Michael walked back out to his friends. He saw them all waiting in the office where Henry was waiting for him earlier.
"Oh, there he is!" Roxas said smiling. They were sitting on top of the desk.
The two other guys turned their heads in his direction. "You alright?" Sora asked. "You took a while to come back, is everything okay?" Sora was still very concerned for Michael.
"Yeah... Everything is fine," Michael said.
Sora looked at Roxas and Hayner. They all shared the same expression. Michael didn't seem fine at all. Sora wanted to help, so he went to say something-
But then Michael opened his mouth- "Sora, can I talk to you in private?" He asked.
Sora looked at his other friends, then back at Michael. "Yeah, sure," He said. He looked back at Roxad and Hayner, who just sat there on the desk. Sora sighed, then leaned his head to the door.
Roxas and Hayner got the message. "Oh! Right... we'll be back in a bit," Roxas said. He jumped down, took Hayner's hand, and took him out of the room.
Now that Sora and Michael were alone, Sora now could talk. "What's up? Is something the matter?"
Michael sighed, then looked at Sora. "Sometimes, my memories... go and come at times," Michael shook his head, feeling a little bit of dread. "It could be because I'm undead-,"
"Michael, stop saying that. You're not undead," Sora said placing his hand on Michael's shoulder.
Michael sighed. "Sora. I am. Logically I am. Yes, the remnant has healing abilities, but what happened to me was a tremendous bloody disaster. I'm still not fully recovered. I still can't even consume food for crying out loud," Michael shifted, to take Sora's hand off his shoulder.
Feeling a bit hurt, Sora removed his hand. He didn't want Michael to feel like this. He didn't want anyone he become friends with to feel like this at all.
Michael continued to talk. "Henry is going to burn the animatronics,"
Sora looked at him. "He is? What will that do?"
"He claims that it'll burn the remnant, and it'll free them," Michael said.
"Oh... I see," Sora said. But then he saw that Michael was staring at him. Sora tilted his head slightly, a little confused since it seemed like Michael was trying to make him understand something.
But then he gasped. "No... no no no, don't tell me you're thinking of that," Sora had figured it out, and he felt really bad for Michael. "You are not going to burn with them!" He yelled.
"But Sora, I have to,"
"You don't!"
"Sora, I've made up my mind! I literally have to! The heat will get rid of all the remnant, including the excess on me. If I stay alive, the souls can get attached to me, since they'll not have their own remnant anymore from the fire," Michael explained. "I can't let that happen. I have to burn too, or this will be for nothing,"
Sora wanted to say something, but couldn't. Deep down he knew Michael was right. But he didn't want it to happen. He shook his head. "Of all the worlds I've used to travel too, I never... I never experienced something like this,"
Michael took a long sigh. "I never traveled worlds, and I agree with everything you said. When I was a boy, if you told me this would happen to me, I'd laugh in your face," He rested his head on the desk.
Sora looked at him. "Michael, I can't stop you, if... If you think this is what you should do, go for it,"
"T-Thank you Sora," Michael spoke.
***
Michael was seated in front of a computer, in a tiny room. He looked around at his surroundings. It felt so cramped, but this was his choice. He had to be here.
"Michael," said a voice coming from a small speaker on the computer monitor.
There was an entrance to two vent shafts. One on the left, and one on the right. They all connected to similar box-sized rooms, just like the one Michael was inside. Michael had his head poked down the left shaft, but then he heard Henry call his name.
"Yes?" Michael asked, taking his head out the vent. He sat back down In his seat. "What is it, Henry?" EH said looking at the monitor.
"You sure you know how to work the devices I have shown you?"
"Yes, the animatronics are all around me," Michael said.
"Right," Henry said.
"Is... Sora and the rest alright?"
"Yes, they are," Henry responded. "They're behind me, safe and sound. Sora told Roxas and Hayner what their intentions are. And, don't worry Michael, the robots can't get out. Since you are in there, you can supervise to make sure they don't do anything suspicious,"
Michael didn't answer. He went onto a screen on the computer that picks up audio in the vents around him. The animatronics were angry. They can come and take him out. Although Michael wants to sacrifice himself for the sake of freeing the souls, especially his sister, he can't risk them killing him. No one would be there to look them over, and he doesn't want that. He fears that the souls could escape.
He could hear laughter in the vent. He turned his head down there and saw one of the animatronics seized back onto the vent.
It was that animatronic with all the wires. He hated that thing. According to what his father had said back in Fazbear's Fright, was that is was multiple souls in one robot. Michael felt sick. He felt horrible that his own father could do something like this. That thing could have been awesome to see in a horror movie, but with it playing out in real life, feels just sickening to watch.
He shined his flashlight down the vent shaft. But then, he heard a voice.
"It's you... You might not recognize me at first, but I assure you, it's still me Michael..."
Michael quickly turned his head to the right air vent and shined his light, and the rabbit animatronic retreated into the darkness. "Get away from me Father! I do recognize you!" He yelled with anger. "You bloody bastard! You got a new suit huh? Old one got burned?" Michael stuck his head down the right vent. "Burned because of me!! And I'll do it again if I have to! And by the way, your new suit looks horrible! Your head is shaped like a rejected peanut!"
Michael heard scratching coming from the left vent. He shined his flashlight, and then the animatronic with the loose wires screeched and flew back into the dark vent.
Michael wasn't sure how long he could keep up with this. "Come on Henry, just start the fire already, they're all here," Michael said to himself.
****
Henry took a sigh, as he stared at the red button on his desk. He looked at it for a while, then, he turned his head to Sora, Roxas, and Hayner who were behind him. "I'm so sorry you three. I'm sure you were good friends with Michael. Especially for all you three to be here still,"
Sora sighed. He looked at Roxas and Hayner, who both had sad expressions. "Yeah... we were," Sora said. "We haven't known him for that long, but.. Yeah,"
Henry looked back at the monitor. He reached over, about to press it. Once he clicked it, he started to talk into the mic, to Michael.
"Michael," Henry said quietly. "I'm going to turn off the air, the vent, and anything that is supplying air conditioning where you are. Then, I'm going to start the fire," He said.
Michael sighed. "Sure," He said.
The mic turned off. Now, Michael couldn't hear Henry, but Henry could hear him, with how the mics were set up.
Michael just sat there, waiting for something to happen, but then the lights shut off, leaving him in darkness. But the air conditioning was still going on. Michael wasn't sure what was happening, as he expected the fire to have begun. He was about to press something on the computer, but then he heard a clanging in the vent. He gasped and tried to use his flashlight to shine it down the vent.
"Come on, work flashlight!" He said quietly to himself.
Since Sora and the rest could have heard Michael from the mic, they all were now worried. "What's happening?"
But Henry didn't say anything, he just waited.
Back in the vent, Michael saw an outline of something enter from the left vent and stepped out. It was very hard to see, due to the room being pitch black. His eyes tried to agust to the darkness, but then-
You played right into our hands.
Did you really think that this job just fell out of the sky for you?
No, this was a gift. For us.
You gathered them all together, in one place.
Just like he asked you to.
All of those little souls... in one place.
Just for us, a gift.
Now, we can do what we were created to do.
And be complete.
I will make you proud, Daddy.
Watch, listen, and be full.
Michael backed away slowly, as now his eyes were fully adjusted. It was the Baby animatronic. His sister... Elizabeth. He wanted to hug her, he just wanted to hug his sister and make her feel safe, but something clearly was wrong. Elizabeth wasn't herself. Something was controlling her.
When Baby started to home in onto Michael, Henry's voice came onto the speaker.
"Connection Terminated-,"
Baby looked over to the screen. The computer was back on.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Elizabeth, if you still even remember that name. But I'm afraid you've been misinformed."
Michael was panting as Baby loomed over him, but when the monitor came back on, she slowly walked over to the screen.
"You are not here to receive a gift, nor have you've been called here by the individual you assume, although, you have indeed been called,"
Baby froze, staring at the monitor.
"You have all been called here, into a labyrinth of sounds and smells, misdirection and misfortune. A labyrinth with no exit, a maze with no prize. You don't even realize you are trapped. Your lust for blood has driven you in endless circles, chasing the cries of children in some unseen chamber, always seeming so near, yet somehow, out of reach. But you will never find them. None of you will, this is where your story ends-,"
Michael just slouched on the wall. Baby was still just looking at the screen. Gears could be heard turning in the animatronic. Zapping electricity could be heard from the loose wiring.
"And to you, my brave volunteer, Michael, who had somehow found this job listing. I wanted to make a way out for you, but you've told me, that isn't what you want. You are right where you want to be, to end this madness once and for all. Your friends are with me, they are safe, so don't worry. This place will not be remembered, and the memory of everything that started this can finally fade away, as the agony of every tragedy should,"
Michael closed his eyes. It was finally going to happen. The madness that he suffered to experience, was finally going to fade away.
"And to you monsters trapped in the corridors, give up your spirits, they don't belong to you. For some of you, I believe there is peace and perhaps more waiting for you after the smoke clears. Although, for one of you, the darkest pit of hell, has opened to swallow you whole," Henry spoke, in slight anger.
Michael had a small little smirk on his face. He felt relieved a little bit. William Afton deserved everything thing bad to happen to him.
"My daughter, if you can hear me-,"
Michael opened his eyes and gasped slightly. "D-Daughter?" He said quietly to himself.
Sora, Roxas, and Hayner looked over at Henry shocked. They were not aware that his daughter was in there.
"-I knew you would return as well. It's in your nature to protect the innocent. I'm sorry that on that day, the day you were shut out and left to die, no one was there to lift you up into their arms the way you lifted others into yours, and then, what became of you. I should have known you wouldn't be content to disappear, not my daughter. I couldn't save you then, so let me save you now. It's time to rest - for you, and for those you have carried in your arms. This ends for all of us. End communication,
The screen was still on, but the mic to talk back to Henry was turned off.
Then, Michael felt a slightly warm breeze hit him. He felt scared for a moment. It was starting.
Then Michael saw an animatronic enter the room from the right vent. A black bear.
He remembered seeing it at the table. He was wondering what it was, but now it hit him. This had to be Henry's daughter.
But then, he realized who it exactly was.
It was Charlie Emily. One of the missing children.
"Ch-Charlie..?" Michael said.
The animatronic looked at him and glitched.
"Michael..."
Michael turned his head to Baby. It said his name, but the voice didn't sound like what it did before. It... sounded exactly like his sister.
"...Elizabeth...?" Michael said.
Baby turned her head to him.
Then, the vents closed. The left, and the right. But, it was getting hot inside the main room where Michael was. It was only a matter of minutes before the entire room, and other vents would catch on fire.
There was a loud bang on both doors. "Michael! You fucking asshole! Look at what you're going to do to us!"
It was Afton. And on the other side, was the mess of wires.
Michael didn't respond to his father. He just sat there, in the corner of the metal room. He felt like he wanted to cry, but then, he heard metallic sounds. Once he looked up, he saw Baby sit on the floor next to him. Before Michael could say anything, Baby put her robotic arms around him, and pulled Michael close to her.
Michael blinked. He wasn't expecting this.
"Michael... I'm so sorry," said the voice of Elizabeth. "It's the robot's fault... I can't control it at times... The robot was designed to kill... I can't control it..." Elizabeth said.
Michael closed his eyes, then put his arms around the animatronic. "I know. I know what the programming of the Funtimes was,"
Then, he saw the black bear animatronic come over to him, and it also hugged him. "You don't know me, but I was friends with Evan..."
"I know, most of you were," Michael said. "Charlie... I'm so sorry..."
"Don't be... we'll be free. You did free me. You freed all of us, but it's the remnant. It's too strong. It brought me back to the Puppet. And... once I heard that Elizabeth was going to be here, I couldn't let another kid such as myself be a lost soul," She said. "And I'm so sorry that I mistook you for William years ago,"
Michael blinked. He tried to remember. But, it really was years ago, and his mind is going.
"I'm sorry, that was so long ago, my undead brain can't remember," Michael said with a weak smile. Charlie gave a small chuckle. "Alright... But, it did happen. And I'm very sorry,"
There was another bang on the vent door. "I can't believe you would do this to your own father!" William yelled. "You had set me ablaze! And then you want to set me ablaze again! Once I get in that room, I'm going to kill you with my own hands!" Afton yelled, sounding on edge. Afton sounded very, very angry. It was making Elizabeth scared. It seemed like she really was under the control of the programming on Baby, because she was getting very uncomfortable with her father's angry tone. She hugged onto Michael more.
"I won't let him hurt you," Michael quietly said to Elizabeth.
"I'm scared Michael... what will happen to us..." Elizabeth asked.
Michael looked at the animatronic. "We'll be free. Free from this madness," He said. "And where we are going, won't have any more people like William,"
"You sure?" Elizabeth asked.
"Positive," Michael smiled. He held onto Baby's hand, then he also held onto Charlie's hand. "Just let's stay strong... and we'll live eternally... Together,"
Michael looked at Elizabeth. "If there is one good thing about our family, is that we are always strong," Then he looked at Charlie. "And the same goes for your family," Michael smiled.
Charlie smiled and leaned on him.
Michael then saw an orange glow. He looked down. The floor was a like a metal mesh. Below, was fire, and it was rising. The heat was getting intense now.
He held onto Elizabeth and Charlie. "We'll be alright,"