When They Were Lost . . . (Sequel to That Time In 1987. . . .)

25: Ben

(Fanart in the media by Kamikaze--)

Chica's POV

"So . . ." Chica remarked. "We all have these powers because we're being possessed by these children . . . that Jonathan murdered because they have these powers . . . and he wants those powers to use . . . and with the power he has, he's going to hunt us down. And try to kill us." 

It was all quite a bit to take in. She never thought that something could be so complicated. That she would have to live something like that. To experience the dangers that Jonathan held for them just so she could guard something deep inside of her . . .

Guard.

Guardian.

A realization clicked inside her mind.

"Guardian!" Chica snapped. "Remember when I had that vision of Freddy's death and I was left with the words: You are a Guardian? What if that's what this all is? We are the Guardians of these childr--"

Pain erupted deep inside Chica's skull. She squinted and gasped for breath, pain tearing across her brain. Her friends came to her side as she collapsed. Tears leaked from her eyes.

Their shouts of concern faded away as Chica slipped off.

The blackness of her eyelids began to change, morphing into something. Like a dream, but this was more noticeable. She knew that she would recognize what she would see. 

Echoes . . . echoes . . . echoes . . . "B . . . B . . . B . . . Ben . . . Ben. Give me your power . . . now."

The scene warped into an enclosed room. The room looked more like a run-down jail than the cells that Chica and her friends had been stuck in. There was a young boy chained up to the floor, his face pressed into the floor. His shirt had been ripped to shreds, stained with blood.

"Ngh . . . no. You tried to kill me once . . . you'll fail again . . ."

Chica remembered what Bonnie had told them, about the murders and about Ben almost being a victim of Jonathan. Was Ben the person she was seeing?

Purple light filled the room as energy was shot at the boy. A piercing scream permeated the air as the energy brightened. 

It then stopped, showing Ben in a little bit worse of a condition. His head raised from the floor as he got up onto his hands and knees. "Stop . . . now . . ."

"Why don't you use your power to get out of this trap?" Jonathan snickered.

"My power doesn't involve . . . ngh . . . it doesn't involve offense or defense . . ." Ben seethed through gritted teeth. 

Chica wanted to scream at Jonathan to stop hurting Ben, but it only seemed to drag on like a horrible horror movie. She could only watch as Jonathan sent another beam of energy at the helpless young boy. Ben screamed as the energy overtook him.

It then stopped. "Tell me where they are and I will free you. I know you know, Ben."

Chica felt her real self breathing hard. The vision was painful to watch. Ben was just a child. Why did he need to go through this torture? 

"I promise I know . . . but . . . if you almost killed me before, you won't do so ever again." Ben laid his head on the ground. "Go ahead, torture me all you wa--GAAAAH!" Another flash of purple light and more screaming. Chica wondered with horror if Jonathan was going to try and kill Ben. No, he wouldn't. He needed information, and he wouldn't stop until he got it.

"I need the power, I need the power so I can . . ." Jonathan licked his lips. "Never mind, but I need that power. Give it to me and you can live a happy childhood."

"A happy childhood?" A rusty laugh filled the room as Ben looked up at Jonathan with terrifyingly bloodshot eyes. "A happy childhood? You think that with you running rampant destroying everything will give me a happy childhood? Don't you realize I've already lost my innocence? I watched you murder my friends. I watched you the first time you had every power. Do you realize that isn't a happy childhood? That's just about the closest thing to a living hell I can get."

Silence, and nothing more or less. 

Jonathan then spoke, and Chica's stomach dropped. "You realize that it's not just the powers I want? The four children, Bonnie, Freddy, Foxy, and Chica, are Guardians. They are the only humans capable of holding power, of being possessed by children. If I can kill them, I'll be the only Guardian, and those stupid children will all be mine."

"You just revealed your plan to me, you realize that, right?"

Jonathan leaned into Ben's ear. Chica could barely hear, but she thought she could make out the words: "Or did I?" He stepped back and watched over Ben. "I guess that you'll be the only one who knows if you stay here. If you won't tell me where the Guardians are, I will find them myself. It's so horrible because innocent lives will be lost because you won't give me something that's mine. Just like a child."

"I am a child. And die those people will if it means millions more will be safe from you."

Jonathan's face suddenly flashed with an idea. It then faded into a wide grin. "If the Guardians won't come to me, then I'll make them. Goodbye, Ben. When you die in here, let's hope your spirit comes running to me."

Ben's mouth opened as though he were to say something, but it was interrupted by another flash of light. There was no screaming.

When the light dissipated, Ben was laying sprawled on the floor. Chica's theoretical eyes started to well up with tears. Was he . . . ?

Then she noticed the slight rise and fall of his chest. He was alive, but Jonathan was out somewhere, alive as well.

The vision faded away into Chica's eyelids. Then, she opened them. 

All around her, she saw the worried faces of Freddy, Bonnie, and Foxy. Freddy's eyes glistened brightly.

"Chica . . ." Foxy whimpered. "What did you see?"

She was speechless. Jonathan was coming to kill them. Jonathan was going to murder innocent people. Ben was in danger. What was Jonathan going to do that would make them come after him? 

"I . . . um . . . Ben is in danger. He's locked up and he's being tortured by Jonathan. Now, Jonathan is out to do something that we don't know, but all I know is that he's not going to be doing anything nice. He's going to murder people. Bad things are going to happen . . . and . . ." She gulped, holding back the part of them all being a lethal target from Jonathan. 

Chica gritted her teeth, anger animating her face. "We're packing up. Go home and get some stuff together. Because we're running away."