Chapter Text
Only a few more minutes.
A few more minutes, and Ellis would reach the Pizzaplex.
The rain was pouring down on him but he didn't care. How could he possibly care right now? Tony was in danger. He was in there, waiting for him to come save him. How could he care about the rain when Tony was so close, so.. in reach. And in clear need of his help!
Hold on, Tony. I'm coming.
----
Ever since Tony had gone missing, Ellis has barely left his room. Even though his mother had called his teachers and told them he was sick, and that's why he wasn't attending school at the moment, his teachers could tell that Tony's absence was probably the real reason. They knew how close Ellis and Tony had been, so it wasn't hard for them to tell that Ellis wasn't just "sick".
Most of his time he'd spend in bed, missing Tony and hoping he'll return soon.
Without Tony, nothing seemed fun anymore. Watching movies was boring without Tony complaining about how unrealistic they were, and how he could've written a way better storyline that would be far more realistic (and him sometimes actually spending all night after that rewriting the movies storylines and scenes to twist it more to his liking, and showing it off to Ellis the next day, explaining in great detail what he changed, and why he changed it.)
Playing video games was boring without Tony by his side, struggling with the games controls or getting annoyed with him whenever he skipped through the story and the NPC conversations to move on faster.
Writing stories was boring without Tony and him exchanging ideas, him telling Tony how lame non-fiction was and Tony telling him that fiction was neither interesting nor useful in the future.
Despite their differences, they have always been best friends. And Ellis strongly believed that it was their differences that made them be this close. But now that Tony was gone, so many things Ellis used to enjoy before just felt.. empty.
At first, he tried filling that space with Greg. They watched movies to distract themselves, played video games and even tried to write stories (which they quickly gave up on as it reminded them of Tony too much).
But it wasn't the same.
Greg didn't complain about the unrealistic movie plots.
Greg never struggled with the controls, and he too often skipped through the story and the NPC conversations.
Greg just wasn't Tony. And he never would be.
About a week after Tony going missing, Ellis had stopped replying to Greg's messages. He felt awful for it, he really did, but he just couldn't bring himself to spend time with him at the moment, or reply to any messages, especially not his. Greg was like a constant reminder that something.. someone was missing. They were the Three amigos after all, not the two and one missing amigos.
He knew Greg was hurting too. That he probably missed Tony just as much as he did, which made him feel even worse for letting him down like that. But just the thought of them having fun (or trying to) while Tony was out there somewhere, probably lost and scared shitless, just made him feel sick. Genuinely sick.
----
3 more minutes.
3 more minutes and he'd finally reach the Pizzaplex.
He was panting heavily, gasping for air from time to time but that didn't make him stop, or even slow down. He needed to get to the Pizzaplex, he needed to see that Tony was there, that he was alive and well.
He just had to be.
----
Just like the days before, Ellis layed in bed, the blanket pulled over his head as if to shut out the rest of the world, which worked to an extend.
When his phone rang, he winced from the sudden noise. Was it Greg again? Was he trying to contact him again after he had seemingly given up on reaching out after Ellis had ignored his calls and messages for so long?
Ellis decided to ignore it. He didn't feel like calling. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now, especially not Greg. But after a few seconds, his phone rang again. And when it rang for the fourth time after he ignored it three times already, he finally decided to take a look on who so desperately tried to call him.
When he saw the name on the screen, he immediately froze.
No.
This couldn't be real...
Could it?
The second he saw the name "Tinkerbell" written across his phone screen, he picked up the phone and held it to his ear. "Tony?! Tony, is that you?! Are you okay?!", he asked, cringing at how high pitched his voice sounded in his panic.
On the other side, he heard a shaky sigh.
"Hey, Ellis.. yes, it's me. I'm okay.. mostly", he heard Tony's voice saying. He felt a surge of emotions cursing through his body when he finally heard Tony's voice again.
"Dude, where are you?! I was so worried! Greg and I-", Ellis began but was cut off by his best friend's voice.
"I'm at the Pizzaplex.."
"..W..what?", Ellis blurted out after a few seconds of stunned silence. It's been weeks since Tony has gone missing. Had he been at the Pizzaplex the whole time? Or was he there just now? And why the Pizzaplex? Why was he at the Pizzaplex, when he could be returning home, now that he was back? His mother and grandmother were worried sick, just like he had been.
"The Pizzaplex? I don't understand, dude. What the hell are you doing there? Where have you been the whole time?", Ellis asked, a hint of confusion and irritation in his voice.
"I've been here the whole time.. Look, I don't have much time, and I really need your help. I'm trapped here. You need to get me out!", Tony said, urgently with a tinge of fear. Ellis stomach twisted a little at hearing the fear in Tony's voice. What was going on? Why did he sound so scared? Was it because of being trapped, or the possibility that whatever trapped him there was the real reason on to why he sounded so scared?
"O..okay, Okay I'll get you out. Somehow. I'll call the police and-"
Again, he was cut off.
"No! No police! They can't do anything. Please, Ellis. I need you. Please. Get me out of here", Tony begged, his fear even more noticable now.
"What? B-but-"
"Ellis. Please." Tony's voice rang in his ears, the desperation in it sending shivers down his spine. Why was Tony so refusing of the police getting involved? He didn't understand..
A sudden scream pulled him out of his confusion. "Tony?!", he asked immediately, his eyes widened as he stared at his phone in his peripheral vision. "Help me!", Tony cried out before the connection got lost and the call ended. "Tony? Tony!", he yelled into his phone but it was no use.
He immediately tried calling Tony back, yet every single time he was send straight to voicemail. "Shit!", Ellis yelled out as he pushed his blanket off of him.
He quickly got dressed in almost no time and rushed out of his house, sprinting towards the Pizzaplex.
----
Finally, Ellis reached the main entrance of the huge mall. Above the entrance was a huge, glowing sign reading "Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex," with mascots of the beloved animatronics Glamrock Freddy, Glamrock Chica, Roxanne Wolf, and Montgomery Gator (Ellis' personal favorite) smiling down at the guests.
Ellis rested his hands on his knees as he panted. Next time, he should really consider just biking here.
Hopefully tho, there would be no next time like this.
As soon as he caught his breath, he made his way into the Pizzaplex, looking around. The Pizzaplex was huge. He would probably spend hours looking for Tony, as he had no clue where to even start. He wished Tony would've given atleast a small hint on where he was trapped, or which attractions were near his location. That would make things a lot easier.
He sighed and rubbed his neck. Ellis doubted Tony was being held captive somewhere near the entrance. It would be far too easy for him to flee if he were to escape his 'kidnapper' by chance. Ellis had no choice but to take the elevator to the atrium and start searching from there.
So that's what he did.
The quiet Bing of the elevator indicated that it had reached the Atrium. The doors opened, and Ellis stepped out.
Okay.
He got this.
He should probably start searching the top floor and make his way dow-
His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a map bot, scaring the shit out of him when it grabbed him out of nowhere before letting go and holding out a map towards him. "Hi. Take a map."
Ellis, still a little startled, took a deep breath and glared at the map bot. "Dude, fuck off", he cursed at it, clearly annoyed. God, how he hated those things. And from past experience, he knew that he wasn't the only one. Tony, and especially Greg, absolutely despised those things. And Ellis perfectly understood why.
"Take a map."
"I don't have time for your stupid map!", Ellis said and tried pushing past it. The map bot blocked his way, its hand with the map in it still reached out towards Ellis.
"Take a map."
Ellis had the urge to punch the bot in the face right then and there. But he wanted to avoid getting in trouble, not only with Fazbear entertainment but also his parents. Besides, he didn't have time to argue with the map bot any longer. He had to find Tony!
"God, fine!", he gave in and ripped the map out of the bots hand.
"Thanks. Please enjoy."
And with that, the bot left. Ellis let out a deep sigh, stuffed the card in his bag and used the escalators to get to the third floor.
----
After searching for nearly two hours now, Ellis had still not found anything. Not even a single clue or hint about Tony's whereabouts.
He had already searched El Chips, Mazercise, the Fazcade and Bonniebowl. He was now on his way heading towards Roxy Raceway, when a familiar voice behind him made him freeze for a moment. "Ellis?"
Ellis turned around, amber eyes looking up at him in surprise. "Greg?", Ellis asked, just as surprised. Why was Greg here? Had Tony called him too?
"What are you doing here?", Gregory inquired, his head tilted to the side a little. "And why were you ignoring my calls and messages?"
"I.. I'm sorry, Greg.. it's.. it's just.. This.. whole situation took a huge toll on me.. and I couldn't find the strength to reply to your messages. Not when you.. reminded me of him so much.."
Ellis felt awful. He averted his gaze, ready for any reaction that he'd get from Greg. Anger. Hurt. He was prepared for any of it, and he knew he deserved it.
That's why he was all the more surprised when he felt a hand resting on his arm gently. He slowly looked at Gregory, his eyes warm yet filled with sorrow. "I understand", he reassured.
Ellis took a shaky breath, tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. "I'm sorry.." Gregory shook his head and pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back. "It's okay."
After a few seconds, Gregory pulled back and looked up at Ellis again. "Now back to my first question. What are you doing here?"
"Well.. Tony called me earlier.. h-he said that he was trapped here, and that I should come find him..", Ellis explained while waving his arms around wildly.
"Wait, he called you too??", Greg gasped. "He called me for the same reason, just earlier today! I've been searching for hours!"
Ellis stared at Greg with wide eyes. So Tony really did call both of them.
"I see.. Well, I already searched the third floor and all of the attractions up there..", Ellis stated, "but I haven't found anything.. how about you?"
"Well, I found his glasses a few minutes ago beforeI saw you. They were shattered, as if.. he'd been chased or something, and maybe they fell to the ground in all the commotion", Greg mumbled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Y..You think something chased him??", Ellis exclaimed, feeling the panic inside him grow. He really hoped Tony was okay. He just had to be.
"I'm not sure.. maybe the idiot tripped and they fell off, I don't know. But they were in a restricted area, so I really doubt it was just that."
Ellis ran his fingers through his hair, trying to calm down a little. He had to stay focused. If Tony really had been chased by something, which was pretty likely considering him being trapped, they had to find and save him as soon as possible.
"Where did you find them? Maybe he's still around there somewhere." Ellis looked back at Greg, his voice urgent. Greg hummed and looked around. "You're right. Follow me."
Greg led him to the area where he had found the glasses. Ellis carefully picked them up. Those were definetely Tony's. No doubt they were his. Ellis pressed his lips together. Tony, please be okay.
"I.. think I might have an idea where he could be", Greg spoke suddenly, causing Ellis' head to snap up and look at him. "Really?!"
Greg nodded. "There's a room further down the hallway. It's.. pretty well hidden. If someone is really holding him captive, this would be a good spot to do so."
Ellis could feel himself nodding a little. A well hidden room really did sound like a good spot to hold someone captive.. "Okay.. let's go", Ellis whispered.
Despite being scared, which he had really tried not to show the past few hours as to not alarm anyone around him, especially staff members, he was filled with a sense of determination. With slow, deliberate footsteps he walked down the hallway, the only sounds being their footsteps echoing off the walls. He could feel Greg right behind him, following him down the hallway.
Ellis really hoped Tony was in that room. That he was alive and well, and that they could get him out of there safely. Hopefully, whoever held him trapped there, wasn't in the room too. Neither Greg nor him were armed, and who knows what this kidnapper person was capable of.
As they reached the room, Ellis hand wrapped around the doorknob. He took a shaky breath and looked at Greg, who nodded at him encouragingly. Ellis nodded too, looking back at the door and slowly opening it. When he stepped inside, he was met with darkness, the only light in the room was the one from the hallway behind them.
Before him sat a figure, causing Ellis to tense. The figure was smaller than him, and he could quickly make out a familiar green coat.
"Tony!", Ellis called out in relief. He rushed forward, desperate to hug his best friend and get him out of here, when suddenly, the light in the room turned on. Instead of being met with relief, Tony stared at him in terror, his eyes wide. He was tied up and gagged, quickly shaking his head and squirming.
"T..Tony..?", Ellis whispered, frozen in shock at the sight. His blood ran cold as Tony looked past him and behind him, his eyes widening even further. Feeling his body trembling, Ellis turned around, expecting to see the person that held Tony captive to stand behind him.. only to find Greg standing there.
A wave of confusion filled him, and he slowly looked back at Tony. "T..that's only Greg, I don't unders-"
And in that moment, he did understand.
It was awfully quiet for a few moments. No one moved, and no one said a word.
"G..greg? W-when you told me you found Tony's glasses in the restricted area..", his voice came out weak and shaky.
He could feel Greg taking a step into the room behind him. Tony let out muffled sounds, desperately trying to warn Ellis.
"How did you have access to a restricted area in the first place? And how did you know about this room?"