William found himself trapped inside his dreams once again, taunted by the demon that lived in his mind. By now, the scene was painfully familiar. A voice called out to him—a voice he had grown sick of hearing.
"William, when will you learn? You can't escape me. You can't escape that which lives in your mind."
The demon's laughter followed, grating and manic. William had come to despise that sound.
"How about we have some fun?" it asked, its tone dripping with sadistic enthusiasm.
William already knew what it meant. Another twisted game.
"Do I even have a choice?" he muttered.
The demon laughed again, delighted.
"Now you're getting it, William!"
"What did I ever do to you?" William snapped, anger finally surfacing.
"Me? Oh, nothing, my dear William. I simply find your suffering amusing."
In an instant, the scenery shifted. William found himself standing in an alleyway. Henry was there—struggling, gasping for breath—before collapsing to the ground. William stayed silent, unmoved. The demon had shown him illusions like this so many times that the emotional sting had long since dulled.
Then a sudden, searing pain tore through William's back. He cried out in agony.
"I was hoping for some psychological torment," the demon said, its voice echoing behind him, "but I suppose physical pain works just as well!" The laughter that followed was sharp and triumphant.
The demon's voice shifted to disappointment. "It seems I'll have to torment you more later. Your dear Jennifer has noticed you stirring. A shame, really — I was just starting to have fun."
Its grin lingered in William's mind as the dream dissolved.
He jolted awake, sitting up in bed, breath unsteady.
Jennifer laid a hand on his chest. "Hey, hey, calm down, Will! I'm right here! It's okay. You're okay."
She didn't need to ask about the nightmare. This had happened many times before.
"Same nightmare again?"
He nodded.
"Maybe you should stay home today," she suggested softly.
"No, honey. Henry needs my help. He can't do this on his own."
After a moment, he added under his breath, "No one should have to do anything on their own."
Jennifer was concerned about the latter comment, but she decided not to pry. She placed a hand on his arm. "Just be careful, okay? You've been zoning out a lot lately."
"I'll be careful, darling," he assured her.
He got dressed, steadied himself, and drove to work.
At the pizzeria, Henry was already performing on stage. William retreated to Parts and Service, inspecting animatronic components with methodical focus—anything to keep his mind anchored.
Once he finished checking for flaws and malfunctions, he stepped out of the room.
A wave of darkness swept over his vision.
His knees buckled.
And he collapsed as everything faded to black.