Chapter 8: Time To Make A Plan

Sleeping has been a struggle lately because we haven't returned to the abandoned pizzeria since Tess and I brought Raymond and Hannah. Our summer plans have been getting in the way for the past few days. I felt really bad for leaving our animatronic friends in the dark because we didn't have a way to communicate with them.

"Earth to Princess Carlos and his royal highness!" I heard Tess call out to me jokingly as she ran up to me, abruptly pulling me out of my head.

The four of us decided to take a trip to the beach, which was more like one of the privatized beaches for the rich. I kind of wanted to go to the big, public beach a couple of miles to the east of us. It had some of the hottest lifeguards in Michigan who were in or just graduated college. The other three wanted less of a crowd, it's whatever though.

"You doin' okay, bitch? You've been staring out into the water for way too long", Tess sat down next to me on one of the beach chairs. She was soaking wet in her two-piece swimsuit from being in the water.

"Yeah, I guess", I chuckled softly while looking down at the somewhat sandy ground.

"What's on your mind?" Tess asked more gently with an arched eyebrow.

"I feel really bad that we told them we would help them with fixing them up and refurbishing the building, and we just haven't been back to see Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy." I put my head into my hands with a bit of frustration.

Tess let out a soft sigh and nudged my shoulder. "Hey, I get it. You're worried about them, and honestly, I am too. But we've been busy, and it's not like we ditched them on purpose. We're gonna go back tonight. All four of us."

I lifted my head and glanced at her. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I already talked to Raymond and Hannah about it earlier. They're in. We just need to chill out for a bit and enjoy the day before we run off into creepy horror-movie territory again." Tess gave me a playful grin.

Raymond, who had been apparently standing nearby, finally spoke up. "She's right, dude. We've barely had any time to just breathe lately. We'll go back tonight, but let's at least enjoy the beach while we're here."

Hannah nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we'll be able to help them way more if we're rested and not completely fried from stress."

I exhaled, finally feeling some of the weight lift off my shoulders. They were right. Stressing over it wasn't going to fix anything right now. I gave a small nod. "Okay. But we actually go tonight. No bailing."

"No bailing, I swear on my life," Tess said dramatically, holding up a hand as if she were making an oath.

I finally cracked a smile. "Alright, fine. Let's enjoy the beach."

"Now that's what I like to hear!" Tess cheered before yanking me up from my chair. "Come on, you need to get in the water!"

I laughed as she practically dragged me toward the waves, with Raymond and Hannah following behind. For the first time in days, I let myself relax, even if just for a little while. Because tonight, we had a promise to keep.

As the afternoon passed and the sun started to dip lower in the sky, I made my way back to my beach chair, dripping with lake water. I ran a towel over my arms and face, letting the warm breeze dry the rest. Tess plopped down beside me, stretching out with a satisfied sigh as she grabbed her own towel.

"So, what are we thinking for dinner?" she asked, wringing some water out of her hair. "Same place as last time?"

"The expensive steakhouse?" I smirked. "You just love bleeding my wallet dry, don't you?"

Tess laughed. "Oh, absolutely. But you love it."

I shook my head but couldn't deny it. The food was worth it.

Just as I was about to respond, something caught my eye. A figure standing near the restroom building, half-hidden behind the corner. My stomach twisted. The man in the purple mask. He was back.

His eyes—well, the parts I could see through the mask—locked onto mine. A sinister grin stretched across his face. He wasn't moving, just standing there, watching.

I stiffened, gripping the arms of my chair. "Tess," I whispered, nudging her.

"Huh?" She turned toward me, mid-hair flip.

"Over there. By the restrooms." I gestured subtly with my chin, my pulse picking up.

Tess followed my gaze, and her relaxed expression instantly hardened. "Oh, hell no," she muttered. "Not this creep again."

The man remained still, his grin never faltering. My chest tightened as a chill ran down my spine. I didn't know what he wanted, but I knew one thing—he wasn't here by accident.

Tess muttered under her breath, "How the hell did he even get past security?"

Without another word, she shot up from her chair and rushed toward Raymond and Hannah, who were still by the water. "Come on, guys! We need to change and head out!" she called, forcing a casual tone.

Raymond frowned but shrugged. "Alright, alright. Let me grab my towel."

Hannah gave her a puzzled look. "I thought we were staying a little longer?"

"Yeah, well," Tess said quickly, forcing a grin, "I'm starving, and I need food before I turn into a monster."

Raymond snorted. "Fair enough. Let's go."

We all hurried to the changing rooms, keeping a wary eye on the restroom building. By the time we emerged in dry clothes and made our way to the parking lot, the man was nowhere to be seen. Still, my skin crawled.

As I started the car and pulled out of the lot, Raymond turned to Tess. "So, why were you in such a rush to leave?"

"I told you, I was starving!" Tess shot back, a little too enthusiastically. "Like, if I didn't get food soon, I was going to pass out."

Hannah gave her a skeptical look but shrugged. "Well, where are we going, then?"

I cleared my throat. "The steakhouse again."

Raymond and Hannah immediately perked up. "Oh, hell yeah!" Raymond grinned. "Now I don't care why we left so fast."

Hannah laughed. "Same! Let's go eat!"

I forced a smile as I drove, but my mind was still back at the beach. That man in the purple mask had found us again. And I had a terrible feeling he wasn't going to stop.

It was just past midnight by the time we were all ready to leave. The four of us had showered to get rid of the lingering lake smell and were now dressed in the comfiest clothes we owned—sweatpants, hoodies, and oversized t-shirts. We each had a cup of coffee in hand to help us stay awake, the warmth doing wonders against the night air.

Raymond had packed most of his tools, wanting to see which ones would work best for fixing up the animatronics. Even though they were withered, Bonnie still had his face, which was a relief in itself. He carefully loaded everything into the trunk of Tess's car before climbing into the backseat next to Hannah.

Tess, true to form, drove fast but safe, getting us to the abandoned pizzeria in record time. As soon as we arrived, we each grabbed our personal belongings. Raymond lugged his toolbox behind him, Hannah holding onto his coffee so he could use both hands. I took a deep breath as we stepped inside, passing through the dimly lit foyer into the dining area.

Before I could take another step, a blur of movement came rushing at me.

"Oof—!" I barely had time to react before I was tackled into a massive group hug. Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy had launched themselves at me, their arms wrapping around me with surprising strength. The sheer force of it nearly knocked me off my feet, and I had to tighten my grip on my coffee to avoid spilling it all over myself.

"Whoa, hey—!" I gasped, but despite the surprise, I couldn't help but laugh. I hugged them back as best as I could, warmth spreading through my chest at their excitement.

When they finally let go, they immediately started bombarding me with questions, their broken voice boxes crackling as they spoke.

"W-Where have ya b-been?"

"W-Why h-haven't you come in a w-week?"

"W-We thought you g-guys abandoned us!"

The distress in their voices was impossible to miss, and guilt twisted in my stomach. Before I could even open my mouth to answer, Freddy stepped forward, his presence commanding yet calm.

"S-Settle down," he said firmly but politely, his voice still the most intact out of all of them. "Let Carlos t-talk."

The others hesitated but eventually took a step back, waiting for me to explain.

I took a deep breath, holding my coffee tightly. "Guys, I promise, we didn't abandon you. We've just been really busy. But we're here now, and we're going to help. We haven't forgotten about you."

Their glowing eyes flickered with emotion, and for the first time that night, I felt like things were finally going to be okay.

Raymond took a step forward, looking directly at Foxy. "Since your voice box is the most damaged, would it be okay if I try to fix it first? We want to see if we can repair what you have for now until we can find brand-new parts."

Tess nodded, adjusting the sleeves of her hoodie. "Raymond and I can handle it. We both have degrees in this kind of stuff. If we can at least patch you up a little, it'll make things easier for when we get the proper replacements."

Freddy crossed his arms, clearly hesitant. "W-When this p-place was s-still o-open, m-mechanics with no e-experience would c-come in and make t-things worse. I-I d-don't w-want t-that happening again."

I placed a reassuring hand on his metal arm. "Freddy, I swear, they know what they're doing. They aren't like the people from before. If anyone can help you guys, it's them."

Freddy hesitated for a long moment, his glowing eyes scanning both Raymond and Tess. Finally, with a reluctant sigh, he gave a small nod. "A-Alright. But if s-something g-goes w-wrong, you stop i-immediately. U-Understood?"

Raymond grinned. "Understood."

I stepped closer to Freddy, my tone softening. "While they get started, would you mind walking around with me and Hannah? We want to take a look at the rest of the building and see what needs to be fixed up. That way, we can figure out what materials we need to bring next time."

Freddy seemed to consider it before giving another slow nod. "T-That s-sounds like a g-good idea. T-This place h-has fallen apart o-over the y-years."

With that, Freddy, Hannah, and I began our slow walk through the ruined pizzeria. The further we went, the worse the damage became. Parts of the ceiling had caved in, letting moonlight filter through the broken beams. Puddles of stagnant water covered the floor in some areas, a result of the heavy storms that had battered the town in recent years. Mold climbed up the walls, dark and sprawling, filling the air with a musty stench that made my nose wrinkle.

"This is worse than I thought," Hannah murmured, carefully stepping over a broken floor tile. "We're going to need more than just cleaning supplies. Some of this wood is completely rotted."

Freddy's ears twitched as he looked around. "It w-wasn't a-always like t-this. The r-roof s-started l-leaking a-after the p-place s-shut d-down, and n-no one e-ever b-bothered to f-fix it."

I exhaled sharply. "We'll figure it out. We'll make a list of everything we need. It's going to take time, but we'll get this place looking good again."

Freddy watched me for a moment before placing a large, reassuring hand on my shoulder. "T-Thank y-you, C-Carlos. For e-everything."

I smiled up at him. "We're in this together."

The three of us just kept on carefully treading through the old pizzeria. Hannah started listing off the rooms, mentally cataloging what they would need for each one. "We'll need replacement tiles and waterproofing materials for the kitchen. The Pirate's Cove is a mess; we might need to reinforce the entire structure. The library in the quiet room has a lot of mold, so we'll need to clean that out and probably get new books. The dining area and show stage need deep cleaning and some electrical work. The security office and storage closet could use new locks, and the arcade will need a whole rewiring. Even the foyer has cracks in the walls."

She sighed. "Oh, and I almost forgot about the exterior! We'll need paint, probably some new signage, and better weatherproofing."

I nodded, taking it all in. "You forgot the backstage area and the basement, though."

Freddy immediately stiffened, his glowing eyes narrowing. "T-Those two a-areas are o-off-limits."

I blinked at him. "Why? What's the problem?"

Freddy's voice was firm. "B-Because I s-said so."

He turned on his heel and started walking back toward the dining area without another word. Hannah and I exchanged confused looks, but she just shrugged.

"Guess we're not asking any more questions," she muttered.

I sighed, shaking my head before following Freddy carefully, Hannah right behind me.

Back in the dining area, Raymond and Tess were hard at work on Foxy's voice box. They looked to be about halfway done, with promising signs that it would at least be temporarily fixed. Freddy sulked into a corner of the dining area.

Raymond cleared his throat. "Well, I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm ready to test this out." He gestured to Foxy, whose voice box had been carefully reassembled. "Might be a little rough, but it should work."

Freddy turned slightly from his corner, his expression unreadable. The rest of us gathered around as Raymond powered Foxy back on. There was a whirring sound, a faint crackle, and then—

"—Oi, ye scallywags better not 'ave gone an'—"

Foxy's voice cut off abruptly as he coughed—an odd, mechanical sound like a speaker glitching out. His head twitched slightly, his eye flickering in and out.

"Easy, big guy," Tess said, stepping forward. "It's gonna take a minute to warm up."

Foxy shook his head as if clearing static from his circuits, then let out a low chuckle. "Aye, well, at least I ain't soundin' like a broken record no more."

The relief was palpable. Even Freddy seemed to relax slightly.

While the pair were cleaning up, Bonnie and Chica turned their attention to us, curiosity flickering in their glowing eyes.

"W-What w-were y-you d-doing-g b-before-re y-you c-came h-here?" Bonnie asked, his voice box twitching slightly.

Since the job was done, Tess wiped off her hands of grease on one of the rags. She turned towards the rabbit animatronic and smiled softly, "Well, long story short, the four of us have been best friends and nepo kids since birth."

There was a bit of an awkward silence floating throughout the dining area.

Chica strained her voice box to ask, "W-What a-are...n-nepo k-kids-s?" It looked like she was raising an eyebrow in confusion.

I chuckled sheepishly. "It means we were born into families with a lot of money."

Bonnie tilted his head slightly, his glowing eyes flickering as he processed that information. "S-So... y-you d-did n-not h-have t-to w-worry a-about m-money?"

"Pretty much," Hannah said, stretching her arms. "We still worked hard for what we wanted, though. Just, y'know, with fewer roadblocks."

Chica nodded slowly, though it seemed more out of politeness than understanding. "M-Must b-be n-nice."

There was an edge to her tone—nothing angry, but thoughtful, almost distant. I exchanged a glance with Tess, who simply shrugged. We hadn't exactly thought about how different our lives were from theirs, at least before they were left to rot in this abandoned pizzeria.

I chuckled sheepishly again, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah, we were born into families with a lot of money, but we're not like the other 'nepo kids' you might be thinking of. We didn't grow up snobby, mean, or uptight. We actually wanted to work hard and give back to the community for a long time."

Bonnie and Chica both looked at me with what I could only describe as admiration. Their glowing eyes flickered as they processed my words.

"W-Wow…" Bonnie murmured, his voice glitching slightly. "Y-You r-really d-did a-all th-that?"

Chica clasped her hands together, her tone laced with excitement. "T-That's-s i-incredible. H-Humans-s d-don't u-usually—"

A loud, broken snort cut through the moment like a knife.

Freddy.

"W-Would y-you l-look at th-that," he sneered, his voice box crackling. "A-A b-bunch o-of r-rich k-kids d-decided t-to g-get t-their h-hands d-dirty. H-How n-noble."

I blinked at him, caught completely off guard by his sudden hostility. The warmth I'd felt from Bonnie and Chica's support drained instantly.

Freddy took a step closer, his glowing blue eyes narrowed. "L-Let m-me g-guess. W-We're j-just a-a c-charity c-case f-for y-your r-resume? M-Make y-you f-feel b-better a-about y-yourself, r-right? A-And t-then, o-once y-you've h-had y-your f-fill, y-you'll l-leave."

My heart plummeted.

"Freddy, that's not—" Tess started, but I cut her off before anyone else could speak.

I could barely swallow the lump forming in my throat. My chest ached, and I hated how my vision blurred with unshed tears.

"That's not true," I said, my voice cracking. "We would never do that. That would be a horrible thing to do."

Freddy scoffed. "T-That's w-what e-everyone s-says."

Then, without another word, he turned on his heel and walked off toward the kitchen, leaving nothing but heavy silence in his wake.

I couldn't fucking take it.

The pressure in my chest became unbearable, the weight of his words crushing me from the inside out. Before anyone could stop me, I turned and bolted out the door, my legs carrying me straight to the car.

And once I was inside, I finally let the tears fall. That's when I knew, Freddy gave us false hope.