“You know, I wasn't a chief back then. I was still a detective, and I was working on those disappearances. To this day, it was the worst thing I've ever had to see. It's not something to joke about.” |
Clay Burke is a deuteragonist of the Five Nights at Freddy's novel series. He is the chief of police in Hurricane, Utah. He is Betty's husband and the father of Carlton Burke. In 1985, he was a detective working on the missing children case after five children disappeared at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The case ultimately went cold, as the individual, named William Afton, was released due to the bodies not being found.
The Freddy Files Description: "Clay Burke is the chief of police in Hurricane, Utah, as well as the father of Charlie's childhood friend Carlton. Clay is one of the few main characters who knows the more intimate details of the case of the missing children. At first, he doesn't buy into the supernatural rumors surrounding Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, but by the time The Twisted Ones takes place, he's one of Charlie's fiercest allies and valued for his astute observations and sleuthing skills."
Physical Appearance[]
Clay is described being a tall and thin man with light hair that could have been either blond or gray. He also has gray eyes and immobile lines on his face.
In the graphic novels, Clay is depicted having brown hair with a gray streak in his hair, and wears a white button shirt with black pants. He also features some wrinkles on his face. In The Twisted Ones and The Fourth Closet, he is noticeably much thinner than in The Silver Eyes. This may be due to the artist changing their style or it could be something to do with his character starving himself intentionally or unintentionally.
Personality[]
Clay is a friendly, honest, and loving father, but acts as a police chief when needed. When Clay was investigating the case of the missing children, it hit him on a personal level as his son could've been the one murdered. Clay has always felt guilt over the missing children case as he knew who was responsible for it but couldn't arrest the individual due to the law. After knowing that the missing children possess the animatronics at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Clay became obsessed to the point where he put all of the five animatronics in his basement. After Betty left him due to his obsession, he became depressed, as the living room of his home was a mess and there were a few bottles of whiskey present. He's willing to put his life at risk so his family, friends, and the people of Hurricane can feel safe and protected.
History[]
Backstory[]
Clay Burke was a detective for the Hurricane Police Department. Back then it was a 16-person department that usually handled small complaints. In 1985, ten years before The Silver Eyes, five children, including Michael Brooks, one of his son's friends, were murdered at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. It was the first murder the department had dealt with at that time.
Clay was working on the case. Like most people of Hurricane, Clay first suspected Henry Emily, due to his shakiness when being questioned, but he delayed his arrest and investigated his partner, William Afton. Clay and the whole department knew it was him, as he was present in every abduction, and his house had stacks of journals showing his unhealthy obsession with Henry. William was arrested under suspicion, but they couldn't convict him due to no evidence and the absence of bodies, so he was set free. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza closed down, and William Afton left town. It has haunted Clay's mind ever since.
Clay and his family were the only family out of Michael's friends (Charlie, John, Jessica, Marla, and Lamar) to remain in Hurricane after the missing children incident. At some point, a shopping mall was built over Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, but the area was left abandoned. Clay was also later appointed chief of police.
The Silver Eyes[]
Ten years after the missing children incident, Michael's friends reunite to attend the launch of a scholarship dedicated to their old friend.
After Jason witnessed Dave, dressed as Spring Bonnie, kidnap Carlton, Clay receives a call from Norah about a situation involving his son. He arrives at the abandoned mall, with Officer Dunn and the group of teenagers waiting for him. The group explains to Clay that Carlton went missing, with Jason claiming that Spring Bonnie took him. Clay then tells them that Carlton is playing a prank on them, as he believed that this was one of his son's pranks. Even though they weren't convinced, Clay invites them to come to his house for some hot chocolate.
At his house, the group sat in the living room while Clay was explaining one of Carlton's pranks. After Jason stormed off the room, Clay changed the topic and talked about Freddy's. He told the rest of the group that they shouldn't joke about Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Lamar asked Clay if someone was arrested for the murders. Clay replied that someone was arrested, and he was sure that the person arrested was the culprit, but the individual was released since the bodies were not found. Charlie was enraged by this, but Clay told her that because of how the justice system works, sometimes the guilty get away with terrible things, which Clay felt embarrassed saying later on.
The next morning, Betty argues with him, telling him that he should've gone looking for his son instead of waiting all night as Carlton wouldn't make Freddy's a joke after all that he has been through. Clay then goes to the police station and sends Officer Dunn to the abandoned mall. Later, in his office, Clay starts investigating papers associated with Freddy's. He realizes he should've known better as Officer Dunn hasn't reported back from the mall. Clay pulls up a file for William Afton and realizes that there's something familiar about him. Using his sleuthing skills, he goes through the background checks from the last six months and compares the application photo of Dave Miller to William, who Clay now realizes are the same person. He takes off quickly when he realizes that the check was done for a guard job at the mall. As he was preparing to go, he looked at various photos of the aftermath of the missing children incident. He noticed that Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy all had one of their eyes illuminated.
Later during the day, Clay breaks into Freddy's with a sledgehammer and reunites with Carlton and the rest of the group. William, dressed as Spring Bonnie, then grabs Charlie by the neck and threatens them. Charlie then triggered the suit's springlocks, killing William. Clay and the rest of the group of teenagers left the mall.
The Twisted Ones[]
Clay and Betty arguing, Graphic Novel #2: The Twisted Ones.
Once the teenagers had left and were safe, Clay and Betty made the decision to send Carlton out of town for a while, so Betty took him to stay with her sister for a few weeks. Clay took advantage of their absence to get to work. His team took Officer Dunn's body and waited for Clay's approval before discarding things from the pizzeria. He then rented a U-Haul and secretly transported all of the animatronics to the basement of his home, as he knew that Michael and the other four spirits possessed them. At night, Clay often checked up on them while Betty was asleep. A few weeks later, Betty found him with the animatronics. Realizing what Clay had done, they had a strong argument. The next morning, Betty left the house and never returned.
A year later, a series of murders begins to happen and Clay is in charge of the case. However, the victims have very familiar injuries, so he calls Charlie to help him investigate the facts, confirming that these people had died from springlocks, the same suit where William Afton was killed.
Then they discover that the creators of these animatronics are created by William, but not only that, but they also discover that Charlie is the target of these creatures. Knowing that more people could die, the girl decides to go alone to the next point where the animatronics were going to attack, being captured by them.
When Clay, John, and Jessica find out about Charlie's capture, John proposes to ask for help from Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, and Golden Freddy who are kept in Clay's basement, to help them find and defeat the monsters and to rescue Charlie.
In the basement, John asks the animatronics to help them stop the twisted animatronics. However all five animatronics don't respond at first until John mentions William Afton. The name triggers the animatronics to go berserk and haywire leading them to escape. John, Jessica and Clay follow them with the hope that they will be taken to where Charlie is.
The three of them were guided to an underground pizzeria, where they finally find Charlie. However, they are surrounded by Twisted Bonnie and Twisted Wolf, Afton then comes out, who is still alive; With his new body, he calls himself Springtrap.
The four manage to escape, even managing to burn down Twisted Bonnie and Twisted Wolf. Then Charlie sees that Springtrap escapes and starts chasing him, leaving the others behind. John, Jessica and Clay are surrounded by Twisted Bonnie, Twisted Wolf, and Twisted Freddy. However, they are saved by the original Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, who destroy the twisted animatronics.
Taking advantage of Freddy Fazbear clearing the path of the Balloon Boys, the group meets again with Charlie, who is fighting against Springtrap. Suddenly the building begins to collapse and Springtrap escapes. Without another option, all begin to look for the exit. When they are about to leave, Charlie is captured by a damaged Twisted Freddy and introduced into the springlocks. Clay, John, and Jessica try to free her. However, the trap is activated and Charlie is crushed by the mechanisms of the suit. With nothing else to do, Clay gives the order to his officers to clear the place.
The Fourth Closet[]
Clay first appears in Chapter 2, where he insists John to stay, however John refuses and leaves. He is later seen again when John comes over. They talk about how Charlie's behavior is different lately, even mentioning how Charlie doesn't want Ella anymore. After John left, Clay felt as if someone was right behind him, using his gun he shoots at the random stranger, however no one is there, suddenly he is stabbed.
Later, when John comes back, he notices Clay half-dead. Clay is taken to a hospital. Marla, Jessica, Carlton, John, and Charlie are by his side. When the doctor says Clay will be alright, everyone is relived except for Charlie.
Clay is then last seen in the hospital again, however he is fully recovered and cured. Along with John, Marla, and Jessica. He is near Carlton's side as his son is recovering from his near-death injury.
Trivia[]
- Clay was the arresting officer, a young detective at the time, who put the cuffs on William Afton when he was accused of murdering the five children.
- According to Carlton, Clay ran for mayor two years prior to The Silver Eyes, but lost.
- In The Silver Eyes, Clay is said to have short hair that is either blonde or white in color, but in the graphic novels, his hair is brown with a touch of gray.
- In The Twisted Ones: Graphic Novel, Clay's squad car appears to be a 1994 Chevrolet Caprice.
- Clay's handgun varies in design in each graphic novel, occasionally appearing as a Glock 19, Beretta 92, and Sig Sauer P226. Sometimes even changing it's design through the same book.
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