The drive was shorter than expected. There were many obstacles in gaining the ability to drive however. Jeremy's parents were surprised of course, seeing it was the beginning of the school year. He managed to convince them it was mostly to see the expo, at least for...therapeutic purposes. A way to get over his fears of the establishment. Of closure.
It didn't take very long once that argument was brought up. Clearly he knew his parents well enough to know that they trust him. Especially George. That definitely aided in allowing the trip to even begin happening.
The real difficulty was Cassidy's parents, namely the mother who was against the idea from the very beginning. She was not fond of skipping school to see what was described as 'killer robots'. Cassidy in the young man's opinion definitely showed a lot more eagerness than the cafeteria meeting would have him initially believe. There was a significant drive that made her more...aggressive is what he wanted to say.
Two days and in the end, Jeremy's guess was correct. The mother had made a good fight, but Cassidy was more steadfast in her goals. She'd go to this expo for closure on this as well. No matter what. And it's best if she simply didn't sneak out like she originally planned to do. Jeremy even got calls and texts about buying climbing rope if needed.
Now with the truck parked alongside the curb of a hotel, decent for what it was, Jeremy could take a look at his surroundings. A sweat had started to drip from his forehead, an oddity that he knew that George was unamused by. The AC had gone out halfway through the trip, and the heatwave was starting to affect all of them.
Cassidy being the freak, still wore her heavy fur coat. In Jeremy's opinion, that was basically either a fondness for the coat or stubborn determination against an unseen enemy called weather. Or she was simply too lazy to even try to lighten the load. That was always a reason, although an equally shallow one.
"Alright, I'll see to it our rooms are ready. This one had a few smaller rooms open, so we'll be sleeping in separate beds," The door flew open as he checked his face, looking at the residue that subsided. It was unpleasant to see that.
"Good. I rather not hear Cass snore," Jeremy attempted to change the subject from the unbearable sweat to something more light hearted.
She didn't appreciate it.
"Dude, I do not snore," She eyed him as they each stepped out of the vehicle, the teens heading towards the back of the vehicle where most of their luggage would be.
"You do. Don't deny it, everyone hears it," He told her as they met near the back of George's truck, the trunk opened to see the inside of the vehicle's bed.
"I don't!"
"You do, Cass. I was there when you fell asleep on the way onto the highway," George added, smirking as he left inside the building. Cassidy didn't have another word in after that, simply huffing as the two got the suitcases out from the bed of the truck.
There was enough for a week or two of staying in a hotel. Funnily enough George's bag was the least heaviest of them all, with Cassidy being a close second. In truth, he packed more than he should, as the Fitzgerald family way of life considered every eventuality; he had enough outfits to fit a normal semester back in Gary.
"At least I'm not packed for a plane ride to Hawaii,"
"Mom and Dad always want me to be ready for anything. I bet if they wanted to, they'd take me to a gun range,"
"You wouldn't want a gun?"
"The only 'gun' I want is one that shoots portals,"
"Heh! I remember getting so confused on that one level. Was it the...um..."
"I think it was the final boss? I just watched as you flailed around until the game killed you,"
"Hey! Puzzles aren't my strong suit, Jeremy,"
"It wasn't that hard though..."
"Jeremy..." As they continued onward, with the luggage in tow, he couldn't help but think of these small conversations. They've had similar ones for awhile now. But there was something different.
Perhaps the trip's mission was a prime candidate, as they didn't seem to fight as much. Usually the conversation would abruptly end when a reference to Elizabeth presented itself.
Luckily we both are doing this for her, he thought to himself. Jeremy felt as though this could present an opportunity to understand why Cassidy even chose to come here. Let alone argue with her mother for two days so fervently.
Getting inside to the feeling of A/C pouring in from the vents was an improvement. Generally speaking the hotel was of average quality when it came to the lobby. A decent chair set up with couches Jeremy could reasonably purchase with his allowance if he saved up enough. A counter with an older lady managing the influx of guests, and hallways that lead into more hallways.
So...a long winded way to say it's a hotel.
Rolling the luggage alongside Cassidy, the duo found themselves seeing George talking to said older lady.
"-and if possible, would there be rooms on the same floor?"
"Erm...well, we do, but they're pretty far apart. Rooms 207, 209 and 234 are the ones available right now. An expo is coming up filling all the spots,"
"That'll be fine. Oh!" He turned to us, startled a bit. Gathering himself, he continued. "And the A/C works right?"
"Yes sir, it does. We recently had it fixed," She definitely hid that annoyance in a professional manner. Pity that had to be addressed though.
Asking a question like that was rather odd if you never set foot in a room. Jeremy knew enough that complaining was a necessity when it comes to buildings not personally owned. Rented apartments, rented houses, hotels, motels, the whole sector of property not really owned by the person using it. Of course, usually the complaints come after. Not before.
"Good, good. Thank you ma'am," George approached the two handling cards given to him by the desk. It was simple plastic often used these days in place of metal keys. "Alright guys. We'll just get settled. I want to meet up again in my room at around...uh, 4 o'clock to discuss things,"
"Got it," Jeremy nodded taking the plastic. It had the number 209 plastered in the corner alongside a company logo. George looked a bit in a hurry with how he took his luggage, and swaggered over towards the elevator. Not even saying another word.
"Heh, looks like he has a mission. Do you think he ate some bad food?"
"Like you did with that Thai stall before last year?" Cassidy grimaced at the reminder. Jeremy for some reason could recall that one specific moment in time where Cassidy bought a shady looking meal from an equally shady stall around their school.
It ended with her sitting in a toilet for around thirty minutes. Funny...he usually remembers the bad things. Perhaps this kind of trip would make his childhood less terrible if there are more fond memories. Ones that weren't based on the john.
"Haha," She lightly pushed the teen in response, a dull laugh erupting from her blank expression. "207. Looks like I'm close to you, eh?"
"Yup. Wonder why Mr. Blackburn would choose the farthest one. Is it a chaperone thing?"
"If he was a good chaperone, we'd be sitting in one room,"
"None of them were available. Visitors an the like,"
"Yeah, well that seems pretty convenient that this place doesn't have any more available suites. And seriously, I can't get over the formal stuff. Mr. Blackburn? He's a friend, not a teacher or some CEO," Cassidy took a few steps towards the elevator, Jeremy closing in as well. Tapping the button she turned to meet his eyes. "You're surprisingly chipper, you know. Something change?"
"I am?"
"Yeah, not once did you turn into a literal pile of depression," Cassidy told him, the doors opening to the elevator. A simple square that had been decorated with wood paneling in abstract shapes. Tacky.
"A pile of depre- Was I really that bad?"
"Yes. Completely. It was hard talking to you all these years without you being a downer," The doors closed as they stood side by side.
It was true. When Jeremy thought back, he was often unhappy. Despite everything Cassidy said, he'd never seem to come back to the land of the living. Haunted by events from a past he can barely remember. Yet this trip seemed to light a fire in him. Something...made him sure about his own sense of self.
"Well...I guess I just think I can finally answer some questions. That day...I never understood why. But if this expo thing can shed some light, I can be at peace with it, finally,"
"Ah..." Ding. They were finally on the second floor. The doors opened as the duo past by others, a family of three, with Cassidy paying close attention to the child that bounded past them. Gaining the ire of the parents was easy for the young one.
"What about you? Why'd you join the trip? It is kind of a longshot if we're both being honest," Jeremy mentioned, as she ripped her gaze off of the child for a second. "Afton Robotics has lawyers and money. Not adding the buttload of cash from being a subsidiary of Fazbear Entertainment,"
As they quietly their steps around the carpet filled hallway, Cassidy seemed to embrace that same silence. Perhaps the wording stumped her, or there was another factor Jeremy didn't consider that made her lose her voice in that moment. Room 207 came up to them, Cassidy stopping at the door, looking ahead to his room just down the hall.
"...I wasn't there when she died,"
"Oh? Uh, I wouldn't recommend witnessing that..." Jeremy softly uttered.
"I don't care. I was partying with the other kids. But I wasn't there to see her...y'know, I was the big sister that was supposed to take of everyone. I did take care of her. But that day, that one day..." She shook her head, taking the room key to open the door. "Even if it wasn't pretty to watch, at the very least I could have paid closer attention back then. That's why I'm here, the least I could do after so many years,"
The door shut. And Jeremy was left to stare at the wooden frame. Was that really how she felt? She gave off the impression that she was over it ever since that day. Cassidy never once lingered on the death of their friend, never once seemed unhappy. She basically moved on in his eyes. But to hear that?
The big sister often protects the younger siblings when the parents aren't around. Elizabeth was an only child. Same with Jeremy. He knew from her slightly older age, she was the leader. The one who seemed to be the bravest, smartest one out of three. Of course that wasn't the case since Jeremy did often hear how she was terrible at school pushing for a C- at best. Still she had that responsibility when the adults weren't around.
And she was never present to see what had become of her dear little sister. Thinking about it, perhaps she never got over it. Perhaps the years she presented herself as over the drama. But apparently Cassidy was putting up a wall. A front.
Sighing at this revelation, if not mostly guessing on the exact details, Jeremy looking to his side. He smirked. Cassidy forgot her luggage. At the very least, some things don't ever change.
***
The room was still spinning when Jeremy had woken up. It was a worse dream. Not because of the monstrous animatronics that chased him, that always was a common theme. But of that black rabbit...he was unsure why that suddenly became a thing. It kept calling his name, a voice clear to him even in a jumbled nightmare.
It was the same story that had chased him since the '90s. Quicker than any of those monsters that kept reminding him of the reality he was about to jump into. An expo filled with animatronics just like those he came to fear. And now, a new creature that filled him with dread.
Jeremy.
That's what they kept repeating to him before he was back to the waking world. Usually they never call him by name in these nightmares, mostly screeches, screams. Now this sent the teen on edge with how much pressure he felt.
It was only 3 am. Still plenty of time before the big day began. His hotel room felt unfamiliar of course. But he knew he could manage with the change in scenery. The meeting that Jeremy had beforehand with the others still played in the back of his mind, probably the only thing keeping him sane as he thought more about the memory.
George made it clear they were to look into a back room. It was meant to be a section of the warehouse that showed up in the maps he saw of the building before when he was employed. Very few employees knew of them, but that's where most of the evidence could be found. And this expo had a big section of the building blocked from visitors and even high ranking security guards.
The goal here was to simply document any wrongdoing in these back rooms. That means of course a lot of trickery. George of course had the knowledge to know of the secrets that Afton Robotics kept. Cassidy was certainly the type to follow through; stubbornness was heavily present since they got here. Jeremy himself felt that he was a liability here. Now that the realization of this mission was finally dawning on him, these nightmares would only get worse.
Taking a remote, he chose to ignore the plan for now. He didn't want to go back to sleep, to those creatures. Especially that black rabbit.
"Of course you'd see animatronics in an animatronics expo...dumbass..." Jeremy quietly chuckled to keep himself from shutting down before the day actually started. The TV was limited as hotels were, so he kept himself on the channel that had a dog trainer on. At the very least, he'd see to it about getting a pet to keep himself sane.
Yeah. The teenager thought about a pet since he was just a five year old. Of course it'd never happen, but he tried his best to convince his parents otherwise. The best he got was a fish, which he pretty sure was dead soon after arriving. Sure his parents were nice enough to pretend but the young boy knew the stripes didn't match up.
A dog would be nice. They don't judge. They don't mock people for what they are like. They just are faithful companions that always seem to be eager to please when it comes to their owner. Plus Jeremy once had to deal with a cat, and it ended with him getting bandages. Better not to tempt fate by becoming a cat person.
Why the hell am I watching this? Was all he can think of while seeing the show. The light from the screen was his only solace in this darkness.
"Dogs tend to respond to a calm assertive attitude. Many people don't realize this but the nonverbal cues give off a certain aura for the canine in question. If there is uncertainty or some panic in an owner's behavior, the dog themselves won't respond much to any command-" The man on the TV spoke, the only real voice as Jeremy found himself engaged.
Of course he found this engaging. The boy had many things he'd rather have distract him from the day that was about to unfold. Not to mention William Afton was apparently showing up himself for the special event-
Just don't think about it, He groaned internally. "Calm assertive huh...? Like that'll work for me..."
***
He was still very tired from the early morning restlessness. Jeremy did binge a little on the morning showings of those dog training shows, some of them more monotonous than others. Finally with daylight breaking in, the exhaustion hit him in a tidal wave. The only help he received was the life preserver known as instant coffee.
It was disgusting. But that was expected in the breakfast area of a hotel.
"You didn't sleep too well, huh?" Cassidy mentioned as she still was wearing that ugly faux fur coat. "I don't blame you. Jitters?"
"In a way, yeah," Jeremy sipped the liquid, cringing as the taste washed over his buds. This definitely wasn't the coffee he used to sneak as a kid; his parents apparently had good taste in brews.
"Still, seventeen is a young age to start a coffee habit. That's what energy drinks are for!"
"Yeah, maybe when I have money to actually buy that," Jeremy replied, steeling himself for another drink. The fact this was free from the hotel was the only reason he even attempted to down the brown swill.
George himself was setting up some cheap disposable cameras to give to each person. The fact they were disposable was to have no digital trail if they happened to find anything illegal.
"Well, make sure you're ready and energetic today. There will be plenty of eyes, employees, visitors...not to mention Afton himself is going to be here for part of the expo,"
"What is William Afton about though? I barely heard of him until recently," Cassidy asked George sitting up from the table. He smirked, chuckling a bit.
"He's...some British bastard who happens to be the reason for the animatronics' evolution. He's been there since the '80s. Every design, every feature, that was his bread and butter. Soon his company was bought by the Fazbear brand in '83, '84,"
"...Hmph. And I'm guessing some of his designs are...controversial," Cassidy scoffed. The teen could guess that she had also seen those blueprints.
"An understatement. That's why we're going for old fashioned cams. The money from Fazbear Entertainment would just have lawyers that could claim my photos were fake if they came from my iPhone," George explained.
"I find it funny that you managed to get an iPhone. I am still stuck with my shitty Nokia from Christmas," Cassidy looked at his device with an envy that Jeremy found amusing. He knew cellphones were becoming a major status symbol, and the iPhone was just making it more obvious on who had money to spend.
"Well, the benefit of being a newly single man in Fazbear Entertainment, you get disposable income,"
"Tch, lucky," Stuffing a biscuit in her mouth, she quickly wiped away some crumbs. "Sho? Whenth do we geth goin'?"
"Chew, Cass," Jeremy rolled his eyes, pushing aside his torture drink. He felt he had enough caffeine to survive today. The basics were already outlined.
They'd each scout out the expo, acting as tourists to see if there was anything off in the building. An extra room might be obvious from the outside given the warehouse in the back, but the way of getting there might be a little more difficult. Judging by George's information the building the expo was based on had been refurbished about five times since 1970. The latest just converted the building into an expo center for the Fazbear brand, various new security details, facial recognition software, amongst other things coming from the future.
The entire time they had decided on splitting up when they entered. The knowledge of what he was getting into weighing on Jeremy's mind. What sort of things did Afton make exactly? Animatronics were one thing, but there was bound to be other things. Other monstrosities.
Pushing those feelings aside, the group slowly making their way out of the hotel onto the busy streets of Paris, Indiana. There was a clearly a following of people that made Jeremy tense up; Fazbear fanboys. Older folks who had a nostalgic following of the brand since it's inception. And that meant they had merchandise from the old days. Toys. Masks...
A few of them made him wobble. One such man was wearing what looked like a Bonnie mask. It made him nearly choke on his own breathe. Focusing elsewhere, anywhere, he found himself seeing there was a lack of natives. In fact, a minority of the group was actually from Indiana. Jeremy could tell, as some of these men were dressed very nicely for a friendly expo; investors and managers no doubt.
It'd make sense in a business strategy to show off to both old fans and new ones alike. Even more when the crowd has a few rich bigwigs looking at the product with extra scrutiny.
"Damn. I knew people liked Freddy, but I doubt the pizza was that good,"
"It was cardboard. But that's not why it's a popular brand. They are making a place in Canada soon, so they won't be exclusive to America anymore," George mentioned. "Never thought I'd see adults in costumes and it not being Halloween,"
"What's the chance that they are paid actors?" Cassidy looked over with a confused expression at the stark contrast between ordinary visitors and the 'fans'.
"Given company policy, fifty-fifty," He replied. Jeremy kept his focus on the building, hoping to drown out the exhaustion of hundreds of costumed fans.
The building had a rather nice feel. Warming. Modern. There was small steps that lead into the lobby, which was easily seen due to glass ceilings. Even from this distance, which was obscured by the people walking in, he could tell there was a walkway above the main lobby. Possibly employees only.
The steps taken to this building made him squirm on the inside. Jeremy forced those feelings out as long as it took to enter the main doors. With his tickets, it was barely a thought for the gentleman in the desk near the front of the glass doors. For him, it was eternity. And looking ahead, his heart only began to ring faster.
Animatronics. Each settled in their only little showcase stage. He knew this band quite well in the early days, the basic setup. They were newer, but they were definitely familiar to the young teenager. He frequented their pizza place enough to memorize their names.
Bonnie took the guitar and stood left, Chica took the right managing the role of bass player. Foxy, possibly a lot less rugged than his mid-90s look took the drums, accompanied by an equally amusing parrot. Then there was center stage, the star of the show.
Freddy.
They all were updated looks, but the feeling remained the same. An uncertainty, an inherent distrust. It didn't matter how 'plastic' or 'family friendly' they attempted to make them look. That dread never once left Jeremy's mind. It felt as though they were staring at him, just begging him to make a move. He didn't. The only solace his beating heart in the dead silence.
"Jeremy!" He was briefly taken out of his trance by the intervention of Cassidy. "Hey? Are you with me?"
"..." Only a nod was the best he could manage, not ripping his eyes off the band that was there.
"...We don't have to force it, dude. We can go back-"
"No. No. I'm fine...I-I'm good. I just need a minute or two," Lying right to her. From her expression, it wasn't succeeding in convincing her otherwise. "They...look different,"
"Er. Yeah. I guess. They look less...shitty?" Cassidy blinked at that comment. "Jeremy? You're trembling...are you sure you want to go in? There are a lot more animatronics in this expo. Way more. Do you feel like you can handle that now?"
Of course not, Jeremy thought to himself. There was no reasonable assumption that he'd be fine. This was one set of animatronics. There would be more versions that would be labelled by model and year. This was just the first that stood out to him.
Yet he wanted to continue on regardless. A goal was set in his mind that he'd find the truth of Elizabeth's death. To find the answer. Any answer. His feelings didn't, shouldn't matter so much to him. His goal was stated from the beginning, and Jeremy didn't have the heart to abandon such an important task.
Breathing slowly, he turned towards Cassidy.
"...Yeah. I'm not going anywhere," Once again, bracing himself to walk closer past the group, he noted the name on the display. Rockstar 3.0 Model, 2000. Pretty recent.
It'd get even harder as he pressed on the way around the building. The map definitely helped, finding one near a stand just ahead. Most of the attractions dealt with the first floor, a few stations set aside on the western hall for the old animatronics, the history of the company. To be honest, he was a little curious. And from what he could tell, most of the newer models were in the middle, where he was surrounded by many monsters.
George already mentioned he'd head to eastern hall, the one where the big man himself, Mr. Afton, was to speak and showcase his latest model of animatronic.
As he walked past the stages, there was one particular model that caught his eye. It looked really familiar to him. It was labeled...'Ballora'. It was huge by his understanding, nearly 11 or so feet tall. It was no surprise that it shook him knowing such a large metal monstrosity was there.
He could notice the intricate detail, this being a slightly newer model compared to one he saw at Elizabeth's birthday. It was a secondary model, slightly more feminine, and modified the face plates to look more...friendly. Funtime Model 2nd Generation, 1997. All there with the details of the endoskeleton, the advanced mobility, and the inevitable discontinuation of the 'Funtime' models to focus on the 'Toy' models.
To Jeremy, the real thing was the wire mesh that hid underneath her plates. Ballora was always going to be a creature that would haunt him, nothing more. Not even the updated costume and design could cure his dread. And 1997? That wasn't that many years after the incident. Perhaps they tried fixing something, but decided to stop production of the line altogether.
Stepping aside to head towards the curiosity that was the history of the company, he looked alongside the walls that showcased various moments in the Fazbear brand. The Fredbear's Family Diner in Hurricane, Utah in the early '60s. An acquisition by a rival restaurant in Ohio that basically formed the brand as it is nowadays. Blah.
It wasn't what he was looking for, a lot of patting themselves on the back in the young man's opinion. The stress of having to return to the middle hall did make him question why they had to set up the floor this way. Jeremy looked over to see that Cassidy was currently heading to his location.
"Well, there wasn't much. I found a security door in the back next to the janitor's closet,"
"And Mr. Blackburn?" Jeremy asked, noting he was not around. They didn't receive any texts, the blonde checking his blackberry to see if there was any new texts.
Nothing.
"Jeez, and I thought I had the short end when it came to phones,"
"Cass. Not important,"
"...Hm. I think we should see if this Mr. Afton guy is on stage? It shouldn't be too long until he shows up," She mentioned. "Luckily, we chose to go during this time. If anything, we can come back after lunch,"
"I mean-" There wasn't a chance to say anything as Cassidy began to walk back towards the opposite end of the hall. With no other option, Jeremy began to follow.
A creak however made him stop. Looking back around, the only animatronic was the Ballora model. He could have sworn that the head had moved towards his direction. But that shouldn't be possible, right? Jeremy decided to ignore this as Cassidy was quickly disappearing amongst the growing crowd at the entrance of the eastern hall.
One last glance back at the giant creature, Jeremy took off after his friend. The ringing of his own heart never seemed to quiet down as he made his way through the expo floor.