Finding The Five || FNAF Movie

23 || Regroup

(Unedited, Not Proofread, 3976 words)
Trigger Warnings: Descriptions of blood, mentions of (not descriptions of) corpses

When I get inside, I don't stop for my flashlight or Charlie or Jeremy or the stage or anything. I take one glance at the floor to make sure I won't trip, and then I run straight from the access door all the way to the Kid's Cove door. I almost yank the old knob out of its wooden resting place as I twist it and shove my way in. 

"Jonah!" I panic, my eyes racing straight to the source of the beam of his flashlight. He's holding it, his eyes on mine as he stands almost in the center of the room. The small cut near his eyebrow now has a few twins, most of them scattered across his face. His lip is busted, but other than that, he seems to be in alright shape. His clothes aren't ripped, his flashlight is still on and in his possession, and Mangle is behind him, also looking at me. 

The beam of his flashlight flicks over to me and everything falls silent for a moment. 

He's okay, I try to convince myself. Look. He's right there and he's okay.

"Josie," he whispers, taking a few steps forward. I practically crumble as I scurry towards him, my legs giving out more and more every step until I can grab onto and hold and hug him. He hugs me back, his flashlight pressing into my back as he squeezes. "Are you okay? Is everything okay?" 

"Yeah," I cry, trying to discreetly wipe my tears away as I bury my face into his shoulder. 

He's okay. 

He's okay. 

He's okay.

"You did it," he says after a moment, turning a bit so I can see Mangle fully. He doesn't let go or try to end the hug, he just allows me more space to see the animatronic, which watches us from near the piles of bones, its head tilted. A second passes before he adds, "Josie, this is Sam... and company." 

"Hi," I whisper, using my right hand to wave to the animatronic. The mess of metal lifts a hand and waves back, an oddly human response. 

"What happened out there?" Jonah asks, and I loosen my grip on him. We step apart and he adds, "It took a minute for you to get through to her, didn't it?"

"It did," I confirm, looking back over at the cracked door. "I got sucked into a memory... a death. She pulled me out of it to brag and I took that chance to run. Jeremy helped me." 

"How did you get her to let go of Sam?" he questions, and I remember the feeling of the sticky wet paper in between my fingers, the sensation of memories peeling apart like putty in my hands as Charlie slips away. 

"She made her forget me," a new voice whispers, and I glance over to see a female spirit standing between the Mangle and I. 

I recognize her immediately by her uncanny similarity to Jonah. The brown hair, the freckles, the blue eyes, the snarky angsty-teen sparkle in her irises. I expected her to appear as a kid, but I guess breaking Charlie's hold over her let that part of Sam's past pass her by. 

She was able to move on.

Somewhat.

"Sam," I say, nodding my head politely, "it's... lovely to see you."

She says nothing for a moment, then she lowers her head as if she's bowing to something and her soft voice calmly states, "Thank you, Josie." 

"Of... of course," I reply, glancing over at Jonah for support. He smiles at me, his blue eyes shining with tears. 

I wish he could see her. 

Can he hear her?

"It's been years since I've been free from her," Sam whispers, crossing her arms over her chest and looking up at the room around her. "It feels good to be out."