THE CYCLE OF TORMENT

CHAPTER XXIV: THE AFTON MEMORY

Larson couldn't believe his eyes. The Aftons? No way was this real. This had to be a dream. At least, he thought it was. He was standing right in front of them and they didn't seem to notice him. The family walked into their new home. Larson decided to follow them.

"Look, daddy, look!" The daughter cheered, running around the house with the younger brother. The older brother simply looked around. William wrapped his hand around his wife's waist and held her close.

"Home." William said with a proud smile on his face.

Larson blinked and found himself in what appeared to be a basement of some kind. However, by the looks of things, it seemed to have been converted into a workshop of some kind with boxes on the floor and shelves and a table in the middle. He saw William sat down in his chair, seemingly drawing something on his desk.

Curiosity got the better of Larson and he walked over to see what he was drawing. As he looked over William's shoulder, Larson noticed that he was drawing blueprints. As he looked closer, Larson saw that he was drawing the original blueprints for Fredbear and Spring Bonnie, the very first animatronics that William had ever made.

Hearing talking behind him, Larson turned to see that he was in a completely different place once again. This time, it looked like the inside of a restaurant. There were tables and games. There was a stage up ahead with Fredbear and Spring Bonnie on it.

"Fredbear's family diner?" Larson asked himself. Fredbear's was the first Fazbear restaurant, but what was he doing here? Focusing on the talking, Larson looked and saw William talking to another man. Larson immediately recognized him. It was Henry Emily, the other founder of Fazbear entertainment. They both seemed to be talking about a "grand opening" and how the animatronics were ready for performance. Meanwhile, William's wife was sitting next to a ball pit, watching her children playing with another child, a young girl. She looked familiar to Larson, but he couldn't quite place it.

He did a double take when he saw the ball pit. It looked like the exact same ball pit that Eleanor used to take Larson to... wherever he was. He then had an idea. If that thing brought him here, it could get him back out. He decided to keep that in mind, but he still needed to stay and find Tabitha.

A scream from behind him made Larson turn around. He began to feel wet. As he took in his surroundings, he realized he was outside in an alley and it was raining. The scream came from the same girl he saw earlier, the one who was playing with the Afton children. She was being shoved outside by three other kids. The girl desperately banged on the door, demanding to be let back inside.

Larson went to help her, but when he tried tapping her on the shoulder, his hand went right through her. He pulled his hand away and looked at her in disbelief. How drunk am I? Larson thought. Surely, this wasn't real. He had to be under the effects of alcohol. The sound of a car pulling up behind him made him turn, only to get blinded by the headlights that soon turned off.

When he rubbed his eyes, he saw a man step out of the car. The man appeared as though he was hiding something behind his back. He approached the girl with a friendly smile. Now that he was standing in the light, Larson saw that it was William Afton. He gently tapped the girl on the shoulder. She jumped and turned around, but seemed to calm down when she recognized who it was.

"Oh, it's just you, Mr. Afton." William chuckled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you there. Are you alright? You shouldn't be standing outside in the rain. You'll catch a cold." He said, concerned.

"The other kids were mean to me. They pushed me out and locked the doors." The girl said with tears starting to form.

"You poor thing. Here, let me help you." William said. Larson drew his attention to the object that he was hiding. His eyes widened when he saw that he was holding a knife and was preparing to use it on the poor girl. Larson tried to punch him, but his hand still went right through him. He could only watch helplessly as the girl was brutally stabbed in the chest and dragged into the alley.