A Change in Fate

Chapter Eleven: Shattered Dreams

    Well, that was a relief at least. But even so, Gregory did not fully relax nor stop examining the shadows, until Michael stopped for the final time. This time, it was of his own accord. Giving Gregory's hand a gentle squeeze, he whispered, "There's a vent to get in. I'm going to let go of your hand, okay? Enter first." The pressure around Gregory's hand vanished, for Michael withdrew his. With nearly all sense of safety lost, the young boy practically threw himself onto his knees. Reaching forward, his fingers brushed against something cold and hard. It pulled away shortly, and he felt open space. As he gradually let his breath out, he crawled through and entered a new area where finally his sight returned.

    Straightening, Gregory shivered violently at the sight he beheld. The area was still cloaked in shadow, but he could clearly see his surroundings. Now he almost wished he couldn't. The outer shells of the animatronics littered the floor in front of him—Funtime Freddy, Ballora, and Funtime Foxy. Their empty sockets weren't focused on Gregory, but he could hardly bear to look at them, as if their empty shells could still spot him and hunt him down. The wreckage of the animatronics was nothing compared to the chill he got when glancing over the scooper. The contraption simply looked wrong to him, and the thought of what might have happened to him tormented his mind each time he threw the scooper a glance. What would that thing have done to his tiny body, had he not escaped Funtime Freddy when it was activated? He rubbed at his arms, the clang of the vent echoing behind him as Michael entered. The moment he did, an unfamiliar voice boomed through the area and startled Gregory backwards.

    He collided with Michael as the announcement rang through his ears. "Warning! You've entered a highly dangerous area. You have entered from maintenance hatch 1B, reserved for cleaning and repair of the scooper. Entering this side of the room is strictly prohibited by unauthorized persone—" The voice broke off into static, leaving the duo in silence while they examined the room around them.

    "Well," Michael said, having steadied Gregory and kept him from falling, "here we are."

    "What...what was that voice?" he asked.

    "Hm?" Michael blinked down at him. Somehow, seeing his face gave Gregory relief. Those moments in the darkness felt so much longer than he bet they truly were. "Oh," Mike said, "that was just Hand Unit. He's been giving me instructions for my work, instructions that haven't been...all that helpful."

    "Oh," said Gregory.

    "Looks like you were right," Michael said, nudging aside a piece of an animatronic. "They really were all scooped. That's quite...strange."

    "Yeah." Gregory grimaced at the Funtime Freddy shell. "Maybe it really is a good thing though. I never want to see that idiot Freddy again!" He tromped over and gave Freddy's head a swift kick. The action made his foot and wounded leg ache, but he didn't care. He quite liked seeing Funtime Freddy's pieces scattered like this, and it satisfied him knowing that animatronic would never get the satisfaction of killing him. "Guess I really did win your little game." He gave a triumphant nod, then turned towards Mike who currently paced the length of the room, glancing around. "So now what?" Gregory asked. "I don't see Circus Baby anywhere. What're we even doing here?"

    "I was thinking the same thing." Michael stopped at his side. "Circus Baby? Are you there?" No response. "I know you can talk to us," he said. "Why are we here? Where are you? I can't help you if you don't come." She did not reply. Frowning, he paced back to the other side of the room and looked around wildly. "Hello? I want to help you! Can't you answer me?" Mike stopped about halfway through the room, blinking down at the yellow keypad he'd used earlier, which he now gripped tightly. No reply came from it.

    "Apparently she can't." Gregory crossed his arms. "Look, can we just get outta here?"

    Michael sighed deeply, lowering the keypad and continuing to pace the room. "Ballora's out there. We can't just leave; we need to be smart."