Millie continued exploring the dining area as much as she could. Even though the door to the kitchen was locked, she still hopped over the front counter. Looking around in the kitchen, she didn't find anything special, just the usual kitchen appliances, not cursed in any way. Thank goodness, because she didn't want to deal with a haunted toaster. Looking at the empty stage made her think of Funtime Freddy, how he was supposed to be a robot meant to perform shows for children. She wondered why he was programmed to be that way. Obviously, William Afton was a sick bastard, but she didn't understand if he knew the consequences of making a monster like that, or if it was just another part of his plan.
Whatever the case, she had to figure out what Eleanor had in store for her. If she could find a way to stop her, she could put an end to the pain she caused everywhere else.
She screamed as the Stitchwraith broke the door down. "Please! Please warn me before doing something like that!" She exclaimed.
"The door was locked." Andrew said.
"Just... whatever! Did you find anything?" She asked. "Well... Jake says he thinks something's off about that ball pit over there." Andrew said, pointing at the ball pit in the corner of the room. Millie looked where he was pointing and tilted her head. "What'a wrong with it? The worst thing we could possibly find in there is a dirty sock." She said.
"No, I don't think that's it. Can't you feel it? The cold?" Jake asked in an unsettled voice. Millie looked at it again and tried to understand what he meant by that.
That's when it hit her. Her hairs stood on end and she felt a shiver run through her body. She even started to feel sick just looking at the thing. Looking back at them, the slight discomfort in her face was visible.
"I think we've found what we're looking for." Andrew said. They exited the kitchen and walked towards the ball pit, the air feeling colder to Millie. She couldn't understand why a ball pit would make her feel like this. Maybe... it wasn't the pit itself, but rather... something in the pit...
With a sudden scream, she clutched her head and fell to her knees. The Stitchwraith turned around, hearing her screams, and immediately rushed to her aid. They were careful not to touch her. "Millie?! Millie! What's wrong?! Millie, talk to me!" Jake exclaimed in panic.
In her head, Millie could hear the screams of... so many people, people who were supposed to be dead, but still here, people who were very much in pain. Their pain went on for ages and no help came for them. It overwhelmed Millie, shaking her to her core. She tried her hardest to brace herself for the things she had to witness when getting involved in this, but as it would turn out, she didn't have to see something for it to make her afraid. She felt fear from this ball pit, not just from herself, but also from the ball pit, among other emotions. Sorrow, panic, pain... that's what came to mind when she gazed upon this ball pit.
This was what they were looking for. This had to be the center of it all, the heart of agony was right before them, and it was terrifying her, overwhelming her. She needed to get ahold of herself, she realized. She couldn't break, not now. They were so close to fixing everything and here she was, curling into herself like a frightened child. Then again, that's all she was this whole time. She was just a child who got mixed up in all this. Andrew and Jake were only children too, and so were the people who were in constant danger because of this thing. Millie needed to find a way to suppress the screams and stay focused. She knew she'd find a way to put them to an end for good, but for now, she had to mute them from her mind before they tore her apart. Taking deep breaths and quieting her mind, she heard the screams fade and the emotions leave her.
As her mind returned to reality, Millie looked up to see the Stitchwraith. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Millie! Are you alright?!" Andrew asked, desperately.
"Yeah... yeah, I am." Millie answered, standing back up. "That ball pit... it's so... so..."
"Evil?" Jake finished. Millie nodded. "We have to destroy it."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Jake asked. "How else?" Andrew asked, sarcastically. "We burn this whole restaurant down."
Millie blinked in surprise, but Jake beat her to a response. "Andrew! We can't just burn down a restaurant!"
"Well, what choice do we have?! Either we set this place on fire, or more people get hurt! Besides, this place has been in business for too long." Andrew argued. Millie agreed with the point he was making. It's not like anyone would miss this place anyway since it looks like hardly anyone comes here.
"He's right... this is the place where it all started... so, let's end it here." Millie declared. "Well, how do we even do that? It's not like any of us are carrying fire right now." Jake said. Millie looked back at the kitchen and it clicked.
"The stove. All we have to do is cause a gas leak from the stove, ignite it when the time is right, and this whole place will burst into flames." Millie said, making her way into the kitchen. With a lot of strain, she started pulling the oven away from the wall to expose the gas line.
"All we have to do is break this." Millie said. "How do we know when the time is right?" Jake asked.
"I don't think you'd know, but if I start smelling rotten eggs, then that'll be the time to leave." Millie explained. "Uhh... would you mind breaking the line, please?" Millie requested. Andrew used the Stitchwraith to grab onto the line and pull it apart. The pipe groaned as the metal started bending. With a tug, the line snapped and they heard a hissing sound.
"Okay, let's not touch any of the lights." Millie said. "Hmm... I wonder how we're gonna ignite the gas, though." She said to herself. As an idea sparked in her head, she nearly instructed them to follow her to the office, but the door opening distracted them. When they turned towards the door, Millie's heart stopped and the Stitchwraith took a surprised step back. In the doorway stood Eleanor, a smirk on her face.
"YOU'VE COME HOME, ANDREW."
Wasting no time at all, black tendrils erupted out of Eleanor's back and wrapped around the Stitchwraith, completely immobilizing it as she tossed it into the ball pit. Millie called out to them, but there was no response. She turned back towards Eleanor with a look of rage on her face.
"AT LAST."
END OF CHAPTER XXIX
YOU ARE READING
THE CYCLE OF TORMENT
FanfictionMillie Fitzsimmons barely survived the attempt on her life made by Funtime Freddy. Now, she is traumatized by the attack. She has constant nightmares. She cannot get any sleep. One day, she decides that enough is enough and that she had to find a wa...
