Bang! Oswald rubbed his shoulder after firing the shotgun for the 14th time. He was definitely not getting used to this. His arms had trouble supporting the gun, but his determination and focus helped him push through it. Adrenaline could only get him so far though. He needed a break.

He made sure the safety was on before sitting the gun next to the bags. Oswald decided to check his target. He smiled in satisfaction after seeing that he hit it. He saw Mandy, Raj, and Isaac nearby. They were also practicing with a few guns. He frowned. Could they really do this? He knew he inspired them somewhat after telling them how he killed that rabbit, but he didn't know if he could be that brave again. That was just him trying to get his dad back and survive. What if this was a big mistake? What if he couldn't be brave enough again?

He sighed, looking away and towards where Dylan, Brooke, Oscar, and Abby were talking. When the others met up there, Brooke came in quite a rush and now, she was talking to Dylan about what she and Millie had learned from that priest they talked to. Strangely, Millie hadn't shown up yet. Oswald decided to walk over and get the scoop on what was going on.

"So that's why Sarah died? It was all because of this... Eleanor?" Abby asked.

"That's what we think, yeah. What we do know is that she's behind... pretty much everything that's been happening since Afton died in the distribution center." Brooke explained. Abby sat down on a nearby bench. She looked like she was taking in a lot. Oswald couldn't say he blamed her. She just found out what killed her best friend. Sarah's murderer finally had an identity.

"So... she's the one we need to kill?" Dylan asked.

"I honestly don't know if we can. The way Father Blythe described her... Dylan, I'm not sure about this. I don't think we can do this." Brooke said with uncertainty.

"We have to try, Brooke. We're the only ones who even know she exists. If we don't do something about it, she'll just kill more people anyway." Dylan said.

"But I'm scared, Dylan." Brooke said. Dylan hugged her. "Trust me, Brooke... I'm terrified. I don't think we can do this either... but if we don't do anything at all, what good will that do?" Dylan said.

"How do you do it? Be so brave and determined?" Brooke asked.

"I know that no matter what happens, you and everyone else will always be there for me, you'll always be there for each other, and I'll always be there for you. We have to protect each other. That's how we even stand a chance. We need to stick together." Dylan said.

"He's right." Abby said, her tone changing from fearful to determined. They all looked at her.

"We have to kill her. Guns, fire, whatever it takes to put that hag in her grave."

Dylan nodded in approval. "We need to get ready and wait for Millie."

***

Jake sat there in silence. Andrew hadn't spoken at all for the past couple days, the awkwardness from their previous fight was still there. Jake felt more and more guilty about what he said. Sure, he was frustrated with Andrew, but he didn't actually hate him. He was a restless spirit like him, and Jake didn't know what he went through. He just couldn't work up the courage to apologize. How would he react? Would he forgive him? Andrew was always so angry, Jake didn't think he could even reach out to him.

Jake closed his eyes and searched the void for Andrew. It didn't take long to find him. He was sitting there all alone. Jake walked over an knelt down next to him.

"Listen, Andrew, I-" Andrew turned away. "I just want to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any of that."

"But you did. I know you're really sorry, but somewhere deep down... you really do hate me." Andrew said.

"No! Of course not!" Jake said. "It's okay to admit it. It's just us here. Why hide it? I mean, why should I be surprised? It seems like everyone hates me nowadays." He said.

"That's not true!" Jake said, surprised. Andrew scoffed.

"Isn't it? I should've seen it coming. I mean, I am the one who caused all this in the first place." Andrew's eyes began to well up. "If I didn't keep that man alive, if I just-... you're right, Jake... this is my fault. I'm the one that chose to keep him alive and make him suffer, and look what I caused because of it. I just wanted revenge. I didn't know what else to do! I was so stupid! So, so stupid!"

Jake put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, but instead, his vision blacked out and he found himself at a birthday party. Children were playing and three animatronics were performing on stage. He looked at a table and saw Andrew next to a girl. They were both eating birthday cake. Jake noticed that Andrew looked a little lonely. Jake sat down next to him and tried to comfort him, but it seemed as though Andrew couldn't see or hear him.

Jake was frightened to see a man wearing a rabbit costume kneel down to be at eye-level with the girl next to Andrew.

"Would you like a present from Mr. Fazbear himself?" The man asked, his cheerful and energetic voice attempting to hide the coldness in his tone. The girl nodded profusely.

"Follow me." The man said. The girl got up and followed the man down the hall.

Andrew noticed his sister following the rabbit man. What was she doing? He looked around for his mom and dad, but they were nowhere to be seen. He looked back at his sister and ran after her.

"Cassidy! Cassidy, wait up!" Andrew ran into the hallway they went into. Jake watched him follow them inside a room. Jake blinked and he was suddenly in a back room with shelves and animatronic suits inside. He turned and was horrified to see the dead bodies of five children sitting on chairs. One boy had several stab wounds in his chest. Another boy had his belly sliced open. The third boy had his throat slit. One girl had a stab wound in her neck. The second girl, Andrew's sister, had been stabbed in the stomach and slit in the throat. Andrew was standing there motionless, tears falling out of his horrified eyes.

When the bloody man behind him put a hand on his shoulder, Andrew quickly turned around and backed away in horror. The man cornered him, causing Andrew to sob. The man wiped a tear off his face, smearing blood on his cheek.

"Don't cry, child... your sister isn't gone. She's still here. Would you like to join her?" The man said in a sadistic voice as he thrusted his knife right into Andrew's chest.

As Andrew bled out, the man picked him up and sat him down in the final chair. The man cleaned himself up and danced out of the room, leaving a dying Andrew in a dark room with several bodies. He looked over to see his sister next to him. He slowly reached over and held her hand. He knew he was dying, so the last thing he wanted to do was hold his sister's hand, just one last time. The end came not long after.

Jake blinked and he was back in the Stitchwraith next to Andrew. He looked at Andrew with wide eyes.

"Andrew... you... you remember! You remember what happened!" Jake said in realization.

"Yeah... I always did." Andrew answered angrily. "I know I shouldn't have lied about it, but it wasn't really any of your business." Jake sat there and listened to Andrew speak, hearing him gradually become more enraged.

"It was her birthday, Jake! He took her away on her birthday! My sister! I had to do it! I had to make him pay! I was the only one strong enough to do it! You know what?! I don't regret hurting him! He deserved it! He was a monster, and I don't feel sorry for what I did! I would do it again if I could make him suffer more! Don't you understand that, Jake! Of course you wouldn't! You weren't killed like I was! You don't know what it's like!" Andrew became more and more violent the more he spoke.

Jake sat there wide-eyed. He blinked and he looked more calm. As Andrew kept talking, he was stopped in his tracks when Jake suddenly reached over and enveloped Andrew in a tight hug. Jake closed his eyes and squeezed Andrew tightly, shedding tears from having to witness what he went through. He had to show him that he wasn't alone. Jake had to show Andrew that he was still loved. Andrew sat there, a shocked expression on his face. He couldn't speak. He looked at Jake as he hugged him. He really meant this. Tears ran down his cheeks when he realized that Jake really did care about him. For the first time in three decades, he was understood, for the first time in three decades, he was loved, for the first time in three decades, his soul was healed. Because of that, he cried even harder. Him and Jake sat there for a while, letting the moment last for as long as it needed to. Neither of them wanted it to end.

***

Millie's migraine went away and she looked up to see Eleanor standing over her. "It was you... always you..." Millie said, horrified. Eleanor smiled.

"DID YOU TRULY THINK YOU COULD END WHAT I CAUSED? THIS IS NOT SOME FAIRY TALE WHERE THE HERO DEFEATS THE WITCH AND LIVES HAPPILY EVER AFTER. YOU ARE NO HERO, MILLIE FITZSIMMONS. YOU ARE JUST A GIRL WHO DOESN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH."

Millie then saw another vision. She saw Funtime Freddy in the shed, deactivated. Out of nowhere, Eleanor appeared and approached Funtime Freddy. She held her hand out and tendrils latched onto Funtime Freddy. His eyes glowed and he leaked a black substance. He suddenly got up and ran out he door.

It was Eleanor who let him out. Her friends were in danger because of her, Millie realized. When she was back in reality, she looked to see that she was in the factory where the Stitchwraith was hiding. She saw Eleanor behind her and started backing away in fear. She was completely helpless. Her fear grew with every step Eleanor took towards her.

"WHY SHOULD YOU BE AFRAID OF DEATH WHEN YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD?"

Millie stopped in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Eleanor laughed. She was clearly relishing this moment.

"YOU MEAN YOU DON'T REMEMBER? CHRISTMAS MORNING, THE SHED. YOU THINK THAT FUNTIME FREDDY BARELY CUT INTO YOUR SKULL, BUT WHAT YOU DON'T REMEMBER WAS THAT THE BLADE WENT ALL THE WAY THROUGH."

Millie then experienced flashes of the metal sheet going all the way through her skull and her screaming in pain.

"YOU DIED IN THERE, MILLIE. HOWEVER, FUNTIME FREDDY HAD ACCIDENTALLY INFECTED THAT METAL SHEET WITH REMNANT. OH, HOW COULD I FORGET? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT REMNANT IS. REMNANT IS AN ENERGY THAT COMES FROM SOULS, AND IT IS CAPABLE OF GRANTING IMMORTALITY. IT FUSED WITH YOUR BODY. YOU'RE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE, LITTLE ONE. HOWEVER, YOUR SECOND CHANCE OF LIFE IS AT AN END."

Millie felt the scar on her head. She died? That can't be true. She's still here. Still, she kept seeing memories of that moment in the shed, the blade penetrating her skull, the wound healing, her waking back up and screaming in pain. She saw herself pretending to be dead and the rest was history. This wasn't real. It couldn't be.

"I UNDERSTAND IT'S A LOT TO TAKE IN, BUT I'M AFRAID THERE'S NO TIME TO DISCUSS IT MORE."

Eleanor started walking towards her. That was when Millie realized what Eleanor wanted from her. The remnant was still in her, and Eleanor wanted it. If it was as powerful as she said it was, then it was safe to assume that she wanted it to become more powerful. Millie couldn't let that happen. She had to survive. She had to run.

Millie started running away as fast as she could. Eleanor simply flicked a finger and Millie was pulled back to her, her clawed hands wrapped around her neck. Millie's eyes widened to the size of golf balls as she choked. Eleanor grinned, showing several rows of sharp teeth.

***

Larson knew he had to go to that factory. He needed an answer to kill Eleanor. Yet, as he drove closer and closer to it, he started to have a change of heart. He was having doubts. Maybe Tabitha was right. He couldn't do this alone. Even he could see that something was wrong with him.

The cuts burned and he was having cold sweats and migraines. The black veins were starting to peak out from the bandages and spread up his arms. He had to keep going. He'd gone too far to turn back now. He looked over at the picture of Angela and Ryan. He reached over and clutched the picture in his hand, holding it tight.

"I promise I'll make things right. I promise."

***

The group was prepared enough. They've been out in the field, practicing for hours. They knew how to use the baseball bats, machetes and axes. Their aim was decent enough. Now, they were just waiting for Millie to come back. She hadn't shown up the entire time they were there, and they were there a while. Their parents would've been worried if they hadn't told them they were having a sleepover. The group started to worry about her. They tried calling her, but it was no use.

"Great, she's still not answering." Mandy said, unsurprised.

"I knew it, she ditched us." Isaac said.

"No, that's not like her! She was the one who brought us together to do this! Why would she want to just give up?" Brooke said.

"Brooke's right. Something happened." Oswald backed up her statement. "Well then what happened? You don't think she's..." Raj asked, to which everyone responded with looks of worry and concern.

"No! She's not dead! I'm sure she's just being held back." Dylan said, hopefully.

"Yeah, held back by death." Isaac said.

"Everyone calm down! Look, her plan was to go to the distribution center, right? That's probably our best way to finding her." Abby spoke up.

Everyone considered her argument. It was certainly convincing. Where else could they even search? "That is a good point, but we should try and go to her grandpa's house first. If she's not there, then we have a problem." Oscar suggested.

Everyone seemed to agree on that. "Okay, let's go to her grandpa's house and see what's going on." Brooke said.

"Umm, I don't know about you guys, but I think us walking around with guns and axes in our backpacks would look a little weird." Mandy said. "Well, we can just leave them on the bikes when we're talking to her grandpa." Oswald said.

"Yeah, but... are you sure we should keep them with us and not just leave them here?" Mandy asked. Everyone said yes all at once.

"Well, I guess my vote doesn't mean shit." Mandy shrugged.

"If Millie really did get taken by something, we need these to defend ourselves." Dylan pointed out. With that, they stuffed the weapons in their bags, got on their bikes and rode away.

***

The group wore faces of focus and determination, ignoring the odd stares from a select few bystanders they got along the way. Mandy looked over and saw that Abby looked more worried than anything. Mandy rode over next to her.

"How's it hanging?" She asked. Abby raised an eyebrow. "Uhh... it's hanging... I guess?" She responded.

"I mean how are you? You seem like you're thinking about something." Mandy said. Abby shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I'm okay. Just a little worried is all."

"About Millie?" Mandy asked. Abby took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah... I guess we're all just worried about her, right?"

Mandy chuckled. "Yeah, but you seem to be a lot more worried than anyone else." Abby blinked and looked at Mandy.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Abby asked. "It means you like her more than you think." Mandy said with a laugh.

A surprised Abby looked at her. "We just freaking met! Besides, how do you even know she's my... type?" Abby asked, defensively.

"I don't mean this in a bad way, but it's kinda hard to miss." Mandy answered. Abby kept riding and paused for a few moments. When Mandy thought the conversation was over, Abby spoke up again.

"I mean... yeah, I guess I like her... as a friend! I just... have you ever lost someone close to you?" Abby asked. Mandy thought back to when she lost her brother. He was so young and the loss hit her hard. She closed herself off from her family for a while and didn't do well in school and such. At least she moved on and was happier for it. However, that didn't mean she didn't still think about him every day. She missed him a lot and it's still hard to be without him, but at least she knew he was at peace and she always had her friends to help her through it. She answered Abby's question with a hint of sadness in her expression.

"Yeah... my brother... Bobby." Abby looked sympathetic after Mandy said that. "I'm... so sorry to hear that. I don't know what that's like." Abby said.

"Yes you do. You lost your best friend, and I can certainly say that's never easy. No one deserves to lose anyone the way you lost Sarah." Mandy said. Abby looked down.

"I know you're scared. We all are to be frank. We've never done anything like this before in our lives. But, you know what? we're always gonna be there for each other. If you think we're gonna leave you behind, you're dead wrong, and if you think we're gonna die, then you just don't have any faith in us. I don't know Millie as much as I know the others, but I can tell that she's fine. She's survived nearly getting her head chopped off for crying out loud!" Mandy tried lightening the mood and Abby smiled. Abby certainly felt a lot better. Maybe Millie was gonna be okay.

While Mandy and Abby continued chatting, Oscar and Raj were talking about some obscure joke. Isaac rode over next to Brooke. When he opened his mouth to say something, a fly flew into his mouth. Brooke laughed as he coughed.

"God! I think nature hates me!" Isaac said in frustration. Brooke continued laughing.

"Oh, you think that's funny, huh? How about I tell Dylan about what I found in your closet last week? He'll find that hilarious." Isaac shot back.

Brooke immediately stopped laughing and gave him a death stare. "Don't you dare." She said, seriously.

Raj rode over, curiosity evident on his face. "What did you find in her closet?" Raj asked. "Don't you tell him!" Brooke threatened. Isaac smirked and whispered into Raj's ear. Raj immediately gagged in disgust.

"Brooke! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Raj shouted. Brooke exhaled through her nostrils and looked Isaac dead in the eye.

"I swear, when we get to her house, I'm going to slap you silly." Brooke threatened.

Dylan chuckled as he watched Brooke, Raj, and Isaac. He didn't know what they were talking about, but he had a feeling he didn't want to know. He looked over at Oswald and saw uncertainty evident on his face.

"Something wrong?" He asked. Oswald blinked and looked over at Dylan.
Nothing. I'm just... having a bad feeling." He answered.

"About what?" A confused Dylan asked. "When I went in that ball pit, it was already freaky enough going back in time by thirty years, but then I saw... I saw kids die. Then that... creature replaced my dad. Now that we know that Eleanor is behind all that, it's just making me wonder... can we win? I'm not saying it's impossible to kill her, but if we somehow do manage to kill her... will anything change? Those people will still be dead, and all those families will never find closure. I'm also not sure how our mental states will be after we get it done." Oswald admitted.

Dylan listened intently. Oswald did bring up some good points. Dylan honestly didn't know the answer to those questions, but at least he could say one thing.

"Oswald... I can't say I have an answer for you there, buddy... what I do know is if we kill Eleanor... she won't ruin any more lives again. I'm not sure how much help it'll be to those people and I definitely don't know what happens after this... but hey, every little bit helps." Dylan said.

Oswald thought for a moment, and nodded in response. "You're right. If we do end this, it'll end a lot of pain. We have to do this... for the ones who were lost to her." Dylan nodded. "I like the sound of that."

After another minute, they parked their bikes in the driveway of Millie's grandpa's house. As soon as they got off, Brooke walked over to Isaac and slapped him in the face.

"Ow! Come on! That really hurts!" He rubbed his now red cheek. Brooke crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Serves you right, you little bastard." Isaac groaned at that.

"Stop messing around! We need to focus." Oscar interrupted their banter.

They rang the doorbell on the house and waited about a minute. Then, Millie's grandpa answered the door, sporting an old cardigan like he always did. He smiled at the sight of the children.

"Oh, hello there! If you're looking for Millie, she's not here." He said.

They all adopted looks of concern at that statement. "What do you mean she's not here?" Oscar asked.

"Well, she's been gone for a while, since yesterday. I just thought she was with you. Wait, she's not in trouble, is she?" His tone shifted from normal to concerned.

"We're sure she's fine! She just hasn't met up with us yet and we were just trying to find her." Dylan said.

"Couldn't you just call her on your phones?" Her grandpa asked. "Well, yeah, but that still didn't work. She wasn't answering." Brooke said. Her grandpa now looked more worried.

"Well, just keep looking. If she comes back, I'll tell her to give you a call. Did something happen to make her do this?" He asked.

"We don't know." Raj said. Millie's grandpa sighed. "Well, just keep an eye out. Make sure she's doing okay, alright?" He asked. The group nodded.

"Don't worry, Mr. Fitzsimmons, we'll keep looking." Brooke said, kindly. They walked back to their bikes.

"This isn't good, this isn't good, this isn't good." Raj repeated. "Well... that's a problem." Brooke said.

"You don't say!" Mandy said. "I guess there's really one other place we can check." Dylan said.

They hopped on their bikes and pedaled their way out of the driveway. Their next stop was the distribution center. They prayed that Millie was there, and they were definitely hoping they wouldn't have to use their weapons on anything there. They all still couldn't help but feel that something was gonna happen.

***

Funtime Freddy stomped his way through an alley, scaring away cats with just a glance. It was getting hard to see with just one eye thanks to Millie. He swore that he was going to catch that little brat soon. He just had to find the right time to continue his little execution. As he walked. Black smoke appeared around him.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" He had no time to think about what was happening before the smoke began to cloud his vision. Everything went black. Then, in an instant, he was in a large warehouse of some kind. Disoriented, he looked at the rows of shelves across the wide space. They all seemed to have animatronics or dolls on them.

As Funtime Freddy continued observing the area, his databanks recognized the layout of the building as that of the Fazbear entertainment distribution center. Funtime Freddy didn't know how or why he was brought here.

"Man, that was some magic act." He said to himself. He decided to wander around and see if he could get to the exit.

***

Jake and Andrew were forced to break their hug when they heard struggling nearby. The Stitchwraith got up to see a strange woman that neither of them had ever seen before, strangling Millie. Both of them were worried and confused about what was happening. Jake wanted to save her, and this time, Andrew wanted to as well. They had no time to question it. They both agreed that they had to do something.

The best thing the Stitchwraith could do was run towards the woman and grab her by the head, letting their electric touch do the rest. The woman twitched and let go of Millie as their hands made contact with her head. However, much to Andrew and Jake's surprise, the woman started resisting their touch.

She turned around, her green eyes glowing brightly. She knocked their hands off her head and with a wave of her hand, sent the Stitchwraith flying into a wall. She turned back towards Millie, who picked up a nearby piece of rebar and hit her in the head. When she went to swing again, she was suddenly stopped in place, and lifted mid-air.

"HAVE IT YOUR WAY. YOU WANT TO TRY AND END THIS? FINE THEN. IF YOU WANT TO FIND ME, LOOK WHERE IT BEGAN."

Eleanor disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, leaving Millie bruised and breathing heavily. She ran over to the Stitchwraith to see if they were okay. She almost tried shaking it awake, but quickly remembered what Jake told her about how touching it is instant death, so she simply went for a vocal response.

"Jake? Andrew? Are you okay?" She asked. The Stitchwraith twitched and sat up. "I guess we're okay... just shaken up. Who was that?" Jake asked.

Millie grimaced. "Eleanor. She's the one behind it all. She's the one who infected all those objects, not Andrew, not William. It was her all along." Millie couldn't see it, but Andrew had a look of astonishment and disbelief on his face. It wasn't his fault. The infected objects wasn't his fault. He smiled.

"Why was she trying to hurt you?" Jake asked. "She said I had remnant that she wanted." Millie answered.

"What's remnant?" An utterly confused Jake asked.

Andrew spoke then. "Remnant is energy. It's what keeps us alive, in a way, you can call it our souls. Afton, the man that hurt me, used it to live forever." Andrew admitted.

"That's possible?!" Jake asked in a fascinated tone. He sounded like a child who just saw someone do a flip for the first time.

"Yes. Remnant not only helps you live longer, it makes you more powerful. It can grant... abilities that no normal person can do." Andrew explained.

"She said she wanted my remnant because Funtime Freddy, an animatronic that... killed me, put remnant inside of me. Is that a problem?" Millie said.

She couldn't stop thinking about what Eleanor said. She was dead? She let that sink in for a moment, and she truly realized how lucky she was to be alive. If that remnant hadn't... implanted itself into her wound... who knew where she would end up? Hopefully, there were no side effects to it.

"Remnant... is not supposed to be injected into living people. Sure, it can cure any disease, and instantly heal any wound, but it can make you crave more. You lose yourself, you lose your humanity, all in the name of power. So, trust me when I say this: immortality is not all it's cracked up to be." Andrew said with a reminiscent tone, as if he'd seen this sort of thing before. It was likely that he'd seen it happen to Afton. Still, after hearing that, Millie was definitely more worried about her own mental state. Funtime Freddy didn't put that much remnant into her... right?

"Does that... happen to everyone?" Millie asked, nervously. Andrew sighed heavily as if he had to really think about the answer to this.

"No. At least, not as far as I know. It mainly depends on the person's soul, their personality. If it's being put into someone like Afton... well, you already know that answer. Someone like you on the other hand... I'm sure you'll be okay. Have you... felt weird at all lately? Headaches, visions, being able to sense the feelings of others?" Andrew asked.

Millie thought back to all the times she talked to the others, or just saw anything good happen. Every time she was surrounded by happiness, her scar tingled, but not in a bad way. Really, it felt... strange. She also remembered the massive headaches she got from experiencing those visions. She remembered her nightmares after she... "died." That was still weird to think about.

"Yeah... yeah, all those things you just said pretty much described the past couple months for me." Millie answered.

"Then the remnant has already bonded with your soul. I don't know what will happen, but I do know that this Eleanor wants it." Andrew said.

"So... we should stop her?" Jake asked, uncertain. "What do you think?" Andrew said, sarcastically.

"She told me to find her where it all began. Do either of you know what she means by that?" Millie asked. Jake was silent. Andrew didn't take long to answer.

"Yes. I know exactly where she's talking about." Andrew said it with an undertone of anger and revulsion. When both were silent, hoping to listen to his answer, he sighed and spoke up again.

"The original Freddy Fazbear's pizza... where the murders happened... where it all started."

Millie understood that Andrew felt uncomfortable. She didn't exactly know what happened in Andrew's past before the distribution center, but she could feel it. She guessed those remnant powers were coming in handy. She could feel his anger, his pain. It wasn't as strong and overpowering as it was the last time they spoke, but it was still there. "Andrew, you don't-"

"No! Trust me, I don't want to go back there... but if it means stopping what happened to me from ever happening again... I can do it. I can take you there." Andrew said.

Jake was reluctant to let Andrew do this, but he supported him no matter what. "Okay then... take us there." Jake said.

He sighed as he weakened his own control of the Stitchwraith so that Andrew could take over. Andrew was hesitant, but he trusted Jake and Jake trusted him, so he took over, the Stitchwraith's eyes turning from orange to dark blue.

"Follow me." Andrew instructed. Millie followed close behind with a look of uncertainty, but also resolve. There was no turning back now. Millie didn't care what Eleanor told her anymore. She was going to fight until she couldn't fight anymore and Eleanor can't take that away from her.

***

Larson fell to the ground as he got out of the car, his current condition gradually getting worse. The veins were all over now, and he began coughing up black tar every now and then. He was dying, he knew he was dying.

It couldn't end... not like this. It wasn't. He had to press on. He needed to get up. Charlie's mask... it was in there. He could feel it. He didn't know how, but he could feel it. He just had to find it. He knew Charlie was still in there, he just had to wake her up, wake her up before he died trying.

***

The group stopped outside of the distribution center. The night sky seemed to make it look more daunting than they thought. Still, they didn't turn back. They didn't run. Their friend's life was at stake and they couldn't give up now, not when they're so close to ending it all. They loaded the guns and put the spare weapons in their backpacks in case they needed them. They turned on their flashlights and slowly walked through the front door, which was unlocked for some reason.

Mandy had trouble turning her flashlight on. She angrily shook the thing and cursed at it to work. When the others looked at her in concern, Mandy decided to open the part where the batteries went and she realized she had one of the batteries facing the wrong way. She flipped it over on the right side, turned it on, and the flashlight lit up. She giggled sheepishly as the rest of the group lightly chuckled at her antics and kept moving. They stopped in their tracks when they noticed how big it was on the inside and how many aisles there were.

"I would say split up, but that's a shit plan, so let's ignore that instinct, shall we?" Oswald said, sarcastically.

"Yeah... we should stick together, watch each other's backs. We don't know what's in here." Dylan said.

They all decided to walk down the aisle straight ahead. They grimaced at the toys on the shelves. Brooke was starting to feel nervous about the items on the shelves and how they looked in the dark. She tried to stay close to the others as much as she could.

"Millie?!" Millie, are you in here? It's me, Dylan!" Dylan called out.

Oscar slapped him in the back of the head. "Hey! What are you doing?! We don't know if something else is in here! Do you want it finding us?!" Oscar whisper-shouted.

Dylan felt dumb for not thinking of that sooner, so he switched to quietly calling for her. The others aimed their flashlights through the shelves, hoping to spot her. They all jumped when Millie's voice suddenly echoed in the darkness.

"Dylan?! Was that you?!" The others were relieved to hear her voice, but also concerned about her safety.

"Millie?! It's us! We were looking for you! Where were you?!" Brooke called out. "Thank god! You have to help me! I don't know how I got here! I just woke up tied down to a chair! You have to help me!" Millie begged.

"Don't worry! We'll find you! Just keep calling out to us! We'll follow the sound of your voice!" Raj instructed. Millie agreed and kept calling for help.

The others ran in the direction of Millie's voice, trying very hard to pinpoint it in the large space. Eventually, they were coming closer. They were sure that Millie was just up ahead, but when they stopped at the location where her voice was coming from, they saw nothing.

"What the heck?" Isaac said under his breath. "Millie! Millie, where are you?!" Brooke shouted.

Suddenly, an invisible force knocked them all off their feet. As they slowly got up, they groaned in pain. It felt like they were just hit by a bus. The invisible force suddenly revealed itself to be Funtime Freddy. They widened their eyes in realization. He tricked them. He mimicked Millie's voice and used it against them. Now, he was standing there, cackling like a madman.

"Oh, you stupid little brats! Silly Millie's pals fell for my little trick!" Funtime Freddy taunted.

Dylan didn't let Funtime Freddy say another words before picking up his shotgun and fired at Funtime Freddy's face, shattering his faceplates. Mandy was laying on the ground next to Funtime Freddy, so she used the opportunity to take her axe and swing at his feet. She heard multiple wires snap and his joints began to groan more than they did before. She wasn't fast enough to dodge a kick to the face, which broke her nose. She laid on the floor and groaned in pain. Brooke ran over to her side and tried to help her, asking if she was okay with Mandy responding with a thumbs up. Brooke started to go from worried about Mandy to angry with Funtime Freddy. She was seeing red.

"Hey! Yogi!" Brooke shouted, getting the bear's attention. "I'm the only one who gets to smack my friends!" Brooke yelled as she pulled out her pistol and emptied the entire magazine into Funtime Freddy.

While he was disoriented, Oswald and Raj double teamed him from behind with an axe and a machete. The group took turns in breaking the bear apart. As Isaac was about to swing his spiked baseball bat into his chest, Funtime Freddy punched him in the chest, a loud cracking noise could barely be heard. Isaac was laying on the floor, the wind knocked out of him.

Mandy ran at Funtime Freddy with a warrior's cry and stabbed him in the back with her machete. Funtime Freddy ran away from the group. "You brats are no fun!"

As the others stood their, tired and still recovering from their wounds, they had to help each other recover. Mandy knelt down next to Isaac and checked on him, concern in her face. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Isaac coughed before taking a deep breath, then wincing a bit. "Talk about a one punch K.O. I think I have some broken ribs, but... I can stand." Isaac assured Mandy. "That was... so much worse than the rabbit. Way worse than the rabbit." Oswald panicked to himself.

"Guys... you don't think he killed Millie... right?" Raj said. The others' eyes widened in realization, their anxiety heightened. Could Millie be dead? No, that couldn't be. They didn't want to believe it.

"Well, he mimicked her voice. Isn't that how it usually works? You kill someone and you mimic their voice?" Raj asked.

"Dude, you read way too much SCP." Oscar said.

"Do you have a better explanation for what the heck just happened?!" Raj asked, his voice rising and cracking somewhat.

"The speaker!" Mandy said aloud. The others looked at her as if they had no idea what she was talking about. "On the blogs I've read, there were conspiracy theories that certain animatronics were programmed to copy the voices of people around them. I think that speaker on Funtime Freddy's chest was how he mimicked her." Mandy explained.

"That makes sense." Oscar said. "That still doesn't explain if he killed Millie or not." Oswald spoke up.

"Well, keep in mind that he's already met Millie before. He's already heard her voice multiple times. I don't think he killed her. Not yet." Mandy said.

"If Millie isn't here, then where could she be?" Dylan asked. "I guess we'll just have to get out of here and find out." Isaac said, starting to walk away. "No." Abby demanded. The others turned to her in surprise.

"Are you crazy?!" Brooke exclaimed.

"We barely made it out of that first fight alive!" Oswald yelled, shaking his hands in the air. "We can't do that again." Oscar said. Abby was stunned by their sudden refusal of her suggestion.

"What happened to not giving up?" Abby said. "Well, sorry, but we're giving up." Isaac said. "That was just... that was too much to handle." Raj said. "Yeah, I don't... I don't really wanna die." Mandy said quietly.

"We promised Millie that we would help her! Killing that bear is helping her! I know it's stupid, but we have to try! We were so close to destroying him! Millie would want us to not give up and keep fighting, no matter what! I don't know about you, but I'm going after that bear! For Millie!" Abby declared, picking up one of the backpacks and a shotgun. She marched away from the rest of the group, leaving them to make a choice, stay and fight, or retreat.

They all looked at each other, saw how beaten and bruised they were. They were not cut out for this. They knew that the odds were against them. They were hoping that Millie wasn't dead, but they really didn't want to kill that bear in order to find out. There was no shame in walking away. In that moment, they all accepted that not a single person in that group was a hero. They never were and they never will be...

But... they were Millie's friends. Abby was right. They promised to stay together and help Millie end this for good. If facing off against the thing that traumatized her meant contributing in ending this cycle of torment... then they were going to do it for Millie.

One by one, they each started following Abby. A stunned but overjoyed Abby looked back to see that they chose to stay and fight for their friend. "You... you stayed." Abby said, surprised.

Oswald took off Abby's backpack and put another one on her back. "Yeah, well, I wasn't going to just let you walk away with my backpack." Oswald joked.

"I didn't know it was yours!" Abby said, innocently. "Please! That's bullshit and you know it!" Oswald insisted. They all needed the happy moment to momentarily take their minds off of what awaited them in the darkness.

END OF CHAPTER XXVII