(A/N: Nearly three months since my last overall update, and just over six months since my last update to this story. Procrastination at its finest. The only good part about this being late is the fact that it should be relatively mistake-free, because I've spent at least a week working on this. I couldn't think of a better title to this chapter, but I hope you enjoy my incredibly late update.)

Fighting Fire with Ice

A warm breath exits my lungs, visible in the frosty air as I walk away from the recently shut car door. With a cold soda cup of water in my left hand, I use my right hand to take out the slightly warm keys belonging to the pizzeria's singular lock. Why the manager gave me a whole set of keys for one simple lock, I don't know. Why he decided that one simple lock is sufficient to keep any potential burglars out, I don't know either. What I do know, is that I'm unreasonably frustrated right now, evident in the way I just slammed the door behind me.

Why are those dreams affecting me so much? Actually, scratch that, it's not those stupid dreams. Some type of higher power is affecting my brain and I don't like it one bit. Now I have to get through 6 more hours of this crap, and for what? Money that'll allow me to scrape by for the rest of the month? Gee, how nice. I should actually just leave this place and find a better job. One that won't have me risking my damn life.

I feel my heart rate rise before I realise that I'm already in the over sized office where I will most likely die later this week if not tonight. Glancing at the clock as I sit down, I see that I still have 7 minutes before my shift starts.

Enough time to escape the fate that will likely fall upon me within the next 6 hours.

Without necessarily meaning to, I find myself slamming the soda cup on the table before violently shoving the crumpled papers off of the desk. How I wish I could break something right now. Suddenly, I pause. Disappointment floods my gut as I realise that I'm unintentionally attempting to fill this empty pit in my stomach with anger, as if I'm back in the days when I was depressed.

As if something actually happened to make me feel this way. This shouldn't be happening.

I look up at the ceiling and scowl.

Why are you doing this to me, huh? I seriously don't have time to be some dead person's puppet, I mean, what makes me so special as to re-live the events of this bloody pizzeria through my dreams? Why are you making me feel so empty inside? Stupid supernatural piece of-

My head jerks downwards to the sharp sound of the ringing phone that interrupted my irrational thoughts.

Great, this guy again. What nonsense is going to spout from his mouth this time?

As I reach to pick up the phone, I realise that I need to calm down soon or else my chances of surviving this night will head straight down the drain. I take a deep breath before finally picking up the phone.

"Hello hello! See? I told you you wouldn't have any problems!"

Well then clearly you had no idea what happened here last night.

"Did...uh... Did Foxy ever appear in the hallway?"

Yes.

"Probably not. I was just curious."

I roll my eyes and pick up the tablet as the phone guy tells me that Foxy was always his favourite. Apparently the people at the pizzeria tried to remake him, putting him in Kid's Cove, but all the toddlers kept on taking him apart. As expected, nothing eventful is happening on the cameras, just that the music box is slightly unwound and the entanglement of wires is still making those static noises.

"The staff literally has to put Foxy back together after every shift. So eventually they stopped trying and left him as some 'take apart and put back together' attraction. Now he's just a mess of parts. I think the employees refer to him as just "The Mangle." Uh..."

'The Mangle', eh? Better than 'Spider Foxy' or 'entanglement of wires'. I'll take it.

I put the tablet back down as he says something about 'easing my mind' about any rumours I might have heard lately. I decide to listen intently to the rest of the call.

"You know how these local stories come and go and seldom mean anything. I can personally assure you that, whatever is going on out there, and however tragic it may be, has nothing to do with our establishment. It's all just rumour and speculation... People trying to make a buck. You know... Uh, our guard during the day has reported nothing unusual. And he's on watch from opening 'til close."

Yeah well of course he couldn't have reported anything unusual because the animatronics all act normal during the day, dammit!

"Okay, well anyway, hang in there and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

The end of the call allows me to realise two things. One, while the phone guy was talking I was feeling relatively calmer than when I just allowed my thoughts to do whatever the hell they wanted, and two, the phone guy said nothing that I could use as a way to defend myself against these deranged animatronics. These realisations mean two things. One, I need to find something to distract myself from my irrational anger, and two, I'll have to rely on what I've learnt along with my instinct in order to form a strategy to survive this night.

But then again, I'm pretty sure I got this. I just have to be more careful with Balloon Boy and the Mangle and I'll be set for the night. Piece of cake.

I flash the light down the hall only to see Foxy standing there already. A quick glance at the clock tells me that it has literally only been 4 minutes and the pirate animatronic has already moved from his spot to come and kill me. Whether or not flashing the light on and off will ward him away more quickly, I don't know. What I do know, however, is that it's my best bet right now. I can only hope that this on and off flashing doesn't end up draining the flashlight's battery faster, because I sure as hell don't want to just sit here and anticipate my death by an animatronic that I once loved to bits.

Soon the flashlight 'jams', which just means that Foxy is moving out of the hall. I check the vent lights out of habit before picking up the bulky metal tablet to wind up the music box and check the other cameras. The only thing that changed since the last time I checked the cameras was that the music box unwound a quarter of the way. Not that I'm complaining. Placing the flat metal brick on the table, I flash the light down the hall once more before pausing to just think.

I seem to have calmed down substantially in just 2 minutes, a good sign. I'd better prepare myself for a sudden increase in animatronic activity though. If I'm not mistaken, they'll only get more active as the week goes on, if last night was any indication. So far, so good, I guess.

I feel the pit in my stomach grow ever larger as I sit in solitude. The only noise I hear is the low hum of the lights and the light breeze flowing past my ears, courtesy of the silver fan perched on the desk in front of me.

Why am I feeling like this? Can a spirit or ghost actually affect someone's brain like mine is being affected right now? It seems a bit far-fetched if you ask me, but it's the only explanation for it right now. The real question is why would they make me feel like this? So that I can feel what they're feeling right now? That's just...selfish. It's not like I don't want to help them or anything, so if that is the case, then-

The sound of metal clinking together snaps me out of my thoughts. I instinctively flash the light down the hall, finding nothing, before picking up the large device to check the cameras. Kid's Cove is now empty, with the Mangle having moved to the Prize Corner. I wind up the music box before shifting my attention to the show stage. Miraculously, none of the three main toy animatronics have decided to move off stage yet. Feeling slight relief, I check the Game Area, finding Balloon Boy standing as still as a statue. Lastly, I check Parts and Service to find each of the old animatronics in their places, so I decide to put the tablet on the desk.

Another flash of the light down the hall reveals nothing, so I sit back in my chair and resume thinking.

If I'm not mistaken, the mysterious spirits that are messing with me have to be children. I'm apparently only the second night guard at this place, so they can't be adults. That might explain why they're making me feel what I assume they're feeling right now, which would be emptiness. Only thing is, whenever I feel empty, my stupid subconscious decides to try and fill that hole with anger, which I utterly despise. After that, the anger turns into disappointment, which ends up changing into sadness which only ends up making the hole even larger.

Then the whole cycle starts all over again. Distractions can only delay the cycle, so the only way out of it is if I find something positive to shrink that hole down. My only question is: what will that thing be? When I was younger, I was lucky enough to have my distraction, video games, bring out happiness in me, so I felt...fulfilled, I guess. But then again, I suspect that this feeling of emptiness is induced by the spirits of these children, so it might not go away if I find something positive to fill up this emptiness. I might need to find a way to help these kids if I want a shot at getting rid of this feeling.

At that thought, I feel the emptiness recede a little bit. I don't care whether this is my imagination or not, just that it stays this way. However, the little 'cycle' that I just thought about will probably just end up expanding the hole in the pit of my stomach regardless. I decide to flash the light down the hall since I have no idea how long I zoned out. Luckily, Foxy isn't standing there, so I check the vent lights before performing a quick camera sweep.

For some reason I failed to notice the red warning light until I checked CAM 11, so I quickly rectified that before searching the other cameras. The entangled animatronic was hanging from the ceiling of the Game Area, a few inches away from hanging directly above the Balloon Boy. I check the Show Stage and I find something that I was not expecting. All three of the regular toy animatronics are still on stage. Seems oddly convenient if you ask me. Just before the tablet touches the desk, I decide to check the other cameras out of gut instinct.

Something I was definitely not expecting to see was the old Bonnie standing in a doorway at the far end the Main Hall.

What the hell?

My heart rate rises drastically and I feel the blood rushing out of my face.

This can't be real.

I check the Parts and Service camera feed, only to see that Bonnie is no longer sitting slumped against the wall. I switch the camera feed back to the Main Hall, finding that he is still standing there.

You're not serious right now.

I put the large device back on the desk before slumping in my chair with an open jaw and wide eyes to match it. It's one thing to see a friendly looking but murderous animatronic character wandering a pizzeria at night. It's basically a completely different thing to see a torn apart animatronic character that's supposedto be out of commission walking around a pizzeria at night. An animatronic that currently only has one and a half arms and a head with no face.

To say that I'm horrified is an understatement.

I decide to flash the light down the hall before I give myself a short timeout to acquaint myself with reality. As a result, I find Foxy standing there, simply waiting for me to slip up so he can kill me. As I flash the light I can't help but think that it almost feels natural to have the old Foxy still active.

I mean, it's not like he's torn up too badly. He still has a face and both arms. It's basically just parts of his 'fur' that's torn away from his body. If anything, his endoskeleton is perfectly fine. Bonnie on the other hand...how is that even possible? I guess his endoskeleton must be in working condition, even if it's just barely.

The familiar buzzing sound when I try to flash the flashlight tells me that Foxy has found something better to do with his life. I check the vent lights as I feel blood returning to my pale face, resulting in an uncomfortable heat hovering around my head. Remembering the soda cup I filled with water, I reach out to pick it up, only to find that it's empty. I feel a frown forming on my face moments before I see that there were actually two soda cups on the desk, one of them being emptied by the previous guard. Frustrated at my stupidity, I end up throwing the empty soda cup on the floor.

There I go again. Calm the hell down, Jeremy. You're better than this. Those days are over.

I take a long, deep breath before I exhale what I believe to be all my negative emotions. I repeat the process a number of times as I scan the floor for a bin to throw all this trash into. Finding one to the left of the desk, I proceed to pick up the ruined soda cup and the papers before throwing all but one of them into the bin.

If tonight is going to be anything like last night, this should help to relieve some stress.

My gaze shifts to the remaining soda cup on the desk. Noticing that the heat around my face subsided, I decide to abandon the idea of sipping some water in favour of saving it for when I feel particularly stressed. The sudden sound of Balloon Boy's childish laughter echoes around the dark halls. This, accompanied by the orange warning light sharply flashing from a point on the desk allows me to realise that I may have spent a bit too much time ignoring the tablet.

Refusing to waste more time, I quickly flash the light down the hall to find something that forces my heart rate to skyrocket. Standing at the far end of the hall leading to my office is the old Bonnie, seemingly staring at me even with his lack of a face. Instinctively, I check the vent lights before pulling down the Freddy head as if my life depends on it. I pause for a short moment.

My life does depend on it.

That thought almost makes me chuckle before I realise that this is actually a serious situation. I feel that my fingers have a death grip on the mask, so I loosen my grip enough so that blood can flow through their veins. As I do this, the orange warning light quickly changes to red. I hastily remove Freddy's head and flash the light down the hall, only to find that Bonnie is still standing there.

I have to act quickly. Surely there must be something I can do to ward Bonnie off faster-...hold up.

A memory resurfaces in my mind.

"Those older models would always get disoriented with bright lights. It would cause a system restart, or something."

Making use of this information, I flash the light on and off six times before picking up the cold metal device with the main purpose of winding up the music box. I only wind it up halfway before putting the tablet back on the desk to check on Bonnie. Trying to flash the light down the hall only results in a buzzing sound, so that means that he either left the hall or moved closer. If the sound of metal clinking together is any indication, I'd say that the Mangle took his place. I pick up the tablet once more and I wind up the music box completely before performing a quick camera sweep.

Toy Bonnie and Chica have left the Show Stage, with the rabbit moving to Party Room 3 and the chicken moving to the Main Hall. Both the Mangle and Balloon Boy are nowhere on the cameras, but there is a specific animatronic that isn't where it should be. The old Chica, with its head pretty much in two separate parts, and its handless arms spread out to the sides, is standing at the far wall of Party Room 4. Dumbfounded and locked in fear, I end up staring at the screen for about 10 seconds before Balloon Boy's laughter snaps me back to reality. I decide to check the other cameras, and in Party Room 1 I find the withered Bonnie, standing and staring at the camera with red eyes, before I put the bulky tablet back on the desk.

I flash the light down the hall to find the Mangle dangling from the ceiling, accompanied by none other than the original pirate fox standing in the middle of the hall. After flashing the light on and off repeatedly, I habitually check the vent lights before quickly checking the status of the flashlight battery as well as the time. I've used one bar of the flashlight battery and it's currently 2:17 AM.

I feel my heart pounding against my chest as I notice the uncomfortable amount of heat that is currently being generated by my body. I grab the soda cup from the desk and take a large sip of water, sloshing the refreshing liquid around in my mouth for a few seconds. I put it back down before pulling down the fuzzy Freddy head, after which I decide to wait for a short while in order to calm down a bit. Swallowing uncomfortably hard, I feel the water successfully cooling down my body temperature as it quickly travels down my oesophagus.

I need to calm down so I'll be able to react fast enough when the time comes. It seems like I'll have to deal with quite a few animatronics at a time, so I need my mental state to be in tip-top shape if I want to get out of here alive. Breathe, Jeremy. Just breathe.

As I do just that, I feel my heart rate slowly but surely lowering. I let go of Freddy's head so I can flash the light down the hall again. I hear two sounds when I push the button to turn on the flashlight: the familiar buzzing sound, – letting me know that the animatronics have moved from the hall – and the distinct sound of an animatronic clambering into the left air vent. I check the vent lights, finding nothing, before confirming which animatronic it is that crawled into the vent. With wide eyes, I stare at the faceless Bonnie as I feel my heart threatening to burst through my chest from fear.

How does he even fit in there?

I shut off the video feed by putting the silver tablet back on the desk. I fail to catch a breath.

Better yet...how did he even crawl in there? Why did he even crawl in there? Why and how did this get into his..."mind"? This is just messed up. This shouldn't happen!

I slowly get a hold on my breathing, closing my eyes to calm myself in preparation of the inevitable danger that I will soon face.

If I'm not mistaken, Bonnie should show up in the vent's blind spot before attacking, so that gives me some time to calm myself.

I decide to take another sip of water to quench the burning feeling that had grown in my throat. Closing my eyes for five seconds, I successfully calm myself down.

I did it...I think I should wind up the music box completely so that it doesn't run out while an animatronic is in my office.

I pick up the large device once more, winding up the music box completely before checking the other cameras. Aside from old Chica and the Mangle, none of the other animatronics have moved. Chica is now standing in Party Room 2, standing very close to the camera and staring at it with large eyes. Mangle, on the other hand, has opted to hang from the ceiling in Party Room 1. For some twisted reason, I decide to switch back to CAM 02. Before I can find any reason as to why this old Chica, this...thing is still active, I hear Balloon Boy's laughter, and the signal from the camera feed is interrupted. Strangely, I hear an animatronic either getting into or getting out of the left air vent.

Can two animatronics even fit into the same vent at once?

As if to answer my question, I see four robotic skeleton fingers slithering at the top of the tablet's display. The claw-like hand then forces the large metal device out of my hands and nearly slams it on the table, causing me to go into a temporary state of shock. The animatronic towering in front of me is none other than the purple rabbit guitarist, Bonnie. His head is tilted downwards, allowing his red eyes to stare directly into my soul. Without realising it, I sharply inhale a breath that stretches my lungs to their maximum capacity.

Come on Jeremy, now is not the time to be frozen!

The flashing lights help me to come to my senses, and the sound of static triggers something that my muscle memory recently learned. My arms shoot up above my head and pull the Freddy head down with an alarming amount of force, so much that my hands actually slipped right off. Luckily for me, something involving the interference caused by Bonnie's mere presence locks it into place, just like it did last night.

Perfect...now I can only hope that I wasn't too late.

The breath that was caught in my throat less than three seconds ago has swiftly exited my lungs, leaving me with a temporarily aching ribcage. I start hyperventilating in the empty head, which means that my breathing is about half as fast as my heart is beating right now. I close my eyes to avoid direct eye contact with the gigantic machine in front of me. I can barely hear the static over my own breathing at this point, and I'm forced to just wait until Bonnie decides to go away.

After what feels like an eternity, the static fades and my breathing slows down to a normal rate. I simply enjoy the silence for about seven seconds before I remember the other threats that I have to deal with soon, so I reluctantly push the hollow head back up to its usual resting place. I flash the light down the hall. Or rather, I try to flash the light down the hall, but it just makes a buzzing sound. Slightly annoyed, I check the vent lights, finding the Balloon Boy in the left vent's blind spot. Once again, I pull Freddy's head over my own.

A minute passes, and I hear an animatronic clumsily climbing into the right air vent. Since I haven't heard Balloon Boy crawl out of the left vent yet, I decide to leave Freddy's head on for a little while longer. Eventually, the plastic animatronic boy crawls out of the vent, allowing me the freedom and security to check on the other animatronics. An attempt at flashing the light down the hall again reveals Toy Chica standing there with a demented smile and a cupcake in her right hand, so I flash it on and off multiple times in hopes of restarting the bird's system. Next, I check CAM 11 and wind the music box up fully before checking on the other robotic creatures.

The withered Chica somehow crawled into the right air vent despite its lack of hands, and as a result I feel fear coursing through my body. Quickly thinking to find a distraction from my apparent distress, I check the other cameras. The bright blue Bonnie moved to Party Room 4 while the big brown bear, Toy Freddy, moved over to the Game Room. The entanglement of wires, better known as the Mangle, has opted to hang from the ceiling in Party Room 2. The Parts and Service camera feed reveals Foxy in his torn up state, along with a terrifying fact: the old Freddy isn't there anymore.

Frantically, I search the other cameras to find him standing next to the right doorway on the far end of the hall. The fact that he stares at the camera is more than enough to unnerve me, and as a result I instinctively switch to another camera feed and put the tablet down, only to be met with the sight of the old Chica standing in front of me with outstretched arms and snake-like wires replacing its hands. Wide eyed and caught off guard, I freeze again.

No...Not this again! Snap out of it Jeremy! Do something or you're gonna die!

Suddenly my arms shoot up and pull the Freddy head down over my own. The speed at which I did that clearly isn't healthy, because the sudden movement causes me to grit my teeth as my muscles cramp. My heart pounds, threatening to break out of my chest while I watch the lights flash. Feeling my body temperature increasing to an uncomfortable heat, I close my eyes and attempt to control my outrageous hyperventilation. An eternity and a dry mouth later, the static fades and I cautiously push the Freddy head back up. I pause for 5 seconds, unconsciously holding my breath.

5. 4. 3. 2. 1...Seems like I'm safe.

I let the warm breath exit through my mouth and I immediately reach for the soda cup. Allowing myself to drink a particularly large amount of water, I quickly flash the light down the hall and check the vent lights. Finding nothing, I slowly swallow the water while I rest.

That was way too close. If I was frozen for just a second longer, chances are I would've been dragged off and stuffed into a suit by now.

Once my breathing is completely even, I check the vent lights and I'm greeted by a buzzing sound when I try to check down the hall. I let out a sigh before picking the tablet up once more. However, I almost drop it out of surprise at the sight of the old Freddy with his face right next to the camera in Party Room 3.

I just had to switch to this camera feed when I freaked out...Just great.

I shake my head before switching to CAM 11. I begin winding up the music box, but just as it's about to be fully wound I hear static coming from my right side. I put the tablet down to investigate, and the right vent light reveals the Mangle. I flash the light down the hall before pulling the Freddy head down. As it turns out, both Foxy and the withered Bonnie are standing there, just waiting for me to slip up.

That entanglement of wires must have crawled in there while Chica was in the office. But how can that thing even crawl into the vent? Does it move like a worm or what? And this old Foxy...I hope he's only unintentionally teaming up with this old Bonnie. If they're somehow smart enough to team up on their own, then I highly doubt that I'm going to survive this night.

The sound of an animatronic clambering out of the right vent along with the absence of static tells me that the Mangle moved out of the vent, so I push the Freddy mask back up. A quick inspection of the vent lights confirms that the Mangle did leave, and flashing the light down the hall only results in yet another buzzing noise.

These animatronics really aren't wasting time now...I wonder if they realise that there isn't too much time left to kill me. Actually, speaking of time...

My gaze shifts to the clock.

4:23 AM, huh? With one bar of battery life left on my flashlight, I'd better be careful, especially since I don't even know how long it's been like that. I think I can afford to take a short break right now, both to save battery life and to relax a bit.

I allow my tense shoulders to slump in relaxation. I do literally nothing but breathe for the next two minutes, which in turn causes my heart rate to return to normal. An orange warning light starts flashing from the tablet and I hear the Balloon Boy's deceivingly innocent laugh before an animatronic crawls into the left air vent.

Here we go again.

I take in a large breath and let it out as a sigh before mentally preparing myself to survive for the next hour and 35 minutes. Getting back into my routine, I flash the light down the hall and check the vent lights. I don't see any animatronics in the vents, but I certainly wasn't expecting to see the withered Freddy standing in the middle of the hall. My heart rate rises.

Control yourself Jeremy, you have to think straight.

I let in a deep breath before exhaling slowly, and I feel my heart rate returning to normal.

Good.

I flash the light on and off a few times, hoping to restart Freddy's system, before picking up the tablet to wind up the music box. The words 'Signal Interrupted' show up on the screen and I see nothing but static on each of the camera feeds. Luckily I can still wind up the music box, but it's very dangerous for me to go on not knowing where each of the animatronics are. An animatronic crawls into the right vent as I watch the half circle slowly close up, and I hear radio interference that can only be the Mangle. With the music box fully wound, I put the tablet down to find a huge brown bear hulking over me from behind the desk. My muscles tense.

I've gotten careless. Don't you dare freeze again Jeremy.

I gain control over my arms and swiftly grab the duplicate Freddy's head, pulling it down in order to fool the original Freddy. At this point I can only hope that Freddy shares the same AI as his friends instead of recognising himself. It had never occurred to me that this could have been a problem until now, but there's nothing I can do right now except wait. I shut my eyes while I wait for Freddy to either leave or kill me. He does neither of those for what feels like years, and when the static fades I mentally prepare myself for my potential death. Just as I am about to lift up the Freddy mask, it locks into place as Toy Bonnie enters the room with an eerie smile and robotic walk. I can't help but stare into his lifeless eyes which pierce every inch of my soul. I close my eyes again.

That was too close. If I had decided to lift the Freddy head up a second earlier I probably wouldn't be here right now.

I open my eyes as soon as the static is reduced to nothing, and I hurriedly lift Freddy's head back up before checking down the hall again. Foxy has decided to return to the hall, so I flash the light on and off once more to chase him away. Checking the vent lights, I'm more annoyed than surprised at the fact that Balloon Boy is sticking his head out of the left vent. I pull down on the brown Freddy head again, waiting in silence for the plastic animatronic boy to leave. It takes a very long time for him to leave, so long, in fact, that the orange warning light flashes from the tablet's display. I lift Freddy's head and check the left vent light to find that it's empty.

You can't seriously tell me that I didn't hear or see him climb out.

Before I rectify the issue with the music box, I decide to check the vent lights once more out of gut instinct. For a second, I see the torn face of the withered Bonnie by the left vent, but the light flashes and he suddenly disappears. I flash the vent light on and off, revealing that it's empty.

Am I seeing things?

My mind wanders as I flash the right vent light and check down the hall, both of which are vacant. I pick up the large metal device and think for a moment while I wind up the music box.

Surely that was just my mind playing tricks on me...it has to be. Balloon Boy literally crawled out of the vent less than a few seconds before I saw that face, or lack thereof.

Before I know it, the music box is fully wound up, so I check the other cameras.

When I'm done here I should probably pull the Freddy head over my own as soon as I put the tablet down, just to be safe.

Toy Chica is standing near the camera accompanied by Mangle in the Main Hall, while the other two toy animatronics decided to move back on stage. The old Freddy Fazbear went back to playing dead in Parts and Service, and the old Chica moved to Party Room 2 once again. Staying true to what I mentally told myself 10 seconds ago, I pull the Freddy head down as I put the tablet down. I wouldn't be lying if I said that my paranoia didn't play a part in saving my life, because lo and behold, the old Bonnie with his missing face is standing right in front of me.

I don't know if I should be happy or worried that I basically hallucinated a minute ago, but I'll accept a stroke of luck any day.

Soon, the withered Bonnie decides to leave, so I return to my routine. Push the Freddy head back up, check the vent lights, shine the flashlight down the hall. Both vents plus the hall are vacant. I pick up the large device once more to find that Party Room 2 is now empty. As if on cue, I hear an animatronic clambering into the right air vent. Disregarding the fact that I have to conserve battery life, I check the Right Air Vent instead of trusting my instincts, and, as expected, I find none other than the withered Chica.

It's obvious that Chica would be the one to climb into the vent, idiot. Now you just wasted battery-

Suddenly, Balloon Boy laughs and I hear another animatronic climbing into the vent, except this time, it's the left vent. A frown makes its way onto my face as I check which animatronic it is, only to find Balloon Boy himself. I make sure to let go of the flashlight button as I allow myself to drift off in thought for a moment.

Normally he laughs a few times before crawling into the vent. This time I only heard him laugh once...something isn't right here.

I switch over to the Prize Corner video feed to wind up the music box while I think.

He couldn't have switched tactics to confuse me, could he? I highly doubt that I missed him laugh twice in a row...unless...

My eyes widen slightly.

Unless he never crawled into the vent last time. Bonnie must have crawled into the vent just as he laughed last time, making me think that it was Balloon Boy. But why did I see Balloon Boy when I checked the vent light beforehand? Am I seriously hallucinating?

I shake my head to clear my thoughts.

I don't have time to be worrying about that now, I'll save it for when I get home.

I pause for a second.

When? More like if at this point. Especially if I keep on drifting off in thought like this! Focus!

I check the other cameras in both an attempt to tame my wandering mind and to know exactly where the other animatronics are. Toy Chica is standing alone in the Main Hall, Toy Bonnie moved to Party Room 4 and good ol' Freddy Fazbear is still playing dead in Parts/Service. The Mangle is hanging out with Toy Freddy in the Game Area, and I already know where the Balloon Boy and Withered Chica are. Foxy, on the other hand, is nowhere to be seen on the cameras. I lift my hand to pull down the Freddy head as soon as I put the tablet down, but it seems that someone...something else has other plans in store for me, because before my eyes, I see wires creeping over the tablet.

What the...hell?

Before I know it, the tablet is slammed onto the desk by the old Chica. Luckily my hand is already above my head when this happens, so I swiftly pull down my only defence against this torn up animatronic with its sunken eyes and multiple sets of teeth. The lights flash and static rings in my ears for more than a little while before the once loved animatronic leaves the room.

That's just messed up. How is it even possible to move wires?

I find it slightly hard to catch a breath, so I wait a minute before carrying on. During this time, I hear an animatronic crawling out of the left air vent, an animatronic that I assume is Balloon Boy. Sooner than expected, my breathing evens out. I lift the Freddy head up and check the vent lights. Finding nothing, I flash the light down the hall to reveal Foxy standing there. Normally I'd flash the light on and off at least 5 times, but after the third time flashing the light, it stops working.

What?

I press the button repeatedly to no avail.

Not even the buzzing sound...Don't tell me...

I glance at the flashlight battery status.

Empty?!

I shift my gaze to the clock as I feel my shoulders slump in defeat.

5:42 AM? I have to go 18 minutes without flashlight power? Well isn't that just perfect? Please tell me Foxy's system reset, because I seriously don't have time to die right now.

I let out an inaudible groan before closing my eyes in thought.

All I can do right now to keep myself safe is sit here and hold the Freddy head down. Of course that won't keep Foxy away if what the phone guy said is true, but it should keep everyone else out. Plus, I won't have to check the vent lights. Why didn't I think of this earlier?

Three minutes pass, and I realise exactly why I didn't think of this earlier.

This is incredibly...boring. All I'm doing is sitting and hoping that Foxy went away. Surely there must be a way for me to check...Hold up.

I lift the Freddy head and check the vent lights, finding nothing, before checking the Main Hall.

Normally I'd be able to see Toy Chica without the flashlight. If she has a pattern like the other animatronics, she should be in the hall leading into my office next. As far as I know, she usually stands alone...so I should be safe...

I put the tablet down and let out a sigh of relief before pulling the mask down to cover my face again. Five minutes take hours to go by, and eventually the warning light flashes from the tablet. Just as I'm about to fix that, an animatronic climbs into the left air vent.

For all I know, that can be Toy Chica. If it is, then it could mean that Foxy is waiting down the hall. What's the time?

Looking at the clock tells me that its 5:51 AM.

Nine minutes? That's more than enough time for Foxy to get me.

For the next minute I debate whether I should wind up the music box or leave the mask on.

The phone guy just said that Foxy won't be fall for the Freddy head trick. What if keeping it on delays him a bit?

A memory suddenly resurfaces in my mind.

"I don't think a Freddy mask will fool it, so just don't forget the music box."

If the Freddy mask wasn't covering my face, I would've hit myself so hard that my hand would go through my head.

Idiot, idiot, idiot!

I push said Freddy mask up and check the left vent light to find Toy Chica's demented smile.

I may have just ruined my chances of survival by forgetting that important fact. If I wind the music box up now, chances are that Chica will be my downfall...Right now I can only hope that she leaves soon.

I scream in my mind for the clock to tick faster. 5:53 AM, the warning light starts flashing red. 5:54 AM, I hear Chica climb out of the vent.

Finally!

With high hopes, I shove the Freddy mask up before grabbing the tablet from the desk. I switch to CAM 11 at lightning speed, only to find that the warning light stopped flashing. A fast paced jingle plays as I watch the Puppet slowly rise from now open music box. My eyes widen in fear as the words 'Signal Interrupted' show up on the display once more. I nearly drop the tablet as the realisation dawns on me.

I'm too late.

I feel a large lump quickly forming in my dry throat as my gaze shifts to the soda cup on my desk.

At least I made this last, unlike my life. I wonder who'll have the honour of taking it: Foxy, or the Puppet.

I grab the soda cup and raise it above my head.

To: my incredibly short life.

I allow myself to let out a small chuckle before gulping down every last drop of the water in the soda cup. My eyelids suddenly feel heavy.

Why not sleep? I'd rather die while I'm unconscious anyway.

I lie down on my folded arms and close my eyes. I feel a smile creep onto my face as I recall each and every one of the fond memories that I've made up until this point. Then, out of nowhere, I drift into the seemingly peaceful land of sleep.

(A/N: There you have it! Took me like three hours trying to decide how I should end this chapter. Again, I hope you enjoyed it. I personally think the quality of this is higher than the precious chapters, one of the few advantages of updating late after reading tons of other fanfiction. I'll try to update more frequently. I've gotten into the flow of writing again, I just need to dedicate more time to it. Until next time! [which will hopefully be the 9th of May])