I gave Monty a quick spiel on what happened. I found Bowtie and the tape, eavesdropped on Vanny talking with Roxy, and learned that Vanny was planning to upgrade Roxy in just a few minutes. He was reluctant to believe Bowtie's story. Monty claimed that there was no such toy production, and if there was, Bonnie wouldn't have hidden it away. It's not like he could argue much though, because Bowtie's very existence proved him wrong.

From the balcony, we could see Chica dragging Roxy towards the stage. She was still fighting against it, but Chica's arms had pulled back, forcing hers behind her back. If Roxy had nerves, I'd imagine it would be painful to be positioned like that. We were far away, so it was hard to see the details, but Monty finally got his first look at his damaged friends.

As Monty raced down one of the escalators, I spotted Vanny walking out of Roxy's Raceway.

"Wait, stop!" I loudly whispered, pulling Monty back as if he were a horse. "What?" he said, his voice lowering to match my volume.

"Vanny! It's walking out of Roxy's Raceway, and Chica's turned this way. We're never going to make it to parts in service without them seeing us," I said. Chica was walking backwards letting Roxy's feet claw the floor and she pulled her, though she seemed so focused on bringing Roxy to parts and service that I wasn't sure if she would spot us. Still, I didn't want to take our chances.

"I-I don't see it," Monty said, scanning the area. That's right, Roxy was the only one who could see it, until I gave her eyes to Freddy.

"I do! It's right there!" Bowtie said, not hushing down like how Monty and I did. I had several thoughts running through my mind, particularly about how and why Bowtie can see Vanny, but there were more pressing matters at hand to worry about.

"There's gotta be another way around," I said, trying to think of a plan.

Monty shook his head, "All the entrances to parts and service are through the atrium. We need a distraction."

"Oh!" I gasped with an idea. "Bowtie, what if you talked to Vanny to slow it down?"

Bowtie sneered, "You want to put the animatronic with no legs next to the one hijacking all the machinery? No dice!" I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't really argue with that. It was likely Vanny would get its grubby hands on it, and then Bowtie would also be infected like Chica and Roxy.

Vanny was making its way to the same escalator we were on. In my panic I had forgotten that Vanny was planning to retrieve the claws from the hidden backroom before going to parts and service, which of course put us right in its path. We wasted too much time. Next time, I won't try to think of a plan, I thought to myself sarcastically. Impulse had saved me many times inside this facility. "Go back! It's coming up," I told Monty. We went back up to the floor, but he knelt down and waited for me to get off his back.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked.

"You hide, once it passes, get to parts and service as fast as possible," Monty said, shaking my shoulders a bit in reassurance.

"But what about you?"

"I have a plan, just go," he demanded, pushing me away.

Was he going to stay behind? I couldn't really do this alone. Even if one was to ignore how erratic my functionality was after my head injury, what was I supposed to do if I showed up to parts and service alone and Chica and Roxy were already there? I needed Monty to be there or else they'd tear me apart.

Vanny should almost be at the turn, where the two escalators connected on a small platform that changed directions. I had to go.

There was a photo booth not far, and I sprinted towards it, but I collapsed onto the seating area once I made it. My running just made me feel lightheaded and dizzy. I struggled to push myself up and close the curtains behind me. I heard Monty walk around. If I had to guess, he was trying to act inconspicuous, as if he wasn't aware of Vanny's presence. Out of nervousness, my hands gripped into tight fists, and Bowtie looked at me angrily. It didn't want to say it out loud in fear of alerting Vanny, but it very clearly wasn't a fan of being in my hand with my grasp tightening. I placed it back on my hat like I had done in the air shaft beneath the bowling alley.

Eventually, it got quiet. I couldn't even hear Monty's steps. I pushed over the curtains and peaked out. No one was there. I anxiously stepped out and scanned the area, but the whole floor was empty. The doors to Bonnie's Bowling Alley were wide open.

"Where did Monty go?" Bowtie asked.

I had a shocking realization. "He followed Vanny," I mumbled.

"What? Why?"

"He's going to fight it." I wasn't naive. Monty had tried to fight it before and failed, and now he was going to try and redeem himself. He wasn't super ecstatic about the idea before, but I wondered if what I told him during the endoskeleton attack changed his mind. He may not be able to see Vanny, but he does know exactly where it's going, and if he makes the right moves, he'll be able to corner it.

"Let's go," I said, speed-walking back to the escalator. I held onto the railing, not sure if I could move much faster without support.

"You're not going to help him?" Bowtie asked.

"How? I-I can't even walk straight! I'd just get in the way," I said. This wasn't like the fight with the endoskeletons. I couldn't just look at Vanny and stop it from moving, and I couldn't just throw a bowling ball to knock it down. It's stronger than thin pieces of metal. Besides, Freddy was still in parts and service. Chica and Roxy should almost be there, and I'd never be able to forgive myself if they did something to him.

Bowtie didn't say anything, but I could feel it move around on top of my hat. When I reached the bottom floor, Chica was on the main stage with Roxy. I tried to hide behind one of the concession stands so that Chica wouldn't see me. I peaked over the counter and watched as Chica pushed a button that lowered the platform down.

Did that lead to parts and service? I suppose it made sense to have the stage directly lead into it. It'd make it easy to move the animatronics if there was a malfunction on stage. I walked across the atrium as fast as I could, grabbing onto anything I could along the way for support. I worried running would knock me over again. I was really pushing my limits.

When I made it to the stage, I tapped the button hoping the platform would rise. I didn't know if Chica was near where the platform would lead to, but I didn't have a choice. When it made it back to its place, I stepped on and clicked the button again. The ground shook, knocking me over. I hadn't expected it to move so suddenly and quickly, and my vertigo certainly didn't help. I decided to wait until the platform stopped to stand up. Bowtie gave me a comforting pat on the head with its small paws. I took out the water bottle Monty had given me earlier and had a drink, just in case.

When the platform ride ended, I slowly got up and tried to navigate through the tunnels. The area looked familiar and yet not at all at the same time. Maybe it was because everything was starting to blur together, or maybe it was because I entered the tunnels through a new area, but I tried my best to locate where I was. With my hand against the wall, touching the long yellow stripe I had focused on to calm my nerves when I first came into the basement, I maneuvered through until I saw the recognizable charging station. I peeked through the glass, trying to see if there was any sign of any animatronic.

I saw Freddy lying down in the protective cylinder, but surprisingly there were no technicians around. I would've thought they'd be here to work on him. Every time I've come down, it'd been in the middle of the night, where the technicians just left him until I detached him from the machine. It wasn't night, at least, I didn't think it was. I didn't know how long I was out after Moon dropped me, but it couldn't have been long enough for the sun to set, right?

I scanned the area once again, trying to spot either Chica or Roxy. They should have arrived before me. But even after a third time looking around, I couldn't see either of them. Was my vision messing with me, or had they really not arrived yet? There's no way they didn't make it before me. This felt like a setup to a trap. Did Chica notice me following them and planned to ambush me?

"What are you waiting for?" Bowtie asked.

"Something's wrong. Where's Chica and Roxy?" I said.

"Who cares? They're not here, take advantage of that!" it said. Maybe I was just overreacting. Whatever the reason I arrived first, I should feel lucky enough.

I walked inside and looked at Freddy one more time. The laptop from before was on, but the words "Upload Complete" were plastered on it in green. I didn't like the sound of that. I used the monitor like I had with the other upgrades, except it said that Freddy required a calibration test after his upload. As I tried to start the process, Bowtie tapped my head.

"Uhm, Gregory...?" it whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Look up."

I felt a shiver run down my spine. I really didn't want to look up, I could sense it was something bad. I held Bowtie down on the hat as I pushed it up so that it wouldn't fall.

Chica was using her extendable limbs to carry her heavy body in the dent in the ceiling. She was twitching sporadically, as if holding back. I could see the cracks in her casing clearer than ever, though her arm upgrades were bare. When we locked eyes, she made a loud noise, except without her voice box, it sounded like nails on a chalkboard, and her movement was reminiscent of laughing. Suddenly, she reached out towards me, causing her to fall down sideways without the support of her arm.

I ducked down, but not in time. She grabbed my Monty cap with Bowtie on it. Bowtie let out a scream as Chica chucked it across the room, towards the peaceful endoskeletons stuck in cages. I scrambled up and sprinted towards it. I picked up Bowtie, not bothering with the hat. It was a nice gift, but I didn't want to jeopardize myself more than I already had to. Chica bounded forward.

I moved to the left, my feet skidding along the floor as I tried to make it back to the monitor. Once I began the process, the door should open, and I could wake Freddy up.

Chica stood in place next to the cages as her limbs extended forward. I had just pushed the final button on the monitor, and the door to the capsule opened, when she reached by my waist and pushed me down. I landed face first, my hands barely stopping my crash. I couldn't pick myself up before one of Chica's arms wrapped around my ankles. She lifted me up and dangled me upside down, and though my vision was blurry, I saw her head spin a full 360 degrees as she made her laughing sound again. All my belongings I had been keeping in my pockets fell out.

I desperately wanted to reach for the VHS tape, but I had much bigger problems at hand. I had to get out of Chica's grasp. My blood started rushing to my head, and I felt weaker than ever before. I could hear things, like Bowtie shrieking and Chica's faulty wiring, but I couldn't distinguish details. I didn't know what Bowtie was saying to me. My eyesight left everything unrecognizable. Everything was distorting and swirling together into a tornado of senses. I had to get back on the ground before I lost all perception of reality.

I made sure my grip on Bowtie was strong before I flung my body up towards Chica's arm. I hugged it in an attempt to stay close as I ripped out one of my ankles from Chica's grasp. She flailed her arm, swinging me around as I tried to get my remaining leg out. I had to close my eyes to prevent me from getting even dizzier.

Chica's other hand held onto the back of my shirt as I finally got my leg free. I was back on the ground, but it wouldn't be long before she would pull me back up. I turned around and pulled, my polo stretching as I fought Chica for it. I just had to make it into the protective cylinder, and I was so close.

My shirt tore and I fell backwards, right into the open door of the capsule. The motion was caught on the sensors and I scooched farther in before the door chopped off my legs.

Chica began banging on the glass door. It was thick, so I doubted that she could break it easily. It gave me time before she could break in. I gave myself a moment to breathe. My senses finally started coming back to me. I moved my hands along the floor, feeling the grain of the concrete slab and Bowtie's metal casing. I blinked until my eyes were less blurry, and I finally could hear the words Bowtie was screaming at me.

"Gregory! Come on! We have to be fast!" it yelled at me.

I tried to straighten my vision before I stood back up. I had to focus if I was going to succeed at this. I shoved Bowtie into the collar of my shirt so that I could use both hands around. It had to hang both of its arms to keep itself from falling down. I could feel its ears grazing my chin. "I-I didn't catch what the announcer said! What do I have to do?" I asked Bowtie.

"It said to 'disconnect the foreign disk!' What's that?" it said frantically.

It must be the laptop. I rushed over and unplugged it from behind Freddy's head. I tried not to think about what could have possibly been uploaded into Freddy's code.

"Great job," the intercom spoke. "Now, calibrate the animatronic using the keypad provided." The familiar mesh of buttons lowered from the top. I pulled it down and tried to block out Chica's banging as I played Simon Says.

The yellow button glowed, and I followed suit. Yellow, Blue. Yellow, Blue. Yellow, Blue– a crash from outside the capsule scared me and I lost sight of the buttons. It was Chica. She had picked up the friendly endoskeleton that stood outside the cages and threw it at the capsule. I missed which one had glowed, I didn't know which one to press.

"Red! It's red!" Bowtie yelled. I pressed the buttons in order; yellow, blue, red. The game continued.

I was shaking tremendously. I didn't know if Chica could really break the glass, but if she could, I was screwed. Not to mention that once Freddy's calibration was complete, the door would open, and I'd have to trust Freddy to catch along quickly.

"Calibration complete. You may now exit the cylinder," the voice through the intercom said.

I rushed to Freddy's side, shaking him awake. His eyes slowly opened as I tried to push him off the chair. "Freddy! Wake up, we have to go!" I said. Chica reached towards the door and lifted it from the bottom.

Freddy slowly got up and stood before me. "C'mon, open your hatch, let's go!" I said. But he didn't say anything back. He scanned me up and down, his face not showing an ounce of emotion.

"Freddy, it's me! Gregory!" I said, opening up my arms. Chica stopped trying to come into the room. Instead, she simply blocked the exit, watching intensely as I tried to communicate with Freddy.

"I-I don't think it's working," Bowtie said, its ears lowing as it cowered into my shirt.

"Please! Freddy!" I cried again. I knew it wasn't going to work, but I wasn't going to stop. I had no way out, this was the most I could hope for.

He took a step forward, and I fell back against the glass wall. With his giant hand, he wrapped his claws around my neck, strangling me. I choked, unable to breathe. Bowtie started hitting his hand, but it was unable to do anything. Freddy lifted me up, his grip tightening. He tilted his head as his jaw opened, and once I was close enough, I used my legs to push against Freddy's chest plate.

He lifted my head into his gaping mouth, and I placed my hands on his face as I tried to push away, but it was no good. He was stronger than me, and I was starting to black out from lack of oxygen.

"Drop him!"

Freddy did exactly that, not bothering to move me away from him before he did. My head hit his bottom jaw and my body collapsed onto the floor. Chica moved out of the entrance and Freddy walked out, forcefully closing the door with its strong arms, leaving me alone in the protective cylinder. I coughed and gasped for air. Bowtie touched my face in reassurance.

I looked around for who commanded Freddy. It sounded like a woman, so I hoped to see Vanessa. I thought it'd bring me relief, but instead it just added onto my anxiety. It was Vanny. I didn't know Vanny was female; I couldn't tell from the distorted voice. Her costume had been ripped, and she was bleeding from her thigh and face. The wound on her leg looked raw, it was the kind of thing you'd see on television that resembled a big wound like a zombie bite. I could see bare skin from the tears that covered the costume. Monty must've done that to her. The bottom part of her mask had been ripped out, allowing me to see the human's lower face beneath the veil, though I still couldn't identify her. With the broken mask, whatever contraption she used to change her voice must've broken as well.

"You fucking bastard!" she shrieked at me through the glass wall. "You think you're so clever, huh? Huh?" Her face was right up to the glass, her body pressing alongside the wall. Her blood smeared the outside. She was absolutely manic, her chin dripping with blood.

"Where's Monty?" I demanded. I didn't need to ask about Freddy. I thought it was obvious. She had gotten to him first, a long time ago, before I even knew she was going back down to repair Roxy.

"Ha! Hahaha! Monty?" she laughed maniacally, picking up something from the floor. I couldn't see it, as the bottom of the glass walls were coated with a dark casing that wasn't transparent.

It was the claw upgrade, the one I'd found in the backrooms of Bonnie's Bowling Alley. She opened it wide. I had no idea how she was able to carry it.

"I just..." she snapped the claws with a loud bang, "snapped him in half! Haha!" She grinned widely, revealing the blood that had stained her teeth and gums.

A wave of confusion, anger, and sadness hit me all at once. I tried not to cry, but I couldn't stop light tears from falling down. My face was filled with fury, but I felt like my soul was shattering.

"If it makes you feel any better," Vanny cooed, "he did put up one hell of a fight."

Bowtie nuzzled into my neck, trembling. I wanted to do the same with the friends I had made. Chica, Roxy, Freddy, and even Monty. But now they're all gone. I lost two of them in one day.

She picked up another thing on the floor, but this time it was the VHS tape that had fallen out of my pocket when Chica dangled me upside down. "Don't touch that!" I yelled out.

She smiled. "Freddy?" she asked. Freddy offered a hand, and she placed the tape onto his palm. Then, with the giant claws still in hand, she shut the clasps around it and shattered the cassette.

"No!" I wailed, trying to sound more angry than sad, but failing miserably. Bowtie shrunk farther in. I understood why it didn't feel like talking. Bonnie's tape had been destroyed, the very thing he had promised to protect.

She howled with laughter again, pretending to wipe away a joyful tear, and said, "You see, it's funny 'cause you're miserable. You've lost!"

"I've... lost?"