THE CYCLE OF TORMENT

CHAPTER XI: THE FACTORY OF SECRETS

Millie didn't consider how cold it would be. She was starting to shiver. Her hoodie wasn't doing much to protect her from the evening breeze. As they were walking, Jake heard Millie sniffling.

"Are you okay? You sound sick." He said with concern. "I'm fine." Millie said, stubbornly. She wanted answers, not pity from a haunted robot.

"No. You look so cold. Here, take this." Jake said as he removed his cloak. She could now see his endoskeleton. It was slender with minimal features unlike Funtime Freddy's. She could now clearly see the red light on his chest. It was a large battery pack. She could feel a great deal of suffering coming from it.

"No, You don't have to do that! I'll be okay. We don't have time for this." Millie refused.

"I insist." Jake said, holding the cloak out for her. Millie looked at it. It looked old and smelled funny, but it looked comfortable. She felt bad that they just met and already, she's making him feel forced to help her.

"Why do you care? I mean, we just met. You hardly know me. Why do you want to make sure I'm okay?" Millie asked.

"You know, I'm more than just a machine, right?" Jake asked.

"Yeah! I mean, I think. I just don't see why you should help me when I'm just making you give me answers for my selfish needs. Maybe this was a bad idea." Millie said.

"Hey, you are not selfish. I know we don't know each other, but I can tell you're a good person. At least, you're trying to be." Jake said.

Millie looked up at Jake with confusion. "How would you know that?" She asked.

"I just do. It's hard to explain, but I can tell a person's personality and intentions just by sensing their soul." Jake said. "I can tell you've been through a lot. Just please, take the cloak. Besides, I don't feel cold, not anymore."

Millie reluctantly took the cloak. It was warm. She could see a large factory up ahead. "Here we are!" Jake said, gesturing towards the factory. Millie looked at the factory.

"This is where you live?" She asked. "You could say that." He answered. Millie felt bad for Jake and Andrew. Not only are they both forced to share the same body, with Jake seemingly having the most control over it, but also, they must live inside of a dank, decaying factory that smelled like mold, rust, and a mix of other things that bombarded her senses. Jake walked inside and Millie followed him.

As they walked into the main area, Millie looked around. She saw nothing but junk. Dolls, mannequin torsos, endoskeletons, and toys. The place made her think back to the dreams she had been having. She would often find herself in a warehouse or factory that looked similar to this. Were those dreams trying to tell her the future now? Just how deep could this rabbit hole go?

Millie looked at the miscellaneous objects around her. She realized that these must be the items that the Stitchwraith gathered.

"Are these all the things you've been collecting?" Millie asked. Jake nodded.

"Can I ask why?" She asked. "You wouldn't believe us." Jake said. Millie crossed her arms. "I already don't believe half of the things I've seen so far. I'm sure I can handle it."

Reluctantly, Jake agreed to explain everything, or at least, he would have "Andrew" explain.

"It was a while ago. I think it was like twenty years or something." The voice that Jake had established to be Andrew started explaining while Millie listened intently.

"I don't remember my past life. All I do know is that someone stole it from me, and I attached myself to his soul. I made sure he didn't die. People tried to kill him many times, but I wasn't going to let him go until I was ready to let him go. One day, a man took me and the man to a large building. I think it was a warehouse, because I saw a lot of cool stuff." Andrew explained.

"Were these things from Fazbear entertainment?" Millie asked. If there was a connection, she had to know.

"Yes, I think so. Anyway, when we arrived, something seemed... different about the man. It was like the evil inside of him grew stronger. He felt alive, more than he had ever been for a while. Once he felt that way, only one thing was on his mind." Andrew said before pausing. The suspense was somewhat agitating Millie. "What would that be?"

"Spread." Andrew answered. A cold shiver cascaded down her spine and each hair on her body stood on end as that single word was uttered. Something about it seemed eerie to her.

"He wanted to spread himself across all the objects in the building. I tried to stop him, but something made me weaker, so I had to find a random object in that place to attach myself to in the meantime." Andrew continued, adding context to his confusing, albeit bone-chilling statement. Millie sat there, a thousand more questions that replaced her previous ones flowed through her mind.

"Do you know why he wanted to... spread?" There was silence for a moment, as if the spirit within was deep in thought about the question himself.

"No." Andrew answered. Jake chimed in suddenly. "I don't remember much about my old life either. I just have a feeling that it was a good one. The last thing I remember is a man." Jake said. Millie raised an eyebrow. "A man?"

Jake nodded. "I don't think he was the same man Andrew was just talking about. He looked more like a weird science guy like the ones you'd see in the movies. He was the one who built this body for us." Jake said. Millie thought about what Jake explained.

So this person was the reason the Stitchwraith exists? Why would he build something so creepy and haunted? Wait, would that be rude to Jake and Andrew? I mean, this is their body now. I should probably stop overthinking before I get brain damage. Millie shook her head to free herself from her own thoughts.

"So let me get this straight, a weird guy in a laboratory was the person who built this... thing?" She asked, gesturing at their endoskeleton. Both Jake and Andrew said yes simultaneously.

"How did he get your ghosts to go into the body to begin with?" She asked.
"We don't know. It all just seemed like weird science mumbo jumbo." Jake answered.

Suddenly, Millie's phone rang. The Stitchwraith twitched at the noise. Millie looked and saw it was her grandpa. Uh oh. She quickly answered it.

"Hello?" Millie asked. "Girlie, thank goodness you're alright! Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you and it's late!" He asked in a panicked voice.

"I'm fine. I just spent a little too much time at Dylan's house. Sorry." She lied. Her grandpa seemed to believe her.

"Well, please be back soon. I don't want to have a heart attack from worrying about you too much." He said. Millie chuckled. "You're not getting off that easy. You still have to learn more vegetarian recipes." She joked.

Her grandpa laughed in return. "Be safe, girlie." He said. "I will." Millie said before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Jake asked. "My grandpa. I need to leave. It was... nice meeting you both... I guess." Millie said awkwardly.

"Bye Millie! We'll try and talk to you again sometime!" Jake said cheerfully. Millie walked out of the factory and began her journey back home.

"Why are you so nice to her?" Andrew asked irritated. "Because she's nice to us?" Jake answered in a confused tone.

"She's annoying! I hate her!" Andrew complained. "That's not nice! She's the only one who actually understood us and didn't run away!" Jake argued.

"That doesn't make her nice. I bet she's just like everyone else." Andrew said.

"That's not true. I'm gonna prove to you that she isn't going to try and hurt us." Jake said confidently. Andrew groaned in agitation.

"Whatever. I don't care what you do anymore. Keep your fantasies to yourself. Just remember that no matter how hard you try and no matter who you get to help us, we will never leave. This is where we will stay forever."

"That's not true and you know it. We have to have hope. One day, you will go to a better place, I promise." Jake said.

"Whatever." Andrew rolled his eyes. The Stitchwraith grabbed a watering can and began watering a nearby flower in a flower pot. It looked beautiful. It looked alive.

END OF CHAPTER XI