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Chapter Text

The deserted pizzeria had a truly sad look with all the things inside. The corridors were deserted. The games with no children and the tables with no people eating their meals quietly. It was lacking that usual glow and welcoming atmosphere that always made people come. Under that contrast, the urban legends that were created around it were understandable. A curse so fateful and chilling that no one ever truly believes that all those stories of blood, pain and suffering were nothing more than that, stories. So blind to see the sinister truth hidden under that children's menu or those cheerful pets.

These facts, of course, were not enough to prevent the operator from finding himself face to face with the death in the dark room, almost accustomed to feel her under his rotten skin.

"You played right into our hands. Did you really think this job just fell out of the sky for you?" said sarcastically, the sweet, but dangerous voice of the animatronic at his side "No. This was a gift, for us. You gathered them all in one place, just like he asked you to" she said at the end with a cruel smile on her metallic face, deliberately deciding to forget that that putrefying corpse in front of her, in another life, was her beloved older brother "All of these little souls, in one place, just for us... a gift" she began to speak more slowly "Now now we can do what we were created to do and be complete... I will make you proud, daddy!" she said this time addressing the animatronic next to her, now being no more than a monster in the same situation as herself.

Turning her attention quickly back to the guard she spoke again almost in a whisper "Watch, listen and be full".

A beep sounded from the monitor throughout the room, quickly and effectively capturing all the attention of those monsters, who bloodthirsty stopped. A man's voice was heard from every corner of the dark corridors.

"Connection terminated. I'm sorry to interrupt you Elizabeth, if you still even remember that name..." he said in a muffled voice, "But I think you have been misinformed, you are not here to receive a gift, nor have you been called by the individual you assume... But you have been called".

From the other side, Henry tried to appear determined and decided, whatever happened, he had to put an end to everything that made him suffer for so many years and once and for all put an end to that horrible franchise.

“You all have been called here, into a labyrinth of sounds and smells, ,misdirection and misfortune," the animatronics stopped themselves wondering what he was referring to? “A labyrinth with no exit, a maze with no prize. You don't even realize that you are trapped.

“Your lust for blood is driven them in endless circles, chasing the screams of children in some unseen chamber, always seeming to so near... And somehow out reach. But you will never find them, none of you will. This is where your story ends.

"And to you, my brave volunteer, who somehow found this job listing: not intended for you. Although there was a way out planned for you, in fact, I have a feeling that's not what you want. I have a feeling that you are... right where you want to be. I'm remaining as well, I am nearby."

Michael looked up at the monitor, so, he was the man who hired him. When he arrived in the pizzeria he knew there was a plan involved. In fact, if it turned out that nothing ended up happening, he would burn the place down himself. Knowing that his sacrifice had not been in vain, he felt extremely happy, if he actually had lips, he would surely be smiling. It would all be finally over.

“This place will not be remembered and the memory of everything that started this can finally begin to fade away, as the agony of every tragedy should”.

Slowly the now unrecognizable pizzeria was filling with fire and smoke on all sides, there was no escape. The animatronics were surrounded, blocking their way. Instead, Michael remained seated without making another move, satisfied with the end that awaited him.

"And to you monsters trapped in the corridors. Be still. And give up your spirits. They don't belong to you. As for most of you, I believe there is peace and perhaps, warm, waiting for you after the smoke clears".

They would never be able to leave, that was the ending.

"Although, for one of you, the darkest pit of Hell has opened to swallow you whole. So, don't keep the Devil waiting, friend".

In Scraptrap's subconscious there was something, someone, screaming to get out, a familiar being. Inside, after a long time without doing so, William could feel something: fear.

"My daughter, if you can hear me, I knew you would return as well. It's in your nature to protect the innocent" he spoke with a sad smile towards the animatronic almost destroyed in that place.

"I'm sorry that on that day, the day you were shut out and left to die, no one was there to lift you up in their arms, the way you lifted others into yours. And then, what became of you?..." What became of you? He thought sadly again.

"I should have known, you wouldn't be content to disappear. Not my daughter. I couldn't save you then, so, let me save you now". he spoke hopefully.

"It's time to rest, for you, and for those you have carried in your arms..."

"This ends, for all of us...

End communication..."

"How did all of this happen?"

Michael woke up disoriented. He opened his eyes slightly, a blinding light entering inside them. He felt as if he hadn't used them in a long time.

He tried to look around, finding himself lying on a bed, undoubtedly the most comfortable bed he had ever used in his life. He stroked the canopy feeling strange, for some reason, he couldn't remember ever being in a bed. Next to it was a small nightstand, on top of which was a change of clothes. From there on out, there was nothing in the entire room, not even a door. He stirred uncomfortably at the color of the walls, purple, just like the ceiling and floor. He couldn't bear to see that color.

In the first place, where was he, he couldn't remember anything at all. It was then that several images whipped into his mind mercilessly. Evan, Elizabeth, Baby, William, Ennard, animatronics, death, pizzeria, fire. He immediately stood up from the bed in alarm, why was he there? And more importantly how was he alive?

And he didn't mean the kind of 'life' he had been in, no. He was literally alive.

He looked at his hand in rapt attention, the hand of a completely healthy and normal person, with no trace of the rot that once stopped him from socializing with any people. Something had gone wrong, extremely wrong. He wasn't supposed to be alive, that wasn't supposed to happen.

Dejected, he sat back down on the bed, what good was anything if he wasn't dead, tears crossed his now normal face as he inwardly wished to die, but this time, for real.

A loud noise burst from the sky, he covered his ears as best he could, waiting for the sound to stop. When it finally did, a really sweet voice spoke.

"Attention all defendants, we inform you that the trial will take place in a short time. You must be prepared for that moment, otherwise, you will be taken away by force".

Michael raised his eyes in confusion, who was he talking to, the person holding him? And what did he mean by 'defendants'?, were there more people here?

He didn't feel safe, he looked at the clothes on the night table and then looked at his own clothes. He was wearing only a white pair of pajamas, which, even though he had slept in them, were perfectly ironed.

He undressed quickly, whatever happened it was better to have that than pajamas. He took the clothes in his hands and then he looked at them in shock, there weren't only some clothes, it was a uniform, the one from Circus Baby and Rentall's to be exact.

He almost fainted from shock, he hadn't seen those clothes in decades. The uniform he was given the week he worked at that place, ended up being horribly shredded when he came out of that hole, and he took it upon himself to burn it once Ennard left his body. He never thought he'd see them again.

He let out a long sigh and resignedly put on his clothes, he didn't know where he was, or why those people had that outfit. He stopped in the middle of the action amused, what was he talking about?, he didn't even know how he was alive!

Once he was dressed, a part of the wall opened, forming a small door. Without hesitation, he walked through it, wanting to end it all at once. *

Behind him, the wall returned to normal. Now he was no longer in a completely purple place, instead, it was white.

A completely blinding golden light materialized right in the middle of the room, he covered his eyes, in a vain attempt not to hurt them. From there, a beautiful girl stepped out, blonde, with tanned skin and a gentle smile. She wore a long robe with her, and a beautiful golden wreath on her head. The only strange thing about her appearance was her eyes; they were completely white, without iris or pupil.

"Nice to meet you, Michael," she said, widening her smile, "I hope we can have a nice time together from now on".

Michael moved back a few steps unsure, this was the perfect moment to get all the answers he needed. The girl looked at him curious about his action.

"I want to know certain things" she spoke hesitantly "Who are you? And where am I?".

A small laugh came from her. Noticing this, Michael got a bit annoyed.

"Oh! I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make fun of you", she said laughing, managing to take some seriousness, she continued speaking "For your luck, I came here, just to give you the required information of the next trial".

"Trial?" he asked with incredulity.

"That's right," she said with a hint of innocence in his tone.

"I don't understand, excuse me..." Michael said confused.

"Oh, I'll explain it to you. Don't worry," to refute what she said, she gave him a confident smile, which partly succeeded in reassuring Michael.

"You spent a lot of time on Earth, more than you should have," she spoke a little slowly, waiting for an answer from him.

"Earth... Why do you talk as if we weren't on...?- Michael silenced himself for a moment, realizing the truth. This was no coincidence, he was no longer on Earth.

"You're on the spiritual plane right now, nothing to do with the earthly," she continued speaking, "This is where you should have gone when you died. Not this specific place, but you understand.

Well, that explained why he wasn't a zombie.

He felt a little dizzy from the information he had received.

"So, they're judging us for..... being on Earth too long?" She nodded in response.

"Let's just say you guys pissed off a lot of people here..." she stopped for a moment as she spoke turning to all sides, despite there being no one besides them in the room "And it's worth noting that Death is not in a very good mood, especially with your father" she said the last in a whisper.

"William?"

"Shhhh!" she hushed him "Don't say that name" she spoke between her teeth. "Better not talk about Afton."

Michael much to his chagrin at the whole situation couldn't suppress a small smile. William (he wasn't going to call him father, the man was never one) had angered extremely powerful immortal beings in all his madness. That meant they would give him a just punishment, so the bastard would suffer and he would rest in peace. Already he imagined himself in his own paradise while the other burned. Michael happy next to his mother, Elizabeth and Evan.

He paused for a moment in thought. Evan. He had completely forgotten him, he had caused everything that had happened with his death, did that mean he was just like his father? A murderer? The very thought made him feel sick.

"Alright, now let me explain to you how the trial will unfold ok?" she said with a smile "Normally trials are personal events in which there is only one judge in front of you who tells you where you will go to spend the rest of eternity or if you will be reincarnated. But are we clear that you guys are a pretty non-ordinary case, right?"

Michael could only nod curtly in response.

"So what was decided instead, is to summon all the beings who were affected by what happened. You will have a trial on all the rules to decide what will be done to you. I will be your advocate so I will study every single thing in your life. However, in the end everyone is expected to have a similar fate."

"Every...thing...in my life?" Michael asked in dismay.

"That's right! That's the best way we can get you out of this horrible situation more easily."

Michael kept silent, still overwhelmed by all the information he had obtained. He really didn't think that everything could be so difficult from the beginning.

A large door appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the room, tall and imposing, full of gold ornaments and red paint.

"Oh, it's about time," said his companion with excitement in his voice.

They both walked through the door and Michael wished internally that everything would turn out well.

Chapter Text

"In the leap year that we are in, within the twenty-first century, the trial no. 24 of this jury enters into session" Michael observed the woman speak. She wore a long judge's robe and looked quite sophisticated. She looked at everyone severely, as if she was dealing with animals.

He looked around in awe of the luxury of the room. There were quite a few people in it, he managed to recognize some faces in the place where he was sitting too. He wondered if his siblings would also be there... and his father.

"Now," the judge said, she had a firm voice. Without any sign of doubt or insecurity "I think it's time to make something clear to all the defendants, the trials here are not like the earthly ones, so I hope they understand any meddling that happens."

"We will call the first defendant ... Charlotte Emily, could you please pass to the front?"

Michael watched from where he sat as from the crowd came a small head, a girl, who did not appear to be more than four years old. She had her hair loose, and a blue coat a few sizes larger than her. It was Charlie's vivid image before she died.

Michael remembered meeting her before all, a sweet little girl who cried when he put water inside anthills, determined to defend the helpless ants he found amusing to explode. He always thought of her like a cry baby, just like his brother.

He missed those times.

"You are Charlotte Emily, are you?"

"That's right," she said, sounding insecure.

"How old are you?"

"I would be 44 years old"

"I'm talking about the age you died"

“…”

The judge raised her head to look directly into the girl's eyes, Charlie's hand was shaking, but he spoke again.

"I had just turned three," she said almost in a whisper.

There was a little silence after that confession, Michael saw someone on the jury watching Charlie intently, a woman wearing a purple robe. Beside her a man in a blue robe gave him a sideways look. Michael wondered who they were.

"Of course," the judge said impartially, "I understand what happened and under normal circumstances, you would just go to the afterlife without further consideration, but something else happened with you, something that shouldn't have happened... could you explain it?" she spoke accusatority.

Charlie frowned thoughtfully.

"It's not fair, it wasn't my fault," she said with frustration in his voice.

"I didn't say it was," the judge added, "But, I think you don't really understand how the way you got caught works," she said in a silky voice.

"Your death was strongly traumatic, wasn't it? That helps, however, you must have had some feeling of agony strong enough to blind yourself with anger. You didn't just stay for wanting to live, you stayed for revenge."

Charlie had a murderous look in her eyes, and Michael reminded himself that that adorable little girl was Lefty.

"And what's worse," the judge added, "You sentenced other children to have the same fate."

Charlie almost screams out of indignation.

"I didn't want them to leave! They deserved their revenge!"

"Did they want revenge or did you want to use them to have it? Do you realize that if you had let them go, they would have been able to enjoy the afterlife? They would not have that feeling of revenge so embodied and they would be happy."

Charlie was about to answer when a hand rose from the crowd, everyone pulled away to see who was.

There, with a determined look was Henry Emily, he looked several years younger. Charlie's face lit up.

"Yes?" the judge said to him, her voice incredibly cold.

"I just wanted to come to my daughter's defense, your honor," he said serenely.

The judge sneered.

"Do you realize that she is no longer any kid, no?" She said in a somewhat sweet voice, only to look at him without any emotion "She has killed people, I hope your defense is good"

From his seat Michael saw Henry swallowing saliva.

"I feel that nothing this is really our fault" he said with determination "The only culprit here, is the-" in his voice there was restrained anger "The man I ever call a friend."

The judge raised an eyebrow and saw the jury sideways again.

"Okay, if they want to... Mr. and Miss Emily return to your seats," he said in order.

"And now, I want William Afton to come forward."

Michael's heart stopped for a moment.

He hear one step, then another, until the man completely showed himself in front of everyone. He looked exactly the same as he remembered it was before he died. Michael sensed that this was the age at which he began to experiment with the remnant.

He hated every step of his shoe heel, unlocked memories of when he was a kid, which he really didn't want to have.

William Afton stood in front of the judge, turning his back on everyone. Michael thought he heard Henry's voice saying something.

"Are you William Afton?"

"That's right," he said serenely.

Michael was sure that most of those he was sitting with wanted to rip off his head.

"You are being accused of multiple actions, and murder is the lowest of your sins"

William didn't say anything.

"You tried to play with death"

"I don't deny it," he said with what was clearly a small smile in his voice.

There was silence. Suddenly in the jury, a woman stood up from each other, she looked furious. She wore a long black robe and, unlike the others whose eyes were completely white, hers were black. Her skin was deeply pale and gave her a sick appearance. Michael was surprised that she could be standing.

"So, don't you deny it?... is that the only thing you will say?"

The judge gave a long sigh.

Next to her a man in golden robes stood and took her arm.

"Death, please, let the trial continue"

Death saw him as if he had done a personal offense to her.

"That man" pointed to William "Just deeply disrespected me, how do you want me to calm down, Life?" spit out the name angrily

"Everyone here needs this to be resolved, don't you see it?" he said in a pleading tone.

"Oh, don't want to look better than me. You just want to enjoy this, don't you?"

V Life was surprised by such an accusation, but he gave a small smile.

"Can you blame me?, nothing funny has happened for a millennium, since those women swapped bodies..." he said mockingly in his voice.

"Oh yes, that was funny," said the purple-wearer.

"Fate..." Death scolded him between her teeth.

She quickly looked away.

"Please, Death," Life said, "We are so bored..."

Michael didn't like where this was going.

Life saw Death in a pleading way. Death only frowned and turned her gaze to the blue-robed one.

"Time, I have an idea but I would like to know if it would not affect my current job at all," she said looking sideways at Life, who was already smiling.

"Death will always favor Life in his whims, it's normal" Michael heard someone whisper in his ear.

He quickly saw, bumping into the girl who had received him a short time ago.

"Y-You again... didn't... you say you were my lawyer or something like that," He ask accusingly.

"Yes, however, I can only pass if they ask for a defense"

"So where is justice in that?"

She lifted her shoulders.

"You don't need it, they don't take you all to seriously. For them you are like ants, and by her expression" she pointed her finger to Death, which was arguing with the judge and Time about something "I think you are thinking of putting all of you in a glass anthill."

Michael swallowed saliva.

"What does that mean?"

"At best, it will take a little longer to rest"

She gave him a look full of compassion and Michael's throat dried.

"Silence, silence, please," the judge said impatient.

"Given recent events, a temporary solution has been decided" made a small pause "You will return to the earthly plane"

Everyone was upset. Whispers could be heard all over the room and several of the jury looked badly at Life and Death.

"Silence!... as I said, you will return to the earthly plane. However , you will be alive again, and you will have to fulfill various aspects already there"

Disbelief was palpable in everyone.

The judge gave them a look of pity.

"See you later," she said and then disappeared from everyone's sight.

Chapter Text

An endless darkness. He couldn't understand, he didn't know what he was doing there or why.

He didn't even know who he is.

It was impossible to see anything, not even being able to see his own body. He started to feel cold, dirty, disgusting.

Monster.

He repeated that word in his head countless times in the past. He knew, that's what he was. A monster, who was not capable of thinking, reasoning, or loving.
Just a toy that others used for their entertainment.

Just a disposable object for everyone, who had neither the right nor the ability to have a voice.

And yet.

Despite feeling that way, something in him was not as it should be. Something in him felt different. It came from his chest and quickly passed through the rest of his body and along with that, a strange light.

It was coming from him, it felt strange, it was something he was sure he hadn't felt in years. It was uncomfortable, but, in a strange way cozy. He didn't miss the icky cold of before, he never would, this feeling was familiar but so far away that he couldn't quite grasp where it came from.

It was a feeling he didn't know he missed until this moment.

Wondering with all his being, he enjoyed being there and enjoyed the feeling.

And finally, he breathed.

Michael awoke in a daze amidst the rubble.

He sat disoriented with his surroundings, not really understanding what was happening. A strange headache was settling fiercely on the left side of his head, and a dull sound kept ringing in his ears. Despite having just woken up, he felt so tired.

Confusion set in moments later when he saw where he was, it looked like some sort of construction in progress. There were bulldozers and piles of construction dirt in disarray but as it was the middle of the night not a single person was there.

As he tried to stand up, he felt weakness in his legs, both of which were numb and stiff. He momentarily held on to a kind of wall at his side, trying his best not to lose his balance.

As he managed to sit up, the pain in his head seemed to intensify horribly, impeding him from thinking clearly. Beginning to feel nauseous he took a few hesitant steps forward hoping to find someone nearby. He didn't know where he was, and a guide would be very helpful.

He looked around his neck to see if he had his illusory disk hanging around his neck and was surprised, he didn't have it with him. As he looked down, he could see his hand clearly, a normal hand.

At first, he was confused by it, wondering how it was possible. But after the lapse of ignorance the memories began to return, they felt like a truck running over him, and suddenly he began to understand his headache.

Apparently, these entities had sent him (as promised) back to Earth. He looked at his surroundings with this new thought in mind. If he was there, it meant that his whole family was there, and he was not very anxious to meet his father again, he had had enough of that man only in what had been his childhood.

Out of some rubble he could see a few letters of a sign, which Michael knew very well. He took a few steps back in surprise. That sign was exactly the same as Circus Baby's Pizza World.

Walking further and further he only managed to find more pieces everywhere, in the bushes, near the construction site or among more debris. He supposed it was a cruel irony that was happening to him, he actually woke up fully and wonderfully alive next to the pieces of the place that caused his death.

On second thought, perhaps it was no coincidence.

Frustrated, he leaned against a wall until he sat on the floor, angry at everyone and at himself. Michael had really believed he could finally rest, have his own well-deserved happy ending where he would never have to suffer again because of his father's mistakes. He supposed that was just a childish fantasy.

In that moment of self-pity and analyzing every mistake he made, he noticed a slight tingling in his right arm, at first he decided to ignore it, thinking it was just an insect, but as the minutes went by, his arm began to heat up in a horrible way, simulating some kind of touch of fire. Taking his arm due to the pain, he decided to uncover it hoping to find some kind of burn or strange bite, what he did not expect was to find something else.

On it, there was a kind of tattoo, with a single phrase drawn on it:

1. Find Elizabeth

There was a moment of slight daze as he read that sentence, but moments later he thought he understood what was going on.

He had died in Circus Baby that was a fact, but, so had Elizabeth. It would make sense that she was close to him.

That didn't make it any less difficult.

It wasn't that he didn't love his sister, it was just an extremely complicated matter. He knew from her last moments on Earth that she had no qualms about doing whatever William ordered, including killing him. So, of course, Michael didn't know what he would find, would it be his sweet little 5 year old sister, who threw tantrums for not getting the candy she wanted or the favoritism of her parents? Or would it be that bloodthirsty monster who didn't mind killing his own brother to either go to the outside world or satisfy the desires of a psychopath? He didn't know or if he wanted to find out.

However, as he doubted, his arm burned hotter and hotter. It was irritating and of course it suddenly became quite obvious to him that it had something to do with "them".

Deciding to look on the bright side of the situation, he realized that he now had the knowledge that his younger sister was there. He had to start looking right away, and so he did. In the rubble, in the bulldozer and even inside the construction site, but to no avail.

In a twisted way Michael always believed he was looking for his sister, no matter the place or the context. In that moment it was no exception. Despite literally being an order, he felt it was his life's mission, and that fact had never changed.

Not wanting to give up, he decided to do another round of searching, when from among some bushes he heard a couple of screams.

He quickly ran towards the noise with a strange feeling between hopeful and worried. When he got there he carefully moved the bushes and found a small body of a 5 year old girl being cornered by a couple of dogs.

"Hey!" shouted Michael towards them, his arm raised in air.

The dogs seeing him decided to run away.

Michael watched them go and then focused on his little sister, with a few dog bites on her leg and crying. He slowly approached her and carried her.

"It's okay" he told her "you're safe now".

She didn't respond, but snuggled more against his chest, settling in. She didn't stop crying, but she was calmer than before.

"Thank you, Daddy," she said sleepily and then fell asleep.

Now Michael didn't know if he was thankful he had a stomach or not, because after his sister's sentence it ended up making him nauseous. Even so, he did not let her fall, but carried her with more strength, wondering what would be the next step to follow.

And as if someone was reading his mind, another strange phrase came with it and the disappearance of the previous one.

2. Find a place to spend the night.

Overwhelmed and with the strange feeling that he was being watched, he settled Elizabeth and walked through the streets hoping to find some sort of hotel or open store where he could ask for help.

Hours later, he was feeling tired and out of strength.

He had already walked a good stretch of ground, still without finding anything open. Fortunately Elizabeth had not yet awakened, but he was beginning to feel cold.

But, as if luck spoke to him, he saw something.

Near what looked like an alley, there was an abandoned-looking car. He approached it, finding the windows broken. Without wasting time he opened the door and put Elizabeth in the back seats, he sat in the passenger seat. He waited.

Half asleep he realized what was the feeling he felt before he woke up.

It was life.

Chapter Text

When Charlie was born Henry cried. They were tears of happiness that he was unable to explain in words, a relief and a desire to make that little being in his arms the happiest in the world. A need to always be there for his little princess.

Charlie was his little treasure. Just like a dragon, he wanted to protect with all his might, even if it cost him his life.

At Charlie's funeral, he also cried. Devastated by the feeling that ate him up inside, the guilt and pain that was inside him were impossible to understand. And commonly for years, he wondered why he didn't die instead of her.

And that meant his sacrifice. Giving life for life. He gave himself so that his daughter would be happy. He gave his life so that his daughter would rest from the endless suffering she had gone through because of him.
Henry woke up tired.

There was no moment of ignorance, there was no blank space. Just a pure and horrible weariness

When he opened his eyes, all he found was a place in ashes, next to the restaurant that was now nothing more than a scorched and smelly place. He did not know what to do for quite some time, wishing for once to understand what was happening.

He was no longer old and decrepit, instead, he possessed the body of when he was young. A body from a crazy and innovative time, but full of mistakes. Of his mistakes.

Moments in life he wished he could forget.

At first, he circled waiting for something, someone. A sign, a warning, anything.

However, he didn't think there was anyone for miles, at least, no one he knew.

He refrained from thinking that now the man he called a friend many years ago was on the loose, with full freedom to do whatever he might wish.

And Henry knew from his own experience that that was never a good thing.

The only thing he could think of was to walk.

And what else could he do? He had no place to sleep. The last few weeks before he died he had only rented a room in a hotel, for he didn't think he needed anything, after all, he wouldn't be alive long. His house was sold, and he had spent all his money on that darn restaurant.

'There's still the other house' he said to himself mentally.

And it was that, running away from Hurricane. Devastated by the death of his little girl and the abandonment of his wife and son. He traveled to the other side of the country, bought a house, and stayed there for years, determined not to open that can of worms that inhabited his thoughts.

He never sold the house that was in town, and even though his memories pained him, he didn't want to get rid of the only connection he had with his old family.

'I guess it's useful now' he thought bitterly.

At a weary pace he traveled there, alone and with no one else with him, he allowed himself to travel all night.

He felt an itch on his arm but decided to ignore it.

He looked thoughtfully at the houses and the road. So much had changed in so long, and he felt devastated. He felt that the situation was far beyond him. He just wanted to die. To end all the suffering he had mistakenly caused so many people.

He continued his pace for hours until he reached the house. The house that had once been his.

The dim light of the early morning did not favor it. He thoughtfully contemplated everything, from the bushes that had once been flower buds to the worn paint on the door and walls.

Everything was the same, and at the same time, everything was different.

He felt the itch in his arm again but ignored it.

He opened the door wearily, wishing that the endless nightmare would stop.
He was greeted by a stick in his face.

Startled by this, he fell to the floor disoriented. He quickly looked up to see his attacker, though.

There in the doorway was a little girl. About five years old, with shoulder-length brown hair and a look on her face that promised only pain and hardship to anyone who messed with her.
Henry felt his heart skip a beat.

"Charlie?" he asked in surprise.

His daughter looked at him for a second, until she recognized him. She lowered the stick she held in her hands and saw him in tears.

"Dad?"

Charlie gawked at him, Henry quickly wrapped his daughter in his arms, practically pouncing on her. Her little body trembled horribly, but after a few seconds, she relaxed. They were both unable to explain the relief and longing inside them, where hope blossomed right there, this time for a new future.

After more than 30 years, father and daughter met again.

After a few hours, both were at the table drinking some tea they had found, happy to be in silence for a few moments. Happy to be together.

"What happened to Mommy?" the little girl asked expectantly.

Henry gave her a sad smile.

"She... she was sad about you leaving, she couldn't take it and decided to leave" explained the father.

"With Sammy?" she asked.

"With Sammy" he affirmed.

He saw small tears forming in her eyes. He approached her to comfort her, but she pulled away.

She watched him wistfully for a while, hesitant to say anything.

"I'd like to find my friends," she said, looking at the floor.

"Your friends?" asked Henry curiously.

"Yes," she said looking sideways at him "We were together for a long time...I miss them."

Henry looked at the window thoughtfully.

That was not a conversation he wished to have.

"We could look for them at dawn, don't you think?" he said trying to distract her.
She gave a small nod, then yawned loudly.
Henry smiled at her.

"Right now you need to sleep" he said with amusement.

She blushed a little due to embarrassment, but still stood up ready to go to her bed.

"Can I sleep next to you, daddy?" the girl asked apologetically, looking at him hopefully.

He smiled at her.

"I expect nothing less."

They both went into the bedroom, snuggling together.
He hugged her, marveling at how small she was. He had just gotten her back and couldn't imagine losing her again.

"I missed you, Daddy," Charlie said sadly.

"Me too" Henry replied.

And internally, they promised each other, never to be separated again.

Chapter Text

Planning wasn't his thing. It was something Michael had been aware of since he was a teenager. His friends and he attempted to steal a small item from a store, they were caught in the act. He couldn't decide quickly what each of them should do or work on at the time of the action. William punished him so severely that he remembers it to this day. From then on it was stipulated that he would not take charge of any plans.

During his trip to the cursed pizzerias, he simply did as he saw fit - suspiciously open pizzeria? It was time to make an appearance, that's how it worked for him, and he never stopped at any point to formulate any kind of plan that (as he realized with Henry) would have cost him nothing. He didn't do it because he didn't know even if that would work or be possible. He simply realized after a while that he was no good at having leadership of any kind.

But now he just couldn't afford to fail, not with Elizabeth in his care.

And as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the car windows, the weight of that responsibility settled in. Wanting luck and fate to be on his side for once, he formulated a little plan.

What they would do in theory should be simple.

Get out of that alley without anyone finding out, find a way for no one to see them. And go home.

Home.

He supposed things were just as he left them. It was just strange to realize that in the few hours he had been gone, everything was so different. He was different, his family, even people he didn't even know.

His sister beside him lay asleep. With a quiet appearance that denoted peace and tranquility. Without any negative emotion in her face or thoughts.

Michael was a little jealous of this. In so many years he had never been able to remain so calm on his own. It made him wonder what she was dreaming.

He hardened his gaze, trying to wake her up. If his thoughts were correct, then she couldn't be too right in the head, and he needed to be firm about it. After keeping a 6-year-old girl away from society for almost four decades it was almost natural that her sanity was not stable.

Aside from the fact that she tried to kill him twice.

He moved her little body from side to side, doing his best not to wake her up too rudely, he didn't want to end up upsetting her too much.

After a while, her eyes seemed to move slowly opening.

"Daddy?" she asked sleepily.

Michael mustered all the patience he had and tried to speak sweetly to her.

"No, it's me."

She paused for a second, no recognition in her eyes. She moved as far away from him as she could, sporting an almost feral look.

Michael waited, attentive to anything she might say. Had his own sister forgotten about him? Was he so irrelevant in her life?

Even he could never forget her.

A light suddenly flashed through Elizabeth's eyes. Recognition Michael thought, she gave a slight sob.

"Mikey?"

Michael felt heartburn on his throat.

"Lizie," he said with an attempt at a smile.

She threw herself into his arms sobbing loudly. The opposite snuggled her, patting her back.

He could only feel the strange pressure in his chest and the lump that was in his throat.

And all he could think about was his body moving without him wanting it to, without any will of its own. Being able to observe everything and not being able to do anything. That the neighbors would not notice the change until every part of his body began to rot.

That he would have to hide in his own stench, as if he were a monster.

After a while, Elizabeth calmed down. Her last tear was released, and she smiled happily at him.

"I'm so happy to see you, Mikey."

Michael gave her a smile that he hoped was loving and snuggled her closer.
And he proceeded to talk to her, to explain, where the others might be to speculate a bit about everything.

She was quiet for most of his explanation but seemed to listen.

"It's simple. Right now, we need to walk to my house, okay?" He told her trying to sound confident.

"There we'll do what we can to find more of us."

"More of us?" asked Elizabeth confused.

"Yes," Michael replied. "You know, the ones who suffered for William."

Elizabeth's face changed to a more beastly one suddenly, gritting her teeth and looking blinded by anger she gave him a furious look.

"His name is Daddy!" she shouted at him protectively.

A bitter taste was felt in Michael's mouth, but instead of saying anything he just nodded. Swallowing the thousand reasons why she shouldn't acknowledge William as her father.

"Yes, him," he told her.

Elizabeth nodded determinedly.

"The point is, we must get there quickly" he said irritably.

"Without talking to anyone" he added.

Elizabeth frowned.

"Why?" she asked.

"It's better not to be distracted" he only answered her.

"But no one will listen to us, it would be amazing to know what happened all this time" the girl said with stars in her eyes, highlighting the word 'all' in her speech.

"We'd be wasting time, Eli" he mumbled.

"But-"

"We'll just do that and be done with it!" said Michael almost shouting at her.

He watched as she shrank back a little and ducked her head, turning away from Michael. Michael watched her with a slight feeling of regret rising from his chest. But at the same time a twisting of satisfaction welled up.

The truth was that Michael would not know how to react. It had been a long time since he had spoken to anyone, hiding in the shadows, and doing his best not to be seen. He doubted that communication was a good idea in both of their conditions.

And then there was Elizabeth, she had been forcibly separated from society for years. Michael didn't know how she would react to an annoying child or one who tried to bully her. Would she hurt him? Would she damage him as she had done to him?

"Mike," Elizabeth said, looking toward the window.

He came out of his reverie and looked at her in confusion.

"There's someone outside," she said, her voice small.

Michael looked out the window just the same. A few feet away from the car was a man slowly approaching the car with a frown on his face.

He was big, in every way. He looked like the kind of guy who would act and then ask questions at the end.

Michael really hoped the car didn't belong to him.

When it became obvious that he was headed their way Michael took a deep breath and nervously opened the door. The man walked up to him in confusion.

Michael just spoke quickly.

"I'm very sorry, really," he said assuming he was the owner of the car.

"We just needed a place to spend the night is all" he said with a begging tone.

The man looked sideways at Elizabeth, and Michael was surprised to catch what he hoped was pity in his gaze.

"You guys are in a bad situation, aren't you?" he asked slowly, as if talking to frightened animals.

Michael nodded his head uncomfortably.

"How old are you boy? You don't look a day over eighteen."

And Michael could already see where the conversation was going.

He opened his mouth, but quickly shut it, what to do? He didn't even know his real age; all he knew was that he was about 70 and he doubted the man would believe him if he told him that.

So, he opted to tell him the half-truth.

"19, I'm 19, sir."

The man turned to Elizabeth.

"And the girl? What's yours?". He paused a little thoughtfully. "Is she your sister?".

"Yes, that's right" she said "My father left us a long time ago and our mother died, I'm all she has left."

"Why here?" he asked slowly. "What happened?"

Michael and Elizabeth looked at each other quickly and he made up a hurried excuse.

"We were mugged on the way here; we didn't mean to do any of this" he said pointing to the broken window "I'm so sorry."

"Mugged?" he asked with a hint of concern.

"Yes" said Michael, and as an afterthought added "It was the money we had for the week".

The man gave them a pitying look.

"I see" he said.

Michael hoped the man wouldn't ask any more questions.

The gentleman licked his lips in thought. To then look up looking directly into Michael's eyes.

"Come with me."

To only turn and start walking back the way he had come to begin with.

They both looked at each other quizzically but didn't question it and followed. Neither of them wanted any trouble for ending up running away.

He led him to some local, small structure. Painted orange and a sign with large letters adorned the outside. 'Electronics and repairs' it said. Michael frowned but said nothing.

Elizabeth was behind him; their earlier fight being ignored for the moment. He took her hand, hoping that with that she might feel safe.

The bell on the door rang as the gentleman opened it.

"I'm back," he said to the air.

The place was small. There were only a couple of seats and a few feet away a surface that he thought was for serving customers. Behind that was a doorless frame from a restricted area.

"Oh!" came a voice from inside from the staff side. "Coming!"

A girl crossed the frame casting them a sidelong glance. She was attractive, but Michael could sense that something about her seemed familiar.

"Mr. Jones!" she said, then looked at the two of them, "I guess they're the ones who set off the alarm."

"Yes," said the apparent 'Mr. Jones'.

"Do you want me to call the police?" she asked him in a firm manner.

Michael tensed and tried to cover for Elizabeth as he looked at Mr. Jones out of the corner of his eye. The opposite didn't flinch a bit instead he directed a patient smile at her.

"Of course not, I just came to give some money to these poor children" he told her.

She looked at him with suspicion written all over her face, Michael looked back at her.

"He doesn't look very `childlike'" she said sarcastically.

Mr. Jones gave her a not at all impressed looks.

"Of course, but neither do you do or am I wrong?".

He saw a slight blush on her cheeks, before speaking.

"It's not the same," she said, her voice a little small.

Mr. Jones only gave a slight sigh.

"All I want is to help them, go back to work" he spoke with no objection in his voice.

She quietly gave him one last look and turned back.

"I feel sorry for her, she is too distrustful, and her temper is too strong sometimes, if I had a nickel for every time someone complains about her" he said in laughter.

Michael watched the door out of the corner of his eye. He didn't understand why he would keep her as an employee then but thought it would be rude to ask.

"Now" said Mr. Jones "Where were we?" he asked without waiting for an answer.

He walked over to the cash register and pulled out a couple of bills. He then offered them to Michael without further thought.

Michael was equal parts grateful and embarrassed and gladly accepted them.

They would still be walking home, but that was enough to last a few weeks minimum.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Jones," he said, though the last with a questioning tone.

He smiled at him looking embarrassed.

"Just call me Harry" he said "She doesn't call me that, even if I tell her otherwise" he nodded his head at the employee's place, making it clear who he was referring to.

Michael smiled a little and saw a bit more of the store around him. There were a lot of discount signs and various things on display. When he noticed something else.

An 'employee wanted' sign was hanging among the bargain ads.
Michael spoke slowly.

"You are hiring?" he asked looking at Mr. Harry pointedly.

He caught his gaze on the ads and gave him a thoughtful look.

"That's right, I hung the sign just this morning, why, are you interested?" he spoke with curiosity.

"I..." Michael had to think this through, the place was removed from his home, however, who knew if he would find an opportunity like this again, he shouldn't waste it just like that.

He looked sideways at Elizabeth, she seemed confused by the situation, but watched him carefully. He could not let her down, no matter how much he resented her he could not afford to fail her. He had to do everything he could to take care of her.

"Yes" he said confidently "I know something about electronics, it's something my father taught me."

"Wow" said Mr. Harry.

"What about the uniform?" he asked looking sideways at his clothes.

Michael felt his face heat up a little.

"It's just from a previous job, it's more comfortable than it looks" he said evading the subject a bit.

Mr. Harry shot him an unimpressed but unobjected look.

"Ok, look I don't know your skills, but if you come back tomorrow, I can set you up to repair something to check it out, I just need your name" he spoke holding up a pad and pen ready to write it down.

Michael smiled at him trying to look confident.

"I'm Michael Afton."

Mr. Harry's eyes moved out of the notebook to reach him.

"Afton?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes," Michael answered him suspiciously.

Mr. Harry let out a snort akin to a chuckle.

"What a coincidence..." he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Michael with his heart hammering.

Was the man aware of his complicated family history? Did Henry have an accomplice?

Or worse.

It was impossible that he too had come to the same store, wasn't it? What would be the odds of that?

"Well" said Mr. Harry, looking at him strangely because of his attitude "My employee is also surnamed Afton, Vanessa Afton to be more precise. Although of course she doesn't like her last name" he said the latter between his teeth.

Michael allowed himself to sigh in relief. Chasing away the tension he had gathered in such a brief time.

It was just the girl, not his father. William hadn't been hanging around.

"Thank you very much, sir" Michael said gratefully "For the opportunity and for, you know" he said showing him the money.

Mr. Harry gave him a warm smile.

"No problem, kid. And be careful" he said seriously, with concern in his tone.

Elizabeth and Michael left the store wearily, but full of optimism.

Things were starting to look up.

With some money Michael went into a convenience store and picked up some things he considered important. Like beans, rice, and a few bottles of water. The clerk didn't even give him a sideways glance as he paid for the items and Michael went on with his life.

He felt a little guilty about taking the man's money, but for now he needed it. He wasn't entirely sure that the bank would allow him to withdraw his saved funds without his illusory disk, so for now and until he could get another one together, he would have to subsist on the little job he eventually got.

Elizabeth didn't speak again the entire trip. She kept her head down, looking embarrassed most of the time. Michael did nothing to try to develop some sort of conversation either, even if he had set out to protect her, he still couldn't stop those flames inside him from flaring up. And if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't sure he wanted to put them out.

His arm tingled for the third time in those two days. And he heard a small whimper from Elizabeth so they both stopped for a short break.

Irritated, he rolled up the sleeve of his uniform. Ready for whatever they now asked of him.

'Go to Emily's house'.

Well.

...

That wasn't what he had in mind.