Chapter 9: Build A Bridge, and Get Over It!

Even though it has been a week since the incident at the abandoned pizzeria, I felt awful for not keeping up with my promise again. At the same time though, I thought Freddy would've let us help them. I guess I was wrong about that. He was giving us false hope, and that hurt. It didn't stop the others though. Raymond was already making them new voice boxes as a start for refurbishing our animatronic friends. Hannah went out today to get the lease for the old pizzeria since she had a degree in business and law. Tess had started looking up how to fix endoskeletons as well. I've been doing the total opposite. I've just been curled up in my room, doing my own thing. Wasting my summer away.

My bedroom door flew open while I was curled up on my bed reading a book, it was Tess.

"Carlos get your ass out of your bed! Hannah has the lease for the pizzeria now, so we wouldn't get in trouble for entering it at two in the morning." Tess crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

I slowly closed the book and put it on the side table, "Wait really?"

"Yeah!" Tess shook her head and laughed. "Now, come on. We've got work to do."

I hesitated. The idea of going back was both exciting and nerve-wracking. Freddy's rejection still stung, but if the others hadn't given up, maybe I shouldn't either. I sighed and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.

"Fine, fine. Just let me get my shoes."

"That's the spirit!" Tess clapped her hands together. "Raymond's already at the workshop messing with the voice boxes, and Hannah's meeting us at the pizzeria in an hour. We need to bring tools and some extra flashlights."

"Great," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "Back to playing ghost hunters, huh?"

"More like robot repair technicians," Tess corrected, smirking.

I couldn't help but smile at that. Maybe I was still upset, but there was no use sulking about it forever. If the others were willing to put in the effort, then I had to at least try.

After gathering what we needed, we hopped into Tess's car and headed toward the pizzeria. The ride was quiet except for the low hum of the radio. I stared out the window, my mind racing. Would Freddy even acknowledge us this time? Would the other animatronics still be in the same condition?

When we arrived, Hannah was already waiting outside with a clipboard in hand. She waved as we pulled up.

"Took you guys long enough," she teased.

"Blame Carlos. He needed extra motivation," Tess said as she nudged my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get inside."

Hannah pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the front doors. As they creaked open, the familiar scent of dust and metal filled the air. The abandoned pizzeria stood eerily silent, but this time, it felt different. This time, we had permission to be here. This time, we were taking charge.

"Alright," Hannah said, turning to face us. "Let's build a bridge and get over it. We've got a lot of work to do."

The moment we stepped inside, excited voices rang out from the darkness.

"Yarr, ye be back!" Foxy's gravelly voice boomed as he stepped forward, his single glowing eye flickering slightly.

"I knew you w-wouldn't a-abandon us!" Chica chirped, though her voice crackled like static. Bonnie gave us a small wave, his usually smooth movements now jerky and unsteady.

It was great to see them again, but as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I immediately noticed something was off. Chica's plastic casing had more cracks, and a piece of her beak looked chipped. Bonnie's arm had more exposed wiring than before, and Foxy... well, Foxy looked like he had barely held himself together, his endoskeleton peeking out in several places.

They must have seen the looks on our faces because all three animatronics shifted uncomfortably. Bonnie rubbed the back of his head. "Uh… yeah. We've been a little more worse for wear lately. But it ain't a big deal!"

"It is a big deal," Tess said firmly, stepping forward. "You guys shouldn't have to fall apart like this."

Chica waved a hand dismissively. "We're fine! I mean, m-mostly fine."

"No, you're not," I said, frowning. "But don't worry, we're going to fix you guys up. It might take some time, but we're not leaving you like this."

Foxy let out a small chuckle, though it sounded strained. "Heh. Ye really mean that?"

"Of course we do," Tess reassured him. "Raymond is already working on new voice boxes, and we've got plans to fix your endoskeletons. We're not giving up on you."

The animatronics exchanged glances before Bonnie finally smiled, his red eyes gleaming with something close to relief. "Thanks, guys. That means a lot."

"Alright," Hannah clapped her hands. "We have a lot of work to do, so let's not waste any time."

I nodded, feeling a spark of determination. This time, we were going to make things right. However, something felt off today. Looking around the falling-apart pizzeria, I noticed that Freddy wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Um, where's Freddy?" I asked Bonnie quietly and nervously.

The animatronics in front of us looked at each other nervously before looking directly back at me. "U-Um, h-he's sulking a-around i-in t-the qu-quiet room." Bonnie's voice box crackled a bit.

"I'll go check on him while you guys start planning everything out for the rest of the summer." I smiled softly at the purple rabbit animatronic.

"P-Please b-be c-careful. H-He likes his a-alone t-time when h-he's s-sulking." Bonnie frowned slightly.

"I'll be careful, Bonnie", I smiled at Bonnie with a wink and headed towards the quiet room.

The quiet room was tucked away behind the main stage, past a hallway lined with old party posters and faded prizes that hadn't seen light in years. The air grew colder the deeper I walked in, and every step echoed off the walls like a ghost reminding me where I was. I hesitated at the door. It was slightly ajar, just enough for a faint light to seep through the cracks.

I took a breath and gently pushed it open.

There he was.

Freddy sat slouched on the floor near the far wall, his back against the cold tile. His top hat was tilted slightly off-center, and his shoulders were slumped like he was carrying the weight of the world. He didn't look up when I entered.

"Freddy?" I called softly.

No answer.

I stepped closer, crouching a few feet away. "Hey. The others are back. We're here to help. You don't have to keep pushing us away."

He shifted slightly but still didn't look at me. "You shouldn't have come back."

His voice was quieter than usual. Deeper. Guttural.

"Why not?" I asked, stepping a little closer.

Freddy was quiet for a moment, his eyes dim. When he finally spoke, his voice box let out a low whine before clicking back into function, his tone garbled and broken.

"B-Because... I know you and your friends... want to help us," he said slowly, each word dragging with static. "You want to fix us. Bring back what this place used to be. But... you can't get too close to us."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"We've done horrible things… things you wouldn't understand."

That didn't sit right with me. I took a seat beside him on the cold floor and gently rested my hand on his arm. The metal was cold in places, but the fabric of his fur was still soft. Familiar.

"Why would you say that?" I asked quietly. "You guys have been nothing but kind. Helpful. You welcomed us in like we never left."

Freddy looked away, a sad groan emitting from his chest. "You wouldn't understand…"

I scooted a bit closer to his left side and guided his bulky arm around my shoulders, then leaned into him, resting my head against his chest. His servos whirred softly, as if unsure whether to resist or relax.

"I'm here," I told him gently. "I've got all summer to listen. So whenever you're ready… I'll be right here."

Freddy let out a long, slow breath through his vents. For a moment, I thought he might stay silent forever—but then his voice creaked to life again.

"It started... four months after we opened. June 14th, 1990," he said, his tone distant. "Things began to happen. Bad things. Everyone here… they were afraid. Afraid history would repeat itself."

He paused, and I could feel the tension in his frame, like his systems were trying to hold back the memories.

"This location," he continued, "was one of the few to survive what came after... what happened in Hurricane, Utah. The original place. When the deaths started. When... the children disappeared."

My breath caught in my throat.

"Those tragedies made headlines," Freddy said softly. "And every pizzeria under Fazbear Entertainment started to shut down. Public pressure. Panic. Nobody trusted us. But this place... we broke away. Cut ties with Fazbear. Tried to start new."

I pulled back just enough to look up at him. "Is that... why I was able to come here when I was six? In 2000?"

His optics flickered faintly. For a moment, they dimmed as if he were searching through old files in his memory.

Then, like a light switching on, something changed in his posture.

"Yes..." Freddy said slowly. "Yes, I remember now. You and your friends. There was a birthday party here. You were polite. Kind. You helped kids who were scared. Helped clean up. You were wonderful."

A smile crept onto my face. "We did come here a lot after that. Like every other weekend. It was our favorite place."

"I remember," Freddy nodded, a nostalgic warmth in his otherwise tired voice. "You came so often. We looked forward to seeing you. You four… you brought life back into this place."

I chuckled. "We had so many good times here. I don't even remember why we stopped coming."

Freddy turned his head slowly to look at me, and the look in his eyes made my chest tighten. Sorrow. Heavy and sharp.

"…Come with me," he said, almost in a whisper. "To the security office. There's something you need to see."

He pushed himself against the wall, trying to rise, but his left leg gave a shudder and buckled underneath him.

"W-Wait—" I jumped up and grabbed his arm, helping to brace him as he stood with a low groan of worn servos.

"Thank you," he muttered, leaning into me just slightly for balance.

"Anytime," I said, steadying him with my shoulder. "Let's go."

Whatever he wanted to show me, I could tell it wasn't going to be easy.

But I was ready to know the truth.

As Freddy and I made our slow way down the dark hallway, the silence between us wasn't uncomfortable—it was heavy, like the air itself was holding its breath.

When we reached the left blast door of the security office, I finally broke the silence. "Why the security office? What's in there?"

Freddy paused in front of the door, his heavy shoulders slumping a little. "What I'm going to show you…" he began, his voice barely holding together, "...is the reason why you and your friends stopped coming here."

My heart skipped.

Something about those words hit a strange nerve—like a puzzle piece finally about to lock into place. I realized… none of us really remembered why we stopped coming. We never talked about it. Not once. It just sort of… faded. The memory of this place had been buried in the back of our minds until a couple of weeks ago—until that night. The run-in with that drunk guy and the familiar pull of childhood nostalgia at a friend's birthday party—it all felt like it had led us here.

Freddy grunted softly, pulling me out of my thoughts as he bent forward beside the desk. His servos hissed as he opened one of the lower drawers with a shaky, rusted hand. He dug through it carefully before slowly pulling out two yellowed newspaper clippings and four missing person flyers. My stomach twisted when I saw the faded "MISSING" headlines and grainy photos of kids.

Freddy handed them to me, his expression solemn. "This… is why you all stopped showing up."

I stared at the papers. The names… the faces… nothing struck me at first. They were just… random kids.

Until I glanced down at one of the clippings. My breath hitched.

April 26th, 2002
FOUR MISSING CHILDREN FOUND DEAD IN LOCAL PIZZERIA HIDEAWAY ROOM

The words hit me like a truck.

Suddenly, everything came rushing back. I staggered backward, gripping the edge of the desk, the flyers fluttering slightly in my hand.

I remembered.

I remembered that birthday party.

I remembered them—four of our friends, including the birthday boy.

And I remembered the man who had led us into that hidden room. Promising us "brand-new, unreleased arcade cabinets" and exclusive prizes "just for us." His smile had been too wide. Too fake. His eyes had something off in them.

He was a copycat—one of those lunatics who praised that fucker William Afton like a god. He had been an ex-assistant manager, I think. Fired just days before.

I remembered the tight feeling in my gut. That something was wrong.

I had run.

I told Tess. I told Raymond and Hannah. They told their parents. The adults stormed the place—but the hideaway room was just… gone. Like it never existed.

And I remembered crying that night, my heart broken and my hands clutching the party hat I never took off.

Present-day me stood frozen, staring at the posters, the memory crashing over me like a wave of grief and horror.

My knees buckled a bit, and I crouched down, tears falling freely now. "I… I remember," I whispered.

Freddy moved beside me with quiet care. His withered frame creaked as he lowered himself and gently pulled me into a hug. His embrace was cautious, his fur rough and worn, but it was comforting. Like a long-lost guardian.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. No words. Just the quiet hum of machinery and the sound of my quiet sobbing into his shoulder.

Eventually, I pulled back, wiping my eyes with the back of my sleeve. "Can I... keep these? The clippings. The flyers. I need to show the others."

Freddy nodded gently, a faint smile tugging at his tired expression. "Of course."

I folded them up carefully and slid them into my pocket.

There was a pause before Freddy's tone grew hesitant.

"Carlos, do you want to know the rest? Why we're… like this? Why we're so guarded?"

I sniffled and gave him a small nod. "Yeah. I want to know everything."

Freddy sighed, his head tilting slightly down. "When the police found the children… they weren't just hidden. They had been… stuffed into our animatronic suits."

My stomach churned.

"The bodies were removed and buried. But for a long while after that, the kids… they stayed. Their souls, their spirits. They haunted the suits."

I felt cold all over, but I didn't look away.

"They were angry, confused. They didn't know what happened to them. All they wanted was justice. But in that blind rage… they lashed out at anyone who wasn't the killer. Night guards. Janitors. Underpaid people just trying to get by."

I swallowed hard. "They… killed them?"

Freddy nodded solemnly. "Yes. And we—us—we were conscious of it. We could feel it happening, but we couldn't stop it. They used our bodies to do it. Hid the remains in empty suits. It got to the point where the smell made it impossible to ignore for everyone else in the building."

I didn't even realize I was gripping the fabric of my pants tightly until my knuckles turned white.

Freddy noticed and slowed his voice. "We didn't want to tell you. You've all been so kind. But we've carried this guilt for so long. After everything, we gave the kids a choice. Stop the killing, and we'd find other ways to find the man who did this to them—or leave, and we'd cut the connection."

"And they… they left?" I asked softly.

Freddy nodded again, a hint of sorrow in his dimly glowing eyes. "They were just kids, Carlos. Scared. Hurt. In pain. They didn't want to be monsters, though it felt like they had to do what was necessary."

"But the things they made us do… the things we let happen…" Freddy's voice cracked, distorted again, "It's haunted us ever since. We haven't been the same."

I sat with those words, the ache in my chest heavy. I looked up at him.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Freddy looked genuinely surprised. "You're… sorry?"

I nodded. "You were victims too. All of you. And I get it now… why you were scared to let us in. But Freddy… we're not going anywhere. We're here to help—no matter what happened in the past."

Freddy blinked slowly, visibly moved. "Thank you… Carlos."

I gave a small smile, despite the tears still lingering on my face. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

And with that, we both stood up, side by side. We headed in the direction of the dining area together. A guy and an animatronic bear. Ready to face the past—and maybe, just maybe—build something better out of it. With a deep breath and the weight of so much still lingering on my chest, I looped Freddy's arm over my shoulder again and slowly helped him walk back toward the dining area. His steps were heavy, deliberate, his frame still shaking slightly from the emotional storm we'd both been through—but his posture was a little straighter now. Like a burden had been shared.

As we rounded the corner and entered the wide, dusty space, everyone turned their heads toward us.

Tess was crouched beside Chica, her sleeves rolled up, a screwdriver in one hand and Chica's voice box casing open in the other. Raymond was doing the same with Bonnie, wires spread across the table beside them. On the edge of the rickety, half-lit show stage, Foxy and Hannah were sitting close together, quietly chatting as they looked up at us.

Tess let out a relieved chuckle. "There they are! We were starting to think you two fell into a maintenance shaft or something."

Freddy gave her a soft, sheepish wave.

I smiled at everyone, my voice calm. "We just… had a long and friendly talk. About what needs to be done." I didn't say more. Not yet. The weight of what I'd learned was still sinking in, and it didn't feel right to dump it all on them just yet.

I turned toward Raymond. "Hey, Ray? Mind helping me get Freddy over to the stage? He needs a place to sit."

Raymond looked up from Bonnie, gave me a nod, and dusted his hands off on his jeans. "Yeah, of course."

Together, we walked Freddy slowly over to the show stage. The wood creaked under our weight as we helped lower him down gently onto the edge, making sure his legs were stable and his back was supported. He winced slightly, and I kept a hand on his arm until he was steady.

Foxy grinned and leaned forward a bit. "What happened to ye ol' bear, then? Trip over yer ego?"

Freddy let out a rare, raspy chuckle. "Tried standing up from the floor… and my knee decided it didn't want to participate."

Everyone laughed softly, and for the first time in a while, the tension in the air lightened.

Raymond crouched down and carefully inspected Freddy's leg, brushing some dust off the damaged metal joint near the knee. "You're gonna have to be careful walking around like that, Freddy. If you keep putting strain on it, it won't hold up much longer."

Freddy gave a reluctant nod, visibly displeased by the limitation. "Understood…"

I couldn't help but chuckle a little. The sound was small but genuine.

Freddy looked at me, one brow raised slightly. "What's funny?"

I shrugged. "You and me both, I guess. We're really not great with change. But… I think we'll work through it. Together."

Freddy blinked, then gave a small, warm smile. "Yes… together."

As I sat beside him on the edge of the stage, watching Tess gently reattach Chica's voice box and Foxy lean into a joke that made Hannah groan and shove his shoulder, I realized something.

This place—broken as it was—was starting to feel like home again.

And no matter how dark its past had been, maybe that meant we had a shot at giving it a brighter future.