“And in a shocking announcement today, William “Fazbear” Afton, owner of the popular and lucrative children’s restaurant chain, has temporarily closed down the latest Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. This comes as a shock to the community, considering the restaurant has been open 24/7 even during harsh weather conditions,” the reporter’s voice crackled slightly as it emerged from the hospital room’s TV. Outside, a torrent of rain poured down to the earth in a staccato pattern. Dark clouds covered the sky, making what should be early morning sunshine feel more like a gray, gloomy afternoon.

Jeremy and Mike had their attention glued to the screen. Jeremy was on Mike’s right, sitting in a chair with his uniform still on. He wasn’t as hurt as his friend, so his clothes were still intact. He would scratch at his head as he watched the News with a nervous feeling in his gut.

Mike, on the other hand, was in the hospital bed with an I-V in his left arm. A heart monitor was sitting right next to it with its own wires and diodes placed upon his body. He sat up in bed in his green hospital gown. The older nightguard grunted and shifted in the bed while scowling at the TV.

The reporter continued, “While Mr. Fazbear refused an interview with us, he did give a public address to explain the shutdown.”

The screen transitioned from a man behind the desk to a woman holding a microphone in front of the familiar, round form of Mr. Fazbear. His eyes kept darting to the side while he spoke to the reporter, “I regret to inform the public that Freddy Fazbear’s will be closed for an indeterminant amount of time. Some…hoodlums broke into the restaurant last night and damaged the animatronics. The restaurant will remain closed until we can get repairs done. That is all.”

The screen went back to the man, “That is all the information Mr. Fazbear shared with us. The police are already searching for anyone who coul—”

Mike hit the power button on the remote sitting on his bed. The TV winked off, causing the man to let out a sigh as he laid back against his pillow. He turned towards the younger nightguard at his side, “Jere, be straight with me, what happened last night?”

Jeremy started wringing his hands as he spoke, “Well…what’s the last thing you remember?”

Mike shook his head, but smiled, “You’re not supposed to answer a question with a question, Jere. But the last thing I remember was you getting knocked away by that fucking bear after you tried to fight him with a fan. Why’d you do that anyway? You knew it wouldn’t work.”

Jeremy looked down at the floor, “I-I wanted to help…”

“Hey, I’m not saying it was a bad thing. I just didn’t expect something like that out of you. You did good,” Mike saw the tension drain from Jeremy’s body and continued, “After that, my vision went red, I lost control of my body, and charged right at that brown fuck. And from there, it’s just blank.”

Mike shrugged while indicating that Jeremy should tell his side of the story with a wave. The younger nightguard nodded, “I’m about the same. The attack knocked me out and I didn’t wake up until I was in the ambulance. They took me to a normal hospital room since I didn’t have any real injuries. The doctors say I have a minor concussion and some head trauma. But I should be fine as long I don’t do anything too strenuous.”

“Is that why they’ve got your head wrapped up like a Christmas present?” Mike indicated the gauze that wrapped all the way around Jeremy’s head.

Jeremy scratched at the wrapping, slightly irritated by the dry sheets, “Yeah. They cleared me to leave today. I can go whenever I wish.”

“And what about me? Do I have a green bill of health too?”

Jeremy flinched at the mention of Mike’s condition. He fidgeted for a time before answering, “W-well they…they…the doctors say that you’re almost completely healed. You should be able to get out of here in one more day. But—”

“Buuuttt?” Mike questioned his friend.

Jeremy looked Mike in the eyes, “They want you to stay for three more days after you’re cleared.”

“What?” Mike sat up a bit in his bed, “Why? Why would they want me to stay here after I’m cleared to go home?”

This time, Jeremy looked at Mike with a deadpan face. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before speaking, “Mike, by all accounts you should be dead.”

Jeremy continued before Mike could say anything, counting off his fingers as he explained his point, “You had lacerations that went as deep as your ribs, two of which were broken and punctured your lungs. Your legs were twisted to a point where they were considering experimental treatments to get them working again. Your breathing had stopped a while ago, and they had figured most of your brain cells were dead before you even got to the hospital. Many of your vital organs were bruised, smashed, or leaking fluid into your body. All in all, you shouldn’t have lived through the night. They were ready to announce you dead first thing in the morning. And then the very next day…”

Jeremy snapped his fingers, “You’re immediately doing better. Your ribs? Repaired and pushed back into place. Your legs? Untwisted and healing at a healthy rate. Your breathing and brain cells? Completely, 100%, normal and healthy. Your organs? Sealed up and no longer leaking any harmful fluids at all. All this within one day. And today? You’re holding a conversation with me as if you never got hurt in the first place!”

Jeremy let the implications of the situation sink in. Mike stared at his friend for a bit without any explicit emotion on his face.

Then he gave a sad smile, and Jeremy wished he could take back what he said.

“That so,” Mike looked down at his hands, trying to sound upbeat, “seems I caused you some more trouble, eh Jere?”

Jeremy tried to speak, but Mike continued, “You were right, you know. I should’ve listened to you from the start. Those bastards had set a trap for us and I walked right into it. If I had just stayed in the room with you, I could’ve fought back that fucking bear and fox. Then, you wouldn’t have been in danger. Instead, I let my damn pride and overconfidence get the best of me.”

Mike looked at his right hand with its palm up, “I thought that now that I had this power, I could…stop it. Stop the constant fear that we both suffered all those nights. Let us have a normal job for once and avenge all the ones who came before us.” He tightened his hand into a fist, “Guess it was just a pipe dream, huh? Sure, I took out the robots, but you got hurt and I nearly died. Not to mention that there’s no way Fazbear will let us off the hook for this. He’ll tell the police that we were the only ones that had access to the building last night, and they’ll use that to connect us to the crime. Even if we can say we had nothing to do with it, I have no doubt our rich boss will ‘persuade’ them to find us guilty anyway. Don’t even get me started on if he decides to sue us.”

Mike’s smile faded and his expression turned to despair as he ended his tirade, “I didn’t think about any of this until after it was all said and done. And because of that, I’ve fucked us, Jeremy. I’ve fucked us hard.

“C-come on, Mike. It’s not that bad. You saved me after all, and I’m sure that Mr. Fazbear will…um…” Jeremy was trying to cheer Mike up.

It wasn’t working.

“No, Jere. This time, I’m screwed,” Mike said while looking up at his friend.

Jeremy paused as he examined what Mike said, “Wait, ‘you’re screwed’? Don’t you mean ‘we’re’ screwed’?”

Mike shook his head, “No, Jeremy. I mean me. Fazbear still doesn’t know exactly what happened back there. All he knows is that something happened between us and the animatronics. However, once the police investigate, they’ll find my prints all over what’s left of those robots. But not yours. The only thing you touched was the bent fan and at best Fazbear will take the money to fix it out of your paycheck. You haven’t done anything worse than some minor property damage. Me? I’m looking at nine counts of major property damage at least. If I take all the blame, you get off scot-free. It’s the least I could do for ya for putting up with me all this time and for putting you in danger.”

“Mike…no…you don’t have to…,” Jeremy couldn’t think of any argument that didn’t sound illogical. The older nightguard was, objectively, right. There was no way Fazbear would let this slide. He’s always placed his company and property over his employees. Why else would he force nightguards to stay quiet about the animatronics on pain of losing their jobs?

“Don’t worry Jere,” Mike pounds his right fist into his left hand, “I can take care of myself. Anyone who messes with me while I’m locked up, will get a huge surprise.”

“But…but…no…no! I won’t let that happen!” Jeremy yelled so suddenly that even Mike was surprised. Jeremy’s eyes stared at Mike, water gathering on the edges of his eyelids, “You can’t go to jail! Not now! Not after everything we’ve been through, everything that’s happened over the last four months! I’ll figure something out! I can talk to Mr. Fazbear, get him to drop the charges. Threaten to expose what we’ve been through each night to the public. I’ll get his monetary records somehow, discredit him in the public’s and investor’s eyes. I’ll—,”

Mike put a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder, cutting Jeremy’s tirade off. He spoke to his friend with a finality to his voice, “Jeremy, stop.”

Jeremy froze up for a few moments. Then the tears started to flow as he turned towards the bed, unable to meet Mike’s gaze, “I…I’m sorry, Mike. It…it’s just…I don’t want you to go. You’re my best friend and you’ve done so much for me. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead ten times over now or have gone crazy from the constant horror every night. You’re the only reason I’ve been able to fight as long as I have. If you’re gone then…then I…I don’t know.”

“Jeremy, look at me,” Jeremy looks into Mike’s eyes. Mike gazes at his friend with conviction, care, and purpose as he speaks, “You were able to live through everything those fucking robots threw at you for how long? You said I’ve been with you for four months and last I checked, it’s November. You held them off for almost a year, without me. Don’t you dare say that you’re useless without me there.”

“But—”

Mike cut him off, “Heck, you’re the one who figured out it was a trap in the first place. And the one who saw the wires long before my dumbass did. Not to mention everything you do outside of our job. Do I look like the kind of guy who can get his finances together?”

Mike shook his head at Jeremy, “Not in the slightest. You can handle yourself, Jeremy. If anything, you’re my reason for fighting as long as I have. So, don’t start putting yourself down over anything. Things will be fine, and I’ll be out of the clink before you know it! So, cheer up!” Mike slapped Jeremy on the back and shook him in a friendly gesture.

Jeremy was silent and unsure for a few moments. His mind raced as he tried to think of something to say to argue Mike’s point. But, in the end, he couldn’t. Mike was completely right, as per usual. He couldn’t help but feel slightly resentful of that fact.

Jeremy smiled sadly, wiping the tears from his eyes, “Alright, Mike. But I still don’t know if I can do it.” He takes a moment to think, then snaps his fingers, “How about we both promise each other something? I promise to stand on my own two feet while you’re gone, and you promise not to cause too much trouble while you’re in jail?”

“Jere, what makes you think I’m gonna cause any trouble?” Mike feigned being hurt for about two seconds, before letting the façade down and laughing alongside his friend. He composed himself and continued, “Yeah, sure. Sounds great to me. I’ll be the best prisoner they ever had there. Shake on it?”

Mike held out his right hand and Jeremy eagerly took it. The two men shook heartily on their shared promises. Their celebration was short-lived, however, as just then the door to Mike’s room opened.

Mr. Fazbear, still in his business suit with a face that showed all the repressed rage he felt, stood right outside the room with two police officers flanking him on either side. Mike and Jeremy separated as they shared a solemn look. The door to the room closed behind the three guests. The policeman on the right stepped forward, “Good morning, gentlemen. My partner and I would like to ask you a few questions.”

Mike and Jeremy looked at each other, nodded, and told their story.

Within the halls of the shutdown Pizzeria, Balloon Boy’s body was propped up against one of Party Room One’s walls. Near him was the crumpled, battered, eerily empty, and yellow form of the originator of the entire Freddy Fazbear name.

Fredbear.

The suit was deactivated but seemed to stare at the center of the room with a burning intensity. One need only follow its gaze to understand why.

There, hovering about in the middle of the party room, were the spirits of the ten children. They congregated around the only parts left of their old bodies, their severed heads. Each one held their heads down in silence, the grey streaks running down their faces extremely prominent in the darkness of the room.

They each looked at Fredbear with uncertainty. The first spirit, the first victim, slowly emerged from the golden bear’s body. It floated up to be with its companions as they gazed upon the remains of their old bodies. Before, no matter how much they were damaged, their gifted forms would always be repaired by the next day. They had lost limbs, heads, and even been cut in half. Yet, the bottomless pockets of the Fazbear Entertainment Franchise could fix them up no matter how damaged.

But this…this time it was too much.

The only thing left of their bodies were the heads.

It was easy enough to replace an arm or reattach that which has been removed. But rebuild nine bodies completely from scratch?

That was where Fazbear’s generosity seemed to end.

It wasn’t long before their shining forms began to dissipate. They each grew more and more intangible by the second. Their bodies weren’t just their way to act upon the world around them, they were their anchors. With their robotic possessions and their bottomless desire for vengeance, they could keep themselves tethered to this reality.

But now, not only were their bodies gone, but their revenge was further away than ever before.

All thanks to Mike Schmidt.

The children, completely removed of any recourse they knew of, huddle together in the middle of the room. The eleven wayward spirits grouped together into a hug as their sobs began to echo throughout the empty building.

They stayed that way for five minutes, doing what they could to comfort each other as their souls started to leave this world.

And then, a voice whispered to them from the darkness.

What a pitiful fate that has befallen you, children.

The spirits all jumped in surprise and fear. The spirits of the Puppet and Golden Freddy looked around the room, herding the rest of the spirits behind them.

You tried so, so, so hard to find your killer, and now look where you are. Beaten by one man you had already broken.

The voice seemed to be all around them. They couldn’t see its body, but they could feel its presence. It chuckled at their panicked states as it kept speaking in its raspy, sonorous tone.

You aware of the reason you lost? It is because of that man. Yes, that one man has inherited an extremely potent power. One I am very familiar with. I can give you the power you need to bring him to his knees.

The voice laughed loudly, this time with his voice concentrated into the Party Room.

That is what you truly desire. I can see it inside of all of you. You want to defeat that man. You want to break him. Destroy him. Humiliate him. Torture him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.

The power to do so can all be yours. All you must do is swear to me. Swear to me that you will OBEY.

It felt like the voice had leaned in on the final word, as if the choice it gave them was more of a suggestion than anything else. The spirits couldn't help but huddle closer together as the cloying darkness around them seemed to get worse. Then, as soon as it came, it was gone. The voice continued on, acting as if it hadn't frightened the daylights out of the children.

What say you, little children?

Ordinarily, the kids wouldn’t have listened to the voice.

They had no reason to trust it at all. Half of them said as much to Golden Freddy and The Puppet. It wanted them to obey it, and they had no idea what that might entail. They had been led astray by a stranger’s voice before and who’s to say it won’t happen again. Everything about the situation should’ve made them all say no.

But, they had nowhere else to turn.

This was their only lifeline.

The only way they could stay in this world.

The only way they could finally obtain their vengeance.

It didn’t take much to convince all in attendance of that fact.

All eleven children silently agreed to the deal.

The last thing they heard was the insane cackling of the voice as their vision went black.

The sound of a window opening followed behind Vincent as he jumped through it. In his standard purple uniform, the wiry man chuckled darkly while dashing through the hallways. He moved with practiced ease, his experience from previous “acts” guiding his steps. He was careful to not disturb any part of the building that could be traced back to him while staying laser-focused on his task.

It didn’t take him long to find the hidden Safe Room at the back of the Pizzeria. This place wasn’t on any of the building plans nor the camera system. As far as the general public and standard employees were concerned, it didn’t exist. Very few people know it lies within the restaurant, hiding in plain sight of all who pass by. Vincent was one of them and he had used this knowledge to the fullest these past nine months. No one had even raised an eyebrow when he took those gullible little brats back here and gutted them like fish. The looks on the dumbass parents’ faces when they found out their precious children were gone were priceless. And now, with everyone warned away from this place, he could do it all again! The thought made him smile a toothy, unnatural grin.

Vincent covered his mouth with a hand to hold in his laughter as he approached the hidden door to the Safe Room. He reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out the key to the door. He composed himself and inserted the key into the doorknob.

It was only then that he noticed the tiny flash that passed by his eye.

Then, pain shot throughout his entire body.

He tried to scream but multiple long, thin ropes shot down his throat, muffling his voice. He gagged on the intruding objects, his body shivering as something started to crawl underneath his skin. His eyes scanned the halls around him frantically to find the source of his sudden pain. The employee desperately struggled to escape his bonds but found his body would no longer listen to him.

Just when he thought he would pass out from the pain, Vincent heard footsteps approaching from behind.

He managed to turn his head far enough to see who it was.

His eyes widened in abject terror.

A light, sonorous voice declared, “Finally. We’ve found you. Now, everyone. What shall we do with him?”

That night, Vincent entered the closed down Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria…and never came out.