Choices (A Five Nights at Freddy's Alternate Universe)

Chapter 1

Warning: mentions of blood, talk of sharp objects similar to needles, detailed description of "death", angst, and this is centered around child killers so some talk of that
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My heart seemed to beat out of my chest as I desperately thought about a way out of this deadly situation. Their heavy, metal footsteps practically deafened my ears, making it almost impossible for me to think. Which maybe was a good thing, because I was too distracted to dwell on what would happen if we were caught. My right hand closed tighter around his as he tried to keep up with my hurried pace, his short brown hair dripping in sweat and sticking to his forehead.
Looking back, I caught a glimpse of the musty old fox, its red fur matted and torn, and its hook high in the air, ready to strike us dead. I shivered at the thought of the gleaming metal, knowing good and well that the hook was much more than just a prop. God knows why they would give a sharp weapon like that to a children's entertainer, and maybe that's why the company had so many problems in the first place, but at the moment it was all the reason to keep running. I returned my gaze forward and watched as posters of the sweet, friendly animatronic band whizz past us as we ran, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of the situation. If only the children knew what was going on, would they think of their huggable idols the same way?
Suddenly I got an idea. I yanked my friend into a closet and slammed the door, making sure to push a table in front to keep the beast out. I doubled over, desperately trying to catch my breath as my friend's eyes widened in horror. He must've realized what my plan was.
The room was dark, but our eyes adjusted to the abyss quickly: black and white checkered floors were covered in a thick coat of dust, oil, and grease. Dark grey wallpapered walls were tattered and peeling in some spots. If you looked up, you could see a vent in the ceiling, a possible escape route for a single person. But the thing that caught my friend's attention was the animatronic suit in the corner, a secret project of mine that I had been working on for months on end. It was on the floor with its knees pulled up and brown and blue arms laid out on the floor, while its back was against the wall and its head was on the nearby table. The animatronic shell was similar to the looks of Bonnie but red and pirate-themed, with a brown bandana tied around the forehead and a charcoal-colored eyepatch above the right eye. It also wore tan shorts that were frayed at the ends, covering yellow legs and purple feet. I didn't have a lot of unique parts to work with, so I had to make do with what I had.
By this time, I had recovered my breath and was standing straight, trying to convince myself that this was the right decision, that this is what needed to happen and there was no way around it, and that this was something that I had to do. I walked back over to the table I pushed in front of the door and picked up the animatronic head in my hands, carefully turning it over with a grim smile on my face. Suddenly there was a loud thud at the door, followed by a familiar metal hook piercing through the door like it was only paper. The door shook as Foxy attempted to pry his hook out of the door for another swing, and I realized there wasn't a lot of time left.
"I can't let you do this, Viola!"
I looked over at my friend with tears streaming down my face. I could see the anger burning in his eyes, but he knew just as well as I did that one of us had to stay.
"There's no other choice, Will. Either I die and you leave, or we both die at the hands of this dumb fox!", I yelled over the scrapping noises coming from the door, and I felt the overwhelming guilt wash over me. Those children... this would have never happened if we never did the horrible things we did to those poor children. And what had they done? Nothing, besides being innocent and annoying. Then I felt anger, and regret, and I just couldn't bear it anymore.
"Give me the mask, Viola! I'm not letting you die. I'm the one who should have to pay for this, not you!", William demanded, walking over and attempting to pry the mask out of my hands.
"No!", I screamed, fighting over possession of the mask. "Fritz died because of me, Foxy is like this because of me. This is my fault and I'm the one who should stay! I'm so sorry!". I continued screaming my reasons and my sorrows, weeping more than I ever had in my life. My heart felt like a wet rag in my chest, heavy and dripping with regret.
William finally let me have the mask, quietly raising a hand to my face and cupping my cheek. I couldn't help but sob as I squeezed my eyes shut and leaned my forehead against his. The moment was broken by the snarling snout of Foxy forcing itself through an opening in the door, glitched audio cues were chorusing on the other side, and we realized that it was more than just Foxy out there, it was the whole gang. I didn't know my heart could beat any faster, but somehow it managed to speed up at the sound of the deep, echoed laugh of Freddy Fazbear himself. My eyes shot open and looked into William's, who appeared to have accepted my fate with a feeling of great sorrow.
"I guess we need to get you suited up, huh.", he said, a great sense of calmness in his voice, with only a hint of panic and fear. I could only nod in agreement as he removed his calloused hand from my cheek and proceeded to help me suit up into my death trap. I tried to keep my breathing calm as I felt the springlocks start to close, sending pin-prickling sensations throughout my body. It was such a strange feeling, not quite being punctured. It was like the suit was waiting for my permission before killing me.
It wasn't too long before the suit was on, and the door to the room was hanging on by a hinge with various animatronic hands reaching through in an attempt to get in. William had the mask to the amalgamation of a suit, holding it above my head with what was supposed to be a comforting smile on his face, but it looked more like a grimace, and I could tell how much he didn't want to lose me. What surprised me the most was when I saw a tear escape from his eye. I had never seen him cry, and it was shocking to me to see him do so.
A loud wheeze made him look toward the door to see that Bonnie had gotten his head in through the door, but Foxy pushed him out of the way and snapped his jaw open and shut with considerable force. I took some shallow breaths, feeling the springlocks go deeper into my leg. I clenched my teeth and managed to tell him in a harsh whisper to put the mask on me. He looked back at me with a look of emptiness, which sent chills down my spine. In the poor lighting, it seemed as if his eyes were grey and hollow.
"I love you, Viola."
I gave him a weak smile, wishing he'd just put the mask on already. There was no time left, Chica almost had her whole upper body through the door, and I would've preferred to get that over with than to drag it on forever.
"I know" was all I could reply before a single springlock near my wrist went off, forcing itself deep into my skin and crunching through the bone. William took my scream as a cue to finally place the mask over my head. I couldn't see very well, but I could hear that he kicked open the vent and made his escape.
The springlock near my wrist set off a reaction, causing the other springlocks to go off. One by one, I could feel the individual blades of plastic and metal settle into my flesh and muscles, severing nerves and blood vessels. I tried to scream, but all that came out were gurgled cries for help. I couldn't breathe, the locks had broken through my ribs and punctured my lungs. I collapsed to the floor, shaking violently as the springlocks continued going off throughout my body. Then the endoskeleton parts were triggered to release, inflicting the worst pain I had ever felt in my entire life. It felt like my body was a Rubix cube, being jumbled around on the inside to make room for the foreign pieces of metal and springs that never belonged in a person in the first place. When I thought it was finished, the parts in the mask went off, like it was some sort of finale. I could feel the metal spikes being driven through my skull, and my eyes being replaced with the eyes of the mask.
Around this time, Freddy and his friends had finally broken through the door, watching me lose consciousness on the filthy floor as my own blood pooled around me. The zombie-like robots stared at me with a form of content, as if they had finally completed what they were destined to do. One by one, they left the room calmly, as if nothing had happened. Bonnie was the last one to leave, for he paused to look back at my quaking body before following the others back onto the showstage.
My body began to settle down, twitching every once in a while, but the excruciating pain was still there, like I was being torn apart and being put back together over and over, and over, and over, and over...