Chapter Text
He needed to get out of there. He needed to get Abby out of there. He crouched down beside her and encouraged her to leave. She was still crying over her friends' departure, and Mike felt a pang of sadness. It was true that he hadn't known them well, nor did he feel the same connection with them as Abby did, but they had saved them, and he was grateful.
But they had to go. He wanted to leave right now. Get her out of there right now. So, after helping Abby to her feet, they started walking toward the exit.
He heard footsteps. He knew they were Vanessa's, and Mike's blood boiled. This was all her fault. If she had told him about that crazy man she called brother, or about the bloodthirsty ghost that haunted the place, Abby wouldn't have been put in such danger.
She was even possessed…
Mike froze and looked at Vanessa. He had to be strong; he knew he had to make this decision if he wanted to keep Abby safe. “Stay away.” Vanessa looked at him, confused, her eyes wide with surprise.
“What?”
Mike was silent for a moment, considering whether this was the right thing to do. His whole body trembled, but he had to be firm, especially now that he could hear Abby and Jeremiah talking together outside. He had to do this for Abby.
“I don’t trust you. Just stay away.”
He knew those words hit Vanessa like a ton of bricks, but he couldn’t back down, no. So he set off, hoping this whole nightmare was finally over.
Outside, Jeremiah and Abby were talking about things Mike didn’t want to hear. He glanced to the side and saw a plaque on the lawn. He went over and immediately knew whose it was. He wanted to throw it to the ground, break it, crush it, destroy anything that represented that psychopath who had endangered him and his sister. However, he didn't; he kept it. He tried to convince himself that it was so he could talk to Jeremiah about it. But why not just call him "that maniac with a badge on his chest"? Why take it with him?
He didn't know.
And yet he continued on his way, trying to catch up with Jeremiah and Abby, who had walked several blocks ahead.
"Mike, Mike," his sister said, sounding a bit more animated. "Jeremiah said we can stay at his place."
Mike looked at his friend. "I don't want us to be a bother to you, Jeremiah."
"Mike," Jeremiah's voice sounded like a warning, not annoyed, but rather telling Mike that he should accept the offer. That it was best for Abby and for him.
Mike thought for a few seconds. Jeremiah was right. If he didn't accept, he would have to go back home and run into Vanessa again. And now things were going to be very awkward after what he'd said to her.
"Fine."
"That's great, dude." Jeremiah smiled, and together they started walking toward his house.
They had eaten dinner together that night. Jeremiah had managed to cheer Abby up a bit by asking her about her friends at school. At first, the mention of friends saddened her, reminding her of those from Freddy's, but then a friend she had made that year came up in the conversation. Jeremiah congratulated her on that.
Mike, on the other hand, was still lost in his own thoughts, reminiscing about what had happened earlier. How could Vanessa not have thought to tell him in those two years that she had a brother? Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
Why hadn't she told him? He was trying so hard to make her feel better, and she went and hid such crucial information from him. As crucial as the existence of Charlotte, who had been Vanessa's old friend, and whom he wouldn't have known about if it hadn't been for Henry and everything that had happened.
Had he failed her by trying to show her that he was willing to listen?
“So, what do you think, Mike?”
Mike heard his sister’s voice and snapped out of his trance. He looked at Jeremiah, trying to get some clue as to what Abby was talking about.
“I think he thinks it’s a good plan, right, Mike?”
“Huh?” From what it seemed, she was talking about doing something. “Sure.”
Abby got up from the table and hugged him. “Thanks, Mike.”
Still confused, he hugged her back. “Don’t thank me, Abby. You’re my sister, and you know you can always count on me for anything.”
Abby stepped back a little and smiled slightly before asking, “And is Vanessa coming?”
He felt a pang in his chest at the sound of that name. Mike looked at Jeremiah, and Abby’s gaze shifted to Jeremiah as well. “Oh, I don’t know, guys,” he replied, a little nervous under the gaze of both siblings.
Abby then looked at Mike again, and he became quite tense.
“Mike, Jeremiah told me Vanessa wasn’t coming with us. Why?”
He wondered if he should tell Abby the truth. He wondered how Abby would react to his decision. He was afraid. Part of him wanted to hide the truth from her. To try to delay the inevitable. But then he remembered when, a few days earlier, Abby had run away and gone to Freddy’s, where he used to work, to fix her friends. She believed they were there. Because of his lies. It wasn’t entirely a lie, since they had come to him when he needed them, but Mike understood that he couldn’t lie to Abby again.
“I told her to stay away.”
Abby was surprised. “Why did you do that?”
Mike saw disappointment in Abby’s eyes and felt that pang even more intensely. “Abby, I had to do it.”
“No! She saved me from Foxy two years ago. She came to help us. She helped us this time too. She even chose us over her brother. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?!”
Mike was surprised by the side of Abby that was coming out. The only time he’d seen her upset was when he’d left her with Aunt Jane during his last shift at Freddy’s. Mike understood her then; he didn’t like Aunt Jane’s personality.
But this time was different. This time he wasn’t doing it out of a selfish desire to find her dead brother. No, this time he was doing it for her.
“Abby, I know it sounds harsh. But you have to understand that I almost lost you because of her. If only she had told me the truth, none of this would have happened.”
He tried to reason with Abby, but she just shook her head. “You’re an idiot! I hate you!” She snapped before heading to the room where she was going to sleep that night.
Mike felt devastated. Hearing those words come out of his sister's mouth made him feel like a piece of trash. He looked at Jeremiah with teary eyes, and Jeremiah gave him a supportive look. "Do you think I was unfair with my decision?"
"I can understand that you did it for her. Abby seems very attached to her. She only had Vanessa, you, and me. And now that Vanessa's gone, it's a big change for her. Give her time, Mike. You'll see, she'll understand."
Mike started wiping away his tears, feeling a little better. "Thanks, Jeremiah."
"You're welcome, man. By the way, that brother Abby was talking about is the same weirdo who ran away from your house."
Mike felt his blood boil at the thought of that maniac. “The same one,” he said, his voice tinged with annoyance, as he pulled the security badge the guy was wearing from his pocket. “Looks like he was a security guard at the original Freddy’s, the one where Charlotte died,” he explained, handing him the badge.
Jeremiah took it and examined it with a hint of curiosity. “I don’t know who would want to hire such a weirdo.”
Considering that his father hired me to set me up, I wonder if anyone else knew which guards were being sent to that place. It's an abandoned place, Jeremiah. Why would they need security guards? I didn't ask myself that question at the time because I needed the job, but the whole thing smelled fishy. That's why I'm wondering if I was really hired by someone or if it was all a cover-up.”
Jeremiah analyzed those words for a few seconds while looking at the badge. “I understand.” Then he looked at him. “And why did you keep his badge?”
Again, those questions he didn't know how to answer.
“Well, to show it to you, of course.”
“But I'd already seen it before.” Besides, it's not like that weirdo's most noticeable characteristic.”
He was right about that. That maniac definitely had crazy eyes. Eyes that rivaled Afton's in madness.
Mike remained silent, wondering why Michael's plaque had been kept, but quickly changed the subject. Perhaps in an attempt to put that question out of his mind.
“But that's not the point, Jeremiah. The point is that that maniac is still out there. I have to find him.”
“I understand, but how will you do it?”
“That's what I'm still trying to figure out.”
Silence reigned between them as Mike's mind raced, trying to devise a way to find that psychopath. Jeremiah returned the badge, ending the conversation and leaving Mike with that question nagging at him, a question that refused to fade. Annoyed, he went to his room, hoping to finally get some sleep after such a long day.
Standing outside his bedroom door, he said, "Good night, Jeremiah."
"Good night, Mike," Jeremiah replied, still in the kitchen.
Mike opened his door and placed the badge on the nightstand before going to bed. He lay down facing away from the badge, trying to forget it existed. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind.
The days had passed. They had already returned to their usual home after thanking Jeremiah for hosting them that night. He felt somewhat uneasy returning to that place. Not only because it was where everything had happened, but also because that maniac Michael could return if he wanted. After all, he knew where they lived.
Related to that madman was the badge that Mike still carried with him, even though he didn't know why. He just kept it with him…
When he arrived home the first day after that night, he realized that the animatronics weren't there. He assumed Vanessa had taken them. After that, he didn't want to think about her anymore.
Abby's anger, although not as pronounced, was still there. Mike felt quite impatient about it; he was doing all this for her and hoped she would understand. But then he remembered Jeremiah's words and decided that the best thing was to give her time.
That same day, Abby left home and headed to the school bus. Mike watched her board, making sure nothing bad had happened to her. He sighed with relief when he saw her on the bus and then closed the door.
"You really care about her, don't you?"
Mike jumped at the suddenness of the voice, but then his heart began to pound as he recognized it. He turned toward where he had heard it and there he saw him. Standing before him was that maniac who called himself Michael Afton. In his hand he held a knife, and a smug smile played on his lips. But what Mike couldn't tear his gaze away from, terrified, were those eyes that reflected so much madness.
He was scared, and his body was tense, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. He quickly ran to the kitchen. "You want to play, huh?" That maniacal idiot was saying to Mike in a sing-song voice that sent shivers down his spine. Mike knew he didn't have much time to search, so he grabbed any knife he could find. Michael reached the kitchen and opened the door, finding Mike holding the knife with trembling hands.
"Stay away!" he yelled, trying to sound threatening.
However, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Michael started laughing like a maniac. "I knew it would be fun to scare you, but this is way better than I imagined."
This guy is seriously crazy.
Mike felt a chill run down his spine but tried not to flinch. "What are you doing here?!"
As if under a spell, Mike's words transformed Michael's face into one of complete seriousness. "I need your help."
"My help?" he asked, confused. "My help for what?! To kill?!"
Michael shook his head, frowning. "I need your help to save my sister from Charlotte."
Mike couldn't believe what he was hearing. The man who had almost killed them a few days ago was now asking for his help to save Vanessa from… Charlotte?
“Wait, what do you mean with Charlotte?” Mike wasn't pointing the knife at Michael anymore; he was holding it with the bare minimum of strength so it wouldn't fall from his hands.
“Oh, right. Since you were an idiot and pushed her out of your life, you don't know.” Mike frowned, annoyed at being judged by that crazy psychopath. “It turns out that since you let her go, Charlotte took advantage of that and took control of her body.”
Mike looked away, feeling bad for her. But he still felt it wasn't his fault. Charlotte would try to possess her anyway, whether Vanessa was with them or not.
Then he looked at Michael. “And why are you telling me this?”
“Oh, I thought you'd be more eager to rescue your sweetheart.” He sounded mocking, but also annoyed.
Mike couldn't understand why Michael seemed so upset saying those words, but he didn't really care. "I just want a normal life for my sister and me. So get lost!"
Michael seemed to ponder for a few seconds. "So that kid is the most important thing to you?" Mike clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the knife, knowing where this was going.
"Don't even think about it."
"Bingo. You really do care about your sister." Michael started walking menacingly toward Mike. Mike pointed the knife at Michael again, but Michael punched him in the stomach, causing enough pain for Mike to drop the knife. Michael, still holding the knife, grabbed Mike by the collar and slammed him hard against the wall. Mike groaned in pain, which made Michael laugh loudly. "Your screams sound good," he whispered with a maniacal smile.
Mike started struggling to break free. "Let me go!"
“You’re so funny, Mikey,” he hissed, that smile plastered on his face. But it didn’t last long. The knife pressed closer to Mike’s throat. “But stubborn too. Now listen carefully. If you don’t want anything bad to happen to your dear sister, you’re going to help me.”
Mike was furious. Why did the world have to put him through all this madness again? He tried to pull away. But all he got was the knife pressing against his skin. It didn’t cut, but the threat was clear.
“So? Are you going to help me, or are you going to play the hero a little longer?”
“Fuck off.”
Michael pressed a little harder, impatient. “Answer yes or no.”
“Yes, you fucking idiot!”
Hearing his answer, Michael’s smile returned to his face. “That’s perfect, Mikey.” Then he dropped him. Mike took advantage of the moment and tried to grab the knife that was still on the ground, but Michael kicked it away. Then Michael began grabbing Mike's hair tightly, pulling it back and causing him excruciating pain. "What did I tell you, Mikey? Do you want your sister to die?"
Cornered, Mike could do nothing. He had to help this guy. He knew Vanessa was being controlled, but he didn't want to drag Abby and himself into this mess, nor did he want to see her again.
"So, Mikey, are you going to help me, or would you rather watch me kill your sister right in front of you?"
"Try it and see!"
Michael yanked Mike's head back further, making him scream in pain. "See what, Mikey? You really think you're in control of this? No. You're completely at my mercy, and I love it."
"You're a fucking psychopath," he said, his breath ragged from screaming.
“Maybe. But you’re going to help this psychopath find his sister whether you like it or not.”
After a few more seconds, Michael let go, and he fell forward. Mike stared at the ground, wondering what working with this maniac would bring. He knew Michael’s supposed intentions were good, but there was no guarantee that after achieving his goal, he wouldn’t try to kill Abby and him again. That’s why his heart pounded, a constant reminder that he would have to be careful around Michael from now on.