Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

July 30, 2016, Local Business owner David Jones buys Fazbear Entertainment

April 5, 2017 Construction work planned for August 31st

September 19, 2018, Fazbear Pizzeria opens the 25th

"We are excited to bring in Mayview Freddy Fazbear’s local diner," says Mr. Jones. The restaurant will include an arcade, fast food, and live performances offered by animatronic entertainers.

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September 24, 2018

163 Mayview

Four animatronics have shipped and arrived.

Please sign below

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"Son, would you do your dear father a favor, and give the animatronics a checkup?"

Cody looked at the clock, brow furrowed. "It's 10 pm."

"I know," his dad pouted, turning his face away, "but it looks bad working on the pizzeria in broad daylight. I would go myself but I can't let the Cousinhood of Man see me."

Giving his dad a pained look, Cody pursed his lips. "Fine."

"Thank you," Dad said. He placed a gentle hand on Cody's shoulder. "All you need to do is activate each animatronic once and wait a few minutes. They should already be on stage. If they don't turn on or if they start to malfunction, come back and tell me."

“Got it.”

"That’s my boy." Dad lifted his hand to ruffle his son's hair. Suddenly, Cody felt the cold hilt of a saber tucked between his fingers. "A proper technician will come tomorrow. This will be the only time you have to do this...I promise."

And with that, Cody walked out the door.

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The frosty wind blew past Cody's hair as he made his way down the hill. He heard Johnny's gang howl in the distance but he paid no mind, as long as they kept to themselves why bother?

Looking over his shoulder, Cody scanned the low ground for a crudely drawn bear mascot. After walking a bit further, he finally reached the pizzeria. Unimpressive and soulless were the first words coming to mind. Not unlike himse-

Cody shook his head. The door handle chilled his fingers.

Stepping in, Cody first noticed a stench. He covered his nose and fought the urge to puke. Under a dim light, was a stage with four robots at the center; A fox, a bunny, a chicken, and a bear. A pair of amplifiers and cut-out balloons rested behind them but Cody had to squint to see the rows of tables and chairs concealed in the dark.

Creeping towards the stage, Cody surveyed the animatronics. They all smiled with blank features. Cody caught his reflection in the bear's eyes. The bots were fake. They were all fake, with their perfect smiles, their symmetrical features, their marble-like poses,

they were fake, they were fake, he was-

He tore himself away.

Until the bird glared down.

Cody tensed.

Were they supposed to do that? His dad didn't say anything about it. But he did know about poltergeists. What did they have to gain by living inside these robots, and why had that been the bird's only movement? Ghosts and spirits liked to jump, scream, and carry on. This was...subdued.

He waited..and waited, and finally, after taking a series of quick breaths, he inched forward. With shaky hands, Cody walked behind the animatronics and flipped their switches.

One by one, they jerked upward.

The bunny plucked his guitar, while the bear sang as the bird and the fox awkwardly danced along the edges.

Cody stood there, watching their bodies twist and turn. It was kind of silly how their jaws hanged so loose that their bottom teeth stuck out. A few minutes passed and Cody went to turn them off, except the moment he moved, four pairs of eyes snapped towards him.

He froze, hand instinctively on Dad’s cutlass.

“Hello?”

The animatronics remained still. But Cody could feel something. It was always something. That’s how Mayview worked.

But this something was... different.

Cody bit his lip.

“You need to leave. My dad’s not a nice man, he’ll kill you if he finds out you're in the way of his business.”

The bear made a couple of whirring noises, quirking its head. Cody did his best to hold back a shiver. Then it started to shake, and contort along with its companions. Their eyes flickered. Sparks popped. The switches flipped themselves off, and for a second, the animatronics went slack. Holding his breath, he watched each animatronic slowly rise again as the sound of laughter filled the diner.

He drew his cutlass. “Leave.”

A hook scraped against his blade. Cody looked up. It was the fox. He jumped back. The other animatronics closed in, slowly but surely. Continuing to parry the fox’s blows, Cody shuffled off the stage.

Suddenly, the microphone fell onto the floor, creating a piercing ring that made Cody wince. Before he could open his eyes, a hook slashed across his face. Blood trickled down Cody’s cheeks. He managed to knock the fox’s arm away this time and regained some distance.

Until the fox charged.

Cody gasped. He swiped at the fox. Wires and springs flung out from the fox’s abdomen, but that did nothing to deter the creature.

He bolted for the door. He was close, so, so close-

The fox sprung over Cody, blocking the door.

He looked over his shoulder.

The other figures continued to march.

---------------------------------------------

In Davy’s chest, was a feeling.

Ba-dum…

Ba-dum..

Ba-dum.Ba-dum.

Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, b-

He got up, pressing a hand against his chest, clenching his teeth. “That boy is going to kill me!” he cried, scrambling out the door.

Cody had his cutlass, what could possibly be giving him this much trouble?

It didn’t matter. Davy ran, ran towards his son, pushing past whoever got in his way. The soles of his shoes smacked harshly against the concrete, creating trails of dust as he sprinted, and then-

It stopped.

Davy seized to a halt and listened. He waited for a faint murmur, a gentle contraction, a soft, tremulous beat, anything-

But there was nothing.

Davy stood for the rest of the night, searching for something that was no longer in existence.

Chapter Text

[Earlier that day]

Isabel strapped her book to her back. Everything from her beanie to her combat boots was black as shadows, making the book stand out like a sore thumb, but she didn’t have a choice. It was too warm to wear a jacket that could hide the book, and having a bag would slow her down. She’d just have to be quick.

“Ed, are you ready? We don’t have much time,” Isabel said tersely into her walkie-talkie.

“I’m ready. Over,” came his voice.

“...you know you don’t have to say ‘over’ every time you speak into a walkie-talkie, right?

“Noted. Over.”

Isabel shook her head. Ed was a decent spirit assassin, but he sure had his quirks.

They left her grandfather’s dojo, where assassins for dangerous spirits were trained, five minutes later. Luckily for their escape but unluckily for their job, the dojo was deserted. Isabel tried calling Mr. Spender again, but he didn’t pick up, and she couldn’t leave a message, less it be intercepted. They were on their own.

Isabel and Ed picked up speed, staying in the shadows. Even if the dojo was deserted, the rest of the town was not. It was a hopping Friday night, and it seemed like everyone in Mayview had come out to play. They ducked out of sight from car headlights and house windows until they creeped to the back of the Corner Store, where they found Max and Isaac waiting for them.

“What’s the story?” asked Isaac. Max kicked his baseball bat absent-mindedly. The two were dressed in similar outfits to Ed and Isabel, though Max had opted for that jacket that Isabel had chosen not to wear.

“We know where they are.”

Max and Isaac gaped.

“You… you know where the Four Kings are?” Max whispered. He had stopped kicking his bat.

“We tracked them to Fazbear’s Pizzeria a couple hours ago, but we couldn’t do anything until the place shut down for the night,” said Isabel.

“So why don’t the others do anything about it? This is big stuff. I don’t think your grandfather would send only the four of us after some of the most dangerous spirits in the world,” said Isaac.

“The Four Kings set up a decoy. Every single person in the dojo is out trying to find them, and we haven’t managed to contact any of them,” said Isabel.

“We promise we tried,” said Ed. “But even Mr. Spender won’t answer us.”

“So we’re alone,” said Max.

“Yeah. We’re alone.”

The group paused to let that sink in.

“We’re gonna die,” said Max.

“But we have to do something! Or else Mayview…” Isabel tapered off. The group knew what was at risk.

“Did you at least leave some kind of note for the others to find us? Or our corpses?” Max asked.

“We left a bunch of notes at the dojo, but we don’t know how long that will take,” said Ed.

“We have to act soon,” said Isabel. “So are you in or out?”

“I’m in, all the way,” said Isaac.

Max hesitated, but nodded solemnly, and he and Isaac stepped forward.

“Let’s go.”

The group handed out walkie-talkies and set out for Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

The doors were locked, but Max was able to maneuver the metal locking system with his tool. Isaac used lightning to break the security system, and the group stepped into the pizzeria.

The place smelled like old pizza, and the group tried not to cover their noses. It was odd seeing a place like this at night. The arcade was quiet and lacked the flashing lights and jarring music that seemed to make arcades so lively. The kiosks were empty. The group heard footsteps coming from the next room.

They tiptoed forward, placing themselves around the doorway. Isabel started counting down on her fingers, letting the others know when to sneak through the door.

Then, the screaming started.

The four assassins stared at each other. Who was here before them? Another spectral? They had to do something fast.

They heard mechanical clicking and whirring, then another yell, and blood splattered the floor in front of them.

“Go!” Isabel hissed.

The four of them rushed into the room, only to find Cody lying on the floor, cheek slashed and seemingly unconscious. A mechanical fox towered over him, going for the kill. Max pointed his bat at the fox and, using his magnet powers, shoved it backwards.

The four spectrals fanned out around the doorway, blocking the only exit in the room. The four animatronic animals fixed their gazes on them, and their eyes, which should have been soulless, burned with pure malice.

Isabel figured it out first.

“Your Majesties,” she said, fake bowing. The spirits were somewhere in this place. The animatronics had not been possessed by the spirits, but had been brought to life, as were the powers of one of the Four Kings. The others had powers just as deadly.

This would be a fight for their lives.

And a fight for Cody’s life too.

Chapter Text

William Afton assessed his cameras once more.

They were here. And they were very, very hungry.

He held the vial of remnant close to his chest. It wasn’t hard to make. A little spectral energy, some solvent to hold it in place, and a speck of carbon. Still, he couldn’t risk it. Couldn’t risk the chance of being discovered empty handed, could not risk wasting all that effort he and Henry spent together.

When four figures floated through the basement walls, Afton bowed, gesturing to his creations.

“Good evening, my Kings.”

________________

The four kings were nowhere in sight, but Isabel could feel their presence enveloping the room. She surveyed the animatronics while Ed sprang into action, waving his brush violently as a black scythe began to manifest. Before he could finish, the chicken, inches from his face, snapped its beak. Ed stumbled back.

"Look out!"

A mass of purple blurred past Isabel with a thud. She looked over.

"Thanks Isaac!" she cried, running towards what she now recognized as the bunny. Book withdrawn, she summoned a tornado of pages that crammed into the bunny's jaw. It tried to pry the paper out but Isabel kept her grip.

Blue lightning pierced it, illuminating the room. Out in the corner, she saw a masked puppet, with long, black limbs.

"You !"

Isabel shot at the thing, hot red flames seeping through her fingertips. The puppet twiddled its fingers. Suddenly, the bird appeared in front of it, absorbing the impact as its eyes flickered. Through the suite, a pale, gooey substance seeped out of it. The sound of moaning and wailing echoed off the walls, accompanying purple vapors that hissed like air escaping a tire.

And that was when it hit Isabel.

The things dwelling inside theses robots could not be the operators…

Rather, they were the fuel.

________________

Max vaguely heard Isabel’s voice in the distance. The blasts, the shouting, and last but not least the ‘spooky’ moans all mixed into a salad of business as usual.

As Ed and Isaac continued to fend off their animal friends, Max rushed over Cody, who was laying face down, unnervingly still… like his mother was.. when she-.

He shook Cody, and when he didn't stir, Max shook him again, shouting his name. Still nothing.

The third time, Max tugged at Cody so violently his limp body flopped over, revealing a long tear across his chest, down to his stomach. Blood leaked along the edges of Cody’s jacket and onto the floor.

“So this is what it’s like… “

Max looked up.

“C-Cody?“

“Hey Max.” The floating boy looked at his hands pensively. “Sorry..things got a little crazy here.”

“A little?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. By now you’ve probably figured out Mayview’s not your run of the mill town.”

Holding back a scowl, Max rolled his eyes and ran towards Isabel. “Ugh, just-hang tight, ok?”

________________

The new kid, Max, took that quite well, Cody thought. He chewed his lips, scanning the diner.

Ed and another kid with spiky orange hair were fighting two of the robots near the tables, while Isabel slowly walked towards the right corner, peering at something hidden by the darkness.

Then, of course, was his body. He found his hand brushing softly against his chest, smooth and wound-less. Good.

Plucking the cutlass from the corpse’s fingers, Cody made his way towards the orange haired kid when

an invisible string started tugging him towards…

the fox.

“W-what?”

He pulled against it as sweat dripped down his back. Where ghosts supposed to sweat? That didn't matter. He needed, he needed to know-

________________

“What are you doing here?”

Isaac yelped, ducking under the bear’s claw. He flipped his head and saw another boy, with pale skin and black hair, looking an awful lot like the one who-

“Died..”

“Hm?”

“You died,” Isaac said, blowing back the bear with a gust of wind.

“I did.” The boy smiled. “My name’s Cody by the way, nice to meet you!”

“Isaac..” he replied. He began charging a ball of electricity. “Look, I'm kind of busy right now, but if you see anything that isn't a robot, tell me.”

“Understood. “

The boy-- Cody, floated away.

________________

“Yeesh!

Foxy the fox was a riot, jumping and charging in all kinds of directions. Ed leaped on the table and threw a chair at it.

The four kings….where were the four kings? Ed kept staring at Foxy but he looked like any other cheap villain from a slasher movie, save for this weird stuff dripping out of his tear.

Foxy went for his neck. Ed jerked sideways, grabbing his arm. The hook was so close Ed could almost feel it against his skin.

“Here!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Ed saw a grey sword flying through the air. He dropped his brush, clumsily catching the blade, and slashed against the fox’s arm. Foxy hissed but something else disturbingly innocent cried out from the wound.

“What... is that!?”

“I don’t know!” he yelled, automatically going in for the stab. Foxy jerked and convulsed, the light in his pupils flickering. The crying continued as sludge seeped out of the holes.

Ed heard a thud. He turned around.

“Cody!”

Chapter Text

“What have you brought us?” hissed the First King. His voice was quiet, but held such a bite that for a split second, William feared he had been hurt by the King’s words alone. He was terrified, but they would understand… he just needed time… “

This should keep you sated until the plan moves forward,” William said, placing the vial in front of him. Three of the Kings looked to the last, who William remembered was clairvoyant. He could see into the immediate future, and he checked the vial for traps. Finding none, the King reached for the vial, drank from it, and passed it around to the second and third Kings. The first, however, did not take it. He glowered at William.

“Tell me, is this small meal worth your life?” asked the First King. He bared his teeth, showing the holes in them.

“No, but I have something that should keep you happy for much longer,” William said, sweating. “Behold!”

William tore the sheet off of four animatronic animals. A bear, a bunny, a chicken, and a fox stood before them. The Four Kings laughed. “

You bring us TOYS?” roared the Second King. “How quaint!”

“Our next meal shall be you-” the Third King began, but the Fourth King stopped him.

“Let him speak,” he said, watching William with an evil glint in his eye. William gulped.

“Y-yes! These are no mere toys!” he said, working himself into a rhythm. “I’ve devised these machines to capture and contain ghosts! Once they are trapped in the machine, they will be unable to pass on, meaning you will have an endless supply of spectral energy to feed on. The more ghosts we capture in them, the more food you will have for eternity.” “

You mean, the more ghosts YOU capture,” glowered the First King, but he looked impressed. “Tell me, when will our first meal be ready?”

William let out a shaky breath.

“Henry will put the plan in motion tomorrow.”

-----------------------------------

No, no, no, no… this could NOT be happening.

Ed stared at his friend, now a former friend, now a GHOST. His knees trembled.

“It’s ok! Really!” Cody said, trying to give him a shaky grin. This just made him look as if he were in pain, and Ed reached out, but Cody dove forward and slammed him into the ground.

Foxy jumped over the pair and stabbed to the right of Ed. The animatronic was shaking and twitching, and there was a wailing noise coming from within it, but it didn’t give up. It jerked forward like a zombie, aiming for Ed, who socked it in the nose. This resulted in a very sore hand for Ed and a sickening crack in the animatronic.

But despite its head hanging at an angle, and despite the lights slowly going out in its eyes, Foxy was very obviously still alive. It wasn’t human so a broken neck wouldn’t kill it, and something beyond electricity was powering it. Ed would have to find a way to destroy this thing quickly. Going for the source was probably the smartest move.

“Izzy!” Ed yelled. “C’mon, Cody!”

Isabel was fighting the puppet, its arms wrapping around her like vines. She could barely keep up. The rules governing the animatronics didn’t seem to apply to it.

Foxy was moving slowly enough that Ed was able to run to Isabel’s aid. He conjured a scythe with his paintbrush and swiped at it. The scythe grazed the puppet’s back.

Ed felt a pain in his own back. He turned to find no one behind him, but a line of blood trailed across his lower back.

Right where he had hurt the puppet.

The puppet didn’t seem to feel the pain and kept strangling Isabel. As she hit its arms back, bruises appeared on her own arms.

“Hey, puppet!” Ed yelled in desperation. He had to distract it, do ANYTHING to get Isabel free.

The puppet turned and cocked its head in Ed’s direction, as if to say, “Who, me?”

This gave Isabel enough time to launch herself out of its grip. She jumped onto an arcade game, which began to blast music and hurl light into every corner of the room. The puppet scrunched in on itself, hands to its ears, as if the music was overloading its senses.

Before Ed had time to contemplate what to do with that turn of events, Foxy was on him. Ed tried to slice its other arm off, but instead the fox turned toward…

Cody. Again, Cody felt that invisible string tugging him towards the fox, pulling him in like a fishing line. Foxy opened his animatronic mouth, teeth whirring, glinting. It jumped forward, maw aimed at Cody, who did nothing to stop it. Ed managed to shove Cody out of the way just in time. Foxy tripped over Ed.

“What the heck, Cody?” asked Ed. “Even I know not to get eaten by giant animatronic foxes, which is oddly specific knowledge!”

“I… I don’t know what happened,” Cody said. He still felt the tugging sensation, the same urge to be drawn into the fox. “It’s like it’s pulling me in-”

As Foxy picked himself up, the crying sound became apparent again. As Foxy advanced, the sound became louder.

“That’s not the fox…” said Cody.

“There’s something inside of it,” said Ed. That explained the gunk dripping out of it. He felt like he wanted to vomit, but put on a brave face for Cody. Thinking of Cody, he remembered his friend was dead. His facade cracked the slightest bit.

Isabel slammed her shoulder into the fox. The fall crushed its legs, so it could no longer walk, but there was still something inside, crying out. And there was also something spilling out of the beaten-up animatronic, something that didn’t look like anything spectral, and was definitely corporeal.

Suddenly, the two put their arms to their noses to block out the smell. Cody, as a ghost, could smell nothing, so he hurriedly asked, “What? What’s wrong?”

“It smells like something rotten…”

And from the broken remains of the fox (which was twitching and stuttering and somehow still alive) came a rush of old blood, and a cold, mangled arm came into sight, dangling in front of the fox’s chest.

“Oh, my God,” Cody said. He looked like he wanted to faint, but as a ghost, he couldn’t.

“There are bodies in the animatronics,” said Isabel. “Literal, dead bodies.”

This was a whole new game for the group of assassins. Of course, they’d worked with dead people, but not their bodies. Nothing corporeal. Only ghostly remains, telling them how they’d died and who killed them. Something very, very bad was happening here.

But a crash from the other room told them that they would have to figure out exactly what was going on later. Leaving the fox and the puppet, which was still shrinking away from the music of the arcade game, Ed, Isabel, and Cody ran to the other room.

Chapter Text

“Now Henry, let’s not do anything we might regret.”

“You killed my daughter.”

“No, no, it was an accident! There must be a malfunctioning in the AI! I promise I will take a good look at them once we get back!”

“That was no accident,” Henry scowled. “I designed those animatronics to use as little force as possible. We both know the only person who could override the AI is you.

William’s eyes darted around the safe room. The Kings. Where were the kings?? He backed into a wall as Henry strode closer and closer, knife locked between his fingers.

“H-Help! I need help!”

“There’s no use William, these walls are soundproof.”

“H-Henry, I swear, I would never do that to Charlotte, you have to- “

The knife went up to his neck. “Say it was you.” .

“But I-”

“Say it!” Henry roared.

“It..it was me...But if you’d just let me- “

William choked. Blood bursted down his shirt as metal tore through his artery. The room began to spin and he felt his body being dragged across the floor as his head rolled to the side. A yellow blob stuck out from the corner of his eye and it got bigger, and bigger until yellow was all he saw and then copper springs began to pierce his body like an invisible cage.

“I never told you about this one, old friend. He always acted a little funny, similar to how your’s did.”

The wall slid shut and he moaned. It was all William could do in the darkness. Moan and feel the warm, sticky blood lather his skin. Now it was only a matter of time before he could bask in the sweet release of death.

“Ah, there you are.”

Was that the devil calling?

“The girl tastes...exquisite.”

Oh.

“We really must thank you.”

Now they’re here.

“Truly better than waiting for people to die these days.”

“Kind of like how you’re dying right now,” one of them laughed.

“Even though you are a disgusting creature, you have won our favor. Be our servant for eternity and we shall offer you the gift of life.”

Something- no, someone merged into his being. A warmth spreaded throughout his soul and the tears on his neck melded back together. His skin glowed as the fuzzy shapes became clearer and clearer. He stood up.

“Do not fear William, it’s me.”

_______________________
Isaac jumped back as a purple beam shot through a wall near the entrance. He held Max a little tighter.

The wall slid open, and out came another animatronic who-no, wait. Not just another animatronic. None of the animatronics had been able to do that. Brown coils and wires stuck out from tattered, yellow skin, and one of its long ears contained a massive tear. It grinned as its grey eyes started glowing purple.

“Let's try that again. “

Isaac felt his skin tingle. He dropped Max and readied a quick spectral blast- until something else hovered around his hands. Before Isaac even had the chance to look, a cackle shot through the diner, engulfing the entrance in harsh light.

No.

“No King C, that was too much!”

“Focus child, that thing is not like the other toys.”

Max and the creature were replaced by a dark temple. The obnoxious music playing in the background became rain pelting against the earth.

Isaac breathed through his teeth. His knees trembled as he fought to stay upright. Max would be OK right? No. Max already wasn't fine. He had seen Max running towards Isabel, and then stopping before he even got close. After Isaac weakened the animatronic enough, he ran towards him, but Max wasn't registering anything. He kept mumbling about a golden bear and spring locks and suddenly Max just - collapsed and Isabel was fighting this thing and-

“Quit stalling!” King C roared, “We don’t have much time!”

“Shut up! If you hadn’t -- if you hadn’t-” A sob escaped Isaac’s throat. “If you hadn’t made me do that, I’d still be trusted as a full assassin! And Dimitri would-”

“Is that what you’re mulling about?!” Lightning clashed against the marble, weakening the already fragile relic.

“Just go away!”

It was too much, too much. Yanking his hair,

Isaac tore himself back to reality.

And blinked away the tears.

The yellow monstrosity was on its knees, but still intact as a purple aura surrounded it.

And Max.

He was breathing.

Without a single burn on his skin too.

“Isaac!”

He looked over.

Out from the shadows, two figures sprang above the abomination, green and red embers, dancing through the air. The monster turned around, but it was too late. Scarlet chains locked around it and from above, a black scythe slid down its head, making a perfect cut down the center. Metal snapped, organs splattered, and the creature’s eyes rolled. Two entities weakly floated out of the shell, but such mercy was unacceptable.

Ed and Isabel blasted the pathetic things.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Until not even the faintest of wisps could be seen.

“Ed! Isabel!”

Their knees buckled. Ed drew a pained breath as Isabel rubbed her arms.

“Hey y’all.. when we’re done.. Can we order like.. 20 pizzas?”

“Ed do not mention pizza.”

“Uh, guys?” It was Cody. Vapors leaked out his form. He looked fainter than when Isaac first saw him. “Is Max ok?”

Max, who laid on the floor, unconscious and trembling.

“No,” Isaac said, his voice breaking, “He not ok, he needs help.”

“Right!” Cody nodded, “I’ll go get some!”

“Wait- You??”

He put his hands up. “I know, I know. But trust me, I know somebody who can help! She’s very smart!”

Isaac’s eyebrows raised, but Cody was looking at him, so confident, and doe-eyed, he just couldn’t say no.

“Ok,” Isaac sighed, “Just be careful, capiche?”

“Capiche.”

And with that, Cody walked out the door.

Before Isaac had the chance to think about what he had just done, he felt a hand tugging his shoulder.

“And you. Are you ok Isaac?”

“Isabel.” He looked down. “What happened to your arms?”

“It doesn’t matter! Are you ok?”

“Yeah- it’s just...you’re concerned about me..”

“Of course we are,” Isabel huffed, “you’re our friend.”

“Y-yeah. Friends,” Isaac blubbered. Snot dripped down his nose but he didn’t bother to wipe it away. They had work to do.

_______________________

Cody knew this would be the last time he saw his classmates. The sharp tug still pulled and with every step he took, it felt like another piece of him was tearing away. The sweat… It wasn’t sweat, it was his soul.

He shuddered.

It wasn’t the first time he felt something like this. When his dad, when his, when-

No, not now. He was Cody Jones, class president, and he would get them help. It was his duty. His purpose. It even said so in the student council handbook, page 26 of section 1; the class president must put the welfare of his fellow classmates above all else, and who was he to break that tenant?

Who was he to disobey an order?

No this was different. But something in the back of his head told Cody it was not different, that he was still, and would always be someone’s puppet, diligent, and faithful, submissive and weak. That didn’t matter now. His own thoughts did not matter in the grand scheme of things All he had to do was walk up the hill, and reach Violet’s house. Lisa would tease him, perhaps force him to reveal the location of his starchman stars, but she’d know what to do. Lisa always knew what to do. That’s why she’s in charge.

And Cody? He was just a puppet.

“I may be a puppet, but I’m still me. I’m still Cody, president of class 2024.”

God, it hurt.

“My best friend is Jeff Flavors, and I have a sister named Lisa. My favorite show is Haikyuu and I am 12 years old.”

He was close. So, so close, but the more he walked, the more he realized what little of him was left. The cutlass almost slipped out of his hand, but he caught himself. Lisa would need the cutlass, not Dad, because Cody was half certain Dad planned this all along, planned to kill him and his friends, because that’s what happens to people who get in his father’s way.

His vision faded, but he could see Violet’s house at the end of the block. There. He was almost there. Just a few more steps. Just a few more painful steps.

“It’s me,” he rehearsed. “It’s me, Cody, and I need your help. It’s me. It’s me. It’s-

_______________________

“It’s me,” a voice moaned. It was raspy and tremulous. Lisa’s ears twitched and she frowned. Violet laid sleepily across her lap, and this was her favorite scene, the one where the demon gobbles the boy and turns into a giant spider. She sunk herself further into the couch. The ghost could forget it.

As time went on the knocking grew louder and more erratic. The ghost’s cries passed through the doors, making it hard to hear. Lisa scowled.

“Ghost business?” Violet asked as she looked up at her and yawned.

“How did you know?”

“Your ears do the thing.” She pointed at her own.

“Oh. Yes. He’s very….persistent.”

“You should just deal with it now,” Violet said, waving her hand, “I’ll put the movie on pause.”

“Alright.” Lisa got up to open the door while Violet stole the rest of the couch. She narrowed her eyes, “Who are you?”

The ghost gasped, and gasped, and she heard the sound of steel clashing against the porch. “I-It’s me. It’s me.”

“Yes, but who are you.” This was stupid and Lisa wished the activity club was here so it would leave her alone. She’d even offer the handsome reward of her very own starchman stars if it meant the ghost would cease.

After a couple more minutes of standing, the ghost managed to choke something out.

Her eyes widened.

“I-I...It’s me.. It’s me- Cody Jones- a… and I need your help!”

Chapter Text

As Cody left, Isabel counted who was left. Of the Four Kings, they at least had one, the Puppet, whose powers inflicted the wounds you left on it on yourself. One was powering the animatronics by bringing them to life. There was no sign of the other two, but one could see immediately into the future, so it was no surprise he was biding his time. And the fourth…

Isabel wanted to shudder. The fourth turned into and took on the powers of your greatest fear. She had to know what scared her the most in order to think of a way to beat it.

What scared her most was her and her friends, all winding up dead. How on earth could you beat that?

She and Isaac hoisted Max, who was coming to. Ed covered them, his paintbrush out. They’d downed the new animatronic, and two whisps had come out. Whether they were ghosts or spirits remained to be seen. Everything was quiet now, a little too quiet, and they were all on edge.

There was no stench like there had been for the earlier body, but there was definitely something seeping out of the newly-felled animatronic. They didn’t have time to find out what it was. They dragged Max behind the counter of the pizza kitchen, and as they sat him down, he became coherent enough to speak.

“Golden Freddy… he came after me…”

“Who’s Golden Freddy?” asked Isaac, still trying to hide his sniffles. “One of the Kings?”

“No, he’s like… this giant bear… all gold-colored…” said Max. He shook his head, trying to get his wits about him. “I looked into the spirit’s eyes, and then Golden Freddy came after me and tried to stuff my body into his.”

The others shared a worried glance.

“Max, you were hallucinating,” said Isabel. “It must have been one of the Kings. I heard that looking into their eyes can do crazy things to you.”

“What do we do now?” asked Ed. “Wait for Cody?”

He faltered when he said Cody’s name.

“Is Cody… gone?” asked Max. “Or did I hallucinate that too?”

“No, he’s gone. His ghost went to find help,” said Ed.

Max opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. When he finally decided what to say, he asked, “Where’s his body? We can take his body back after this is over.”

“If we get out of here alive,” said Isaac.

Max stood up on shaky legs. Isaac and Isabel spotted him, but he managed to grip the counter and pull himself up.

“I don’t want to die tonight. Let’s give this everything we’ve got,” he said. “We need a plan.”
He looked to Isabel. He expected her to come up with the plan, she realized. She knew the most about the spectral world, and she had been an assassin the longest. She could do this.

“We have one King trapped in the other room. He looks like a puppet. Anything you do to him, any wound you inflict on him, will hit you too, but he’s crippled by music. We’ll have to either get him to destroy himself or have something unrelated to us destroy him. We could probably set up a trap.

“Next, we have the King who can bring things to life. He’s controlling the animatronics. If we find out where he is, we can shut off the animatronics.

“We don’t know where the other two are. One can see into the immediate future, but his powers are mostly directed to his immediate area. If we can set a trap into motion or back him into a corner, he won’t be able to get out.

“The last King can turn into and gain the powers of whatever scares you most. If someone can lure it out, the others can take it out,” Isabel finished.

“How do we proceed?” asked Isaac.

“Let’s sweep this room. If you see anything, you shout. Nobody takes on ANYTHING alone, got it?”

“Got it.”

“Let’s sweep.”

---------------------

This was bad, Henry thought. Real bad.

He’d been watching the happenings at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria through the monitors he had illegally taken home with him. Everything had been going smoothly. The spectral assassins were out of the way, on a wild goose chase, allowing the Four Kings to slip into the Pizzeria unnoticed. But it only took four stupid kids to ruin his plans.

He’d jumped into his car the moment they showed up. It was a half hour ride to the Pizzeria from his house, and he didn’t have any time to lose. The ghost of the owner’s son had escaped to get help, and if word got out about the Four Kings, he’d be done for. The Kings could take down four children of course, and maybe even the army of spectral assassins, but if they did, if they had to evacuate, it would be Henry’s fault.

And they’d make him pay.
A King was waiting for him as he entered the Pizzeria grounds. He was seething.

“The ghost boy went to this address,” said the King. “I can see him making it there, but I can’t see beyond that. Don’t let him or any of his friends make it out of there.”

His eyes glowed red, and visions swam in front of Henry’s eyes. He stumbled. He saw the house, and he saw the golden bear that had haunted him since he met the Kings. He would not fail.

---------------------------

Nothing was in the room, so the four assassins snuck into the next. The fallen animatronic stayed motionless, unlike Foxy had been earlier. It was dark and silent.

The silence meant that the music that was holding the puppet captive was no longer playing. Isabel whispered this to the group, and all members nodded in understanding.

“We need to fan out in groups. Ed and I know what to expect from the puppet and some of the animatronics. I’ll go with Isaac, and Ed can go with Max,” said Isabel.

The two groups split up.

It surprised them that the animatronics hadn’t followed them into the room. Something was up.

After about ten minutes of completely checking the room, Ed turned a corner.

To find Isabel lying in a pool of blood.

Ed made a noise of surprise and ran forward. He checked her pulse. Nothing.

Oh God, now he was panicking. Where was Isaac? He was supposed to be with her. He was supposed to be guarding her. Had he deserted? Was he that cowardly?

Where was her ghost? She hadn’t appeared anywhere. He needed her, needed her support. He’d already lost Cody, and now-

“Oh, God, is Isabel-?”

Ed was slammed into the wall by a giant golden bear.

Max came out from Ed, bat held high. But he was too shaken to hold it steady, and the bear, teeth whirring and claws gleaming, grabbed the bat in its maw. Max had enough sense to use the bat’s metal powers to make it attract the bear’s metal mouth contraption. The bear couldn’t unstick its jaws. It grabbed the bat, and its metal claws got stuck also. It glared at Max, who averted his eyes.

Ed peeled himself off the ground, where he’d fallen. He would avenge Isabel and Cody. With his paintbrush, he created a scythe and sliced the bear, which couldn’t fight back due to the bat in its mouth, in half.

It was the easiest battle he’d ever fought. The bear and Isabel’s body burst into smoke, and the wisp of a snarling, crazed King floated in its place. It shook with rage.

It dove at Ed, but before it had the chance, it was blasted by red and blue spec shots, and the last remains of the King were finished off.

Isabel and Isaac rushed forward.

“What did I say about fighting stuff alone?” growled Isabel, though she looked pleased with how the fight had turned out.

Ed ran forward and hugged Isabel with all his might.

“I thought… I mean, the King showed me-”

“You’re greatest fear is me being dead?” Isabel asked, awed. It didn’t surprise her that Ed cared about her that much, but her death being his greatest fear WAS a surprise. Ed could be afraid of so many things, and he chose to be scared for her?

“Meanwhile, my greatest fear is apparently Golden Freddy. Yikes,” said Max.

“So, one down, three to go. We can do this gang,” said Isabel.

It was time to face the other room.

Chapter Text

Henry snuck into the safe room. It was 5AM with the sun peaking through the horizon. Charlotte…. She would have loved this. She would have marveled at the pink stroke across the sky that clashed against the misty blue canvas and then she would have asked him how such an oddity was possible, and he would- he would-

A wave of tears threatened to consume him. He took a moment to wipe his eyes, already sore and puffy.

“Hello, Mr. Emily... It’s me .“

What?

That voice.

It couldn't be.

William was dead.

But it was his voice, open and melodic, with the rounded vowels that signified his heritage.

Henry looked at where William was supposed to be; dead and on the ground, but the springlock suit was standing, its eyes purple. “W-William?”

“The one and only,” he growled.

“B-but how?”

He lurched towards Henry. A foul shade of yellow against the black. “You could say, I was given a gift.”

Drawing his knife, Henry took a tentative step back. “That’s a funny way of putting it.”

“Not really,” William said, raising his claw, as if signaling somebody. Henry looked around, but it was just him and  William.

Sweat rolled down the side of his face, and suddenly-

A flash.

Charlotte, not William, crawled before Henry. Her form dripped like ice cream melting on a hot, sunny day. She wailed.

“Papa!”

“Charlotte!” Henry ran towards his daughter, scooping her torso, but she slipped through his fingers, making a puddle.

“It hurts!” she sobbed. “It hurts so much!”

“Shhhh, shhhh, it’s ok sweetie.” He patted her back, warm and viscous. “It’s ok.”

“It’s not ok! This is your fault!”

“What?”

“This is all your fault dad!” Charlotte shrieked, steam hissing through her skin. “You don’t even care about me or mom, and now look what’s happened! It’s your fault Dad, it’s your fault!”

“I’m-I’m sorry!” Henry shook. An invisible cork blocked his throat, cramping the muscles around it as tears blurred his vision. He had been crying. He had been crying so much lately.

William’s sinister laugh bounced off the walls.

“Tsk, tsk. This is just like you dear Henry. Always so emotional.” He felt a pair of claws dig into his shoulder. “I can make it stop. Just for you. All I ask is for you to follow these simple instructions…”

----------------------------------------

“Cody?”

“The one and only.” His chuckle was soft and scratchy. She closed her eyes.

It really was him.

“What happened?”

“Dad's diner... animatronics gone haywire…. the activity club--  they went there, but they got hurt.”

Lisa snorted. “Father must have sent you on a little errand.”

“That doesn’t matter- they need help. Please .”

Bending down, she asked, “How much is your life worth dear brother? Because as of now you’re asking me to risk mine.”

“I know,” he sighed, “they’re under my pillow.”

“What?”

“My stars. You can have them all, just please help out?”

“No.”

“No?”

“That’s right, no.” Lisa huffed. “No amount of stars is worth rushing in like an unwitting tourist taking his first trip to Somalia.”

“They’re going to die in there!”

“And what do you want me to do about it?” she scowled.

“I-I don’t know, I thought you’d know what to do.” He sniffled. “You always do.”

She tried not to shiver. The night chill never bothered her until now. Why now? “Well, you thought wrong. Go bug father, he likes you more.”

“I don’t trust him- and --and he only pays attention to me because I’m controllable. He can’t do that with you.”

“I’m flattered,” she said, brushing her palm against the door handle, “But that still doesn’t change the fact you’re asking for something outside the realm of my power.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Her eyes twitched. “And why’s that?”

Cody laughed. “Because you built a drink empire behind the vice principal’s back and managed to elude any form of punishment for the past three years?”

“That’s hardly an impossibility.”

“What about Dad? The way you circumvent his rules- ”

“That’s not the same.” Her voice lowered. “You died.”

“So?”

Lisa’s eyes rolled. “Use your head. If you died, then I have the same possibility of dying.”

“Yes, but-.”

“But I must ask, what makes my life worth less than theirs? What gives you the right to put me in danger?”

“I didn’t think of that...I’m sorry.” The sound of Cody’s ragged breathing diminished. Lisa leaned against the outside wall, trying to ignore the tears flowing down her face. She blinked but they persisted.

“This-- this is just embarrassing,” Lisa told herself as she reached for a handkerchief. Violet was the one who cried during movie night, not her.

She smothered her face, blocking out the world, when she heard a low hum. She looked up. It was a car, pulling in front of the lawn. Lisa swiped the cutlass off the porch and held it behind her back. If Violet’s parents saw….

No. It was neither her mom or dad. Lisa narrowed her eyes as a slender figure poked out the car.

“Lisa?”

“Violet.” She turned around to see Violet peeping through the door, “do you know who this is?”

“No I- wait, are you crying?”

“We have bigger problems to worry about.” The silhouette drew closer. Lisa’s grip on the blade tightened. “Violet, get- ”

A knife

Millimeters from her face

Lisa sidestepped and knocked Violet out of the way.

“Augh!”

She reached out to grab the knife, but it was already gone, leaving a slit in the door. The blade gleamed in the moonlight, twirling back in the figure’s hand, their eyes glowing brown.

“I’m sorry girls. I’m so, so sorry.”

“You’re about to be,” Lisa growled.

“I’m calling 91-”

“No, don’t.”

“But Lisa!” Violet pushed herself off the ground as the knife zipped towards them once again.

She whacked it away like a mosquito, but it continued to flutter around them. “Our friend is no ordinary being.”

Another parry.

“They won’t know how to handle it.”  

Lisa kept her eyes locked on the blade, dancing, and twirling. She forgot how to heavy the cutlass could get after extended use. It was blow, after blow, after blow, and then a fist struck her back.

She coughed, and a felt a kick to her ribcage. Lisa rolled over, barely managing to knock the knife away. His figure hovered over her and she quickly slashed his eyes.

“Damnit!”

The knife dropped. Lisa glanced. The man had his eyes covered, blood spilling through his fingertips as Violet ran into the house. Good.

“Now tell me-”

He snatched up the knife and pinned her down. Lisa kicked him in the gut and he recoiled, but not before grabbing her wrist and throwing her over. The sword slipped from her hands and Lisa gasped. Arms throbbing, she struggled to against the man’s grip as he held the knife above her face.

“Hey jackass.”

She looked up.

A rolling pin smashed against the back of his head, leaving the man crumpled over and moaning. Violet smacked him again for good measure and then held her hand out.

“Are you ok?”

Lisa blinked.

“Sure,” she said, pulling herself upright.

“You don’t look fine.”

Picking up the knife and sword, Lisa gave her a shrug.

Violet looked at Lisa with a grimace and led her over to the couch, keeping an eye on the man who remained still.

“Hey, let’s get you patched up.”

She complied, staring at the paused movie. She heard Violet rummaging through the medical cabinet but everything seemed so distant. She sat in silence.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

Dad.

Lisa whipped her phone out and dialed.

“Hello? Hello?”

“Hello father.”

“Oh good, you’re still alive! I’m on my way sweetie, just hang on!”

“No, no- I’m fine. Violet put on a scary movie and one of the jumpscares caught me.”

“That’s a first. You sure you’re alright?”

Lisa brought her knees up to her chest. “I’m positive.”

“Ok then,” he breathed, “Lisa, your brother is dead.”

“Ok.”

“Have you seen his ghost anywhere?”

“No.”

Dad let out a grunt. “Do you want to come home?”

“No.”

There was a pregnant pause.

“Is there anything you want to tell me?”

“No Dad, I am emotionally incapable of continuing this conversation, good-”

“Lisa wait!” The panic in his voice made Lisa’s hand freeze.

Don’t be an order. Please, don’t be an order.

She should have punched the end button and dodge the risk entirely. Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut.

“...Yes?

“I-I love you.”

“I love you too-- Dad.”

The phone beeped. He hung up.

Lisa let out a deep breath, her body shaking. One more night. For one more night, she could keep her freedom.

Violet came back, a bottle of rubbing alcohol in one hand, a roll of gauze in the other. “Ok, where does it hurt.”

“Mmmm, Violet dear, I’m just bruised, that’s all.”

“Oh,” she pouted, “I’ll put these back then.”

“No, wait.”

“Huh?”

“Sit down,” Lisa said, gently touching Violet’s arm as the other girl slowly joined her.

“Something up? Well, besides the obvious.”

She nodded. “Cody is dead.”

“Oh. ”

“Not quite.”

Lisa shot up.

“You.”

She grabbed the cutlass and held the knife in her other hand, snarling.

“Who?” Violet asked.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t cut you in half.”

“I need to tell you something- about your friend-erm, ‘Cody’.” Despite his words, the man’s voice carried little inflection.

Swinging the blade just shy of the ghost’s neck, she said, “You could have told us before playing with knives.”

“I know. I Apologize. After what I’m about to say, you can kill me. It’s what I deserve.”

She gave a hum of satisfaction. “Go on.”

“He’s trapped inside these monsters- or- animatronics, along with several others. My partner used a substance known as remnant to bind the energy of those killed by them. It was impressive he could hold his form together for so long.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“(Can someone tell me what’s going on!?)”

She pushed the blade a little harder. “Why are you and your partner trapping those souls? And what incentive do you have telling me this now?”

The ghost grew quieter. “William had four spirits to feed. He used my daughter. I killed him. They made me take his place. I became a monster, just like the rest of them, but there can be peace. All you have to do is follow these simple instructions.”

“And why should I?”

“Because those children are suffering, your friend included, and because they will go after you and that girl soon enough.”

Lisa tensed.

“Tell me how to stop it.”

“Very well. The spirits are distracted as of now. You must sneak into the pizzeria which lies downhill and set the animatronics on fire. Whichever way you do it does not matter, as remnant can only function under certain temperatures. Whether that means setting the building on fire or lighting them one by one is up to you. Just be quick.”

“Understood.” She decapitated the ghost in one swift motion and turned to her friend.

“Violet, I’m going on a little field trip.”

“Then I’m coming too!” Violet declared, grabbing her sweater.

“You don’t even know where I’m going.”

She shook her head. “That doesn’t matter. Someone needs to look after you.”

“I can take care of myself just fine.”

“Says the person who needed her butt saved ten minutes ago,” Violet said, sticking her tongue out.

“Fair enough.” Lisa walked up to Violet and planted a kiss on her forehead, placing the knife in one of her palms. “Say, does your mother happen to have any lighter fluid?”

“Yeah,” Violet blushed, “It’s in the garage.”

----------------------------------------

Cody’s vision went black. He disappeared into something. There were others too, just like him. Trapped without a form. Without a purpose. Despite the pain, he felt a frightening sense of belonging he never felt before.

Chapter Text

“One down, three to go,” muttered Isabel. “And this isn’t going to be easy.”

The rest of the Activity Club murmured in agreement.

“Should we each go after one?” asked Isaac. He was itching to make up for his blunder with Max. Isaac felt responsible for not detecting whatever had caused Max to collapse earlier in the night before it attacked. Taking down a spirit was just what he needed.

“Absolutely not!” Isabel snapped. “These aren’t normal spirits. We can’t handle them on our own.”

“What’s your plan, Isabel?” Ed asked. He had taken out one of the Kings, with Max’s help, but he doubted they’d find themselves in an easy fight anytime tonight. If the rest of the Kings were watching, they’d know that the Activity Club had taken one of their own, a feat which hundreds of other spectrals had failed to do. Now, the Club was a threat.

“Let’s go for the clairvoyant King last,” Isabel said. “It’ll be too hard to pin him down, and he’s the least dangerous.”

“Who do we go for first then?”

“The animatronics were brought to life by one King, so he’s probably inside one. They’re currently the biggest threat,” she said, then paused. “But the puppet King is still in the other room. If we accidentally hit him instead of an animatronic, it could kill us. Loads of spectrals have died that way.”

“And how do we kill something we can’t touch?” Max asked.

“Easy. We set up a trap,” Isabel said, grinning. “If we aren’t directly attacking the spirit, we won’t get hurt. And I have a plan.”

Isabel turned to Ed, taking out her book.

“Ed, draw a sword with the brush as the hilt.”

Ed took out his brush and in one swooping motion, made a sword.

“Max, Isaac, take out your phones. Do you have music on them?”

Both nodded, taking them out of their pockets.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do…”

-------------------

Max and Isaac edged into the room, backs to the walls, and split up. The animatronics, all spread throughout the room, were silent. Max and Isaac shared a quick glance. If the animatronics showed any sign of movement, it was their job to keep them occupied and away from the puppet.

It was silent and dark and surprisingly dusty, despite the earlier fights. No sign of the puppet.

“I don’t know how you managed to kill two of my brothers,” boomed a voice. “But make no mistake, your lucky streak has come to an end.”

Max and Isaac looked around for the source of the voice, trying to keep from panicking. They could see no one, and the voice seemed to come from all around them.

Suddenly, something closed around Isaac’s ankles and yanked him down. He hit the ground hard. Something was dragging him into-

The vents.

Max turned when he heard Isaac thud to the ground. Isaac was clawing at the ground, desperate to get away from the force pulling him into the wall.

Max began to run. There wasn’t enough time to get to Isaac. Max pulled out his bat and swung it down.

The metal vents caved near Isaac’s feet. The hands tugged at Isaac, but they could no longer get him farther down the vent. Isaac kicked the hands away and scrambled out of the vent, swearing middle school appropriate swears. He ran towards Max, and the two faced the vent.

“That was close,” said Isaac, trying to keep his cool.

“Yeah, really.” Max was breathing hard.

“Thanks, man.”

“No problem.”

The voice from earlier growled, and clanging sounds echoed from the vents as the puppet King launched itself from the vent at the boys.

Max and Isaac were ready. They dodged to either side, rolling to their feet. They attempted to circle the puppet, but the puppet stretched its gangly limbs, grabbed them both, and smashed them together. It threw the two boys into the middle of the room.

“No escape now!” howled the puppet, but as it stalked forward, it was blocked off by a wave of paper. The puppet stumbled back and searched for the source. It found Isabel near the doorway, smirking.

“This fight’s between us,” she said, watching as Max and Isaac ran further from the fight, blocking off exits.

“I toyed with you last time,” sneered the puppet. “But if you insist, you will be the first to die tonight.”

The puppet rushed at Isabel, who threw up a wall of paper in front of her. The puppet slammed itself into the wall, forcing Isabel backwards. She strengthened the wall, but the puppet kept beating her back. Her body was getting sore. She was already sweating, trying to hold it together.

As Isabel was slowly corralled towards the door, the puppet laughed, sounding like a deranged hyena. Isabel was faltering, her body taking the pain from the puppet’s body slams. With a final blast, Isabel gave out, the book flying from her hands towards the door. She ran for it.

“Oh, no, you’re not going anywhere!” yelled the puppet. It made the mistake of throwing itself at her one last time.

Taking her hands out of her pockets, Max’s and Isaac’s phones in her fists, Isabel pressed play. Music blared from the phones. The puppet tucked itself into a ball, hissing in pain, as it flew through the air. Isabel ducked and slid underneath the Ed’s sword, which hung like a limbo stick across the doorway. Huddled in pain, the puppet couldn’t swerve. It hit it head on, slicing itself in half.

The puppet’s body withered into white smoke. Isabel grabbed her tool and swiped at it, again cutting it cleanly in two. The third King was gone.

Which King was left?

Max, Isaac, and Ed whooped in celebration, but Isabel stopped them.

“We’re not out of the woods yet. We have one more to go,” she told them. “Stay on your guard.”

The Activity Club stood back to back, waiting for the worst to come.

Chapter Text

“Ok, so let me get this straight,” said Violet, running a hand through her hair. “Your dad opened a pizzeria haunted with evil spirits that trap the ghosts of children inside these murderbots, including Cody, and now we have to set them fire?”

“Well, they’re called animatronics actually, but for the most part yes,” Lisa said as she crammed a few paper towels down the bottle’s neck. “Hand me that cap will you?”

Violet pinched her nose. “I hope we don’t find anybody cause this stuff smells .”

“That’s what the air freshener is for,” she smiled. Lisa gave the spray can a good shake before pressing its nozzle.

The scent of lime and raspberries wafted through the air, reminding Violet of Lisa’s shop. Her mind drifted to sweeter times, when Jeff, Cody, and Lisa threw her tenth birthday party consisting of a dazzling array of syrups and garnishes. Nose adapting to the fragrance, Violet said, “Alright, let’s get this done.”

Lisa nodded.

They stuffed the glass bottles in Violet’s backpack and headed out the door.

Violet felt a breeze nip her hands as they walked down the street, her back already sore from the burden of her backpack. She glanced at Lisa, who was still wearing her white t-shirt. Purple blotches radiated from Lisa’s arms and every so often, Violet caught her grimacing.

“You sure you’re ok?”

“Yep.” Lisa continued to look ahead.

Violet frowned. “This isn’t going to work if you collapse all of a sudden.”

“ I know. If you’re scared you can give the bag to me and go home.”

“Not a chance,” she scowled.

Lisa paused. The street lamp casted a long shadow on her face as she locked her frosty eyes on Violet’s. “We might die... Like my brother did.” She inched closer, almost touching temples, “Are you willing to accept that risk?”

Violet held her breath for a moment before rolling her eyes. “ God, Lisa how many times do I have to say it? I. Am. Going. With. You.” She poked Lisa’s forehead for emphasis. “If you die, I’ll be out of sparkling pink lemonade, and then I may as well just be as dead as you.”

 Lisa smirked. “If you’re willing to give your life for pink lemonade, be my guest.”

“I will!”

The girls continued down the streets. Violet kept the knife tucked in her pocket, while Lisa carelessly swished her cutlass.

“If Johnny’s gang sees us, you better offer them free drinks.”

“Is anything really free in this world?”

“Now that’s an excellent question, Miss Jones!”

Violet gasped.

On the other side

Mr. Spender

approaching rapidly.

Lisa stepped in front of her. “Ah, ‘Mr. Spends’.” A grin crawled across her cheeks. “What a pleasant surprise.” She waved the sword in front of his face as one might do with a plastic wand.

“I could say the same with you,” he said, face dripping with sweat. “I know this isn’t school grounds, but aren’t you a little young to be carrying a sword?”

“Nonsense. Where in America does one require a license to possess a sword?” Certainly not here,” she winked.

Violet chewed her lip. “ Lisa. ”

“I don’t have time for this.” Mr. Spender shifted his sunglasses. “Just stay out of trouble, alright?”

 “Looking for a certain group of students, teacher?”

“Lisa, what are you doing?” Violet hissed.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he laughed.

She twiddled her fingers along the edge of the blade. “Oh, y’know the activity club? Heard they’re having quite a fit in my father’s diner.”

“And where did you hear that?”

Lisa’s hand twitched. “That doesn’t matter. You want to save your precious club, right?”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, we could use each other’s help.” Her shoulders laxed. “The activity club is in danger.”

“How do you even-”

“Oh, come on, we don’t have time for this!” Violet glared at Lisa. “Stop playing around.” She whipped around to Mr. Spender. “And you. If the activity club is in danger, then what are we waiting for?!”

Lisa kept her face still while Mr. Spender rubbed the back of his neck. “Normally I don’t have students leading me around but tonight I’ll make an exception.”

“Very well.” Lisa said as she marched forward, “We have a lot to discuss.”

-----------------

All things must come to an end.

Through famine. Through sickness. Through erosion. Through death.

Humans were so fortunate. To have one life for this world, and one for the next.

His brothers lacked such privilege. And paid the price.

The children, would pay the price.

For the absence of his brethren left a hole.

He would fill it were their screams.

-----------------

Max did his best to quell his shivering as he leaned against Isabel’s back. She kept her knees bent and her eyes focused, with Ed and Isaac sporting similar positions. Max clumsily mimicked.

They stood inside a narrow hall, the stage from the party area poking out from one end, and a room stocked with wires and masks, out the other.

“Sooo, does this kind of stuff happen every week, cause I’m gonna need some payment if this is how I spend the rest of my Fridays."

“We ain’t exactly professionals,” Ed mused.

“Well I think Max is right,” Isaac huffed, “Mr. Spender puts us through all these hoops and what do we get in return? Nothing.”

“Save the worker’s strike for afterward.”

Isaac pouted but said nothing.

Silence fell.

Soon Max heard each of his classmates breathe. Isabel’s breaths were deep and steady whereas Ed’s were short and thin, and Isaac.... Was Isaac even breathing?

Footsteps reverberated around the diner. Max jumped.

“It’s ok Max,” Isabel said, giving him a nudge, “We got this.”

The sound of boots clanking against the floor grew louder. A soft, red light illuminated the walls. Where was it coming from?

Tap

Tap

Tap

Max’s ears perked.

Tap

Tap

Tap

“It wasn’t always like this…”

Tap

Tap

Tap

“There was a time we did not need to resort to such foolish means. A time where humans dropped like cattle…You were all such good cattle.”

A cloaked figure appeared through one of the entrances. He held a cane with wings attached to an hourglass.

Ed, Isabel, and Isaac threw a blast.

“Predictable.”

He tilted his cane, vapors filling the hourglass until it tipped. Red, green, and blue bounced off his skull, his beak pointed downward, his eye sockets glowing.

A beam of energy launched their way.

Max’s heart skipped.

He cowered.

But felt no pain. Peeping his eyes open, he saw three shields in place, cracking. Isaac bolted out, sword in hand. The spirit didn’t even flinch, dodging his swings with ease.

He swept his arm out with a gust of wind but the king stepped out of the way just in time to ram his cane in Isaac’s elbow. He fell to the floor, his other hand sparking. Before anything even left, a boot slammed on Isaac’s abdomen with a crack as the cane brimmed with white light. Isabel extended a red spear at the king’s head. He ducked, kicking Isaac to the side and sent a rod of electricity her way. She leapt to the side, panting.

The hourglass spun.

“Max,” said Isabel as she shakily opened her book, “I need you run.”

“Huh?”

“Ed and I can hold him off.”

The king paced closer.

“While he’s distracted get-”

He lunged.

Ed and Max jumped away. Isabel tackled him.

“Now’s your chance!” The king threw her off and Isabel landed gracefully on her feet with Ed rushing to her side.

Max gave them one last glance before running towards the stage, blocking out the sound of their pained grunts until he stopped in his tracks, seeing a tall figure loom out the end. He brought up his bat.

“Shhhhhhh. ” A small pocket of light floated in front of the figure’s face, revealing a thin man with sunglasses.

His jaw dropped.

Yellow chains zipped past Max as Ed and Isabel struggled to rise.

The king raised his cane.

Thunk

A bright tip broke through his skull, causing his bones to crumble into vapors. The cane clattered to the ground. The king, now white and wispy, poked through an empty eye socket but before he could travel any further, three shafts of energy rammed down on him until there was nothing to see.

“Kids!”

“Mr. Spender!” Isabel hobbled towards him and collapsed into a hug.

Max blinked. Ed flopped down as Isaac remained curled on the floor, his face laced with pain.

“Have you seen the other kings?“

“Yeah, and we kicked their butts,” Isabel said.

“Excellent work then!” He ran a shaky hand through her hair. “We need to leave and get you guys looked over.”

Isabel let go of Mr. Spender and wrapped her arm around Ed’s shoulder as the two leaned on each other for support, while Mr. Spender carefully picked up Isaac, careful not to jostle him. As they walked to the front room, Max caught two girls crouched near the exit. He looked at Mr.Spender, who gave the girls a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry. They just have something they need to take care of.”

“Because that doesn’t sound menacing,” Max snorted.

-----------------

As the activity club approached the exit, Lisa stood. “Max!”

“Lisa?”

Violet slapped her hand on Lisa’s mouth, saying, “Listen we need to know how many of those freaky robots are at the diner.”

“Uuuuh why?”

“We’ll explain later, just tell them how many you saw,” Mr. Spender said. In his arms was a boy with orange hair.

“Five I guess? But what-”

“Got it,” said Violet, taking her hand off Lisa’s mouth and unzipping her backpack.

Max, Ed, and Isabel sent them confused stares as Mr.Spender nudged the three out the door. Violet sighed as Lisa and her took out some bottles.

Already, they found a golden rabbit by the end of the entrance hall, its ear torn, its endoskeleton protruding. Violet flung the bottle by its neck. She missed, but wicks of embers caught onto the animatronics disheveled fur. Lisa bit her tongue. They should have saved that one for last, but there was no time for such trivialities now that the fire started.

Sword in hand, she whispered, “Stay behind me.”

“But if what Mr. Spender said is true, they shouldn’t be able to attack us anymore. Especially since he gave us the signal.”

Lisa didn’t reply. Violet stayed next to her as they  walked in the tattered room.

The other animatronics were just as easy to spot. They rested limply over the floor. And then there was Cody, right in front of Lisa’s feet. How charming. She stepped over the corpse, refusing to take another look.

Violet gagged. “What is that smell? ”

Lisa’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know, but it’s coming from the animatronics.” She went towards the purple mass next to the wall, sniffing. The stench reminded her of rotten leftovers. “Should we take a look?”

“No- no, let’s just burn these things and get out of here.”

“Alright.” She threw the bottle. A brilliant flame combusted on the animatronic as gasps and moans briefly filled the air.

Violet handed Lisa another bottle before jogging over to the next one, a bear maybe? It didn’t matter.

Lisa spotted a bird far off and flung her bottle at it like a hitball. Similar noises escaped from it. It must be the ghosts , she thought as she heard glass shatter over in Violet’s area.

She saw the last one near the table. It was a fox, mangled and- bloodied? A discolored arm stuck out of its chest, skin peeling off the bone. Despite the grotesque display, Lisa sensed a familiar presence. The same one from earlier that night. But now, she knew who it belonged to.

She knelt down.

“Why aren’t you burning it?” Violet shouted, tugging her shoulder.

“...He’s in there.”

“What?”

“Cody,” Lisa said, tuning out Violet’s protests. The smoke. The shouting. The heat. It was all white noise. She leaned in. “I scratched your back, so now you have to scratch mine.”

The fox remained still, its gaze unfocused.

“The activity club is safe thanks to me, but thanks to you, movie night is wasted, and Violet has a corpse in her front yard, so here’s what you’re going to do. ” Lisa’s heart pounded. Sweat pooled on her temple. Her throat tensed. “You’re going to stick around, and help me deal with our idiot father. Then you’re going to stay in my shop, and fill me in on every last word of gossip spilling off the tables, and maybe if I’m nice, I’ll let you go in the next 100 years, got it ?”

She slowly rose up, Violet’s hand sliding off. “Sorry about that. My brother and I... We have some unfinished business.”

“So is his ghost still alive?”

“I-I don’t know. Not really.” Her eyes stung. It was from the fire. It had to be from the fire. She tried to smile but her lips trembled. “Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed the show.” She reached for Violet’s bottle but her friend pulled it out of reach.

“I’ll do it! Unless- unless you want to..”

Lisa shook. Her hand shook. She wanted it to move, but it stayed firmly at her side. Before she could make sense of it, Violet pulled her away and scorched the fox. Flames flickered off her eyes as Violet dragged her out.

The night was cold.

Lisa, was cold.

Who would detract those stupid goons from her store? Who would lie to father about the missing chunk of school funds? Or help her make up those ridiculous stories about the de facto leader and her battle against the twelve black saints? Who would challenge her to a game of chess after school? Or awkwardly give her advice when she took things too far? Or just as awkwardly ask her to do same?

Violet took Lisa’s hand and wrapped an arm around her. The sword fell.

 She hugged Violet back.

Chapter Text

The two girls watched from the outside as the fire began to spread through the building. They only called the fire department when they saw, through the large front windows, the animatronics turn to charred nothing. The ghosts, pearlescent and flickering like candle flames, departed from the pizzeria, though neither girl could see them.

Among them was Cody, who looked weary against the night sky. The other ghosts became fuzzy, then winked out of existence, their souls free to move on. Their business here was finished.

Cody began to fly towards the ground. He waved at Lisa and Violet, forgetting they couldn’t see him. He wanted to say something, but stopped, forgetting what he wanted to say. He tried to speak again, but the edges of his body turned white, and he lost his voice.

He had so much left, Cody thought. So much to say, and so many amends to make before he went. Didn’t he?

But as his mind turned to white noise, maybe, he thought, what others needed from him wasn’t the same as what he needed for himself. He let the mortal plane fade away, until he no longer was.

------------------------

Dave got the call at midnight. The pizzeria had been broken into. Most of it was up in flames. And they’d found a body.

He knew who it belonged to, having heard his son’s last heartbeat hours ago. He would go there soon, just… not now. He didn’t want to face it. He was too angry, too terrified, too broken.

He called Violet’s parents, telling them he was picking Lisa up from their movie night sleepover early. The girls had just arrived back and stowed the lighter fluid and matches when they heard Dave pull up.

They hurriedly put on extra deodorant and perfume, trying to cover up the stench of smoke on themselves. Violet’s parents, who had no idea they’d even left, didn’t notice. But Lisa saw Dave’s nostrils flare, his heightened vampire senses going into overdrive. With Violet’s parents present, Lisa was forced to get into her father’s car instead of making an escape. As soon as she slammed her door shut, he locked her in.

Her father wouldn’t do anything in front of Violet’s parents, which gave Lisa a minute to think. How should she handle this? This conversation would end badly.

Instead of taking her home, Dave turned around and headed to the pizzeria. He parked a ways back from the firefighters, but close enough to see the building crumbling to embers and to see what had been recovered of Cody’s body.

“Did you kill your brother?” was the only question Dave asked, his voice shaking.

“No.”

“But you set the place on fire. Why?”

“To save him,” Lisa said simply.

“Will you tell me what happened?”

“In due time. Is his ghost here?”

“I don’t see him,” said Dave.

Oddly enough, Lisa wasn’t surprised. Cody had never been afraid of her, and threatening him wouldn’t have made him stick around if he’d set his mind to leaving them. She wondered if he had left them on purpose or if the fates had just dealt him a bad hand.

She missed her brother.

Dave got out of the car finally, meeting up with the police and finally looking down at Cody, his face burned and his chest sliced open. This was probably his fault, sending Cody down to the pizzeria. And he couldn’t have gotten there in time to bite and turn him. He had failed twice.

Dave missed his son.

---------------------------------

It seemed like everyone in Mayview had come to the funeral.

Cody was well-liked, but Ed hadn’t realized how many people his friend knew. He and the rest of the Activity Club were there, including Isaac, who didn’t know Cody personally, but felt bad that he had been caught in the crossfire.

The Kings were gone, finally. The threat to the spectral world was eradicated. But it shouldn’t have come at the cost of Cody.

They hadn’t seen his ghost, and even though Ed still held onto a small bit of hope, he knew his friend had passed on. It sucked that Cody couldn’t see everyone here, everyone who had cared about him.

When he went up to the casket to say his final goodbye, Ed found a spirit, bright and new, sleeping, curled up right beside Cody’s body. It blinked up at him with stunning blue eyes, stretched, and hopped onto Ed’s shoulder.

Spirits were formed from emotions, from needs, from wants. And this little one, with eyes like Cody’s and a smile to match, blew bubbles of all colors and embodied Cody’s essence.

And Ed knew Cody was alright, and that everyone, including him, would be alright, too.