Shadow Freddy opened his eyes. There was whispering in the other room. So much. Too much. Must guide them. Guide who? He looked down at his purple paws. Weren’t they… different? Must help them. The whispers washed over his thoughts repeating the same sentences, the same words. He stood up. The room felt familiar. Why? Has he been there before? When? On the other side of the room, there was a door. The whispers were coming from there. Show them. Help them. Help who? Was someone in trouble? Freddy took a step. He felt wobbly and unstable, like it wasn’t his first nature. His feet were too heavy, he felt too tall. Free them. Free who? He looked around. Nobody was in the room but him. There was a long table with party hats neatly lined up in two rows. Why was it so familiar? Find them. The whispers were getting louder and louder. Freddy walked to the exit. The whispers started saying something else, but he couldn’t understand them anymore. At first, there was only one whisper, but now it felt like three. They were all speaking at the same time, but they were saying different things. He left the party room, and turned left. He was walking down a long corridor, and the walls were covered with drawings. Drawings of a bear, a chicken, and rabbit. The corridor led to a large room with more tables and chairs, all facing a large stage with the same animals. He approached the leading character, the bear with the microphone. Its glassy blue-eyed gaze focused on something Freddy couldn’t see. He put his paws on the other bear’s muzzle.Suddenly, he was assaulted with the memories in the bear. The whispers started to say one word. One name. Gabriel. So that is who he was saving. Freddy took his paws off of Gabriel’s muzzle. Now, a deep heartbeat joined the whispers. With each pulse, Freddy felt a surge of Gabriel’s pain and anger. He took a step back and the whispers joined together in perfect harmony. Follow Me. Freddy had a sudden urge to repeat those words. So he did.

“Follow me.”

His voice was deep and guttural. It didn’t feel right at all. Freddy was almost afraid of his own voice. Wasn’t it different? Just like his paws, he felt like his voice had changed, and he didn’t like it. As soon as he uttered the words, Gabriel began to move. He pivoted his waist and blinked his eyes.Freddy began to walk, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to speak to Gabriel some more, but his legs did not allow him. They kept shuffling toward another door, different from the one he had come out of. This door read Parts & Service/Backstage What was in there? Freddy listened to the whispers again, searching for any clue, but they had gone back to whispering different things. He couldn’t make out anything. He heard soft shuffling, and he turned around. Gabriel had begun to follow him. His blue eyes, meant to be lifeless, sparkled with wonder and curiosity. Turning forward again, Freddy advanced into the Parts & Service room. Pushing open the door, he was met with the stares of animatronic parts. The room was littered with random heads, limbs, and even a bare endoskeleton. Suddenly, a man wearing a purple uniform charged out of the room. He had been waiting for someone to… Come in? The man held something shiny. What was he doing? Freddy was paralyzed, half with fear, and half with something else. What? The whispers joined each other again, repeating two more words that struck deep into Freddy’s mind.

IT’S ME

William held the mangled Freddy mask in his hands. He had destroyed him, and he will destroy the others. He had waited for the strange purple bear to lead Freddy to the backstage. He didn’t know why the bear was taking the animatronics, but it worked in his favor, so he didn’t really question it. Then, the Freddy mask began to quiver. William dropped it in shock. As soon as it hit the floor, something white glowed from inside it, illuminating the dark room. And as quickly as it started, the quivering stopped. The room went dark. Puzzled, William aimed a kick at it. The mask banged off of the wall, but remained lifeless.

To be continued.