AoN: Countdown to Madness

Brutality

Josh POV

    Foxy's question lingered in my head for a while. Throughout the rest of the day until I came back from linking David's mind. Ever since I found out about Jack, I was focused on getting my revenge. The question is why? What's the end goal of this?

Vengeance? Too obvious. It has to be deeper than that.

Suffering? Well, he certainly didn't suffer that much when I was still human...

Death? I'm still not sure about that one.

Justice.

    I'm in one of the halls, so there aren't any screens for me to look at. Great, now I have a voice in my head! I swear, I shouldn't be surprised at this point since I can turn into a giant freaking wolf! I mean, if ghosts can make a guy put on a robot suit and get crushed to death, who's to say anything else is possible.

"Mind explaining yourself?", I don't bother hiding the bitterness in my voice.

It's obvious, isn't it?, the cryptic-ness is getting to me fast.

"Will you just tell me before I rip my hair out trying to kill you?"

Your sister., my heart stopped at that.

"What...about her?", I ask calmly.

She was your reason for going on. You said yourself that you didn't want her to suffer like you did. But he took you away from her.

"I...", I tried to say.

That's why you lashed out., it kept going, That's why you're so angry. It hurts, doesn't it? Knowing you won't be able to come near her the way you are. She won't even recognize you.

"Shut up!", I snap, "You don't know anything about me! You're just some stupid voice in my head that's trying to back me out of this, but I'M NOT!"

Then what are you going to do to Jack once you face him?

"I DON'T KNOW, DAMN IT!", I slouched against the wall heavily, "I don't know...but I need to do this, no matter what happens."

"Even if it means losing your humanity?", I didn't bother looking up at the bear.

"I'm sticking to my plan, and you know that.", I said quietly, "Nothing's gonna change my mind."

I felt him touch my head gently, "I just want to make sure this is what you really want. I don't want you to fall down the same path as us."

I shudder, "Then what do I do? Jack took everything from me with that fire— he brought me to this! I still don't know what I'm going to do, and if I really do it..."

    I don't know what to feel. I want to see this through to the end, and yet my head just screams at me to back down! It doesn't help that the voice keeps switching sides. My whole body feels heavy  like I'm just being weighed down by a 2-ton ball. A hand under my chin forced me to look up, seeing orange eyes looking into my own.

"No matter what happens in the end— or what choice you make, I'll still be here for you. We all are..."

    As if on cue, the cubs emerged from him and crawled onto me. Their small growls made them seem like puppies— slightly crazy, but adorable puppies. I slowly raised a hand and rubbed one of their heads, the disheveled but soft fur gliding across my fingers and making me smile slightly. Either I really am messed up in the head or Freddy and his cubs have some effect on me.

"You look like you could use a break from all this.", he said.

"Yeah.", I sighed, "That reminds me, I got David ready for you. I could take the night off as long as you give him a good scare."

"I'm guessing it wasn't the same with Foxy."

"What can I say?", I shrug, "The guy's a pirate, being lenient isn't something they do."

~~*~~

3rd Person POV

Something's going on.

    Jack knew from the moment Marissa pulled him aside and asked if they could have some space. They usually held up a great relationship and rarely had any fights! That was only the beginning, as not too long after Adam woke up shaken up and paranoid. He kept mumbling about something being after him and wanting to cut him. He ended up distancing himself from Jack as well, which only left David— well, it should leave him.

As Jack waited at his locker for his friend, he didn't see him in the wavering crowd of students.

Damn it. What the hell is going on with them?, he thought, First Marissa, then Adam, and now David! Something strange is going on...

    He brought himself out of his head in time to see David making his way over. A smile came to Jack's face to see his friend, but it quickly faltered as he got closer. He was shaking, hands clammy and fiddling with his fingers. Jack sighed, knowing the same conversation was about to start.

"Let me guess, something happened and now you're terrified to be around me?", he asked, getting a small nod.

"T-there's something e-else, though.", David said shakily, "The...th-thing, it told me to bring you a message."

"What?", this caught his surprise, "Do you remember what you saw? What was it?"

"I don't know, alright!?", he snapped, "Look, it said not to say anything to anyone, just to tell you..."

Jack braced himself, mentally preparing for whatever bombshell was about to be dropped.

"'He's coming back.'"