Deceptive

Ashes

It was a bit more difficult getting everybody out of the elevator than it was getting them in. Especially with the injured arms and/or legs almost half of them were sporting.

Foxy was second to last out, receiving a boost up from Riley. His eyes were immediately assaulted by the early morning sunlight the moment he was back in the shed. They had been down there all night. It felt like longer, though.

The air outside was unbelievably refreshing. He hadn't realized how musty it was down in those rooms.

All of them stood in the backyard for a good six minutes trying to recollect themselves before heading back into the house. The building was a lot less threatening with light pouring through its windows, uncovering what was hidden beneath shadows during the night.

They passed through the living room first.

Then they went down that long stretch of hallway.

They were only a good five feet away from that fallen front door when they all came to a halt. The sound of splintering wood abruptly cut through the air.

"Wh-what w-was that?"

The question was answered with a distorted growl.

Elizabeth brought her fist against her forehead. "Oh for Scott's sake, I forgot to block off the dirt passage that leads to the pantry."

"It's okay. We can still take care of this thing. It's gotta be mostly charred now. And weaker," Charlie said quickly.

"Yeah!" Foxy turned to look at the rest of the group. "How do we take care of it?"

"First things first, I'd strongly recommend putting distance between it and us," Elizabeth told them, seeming quite angry with herself.

Everyone continued towards the door, moving a little faster than they had been.

Foxy took three steps forward. He had apparently chosen a bad place to step because the floor sunk in beneath his foot. He attempted to pull it out, but couldn't. "Guys, I'm stuck!"

The Wolf lumbered out of the kitchen, flames still eating at its body.

Foxy could feel the heat radiating off of it. He kept trying to pull himself free. "Crap. Guys!"

Riley turned to Charlie. "Pass me that axe. Fox and I will meet you all outside."

With a small flash of hesitance, Charlie tossed the axe to the redhead before her and the other four went outside.

Riley had lost to that metal monster once before and she wasn't gonna lose to it again. She was going to conquer something else that haunted her, and she was gonna stop that thing from killing her friend because nobody she cared about was gonna die if she could help it. Especially not him.

Riley raced back across the hallway to where they both stood. In one swift movement, she swung upward. The axe struck The Wolf in the jaw, knocking its head back before it could sink its teeth into Foxy's skull.

If you had asked Riley what she had said while she hit that thing, she wouldn't be able to tell you. All she knew was that it wasn't anything nice. And with each word she spoke, she swung the axe into it again. She swung as hard as she possibly could, not caring which part of it she hit.

The Wolf was slower. It was weaker. And it wasn't taking her beating very well.

It started to get further and further away from Foxy with each hit it took.

The flames that consumed it were connecting with the ceiling.

Foxy could do nothing but watch in awe as he continued to try and free his foot.

Without warning, part of the ceiling collapsed. A load of plaster, wood, metal, and a rotting wardrobe fell onto The Wolf, pinning it to the floor.

After pausing for a moment in slight surprise, Riley threw her weapon down and made her way back over to her friend. "Let's get the hell out of here before this place collapses too, yeah?" She seized Foxy by the underarms and pulled him free.

She made sure that he was in front of her as they rushed out of the burning house together. The two of them stumbled out to the front yard where everybody else was anxiously waiting.

After he stopped coughing, Foxy let himself collapse onto the cracked pathway. "Oh Scott, we made it out. We all made it out."

He turned himself around after spending a few minutes catching his breath, looking up at the large fire that was burning the Afton house to the ground. He watched the thick, black smoke rise up into the sky. It was all going to burn until nothing remained. All the evidence of what had just transpired. Everything...

The guttural, mechanical screech of the Wolf was still piercing through the air.

Foxy looked back at his friends.

Sure, they were all bloody, bruised, and damaged. But they were there. Freddy, Michael, Ballora, Charlie, Elizabeth, Riley.

Miles had presumably vanished.

Foxy let himself fall back on the cold concrete. It was refreshing, considering how sweaty he was and how sore he felt. "What do we do now?" he asked after a long while.

"I dunno, call the fire department, stop by a hospital, maybe get some sleep," Charlie offered.

"Honestly, I'm fine with whatever gets us far, far away from here," Riley muttered.

"Me too..." Michael agreed.

The group started making their way back to the car.

Foxy continued to lay on the ground.

Riley leaned over him, brushing her hair out of her face. "You need help up?"

"I think so."

Foxy accepted her outstretched hand and she pulled him to his feet with ease.

"Hey, whenever we finally get home to sleep, do you think you can check under my bed? Just one last time?"

Despite everything, Riley let out a genuine laugh. "Sure, Fox."