.
"If you are looking for more balloons then you wouldn't find them here, go and find a staff member, they'll get you more."
Normally, that would be her way of saying 'I don't want to talk right now', but BB merely asked another question.
"You think that children can be greedy, if so then who is worse, boys or girls?"
Puppet then turned her gaze towards the large crowd of children that amassed before the main stage, awaiting the Toys with excitement.
"It really depends on the individual child BB, some are nice, and others are not," she muttered coldly, as if it was a hard fact of life, which in many cases it was.
"Well as long as they are happy and safe," Balloon Boy remarked, referring back to the infamous Missing Children' Incident that had nearly killed the entire franchise, less than five years ago.
Puppet instantly knew what he was on about as her eyes narrowed, her grip on the box's edges noticeably tighten. Returning her focus onto him, BB could see a sternness in her, almost as if she passionately disliked what he had just said.
"How would you define 'safety' BB?" she enquired, her tone was cold, instantly putting BB on the spot.
It was like she was bearing down on him, demanding an answer.
"Keeping them within your line of sight, have security cameras and bodyguards!" he replied hastily, feeling somewhat small whilst under her piercing gaze.
His facial expression emitted panic and instantly Puppet's hard stone gaze dropped, vanishing as if it never existed. She bowed her head, putting one of her hands to it, as if she was trying to steady herself.
"Sorry BB, I didn't mean to put you on edge, it's just. . ."
She trailed off, not seeming to know why she had acted the way she did.
Her mouth moved as she seemed to mutter under her breath, but made no sound, leaving BB to guess at what she had said.
Taking his own initiative BB walked forward until he was right beside her. Being up close he could see that her expression was one of sorrow and regret at being so brittle moments earlier.
"Are you ok?" He asked slowly, he already knew the answer, but he wanted to get proper confirmation from her.
With him being so close and wearing a expression of concern, Puppet could not ignore him.
"I am fine. . .mostly," she replied, breathing in deeply, although BB suspected otherwise.
He could read her face more clearly, her thin black lips had frowned slightly, her hands that being two black gloves were shaking a little. However, it was her eyes that were the main giveaway, they seem to be wide, giving off a vibe of fear and pain, a deep seated pain that BB could not understand.
Something was troubling her, that much he could see, but he hesitated from pressing the matter any further.
"Sorry for snapping at you BB, it's just I don't want to risk events repeating themselves, remember we have the company reputation to uphold," Puppet said, now turning to give him a brief smile.
It was a smile, but seemed forced, he could see that she was pushing whatever was bothering her deep inside, trying to drown it.
Then she directed her gaze forward, staring at the mass of waiting children that were situated before the stage.
Balloon Boy steadily raised his arm and placed his hand on the edge of the music box, his hand inches away from hers. Puppet's eyes had narrowed again, those white dots emitting a sense of both determination and yet uncertainty. Her attention was directed solely at the children, whose own attention was collectively aimed at the stage, ever waiting for the Toys to come out.
Meanwhile, the sounds of cheering, laughter and excitement erupted out of Kids' Cove, no doubt they become rowdy and were now tearing at Mangle's clothes. . .again.
Soon Mangle herself could be heard, shouting at the children for them to stop, raising her voice higher than theirs.
Yet Puppet didn't seem to notice Mangle's dilemma, remaining solely focused on staring head long at the children.
She seemed to be locked in a thousand yard stare, perhaps seeing in her mind, but not in reality. All the while the world around her moved ever onwards, as she remained motionless. Taking the opportunity, Balloon Boy carefully reached up and tapped her lightly on the shoulder, trying to get her attention. It was the first time he had actually touched since they first arrived at the Pizzeria.
At first it didn't seem to have worked as Puppet remained where she was.
"We must protect them BB, they are our responsibility," she muttered slowly, her tone was soft and BB struggled to tell wether she was truly aware of his presence or just speaking out loud.
"It cannot happen again, or else I fear the worse for all of us."
Then she turned to face him, locking her eyes with his.
His pupils were of uncertainty, he was lost in the moment, trying to fully understand why she feel this this way. Her pupils expressed a kind of deep sadness, like she was carrying a heavy weight upon her shoulders but didn't want to tell anyone.
Did she feel trapped somehow?
He was gonna ask her something, but suddenly a loud thunderous cheer came from the children as the Toys had just come on stage.
"Hello there, boys and girls, how are we all feeling today?" Toy Freddy yelled, his voice booming through the microphone as he walked triumphantly on the wooden boards, with Toys Bonnie and Chica in tow.
Screams and shouts of joy with multiple children jumping up and down in celebration filled the air. Puppet and Balloon Boy watched with interest as the Toys began their musical number, with each one capturing the children's' attention. Toy Freddy through his charismatic singing, Toy Bonnie through her electrifying guitar play and finally Toy Chica through her astonishing talent with the piano.
Everyone was watching, kids who were overly excited and adults who were amazed by the performance, as lights surrounding the stage started to play a magical pattern that went along with the music's theme.
All the meanwhile, Balloon Boy slowly turned his attention back to Puppet, her words had confused him, although he knew that she was referring the Missing Children's' Incident a few years before, but that wasn't it. Something in her words made him feel as if she knew something, something that was not common knowledge. There was a deeper meaning to what she had said, but he couldn't quite grasp it.
Looking back at her, he could see that she was watching the children, not the Toys. Her lips were a thin straight line that expressed no inner feeling and her black hair flowed down to her shoulders. Yet again it was her eyes that said it all, conveying fear and concern, internally she looked afraid.
He could ask her, probe deeper, but he didn't wish to put her on the spot. Then again, he might be reading her too deeply and overstep his boundaries.
"Puppet," he began slowly, he didn't need to soften his voice as the blaring music was almost enough to silence him.
"Are you ok?"
His words had definitely caught her attention, seeming to snap her out of her trance.
Slowly, she turned to face him, her mouth was now open, and her eyes were wide, giving off the expression of surprise.
His question had startled her, that much was true.
For a moment the two stared longingly at eachother, whilst the music and excitement flowed around them, like a rock in a mighty river.
Then Puppet closed her eyes, seeming to be contemplating something, before opening them again.
Her mouth moved. . .
"Hey, Balloon Boy, Puppet, having a break, we can't blame you."
A new voice suddenly erupted behind BB, starling the two, as they turned round to see four staff members approaching.
Two were women with others being men.
All were recognisable figures.
Amy, Jessica, Henry and. . .Vincent, carrying a tool box.
"BB, you are out of balloons, I'll find you some replacements soon, Toy Freddy and others will keep the kids entertained for a while," Jessica remarked, with a beaming smile on her facial features.
"I see Mangle is struggling again, good god they can be savage, I am not stitching her clothes back together again," Amy muttered with displeasure at the ongoing scene.
Henry, who was carrying a box filled with plushies seemed to notice that Puppet's shelves were empty.
"Puppet, I see you've run low. . .again, good thing I had the sense to get more," he commented casually. Puppet seemed to have been surpised by the group's arrival, although she was trying her best to compose herself.
"Er, yes, thank you Henry, please do restack them, the children will be hitting the games once the song is over," she replied, gesturing over to the barren shelves.
"Cheers, now it's just a question of how fast these things go," Henry muttered, walking over and started to refill the shelves. "Hey BB, how is your day going?" Vincent asked warmly, patting the boy on his head as he strolled over to Puppet.
"So, you mention that the music player is not working today?" he asked inquisitively, tapping the edges of the music box.
Given where he was standing, he seemed to be looming over her, although his posture was not threatening.
Yet back then BB didn't know any better, only Puppet did.
"Yes, no matter what button I press the music doesn't come on," Puppet replied, pointing down to the mechanism that was situated just inside the music box.
Vincent seemed to lean over and examine the device.
"Ok, I'll see what I can do," he remarked determinably.
He set his tool box down and opened it up.
The box itself BB noted was grey in colour, looking a little rusty, but it held two brass locks as Vincent pushed the lid up and selected his tools. "Hey BB, which balloons would you like, green, blue, red?" Jessica asked casually, tapping his shoulder and gaining his full attention.
"Red please," he said, looking up at her.
She gave him a friendly smile and patted him on the shoulder.
"Ok, I'll be back soon," she replied, before turning away and heading for the supply room, whilst trying to make her way through the crowds of excited children.
With Jessica gone, BB turned his attention back to Henry, Amy and Vincent.
"Ok, I think I'm done over here, Puppet is this good enough for you?" Henry asked, after fully restacking the shelves.
"Yeah, that seems fine Henry, thank you," Puppet replied, leaning back in her box.
"You seemed to be an easy person to please Puppet," Vincent commented jokily, as he attempted to fix the music box's sound maker. He particularly had to reach down into the music box in order to get to the source of the problem, as Puppet remained standing upright in it while he worked.
"I do have my limits Vincent," she muttered coldly.
"And you won't like to see them."
To which Vincent responded with.
"I must admit that I too have limits-"
"Ha, that's a first!" Henry shouted, laughing his head off.
"Hey, Henry, you are no arch angel either, and before you get involved Amy, you're also cut from the same cloth," Vincent replied back, his tone was both humorous and sharp.
"Guys, I'm not getting involved," Amy remarked, holding her hands up, although she muttered several under her breath which BB could not hear. Then unexpectedly, Mangle stumbled in from Kids' Cove, looking dishevelled with some of her clothes torn as the overjoyed screams of children followed her. Her white hair which often expressed her beauty looked messy and tangled and her yellow eyes gave off the expression of being tired.
"Can I have some help please?" she asked, seeming to beg.
"Of course, dear, I'll sort things out for you," Amy said, pulling her into a warm embrace.
"Kids can be cruel."
"That's an understatement in my world," Mangle replied sully.
Amy then released her and led Mangle back inside the room to confront the rowdy hordes children.
"Although I'll get Laura to stitch your clothes back together, I'm not doing it this time," she called, vanishing from BB's sight.
Then something caught his attention. . .Puppet.
With Henry focusing on rearranging the various plushies on the shelf and Vincent was busy trying to fix the music box, Puppet seemed different somehow.
Her eyes were twitching, not massively, but it was noticeable from where Balloon Boy was standing. She seemed irritated, frowning even, her facial gave off the impression of one trying to contain their anger, like something ugly was forcing its way to the surface. Her white dots for eyes now seem to shine brighter than before and then her whole face began to twitch. She was in pain, that deep seated pain had remerged, and she couldn't control it.
Slowly, she turned to face Vincent, who was face down, focusing on getting the music box to work properly. Then she said something, one word by the looks of it, but BB was too far away to hear it. Whatever she had said, it clearly had an impact on Vincent, as he froze in mid action. Slowly, he raised his head and looked directly at her.
Balloon Boy could see his expression, shock, surprise and fear.
What Puppet had said had clearly struck a nerve inside of him, he seemed paralysed compared to her as she loomed over him with a much different expression.
Anger with hatred mixed together, her eyes were narrowed and giving a feeling of immense dislike. Her mouth was a large frown that expressed both a rage and a coldness that could freeze anyone still. She then said something else, a few more words than before. However, Vincent's expression changed, the panic, surprise and fear vanished to be replaced with a hard, cold look of his own.
He muttered a few things as he stared the Puppet down, to which she replied, still wearing that look of utter hatred.
Again, BB couldn't hear them, but he didn't know what was going on, so he felt confused and also concerned.
In truth, he didn't know whether he should intervene or not.
Then the Puppet leaned down, closing the space between herself and Vincent, until she was right in front of him. She seemed to say a few words and Vincent responded likewise.
And then he smiled at her, it was a small smile, but there was something in that smile that seemed. . .off.
It wasn't happy or warm, but something. . .
"BB, I got the balloons you wanted!"
The sudden eruption of Jessica arriving on the scene, nearly made Balloon Boy jump out of his skin.
And instantly, the conformation between Puppet and Vincent vanished as if it never happened.
Puppet seemed to snap out of whatever mood had possessed her, quickly jumping back into her normal stance, all evidence of anger and hatred disappeared off her face and her eyes went back to her normal brightness.
Vincent's expression changed, going back to looking all passive as he returned to his work.
Everything that had happened was swept away like the tide.
Then Henry turned round to face Puppet.
"Ok, I've rearranged the plushies, Puppet, there's more of Bonnie and Chica, then there are of Freddy and Foxy, but that doesn't matter I suppose," he said, leaning back against the desk.
"It doesn't matter Henry, thank you very much, that should keep me busy for the rest of the day," Puppet replied sounding grateful, but also exhausted. Then Jessica appeared before BB and started handing out the balloons that she had gathered for him.
"Here you go, red just like you asked," she said warmly.
Meanwhile more shouts and screams of discord came from Kids' Cove, which made Jessica turn in its direction and sigh deeply.
"Kids can be such monsters at times."
"They're naturally selfish Jess, we were like that at their age," Vincent remarked plainly, whilst reaching into his tool box. Jessica then reached out and patted BB on the head, tussling his brown hair.
"Well not all are selfish, not BB here, you couldn't get my nerves even if you tired," she said playfully.
"I could try," Balloon Boy replied humorously.
"Sure you could," Henry muttered sarcastically under his breath.
"BB would have to do something completely out of character if he wanted to annoy us," Vincent said, finishing off his task of repairing the music box.
Jessica then turned round to face Vincent, informing him of further technical issues in the pizzeria. Henry then left to see to other tasks and Amy was still trying to help Mangle deal with the rowdy children in Kids' Cove.
Balloon Boy now found himself looking at the person who had sparked his curiosity. . . Puppet.
She was still standing in the music box, but her facial expression said many things.
Fear
Sadness
Concern
Uncertainty
Isolation
And pain, that same deep seated pain rang clear in her eyes, like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Given what he had just seen between her and Vincent, he wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he hesitated.
He wanted to help, but he didn't know how, all he could do was watch.
Physically, he was so close her, but mentally she was somewhere entirely, far away from him and others.
He couldn't forget her sad face, those bright white dots for eyes, her glossy raven black hair that flowed down to her shoulders, those purple lines that ran down her face and her smile that was absent.
He could never forget that face and someday he would make her smile.
And that day would be her happiest day. . .
End of flashback. . .
Balloon Boy found himself staring at the floor, gazing into it as he was lost in deep thought.
Puppet had torn herself apart with mental anguish, creating her own personal hell over what she had done.
Yes, Vincent had killed the children, but she helped to make them into what they eventually became.
Feral monsters roaming the halls at night and brutally killing anyone they found regardless of their actual identity.
She hated herself for bringing ruin to everyone around her as for a long time the others blamed her for their situation. The Toys blamed her the most for losing their home and liveyhood, effectively giving her the silent treatment. The Originals blamed her as well, although they were more use to losing what they held dear given what had happened to them in 1983, but they too deliberately side blinded her on everything.
Even Balloon Boy had to admit to himself that he too ignored her at times, not as much as the others because he did feel a degree of sympathy for her, but he did feel that she was largely responsible for what transpired at night when the pizzeria closed its doors to guests.
Goldie himself, who held the most sympathy for Puppet, mostly acknowledged her, but that was when it was just the two of them and even then the conversations were short, as the elder Fazbear was often too disappointed in her actions and sad to converse with her openly.
Then again, he did hold his own guilty feelings over abandoning Springtrap, and therefore he could have felt a connection with her plight, as he was in a similar position.
It was a strong possibility now that BB thought about it.
Yet Puppet had never felt more isolated then she did in those dark years in the late eighties and early nineties. She was a lifeless phantom of depression that wandered the decaying hallways of the pizzeria during the daytime, only to then stalk them at night like a bloodthirsty killer.
In the end, the trauma of it all, forced her to attempt suicide and she nearly went through with it, had the others not intervene when they did.
Then a dark and horrible image flashed to life in BB's mind, an ill lit room with a swinging rope hanging from the ceiling. . .
He immediately dismissed the image, shoving it back into the deep parts of his mind where it would and should remain.
Although many things had changed within the family, promising to be stand together until the end and Puppet had been forgiven for her actions, BB could see that Puppet was still haunted by her choices. He remembered their talk back in the basement of the abandoned factory when they were trapped by Vincent's endoskeletons.
Puppet clearly had her strengths, but she also had her weakness and Vincent would know which button to push to break her.
The return of the former nightguards made BB wonder what the families of those 'missing' nightguards thought each day that their special person couldn't be found. The thought gnawed away at him and he couldn't shake it as seeing them in the flesh, up close, had brought the full reality of his family's actions to the surface.
One more threat that seemed to come out of the woodwork that was his past, how many skeletons were there in his family's closet?
Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought, he had more pressing things to deal with.
Firstly, where was he exactly?
Secondly, what had happened to his rescuers?
Where were Foxy and the others?
Thirdly, was the nightmare truly over?
He rubbed his eyes, trying to make sure that he was truly awake, but he couldn't shake the feel of it.
He was still trapped in here, despite having escaped the possessed prop suits, even though he had required some unexpected help to do so. The flashlight was gone, but that didn't matter as long as the overhanging lights stayed on. As his mind tired to answer the various questions that naturally arose in such a situation, his eyes noticed something.
He wasn't alone. . .
His baby blue pupils widen with fear and surprise, so much that he had to mentally slap himself to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating.
Why hadn't he noticed it before, it was obvious now.
Spread out before him, filling the entire room from one end to the next were an almighty host of animatronics.
Yes, animatronics.
Row upon row of motionless child friendly animatronics of all sorts and in different colours. They were either slumped over or backwards, appearing to be in a dominant state. There were at least twenty at best, some of which BB could barely recognise, but the rest were completely unknown to him.
He stared at the crowd that were laid out before him, it was like some massive reunion and he was the outsider. Those he that he recognised were only because of their likeness to the Originals, but BB treated them with suspicion none the less.
Slowly, he came to realise exactly where he was.
This was the stage room, the game area and prize corner all rolled into one.
The many posters that lined the walls, all displaying the Toys themselves or Fazbear Entertainment famous slogan, of 'fun and fantasy', all which BB recognised. Among the rows of lifeless animatronics, were icons of Balloon Boy's past, the balloon stands, the 'happy birthday' banners and the merry-go-round. Nearby and dotted around the animatronic host were several other items of interest.
Items which weren't from his pizzeria. . .
A massive ball pool, deep enough to drown several children was situated on his right. To his immediate left were several climbing frames. Finally positioned somewhere behind the horde of immobile animatronics was. . . a massive baby with another baby visible in its stomach.
Some sort of 'egg baby' was the best description for it.
That item seemed to serve no purpose entertainment wise, and just stuck out there like a sore thumb. The smell of fresh red paint from the merry-go-round, the bright colours of the balloons and idle animatronics created a sense of realism that couldn't easily be dismissed. Coupled with the low buzzing noise from the overhanging lights and the chess coloured walls, the whole place was alive and vibrant.
The level of detail in everything was so overwealhming that Balloon Boy had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't reality.
But it could so easily be if he desired.
Everything was quiet, save for the low buzzing noise from the overhanging lights that accounted for background noise.
Balloon Boy's eyes darted about for one direction to the next, nothing horrifying stood out from the horde of animatronics. Yet he had every right to be warry, given what had just happened with the possessed prop suits. Luckily for him, he could spy out the front doors on the other side oppsitite to him.
He just had the small matter of getting through the army of idle animatronics that were completely blocking his path to freedom.
Perfect, things just had to be arranged against him at every turn.
And he immensely disliked how he had no say in the matter, yet he had to make it through.
He would survive this night, no matter the odds.
Slowly he took his first step, immediately sending out a harsh thud as his foot made contact with the polished floor. It felt like a bad omen at what could come. He bit his lip and steadied himself, taking another step, then another and another. At this rate he would march right through the animatronic horde like a tank crushing barred wire.
He passed the first pair, being extra careful not to touch them and soon he found himself in a maze of mechanical statues.
They all looked cute, friendly, approachable and happy, but Balloon Boy was much wiser now.
Demons in disguises, monsters in masks, after all eleven children had walked off with a man in a friendly bunny suit and were never seen again. Plus, having several close encounters with the Possessed Prop Suits had heighted his senses, but it didn't suppress his fear. Taking slow steps as he carefully slipped through the frozen crowd, each one loomed over him, eyes closed and slumped forward. The sleeping expression on their faces terrified him that they might suddenly wake up and jumpscare him or worse.
Now that he was up close, he could see that each one had their own individual name tag plastered to their chests.
Happy Frog, a frog like animatronic that was nearly green all over with a yellow chest and a microphone in one hand.
Pigpatch, a pig like animatronic with a hillbilly appearance, even sporting a banjo to play the part.
Hippo, a purple hippo like animatronic with a black top hat that strongly matches Freddy's.
Orville Elephant, a golden brown animatronic elephant that looked like a wizard with its magic wand.
And Ned Bear, which was definitely a hillbilly with its loose hat and red tie.
Yet Balloon Boy didn't recognise any of them, were they real?
Or had they been made up for the occasion just to throw him off.
He leaned in close at Ned Bear, it looked so real with the human eye, and he was tempted to touch it.
If he did, would it suddenly jerk its head upwards, opening its eyes and see him?
And then what would happen?
Balloon Boy wisely stepped back and then turned, coming face to face with a truly terrifying animatronic. Its head was lowered like the others, it didn't have any eyes, just two large black holes and a set of teeth that looked like the notes on a piano. Its colour was a mixture of purple and pink which was very reflective. BB bite down on his tongue to prevent himself from screaming out loud.
In each hand it carried a cymbal which could cause a loud clang that would certainly wake everyone up.
BB quickly moved backwards so to avoid getting his head crushed between the cymbals. He moved so fast that he almost fell backwards onto Ned Bear.
Thankfully, he was able to balance himself in time and prevent an awful outcome. On its chest was its name tag, Music Man and it certainly matched both its function and appearance. Moving onwards, he encountered another set of animatronics, who he could easily mistaken for the Toys given their appearances.
Rockstar animatronics. . .
A Bonnie, a Chica, a Foxy and lastly a Freddy, expect they were all based on animals.
Rockstar Freddy was a slim brown bear with a purple top hat and tie, holding a microphone.
Rockstar Bonnie was a bulky blue rabbit, holding a red guitar.
Rockstar Chica was a yellow chicken, wielding a maracas in each hand.
And lastly Rockstar Foxy was a reddish fox, closely resembling a pirate with an eyepatch, hook hand and green parrot on his right shoulder. He also held an accordion in his hands, completing the theme of each of the Rockstars having their own musical instrument.
The other thing was that nearly all, apart from Rockstar Chica had a large yellow star engraved into its stomach. Rockstar Chica just had a bib like the other two Chicas, only this one read as 'Let's Rock!' Yet they all had rosy cheeks added to their facial features, making them look friendly, but as usual he was wary of such appearances hiding something sinister underneath.
Their existence however unleashed a wave of questions in Balloon Boy's head.
Now why were they here?
What was their purpose?
Carefully walking around the four animatronics and seeing their every detail, BB couldn't help but wonder if Fazbear Entertainment had plans to replace the Toys with these lookalikes. They could do it, after all they had attempted to 'remove' the Toys, himself and Puppet and use them all as scapegoats in order to save their own skins.
So, he wouldn't put it pass them to pull off such a trick.
Hell, if using these animal robots was cheaper than having the real Toys, then they definitely would do it.
He left the Rockstars in their undisturbed slumber and continued onwards, pressing deeper in the animatronic horde, that was like a forest with the animatronics acting like dark tall trees that casted long shadows over him as he walked.
All were asleep, eyes closed and not moving, but still his terror remained, with his heart beating like a drum in his ribcage. He knew that something was up, it was far too quiet for things to be normal, as he cast his gaze from left to right. They surrounded them, the gaps between them which he had to squeeze through were like that of a maze which he couldn't dictate the direction of.
And then he suddenly found himself face to face with another Freddy lookalike, or perhaps Rockstar Freddy was a better description for it.
He had nearly walked right into it, only stopping when his face was mere inches from its own. Yet when his shock faded, he could see that this Freddy was very different from all the others that he had encountered so far.
This Freddy lookalike was. . .human, strongly matching Toy Freddy in appearance.
The man himself wore black suit and trousers that looked glossy when the light hit it with a white shirt underneath it. He also held a microphone in its right hand and possessed a red bowtie. His skin colour was white, with jet black hair and a red top hat. Overall he looked like a young adult, perhaps in his mid 20s, if BB had to guess. Yet like the Rockstar animatronics, he too had a yellow star engraved into his stomach area. Although he had red rosy cheeks, whereas the Rockstars were all blue in colour.
The man was slumped forward like the others, with his eyes closed, giving off the impression that he was sleeping.
On his chest was his name tag:
LEFTY in big capital letters.
The man stood alone, with all the other surrounding animatronics standing a fair distance away on all sides.
In a way, it seemed to give him a sense of importance, his own identity. Balloon Boy stared at him, Lefty's appearance baffled him.
Why was there a human like robot, when all the others were clearly animals in design?
Was Lefty meant to be Toy Freddy's replacement, maybe the company had the intention to make human robots after they had 'disposed' of the Toys themselves?
It was a nice blend of both robot and human, a child could be easily fooled and never know the difference.
Would he be replaced too?
The idea that the company might be seeking to replace him without warning made him feel vulnerable and sick to his stomach. So much that he physically clutched it, bending over as a feeling of disgust ran through him. He hated Fazbear Entertainment, they had brought him and the others on board, then when things got tough, they attempted to remove them completely to save themselves after everything that he and the other Toys had done for them.
The New and Improved Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria was a hit, a smashing success. If it had been able to go on for longer than it could have earned itself the reputation of the first pizzeria, hell it could have gone even further than that. The Toys earned the love of children, respect from adults and brought in immense financial benefits for the company. Yet they got no protection from Fazbear Entertainment and were deemed responsible for the Second Missing Children's' Incident.
All the while Vincent Afton slipped through without notice, walking away a free man, while the Toys had to go on the run with the Originals to survive.
He was a child, barely a teenager and yet he would have been killed through lethal injection like the others and disposed of in the company's frenzied attempt to wipe the slate clean. He didn't matter, in their eyes he was just a 'company asset'.
And now to see their potential replacements, Lefty, the Rockstar animatronics and the other animal themed animatronics filled him with such anger, that he threatened to burst and knock them all over, before viciously dismantling them.
To rip them apart, tear them to asunder, limb from limb, head from neck. To see wires falling through the air like rain and eyeballs rolling around on the floor. To feel their mechanical limbs screaming in protest as he tore them from their joint holdings.
"Yes," he thought starting to smile in a way that seemed psychotic.
"I would like that very much."
To reach deep inside their broken bodies and pull their voice box out whilst they were still active, to hear them gargle and choke as he did it, filled him with a bloodlust that he hadn't felt in years.
To smash them to the four winds with an axe, to cut them down to nothing and then break them even further made him feel giddy as his smile only grew.
It would feel so good to do that, to make them feel like they were nothing, that they held no control over their lives. To make his replacements feel what he felt for all those years when he was in hiding. To be the one in control, to break everyone who had ever done him wrong, both physically and verablly. He would feel powerful, enacting his revenge against Fazbear Entertainment, if the real Balloon Boy was too good for them, then why let them have a phony stand in robot.
Why let them have anything at all, when they had in the end deprived his family of everything, save for the rotting, decayed and crumbling pizzeria that acted as their only home.
It was only fitting. . .the bloodlust grew, his fingers twitched, he wanted to destroy every single robot in this room, to act out and at last have his revenge.
After all, it was an easy task to accomplish to satisfy one's bloodlust and desire for revenge, he had done it before with the others, when. . .
When he was killing the nightguards. . .
Instantly, everything he was feeling previously suddenly felt sour as the image of nightguards violently stuffed into prop suits filled his head.
And then of course came images of what had become of them, the possessed prop suits.
"WE WILL FIND YOU!"
"WE WILL COME AND FIND YOU!"
Their harsh words echoed throughout his mind as the bloodlust faded away to replaced with an even deeper feeling of disgust and shock. He clasped his hand over his mouth, his eyes went wide as he began to shake all over.
Was it so easy to fall into that mindset?
He wasn't even being possessed by Rachel and he had already submitted himself to such feelings, he could feel bile rising in his throat as he shuddered.
Those thoughts, those feelings, it scarred him to his core.
How can he depart from his humanity so quickly without a second thought?
He needed to leave, he had to get to the doors and flee this place. Repressing his self-disgust, fear and concern, he straightened himself and stride forward, passing Lefty and heading in the direction of the main doors.
Marching past many different animatronics on the way, he came across one that was a brownish beaver wearing a Mexican style sombrero and carrying a mandolin in its hands, called El Chip. Whether the company hand intentions to take the franchise further afield didn't matter to BB, like his, their dreams had been dashed and were nothing more than echoes of a once hopeful era.
Then there was another animatronic that looked a lot like Rockstar Chica, looking very polished and brand new with her glossy white and pink coating. However, like Chica and Toy Chica, she held a cute cupcake in her right hand. Her chest name tag read as Funtime Chica.
Judging by her design which BB gave a fleeting glance to as he passed, it seemed as her body was made up of plastic plates that could open to reveal the endoskeleton inside. Seeing it immediately gave him goose bumps, remembering of when the possessed prop suits opened their suits to reveal a heavily mutilated human body inside.
Again, was the company intending to replace Toy Chica, it was heavily hinted, given what he was seeing.
Passing more dominant animatronics, BB had to admit his surprise at seeing so many, but he also had to question as to whether any of them actually existed, unless the Nightmares who were controlling the dream had a large imagination.
The fact that they had landed him in this situation in the first place filled him with dread. He just knew that they had a trap hidden up their sleeve and that it probably involved all the animatronics.
So, he quicken his pace as he walked, keeping his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.
If one of them do so much as move, even slightly then he would make a run for the exit, a blind sprint.
He passed more animatronics, it was like an endless maze, two of them were cat like animatronics called Candy and Cindy on their chest name tags, one was blue, sporting a red tie and the other was magenta and wearing a pink bowtie. Like everyone else, they were asleep and appearing motionless, so BB wisely left them in that state.
However, the one next to them, caught his eye in just how weird it was shaped. It looked so strange and out of place, that he had to stop and gaze at it in wonder. It was humanoid in shape, sporting a roundish head, but wore nothing on its body, just a greyish coating which were covered in various colour drawings. It just looked odd, given everything else that BB had seen, even that Lefty animatronic looked normal compared to this thing.
On its chest was its name, Blank.
It matched the animatronic perfectly, in both function and appearance, a better name couldn't be made for it.
Balloon Boy slowly backed away and turned only to come face to face with another one, only this was the very definition of a robot. It was on wheels, which was a change, having two bulky discs as a midsection and head, flexible plastic tubes for arms and clamps for hands. Both it's head and midsection were decorated in a pretty pattern of colours. Overall it looked like a machine that you gave money to make it work, like the arcade games.
On its midsection was its name, Candy Cadet, a strange one, as it bears no meaning to its function whereas all the others did. Apart from Lefty, the name itself seem to carry no meaning to its job. Yet again Balloon Boy found himself tempted to touch the robot, interested to see what it would do.
However, he was able to restrain himself, his fear was stronger than his curiosity and he was fearful that if he did touch it, he might set something off.
He turned around on the spot, looking around.
The exit was nearby, just up to four dormant animatronics stood between him and it. Looking back, he could see the Rockstar animatronics standing idle a fair distance away, and the Mediocre Melodies standing even further, all asleep. The light was dim, but it was bright enough to reflect off their shiny coats, but everything was still. The atomsphere was quiet, nothing moved, the whole room was like a museum. Yet it felt like an illusion at the same time, it looked every bit the part, but it did not feel like it.
Balloon Boy's mind begged to him to leave, to abandon his curiosity, but he was also wary of being led into a trap.
The exit was right there, almost in front of him, but he hesitated, he didn't trust it.
It was too easy, and he had been tricked the first time.
He narrowed his gaze and steeled himself, remaining where he was.
"No, it isn't real, there is no exit, only a dead end," he mentally commented.
And then he got a reply from behind him.
"Clever child," the voice was harsh, cold and demonic even, but retaining a tone of pleasure, as if they were happy that he had figured it out.
Instantly Balloon Boy turned round, trying to find the owner of the voice, although in his heart, he knew who it belonged to.
Yet there was no one present, at least none of the animatronics were moving.
"Where are you four?" he asked mentally, looking everywhere at once.
"Right. . .here," was the response.
DECLUNK!
The lights went out, darkness flooded in and BB's panic levels went straight through the roof.
His breathing became tense and fast, although he tired to control himself as his heart began to beat against his ribcage like a battering ram. So far, he couldn't hear anything, no mechanical creaks or groans, no voice box static. So, the animatronics weren't moving about in the dark, which was his worst fear. All that he could hear was his own breathing as the darkness surrounded him like an infinite sea, his fear kept him glued to the floor, unable to move.
Being in this situation was terrifying enough, but it was what could potentially follow that scared him even more.
The unknown scared everyone, the human mind hated not knowing.
DECLUNK!
Then suddenly the lights came back on, so bright and fast that it forced BB to cover his eyes with his hands to protect them.
When the brightness died down to a level that was bearable, he lowered his hands, opening his eyes.
His pupils immediately widen. . .
The animatronics had moved!
The whole crowd had changed their positions and yet they were all in the same pose as before.
Now Balloon Boy found himself standing before Lefty with El Chip and Funtime Chica standing nearby.
He turned around, looking at everything. Cadet Candy and the others now stood a fair distance away, it was like the crowd had just jumped forward while the lights were out.
"How, what, why?" Balloon Boy was utterly confused, it didn't make sense.
Why would they do this?
Did they intend to keep him in an endless loop?
Balloon Boy looked confused and felt dumbfounded, it was like he had been pulled off his feet. He breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself, so he could attempt to think clearly. As dozens of questions filled his head, several raised their heads.
Where were Freddy and the others?
Why weren't they trying to save him, was it not morning already?
How fast does time pass in a dream?
Exhaling to install some calm into himself, Balloon Boy admitted to himself that was already obvious. He was alone in here, no one was coming to save him, because he wasn't acting out in an odd fashion. He was properly just lying there in bed next to the others fast asleep and they had no reason to think otherwise.
Yet in his desperation he expressed his desire for help.
"Please, someone help me," he begged softly.
"Please."
Then the moment those words left his lips. . .something responded.
The room seemed to become dim, like the overhanging lights were slowly going out, but it felt unnatural. The sounds of something mechanical moving, gears shifting, joints creaking as it were turning on erupted from behind him. It was one of the animatronics, Balloon Boy's heart stopped, fear rose up his spine freezing him to the core. He felt a shadow fall over him, something that was much taller than him. Dreading the worst, with sweat now making his hair stick to his forehead and trembling hands, BB slowly turned around.
It felt like he had to drag himself as his body refused to do what his mind commanded of it as fear had paralysed it.
Looking upwards, Balloon Boy's eyes locked with that of the intruder.
Standing before him fully upright was Lefty himself, with a microphone in hand and only eye opened that revealed a bright yellow pupil.
Now BB could see why his name was Lefty, only his left eye was open, whereas his right was just a vacant black hole.
Staring down at the young boy with narrow eyebrows and a cold smile, Lefty seemed to inhale, opening his mouth and then he laughed.
(Begin the song here if you wish.)
Lefty's loud, amused laughter reverberates throughout the room, breaking the stillness that had once reigned.
With his free hand, he then points at BB.
"Animated friends, we'll be here til the end."
He then gestures at the other animatronics.
"I don't have the chance to tell you but, the others haven't made the cut."
He holds his hand out to BB, who backs off cautiously.
"Lend me your hand."
Lefty smiles mischievously.
"We've got more than one night planned."
His body creaks as he moves.
"Let me crawl into your skin."
His smile gets ever more sinister.
"Release the evil within. . ."
The room suddenly starts to spin, the lights flicker on and off at a rapid pace.
The merrygoround spins and spins, going ever faster.
The various animatronics start to turn on, twitching, jerking and shaking as if they are possessed by a malevolent unseen force.
Their heads rock back and forth, their hands tremble uncontrollably.
Funtime Chica shakes about on the spot, with her face and body plates opening up, revealing her endoskeleton.
Everything seems to descend into chaos.
Rockstar Freddy actives, singing in a demonic voice.
"You gave me one heck of a shock, but you can't control the clock!"
"The time is ticking, it goes on and on."
Rockstar Chica actives, shaking her maracas in a mad fashion also singing in a demonic tone.
"Too bad it ain't 6am, you won't reach 6am!"
"We can't repent, can't repent of our sins!"
Then Lefty reaches out to Balloon Boy.
"Lend me your hand."
He gestures at the chaos unfolding around him.
"We've got more than one night planned."
His chest area seems to rattle.
"Let me crawl into your skin."
Like something is inside, wanting to get out.
"Release the evil within. . ."
Lefty suddenly launches a pair of strings at BB, they wrap themselves around the boy's waist and instantly tighten.
Lefty then immediately pulls with his free hand, dragging BB towards him with a dark foreboding smile that seems to penetrate BB's soul if it could.
The eyes of various animatronics seem to roll backwards, giving them a creepy stare that seemed unnatural.
"The evil, the evil within. . ."
The room keeps on spinning, making BB unable to balance properly and the flashing lights make him distorted.
The animatronics keep on rocking back and forth, shaking and twitching as if they were malfunctioning.
"The evil, the evil within. . ."
Lefty pulls Balloon Boy ever closer, clearly being the stronger of the two.
Lefty's smile grows to that of a madman as he draws the boy in.
When Balloon Boy is close enough, Lefty reaches out and grabs him by the throat.
He then lifts BB upwards into the air, holding the boy above him, with Lefty's triumphant voice ringing out.
"I'm a snake of lies, poisoning your life, you only want to take us down, with a big old scoop of pain and strife!"
His chest area unlocks.
"Try not to cry."
It then opens wide.
"Your evanescence will reply."
BB's eyes widen in blind panic as the outcome dawns on him.
"It is time to go down in historyyyy!"
He then drops BB right in and the chest area closes shut.
"Lend me your hand."
He starts to compress the boy.
"We've got more than one night planned."
His insides begin to crush the boy, pinning him in place.
"Let me crawl into your skin."
Balloon Boy starts to suffocate.
"Release the evil within. . ."
Lefty suddenly deactivates, slumping forward as a bright brown ball leaves his body, falling silent.
The ball starts to take form and a similar voice cries out.
"Because the evil. . ."
Nightmare Freddy appears, smiling smugly and in all his finery.
"It comes from within. . ."
(The song fades out.)
Letting out a laugh of triumph, Nightmare Freddy with his dark red eyes shining bright, lightly tapped the deactivated Lefty with his claws.
"You refused our request to be a messenger Balloon Boy, so this is what you will get," he exclaimed delightfully.
"However, you want answers, we know that you have asked many questions so. . ."
He leaned in close, enough to whisper sternly into the dark recesses of Lefty's insides.
"If you listen carefully and play along, then we might answer them. . ."
His voice became harsh, making it clear that he was the one in control.
"So pay close attention. . ."
Thank you for reading so far and have a happy new year!
Also if you did noticed, some of the animatronics shown were from the FNAF fangame, Five Nights at Candy's by Emil Ace Macko.
This story has a lot more in store ;-)
As always please do review, your feedback is immensely helpful.