#she rescues them from the abandoned pizzaplex | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

summerlycoris · 1 month

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Is it really a birthday party if you wake up in a hospital?

Chapter 5- Tell me, are you bold enough to reach for love?

Previous chapter- Tumblr Link.

Current chapter- AO3 link.

Authors note- tw for child death, gore, and discovery of a body. If these topics aren't good for you, probably skip this chapter honestly.

If you decide to read the chapter, but want to skip the body discovery/ gorey sections, skip from ‘Nobody wanted to go check Monty Golf.’ to ‘They went up to try Chica’s Bakery, just in case.’

And from ‘Andy would have looked through those crates more, until she heard May scream.’ to ‘You should’ve seen the way it looked at me, Andy.’

And (a minor one) from ‘Nobody laughed at this.’ to ‘Andy had checked her bag’.

The scenes aren't worse than what's in some of the Pizzaplex books (from my knowledge.) but might still not be everyone's cup of tea.

________

This place looked a bit like a cake rescue, before the rescue. All collapsed in the middle, and the sides felled in.

Am I really crazy enough to do this? Andy asked herself. She was standing off in an undeveloped area near the Mega Pizzaplex under the cover of trees. Armed with a shovel she'd nicked from Sam's shed, a flashlight from the emergency kit, Sam's old faz wrench… and a fake ID for later, stored in her backpack. It wasn't too late to turn around, and just lie that the animatronics had already been scrapped or something.

She could see headlights behind her. Trev's old beater-up pickup pulled up maybe 2 meters away, chugging like it was on its last legs. But then, it had been on its last legs ever since Trev was learning to drive in it. Too late now- they're here.

The car turned off, as did the lights. She shined her flashlight on the front, and grinned when she saw the license plate covered up. She was sure there was extra surveillance here now- they'd be stupid not to, after a kid nearly died exploring this hellhole. The pigs would probably be out in force. Andy flicked off her flashlight and let the star filled sky illuminate them.

The doors opened up, and out got two of her mates from her highschool years- Trevor and Maybelle. All clad in hoodies and thick gloves. Perfect.

In the dark, she could only tell Trev from May due to build- Trev was like a beanstalk that hadn't stopped growing. He still had the same old pasty-white face, speckled with zits, that he had as a teen. Not the strongest guy- and a weird choice for a potentially deadly mission. Except he'd explored here previously- even managed to spend the night and live. He knew the place like the back of his hand- having worked here with his old boyfriend, Jason, before they replaced the human staff with bots. He was perfect for this job, in Andy's eyes.

May had filled out instead of up. And that's why Andy asked for her help. May was all muscle- she'd been a brilliant center on the football team, and she'd been a star on Andy's roller derby team. She could handle just about anything thrown at her. Her black face made her amber eyes stand out. She had a faint British accent- her parents having moved here when she was little. In retrospect, that's probably why they'd gotten along so well. May was probably one of the few teens in Washington County who hadn't been to the pizzaplex before. She was a fresh face to this- she didn't make a hobby of exploring old abandoned buildings. Andy trusted her with her life.

"Hey Dee, great night for it, huh?" Trev said, grabbing a crowbar and a torch from the cargo bed. He handed them to May, then pulled out a baseball bat, backpack, and a second torch for himself. Man, maybe I should have brought a ladder or something. Andy shook off that thought- too late now- and greeted her friends.

"Thanks for showing up, guys… this would've sucked eggs without you." She grabbed her old push-bike, and shoved it into the cargo bed. Trev's pickup had a pretty generous cargo bed- but only had two doors instead of 4. She knew from experience it could get squishy in the back, but since she'd left her car back in Salvador… she was lucky that the Pizzaplex had been within riding distance- twenty minutes away?

Trev and May could have picked her up from her Mom's house, but Andy needed her own way around- in case something changed at the hospital, and in case Trev was too drunk to drive her later.

"No probs, Dee. It's great hanging out with you, just wish you'd picked a less… this spot." Said May.

Andy laughed. "Yeah, me too. After we crack some heads and get some chips, I'll buy you both some booze, K? Just like we planned." They nodded. This trip had taken a few days to plan out. Now it was go time. They made their way over to the front of the Pizzaplex.

Except the front entrance- the one Cassie had taken- was now completely boarded off. Not with newspaper, but with barbed wire fences around it and wooden boards over any holes in the windows. All of them couldn't help but take notice of it. Andy also caught notice of a familiar, too-small, red bike. With police tape all over it.

I guess it doesn't matter, she can't use it anymore anyway.

Trev made a suggestion: "In the past, I was able to get in through the fire escape up on the third floor. They may not have sealed it off yet, if other explorers kept on the down low about it."

So they went off to give it a try. And he was kinda right- they hadn't sealed off the stair access well- they'd put barbed wire fencing all around the stairwell. It extended maybe 30 meters away from the stairs. However, there was a small section where the barbed wire had been cut away- just big enough to let a person climb over, one at a time. Someone had clearly been here before them. Andy could hear Trev bark out a laugh- “See! Told you guys!” Before they climbed over it, one at a time, and up the stairs.

FazEnt had cheaped out sealing the doorway into the pizzaplex- just putting "danger- keep out!" Tape over the door. It had already been ripped off, and the door had been pried open prior.

"Well, I don't have to use this yet." Said May, holding out her crowbar.

Trev walked ahead and pushed open the door fully. "Ladies first, "he joked. Andy jabbed her elbow lightly into him as she passed, while May giggled.

They all cracked on their flashlights, now that they were less likely to be spotted. Then they walked down the fire escape stairwell until they reached the door leading to the prize counter area. The stairwell had been… well, messed up. But the prize counter area had been really messed up. Some of the floor had collapsed, leaving a ring of floor near the walls that was still kinda stable. Andy sighed, and said "I'll go first." Trev and May nodded, as Andy scooted along slowly, leaning against the wall. She got to the other side, and breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't heard it cracking, or felt any warping. "Alright, it felt okay- May, you next!"

"Me? Why me?" May protested.

"Because it's still stable, if it cracked under Trev, we'd have to leave you behind." Andy was confident Trev could jump the gap, even if the floor cracked beneath May. She knew May wouldn't make the jump. "Come on May- do it for the booze!"

May huffed. "Fine- but you better get me some expensive shit. Something real posh, Dee!" Andy laughed, and nodded, while May slowly inched her way around the hole. Then Trev went once May was over. Andy had been holding her breath, hoping no one would fall through.

So it was a relief when they were all at the prize counter proper. It, like the rest of the pizzaplex, had seen better days. All the plushies and prizes were gone, except those too damaged to justify risking jail time for.

God, Andy had hated this place. In its heyday it was filled with screaming kids fighting over who'd get the last Freddy plushie before restock. Kids winning instruments and proceeding to make it everyone else's problem. (My ears will never recover from that kid who won the microphone- and decided to death metal screech into it right next to me.) And, of course, a little girl crying and beating her fists against the floor because she didn't have enough tickets to get the giant Roxy plushie.

Well, at least I can save that memory for her twenty-first birthday. Thought Andy, focusing on what they'd have to do next. She let Trev lead the way, around the scenic route.

"Trust me, take one step out the prize counter roller doors, and you'd fall to your doom. The floor on the other side is completely gone. The door at the Superstar-cade, that's functional enough." Trev said. So they went through the less-damaged Superstar-cade. It'd taken some knocks- the arcade machines were knocked over, and there was some loose rubble from when the roof started to fall. But they weren't gonna fall to the lower floor just from walking through a door.

They'd made a plan of attack yesterday, including alternatives for if their way in or around the plex was blocked. The plan they had for entering through the prize counter was to beeline to the Atrium. They'd probably find Roxy, maybe Sun, there. Then head over to that salon, because Cassie had said Chica was shut down in the bathrooms there. They'd get the chips out of the bots, one way or another, then they'd get outta dodge and get smashed.

A simple plan, really. Andy hoped it worked.

It was uneventful leaving the Superstar-cade. It was wrecked, smelled like something died there, (Yeah, my hopes and dreams.) And they had to fight the roller door to get to the Atrium.

Hoo boy, the Atrium.

Cassie had told Andy about how she couldn't remember what the Atrium was like- despite being found there. She'd been too out of it to take it in. And Andy was glad of that, because it would've broke the poor girls heart to see it:

The glass ceiling had completely collapsed when the earthquake hit, sending the lights running along the roof down with it. Water damage had ruined everything- the paint was peeling on anything that hadn't been knocked over. The showtime desk was just. Gone now. Must've fell apart when that section of the second floor balcony gave in. A lot of the balconies had fallen in, actually. The section in front of Mazercise, the one on the second floor that previously let you look into the Fazer Blast lobby… Guess FazEnt’s concrete was exactly as lackluster as the rumors said.

And the stage. The stage that Cassie had spent so many years staring up at in adoration. The stage that Andy had spent so many years avoiding, during those times Mom or Sam had forced her to be here.

It had completely lost its magic. The giant neon sign above it had fallen down on top, and shattered into scraps of tube lights. The rising platforms that would elevate its stars to shine over the audience would never rise again. Now it had collapsed underground. The holograms that would play between performances would never play again. It almost made Andy feel… sentimental over this dumb place.

She shook off that feeling, and asked her friends "Hey, has anyone seen a rabid dog anywhere? She could still be around here…"

They both shook their heads, and Trev spoke up. "I haven't seen any puppies recently, but I do know a way down to the first floor. Anybody wanna come with? We get to climb down a rope." He said that last bit like that was supposed to convince any doubters. Andy and May both agreed with a laugh.

Both the escalators were completely screwed in some way. The one nearest, in between the Superstar-cade and El Chips had disconnected from the top and crashed through the floor, leaving a gaping hole all the way down to the ground floor. The one furthest from them, near the Faz-cade, looked to be intact at a distance. But they couldn't get over there, because of the damage to the balcony where the showtime desk should've been. This was the same hole that made the prize counter roller doors off limits earlier. It only went through to the second floor, but just a one floor drop was as high as two regular floors in the Atrium.

In the end, the escalators' state didn't matter- there was a rope some previous explorers had tied to the menu sign outside El Chips. They'd tied knots in it at intervals, so it was easy-ish to climb down, and possible to climb back up through the hole where the escalators had been.

Trev first pulled the rope up, and tied their tools to the bottom of it. The crowbar, shovel, and bat went down first. Then Trev- to show how it was done. Andy and May watched as he scaled down all the way to the ground floor. "Thank god Trev warned us to wear thick gloves- can you imagine the ropeburn?" Andy said. May nodded. Andy went next, she wasn't afraid of heights or anything- but even she was scared of slipping off this rope. Falling ten meters… well at best she'd be stuck in a hospital bed. At worst she'd be stuck in a morgue.

She made it down, and shone her flashlight up the rope, to make it easier for May to climb down. Once they'd all touched ground, they grabbed their weapons and started looking around the Atrium. Sticking together, but checking anywhere they could see Roxy or Sun hiding.

They were of split minds whether to keep a low profile, or call out to the animatronics. May and Trev figured it'd get the job done quicker. Andy wanted to at least try to keep a low profile.

Cassie had sworn Roxy and Sun (though she'd called him ‘Eclipse’) were safe. But Trev had heard stories from others who had explored the pizzaplex that the animatronics were bloodthirsty and dangerous. Looking for anyone to take out their miserable new existences on. One teen had barely escaped Monty with her life. (‘Those could just be rumors though- I hadn't run into anyone when I'd been here. And it's hard to imagine Monty doing that.’ Trev had said during planning.)

And maybe the animatronics were safe. Maybe. But there was a chance the monstrous robot that had chased Cassie was still hanging around. And considering that it was almost perfectly functional… This was the reason Andy had brought Sam's shovel. She'd let the others know about it the other day, but they hadn't taken the danger it posed seriously.

’Look, if we make too much of a ruckus and they are aggressive? Then they have the chance to sneak up on us to pick us off one by one. And If we don't make a ruckus and don't find them? Then we can start yelling their names out, okay? I don't wanna have to explain any deaths, yeah?’

With that, they came to an agreement, and continued scoping out the Atrium, trying to be quiet. May and Andy turned off their flashlights, to save battery, and let Trev take the lead with his flashlight on.

They went up towards the stage, climbing over broken tables, chairs, and broken lights from the roof. In the middle of the Atrium, they could see a white cloth with the word ‘banned’ and a frowned face on it laid out, and some… rope netting and wooden planks on top? "The fuck? That's new…" Trev said.

"Maybe someone wanted somewhere soft to lay, while they watched the stars?" May suggested.

"Yeah? Then why bring the wood and ropes?" Trev asked.

"Guys, guys, I know what happened here…" Andy spread her arms wide. "... Purple Guy did it. This looks like the kinda spot where you could strangle some toddlers." She joked.

May laughed at her dumb statement. Trev rolled his eyes, and flashed Andy with the flashlight, blinding her for a second. "Hey, quit it!" Andy laughed.

"I thought you said we should keep a low profile." Trev joked. Then they heard something… flying nearby? They stopped joking around, and drew closer together. Keeping their makeshift weapons ready, looking out for whatever that was.

"It's probably Sun, he flies using a rope on his back." Andy said, mostly for May's benefit. She nodded, and they all checked the skies around where there was still a roof to hang from.

"Oh! I see him! Over there!" May had spotted him landing near the destroyed Monty golf sign, and pointed him out. Sun turned back towards the group, and let out a little noise that was surprisingly audible in the Atrium. He slinked down past the statue, running back towards kids cove.

"Oh for pete's sake, Sun!" Andy cried out. Was he really going to lead her on a wild goose chase? "Come on, let's go talk to him…" She said to her friends. They slowly made their way over towards kids cove, having to climb over all the rubble in the way again.

Once they got to kids cove, they noticed it was… surprisingly clean. Sure, the lighthouse had cracks through it, and the slide had fallen off. But all the rubble was swept to the side, and someone had clearly tried to redecorate the area. The Chica of the sea cutout had a piece of card paper with a big smiley face drawn on it, pasted over the top of Chica's water damaged face. There were banners with glitter glue recreations of the glamrock animatronics put up along the top of the wall, where previously there'd been posters of them celebrating a party.

They also noticed that there was no Sun there. Aw shit, he got away…

"Do you think he ran back to the daycare? Asked Trev.

"Probably. But there's lots of places here to hide, and we didn't hear a door opening…" said May.

They quickly scoped out the kids' cove. Checking inside the lighthouse, under the dock (Sun was just skinny enough that he could hide underneath.), and in the broken remains of the ship. Or had that already been broken? That doesn't matter. Thought Andy.

"No dice… he could have ran off to Monty Golf, or upstairs to the Bakery…"

Nobody wanted to go check Monty Golf. The hallway between Kids Cove and Monty Golf had some large, faded brown blood stains in the carpet, and more stains against the nearby staff door. Yeah, there's a good reason Cassie didn't ask me to save Monty…

"I heard this teen, Elijah, came here to smoke, and left with a mauled leg when Monty caught him. If he'd gone alone like he'd planned…" May said. That just reaffirmed that decision- no Monty Golf. They couldn't be sure he was actually r.i.p in the log ride.

They went up to try Chica’s Bakery, just in case. But it was completely blocked off, and looked undisturbed. A big pile of rubble in front of the doors to it. If the daycare attendant had come through this way, it would've been obvious.

So they went back to the roller door separating Kids Cove from the Daycare. It had been locked from the other side. Okay, that's a good sign…

Andy rolled her eyes. "Hey Sun, I'm here to drop off my kids! Let us in?" She yelled. She got no answer, and he didn't unlock the roller door. "Well fuck you too." She turned back to May. "Wanna unlock this with your master key?"

"Hell yeah!" May stepped up to the plate, and took a swing at the locking mechanism. It took a few hits, and some prying up of the door. But it eventually gave in. Crowbar, one. Roller door, none.

They climbed into the Daycare. It looked… well, it had clearly seen better days. But it had also seen worse days. There was rubble and damage to the walls, just like in the rest of the pizzaplex. But like Kids Cove, it'd gotten cleaned up. A lot of the rubble and… old endos? were stored in the old gift shop, and there were clear paths around to the daycares wooden doors. The wooden door was locked. They didn't bother asking Sun to open this door. Instead, just going through some of the destroyed netting that had separated the daycare playground from the daycare lobby.

Andy had never spent much time in the daycare. When they'd moved to La Verkin for Mom and Sam's jobs, she'd just turned fifteen a few months prior. The after school care offered through the Superstar Daycare ended after ten years old. The only times she'd seen the daycare, was when she'd pick up Cassie after Roller Derby or Football.

Honestly, she was kinda glad she never saw much of this place. Moving here and being a latchkey kid forced her into growing up. While Cassie, being only seven, going on eight, seemed to have been growing down while she was here. It really threw a wrench between us for a few years.

"Hey, Sun. You around at all?" There was no answer. "Really, Flatface? Gonna leave us hanging?" Andy did not want to have to climb through the playground. It'd be murder on her back.

"’Flatface?’ Well, aren't you rude." She heard a voice. But it didn't sound like Sun's. Maybe Moon was out instead- actually, that'd make sense…

Andy turned, and shone her flashlight on a figure, sitting atop the playground. He didn't start shrieking, so not Moon. Instead, he sat there calmly, with his head in his hands.

"Sorry young lady, but the pizzaplex is closed. You should really come back later. And your 'kids' are a little too old for the daycare. Perhaps they'd have more fun playing Fazer Blast? Once we reopen, of course."

Andy shrugged. "Yeah, we're not really here for daycare. I was just lying so you'd let us in" Sun scoffed audibly at that. "I do have a question for you though- wanna get out of this dump? Maybe make a little girl really hap-" He cut Andy off before she could finish her spiel.

"Excuse me? You come in here, insult me- and now you want me to leave with you? And this place isn't a dump- I need to get it ready for when we reopen!" If Sun could move his face, Andy was sure he'd be frowning. He stood up and nearly flew away, before Trev yelled out to him.

"It's great to stay positive, but you have to know that this place ain't ever reopening, Sun." Said Trev. "It's gonna be torn down soon. Too much damage has been done, and no one would ever come here again. Not after everything. Not after Jason." Trev whispered the last bit.

That made Sun's shoulders droop. "...Oh, I know that. It's just there's nothing else I can do, Trevor. A daycare attendant without a daycare is hardly attending to anything!"

Andy went to say something, but May put her hand on her shoulder. "Hey Dee? Let Trev do the talking, yeah? He's just… he's better at putting the past behind him." Andy sighed, and shut up. May was right, even if Andy hated to admit it. She was letting the memories and resentment around this place make her job harder.

"There's plenty you can do Sun- you could come with us!" Sun recoiled a bit, and Trev followed it up. "Dee here, she wants to repair you guys" (‘wants’ is the wrong word for it, but okay Trev.) "You know Andromeda? Her step dad used to be a techie here? She knows what she's doing. And if you went with her, once you were repaired you could help her sister, Cassie-"

"Cassie- is she okay? She was in such bad shape when I saw her last!" Sun said, as he swooped down off the playground and landed just in front of the group. Andy and May took a step back in surprise, though Trev seemed used to this. "She was barely breathing, and she was so confused!" He gestured frantically with his arms, almost like he was making up for his frozen face.

"Umm, yeah. She'll be alright. She's just in the hospital right now." Andy said, still a little shaken by the sudden change in demeanor.

Sun breathed (how?) A sigh of relief. "Oh thank heavens, she's being looked after. I felt so useless that night… after she saved us, too. Sun and Moon were in such misery before she fixed them… I should have kept her here with me…"

Andy had heard a little of this story- Cassie had fixed Sun somehow. She hadn't gone into much details, only that she'd been flown across the daycare in his arms, and that she'd thought it was cool and a little scary. 'Like a flying fox.' She always has her priorities in order…

Sun stood up straight, taller than even Trev when they weren't leaning or sitting, and said to Andy "I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier." They offered a hand for Andy to shake. "My name is Eclipse. I'm sorry for calling you rude earlier- with both your parents being so busy when you were a teen, who could have possibly taught you any better?"

Andy was left speechless, while May burst out laughing, and Trev fought to keep a straight face. "A- are you serious, or are you messing with me?!" She probably would've hit Sun- no, Eclipse with her shovel if Trev hadn't put his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, I'm being completely serious! Children do best when they have a caregiver they can rely on." His head spun in a circle, around his neck joint. Andy still wasn't sure if he was messing with her or not. He retracted his hand when he realized Andy wasn't going to be polite and shake. "I'll go with you. It won't be the same as it was here, but at least I'll get to help a child again!"

"Ugh, whatever. Just stay still so I can get your chips." Andy stepped up to him while pulling out Sam's faz-wrench to shut them down. Eclipse bounced back on the ball of his foot (and on the end of his busted leg.)

"Wait, what? I thought you were going to take us home and repair us? Not scrap us!"

Andy groaned. "I'm not trying to scrap you. But if the police stop us and see your endo in the car, there's gonna be some hard questions. Hard questions that won't happen if I have your personality and memory chips in my pocket instead!"

Eclipse still seemed hesitant, keeping his distance.

"Actually- Eclipse, Dee- how about we have Eclipse come with us, and help us find Roxy and Chica? We can then get their chips out later." Trev asked. "You could see how we save the others, so you know we'll keep our word." He addressed Eclipse. "And we could get some help finding the others- the sooner we finish here, the sooner we can have fun, after all." He addressed Andy and May.

"That sounds like a good plan- anything to get out of here faster!" May chimed in.

"What do you think? Dee? Eclipse?"

They were both silent for a second. Andy thought this could work. But also Eclipse could just refuse to give up his chips at the end, too.

Eclipse spoke up first- "I'll help you find the others. Roxy and Chica… they may need completely new endos. Can you really fix them?"

"Uh, yeah. I've been studying robotics at college, I reckon I can fix you guys- might even get some credit from the prof for doing this…"

If they try to skip out at the very end, I'll just take them down by force.

"Okay, so it's decided? Are we all good?" Asked May.

"Yes, if you want to find the others, Chica's the nearest to us. She's just in the break room, behind the food court."

"How do you know that, Eclipse?" Asked Trev.

"I was talking to her maybe fifteen minutes ago. She should still be there if we hurry. Please follow me- but be careful! It's quite dangerous!"

Andy sighed, and they all followed Eclipse as he led them towards Salads and Sides.

________

The food court was luckily fairly clear of debris, due to the second floor somehow staying upright. But it creaked worryingly, holding up the rubble from the third floor collapse. They avoided walking underneath it until they got near salads and sides, where they stuck near the wall and walked quickly. It must've been the only door safe to walk through, or Eclipse would've led them elsewhere.

Andy knew from past experience that these doors had once been locked- employees only. But now the one they were headed towards swung freely, and they were able to go in. Trev went ahead and held the door open, jokingly saying "Ladies and attendants first." This time without getting an elbow to the side.

The walk down the corridor towards the stairs leading down was fairly uneventful. They followed Eclipse through the wrecked area, towards a place Andy had been once before- the staff break room. Completely destroyed, tables on their sides. Chairs thrown around. This looked less like earthquake damage and more like a tornado rolled through.

Sam had brought her here once, when they first moved here. On a tour of the place. ‘This is where I'm going to be having lunch every shift, girls.’

She'd held Cassie's hand tightly, because Cassie had seen Chica walking out the other door as they walked in, and had turned to try and follow her.

... And as Andy followed Eclipse into the break room, she saw Chica walking out the other door. Until Chica stopped. And stared at them. She squawked out something, in a metallic screech, then stumbled towards them like a zombie.

"Chica, you good?" Asked Trev. Andy put her arm out, and forced everyone backwards towards the door.

Everyone except Eclipse, who they'd followed in. "Eclipse, come here now." She whispered. She remembered what Cassie had told her- how Chica had tried to grab her, chasing her around the salon and bakery. She wasn't sure if she would target other animatronics, or just humans she saw as intruders.

Eclipse did not 'come here now.' Instead, he walked over to Chica. "Chica, they may not be employees, but they are welcome here. They're my guests! Their names are Trevor, Andromeda, and…" he trailed off, looking at May.

"Oh, uh, sorry. My name is May. Hi." She said, waving at Chica.

Chica stopped walking near Eclipse, and seemed to think for a second. Then that second turned into a while. Andy was only sure she hadn't powered down, because her eyelids would try to blink periodically.

Is her personality or memory chip damaged? Or is it something easier to replace, like her processor? Andy could figure it out once she saw the chips.

Chica also seemed to be missing her voice box somehow. Had it… fallen out of her endo? Her face plating was busted enough for that to be a possibility. The noises she made now seemed to be from her servos and joints screaming with misuse.

Chica started up again, after deliberating over it. Another squawk of machinery, but it didn't sound as… angry as last time. More pensive.

She walked over to Andy, and Andy backed into Trev, nearly falling over him. "Hey, umm, you stay back now…" She clutched her shovel closer, preparing to strike. She couldn't lie and say Chica didn't scare her- even busted up like this, Chica was taller than Andy. And at least twice her weight.

But Chica stopped just in front of her, only remaining arm at her side. Instead of clobbering Andy over the head or something, she scanned Andy's face with her eyes. The blue light took away Andy's night vision, and made spots dance over her eyes with how comparatively bright it was. "Ow, dude really?"

Eclipse chimed in from behind Chica, putting his hand on her shoulder pad. "Chica, that won't work right now- the servers are down."

Andy rubbed her eyes, as Chica stood there, processing. Like before, it took her a while. It left Andy scuffing her shoes on the tiles in suspense. Another metallic squawk- this time sounding like a command? Then Chica grabbed Andy by her hoodie and dragged her upwards, towards her face.

It happened so much quicker than Andy had expected. She was dragged up onto her tiptoes, and panicked. She could hear her friends startle, and see Eclipse trying to pull on Chicas shoulder.

But she still had something heavy in her hands. The shovel.

She swung it into what must have been Chicas midsection. She couldn't build much momentum, but just enough to get Chica to let go and back up a few paces, nearly knocking Eclipse over. Andy caught her footing, as May ran up between her and Chica, holding the crowbar firmly in both hands.

Chica was hunched over. Andy could see some extra denting in what little plating Chica still had near her midsection. Good. "Do that again, and I'll hit you again!" Andy yelled. She hoped she didn't sound as scared as she sounded in her head. The shovel shook in her hands.

Trev grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her backwards. "Not helpful, Dee." Andy wanted to bite back at him, about how Chica had started it. Except Chica let out an ear-splitting screech and ran towards May, reaching with her remaining arm wildly.

Except May was ready. With all the grace of a baseball player (despite never playing on a baseball team.), May lined up her shot and hit Chica in the head with the crowbar, denting what faceplate remained on Chica and sending her sprawling to the ground, spasming. May stood over her, and raised the crowbar above her head, ready for the coup de grâce.

Except Eclipse threw himself on top of Chica. "No- no! Please stop. Please- she doesn't know what she's doing!"

Andy scoffed at that claim. Chica clearly knew she was attacking people. Eclipse looked at her, would've probably glared if his eyes could glare.

"We've been alone for so long, and without access to the servers… She thinks you're intruders, because most people who come here are! She doesn't know how to deal with customers anymore."

Andy wasn't sure they could be considered ‘customers’.

Chica's servos whirred underneath Eclipse, as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. He sat besides her, with his hands on her shoulders to restrain her.

Chica managed to spit out another mangled cry, before powering down.

"Oh Chica…" Eclipse shook her a bit, to see if she'd start up again. "I'll need to get you to the recharge station again, where's the nearest one…?"

Meanwhile, Andy thanked May quietly for helping stop Chica, and thanked Trev for keeping her back. (She didn't want to piss off Eclipse more- hitting Chica once while grabbed could be argued as self defense- hitting her afterwards like she'd wanted to? That'd probably get her forcibly ejected from the building via angry daycare attendant.)

Chica's predicament got her thinking about something Sam had told her once, during daddy-daughter day.

Sam was the kind of step-dad to say things like ‘No matter what, you'll always be my daughter to me.’ Which had pissed Andy off as a kid- I have a dad who loves me already, thank you very much. But nowadays she could appreciate that he was trying. It was just… too late to admit it.

He had taught her a little about how these things were programmed. They had a few different modes, for different scenarios.

The usual performance focused, customer-facing mode. Showtime mode. Child friendly and affectionate. Great for birthday parties, or for leading a lost kid back to their parents, or for jamming out in front of a crowd of adoring kids and teens.

Then there was security mode. For when someone was behaving badly, or refusing to leave the premises. Way less affectionate. More likely to put you in a headlock and frog-march you from the building. Andy knew this from experience.

Showtime mode was programmed into their main personality chip, located in their head. Security mode was located in their upper back, in a spare chip for autonomous reactions like blinking, hi-fives, and walking around. Their personality could be tempered a bit by their memory chips- which could "remember" customers in the database, and share what info they pick up about customers with other animatronics over a network. That's how all the Roxy's in the US of A know that Andy's a troublemaker, and that Cassie likes carrot cake. Surprisingly sophisticated programming. And so much of it still has the world stumped.

’Why would these guys even have a security mode?’ Andy had asked back when she was 16. Daddy-daughter day. Cassie and Gregory were playing nearby, in the room below the Pizzaplex, that looked like a maintenance room. Jemima was sitting at the desk working on Monty. Fixing up his faceplating after some ratbag kid decided to hit him over the head with a golf club. She'd just started her shift, and Sam was about to finish his. He'd take Andy, Cassie, and Gregory home with him.

‘Mostly, to help keep staff safe. If someone turns up with a weapon, you don't want a human to take the hit- we're not as replaceable as a robot is. Or as durable. These guys can take a bullet to the face and still keep running.’ He continued working on Chica. She was sitting in front of him, with her back towards him while he put her personality chip back in. She was staring at Andy vacantly, occasionally blinking. Super creepy. She thought.

‘Wow, that's morbid.’ Andy said, resting her head in her hands. This place was super boring, but at least they were going to go home soon. As soon as Sam finished with Chica.

Speaking of Chica.

"Hey Eclipse, do you think she's stuck in security mode or something? She could have had her personality chip damaged." Even before she'd gotten up close and personal with a crowbar, Chica had clearly suffered some head trauma. To be honest, she looked kinda… crushed.

Eclipse looked at Andy, then back to Chica. "It's a possibility… She hasn't been herself recently. Even before the earthquake. None of us have been quite ourselves…"

Andy sighed, and walked around behind Chica. Eclipse went to throw himself between Andy and Chica, until she clarified. "I'm just gonna check her chips. I'll need them anyway, but if they're busted, I'll need to transfer what I can to some spares." She hoped there'd be some spares down in parts and services. And that they could still go to parts and services. At that point, he backed off a bit.

She was able to find the right section for these chips. The personality chip and memory chip were in the head, near the junction where the head meets the neck. The memory chip looked okay, but the personality one was hard to remove- it'd been bent in its port, and was nearly stuck. Andy wasn't sure she'd get anything useful off this. But she'd try. Both of these chips were labeled with Chica's name, and their function. They had a little guitar scrawled onto them. Sam's goofy little idea, from when he’d joined the tech squad.

Andy also took the spare chip out of Chica's back, too- she may be able to use some parts of it to fix Chica's personality chip. And so the old Chica endo couldn't start walking around again later. Like the previous ones, it was labeled by name and function. She put all these chips in the front pocket of her backpack.

Eclipse watched sadly, as Chica was put away in the bag. Her old, broken body was left sitting on the floor. Even if she regained power, she'd never get up again. "You're going to fix her, right?" He whispered.

Andy looked at him, and started to feel weird. They're just robots. Really advanced robots. But robots. So why do I feel so bad… She shook herself out of it, and answered. "Yeah, I'm gonna fix her. She'll need a new personality chip- do you think parts and service are still accessible?" It was only accessible through elevators, as far as Andy knew. One in the stage, and four in Rockstar Row. There was no guarantee any of those elevators would be functional.

He was silent for a bit, thinking about it. "Moon remembers hearing from Officer Vanessa that the elevator in Roxy's green room worked. The one on the stage would've worked… if it hadn't fallen in when the ceiling fell on it."

Andy thought about how this would affect their plan. It mainly just meant adding an extra stop at the end- after getting Roxy's chips. If they went earlier, ported over Chicas personality chip, then Roxy had similar damage. Well, then they'd have to go there all over again. Better to get all their ducks in a row first.

She told her friends, and Eclipse, this plan. They agreed to it, Eclipse reluctantly.

"Okay, Eclipse. Do you know where Roxy is by any chance?" Asked May. She had relaxed her grip on the crowbar, holding it back in one hand. But he seemed wary of her.

"Umm, yes- but you have to promise not to hurt her! She's taken so much damage over the past few weeks already…"

May looked sad. "Aww, I won't hurt her Eclipse… unless she hurts my friends first. But if she's nice then I can be even nicer!" May said, putting her hand over her heart. Andy knew May didn't like to hurt people. She could appreciate the risk of games and sports, but wasn't the type to like getting into fistfights. But she also wasn't going to let herself or her friends suffer. That's why Andy trusted her with her life.

Eclipse still didn't look completely reassured. But he did respond where he’d seen Roxy last- "last I saw, she was at the Glamrock beauty salon. She's been in a bit of a slump for the past few months… though lately she's been trying to clean up the place for reopening."

Ah, so Eclipse has been spreading his delusion to the other animatronics. Cool.

"I'll lead the way!" He said. He then looked back at Chica, and tried to shut her eyes. It was a sweet (?), if useless gesture- Chica no longer had any eyelids to shut. He just ended up pulling what remained of her eyelashes down. "Oh…" Eclipse's shoulders sagged, and it didn't matter that he had a flat, frozen face- he was clearly miserable. Andy felt strangely guilty- though I haven't done anything wrong- get a grip Dee!

Trev grabbed his shoulders, and gave him a quick hug. That seemed to help a little bit, as Eclipse stood up, and started leading them to the glamrock beauty salon.

________

Andy wasn't surprised at the state of the glamrock salon. Cassie had described it in great detail. (Even after Andy had begged her to please just skip to how she broke her legs already.) Cassie had also described Roxy in great detail. (Andy didn't even bother trying to get Cassie to skip the Roxy monologue. Just timed it on her watch- it went on for about five minutes!)

Yeah, Cassie's description was… very accurate. Andy thought, as she looked at Roxy through the busted window. Roxy was busy on the stage at the end of the salon, trying to clean up the rubble laying on top of it. Roxy was, well… she was a total wash-up now. Andy had to hold back her laughter. Oh Roxy, you went from being an inauthentic, focused-grouped mess of a character, to just being a mess.

Maybe the original Roxanne Wolf ("Foxy's younger cousin, from out of town!" Mom had called her.) Might have been authentic. Might. Mom had helped workshop the character, when she still worked at FazEnt. Cassie had loved her straight out the gate, while Andy had thought she was way too girly.

‘Mãinha, she's supposed to be a tomboy?! She has crazy long hair! It'll get tangled in everything!’

Eclipse started walking into the salon, shaking Andy from her old memories.

Roxy stopped trying to brush away the rubble, and turned towards Eclipse's footsteps. "Eclipse? Who else is there with you?" Andy took a shallow breath- she hadn't realized they'd been noticed from the distance.

"Good evening, Roxy! I brought some new friends with me- their names are Trevor, May, and Andromeda." Eclipse turned around to them, and saw they were still hanging around outside the salon. "Well, come on in! Don't be rude now!"

Roxy pressed herself backwards, was she trying to blend into the rubble? "Eclipse- the salon isn't ready yet. I'm… not ready yet…" the last bit came out in a whimper. She crossed her left arm over her chest. Then her ears twitched forward when she heard Trev step on some broken mirror shards. Him and May had started walking forward when Eclipse called them. Andy had stayed where she was. "Hey! Didn't you hear me? This place isn't ready! Now leave, before I make you." She growled out.

May backed up, and looked towards Andy worriedly, while Trev froze in place. Andy waited to see if Trev would work his magic, like he had with Eclipse earlier. But he stayed silent- he doesn't want to find out what Roxy means by ‘before I make you.’

Andy sighed and spoke up instead. Doing her best to bite back any insults. "Roxanne, no one's here to judge you or anything. We're here to fix you, okay?" She didn't have that magical soothing voice that Trev had, but hopefully she hadn't sounded too upset with this place.

Roxy turned her head, away from Andy's friends and towards Andy. "You. You were banned from the Raceway. Why are you here?" She snarled, slowly slinking forward.

Andy shivered. Roxy, like all the animatronics here, could be very intimidating when she wanted to be.

She knew from experience what it felt like to have Roxy pounce on you.

"Yeah. I was banned- back when this place was still open. Pretty sure it'd lapsed by now." She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. She clenched her shovel with both hands. "I'm not here to cause trouble- I'm Andromeda, but you know my little sister better. She was one of your biggest fans. And she asked me to come get you out of here."

Roxy stopped slinking forward, standing near the doorway of the salon. Eclipse had slowly placed himself in between Andy and Roxy. Roxy tilted her ears toward Andy, waiting to hear.

"Yeah, my sister- Cassie- she promised she'd fix you or something. But she's too busy laid up in hospital to do that. So I'm here, with Trev and May. I know how to fix you- learnt some stuff from Sam. You remember Sam Mathers?" Roxy stayed stock still, arms extended. Andy hoped that was a 'yes'. "Make my job easy- come over and let me have your chips, please? I'll make you a new endo- yours is kinda… wrecked."

Roxy probably would've looked her over, if she still had eyes. Instead, she thought for a bit, and asked "What about Chica? And Monty? And Eclipse?"

Since she seemed less 'I'll forcibly kick you out of my salon' and more 'might give you my time of day', May and Trev had turned, and started slowly coming back. Making sure to make noises on their way back, so Roxy didn't get spooked and wheel on them

"I'm two steps ahead of you, Wolfie. I already have Chica's chips. Eclipse will give me his once we're leaving the plex, right Eclipse?" He nodded to confirm. So Andy continued. "All I need is your chips, and to go get some spares from parts and services. So, do you want out of here?"

Roxy twitched. Aww shit, probably shouldn't have called her 'Wolfie'. Andy thought. But she also thought that she'd done a pretty good job of not being insulting, all things considered. Hopefully Roxy would've heard the restraint coming through her words.

"I'm not giving you my chips. Not yet-"

Urgh, really Roxy? I don't want to fight you-

"-But I will go with you, to get the spares. Maybe we'll even find Monty." Roxy stood up straight and walked to Eclipse, who put his arm out for her.

That left the human trio in an awkward place. "... Do you two know Monty's probably dead? He got electrocuted, from what I heard." Trev asked.

Eclipse and Roxy both snapped their heads to look (or attempt to, in Roxy's case. She had to snap her whole body.) at Trev.

"... No, I didn't know that." Eclipse said. "Is he in the Monty Golf bayou? We could probably fish him out and fix him-"

Oh goddammit.

Andy stepped in, before this got out of control. "How about we go to parts and services first? It's not far from here, anyway- Rockstar Row has an entrance just near Roxy Raceway. It'd be better to swing by Monty Golf on the way back, because we'll be leaving through the fire escape near there."

Andy hoped that Monty really was dead, and would make a liar out of her. Not because she had any particular grudge against him, but because

Cassie hadn't asked for him to be rescued. And

She didn't want to spend more time here than necessary.

(Look, if you're that lacking in redeeming qualities that even my bleeding-heart sister can't be bothered begging for your life, then you fucked up somewhere.)

Andy's only regret is that she was lying through her teeth in front of May and Trev. They knew how Monty went out- because she'd told them what Cassie had told her- ‘It was an accident! I just needed to open the door because he was chasing me. I didn't know it'd turn on the lights! I thought he was waterproof…’ Neither of them looked happy about this, but they didn't say anything, which Andy was grateful for.

Roxy gave a response: "If you're going to parts and services, my elevator is still working. I've taken it down there recently to look for parts." She looked like she had tried to repair herself recently- she'd welded a piece of metal to her neck, to help keep her head upright. It meant she couldn't turn her head anymore, and had to turn her whole body to theoretically look at Andy.

"Yep, let's go there first. Um, do you want to lead the way?" Andy knew how to get to Rockstar Row- but Roxy might have a faster way. Plus, she'd know how to avoid any damage on the way there.

Roxy put her hand on her hip, then started walking. "Okay- all of you- follow me."

________

The trip to parts and service was fairly uneventful. They had heard something clambering around in Fazer Blast on the way there, making weird roaring noises. But they hurried past that, after reassuring Roxy that it wasn't really Freddy anymore.

’It's just his body, and that spare chip for autonomous reactions. Can't save what isn't there anymore.’

Somehow, they all managed to squeeze into the elevator for one trip. It wasn't comfortable, especially since Andy was pressed into Eclipse’s back. But it worked enough to get them all downstairs.

The elevators opened up into a surprisingly intact room- the glass in the containment tube, and separating the nearby rooms had shattered. But other than that everything was stable.

Andy hadn't seen parts and services for years. And it had clearly been renovated. The big containment tube in the middle hadn't originally been here. Neither had the cages off to the side. The only familiar places were the small rooms to the side. Where technicians previously worked on the animatronics.

She'd seen some shelving, some boxes- all with parts inside. She'd been shown that spare eyes, hands- even full limbs- were kept around here. And she'd seen him pull out some chips to program for a spare Chica endo. Just in case the first Chica got completely ruined, and they needed a quick replacement for her.

Andy didn't know all the FazEnt trade secrets- their robots were so advanced- it was like everyone else was playing catch up. But she should be able to use the computer terminal at the containment tube for porting over Chica's personality to a new chip. Even if that terminal looked like it was from the eighties, it was fairly advanced tech.

They just needed to find one of the chips.

"Alright, if we split up, we should be able to find the chips easily. Then we should be able to just port over Chica to a new chip, then we can get out of here!"

Everyone agreed, and went off in search. They all stayed within the room- the next room, leading further into parts and services had suffered more damage. It looked like someone had thrown a charging station through one of the windows connecting the two rooms. Probably Monty? Could've been Freddy?

Roxy and Eclipse stayed together, while they searched. Probably because Roxy can't see what she's looking for. Though May and Trev went separate directions. Trev went into the containment tube, and May went to investigate the rooms that'd lost their windows in the quake.

Andy went over to some crates, near the area where endos were being kept in cages. All the endos looked like they were powered down, but it was still creepy.

She could faintly hear an unfamiliar ringtone, from what sounded like where May was. Which made sense to Andy- May probably changed phones since she was a teen.

She opened up the lid on the top crate, and peaked inside. It was all dusty parts- some eyeballs, some servos, and other assorted pieces.

Andy would have looked through those crates more, until she heard May scream. A blood curdling scream, like she had never heard May make before.

She bolted over to those rooms. Into a room that would previously be used to work on animatronics, until they'd brought in that giant containment tube. A room that had one boarded up door. A room that had broken windows and a turned over desk. A room that was furthest away from anything. A room that had May standing inside, hand clutched to her chest. Shivering in place.

A room that had what used to be a young girl inside.

Andy couldn't catch her breath. And it was like the world decided to spin beneath her. She could hear Trev startle beside her, as he ran in.

This room- had what would have been a middle school girl inside. Ripped limb from limb. Curly red hair, tied in pigtails with two faded ribbons. Freckled, pale skin. Now mottled with purple. Empty-looking eyes, from her severed head, staring sideways from nearby.

And the ringtone noise was much louder here. Coming from her clothed torso. Until it stopped.

There was surprisingly little blood on the ground. But there was a strong smell of rot in the air. Andy could faintly hear Roxy sniffing.

‘You should've seen the way it looked at me, Andy. It looked so angry, like it could've torn me to pieces. And I know it would've if it'd caught me- it was able to break through the elevator door! It's stronger than it looks.’ Cassie had said, clutching her plushie to her chest. ‘But it thought I was already dead…’

Everyone was shocked and silent, except for May's sobbing cries. Nobody moved an inch.

At least, until a panicked voice rang out from the Endo Nursery.

"Dee? Are you there?"

Andy's blood ran cold.

She quickly turned around and looked over to where the voice came from. So did Roxy. "Cassie?" She whispered, In a confused tone. She looked like she was about to leap off, after the voice.

"That's not Cassie." Andy whispered frantically. Roxy's ears perked towards her, listening intently. "She never calls me Dee."

Andy turned back towards her friends. They looked at her with wide eyes. Trev had lost what little color he'd had in his face. May shook like a leaf. Andy needed to keep it together. She had everyone depending on her- she'd brought them here in the first place. "Everyone, follow me now."

This time, everyone listened, including Eclipse.

She didn't have time to explain what was going on. At least Roxy seemed to understand how dire this situation was. She'd put herself between the group, and where the voice came from. Trev and May clutched their weapons closer to their chests. Andy couldn't pretend she wasn't doing the same thing. Nobody wanted to end up like that poor girl.

Andy quickly looked behind them as they walked towards the elevator, to see if she could see anything through the busted windows. Only rubble. She turned and continued walking. Turning around to make sure everyone was keeping up with her.

She hoped it was just calling out, that it didn't know where they were. She hoped it wasn't chasing them yet. That it hadn't heard them somehow.

"Dee? Are you in there?! Say something!" Andy shivered, and started running. She didn't have to say anything to her friends- they kept pace.

They ran through Roxy's hallway, and got to the elevator, where Andy slammed on the button repeatedly, trying to get the door to open faster. It took way too long- or maybe adrenaline was making everything run slower?

"Everyone in- go, go, go!" She shooed her friends inside. They could complain later. Eclipse went in, but Roxy stayed out, looking down the hall, clenching her remaining fist. She and Andy could hear dull footsteps slowly approaching the hallway.

"Roxy, get in now." Andy growled. "Don't fight it here- or Cassie will never forgive me for leaving you behind."

Andy thought Roxy was going to refuse. She took a bit, before she sighed, and got into the elevator. Andy swept in after her and slammed the button that would take them back to Rockstar row.

She hoped this elevator would hold. She hoped she wasn't sending her friends to their doom. Her teeth were chattering in her mouth, and her shovel was shaking in her hand. Even as she tried to look like she had this all figured out.

The elevator went up, slowly. Then the screaming began. Cassie's screams. She sounded like she was being torn apart, limb by limb…

It's not her- it's not her! She's in hospital! It's just messing with you!

… but what if it is her?

Andy could hear someone making a pitiful noise, as she covered her ears and shut her eyes.

Until someone put their hand on Andy's shoulder, and she realized it was her own voice. She stopped, feeling tears welling in her eyes. She could feel her pulse beating like a drum in her neck. She opened her eyes, and saw May trying to comfort her. Tears were streaming down May's face.

The screams were still echoing, but faded as the elevator got closer to Rockstar Row. May pulled her into a hug. "It's okay, you have your phone, right Andy?" Andy nodded. "You can ring her soon. Once we get out of here…" Andy hugged May back- May needed comfort, too.

"Andy… was that the thing? Y'know. The one you told us about?" Trev asked in a whisper. Andy nodded again. "Fuck, I really thought it'd be gone by now…"

Eclipse looked towards Roxy- "That was the monster that nearly tore your head off?" Roxy's shoulders drooped. She probably would've nodded, if she could.

Instead she asked- "Who did it kill?"

He clarified who it was in a whisper- "Sun would see her when her parents picked up her brother from daycare… She would've turned thirteen soon..."

There was no more time to talk- the elevator doors opened, and Eclipse stuck their arm in the way quickly. just in case the monster tried to call them back down. Everyone filed out quickly into Roxy's green room. Except Andy- who jammed her shovel into the doorway of the elevator sideways to keep it propped open. That way it couldn't get called back down. She hoped, anyway.

Andy rejoined the others, wiping at her wet eyes. She needed to keep it together for this- or they'd never get out of here in one piece. "We're leaving now. No Monty. Whisper when you talk. And don't trust anyone's voice unless you can see their mouth move. Come on."

She thought Eclipse or Roxy would raise an issue with this. But they didn't. They knew it was too late. No one wanted to end up like the victims in a horror movie.

They went a different direction through Rockstar Row this time- taking the way that would lead them to the Monty Golf entrance. Eclipse led the way, while Roxy took the rear, keeping May, Trev, and Andy in the middle. Roxy grabbed Andy's hand, surprising her until she realized- Roxy couldn't see if anyone talking to her was the real deal. She needed another way to know. Andy squeezed Roxy's hand.

They walked fast, but tried to keep quiet. Periodically checking behind them in case it'd found another way up. Every noise they heard was suspect. At least the screaming has stopped.

Once they got back to the Atrium, May jammed her crowbar into the handle of the roller door, managing to catch the claw on the handle and jam the tip into the broken foundation. It wouldn't hold for long, but it could buy them some time.

They beelined towards the rope. Only to realize an immediate problem- Roxy couldn't climb it. To get up safely, you'd need two hands. She only had one. They could hear distant thudding footsteps as well- it had found a way up to Rockstar Row.

They quickly sent May climbing up first. Once she was up, Trev looked at Andy, pointing her up the rope before him. She shook her head. She couldn't leave without Roxy. He sighed, and gave Andy his bat. Then he scaled up the rope quickly.

Eclipse had found another route up, using his rope from near the Monty Golf sign that allowed them to fly. He could carry a kid, but adults were too heavy. Other animatronics were too heavy.

That left Andy and Roxy.

"Roxy, I need your chips now." She commanded.

Roxy was turned towards the footsteps again. She let go of Andy, and clenched her hand into a fist again. The footsteps were edging closer, faster now.

"If we leave it here, it'll kill more kids. Innocent kids."

Andy shivered, and put her hand on Roxy's shoulder. "I can't fight it, Roxy. None of us can! We have to leave! We can get the police down here after we leave- please-"

She thought she was convincing Roxy, until her own voice came from Rockstar Row:

"Wow, Wolfie. It's really playing you for a fool. You're following the wrong girl- come with me, I'll take you to Cassie…"

Roxy wheeled on Andy. If she had eyes, Andy guessed she'd be staring her down.

Andy felt her stomach drop. "Roxy, you know it's me! We've walked together the whole way here… and why would Eclipse follow that monster willingly?" She would have appealed to her friends for help, but she doubted it would be convincing. And they were too far away now.

Roxy didn't look completely convinced. Alternating turns between Andy, and the voice. Andy could hear that monster getting closer. But it hadn't reached the roller door to the Atrium yet.

She needed to do something. Anything. There was no time to waste.

…

She could use the bat that Trev had left with her. One good swing and she could probably knock Roxy's head off. Then she could just put Roxy's head in her bag, and leave.

She'd never see it coming.

It'd be easy…

…

… But she couldn't.

Not after all the love her Mom had poured into making her character- even if she was focus tested and inauthentic. Not after all the time Sam had spent building her up, and keeping her in tip top shape.

Not after she'd saved Cassie's life.

Andy sighed. She needed to try something else.

… She got an idea. But it was a gamble.

"Roxy- ask me something only I would know." Something that Sam or Cassie may have told you. Something I can answer…

Roxy stayed silent for a bit before asking:

"... What kind of flowers were outside your old house?"

Andy's breath caught in her throat. Those flowers? The ones she had planted with Sam? Back when he'd first married her Mom?

"Red hibiscus flowers. They were always Mom's favorite… we wanted to give her a special gift for Natal."

Roxy turned back to her, and thought for a second. The footsteps sounded like they were at the stuck roller door now. Andy twitched her fingers around the bat, and hoped she hadn't made a mistake. She could see the roller door start jiggling.

Roxy spoke up "... Take the two in my head, but leave the one in my back. I'll hold it off- quickly!"

She didn't need to tell Andy twice. She opened the hatch- Roxy had luckily avoided welding it shut when she repaired her neck- and grabbed out the two chips. Both labeled with Roxy's name, and a little drawing of a keytar. Sam's drawing. She held her breath, and stood back, as Roxy jilted slightly. The chip in her back taking full control.

Any wrong move could get Roxy's endo targeting her, instead of the monster.

The crowbar finally was yanked free, and the roller door shot up, making a loud noise. Roxy's old body started towards the harsh noise- "You might as well give up…"

Andy could see golden eyes lock on her, from the darkness inside Rockstar Row. She didn't bother trying to get the chips into her bag this time- jamming them into her hoodie pocket, and hoping they wouldn't fall out. She dropped the bat, turned and scaled the rope as she heard her own voice cry out in frustration behind her.

As she climbed further, she could hear her friends up top cheering her on- "Come on Andy! You can make it! Please…" Her lungs screamed from exertion. Down below, her voice screamed out. Andy heard the Monster put Roxy down for the last time. The tearing sound of servos, and the clunks of metal limbs hitting the floor, filling her with the same weird sense of guilt she'd felt about Chica.

She prayed it was too heavy to climb after her.

She was nearly at the top, maybe eight meters up, when she heard May gasp. "Andy- hang on tight!"

She didn't understand until the rope started twisting underneath her. Andy clinged to one of the knots as she felt the rope tug repeatedly, It was trying to throw her off. She screamed when she felt one of her feet slide off the rope. As the rope spun with her on it, she lost her balance and nearly fell completely. If it wasn’t for one hand keeping a tight hold on the rope, she would have. She could hear rumbling from up above- the old El Chips sign wouldn't be strong enough to hold a person's weight, plus someone pulling them down.

"Andromeda- you should get down from there!" Yelled up a voice she had thought she'd never hear again. But it was warped- stuck as how it would've been a year ago. Mechanical sounding. "How many times has your Mom told you not to climb too high?"

She sobbed as her step father tried to drag her to her doom. He's dead he's dead just like Jason- Just like Jemima- They bumped him off- they killed him- he's dead.

She couldn't keep climbing, because she'd fall off immediately. She couldn't fall down, because if the fall didn't kill her, It would. She whimpered and hung on for dear life.

But she could hear her friends up top- Eclipse yelled out. "Andy! We've got you! Hang on!"

She could feel the rope being tugged down. But now she could also feel it being tugged up. Andy opened her eyes and looked up- The monster may have held one end- but her friends held the other. Eclipse, May, and Trev all trying to pull it up together. It was a game of tug-o-war now- and it felt like they were winning. Andy nearly burst out crying with relief.

With all this tension, the rope was now more stable. But it had also started fraying just above her, at the next knot. Andy was filled with adrenaline, as she scurried up over the frayed section towards her friends.

It was just in time too- the rope snapped from the strain. The release of tension nearly threw Andy off again- until two hands grabbed her under her shoulders and pulled her up.

May had grabbed her with an "Up you get!", being held up by Eclipse and Trev. Andy clung to May like she was a lifeline, as her feet touched solid ground. She threw her arms around everyone- May, Trev, and Eclipse- as she sobbed with relief. She could hear her step Dad's voice down below, screaming some curse words in Portuguese. Her friends hugged her back.

She let go as she collected herself, rubbing her eyes again. I'm not a baby- how many times am I going to cry tonight? She looked down the hole, while holding May's hand- it was a bad idea. When she took out her flashlight, and shone it down there, she saw Bonnie. Or rather, a cruel mockery of Bonnie. The monster had found his parts somewhere, and crudely slapped them onto its own endo. But it clearly wasn't Bonnie. It was holding the fallen piece of rope in both blood-covered hands. Staring up at Andy with its glowing orange eyes.

She shivered, as May tugged her away towards Superstar-cade. "Don't worry about it now. It can't get up here…" Trev said. Andy hoped it couldn't. But it'd gotten out of the basement despite her locking the elevator upstairs. She breathed deeply, and they went into the Superstar-cade.

Everything was as it had been when they had gone through earlier. They hurried back towards the door leading to the fire escape. As they got to the hole near the exit, they could hear the roller door from the Atrium to the Superstar-cade get ripped open.

"May, you first!" Andy whisper-yelled. This time there were no complaints- she went, clinging to the sides of the wall and trying not to look down. Trev got ready to make the jump, as Andy turned to Eclipse- "Chips please?"

Eclipse stared at her, and she groaned in exasperation- "haven't we proved ourselves yet! It's coming, so please-"

"Andy- just let him come with. We can figure this out later!" Trev whispered, then he jumped over the hole, landing roughly on the other side.

Andy groaned. He didn't get it. "Can you make the jump?" She whispered, pointing to Eclipse's footless leg. He nodded back. Alright, so maybe Trev does get it. "Okay, let's go." She turned, took a deep breath, and waited until May and Trev were clear before taking her jump. She reached the other side, but too close to the edge. Nearly falling back in until Trev grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. Once Andy was clear, Eclipse made his leap, and landed soundly.

May opened the door to the fire escape quietly. "Quickly, quickly!" She whispered. They went in, trying to keep the noise down. Once they were all in, May softly shut the door again. They could hear footsteps approaching.

Everyone looked at Andy, as she slowly slunk up the stairs. They followed her lead, keeping an eye on the door and an ear on the footsteps. This was a gamble- it may know where they are by deduction. It may be able to slink around next to the wall. It may be able to make that jump. It may wrench open that door and chase them down while they're surprised…

…

Andy held her breath as she heard it wandering around out there. She got to the next stairwell. She heard it make the jump, landing hard on the other side.

…please don't open please don't open-

It didn't open. And she could hear the sound of footsteps walking away, to the other side of the VIP lounge.

She took some quick, quiet breaths, and continued up the stairs. Watching to make sure everyone was following while she walked.

They got most of the way up the stairs in silence, far enough away to where they couldn't hear its footprints anymore. Far enough away that Andy got her hopes up, about them getting out of here without any more issues.

Trev was walking just behind her, and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to him. "Andy, let's just take him with us. He can ride in the back of the pickup. If I drive safely, no one will have any reason to stop us and check the back." He whispered.

Andy nodded back to him, then turned around and kept walking. They were only a flight of stairs away from the rooftop exit.

She heard the door slam open below them, and her heart dropped into her stomach. We weren't quick enough. She froze, and turned towards the noise. So did her friends. She couldn't hear footsteps- yet. Instead she heard something much worse.

A young man, panting and out of breath. Stuck one year in the past. A young man who was definitely, probably, dead. "Trev? Trevor? Please come help me. I've been stuck here for so long…I can't… I can't go much further. Please… before it finds me…"

Trev was standing there, looking like he was about to fall over. Or like he would take off running down there any second. Andy took a step down to him, and shook his shoulder. He turned to face her, his face had lost what little color it had. Dee walked up behind Trev with Eclipse, and put her hand on Trev's other shoulder. He started a little from it, before realizing it was her.

"Trev. It's not him. It's not him. It's just playing with you, like when it pretended to be Cassie. Or when it pretended to be Sam." Andy whispered.

Trev shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. "You don't know that. It could be him, it could be…" he was lying to himself. And from the look of despair on his face, Trev knew it. Andy drew him in for a quick hug, then started tugging him towards the exit.

The monster hadn't given up, though. "Why did you abandon me, Trev? If you had been there with me at the meeting, you could have helped me… You could still help me. Please…"

Trev sobbed out, but continued up the stairs with Andy and the group. They ran now- because the monster had heard the sob and started running up the stairs. Every noise they made echoed against the concrete. Andy saw the stars shining through the open door to the rooftop. We're so close, we're so close-

They burst out onto the roof, and then Andy remembered something awful- the fence at the bottom of the stairs. The one with the barbed wire. And the one section free from it, that had taken them time to climb over one by one. The one that could trap them now.

She stopped, and May and Trev stopped too. "No guys- run! Get over the fence and to the car! I'll… I'll think of something…" She turned back towards the door. She needed to buy her friends time- she was the reason they were here in the first place. She'd nearly brought them to their doom.

May and Trev looked horrified. But they did run. Andy could hear May start sobbing as she fled with Trev.

Andy could feel her pulse beat fast in her neck. But she also felt time crawl- she was sure she'd die up here. She could hear the footsteps echoing through the door, and the monster calling out- but it had switched tactics again. It had switched… to Gregory?

Of all people-

"Andy, do you know what happened to me?"

She didn't. Why was it asking her?

"’... Wow, you're really on something, huh? Got any spare for me?’" It said, in a strange recreation of Gregory's voice. It… didn't sound like something he would have ever said. So why…

She couldn't get this feeling out of her head. That she was missing something. A strange feeling of… guilt washed down her back.

She didn't have time to ponder- it was nearly here, and it knew she was here. She was here alone. She needed to do something-

As Andy scanned the roof, she couldn't find anything useful for barricading the door. She didn't have her shovel, or a crowbar, or even Trev's baseball bat anymore- and there was nothing strong enough here. Just junk, scraps of wood, weak pipes, Eclipse-

Wait, Eclipse?

Andy turned to him. "You need to go! Now! Before it dismantles you- Go with Trev and May!"

Eclipse shook his head. Andy nearly cried out- you don't have to die with me!

"A-are you waiting for Chica and Roxy? Take them! Take them!" She tried flinging her bag at him, and reached for Roxy’s chips in her hoodie pocket- but Eclipse walked past her, back to the door. He pressed it shut, and held it in place.

"...I'm not strong like Monty, or Freddy. Take my chips- and hurry! I'll try to hold the door…"

Andy felt that twinge of guilt again. But she also felt self preservation kick in- she didn't need to die here.

She found the panel- it was hidden in a different spot of his head- and got the chips. She didn't bother looking at the labels. She knew what'd be on there: Sun & Moon, with a childish sun and moon drawing to accompany it. Sam's work, again.

She left the spare chip in the back- grabbed her bag and bolted for the stairs. She could hear the monster approaching, and could hear it struggling with the door before she got far enough away to stop hearing it.

She ran faster than she'd ever ran in her life. She could only hear the pounding of her feet on the concrete steps, and the pounding of her blood in her neck.

Andy knew where to go- she could see her friends running towards where they'd parked the pickup. But they were too close to it, and she was too far- could she catch up in time, before they left? They must think I'm dead by now…

She grabbed her flashlight out of her hoodie pocket, and turned it on. She shined it at their retreating figures, then screamed out "I'm here! I'm here! Don't leave me!" She continued running- she was nearly at the bottom of the stairwell- while looking to see if they noticed her.

She saw May turn around and look at her- then tug at Trev and tell him. Andy was filled with hope- they wouldn't leave her behind-

Unless it caught up to her.

Andy heard something crash loudly as she neared the bottom of the stars. She looked away from Trev and May, and saw it. It had jumped from the top of the building to the bottom, and was kneeling in the space between the fence and the stairs. In a dent it had created falling on the concrete foundation.

She stopped running. There was no point now. It would kill her before she even reached the fence to begin climbing.

It was staring at her with its orange eyes. Wearing the bloodied remains of her step-dad's favorite animatronic. Holding the snapped arm of Andy's new favorite animatronic. Talking to her in her mother's voice.

"Why do you hate it here so much?"

Andy stepped backwards up the stairs. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't respond. It was playing, word for word, a conversation she'd had with Mom when she was fifteen years old.

"I think you've been playing too many of those games, Andromeda… nothing bad happens at Freddy's. Those games were just based on urban legends… 'Purple Guy' never existed…"

She panted from exertion. She couldn't keep running from it. If she ran back into the building, she'd be a sitting duck. If she stayed here…

…

But it seemed content with tormenting her for now. Maybe if she talked back, she could have time to think of a way out…

She sobbed out and looked down at it. "Why are you doing this then? If it's all just games…" She could see Trevs pickup's headlights turn on in the distance, and her heart sank. Even if she found another way out through the pizzaplex, she wouldn't catch up to them in time. They'd have to leave without her.

It took a few steps forwards, as she held her ground, sobbing. She had nowhere else to run.

She could see the pickup's headlights getting closer, fast- they weren't leaving her behind, she realized… they'd found the last weapon they had available and were preparing to use it. It may have been a beater-up, but it would be strong enough to break through the fence.

Would it be strong enough to stop this monster? She thought. She needed to keep it still.

The monster stopped maybe five meters away from the stairs. Still on the concrete foundation of the Pizzaplex. It said, in a voice that must have been it’s own? "He's not really dead. He's right here. Follow me…"

Andy was so confused. "That, that doesn't answer my question… Why do you want to kill me? What have I ever done to you? Why did you try to kill Cassie?"

It tilted its head, it looked confused too. It grumbled, in a different voice- "Don't you have something better to do than stare at me?"

This left Andy even more confused. She could hear the pickup rumbling louder and louder as it approached. The monster looked up at her, waiting for a response.

"I… I don't understand. You don't want me to look at you? If you let me go, I'll never look at you again!" She yelled out.

This seemed to be the wrong answer. It roared at her, and started plodding towards the stairs. But not quick enough- with a loud crash, Trev crashed his pickup through the fence, and straight into the monster. It went down under the chassis.

Trev screeched the pickup to a stop, it skidded out and the right side of the vehicle hit the Pizzaplex. Luckily, not too hard- but that side’s mirror was now wrecked. Andy gasped loudly, nearly falling backwards trying to get away from it.

She could hear the engine rumbling as Trev stuck his head out the window- "Andy- get in!" She didn't think twice- throwing herself into the cargo bed, and landing on top of her push bike. She could hear servos creaking under the car.

"Go! Go! Go! She screamed. Trev floored it out of there, turning to head towards the pizzaplex's parking lot. The truck scraped awfully against the wall, making a sickening sound. It was just able to turn enough to squeeze through the first hole made in the fence, to get away. She could feel the wind tugging her hoodie down over her face, as she slunk down as low as she could in the cargo bed, hanging on to the sides.

Looking back, she could see the monster get up, and start chasing the vehicle.

But luckily for her, this wasn't The Terminator. It was fast- but not 50 miles an hour fast. They lost it as they peeled out of the parking lot, and onto the highway. Andy could feel herself, still breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath.

She needed to thank her friends so, so much for coming back for her. For being here in the first place. She needed to check she had all the chips. She needed to ring Cassie. She needed to ring the police- from a payphone somewhere.

But first they needed to get a lot further away from this thing. She lay down in the cargo bed, as she caught her breath.

________

They were a few miles away from the Pizzaplex now, in the downtown of St George. They'd stopped briefly outside the city, to take off the covers on Trev's License plates, and so Andy could squish herself into the back seat and put her seatbelt on.

"Like they always say- 'if you have a dead body in your trunk, you better use your turn signals.'" Trev quoted.

Nobody laughed at this. Admittedly, he didn't seem to be joking, from the serious look on his face. It was way too close to home for everyone, as they had a metaphorical body in their trunk. A torn up middle schoolers body. A body they'd need to report. A body they could easily be arrested for.

Andy had checked her bag, and her pockets to make sure she had everything. In them, was Chica, Roxy, and Eclipse. She sighed in relief. They were cruising around in the car, looking for an isolated payphone anywhere.

Eventually, they found one, near a shut down factory. There were only a few homeless people sleeping on the steps of the factory, not near enough to the payphone to listen in on a phone call.

Trev pulled up about one hundred meters away, to hopefully avoid getting his license plate caught on any cameras. He let May out, as they'd agreed in the car. ‘I found her first. I feel like I need to be the one to tell them.’

Andy and Trev couldn't help but feel a bit anxious for her. They kept their eyes peeled, for anything with glowing, orange eyes, as she talked into the phone.

After a few minutes of talking, and quickly slamming down the phone, she ran back to the pickup, looking completely drained. She slid into the front passenger seat, after wrangling with the damaged door, and Trev took off. No one wanted to stick around.

May spoke up before anyone could ask her- "They wanted me to stay on the line. They wanted my name. My phone number. I had to hang up." She shook like a leaf.

Trev put a hand on her shoulder, keeping the other one on the steering wheel. "You did the right thing, May. You told them about that machine too?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I bet they'll think I was high or something. But I did tell them. Ball's in their court now…"

The car stayed silent. No one thought the police would take this seriously. The police in Washington County didn't have… the best reputation.

Andy checked her phone. It was 2:37am. They'd been in the pizzaplex for a bit over four hours. A lot of the thoughts that she just hadn't had time to think back in the Pizzaplex now invaded her mind.

She could still hear her screams from below the elevator.

"Hey, uhh, is it okay if I ring my sister? I just need to check if she's doing okay?" She didn't want to start talking on her phone, if that would cause Trev problems driving.

"Umm, yeah. That's all good." He took a bit to think. "Andy, still up for buying drinks for us? I think we all kinda want to forget tonight…" May nodded, in agreement. "Also, do you still have Jason's number?"

"Yeah, I do." She'd felt too weird deleting the number of one of her friends. So she hadn't.

"Could you ring him as well? If it goes to message bank again… at least I'll know."

"Yeah, sure." Andy said. "Just got to ring her first."

~~~~~~~~

Author's note- I know we pass through the El Chips menu sign in the Salon section of Ruin. But I don't think that was really the sign, because Roxy can also pass through it. It's one of the illusions from the occipital transponder chip implanted in Cassie's eye/head. At least, that's my take.

Also, I should clarify- in this fic. Cassie couldn't find the voicebox, nor could she find Bonnie’s body. So, nobody had any idea he was there to be saved.

Maybe he could have been… but I have no idea how I'd write him. And the house will eventually be packed full of animatronics. One more would be too hard to balance. This story will have a fairly happy ending, but not a perfect ending. So, don't set your hopes too high please.

Regarding the Mimic- I think it's a combo of the two different mimic-based characters (The one from the epilogue, who was just following orders. And Glitchtrap, who saw… something go down, tried to mimic the killer, and was behind Vanny, GGY, The Mimic, and The Storyteller.) So that's what I wrote into this fic. That's also why it didn't dismantle Cassie or Roxy back in chapter one- sure it has programming saying to tear off all the limbs. But it also has a mind of its own.

#five nights at freddy's #fnaf #fnaf fanfic #roxanne wolf #glamrock chica #eclipse fnaf #summerly writes #is it really a birthday party fanfic #tw child death #tw gore

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