Security Breach - Sequin

Take Care Of The Living

According to the lights, nearly three hours had passed. The bulb in the room never fully went out, but it dimmed whenever the power was diverted. The chilly room had warmed to a pleasant, almost cozy temperature thanks to the oven.

Freddy sat against the oven, Care slumped against him. She wasn't crying anymore, but would occasionally sniffle or let out a shaking sigh. Freddy wanted to say something to her, but had no clue what to say.

He said nothing. There was too much going on in his head. His situation had drastically changed in the past few hours, going from hiding in the walls to protecting a lost child, from never speaking a word to explaining that he was in denial and needed help, from running away to running toward danger. He'd fought his brother, fled from his sister, and done a favor for both Care and himself by finally getting rid of Gregory's body.

So then... what now? They still couldn't leave. They were still in danger from the purple... thing. Glitch? Person? He wasn't entirely sure what the purple thing was. Vanny had mentioned her master, referring to a "him." Maybe there was a person behind the purple light. If that was so, maybe that person could be stopped.

Freddy interrupted the thought and glanced at Care. Who were they against an army? Especially his friends. Roxy, Monty, and Chica were easily the highest threat, but there was no way they'd stop pursuing them unless they were decommissioned. Permanently.

His circuits thrummed with a new feeling Freddy recognized.

Despair.

He didn't want to kill his friends! He'd be no better than the one who took them from him! He'd do what he had to in order to protect himself, but he wouldn't be cruel. Some awful accidents befell Roxy and Monty already, and Gregory had taken the opportunity to use their pieces to upgrade Freddy like some cruel Frankenstein's monster.

The boy didn't have a problem with it and for his sake, Freddy pretended not to, as well, playing dumb as to how Gregory got the parts.

Freddy's head dipped. The accidents that mangled his friends weren't accidents. He knew that. Gregory had intentionally lured his friends into dangerous situations and taken them down. Freddy had pretended not to be bothered because the parts were useful and helped him protect Gregory while crippling two major threats.

Crippling. But not deterring. He had seen it already tonight. Roxy and Monty were still threats, and the glitch person's control made that threat fatal.

Freddy looked at his hands. He might have to accept the reality that, like the STAFF bots, there would be no stopping his corrupted friends unless he decommissioned them for good.

His hands curled into fists. Last resort. Killing them would be a last resort. He didn't want to hurt them. Stars, please, don't force him to kill them.

"F-eddy?" Care asked, her voice raspy and cracking.

Freddy immediately turned his attention to the girl. "Yes? What is it?"

"M- hand -urts..."

"May I see?" Freddy held out a hand, which Care set her injured one in.

It didn't look good. The entire right half of her hand had turned red and purple. Areas over her knuckles and side of her palm were swollen. Her last two fingers didn't align with the rest of them.

"I... think your hand is broken," said Freddy. He looked toward the hidden door, "I know there is a first aid station nearby. We could-"

"No," Care snatched her hand back, "He isn't done yet. I'm not leaving until he is."

Freddy glanced at the oven. "But, Care, if you are in pain..."

"I'll be fine." The way her voice cracked didn't make her sound convincing.