11 - Reunion
Ben Brooks
In the grand scheme of things, three years really aren't all that long, but they're long enough. Long enough for people to forget. Long enough for people to move on. Ben always knew that there was something so terribly wrong with that restaurant, but it wasn't until a little boy had his head caved in that his parents started to take him seriously.
"Those robots might look scary, but they couldn't hurt a fly!" They'd say whenever he begged them to go somewhere else. "Just try to have fun, okay?" But no one ever understood. Sure, the animatronics were scary, but they were just machines, and machines did what they were told; nothing more, nothing less. They could be scary, but it was the type of scary that could be outwitted. They made sense.
The problem was that Ben didn't actually know why he was afraid of Fredbear's. He could count up the different reasons why the pizzeria was scary, but it never matched the bone-chilling dread that seemed to wash over him after stepping foot into the restaurant. He couldn't explain to anyone why Fredbear's terrified him – not his friends, not his family, not even himself. Over time, he stopped arguing and simply buried his fear behind a mask of joy. And then someone died. And then they stopped going.
But things never seemed to last; people never seemed to remember. Staring up at the unassuming restaurant, the gleaming red letters spelling out "Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria" and overlooking several large window panes inviting all to witness to a place that should have been absolutely, positively magical, he felt a sense of déjà vu wash over him. It was a completely different restaurant, and yet that wonder was immediately replaced by a gut-wrenching dread, made more horrifying by the contrast to the unbridled joy the place was meant to represent.
What he experienced on that day was a horror like no other. It was like he was being stalked by an unknown assailant; like every moment could be his last and he was absolutely powerless to stop it. Every shaky breath, every second that passed, was agonizing. Every smile turned to a frown, every bout of laughter a harrowing scream. If he could just find the danger, if he could just understand it, then maybe the feeling would be less horrible.
"Please just try to look happy. It's your sister's big day, and I don't need your moping to ruin it." His mother scolded him.
His sister, Cassidy, she was the reason they had driven all the way out to this restaurant. She always loved those animatronics – he never even stood a chance at convincing them to go somewhere else. He gave a quick nod to his mother, putting on a fake smile. He'd read that, just by smiling, you could make yourself feel better, but somehow it only made him feel worse. With nothing else to do, he set off to distract himself on one of the arcade machines.
……
"Ben, come quick! They're putting on a show!" His sister called out to him.
He let out a deep sigh, then walked over to the show stage, curving his lips up into a smile along the way. The show was surprisingly interesting – or at least as interesting of a show as a pizzeria could make. He watched the animatronics sing and dance, their mechanisms shockingly agile and alive, and for just a moment, he felt the overbearing dread shrink back, replaced by a sliver of joy. Unfortunately, like all things in life, it wasn't meant to last, and he had to excuse himself to the restroom part way through.
It hadn't even been ten minutes later when he left, but he could immediately feel the change in atmosphere. There were no more smiles, no more laughter, just worried parents holding their children tight. And interspersed in the crowd were people running through the pizzeria, frantic and shouting out names he didn't recognize. Except one.
"CASSIDY!"
He should have felt terrified, or at the very least worried for his sister. Instead, all Ben felt was relief. Relief that the awful dread, the tension that had been building for the entire day, had finally come to a close. His mind finally agreed with reality, and even though he was still scared, he could understand the fear that he felt. He could look it in the face. For the first time since he had first stepped into a Freddy's restaurant, Ben felt a genuine smile start to spread across his face.
……
Fritz Smith
"Anyway", Ben continued. "I've been getting these strange dreams ever since that day. It's like she's trying to communicate with me. That's why I'm working at that restaurant, actually. I- I think she's still in there, trapped somewhere in the pizzeria, but… well, I don't really know how to find her."
Jeremy locked eyes with Fritz, and, after taking a moment to ponder, cleared his throat. "Well, that's interesting to hear. Fritz and I came down to Freddy's for pretty much the same reason, actually."
Ben looked up, puzzled. "What? You're also trying to find-"
"Okay, okay, maybe not exactly the same, but similar enough. The point is that we might just know how to find your sister… for better, or for worse."
Jeremy gestured towards Fritz, but there was a few moments of awkward silence before the fox finally understood. "Oh! Well, I uh- if William was involved, then maybe she's… in one of the suits." He grimaced, the grim realization dawning upon him.
"What? In one of the… wait," Ben paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Were you- are you a person?"
"What did you think I was?" Fritz asked, puzzled.
"I guess I just thought you were a really advanced animatronic? I re-", Ben responded, interrupted by Jeremy's fit of laughter.
"You-", Jeremy tried to say, unable to finish his sentence without laughing. "WHAT?"
"I read somewhere that they were going to build talking computers by 1985. I guess I just… connected the dots."
"Yeah, that isn't fucking happening any-", Jeremy retorted, suddenly remembering Bon-Bon midway through. "You know what, I don't even know anymore. There's too much magic bullshit going on for me to keep track. But yeah, Fritz is human… -ish."
"Well, what gave me away?" Fritz asked.
"You sound a lot like the phone calls they keep playing every week, and those talk about getting stuffed in an animatronic suit, and… the other part, so I just figured-"
"They're playing those messages on REPEAT? Those bastards! I swear it just keeps getting worse and worse the more I hear." Fritz interrupted.
"Yeah, I'm getting pretty freaked out myself. Usually I skip the last two calls because they're really disturbing, but the power cut out tonight so I never had a chance." Ben said.
"Wait, hold up, the power cut out? Is that why everything was crazy when Fritz went in?" Jeremy asked.
"Yeah, right when it hit 12 too. It really screwed me over too. I'm not sure what would have happened if you guys didn't show up when you did, so thanks for that."
"Happy to help!" Fritz replied, then tried to give Ben a thumbs-up but realized that only his head was visible in the truck.
"That's really strange. I know that building switches to its own reserve power after 12 – I'm not actually sure why, I guess so night guards don't die if there's a blackout? Anyway, that whole system is shoddily designed, so I wouldn't rule out it just up and breaking, but its never had issues before, and we were there to look for William, so I also wouldn't rule out foul play either." Jeremy paused, taking a few moments to think.
"Anyway, we've just about arrived, so why don't we figure this out once we're inside."
Thus began the tedious process of moving Fritz into the house without eliciting suspicion from the neighbors. Once everyone was settled in the house, they picked up where they left off.
"So, where were we?" Jeremy asked.
"The power cut off." Ben said.
"Ah! Yeah, I can't really make heads or tails of it. It'd probably be good to take a look at it and figure out exactly why it failed. Which, they'll probably call me in to do tomorrow once they see that broken window and your car in the parking lot. Good luck, by the way!"
Ben looked towards Jeremy with an uneasy expression, apparently having not considered the very real prospect of being fired.
"I think all of us would prefer if you kept your job, so I'll see what I can do. No promises though. What I'm more concerned about is finding your sister – as much as I don't want to believe it, I think there's a very real chance those kids are possessing the animatronics." Jeremy gulped before continuing. "That part is gonna be up to Fritz, I think."
Hearing this, Fritz perked up, and after a moment of consideration, shared his idea. "Well, I could probably join Ben tomorrow night. I'm not sure how much I can do considering I'm pretty new to all of this… 'soul magic'", he sighed, using Jeremy's word for it, "but maybe we'll figure something out."
Ben thought about the proposal, still a bit wary of the fox, but he realized that his own search for Cassidy was going absolutely no where, and this might be his only chance to make some ground. Reluctantly, he agreed.
"Cool! I can handle that. Well, I think this has been a pretty shitty day for everyone, and it's", he checked the clock, "pretty fucking late, so let's call it a day. Ben, feel free to take the couch, and Fritz, you can just… do whatever. Good night!" Jeremy said, quickly moving to his room and shutting the door.
"Huh. Well, I guess I'll try messing around with soul stuff a bit more. Good night!" Fritz said, moving to the garage and leaving Ben alone in the living room.
……
Ben Brooks
Ben felt like he was getting more confused by the second, but he was too exhausted to figure it out. He usually slept a few hours from then, but the stress from the past few hours left him feeling like he'd lost a few years of his life, and his body was perfectly content to shut down as soon as he hit the couch.
……
Ben found himself… somewhere. He was in a hallway, a glossy checkerboard floor and red-painted walls as far as the eye could see. This place felt familiar, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't find so much as a glimpse of this place in his memory. It almost felt like remembering something he saw in a d r e a m…
All of a sudden, Ben felt himself jolt awake, yet the scenery around him didn't change. He was still in the hallway, what he recognized as some sort of arcade. Dreadfully, he realized that it was probably Freddy's.
Ben tried exploring, but, being a dream, there wasn't anything worth finding. Curiously, he inspected an empty pizza box labeled "𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓕𝓪𝔃𝓪𝓮𝓻'𝓼", looking over a clearly-incorrect Nutrition Facts page plastered on the bottom of the box claiming 150 slices per container, when he was interrupted by some sort of presence appearing in the room. He couldn't quite understand what he was feeling, but it was oddly familiar, almost reminding him of-
"BEN!", a familiar voice shouted from behind him. Cassidy.
He whirled around, and found himself, for the first time in years, face-to-face with his sister. "Cass-", he tried saying, before being interrupted.
"Finally decided to wake up, did 'ya? It was starting to piss me off how damn close you were to- well, never mind that, I'm just glad I was finally able to reach you."
Ben wasn't sure what to say, tears welling up in his eyes after finally managing to reunite with his sister. "Cassidy, I- I'm sorry, I should have-"
"It's fine, really! Well, no, that's a total lie, but that's besides the point – nothing that happened was even remotely your fault. And anyway, I don't know how much longer I have. Listen, just meet me at the pizzeria, and bring your friend, alright?"
Ben looked down, letting out a choked "Okay" between sobs. By the time he looked up, she was already gone.
……
Notes
Hell yeah, looks like the plot's finally up and running (and I finished this section that was meant to be one chapter but turned out to be four). And, more importantly, it looks like I'm not always all talk for when these chapters come out. I'm giving all the credit to my FNaF playlist. I hope you enjoyed!
In the grand scheme of things, three years really aren't all that long, but they're long enough. Long enough for people to forget. Long enough for people to move on. Ben always knew that there was something so terribly wrong with that restaurant, but it wasn't until a little boy had his head caved in that his parents started to take him seriously.
"Those robots might look scary, but they couldn't hurt a fly!" They'd say whenever he begged them to go somewhere else. "Just try to have fun, okay?" But no one ever understood. Sure, the animatronics were scary, but they were just machines, and machines did what they were told; nothing more, nothing less. They could be scary, but it was the type of scary that could be outwitted. They made sense.
The problem was that Ben didn't actually know why he was afraid of Fredbear's. He could count up the different reasons why the pizzeria was scary, but it never matched the bone-chilling dread that seemed to wash over him after stepping foot into the restaurant. He couldn't explain to anyone why Fredbear's terrified him – not his friends, not his family, not even himself. Over time, he stopped arguing and simply buried his fear behind a mask of joy. And then someone died. And then they stopped going.
But things never seemed to last; people never seemed to remember. Staring up at the unassuming restaurant, the gleaming red letters spelling out "Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria" and overlooking several large window panes inviting all to witness to a place that should have been absolutely, positively magical, he felt a sense of déjà vu wash over him. It was a completely different restaurant, and yet that wonder was immediately replaced by a gut-wrenching dread, made more horrifying by the contrast to the unbridled joy the place was meant to represent.
What he experienced on that day was a horror like no other. It was like he was being stalked by an unknown assailant; like every moment could be his last and he was absolutely powerless to stop it. Every shaky breath, every second that passed, was agonizing. Every smile turned to a frown, every bout of laughter a harrowing scream. If he could just find the danger, if he could just understand it, then maybe the feeling would be less horrible.
"Please just try to look happy. It's your sister's big day, and I don't need your moping to ruin it." His mother scolded him.
His sister, Cassidy, she was the reason they had driven all the way out to this restaurant. She always loved those animatronics – he never even stood a chance at convincing them to go somewhere else. He gave a quick nod to his mother, putting on a fake smile. He'd read that, just by smiling, you could make yourself feel better, but somehow it only made him feel worse. With nothing else to do, he set off to distract himself on one of the arcade machines.
……
"Ben, come quick! They're putting on a show!" His sister called out to him.
He let out a deep sigh, then walked over to the show stage, curving his lips up into a smile along the way. The show was surprisingly interesting – or at least as interesting of a show as a pizzeria could make. He watched the animatronics sing and dance, their mechanisms shockingly agile and alive, and for just a moment, he felt the overbearing dread shrink back, replaced by a sliver of joy. Unfortunately, like all things in life, it wasn't meant to last, and he had to excuse himself to the restroom part way through.
It hadn't even been ten minutes later when he left, but he could immediately feel the change in atmosphere. There were no more smiles, no more laughter, just worried parents holding their children tight. And interspersed in the crowd were people running through the pizzeria, frantic and shouting out names he didn't recognize. Except one.
"CASSIDY!"
He should have felt terrified, or at the very least worried for his sister. Instead, all Ben felt was relief. Relief that the awful dread, the tension that had been building for the entire day, had finally come to a close. His mind finally agreed with reality, and even though he was still scared, he could understand the fear that he felt. He could look it in the face. For the first time since he had first stepped into a Freddy's restaurant, Ben felt a genuine smile start to spread across his face.
……
Fritz Smith
"Anyway", Ben continued. "I've been getting these strange dreams ever since that day. It's like she's trying to communicate with me. That's why I'm working at that restaurant, actually. I- I think she's still in there, trapped somewhere in the pizzeria, but… well, I don't really know how to find her."
Jeremy locked eyes with Fritz, and, after taking a moment to ponder, cleared his throat. "Well, that's interesting to hear. Fritz and I came down to Freddy's for pretty much the same reason, actually."
Ben looked up, puzzled. "What? You're also trying to find-"
"Okay, okay, maybe not exactly the same, but similar enough. The point is that we might just know how to find your sister… for better, or for worse."
Jeremy gestured towards Fritz, but there was a few moments of awkward silence before the fox finally understood. "Oh! Well, I uh- if William was involved, then maybe she's… in one of the suits." He grimaced, the grim realization dawning upon him.
"What? In one of the… wait," Ben paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Were you- are you a person?"
"What did you think I was?" Fritz asked, puzzled.
"I guess I just thought you were a really advanced animatronic? I re-", Ben responded, interrupted by Jeremy's fit of laughter.
"You-", Jeremy tried to say, unable to finish his sentence without laughing. "WHAT?"
"I read somewhere that they were going to build talking computers by 1985. I guess I just… connected the dots."
"Yeah, that isn't fucking happening any-", Jeremy retorted, suddenly remembering Bon-Bon midway through. "You know what, I don't even know anymore. There's too much magic bullshit going on for me to keep track. But yeah, Fritz is human… -ish."
"Well, what gave me away?" Fritz asked.
"You sound a lot like the phone calls they keep playing every week, and those talk about getting stuffed in an animatronic suit, and… the other part, so I just figured-"
"They're playing those messages on REPEAT? Those bastards! I swear it just keeps getting worse and worse the more I hear." Fritz interrupted.
"Yeah, I'm getting pretty freaked out myself. Usually I skip the last two calls because they're really disturbing, but the power cut out tonight so I never had a chance." Ben said.
"Wait, hold up, the power cut out? Is that why everything was crazy when Fritz went in?" Jeremy asked.
"Yeah, right when it hit 12 too. It really screwed me over too. I'm not sure what would have happened if you guys didn't show up when you did, so thanks for that."
"Happy to help!" Fritz replied, then tried to give Ben a thumbs-up but realized that only his head was visible in the truck.
"That's really strange. I know that building switches to its own reserve power after 12 – I'm not actually sure why, I guess so night guards don't die if there's a blackout? Anyway, that whole system is shoddily designed, so I wouldn't rule out it just up and breaking, but its never had issues before, and we were there to look for William, so I also wouldn't rule out foul play either." Jeremy paused, taking a few moments to think.
"Anyway, we've just about arrived, so why don't we figure this out once we're inside."
Thus began the tedious process of moving Fritz into the house without eliciting suspicion from the neighbors. Once everyone was settled in the house, they picked up where they left off.
"So, where were we?" Jeremy asked.
"The power cut off." Ben said.
"Ah! Yeah, I can't really make heads or tails of it. It'd probably be good to take a look at it and figure out exactly why it failed. Which, they'll probably call me in to do tomorrow once they see that broken window and your car in the parking lot. Good luck, by the way!"
Ben looked towards Jeremy with an uneasy expression, apparently having not considered the very real prospect of being fired.
"I think all of us would prefer if you kept your job, so I'll see what I can do. No promises though. What I'm more concerned about is finding your sister – as much as I don't want to believe it, I think there's a very real chance those kids are possessing the animatronics." Jeremy gulped before continuing. "That part is gonna be up to Fritz, I think."
Hearing this, Fritz perked up, and after a moment of consideration, shared his idea. "Well, I could probably join Ben tomorrow night. I'm not sure how much I can do considering I'm pretty new to all of this… 'soul magic'", he sighed, using Jeremy's word for it, "but maybe we'll figure something out."
Ben thought about the proposal, still a bit wary of the fox, but he realized that his own search for Cassidy was going absolutely no where, and this might be his only chance to make some ground. Reluctantly, he agreed.
"Cool! I can handle that. Well, I think this has been a pretty shitty day for everyone, and it's", he checked the clock, "pretty fucking late, so let's call it a day. Ben, feel free to take the couch, and Fritz, you can just… do whatever. Good night!" Jeremy said, quickly moving to his room and shutting the door.
"Huh. Well, I guess I'll try messing around with soul stuff a bit more. Good night!" Fritz said, moving to the garage and leaving Ben alone in the living room.
……
Ben Brooks
Ben felt like he was getting more confused by the second, but he was too exhausted to figure it out. He usually slept a few hours from then, but the stress from the past few hours left him feeling like he'd lost a few years of his life, and his body was perfectly content to shut down as soon as he hit the couch.
……
Ben found himself… somewhere. He was in a hallway, a glossy checkerboard floor and red-painted walls as far as the eye could see. This place felt familiar, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't find so much as a glimpse of this place in his memory. It almost felt like remembering something he saw in a d r e a m…
All of a sudden, Ben felt himself jolt awake, yet the scenery around him didn't change. He was still in the hallway, what he recognized as some sort of arcade. Dreadfully, he realized that it was probably Freddy's.
Ben tried exploring, but, being a dream, there wasn't anything worth finding. Curiously, he inspected an empty pizza box labeled "𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓕𝓪𝔃𝓪𝓮𝓻'𝓼", looking over a clearly-incorrect Nutrition Facts page plastered on the bottom of the box claiming 150 slices per container, when he was interrupted by some sort of presence appearing in the room. He couldn't quite understand what he was feeling, but it was oddly familiar, almost reminding him of-
"BEN!", a familiar voice shouted from behind him. Cassidy.
He whirled around, and found himself, for the first time in years, face-to-face with his sister. "Cass-", he tried saying, before being interrupted.
"Finally decided to wake up, did 'ya? It was starting to piss me off how damn close you were to- well, never mind that, I'm just glad I was finally able to reach you."
Ben wasn't sure what to say, tears welling up in his eyes after finally managing to reunite with his sister. "Cassidy, I- I'm sorry, I should have-"
"It's fine, really! Well, no, that's a total lie, but that's besides the point – nothing that happened was even remotely your fault. And anyway, I don't know how much longer I have. Listen, just meet me at the pizzeria, and bring your friend, alright?"
Ben looked down, letting out a choked "Okay" between sobs. By the time he looked up, she was already gone.
……
Notes
Hell yeah, looks like the plot's finally up and running (and I finished this section that was meant to be one chapter but turned out to be four). And, more importantly, it looks like I'm not always all talk for when these chapters come out. I'm giving all the credit to my FNaF playlist. I hope you enjoyed!