Freddy’s Last Party

Summary: Face’s past is back to haunt him and this time, it is determined not to let him escape. Immediate sequel to ‘Preludes to a Birthday Party’. Cross over with Five Nights at Freddy’s. Brief cameo from ‘Lucifer’ the TV series in the last part of the story.

Rating: PG 13

Warning: Supernatural violence-Talk of child murders & pedophilia from the past. Should read previous stories first.

Part One

Face didn’t want to wake up. He clung to the darkness like a comforting blanket which blocked out the monsters of his nightmares. What he wanted was the chorus of voices to go away before they made him abandoned the bliss of ignorance.

“Mister!” they shouted. “Mister! You’ve got to wake up! Freddy’s here! He’ll kill you! He’ll kill all of us!”

The voices didn’t belong to any of the team but they were familiar. Whoever they were, they were young and scared. And he knew no matter how much he wanted to keep his eyes closed, he had to wake up and help them.

He saw them briefly, three small boys of slightly different ages; all with the same blonde hair and the same blue eyes, who disappeared in the mist that surrounded his brain.

He was alone.

A lifetime of training taught him the importance of remaining perfectly still and quiet in dangerous surrounding but this was pushing him to his limits.

“I’m back,” he realized as he recognized the tiled cluttered floor, the stench of decay, the torn poster of the crying children, Foxy, Bonnie Chica and Freddy.

He was tied, gagged and lying on the floor of the main party room; surrounded by the killer robots who watched him with soulless eyes. Oddly they weren’t moving and they hadn’t killed him.

He became aware of other voices nearby. He moved his head slightly and focused on the two figures on the stage. He recognized the tall spindly marionette from his last time at this place. It was talking to…Cunningham?

Memories started flooding back.

***TAT***TAT***

“Hey Hannibal,” BA said in a quiet voice. “I don’t like the way Cunningham’s been staring at Amy.”

Hannibal didn’t say anything but Face agreed with the corporal. While their latest client hadn’t done anything untoward, there was something about him that made him uneasy.

He was just a little too attentive to Amy for his liking. The way that he looked and stood; not close enough to be threatening but close enough to make BA’s muscles flex.

He sensed that Amy felt the same way but they all knew how stubborn she could be. She would never show weakness in front of the team by admitting anyone made her nervous. He wondered if she regretted answering the man’s plea for help.

Face didn’t care what the background check said on the man, he had difficulty believing Cunningham was one of the good guys in life. The man was soft with rounded edges but with a touch of cruelty around the corners of his eyes. He was the type of guy who was always picked on by others while longing to be the bully, himself; the type always on the lookout of someone weaker than himself so he could take his revenge on someone who wouldn’t fight back.

But there nothing imaginary about the air of fear around him; something had the man scared spitless.

And that’s what they did, they helped the frightened and helpless and while they were going to help this guy; there was no way he was going to leave him alone with Amy.

But there was no way that they could take her with them. According to Cunningham, the team was going up against a ruthless gang of blackmailers who had ties to the drug and the sex trade.

Amy might be one of the team but these weren’t the type of people they wanted even knowing Allen’s name.

Face wondered what the gang had on Cunningham. He bet it was something dark, probably sexual in nature. The guy reminded him too much of some of the creepy foster fathers that he had known over the years.

“Change of plan, kid,” Hannibal said without missing a beat. “I’m going to have you stay here with Allen as backup.”

Face opened his mouth to protest; after all why couldn’t Murdock stay behind.

Then he thought about it and closed his mouth. This was an initial recon mission to learn the lay of the land. No one was expecting any engagements. The team would be gone for a couple of hours and after they got back, Amy would be able to bow out, without losing face, by saying she had to start writing her story.

“Okay,” he agreed.

Face felt better about his compliance when he saw the flash of relief in Amy’s eyes. He would have felt even better if he hadn’t seen the same relief in Cunningham’s eyes.

“Maybe he’s scared he’d try something if he’s left alone with her,” Face thought. The more time he spent in Cunningham’s company, the more sure he was that they’d eventually discovered that he was the type of guy who deserved to be blackmailed.

And it seemed their latest client was at ill ease with them as they were with him. The team hadn’t been gone ten minutes before Cunningham said that he had to get back to his account books and scurried out of the room.

“Well, he’s certainly antisocial,” Amy said as she joined Face on the couch.

“Complaining?” Face asked her in a gentle teasing tone.

For a moment, Amy considered reminding the conman that she was more than capable of handling one creepy dude but she saw that he didn’t mean any harm and…he was right.

”You don’t feel good about him, do you?” he asked.

“He’s a little… peculiar. But he’s in a lot of trouble.”

“But he doesn’t feel right.”

“No,” Amy admitted. “He’s a little creepy.”

“So why did you agree to set up a meeting with the team?”

“Because I researched him and he checked out. There wasn’t any reason not to do it except that I don’t feel comfortable around him and that sounds too girly,” Amy said with a grimace.

“That’s your gut instincts talking.”

“Do you think it’s a trap?” Amy asked worriedly. “Could he be with the military?”

“Not the army. Even Lynch could pick someone better than him.”

‘Do you think the guys are in trouble?” Amy couldn’t stand to think that the team could be in danger because she didn’t want to admit that Cunningham made her nervous.

“Naw. They’ll be on guard and you never know the guy might really need help.”

Face had just stood up when Cunningham stuck his head into the room.

“Where are my manners?” he asked. “Would you guys like anything to drink or eat?”

“It’d be a cold day in Hell before I put anything that he hands me into my mouth,” Face thought sure that Amy felt the same way.

“If you want, there’s some bottled water in the frige,” Cunningham said as he pulled his head back to whatever task he was doing in the other room.

“Bottled water,” Face thought. “That sounds safe enough.”

Little by little he had been seeing the drink popping up all over the place. He loved the stuff and had even invested in one of the companies.

He frowned as he remembered the grief he had gotten when the guys found out about it. BA had his hands around his throat demanding to know what types of fools were going to pay for something that was free out of the tap.

The last time they had been that mad was when they discovered out about the investments into the designer coffee market. He didn’t care; he was sure there was a market for expensive coffee and bottled water.

“Do you want one, Amy?” he asked as he walked toward the kitchen.

“Sure.”

Face came back with two bottles of clear liquid. He threw one to the reporter and sat down next to her.

“What are you working on?” he asked straining his neck to see what she was writing in her notebook as he took a swig from the bottle.

“Nothing,” she answered. Amy paused as she considered what to say next. She wondered just what Face knew something about Freddy Fazbear.

“Actually you might be interested in this,” she said. “I’m doing a story about a series of strange disappearances in this area.”

“Sounds like something the team might be interested in. Tell me about it.”

“There’s nothing definitive but a place called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria seems to have something to do with it.”

Face had to fight back the vertigo as he shot to his feet. He looked away as a chill ran through his body.

“Why are you asking about that place?” Face walked over to the window and looked out into the dark sky, a fog had rolled in that seemed to have blocked out the stars.

“Just curious. There’s something happening there but no one wants talk about it.”

Face waited several long seconds for his head to clear; it was hard to put what he was thinking into words. For that matter it was getting hard to think.

“Amy…” he started as he turned to the reporter.

Another wave of vertigo overcame him as he tried to focus but it was difficult. Amy, not only appeared to be wavering in and out of his vision, but she seemed to be was leaning dangerously forward.

“Amy?”

He wondered if this was another dream as he watched her fall to the floor. He wanted to react but his arms weren’t responding and his legs no longer seemed to be able to carry his weight as he fell to his knees.

A deep sigh drew his attention away from his friend. He looked over and saw Cunningham, not with a grin of victory but with something fatalistic in his eyes.

“It was in the water,” he explained as he held up a hypodermic needle. “I thought you might like to know how.”

“Amy!”

A shot of adrenaline surged through his body, enough to bring him to his feet momentarily before he fell back to the ground.

“Don’t hurt her,” he begged.

“He’s interested in her,” Cunningham said as he brought out a set of cuffs. “You’re the one he wants.”

Hoping the man was telling the truth, Face took some comfort in the words but wondered who it was that wanted him. Were they after the team?

“None of this is my fault,” Cunningham explained as he pulled the conman to his feet. “I don’t want to do this so I don’t want you to be haunting me.”

“Hannibal will…” Face wasn’t able to finish the sentence as the blackness overtook him.

“Yeah, I expect he will,” Cunningham said as he dragged the small man toward the door. He had two roads ahead of him; both led to death and an eternity in Hell but the one he was taking might let him live a little longer.

***TAT***TAT***

“Amy!”

Face jerked upward as his eyes raced across the room. He didn’t see her. Did that mean that she was already dead or that she wasn’t here? He sensed that whatever this place wanted didn’t include the reporter.

His looked back at the things that still sat on the chairs. When he had moved, they turned their heads to observe him but hadn’t done anything. It was like they were waiting for something.

“Permission?” he wondered.

As hard as it was to put them out of his mind, Face concentrated on what was happening on the stage.

He recognized the voice of the marionette. It was the voice of the telephone man; the one who had told him the rules of this place that last time that he had been trapped here, the one who had sounded so amused by the people that died here.

He finally recognized Cunningham. The years had not been kind to the man but it was the same killer who had found him in an alley and dragged him into this place so many years ago. It seemed that Cunningham had gotten smarter, using metal cuffs instead of ropes to bind his victims.

But he wasn’t the same helpless child that he had once been. Pulling the small pick that he always kept hidden in the hem of his shirt, Face began to work on the lock.

***TAT***TAT***

“Look,” Cunningham pleaded to the creature from his nightmares. “I brought him to you. Isn’t that enough?”

The white faced life-sized marionette turned to face the frightened man; speaking without moving its mouth.

“No. You have to finish it like you finished the others.”

“But…Men are my thing and I don’t think I can…” Cunningham didn’t know what to say to the monster. Even if he wanted to, he wasn’t sure if he could get himself ready with Freddy and his friends watching him. He knew they were still alive and they still hated him. They were waiting for a chance to get their revenge, only the marionette held them back.

“Not that!” The marionette wrinkled its face in disgust. “But you do have to put him in Goldie.”

Cunningham turned to look at the yellow haired robotic bear sitting in the chair on the stage. It had been easy to stuff a child’s body into those things but a grown man…He’d have to cut it up.

“All of him?” he asked

“The heart. You have to put the heart in.”

“Okay, you can do this,” Cunningham thought. He had already done so many horrible things in his life; one more wasn’t going to damn his soul any worse than it already was.

“Then we’re done?” he asked.

“Then I’m done with you.”

The marionette stressed the one word. Cunningham wasn’t sure what it meant but did he really have a choice. He nodded his head and gripped the sharp knife in his hand. He turned to face his prisoner then gaped at the open and empty cuffs laying on the floor.

Gone. He turned back to the marionette scared that he’d be blamed for this.

“Where is he?” the marionette shrieked, his long legs taking him to the floor in one step. “You were supposed to watch him!”

The bear, the chicken, the rabbit and the fox all cocked their head as if to consider the words but made no move to respond.

You’re supposed to be my friends!” The marionette turned sharply, his long nails slashing against the muzzle of the brown bear. Cunningham saw the fur wetting as something seeped from the wound.

“Could these things be harmed, be beaten?” he wondered. It didn’t matter; he knew that he didn’t have the courage to stand against them.

The left arm of the marionette grew to a ridiculous length as it grabbed Cunningham and drew him close.

“Find him!” the marionette order. “All of you! Find him, kill him and bring him to me!”

The puppet threw the man to the floor. Cunningham clambered to his feet and loped off into the darkness.

Even if it was for a few minutes more, he wanted to live and if the only way was to cut out the heart of another so be it. Behind him he heard the others starting to move.

Part Two

“Damn, damn, damn, damn,” Hannibal repeated as he struck his fist against the dashboard pf the van.

He should have listened to his guts. The whole thing had been a setup from beginning to end. One that they had almost walked in on except that Murdock had recognized one of the too casual window shoppers as a lieutenant who had accompanied Decker the last time that he had been at the VA.

So they had high tailed it back to Cunningham’s place only to find an unconscious Amy and a missing Templeton Peck. And as bad as that had been, it was nothing compared to what they had found when they searched the place.

“Hannibal,” Amy said in a quiet voice as she tugged at his sleeve. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

“Don’t,” Murdock said shaking his head as he pulled her back into her seat. “Just don’t. We’ll explain it later.”

“If there is a later,” he thought.

Looking in the eyes of the team, Amy decided not to ask any questions. None of this made sense; Cunningham turning out to be a plant for Decker, sending the team into a trap, drugging her and kidnapping Face.

It wasn’t the first time that someone grabbed Face. It was almost a monthly event for the conman but this time the team was really worried like, maybe, Decker or some bad guy wasn’t behind it. They had search Cunningham’s place for clues. They hadn’t found anything until Murdock brought those things out of the bedroom.

They were just stuffed toys; four little stuffed animals in some sort of band. But when Hannibal saw them, the blood ran out of his face and even BA looked like his knees were buckling. Then they ran to the van like the toys had told them were to find Face. She had barely made it into the vehicle before they took off.

But none of them would say where they were going.

“There’s the alley,” Hannibal shouted as he swatted BA on the arm.

“On it, Hannibal,” BA said. The tires squealed as he turned on two wheels into the alley then the brakes screeched as he slammed on them.

They were on the other street.

“What the hell?” BA muttered. “Hold on!” He executed a sharp U-turn back into the alley and stopped, back on the first street.

“Murdock,” Amy whispered to her friend. “I think I may have a concussion. I know we had to have driven through the alley but I don’t remember seeing anything.”

“It’s better if you don’t think about,” Murdock said as he undid his seatbelt. “We went through the looking glass a long time ago. Stay in the van.”

Murdock left the vehicle and joined Hannibal and BA at the mouth of the alley. They could see into it, all of the buildings and the trashcan. It looked perfectly normal but they had passed through it like a teleportation machine.

“I’m going in,” Hannibal said. “You guys stay out here until I call for you.”

“Hannibal,” BA said with panic in his voice. “You can’t. There’s something wrong in there. It’s not natural.”

“Whatever’s in there has got Tem,” Hannibal explained. “I’ve got to go.”

“Here take this.” BA took off a gold crucifix that his mother had given him before he got on the plane to Vietnam. She had told him that it would keep him safe. He hoped it would do the same for his friends.

“Thanks.” Hannibal put it around his neck, gave the guys a smile that he didn’t feel and stepped into the alley.

“Nothing,” he thought. “I don’t feel anything different.” He didn’t know what to expect but he hadn’t expected nothing. He took a few steps and still couldn’t discern anything wrong. He turned to call the guys and saw…

“Nothing?” They were gone, all of them even the van was gone like they had never been there. That’s when he realized how quiet it was. The sounds of the city were gone like he was in another world. He dithered about going forward to find Tem or going back to find the rest of the team; part of him wondering if he could get back.

“BA! Murdock! Can you hear me?” he yelled.

“Guys, what is happening?” Amy demanded as she got out of the van and walked to them. “Why is Hannibal standing in there yelling for us? It’s like he can’t see us.”

“I don’t think he can,” Murdock said. “He’s entered another dimension. I’m going to go get him.”

He started forward but was pulled back by BA. He was going to protest but stopped when he heard the corporal’s words.

“Remember what Billy said,” BA reminded him. “He said that if we go in there we got to be connected to this place.”

“What Billy said?” Amy gaped at BA. When had BA ever believed that Billy was real much less could say anything.

“We got some rope in the van,” BA continued. “We could tie it to the van, go in there and follow it back out.”

“It’s kind of thick,” Murdock said as he considered the suggestion. “Do you still have that clothes line; the one you tied me with last week. That’s thinner and longer.”

“Yeah. I’ll go get it.”

Amy watched as BA got the line and Murdock yelled at an oblivious Hannibal Smith. She heard the captain shout don’t when Hannibal turned from them and started deeper into the alley.

“Let’s go,” BA said with one hand on the clothes line and the other carrying their big bag of tools.

“Okay,” Murdock said as he grabbed a few of the items then turned toward Amy.

“Whatever happens,” he told her, “don’t leave and don’t let the line break.”

“Murdock,” Amy said in a scared desperate voice, “did Face put ypu up to this? Is it all some kind of a joke? Please, tell me is.”

“No joke,” Murdock said saner than she had ever heard him before. “And whatever you hear, don’t go in there. You’re going to be our only way out.”

She watched as they grabbed the line and walked into the alley. They caught up with Hannibal who seemed surprised to see them. She watched as they went forward and wondered what the hell was happening and why she was so cold.

***TAT***TAT***

“Hannibal breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered it was BA who had grabbed his shoulder. Even in the worst situation, he always felt better with one of the guys at his side.

“What took you so long?” he asked.

“Whatta you mean? We came right in.”

“I must have been walking for about a half hour. I can’t seem to find the end of the alley or Fazbears.”

“You can’t have been in here more than five minutes,” BA said shaking his head. “We’ve been shouting but it was like you couldn’t hear us.”

“You go to remember, “Murdock explained, “that reality and time might not work the same way in here than it does out there.”

“Hey, what about Billy?” BA asked. “He was able to help last time. Where is he?”

Murdock shook his head. He hadn’t seen his companion since the morning after he had found the toy cupcake. He hoped the dog was okay, like he hoped Face was okay, like he prayed there was something in BA’s bag that would work against whatever they were up against.

But he had a feeling that things were very not okay.

Part Three

Thwack…Thwack…Thwack.

Face smiled in grim satisfaction as another camera hit the ground. Once he started running, he had noticed the cameras following his movements down the darkened halls. If the consequences weren’t so deadly, it would have been amusing to think of that team of supernatural killers watching him on the security screens as he watched them so many months ago.

Aware that he was being tracked, Face pulled a thin metal pipe from the wall and started knocking the cameras down. If he was alive in the morning, he’d probably feel it in his muscles.

He jerked back when a high pitched scratchy sound retched through the air; someone or something was back on the intercom system.

“Hey boys and girls,” echoed the cheery voice into the silence of the building. “Are you ready to party? Let me introduce you to the band. There’s Freddy Fazbear on the guitar. He’s big and friendly and can

give you a hug that will snap your spine like a twig. Bonnie Bunny plays the bass. He’s got a winning bucktooth smile that can gnaw its way into your heart while his strong hands are ripping your arms out of their sockets. Foxy the Pirate is our resident swashbuckling rouge. While Freddy’s blunt teeth will crush your bones; Foxy’s sharp teeth will rip away your flesh in one bite. And let’s give a special hello to our gal Chica. Her hobbies are singing with the band and pecking out your eyes……Will Templeton Peck please report to the security office?”

“Yeah, like that’s going to happen,” Face muttered to himself. If his memory served him right, there should be one more camera right around…There.

He lifted the pipe and brought it down on the machine.

“The management would like to remind customers and staff that any willful destruction of restaurant property will result in extreme penalties…Hey boys and girls, today’s lucky number is 206. That’s the same number of bones in the adult human body. Now can you guess how many bones Freddy can break before you go unconscious? The answer…All of them…Will Mr. Richard Bancroft please report to Security Officer Cunningham to discuss broken security cameras?”

“Who the hell is Richard Bancroft?” Face wondered as he felt his way down the hallway.

He stopped when his hand brushed against something damp. He looked at it and then at the wall. The poster showed four kids huddled in a group. It was blurry and the lighting was bad so he couldn’t make out their faces but thin streams of fluid ran down their faces off of the poster onto the wall and finally down to the floor. There was a fifth child in the poster standing a little to the side; part of the scene but separate from the group. No tears ran down his face.

So what did that mean? He remembered the stories about the children killed in this place. Four children stuffed in the four robots and the fifth one who had escaped until now.

So was that child on the poster supposed to be him?

But he wasn’t dead. So who was the fifth child?

The next poster announced the coming of the newest member of the Fazbear family, Goldie the Bear. He looked like Freddy except for not having a hat and blonde fur. He recognized it from the mask that he had used to escape the first time he had been trapped in here.

The poster started flickering quickly like an old silent movie.

The poster started to move and change. No longer was it the friendly animal with the goofy smile; the eyes turned blood red as the head jerked back and forth and the jaws snapped open and shut. He only saw it briefly but he was sure that he saw a human skull inside of the head.

“Hey mom and dad,” said the voice over the speakers, “did you know that a thin metal pole can be a fun way to entertain bored kids on those rainy days? Back in ancient times they would suspend the little troublemaker in the air with the pole fixed firmly in his ass. Then they would put some rocks on him or

let his own body weight pull him down. You and the rest of the family will have lots of fun waiting for the pole to pop out of his mouth. Don’t forget to check the gift shop for that special gift for that special child on your list.”

The voice suddenly stopped leaving an ominous air behind as Face tried to banish the image that the tirade had formed in his mind. In the stillness around him, he became aware of the sound of heavy steps coming toward him.

“Damn,” he thought as he dived under a small wooden table, he had allowed himself to be distracted and that could be worse than fatal. He pressed himself as close as he could to the wall as the footsteps became louder and closer.

He held his breath as the procession of monsters walked by. Three times, he had seen how they effectively they could kill. He knew that if they found him, all that would be left of him was a missing person report filed by anonymous to let Hannibal know what happened to him.

He dared to open his eyes as the last one passed by. Red furry feet; he realized that it was the pirate with the sharp teeth and hook for a hand. He bit his lips as it stopped.

Face started reciting every prayer that he could remember from his life as he heard a large paw smack down atop the table. His throat constricted so hard that he couldn’t scream as he saw the crocodile smile and cold eyes looking right at him.

Face watched as Foxy brought one clawed finger to his lips and shushed for silence then stood up and hurried to catch up with the others.

Face had difficulty remembering how to breathe when he realized that he was alive and alone.

“What the hell?” he whispered. “What the hell was that?”

“Hey boys and girls,” came the words over the intercom, “do you know what day it is? Today is Templeton Peck’s birthday. We don’t know where he is right now but we have some of his friends who want to give him a special birthday message.”

Face’s back stiffened against the wall. Could they have captured the team?

“I never liked the fucking pretty boy,” boomed BA’s distinctive voice throughout the building. “He ain’t never been anything but a crook. He’s worthless. Even his own parents didn’t want him.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call us friends,” said the familiar twang of Murdock. “He was forced on us in Vietnam after every other commander in the army got fed up and got rid of him. We were about ready to get him court-martialed when the team was framed for that bank robbery. We’ve been stuck with him ever since. Whenever there’s a fight, one of us got to save his ass. He’s useless.”

“Now Murdock,” piped in Hannibal. “He’s not exactly worthless.”

“Aw, man,” BA said. “You’re only saying that because you’re fucking him.”

“Yeh, Hannibal. If he weren’t your lover, you’d have gotten rid of him a long time ago.”

“He’s not my lover, he’s my whore,” Hannibal said with a smirk in his voice. “There’s a difference. He’s still got some use in him and when it’s gone, he’ll be gone too.”

“Can’t wait,” BA muttered.

Face felt hot tears prickling at his eyes. He knew it wasn’t them saying those hurtful words but it still hurt.

“Hey boys and girls,” said the voice overhead, “I got a great idea. We have a lot of plans for Little Templeton Peck but he’s too much of a baby to come play with us. Maybe his friends want to play? How about it, Templeton; you or your friends?”

“Well that’s it for us, guys,” Hannibal said seemingly amused by the predicament. “Face has always been a cowardly bastard.”

“Let’s give Templeton ten minutes before we introduce his friends to the Mangler and start playing which organ is this.”

“It’s not them, it’s not them, it’s not them,” Face repeated like a mantra. It couldn’t be them but could he take the chance.

“You got to think things through,” Hannibal’s voice sounded in his head. Even in his imagination, the man’s voice was a comfort.

Things were different than last time but why? The first time, Freddy and his band moved swiftly and killed without conscious but this time they weren’t. The marionette seemed to be calling the shots but he hadn’t directly threatened him. He ordered Cunningham to do the deed.

Maybe this wasn’t him against Freddy and his band; maybe it was him against Cunningham.

The thought was strangely encouraging. At least, Cunningham was human and seemed as scared as him.

He thought about the pledge he made not to take a human life. Certainly if ever someone deserved to die it would be Cunningham the man who had violated and murdered those children and God knows how many others. But could he, should he do it?

What would Hannibal think of him if he killed Cunningham in cold blood?

Last time he had been told that he needed to last until morning. Maybe all (All?) he had to do was hold out until the sun rose then they’d let him go or, maybe, they’d hold him until the next night or, maybe, mornings never come to this place?

Bu what were his choices; facing down Cunningham or waiting until those things decided to take things into their own claws?

Gripping the pole, Face stood and slowly started walking toward the security room.

He wished he felt better about his decision but each step filled him with more certainty that he was going to die here and be forced to haunt its halls for all eternity.

Using all of the skills he had learned in Vietnam, he silently moved through the building. Even with the broken cameras, it made sense that Cunningham would hole up in the security room. The place only had one entrance except for the…

Face looked up at the ventilation vent. He hadn’t knocked the camera out of that one but would Cunningham be expecting him to go on the offensive.

“The management,” boomed the voice over the intercom, “regret to announce that our friend, Foxy the Pirate, has failed to follow instructions. He will be temporarily indisposed to remind him and his friends the importance of following orders.”

The next sound could only be described as a pain filled howl of an animal being tortured.

“Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria where the fun never ends.”

Face pulled up a chair and climbed into the vent. He focused on his sense of direction as he quietly made his way through the maze of metal tunnels. He remembered the security camera had been located right near the security office.

The sound of talon against metal brought his eyes up.

There was Freddy Fazbear at an intersection of the vents, his shoulder hunched as he stared at him. Face felt a cold sweat break out across his body. He had tried so hard and now it was over. He wondered if Freddy would kill him or drag him to Cunningham to finish the job.

The brown bear winked then crawled away.

Face collapsed and tried to calm his breath. Freddy hadn’t killed him.

For the tenth, hundredth or millionth time; he tried to make sense out of all that was happening. There had to be a reason why this was happening, why the creatures were acting as they did.

Were all of them, even Freddy, trapped by something or someone like he was? Had they let him go to draw out the mental torture or were they hoping he could save them from something worse than them? Was it the marionette or something else?

After a short crawl, he neared the final camera. He considered destroying it but realized the act would alert Freddy and Cunningham that he was coming. He decided to take a chance that no one was looking and he’d be able to sneak by.

He moved swiftly past the stationary camera. He held his breath and listened for any alarms to tell Cunningham that he was nearing. Pleased to hear nothing, he continued and soon found himself looking down into the security office.

Cunningham was alone at the desk, ignoring the security screens. His head lay on the desk as he shoulders heaved and shuddered. Face wondered if the man was crying. He hoped not as it would make what he had to do next harder.

The grate came off easily without a sound, probably because of all the times that Freddy and the others had used it to catch their prey unaware.

“Prey?” Face considered the word. “Was Cunningham his prey?”

“Cunningham?” he whispered unaware if they were alone.

The older man jumped to his feet knocking over the chair in the process to face the younger man.

“Aw, hell,” thought Face. “He’s got a gun.”

Face had always been taught, run from a knife and run toward a gun. Without any choice, he rushed Cunningham; low and hard trying to grab the weapon before it went off. Cunningham refused to give it up and they grabbled for the weapon

Face gasped as he heard the explosion from the gun followed by a searing path of pain that shot through his body.

He pushed Cunningham away so he could try for another rush but his left leg was no longer able to support his weight. He dropped to the ground with a defiant look on his face; whether the other man would finally kill him or hand him over to the horrors of this place, he would not beg for mercy.

Cunningham looked confused as the turn of events; he lifted the weapon then dropped like a sack of potatoes, a growing pool of blood forming around him. Cunningham gasped in pain as his hand tried to staunch the flow of blood from his chest.

Cunningham turned on his side and clawed on the ground as if trying to get to him; whether to kill him to be saved, Face didn’t know.

Deciding what he needed to do, Face reached out for the man as the door to the office burst open.

Face turned to see Freddy at the door, Bonnie and Chica behind him; all of them with red burring eyes.

It seemed as if they or whatever controlled them, had decided to take a more active role in this cat and mouse game. Again he was sure that he was going to die.

And then time stopped.

Part Four

The scent of electricity and brimstone hung heavy in the air. On one side, the door was frozen scant inches from banging against the wall and one of Freddy’s paws hovered in misstep above the floor. On the other side, Cunningham stared in horror at a well-dressed man who appeared from nowhere and stood looking down on him.

At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about the man except for the fact that he was in this hellhole and appeared so nonchalant. The man was good looking with black hair and black eyes which seemed bemused about the whole situation.

There was nothing about the man that looked dangerous but there was something about him that made Face hope that he wouldn’t notice him.

“”Shawn,” the man said as he squatted by Cunningham’s head, a smile of unmitigated joy on his face. “You should be very proud of yourself. I usually send one of my…assistants to bring people like you down but I’ve been waiting on you for a very long time.”

“I repent,” Cunningham mumbled as his breathes got more shallow. “I repent. I repent everything.”

“An insincere repentance at the last minute.” the man laughed as he stood back on his feet. “You don’t really think that old chestnut is going to work for the likes of you; not after all that you’ve done.”

Faces watched as the look of grief in Cunningham’s eyes were replaced by one of hope. He wondered why until he noticed the second man; a handsome regal looking bald black man whose eyes were fixed on the dying man.

“Lucie,” he said and smiled at the flinch that word evoked in the dark haired man.

“Amendiel,” Lucifer Morningstar said the name like as curse as he turned to face his brother. “You can’t really be planning to gift salvation to the likes of this.”

“Hardly.” Amendiel sniffed in disdained as he turned away. “Cunningham made his choices and must pay for them. I am here for the children, the ones that never had a choice in this place of damnation. It is time for them to finally come home despite your efforts otherwise.”

“Do not blame this place on me, dear brother,” Lucifer said as a red flame flickered angrily in his eyes. “Father was the one who gave man the ability to hate and hate so strongly. If innocents suffered, it was his doing not mine.”

“Do not question our father’s will!” Amenadiel said as he turned to face the devil. “He works ways that are above the knowledge of the likes of you!”

Lucifer was prepared to respond when he noticed they had an audience.

“Hello. What have we here?” he said with a friendly grin as his eyes met Face’s. He walked over and crouched down for a better look.

“It’s Templeton Peck,” he exclaimed as he stood and looked at the other angel. “You know I’ve always liked him.”

“Yes,” Amenadiel agreed. “He has seen the worst in the world but has always remained noble.”

“But so deliciously corruptible.” The smile on Lucifer’s face became wider.

“He has great potential.”

“He does, indeed.”

“He also can hear perfectly fine and doesn’t need you talking like he is not here.”

Face wanted to bite his tongue as soon as he had his say. He had a sense of who these…men were and the last thing he wanted to anger them but it always pissed him off when anyone talked like he wasn’t there.

“He’s a feisty one, isn’t he?”

Face jerked at the voice right next to his ear. He didn’t know who she was or how she had got there but he had never seen anything like her. Others had accused him of being lust personified but everything about this dark haired beauty screamed sex.

Hell, even her breath held a promise of a night of forbidden, but unforgettable, passion.

“Can I have him?” she purred as she ran one of her long nails across his cheek. “I promise I won’t hurt much.”

Amenadiel’s hand went to the hilt of some unseen weapon at his belt. He took a threatening step toward the succubus, his path stayed by Lucifer’s own upheld hand.

“Now Maze,” Lucifer said to the beauty, “it’s not yet his time. And I expect when his time does come, he will be a bit of a special case. Why don’t you be a dear and escort Mr. Cunningham to our place.”

A look of disappointment flashed across the lovely lady’s face as she got up and walked over to the other man.

“Well, this is a bit of a letdown,” she said as she stared down at the terrified man.

“Feel free to keep him entertained however you like until I can join you,” Lucifer said.

The smile that broke out on Mazikeen’s face was more terrifying than anything Face had seen in this place. She reached down, grabbed Cunningham by the scruff of the neck and dragged him to his feet in one pull.

To Face’s eyes, there were now two Cunninghams; one laying on the floor with unblinking eyes and one babbling as he tried to break free from steel grip of the strength in the woman’s hand.

“Please,” Cunningham begged. “Please don’t take me. I can…I can.”

“You can scream,” she said as they disappeared into the dark. “You can do that a lot.”

Face swallowed the lump in his throat. He tore his eyes away from where Cunningham disappeared and back to the two men.

“Well, don’t let me keep you,” Lucifer said as he clapped his hands together. “I’m sure that you have a lot to do; singing daddy’s praises and looking down your nose on everyone else.”

‘Do you think for one moment,” Amenadiel said with disbelief, “that I would leave you alone with this man?”

“Me?” Lucifer asked in mock outrage. “What’s wrong with leaving him with me?”

“You know that we are not allowed to interfere.”

“You’re the one who told him that the children’s souls were bonded here until their killer died.”

“I said nothing of the sort,” Amenadiel denied.

“It was implied and Templeton is a smart lad. He doesn’t need me to tell him that this place loses its strength with every soul that is freed.”

“Don’t!” Amenadiel cautioned.

“But don’t you feel sorry for him?” Lucifer asked as he stood on his feet and gestured to the conman.

Face did his best to look innocent, hopeful and pathetic. He couldn’t believe that Father Maghill had been right when he said that one day he’d be trying to con the angels.

“Look at him,” Lucifer beseeched. “Here he is, one of the good guys, trapped, through no fault of his own, in a situation he can’t possible hope to understand. He probably thinks that if these creatures fall then he’s safe.”

“I’m not?” Face asked desperate for any information, no matter who was willing to give it to him.

“No,” Lucifer said as he knelt back near Templeton. The comforting hand on his shoulder was negated by the patronizing voice of the devil. “Weakened is not beaten. There are still powers here that you must still conquer if you hope to survive this night.”

“That is enough!” Amedadiel shouted as he grabbed Lucifer by the collar and yanked him to his feet. “We are not to interfere! You will say no more!”

“Remember,” God’s fallen angel yelled as he was pulled away. “Fire cleanses as well as destroys. And next time you have a choice, remember who your friends are.”

Face watched as the black angel threw Lucifer against the wall; a sharp sword, which appeared from nowhere, pulled out and pressed hard against the devil’s throat. Face tried to rise to his feet to help but it was like fighting his way through molasses.

“You are trying my patience!” Amenadiel warned. “If you say another word, I will not be responsible for my actions.”

“Oh, we wouldn’t want that, would we?” Lucifer said putting his hands up in mock surrender. “I thought you and your ilk were the ones that were supposed to give comfort and help to the deserving; seems you’re the one falling down on the job.”

“You would know about falling.” Amanadiel sneered holstered his sword with flourish as he back away. “We have gotten what we came for and we will both leave this place.”

“Very well,” Lucifer said as fingered the scratch on this neck. “You know that you should really be more careful with that sword.”

“Should I?” Amenadial asked as he walked into the misty shadows.

“Yes. All that sword play, it appears that you cracked a window.”

“Oops.”

***TAT***TAT***

“John! Help me! Please!” screamed Face’s voice.

Hannibal chomped down on his cigar and hardened his heart to the terror he heard in the voice. It wasn’t the first time that he had heard it in this alley. The first time, he had nearly let go of the rope and ran to it until he turned and saw the tears running down BA’s face.

The corporal was crying because he was hearing his father’s voice calling to him, his father who had been shot and died many years ago.

Hannibal didn’t even want to think what Murdock was hearing and seeing. The captain had been feeling his way forward with his eyes closed and whistling loudly shortly after coming into the alley.

“How long have we been here?” Hannibal wondered.

It felt like they had been walking for hours, never seeing any signs of their destination. When he looked back, he couldn’t see Amy, the van or even the city; just a solid wall of fog. He wished he could say that about what was around him. That he could see clearly.

They passed building after building with names that he knew wouldn’t exist in the city. There were things that he couldn’t see that chittered, growled and hid in the darkened shadows. Sometimes, there were people, or what had once been people, looking out at them through the windows; covered in blood and decay. And then there were the changes of scenery.

The one through the fields of Vietnam had been interesting; him holding onto a rope as General Cho shot an American prisoner through the head, Murdock being wheeled away for electroshock treatment, General Morrison planning the Hanoi bank robbery, Decker plotting out a scheme to trap the team and executing them on the spot.

He wondered if the others were seeing what he was seeing.

“When we get out of here,” thought Hannibal, “because we are going to get out of here, I’m going to grab Tem and never let him go. Then I’m going to break every horror movie tape that we own and the first question we’ll ask any client is are there ghosts involved.”

Hannibal and the team stopped at the sudden sound of glass being broken as it echoed loudly in the alley. He wondered if it meant something or if it was another trap.

“Billy!” Murdock exclaimed happily as he let go of the rope. “He’s back!”

“Don’t, fool!” BA shouted as he grabbed Murdock by the arm and refused to let go. “That ain’t Billy. It’s just this place trying to get you.”

“No,” Murdock insisted. I saw him run by. I know his bark. It was him.”

“Stay put, captain,” ordered Hannibal. “We’ll check it out.”

“But can’t you feel it?” Murdock asked. “It’s different. It’s lighter. Something’s changed.”

Hannibal couldn’t deny that it did feel like something had changed, the air wasn’t as heavy and there was a feeling of…hope shining through the darkness of despair.

“Hannibal,” BA said. “There it is.”

Hannibal looked up and saw it; the back entrance of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

“Captain,” Hannibal asked, “can you see Billy?”

“Yeah, he’s scratching at the far left widow.”

“Okay. We go forward. When we get to the window, I’ll check it out. You two stay close enough to grab me if something happens.”

“What had changed?” Hannibal wondered. “What’s happening in there?”

Part Five

Face gasped in a breath of ice cold air which blasted him as the two angelic messengers disappeared. At the same moment, the crash of metal onto linoleum drew his attention as Freddy, Chica, and Bonnie fell in a pile on the floor.

Face shakily climbed to his feet. He placed a hand firmly against his left arm where blood seeped from a graze of Cunningham’s bullet. A quick glace told him that the man was dead as were the animatronics, if they were ever truly alive.

He cautiously moved toward them unsure if it might be a trick but there was no movement or spark of life. It might be his imagination but they seemed different. The smile on Freddy’s face seemed softer; more friendly and less maniacal.

If what he had heard was true then the souls which had been trapped were freed with the death of their killer.

Face picked up the metal pipe because if what he heard was true then it still wasn’t over but where was the threat.

He moved out of the security office and into the main party room. Foxy laid crumbled on the stage; his mechanical body broken and tore. Face wondered if it had hurt the fox when he had been punished for helping him. It would be stupid to go up on the stage and lay the body out in a more comfortable, more respectful position.

“I must be crazy,” he muttered as he climbed onto the stage.

As he moved closer, a strange tune began to play throughout the room. Face felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to prickle as he recognized ‘The Birthday Song’. It sounded like what one might hear from a hand cranked toy. His eyes went to the large brightly painted wooden square and realized that it wasn’t supposed to be a present, it was a Jack-in-the-box.

The song ended. There was a loud cracking sound as the top of the box opened and a long spiderlike leg and arm popped out of the box; the marionette.

It pulled itself out of the box and arched itself to its full height. It cocked his head and stared at Face with red burning eyes full of anger.

“Why do you hate me?” it asked.

“I don’t hate you. I don’t even know you.” Face held the pipe in front of him like a crucifix. The creature looked the same but its voice was different, changing.

“You made them leave,” the marionette said as he gestured to Foxy on the stage. “They were my friends and you made them leave.”

“I didn’t make them leave. They’re free. They didn’t belong here.

I don’t belong here!” the marionette screamed as it took a threatening step forward. Face clutched the pipe tighter as he waited for the creature to make its next move.

“But you do,” it said. “You made this place. It’s all here because of you.”

“Me?”

“You were supposed to die here, not me. You killed me.”

“I didn’t kill you,” Face denied taking a step back. Before his eyes, the creature began to change. It became smaller, more humanlike. He didn’t understand what he was talking about. The only people that he had ever killed had been in Nam.

“How?” he asked.

“My birthday. The car that hit me killed me. Your fault!” The creature had fully morphed into a boy, probably not more than four or five; his hands were clenched in anger as he glared at Face.

“It wasn’t,” Face said as he remembered the incident, the last time that he had seen his father. “I was a child too.”

“Your fault,” shouted the boy with a timber that reminded Face that it was no longer human. “I heard your daddy say that it was your fault. It was my birthday. I shouldn’t have died. It wasn’t fair. It should have been you; not me.”

“It wasn’t…”

“It was!” The boy’s eyes burned the same red light then faded to blue. “You know, I waited for you. Then you came back here. You were supposed to stay that time, join me but you sent another boy. So he died instead of you.”

“When Freddy bit that boy’s head, it was…”

“I wanted a friend,” the boy smiled with what was a mockery of a sweetness. “You weren’t coming so I couldn’t leave. I didn’t want to be alone. Then the man came and he brought me more friends.”

“Could you..” Face hesitated, horrified to ask the question or know the answer. “Could you have stopped it?”

The boy looked perplexed by the question.

“Why would I do that? I wanted friends and he brought me friends. My friends made me stronger. Then he brought you and I was so happy.”

“But you ran away,” the boy’s smile turned to a frown. “You knew all of this was your fault and you ran away. Then I got angry. I found out that didn’t need the man anymore. I could play with my friends all the time. Other people would come and we’d play hide and seek. That’s when I found you again. The man was supposed to bring you to me and make you stay but he didn’t. I was going to punish him but you did it for me.”

Face closed his eyes and shook his head.

“None of this is your fault,” he told himself. “Not Cunningham, not the children, not the accident, none of the deaths.”

“But they are,” the boy said as if reading Face’s mind, “and you need to be punished.”

Face recognized the threat in the tone. He reacted more from instinct than a plan as he swung the pipe in a large arc.

The marionette, which had replaced the boy, screamed in pain as the razor like fingernails that had shot out at its prey shattered, splattering drops of black blood throughout the room.

“Bastard!” it yelled as it drew its claw back and licked the blood from his hand.

“It’s over!” Face said. “The others went home. Go!”

“No! Not without you!”

Face kept his eyes on the creature but a sound down the hallway distracted him. Instantly the creature’s hand was around his throat, crushing his windpipe and dragging him close.

“Ready to die?” it asked.

“Tem!” shouted Hannibal’s voice. “Can you hear me? Are you in there?”

“Was this another trick?” Face wondered.

He tried to make a sound but the pressure on his neck was too great. Black spots began to cloud his vision as he fought to remain conscious.

“More friends,” said the marionette with a sharp smile. “Shall I have you watch them die?”

Face eyes widened as he heard his voice come from the creature’s mouth.

“John!” it yelled in Templeton’s voice. “I’m here. Help me!”

It threw Face hard against the wall, not looking as he crumbled to the floor. Face’s hand went to his throat as he tried to shout but was only able to make a horse croak. Ignoring the pain in his body, he groped into his pocket and pulled out a lighter.

“Fire burns,” he said repeating the words that he had heard. “It destroys and it cleanses.”

It didn’t matter if he died here and spent the rest of eternity as that thing’s toy, he couldn’t let any of his friends suffer that fate. Turning on his side, he held the light to a pile of tablecloths, breaking into a smile as they exploded into a burst of flames.

“Don’t!” shouted the creature using the boy’s voice. Its right hand shot up and out as it reached for his enemy. But Face was too fast for it, he rolled under a table which had been left to rot for too many years and lit the flame again.

If the anger of the creature was anything to go by, he was on the right track. He looked around for something that would easily burn when spiderlike fingers grabbed the back of his shirt. In the blink of an eye, his toes were dangling above the ground as the creature held him high in the air.

“Do you think this will stop me!” the marionette demanded as he shook the conman hard enough to make his teeth ache. “You and your friend are in my world! Soon they will be my friends. They’ll watch you die! They’ll help me tear you to pieces!”

The marionette prepared to throw him again but this time Face was ready. Twisting, he grabbed the creature by the shoulder, dropped his weight and stuck his foot in its midriff.

Despite the force of the throw, Face did not let go pulling the creature off balance. He somersaulted as he hit the ground and kicked his leg up. The creature flew through the air and crashed to the ground. Judging by the sparks that erupted in the darkness, Face guessed it had landed on the burning table.

The pinpoints of lights looked like stars above him. He watched as the floated to the ground, some igniting when the landed. The conflagration had started and, he hoped, would be unstoppable.

As the room began to fill with smoke, Face knew he needed to get out but the last fight had taken something out of him. The ache in his arm reminded him that he had been shot. He hurt, he was tired and he just wanted to rest.

But that wasn’t him. He had fought his entire life. He would be damned if he would meet death meekly on his back.

As he turned up on his knees, the smoke of the flames filled his lungs and he started to cough. Somewhere in the flames, he could hear screams of pain. He ignored them as he crawled away. Face wondered if it was a violation of his oath to let something die that was already dead.

The place was going up fast. He knew that he probably only had minutes to get out but he wasn’t sure where the exit was. His only choice was to go forward and hope for the best.

He wondered if that had been Hannibal’s voice he had heard. While he was grateful that they had come for him but he hoped they hadn’t been able to get in. They would want to rescue him and it was hopeless. He had been fated to die here since the day his father had killed that boy. This cursed place should not be the end of the A-Team.

He crawled slowly through the smoke, only lifting his head intermittently to see if he was going in the right direction. A part of him noticed that the screaming had stopped. He hoped that meant it was over

A sound drew his attention. He lifted his head and saw three large dark shadows lumbering toward him. They were back. He had tried his best and failed. The largest and closet one reached out for him. He swung out weakly. The creature, probably Freddy, easily dodged it then grabbed him.

Struggle was futile but he tried anyway but it was no use.

“Hannibal,” he muttered before the blackness won and he went limp.

***TAT***TAT***

“Looks like new,” Face observed as he blinked his eyes open and saw he was back in the main party room. He was, surprisingly, clean and unhurt; sitting at an unbroken table which was covered with a brightly checkered tablecloth. He contemplated the cupcake in front of him; strawberry with white frosting; a lit candle stuck in it and, thankfully, no googly eyes.

He contemplated the candled cupcake which sat across from him; chocolate with chocolate frosting and the small boy in the chair. He recognized the him, the once human side of the marionette, the small lost soul responsible for all of this horror. He looked like any other boy his age; sitting on the chair with his hands folded in his lap and his bangs in his eyes.

After everything that had happened, this was a pleasant scene; he could smell fresh bread baking in the kitchen as Freddy Fazbear and his band, including an undamaged Foxy, played a happy tune.

“Today’s my birthday,” the little boy said. “It’s your birthday too.”

Face shrugged, he hadn’t known that. While he wasn’t sensing any threat but remained on guard.

“I died on my birthday.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Face said. He meant it, the death of any child was wrong.

“I always thought it was your fault. You didn’t even know my name but you killed me.”

“I’m sorry it happened,” Face repeated, “but it wasn’t me fault.”

“That’s what they told me. They said I can come home but I have to talk to you first. I have to forgive you.”

“It’s o…”

“But I don’t,” the boy looked up with a wicked smile. “I’ll never forgive you.”

In an instant, the boy was gone replaced again with the marionette. Face jerked back as the sharp fingers of the creature shot forward, aimed directly for his heart.

“DIE!” it shouted.

***TAT***TAT***

“NO!” Face yelled as he sat up. He nearly screamed again as he felt large hands grabbing and pulling him. He tried to strike out and kick but they had too tight ahold of him. He relaxed as he smelt the familiar scent of cigars and Old Spice.

“Ha…Hannibal?” he asked shakily. “Is that you?”

“Shhh,” Hannibal said as he hugged the young man close and gently patted his hair. “It’s alright. You’re safe.”

“Is it really you?” Face asked looking up at the older man with fear. “It’s not a trick? It’s really you?”

“It’s me, kid,” Hannibal answered as he continued his comforting ministrations. “You’re safe.”

“Murock? BA?”

“They’re safe too. We found you and got you out. It’s okay.”

Hannibal pressed the kid’s head into his shoulder. He tried not to remember how scared he had been. When he had heard the call for help, he had climbed through the broken window without any thought of his own safety. It was only after the others followed him that he considered that the whole thing might be a trap.

He considered sending the others back out but once they saw the smoking filling the rooms, they all rushed forward desperate to find their youngest before it was too late. They had found him trying to crawl away from the flames. He fell unconscious the moment they reached him. It had been so close, so very close.

“What happened?” Face asked unsure if he wanted to know.

“It’s gone,” Hannibal answered. “They let it burn down.”

It had been another strange event in a night filled with the unexplained. When they had gotten Face out, the fire department was already there, the men stood around the truck watching the building burn.

They weren’t the only ones, a couple of police cars showed up and people, probably neighbors, stood soundlessly not doing a think to control or stop the fire. A few obviously prayed as they watched it go down.

And it burned, completely to the ground; none of the flames touching the surrounding buildings.

Even though he feared that Face might need medical treatment, they watched too; wanting to ensure that nothing escaped, nothing was left. When it was gone, the crowd, even the police, began to drift away; no one them asking question or making a move to stop them.

As they walked away, a police caught their eye and gave a nod of gratitude. Hannibal returned it unsure what he had done to deserve it.

A shaken Amy drove them back to the safe house. A few times she looked like she was going to say something, to ask a question, but she changed her mind and said nothing.

For which they were all grateful as they had no answers.

“Is it over?” Face asked.

“Yeah,” Hannibal answered pulling Face even closer. “It’s over.”

Hannibal hoped that it was true.

***TAT***TAT***

“It wasn’t fair!” the marionette raged inwardly. “I was fast, faster than lightening. I would have had the bastard if I hadn’t been stopped.”

He turned, lashing out; wanting to hurt whoever had stopped him from having his revenge. He screamed as his wrist was bent back, breaking bones and driving him to his knees.

“Come on Freddy,” Lucifer Morningstar said as he pulled the creature, now a boy again, to his feet. “It’s time to come home.”

And so little Frederick Dixon who was killed at age four by a hit and run driver finally went home, decades after his death swearing to himself that this wasn’t over.

The End