Forever To Be Free. (Finale of That Time in 1987)

The Enemy

Freddy's POV

Freddy had been whipped before. 

Freddy had been tortured before. 

Freddy had even died before.

But no pain could amount to what he felt now.

He had watched his best friend die. He was stranded in the middle of a desert with no hope whatsoever. The world was at stake and in the palm of a purple maniac. Stress. Anger. Despair. Every negative thing coursed through Freddy's veins. 

But all he could do was walk.

They walked across the scorched wasteland, slipping through the sizzling sand and being baked alive by the sun above. Eventually, Freddy's shoes ripped to the point where they slipped off of his feet. 

Bonnie crested a hill, sweat pouring down her face. She panted heavily, her eyes little slivers. Suddenly, her eyes rolled up into her head and her body collapsed over the side of the hill like a rag. Freddy lazily stumbled down the hill after Bonnie as she rolled down. He slipped on the sand and collapsed as well. His eyes closed lightly as he swiftly welcomed sleep into his consciousness. 

*     *     *     *     *

Once Freddy noticed the heat pressing against his cheek, he immediately sprang into full energy. He scrambled up to his feet and looked around, his eyes wild. Chica and Bonnie were collapsed next to him, their chests rising and falling softly. Freddy felt the need to wake them up, but something told him that it wouldn't be the best idea. 

Whooo . . . WHOOOOSH!!! 

A loud boom echoed through the endless desert, bringing Freddy to abrupt alertness. He spun around, his eyes searching and scanning the sky. Finally, his eyes landed on a small army of dark shapes in the distance. They made sounds like helicopters and rockets. 

"They're . . . they're coming . . ." Freddy whispered. "Guys! We're gonna be rescued! Get up!"

Neither of the girls stirred.

"Guys! Come on, we're getting out of here!"

Still nothing. Why weren't they moving?

Freddy crashed to his knees next to Chica, putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking her lightly. "Chica!" he whispered urgently. "We're gonna be saved! Wake up!"

Under her eyelids, her eyes stopped moving for a moment. She opened her eyelids softly, her groggy gaze meeting Freddy's. She smiled a little. "You really mean it?"

Freddy looked out into the horizon where the helicopters and planes were. Oddly, he didn't see them. He could still hear the light whirrr of the engines, but no helicopters in sight . . .

Wait . . .

Freddy looked down at Chica, whose soft gaze immediately widened into a shocked stare. She gasped hard and trembled, her eyes locked onto something directly above them. Freddy shivered as well, even in the hot desert air. He tentatively allowed his gaze to drift upward.

An army of animatronics circled above them like vultures preying on their next meal. A bear -- this time with "friendly" rosy cheeks and a plastic animatronic shell -- made eye contact with Freddy. The bear's eyes immediately began to glow red. It put out its hand, aiming at Freddy. 

"Get up!" Freddy screamed, grabbing Chica's arm and heaving her to her feet. "Get Bonnie, I'll deal with the animatronics as best as I--"

An unseen explosion rocked the air, heat increasing rapidly. Freddy was knocked off of his feet by the force, face planting in the sand. He spun around on the ground, feeling his wings eject from his back. Immediately, he exploded from his position and soared up into the air with incredible speed. His wings cut through several of the animatronics, each bursting into a fury of flame and sparks. He pounded his wings and spun around. Each robot shot at Freddy like small bullets. He darted to the sides and plunged into several nosedives. The animatronics wouldn't get off his tail--

"AGH!" he yelled as an animatronic grasped his ankle with an iron grip. Freddy desperately flapped his wings, but there was no use. Exhausted, he allowed himself to hang upside down, several feet above the sand.

He looked down and saw two other animatronics zooming toward Chica and Bonnie. Each of them were grabbed by the animatronics and slowly lifted into the air.

A static voice suddenly began speaking, as though someone had turned on the radio.

". . . Hello, kids. It's me. Jonathan. I see you're missing one person. What a shame. Ha . . . just kidding. I don't want any of you to die right now. I need you . . . or more specifically . . . what you hold. If you're lucky, I might just spare you. My friends will now knock you out, and you will wake up in . . . possibly a familiar place. We'll just have to see where my friends take you to. Have a good day."

Freddy expected the blow to come, and indeed, it did. Pain exploded in his head and consciousness immediately slipped away.