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The door to the back room opens with a creak. The sound of heavy footsteps echo through the air as Henry Emily steps into the room.
“William? I got your message on my pager. What was it you wanted to show-“
Henry drops his pager in shock, the device hits the ground with a resounding thud as bits and pieces scatter across the floor. The look of absolute shock and horror etches its way onto the man’s face as he promptly leans over and violently expels the contents of his stomach all over the floor.
The scene is downright gruesome. Fresh blood stains liter the floor and pool around two golden Springlock animatronic suits. Fredbear and Spring Bonnie are slumped over on the tiled floor. Fredbear’s jaw is parted slightly open to reveal the mangled corpse inside of it. The once-pale skin is now stained red with blood. The deceased man’s face looks haunted as his eyes are forever wide open in shock. The face has deep gash marks where robotic parts have impaled the skin. The poor man’s body was now fused with the suit like some kind of messed up cyborg.
William Afton stands tall among the bloody mess. His face is set in a deep grimace as he stares down at the scene. His clean purple button-up and dress pants serve as a stark juxtaposition to the gore around him.
“Oh my god,” Henry is shaking as he cups his hand over his mouth, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene.
His business partner offers no reply, instead choosing to cup his chin with his hand. The lanky man bends over to stare closer at the bloody animatronics on the ground. He gives a thoughtful hmm as he rubs his chin seemingly deep in thought.
“How did this- Did you…?”
“You think I did this?” William snaps his neck to stare at Henry. His cold silver eyes bore deep into the ginger’s soul and he can’t help but shiver. Though his gaze was calm and collected, Henry could see the seething rage behind his eyes.
Henry runs his hand over his face in both stress and frustration over the situation. Something terrible has happened and his first instinct is to blame his beloved friend and business partner. To think that William would ever do something like this is downright absurd.
Henry sighs, “Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to accuse. I’m just- shocked is all.”
William stares at his friend for a couple seconds longer than necessary, face set in an unreadable expression. Finally he shakes his head as if riding himself of his thoughts. He then focuses his gaze back on the crime scene.
“Freak accident,” he finally responds, voice surprisingly calm and collected despite the situation at hand. “The springlocks must have failed.”
“What?” That seems to snap Henry out of his shaken stupor. He cautiously takes a step closer towards the crime scene. “That’s impossible, the suits should have been completely safe.”
In response, William tosses his head back and gives a shrill laugh. The sound was akin to nails scraping on a chalkboard and Henry cringes at the noise. Tears spring to William’s eyes from the sheer force of his laughter as he struggles to breathe.
Henry stands awkwardly, slightly unnerved by his friend’s reaction. Two people are dead and here he is laughing? Perhaps he’s using laughter as a way to cope? Yes, that makes sense. Henry remembers reading before that’s how some people react to traumatic situations. It makes sense that William was one of them, he was always sort of an odd fellow.
He hesitates as his hand hovers above William’s shoulder, unsure of how he should act. His friend's broad shoulders shake ferociously with laughter. Henry is torn between reaching over and comforting his friend or leaving him alone to collect himself.
Luckily William comes to his senses before Henry has the time to decide. His laughter dies down and his breathing slows. He exhales deeply as he wipes away the stray tears on his face.
“Bloody hell Henry, we both know that’s a lie,” he scoffs. “Those springlocks are held back by paperclips and a prayer. You know as well as I do how faulty the design is, the littlest things could set them off. Even you wouldn’t wear one.”
Henry wracks his brain for an appropriate response as he ingests his friend’s words. As much as the ginger hates to admit it, William was right. Though the springlock design was very much efficient and cut down on costs, the design was very fragile at best. Though the two inventors have tried many years to perfect the springlock mechanism, the end result was always flimsy metal that could snap at a moment’s notice.
He shudders when he thinks more about the springlock design. Between the two of them, William himself was the only one that would even wear the suits. And how did that turn out? William’s arms are covered right now by his suit, but one look underneath would reveal the litany of scars stretched across the man’s skin.
He remembers it like it was yesterday. Everything had been going well at the restaurant. They were hosting a kid’s birthday party that day. William was wearing the Spring Bonnie suit, entertaining the children. The trouble began when a child accidentally spilled their drink on the suit, instantly causing some of the springlocks to malfunction. Despite the immense pain, William was conscious enough to walk to the saferoom before he bled out and ruined the party. Thank goodness Henry had the proper tools on hand to re-crank the springlocks back into place. Still, seeing his best friend severely injured like that had been very traumatizing for him. Honestly, this should have been their biggest sign to do away with the springlocks for good, however it just wasn’t in the budget to replace them yet.
Wait a minute… William’s words were coming back to him. The faulty design, the moisture, wait… the moisture?
“Oh my god,” Henry’s eyes widen in realization. “The AC is broken, the sweat must have set off the springlocks.”
William nods his head in agreement yet he doesn’t seem surprised. It’s almost as if he’s already come to this conclusion and Henry has just now finally caught on.
Henry shakes his head in distress as the crushing realization sets in. This accident was entirely avoidable. This was all their fault.
Fresh tears spring to Henry’s eyes as he is forced to come to terms with everything. A glance over at the bloody animatronics only confirms Henry’s thoughts and makes it all the more real. Two people are now gone from this world. Never to come home, never to see their friends, family or loved ones again.
“This is bad William, this is really bad,” Henry shudders as his breathing quickens. “This is all our fault.”
Henry’s mind begins to spiral as the overwhelming guilt wracks his system. This might as well have been indirect murder. It was their own design that killed these innocent people. His faulty engineering has caused all of this.
His heart was beating rapidly in his ears and the edges of his vision began to darken. Panic seems to have taken a full hold on the man. He feels a deep pit in his stomach and the familiar taste of bile returns.
Time seems to suddenly pause, however, when a hand appears on his shoulder.
“Henry.”
William’s tone is slightly sharp as he regards his business partner, almost as if reprimanding him for panicking. His eyes take a stern gesture for a split second before instantly softening.
“We didn’t do anything wrong. They knew full well what they were dealing with,” he says, eyeing the animatronics with a sneer, almost as if they had purposefully insulted him. “If anything it’s their own damn fault. I told them not to put on the bloody suits today, they didn’t listen. Said they needed the money.”
Henry shakes his head in distress, not at all reassured by William’s words. If anything, it made him feel even worse. Gabriel and Justin were good employees. Both always showed up on time and always took such care with the suits. And Justin had a newborn at home…
A tense silence forms between the two. William eyes his friend with a look that could almost be considered pity or perhaps even frustration. Henry is too busy focusing on blinking away the stray tears to notice his friend.
“What are we going to tell their families? And oh lord, we’re going to have to get the police involved,” Henry rambles, head in his hands. “And we’re going to have to clean up this mess, open up an investigation. We’ll probably have to decommission-“
“Enough Henry!” William finally snaps, causing the ginger to flinch.
For all the years the two have been friends, William has almost never lost his temper. The savvy businessman always tended to pride himself on being the calm and collected one. For all his faults, William tended to be a rather patient man and could deal under immense stress. It’s part of the reason why Henry valued him so much as a business partner.
“I’m not letting these idiots destroy everything that we’ve worked for just so they could make a quick coin,” William spat. “Absolutely got what they deserved, let them rot for all I care.”
As if to further emphasize his point, William leans forward and kicks the side of the Spring Bonnie costume. The yellow suit jerks in response as some of the untouched springlocks are triggered.
The snap is instantaneous. Henry cringes at the audible squelch of springlocks digging into the employee’s flesh; the bones snapping as metal beams and wires dig into the corpse.
Henry gasps in abject horror as fresh blood spills from the suit. The blood seeps from every open crevice and pools around the floor, eventually meeting the bottom of Henry’s shoes.
Henry’s hands begin to shake uncontrollably as the edges of his vision begin to fade in and out. His breathing quickens into that of a full blown panic. He feels his throat constrict as he gasps desperately for air. Henry wraps his arms around himself and squeezes tightly in a vain attempt to steel himself.
The room is silent save for the loud sobbing coming from the heavier man. Tears freely stream down Henry’s face as he completely falls apart, the trauma fully setting in.
Meanwhile, William Afton remains completely calm. He stands awkwardly, shifting weight from foot to foot while stealing glances over at his business partner. With a sigh, the lanky man softly walks over to a nearby office desk and rummages through the first drawer.
Henry wipes away a stray tear as he looks up in curiosity from the sudden noise. William grunts in satisfaction when he finds what he was looking for and deftly shuts the drawer with a thud.
“Here,” William grumbles as he hands over said item to his business partner.
Henry rolls the small item around in his palm and instantly recognizes the familiar feeling of a cigarette. He sighs, releasing some of the built up tension in his torso. William always knew just what he needed.
“Thanks, Will,” he says earnestly as he pops the tube into his mouth.
William nods his head in acknowledgment, his own cigarette dangling from his mouth. He reaches into his pocket and produces a lighter, flicking it on and promptly lighting the end of his cig. He then waves the lighter in Henry’s direction. Catching the hint, he leans closer to the purple-suited man as William lights his cigarette.
He takes a long drag of the cig, the familiar burning in his lungs a welcome feeling. He sighs in relief, his heart slowing down as he feels the tension and anxiety leave his system. This was just what he needed to calm down.
William exhales a large puff of smoke, rolling the butt of the cig between his fingers. Stray ashes flicker from the lit tube and fall onto the bloody floor. His silver eyes were glued to the animatronics on the ground, though Henry couldn’t detect any signs of panic or anxiety in the man’s frame.
“I have no idea how you’re so calm about this,” he jokes lightly, though it read almost as a question.
The brunette nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders, “One of us has to be.” He takes another drag of his cigarette.
Henry sighs when realization finally dawns on him. Of course William was choosing to be the strong one for Henry’s sake. He was probably breaking down internally but holding it all together so they both wouldn’t be a complete mess. It was just like William to be the logical one in a highly emotional situation. He really was such a great friend.
“I’ll be honest, I’m not doing very well over here,” Henry laughs anxiously as he nervously fidgets with his cig. The cigarette helped a lot to calm his nerves, but the bloody mess in front of them was something he couldn’t ignore. He feels his heart leap in his throat again at the very sight.
William shoots his friend a sideways glance, a knowing look in his silver eyes. He takes a step and stands in front of Henry, effectively blocking his view of the animatronics.
“Then don’t focus on them,” the lanky man says with a gruff. “Focus on me instead.”
Henry lets out a breathless laugh at his friend’s attempt to distract him. He takes one last drag of his cig before stamping it out on the floor. He supposes it doesn’t hurt to indulge in the man’s little game.
“Alright Will,” he relents.
“How’s the wife and kid doing?” William begins to small talk. “I know that Charlie just turned four.”
Henry smiles to himself at the mention of his sweet girl, an image of the little brunette flashes in his mind. It’s true she had just recently turned four. The Emily’s had thrown together an extravagant birthday party at their house for the occasion, complete with entertainment and catering (courtesy of Fredbear’s Family Diner of course) . So what if it was a little over the top? Charlie was his only kid, so naturally he was going to spoil the hell out of her.
He laughs softly as memories of the party come back to him. William’s family was invited of course. Charlie and Elizabeth always got along so well, being the only daughters in the families. Some workers were there as entertainment, dressed up in full suits. Evan was particularly scared of the Freddy performer, crying into near hysterics until William’s wife had to drive him home. Michael, the rambunctious teen, had stolen the Bonnie costume from one of the entertainers when they went to use the restroom; then proceeded to go around scaring the children while in costume. William was absolutely furious with his son, but Henry waved it off as no big deal. If anything, Charlie found the mischievous Bonnie absolutely HILARIOUS, which was a win in his book.
“They’re doing great,” Henry smiles as he remembers. “Charlie is loving that new swing set you bought her. Y’know you didn’t have to do that.”
“Nonsense,” William waves it off. “The restaurant’s made record profits this year, I could afford to splurge some.”
“Still, it was really kind of you,” he presses. “Charlie asks me about you all the time. She really loves you, y’know?”
His friend awkwardly scratches the back of his head. “Well, I don’t know if I’d put it that way,” he says.
“Will, you’re practically family,” Henry says with conviction. “I’d trust you with anything, with my life even.”
It was a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment. Henry barely notices when William’s eyes widen for a split second, almost as if Henry’s response had genuinely caught him off guard. Before he can even process it, however, William’s face quickly snaps back into a more relaxed expression almost like a flick of a switch.
The lanky man smiles softly without showing his teeth, “I’m glad to hear it. The feeling is mutual, of course.”
Henry smiles back in reciprocation. His whole life is being thrown upside down right now, but knowing he could count on his best friend made things a lot better. Emotions were swirling around in his head like a violent tornado and William was the solid rock keeping him tied down. He truly doesn’t know what he’d do without him.
The ginger takes one final glance at his friend and flashes him a melancholy smile, his eyes straying over to the mangled animatronics. His beautiful creations once meant to inspire and entertain, now nothing more than a glorified coffin for unfortunate souls.
It’s with a deep sigh that he tears his eyes away from the animatronics. With a newfound determination, Henry begins to make his way to the door. The weight of his decision is sitting heavy on his shoulders, but he knows now what he has to do.
“And where the hell are you going?” he hears William’s gruff voice call from behind him.
His hand is on the doorknob, yet he doesn’t quite open the door. His movement stills, heart beating ever so slightly at the idea of what he’s about to do.
“I’m going to grab the nearest phone and I’m going to call the police,” Henry’s voice manages to stay calm and collected. “I trust you to keep watch of the suits until they arrive. Make sure no one else comes in the room. The last thing we need right now is for the whole restaurant to go into a panic.”
He wastes no time with a response before he proceeds with his plan. His hand twists the doorknob in one fine motion. He begins to pull the doorknob towards him when a voice suddenly interrupts him.
“Wait!”
Henry whips his head around to stare at his business partner. There is a wild look in William’s eyes, something even akin to desperation. His demeanor was no longer calm; his stance instantly became rigid and defensive. It was something so unlike William’s usual character that Henry was suddenly questioning if this was even his best friend at all.
“Think about what you’re about to do,” William’s hands are up in a placating gesture, almost as if trying to calm him down. He seems almost like a prey cornered by a predator, or like he was on the losing side of a battle.
Henry simply raises an eyebrow in question but gives his friend the benefit of the doubt, giving him a small nod to continue.
“This is a big deal, the entire business is going to be affected,” William warns him, stance still very much defensive.
Henry nods his head in acknowledgement, “I know Will, but don’t we owe this to their families? They deserve to have that closure, y’know?”
“I don’t think you understand just how serious this is,” his friend shakes his head. “We’re going to be under major legal trouble for this, you and me both.”
“Well I’m sure we’ll do our best to work with the police,” Henry says. “After all, it was just an accident. We can sort this out together.”
Henry scratches his beard in thought. William wasn’t wrong of course, it was a given that law enforcement was going to be involved. But he and Will were honest men. He’s sure this can all be fixed as long as they do the right thing.
“Henry, just listen to me!”
The brunette takes a couple bold steps towards his friend. William’s hands are shaking as they make grabbing motions in the air, almost as if he was trying to strangle the heavier man. There is a dangerous sort of glint in his business partner’s eyes and Henry, for once in his life, feels a little uneasy about his friend’s behavior.
“Will?” he chuckles nervously, back suddenly pressed against the door. “You’re starting to scare me a little here.”
The lanky man’s brows are furrowed in a deep frown as he ceases his movement. His attention suddenly shifts over to the desk as his eyes land on a framed photograph of Henry and his family. His eyes seem distant, lost in thought as he regards the photo.
Something seems to suddenly click in the purple-suited man’s mind, his eyes shining with a knowing glint. His demeanor suddenly shifts, instantly becoming the calm and collected man that Henry was used to seeing.
The brunette takes a couple steps back. “My apologies,” he says, nonchalantly dusting off his suit. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m just stressed over the situation, is all.”
There’s a stab of guilt in Henry’s chest as he frowns. He was wrong to judge his friend so harshly. Of course this was a highly stressful moment and he wasn’t going to act like his usual self. After all, wasn’t Henry the one that was losing his mind not too long ago and William had to calm him down?
“We both are,” Henry says. “I’m sorry too, I was too quick to turn on you. We both need to be helping each other out here.”
William nods his head. “I completely agree. Though, if we are helping each other out, I do have one small request for you.”
“Yeah, of course Will, anything!” Henry says earnestly, eager to make up for their earlier argument.
“Before you contact the police, maybe call your wife and child first? It may be the last time you’ll get to hear them,” William says.
Henry’s eyes widen at the implication. Never hear from his family again? William doesn’t possibly mean what he thinks this is about, right? This is surely some form of delusion from the traumatic situation.
“Now hold on Will, this is taking things a bit far,” he shakes his head. “You’re acting like we’re going to get locked up for life or something.”
The lanky man brings a hand to his forehead and, honest to goodness, laughs. In any other scenario Henry would feel compelled to join in on the laughter, but right now this just felt downright cruel.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” William says. “We know this was just a freak accident, but the police aren’t going to see it that way. They’re going to hold us responsible for third-degree murder.”
Henry feels a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was desperately trying to wrack his brain for a counter argument but couldn’t find any. William’s words were ringing loudly in his ears and he couldn’t block them out.
It was true though, wasn’t it? Murder. Not intentional, for sure, but still murder nonetheless. Their own engineering directly caused two people to lose their lives.
The heavier man tightens his grip on the doorknob as his breath hitches in his throat. He’s so caught up in his own thoughts he doesn’t even notice the dangerous look in his friend’s eyes, almost like a predator that has finally cornered it’s prey.
“It’s not just the murder charges either,” William continues. “The entire business is going to be shut down, all of our animatronics will be taken apart. Our entire livelihood is about to be gone. Do you understand what I’m saying, Henry?”
The doorknob jiggles violently as Henry's hands begin to shake. His gaze lands on the bloody springlock suits on the ground as scenarios rush around in his head. Their livelihood, their life's work, everything he’s ever sacrificed in his life to get to this point is about to be ripped away from them at this very moment.
A terrifying image suddenly comes to his mind, of himself in an orange jumpsuit, facing a glass window with an older-looking Charlie on the other end. She looks tired and underweight, with large dark bags under her eyes. Time has clearly not been kind to her over the years. What scared him the most though, was the look of unrecognition in her eyes.
He feels himself on the verge of yet another panic attack and searches desperately around the room for some way to calm himself down. That’s when suddenly his eyes land on his dear friend, William. Despite all the raging turmoil and change in his life, his best friend was always a constant. Throughout the many years of both sorrow and joy in Henry’s life, William was always there for him. Even if it was something crazy like springlocked employees, he was right by his side. His best friend, his rock, his number one lifeline that he desperately needs now more than anything.
Henry feels like he’s stumbling blindly through the world as his hand leaves the doorknob, taking a step closer to his only salvation.
“Well, what do you suppose we do then?” Henry asks him.
William simply smiles back in response, this time fully revealing his teeth.
“Don’t worry, I can make this all go away. Do you trust me?”
“Always.”