(OLD) The events of the convention, Volume One

Chapter Thirty - Nobody in particular

Moira stood in front of the animetronics, gloating.

Now, I finally have you all. You know, it's too bad. He was too weak and useless to keep his promise and save you. Foxy gritted her teeth. It's pretty pathetic, really. All his talk about immortality and purpose, and he couldn't even save himself.

The p.a. system crackled. Everybody looked up. And three things happened. Bonnie spoke for the first time in a year, a puppet remembered his name, and the person they all thought and one of them hoped was dead spoke back.

Liam?

Hey, Bonnie. Sorry I took so long.

Moira started spinning in a circle, searching for the source of the voice. She pressed a button on her remote. FIND HIM, AND KILL HIM PROPERLY THIS TIME!

Nothing happened.

She pressed it again, confused. Why isn't this-

Liam's voice echoed through the convention. Working? I don't know. Ask Reg, maybe. Ask him how he taught me to disable the chips. The doors around the room they were in closed. Ask him how he gave me the door control for the whole building. Ask him why he didn't come to work tonight.

She looked around frantically, searching for an exit. Liam began talking again.

To you girls, I'm sorry. I almost left you behind. The thing that stopped me is realizing I don't want eternal happiness, without you in it. I did promise I'd always come back, after all.

I'm also sorry for this. A light started flashing. I deceived you, every one of you. Freya, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, Mangle, Goldie, Vee, Mari, all of you. This wasn't the plan, the plan was to get you all out and leave. But someone said something to me that changed my mind. It was getting hotter. They asked me where I would go. They asked if I would really be happy, running all my life. They asked if that would truly be freedom for you. And I found that it wouldn't be. Crackling was heard outside the door. But this will.

I'll do away with the cryptic stuff, I suppose. I set fire to the building. Don't worry, I'm still in it.

For some reason, this was comforting to Bonnie. She'd forgotten what she even looked like as a human. And after so many years in a suit, maybe death wouldn't be too bad. Freya and Chica, after all this time, had to agree.

This place, all the blood, all the darkness, all the murder. It's all going up in smoke.

Mari had to admit, it was a good idea. Her and Goldie and probably Vee as well deserved to rest. If it meant death, so be it.

I believe, personally, that most of us will see each other again in the afterlife. If only for a moment, that would be enough.

Foxy and Mangle hugged each other. If this was the end, they could think of no better way to die. One thing was for certain, they would remain sisters. Even if they weren't blood, their bond was stronger than anything.

Liam's voice turned dark. For one of you, however, there is nothing after your death but torment. I made two promises, if you don't remember, Moira. One was to never leave the girls.

The other was to make you burn.

The doors could no longer stand up to the blaze, and collapsed. The animetronics made no attempt to escape. They'd chosen their fate.

Moira, however, had not. She dashed for the doorway, out of the halls and towards the exit. She had just grabbed the handle when a fish hook pierced her leg. She screamed in pain, and turned around.

It was the puppet. Liam's puppet. The one he had made to entertain. Blood was spilling from its eyes and mouth, like grotesque tears. Slowly, seven figures appeared next to him. The children. Bloodied, beaten and scarred, but determined not to give in. They all spoke at once.

YOU WON'T GET AWAY THIS TIME.

They rushed at her, pulling her back into the fires. She could feel herself melting, her sins rushing over her as she fell down, down, down into the fiery pit. The spirits watched her fall, until they could see her no more. Liam's puppet fell, and one last spirit appeared. They joined hands, and together, walked into the light.