Cherophobia

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Disclaimer: I would like to say that I am not the one who wrote this story. I assisted in its creation but most of the credit goes to EclipsingJelly036. I am posting it on their behalf because they do not have any accounts on this site. Please go and check out his YouTube channel and show it some love!
https://www.youtube.com/@eclipsingjelly9572

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47039527
Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14230771/1/Cherophobia
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1341575581-cherophobia-untitled-part-1
Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/dcdd/art/Cherophobia-961583588
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/halogenrobotics/716766892722913281/cherophobia?source=sha...
Quotev: https://www.quotev.com/story/15749284/Cherophobia/1


The hallways were eerie…walls coated in stains…and the shadows gathered up at each corner…

Everything seemed to be faded. Metallic pipes crawled across the ceiling and branches out to different sections of the Pizzaplex’s loading dock. Vanessa was having a hard time eyeing her surroundings. The occasional red and purple static flashed with her vision. She was seeing things from electrical currents and sparks of light. Her sight was a warzone of glitchy lightning and zipping shadows. She could hear those voices. Those same voices telling her something. Over and over again. She couldn’t catch a break.

She caught her shadow as she skipped past another light cast. Bunny ears flopped from her head, a white sewn rabbit suit danced across the hallways. She felt her breath trapped in the mask she wore. She could sense she wasn’t herself, and yet she was still operating like this. It was like she knew she wasn’t in control and yet she had the conscience of knowing that….

Vanessa felt her mouth twist into a wicked smile. Something had sprinted across the far end. A short figure, she assumed. Her mind tried to fight it off. Why was she smiling? Why was she looking for him? Why was she in this suit?

Her heels continued skipping across the figure. He couldn’t have gotten far. She would find him. She knew this place like the back of her hand.

“Are you having fun yet?” She spoke in a distorted voice that would strike terror into the ears of any child.

That phrase somehow felt like it was meant for her. Someone was asking her that question through her own voice. But who?

Vanessa wanted to cry out for help, but she couldn’t force herself to stop. She continued skipping along the floor, unable to drop that gleeful forced smile spread along her face.

She reached a room, entering through the doorway. And there he was, the person she was looking for. Across the end of the room, sat a child. He was facing an arcade cabinet, desperately embracing the joystick controls like his life depended on it. He turned around to look at her, and Vanessa got a quick glimpse of horror shown by that child’s eyes.

“Game Over…Gregory…” she muttered, as she walked to the boy.

Gregory didn’t flee. He couldn’t. He was trapped. All he could do was play the arcade game. Vanessa’s hand was now inches away from grabbing his head. The screen flashed with the words “COMPLETED!!!” before the game configured it into “ERROR!”. Gregory froze. He had beaten it. Three golden stars appeared on the screen before the power cut out.

Suddenly Vanessa stopped dead in her tracks. Her vision went black. She stood still. The last thing she heard was the sound of a man’s distorted scream, it’s call left her. Her surroundings grew quieter as the scream echoed away from her mind. She felt limp in the legs, crouching down before flailing her arm to grab on a desk. She almost fell, yet she remained conscious. Her hand willingly pulled off the rabbit mascot mask from her face, her eyes shut. She started to breathe the fresh air. Vanessa now felt that she had control over herself. Slowly she opened her eyes, only to see her vision had been returned to normal. She was free.


Several months later…




Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!



Vanessa groaned sleepily as her hand slammed across her alarm clock. Her eyes peeked at the glaring red numbering of her wake up call.

6:00 AM

Vanessa rolled her eyes and got up slowly, yawning as she stretched her arms. Her hair was in a mess. She turned to the side of her bed and reached out for her phone.

“One unread text?” She stared, puzzled.

Unlocking her phone, she swiped until she found the message. “See you at 12, Ness” Vanessa blinked in confusion. She scrolled up a little further. Then she noted the time on her phone. It read 10:00 AM. Her alarm clock had messed up! Vanessa’s eyes shot wide open and she remembered. “Oh no! I’m going to be late!”

She quickly got out of her bed and rushed to the sink. She cleared her face, as she balanced the rush of dressing up while trying to look nice. This wasn’t a job she was preparing for. It was so much more. She glanced at her phone again. “I can make it! It’s not far from here.”

She brushed her teeth and hair before selecting something to wear. Her eyes fell on a black jacket to top it all off. “Oh gosh…I hope this will be enough..”

Her heart raced as she sprinted to get one last glance at the mirror before nodding to herself. Without another word, she exited her room. The living room was quiet. A piece of paper left for her by the exit door. Vanessa picked it up. It was a crayon drawing of Glamrock Freddy and a curly haired boy with the doodle of “See ya after school! -Gregory” sketched alongside.

Vanessa gave a warm smile as she pocketed the drawing and finally exited her apartment without another word.



///////////////////////////////////////////////////////



So much time had passed since she had left the Pizzaplex. Months in fact. Gregory back then was just a child without parents. Vanessa worked as a VR beta tester before she found a security job waiting for her at Fazbear Ent.’s latest establishment. What happened in the past, she could barely think about without feeling uneasy. As crazy as her story was, she was mind controlled. Under the influence of what she could only describe as a virus. It had infected her, twisted her imagination and bent her will. This virus, this evil presence had corrupted her back in her VR testing job. She kept acting strange, sometimes a sweet bubbly worker, and other times an unstable mess with strange thoughts. Thoughts that told her to commit murder. It scared her, knowing she could just snap at any moment back into what she believed to be a monster.

Gregory was a target. The virus infection kept telling her to capture him. And she had to obey. There was no fighting what was already inside her head. Sometimes she lost track of what happened when the virus lessened its influence in her normal state. But those memories were more buried than faded. Waiting to be dug up again, she feared.

Then the unexpected happened. The little boy she was chasing had freed her. Somehow, through the means of beating an arcade game, she no longer felt the presence of the virus in her anymore. Gregory had done it. It was over. It took some time but it all started coming together. Seeing that Greg had nowhere else to go, she decided to take care of him. It was a rough start as Greg had to learn to trust her. Vanessa understood, she needed to earn this child’s heart. He had been all alone, with her trying to chase him down. But as the days turned into weeks, Greg now feels safe around her. It was the least she could do, to provide a home for him.

Gregory preferred to catch the bus to school by himself. That youthful independent nature of his, never slept. He would get ready early in the morning, prepare and eat breakfast, go to school, and then return by early evening. He was more organized than her. Heck, he could be taking care of her instead!

Vanessa giggled on that last thought as she drove her car towards the main town. That kid never ceases to put a smile on her face. Then again…there was always Luis.

Luis Cabrera had always been one of her greatest friends. They had known each other since middle school and their friendship had only gotten stronger as time had gone on. He had always been really kind and sweet to her, and this had continued even when they started working at the same company together. He’d always stop by to say "Hi!" and talk with her whenever she was free in her office. Always knowing the right time to give her a compliment. Even when she had been mind controlled, Luis showed concern by noticing her change of personality and offered to get her some coffee and talk with her. Yet the virus had made her brush him off, and treat him like he meant nothing to her.


Vanessa hit the brakes as the lights at the junction turned red. The car halted in response. Vanessa felt a slight jerk forward as kept that last thought to herself. She didn’t need to think about the corruption and the virus. Now was not the time. She concentrated her mind on Luis, the reason she was driving right now.

After she had been freed, Luis had been the first person she had reached out to. She needed someone to talk to. Luis had been surprised but grateful to hear from her again and the 2 had settled for a coffee. Vanessa was conflicted on whether or not to tell him about what had happened to her. Would he believe her? Would he think that she was crazy, that she had completely lost it? But when Luis asked her about it, hearing the genuine concern in his voice and seeing the same in his eyes, she couldn't hold it in. Vanessa had told him everything. At first, Luis thought she was talking about a movie or a play she had seen, but he quickly realized that wasn't the case. Maybe it was the tone of her voice, her need for a friend by her side, that led Luis to want to believe her. Maybe he knew she wasn’t the person to joke about stuff like this. He had still wanted to meet with this ‘Gregory’ and after doing so and hearing his side of the story, fully believed what Vanessa had told him.


Vanessa carefully parked her car by the side street and got out. She took one more glance at her side view mirror before locking her car. Pulling out her phone, she texted. “I’m on my way :)”. Vanessa eyed for the correct diner they agreed to meet at and started walking.

After that, she and Luis had spoken more frequently. They were getting coffee almost every day of the week. Vanessa had to admit to herself that being with Luis just sparked something inside of her. She enjoyed being around him. Luis was a really good listener, someone who she could share her troubles with. Eventually she had finally told him she liked him. Vanessa remembered seeing the excitement and joy on Luis’s face, he had wanted to say the same to her. It didn’t take too long for them to plan an actual date. They talked about it for some time, and yesterday, they finally made up their minds to have one. A real date.


Vanessa came across the restaurant’s sign. Thai Restaurant. Vanessa blinked and laughed in her mind. That was sure some “creativity” with whoever that came up with that name. Having some mild humor driven into her mind, she didn’t feel as anxious anymore. Vanessa pushed the door open and looked around the tables. Far at the end by the corner seats she saw Luis, glancing at his phone.

He sat there silently, having his glasses fixed on his screen. His tan skin and neat mousy brown hair made him noticeable, as Vanessa started to feel a bit awkward as she approached their table. Her mind flooded with a hundred greetings. But she couldn’t make out which one to speak. What should I say….? I dunno, maybe start with a compliment? The classic “Good Afternoon?”

Her mind raced as she realized she had said all of those before on their prior coffee talks. She needed something special. But what should she say? Luis looked up from his phone, catching Vanessa's eyes. They both locked a moment of uneasiness. Urgh, we’ve talked before many times already, why does it feel so different?

Luis’s eyes sparkled in awe. Vanessa was dressed in a jacket, coating around her short sleeved shirt, and wearing a miniskirt. He had seen her before in her casual outfit and her security uniform, but this was definitely a first. Luis felt he couldn’t break eye contact with this moment of beauty. Vanessa’s blonde hair wasn’t in her usual ponytail, it flowed loosely downwards along her shoulders. Rainbow streaks coloured notches along it. Luis felt like he was staring at an angel. Was this a dream?


“Hi Ness…” Luis spoke first, sounding both nervous yet overjoyed.


Oh damn, he spoke first! Vanessa thought hard. Well don’t just stare! Say something back to him!


“Hi…” Vanessa responded, stopping herself from giving a handshake. This was a date. And she had to understand that. Her shoulders rose up a tad bit, her cheeks warmed by her bright smile.



“You look stunning today,” Luis managed to say.


“Thanks….” Vanessa replied with a blush. “You look great too.”


Seriously? Was that the best you could come up with? Vanessa shut her annoying thoughts aside. Her brain can shut up for all she bothered. She didn’t have to be perfect. Luis loved her the way she was. Why try being perfect, when you’ve already made him happy by arriving on time?


Luis got up and Vanessa suddenly felt her arms spread open instinctively for a hug. Luis caught the scent of flowers as her hair brushed against him during their short embrace. They both sat down and looked at the menu.


“Do you want to get some Pad Thai to share?” Luis asked her. “It seems to be quite a popular choice.”


“Sure! That sounds like a good idea” Vanessa agreed.


As the waiter took their orders and kept the menu, Luis couldn’t help but feel that the atmosphere around them had changed. It was like the fact that they knew it was a date had made it a bit… different to say the least. Vanessa felt she should start first this time as the waiter left them alone.

“So…” Vanessa twiddled on her napkin, before looking back at Luis’s sweet eyes. “You told me about your new position at work yesterday. How’s that job working out for you?”

“Oh it’s,” Luis paused briefly, “going fine. I mean, well not exactly as easy as my last job.”

“Hmm?” Vanessa gazed. “Busy schedule?”

“You could say that,” Luis nodded, “The advertising department can get pretty hectic.”

“Do they give you any breaks, Luis?” Vanessa asks.

“They’d probably charge me if I ever took more than one coffee break,” Luis grinned. Vanessa cracked a giggle. “Something you would expect from any workplace associated with Fazbear Ent.”

“Tell me about it,” Vanessa rolled her eyes as the thought of the so-called “management policies” crossed her mind. “The people who run that company would sell their own parents if it meant cutting down on costs.”

“Haha, true true,” Luis laughed.

“Have your colleagues been nice to you?” Vanessa continued.

“They uh, we don’t really talk much since we’re always busy. Plus the manager made sure we have all of our coffee breaks alone. Said something about being a “cost effective” procedure.” Luis explained.

“What!? Luis that's awful,” Vanessa commented.

“Total baloney I know,” Luis shrugged. “But I’ll manage….”

Vanessa looked at him with concern. All this time before the date, Luis had always asked her how she’d felt. She’d open up, and Luis would help her with any lingering issues she was facing. That's how a lot of their conversations had gone most of the time.

Now, Vanessa wanted to try and help Luis more. It was her turn to listen. And maybe, she could make things seem brighter. Luis could sense that hint of concern in her facial expression.

“It does get a bit…lonely,” Luis admitted. “I barely had anyone to talk to that I knew apart from you.”

“How long has this been going on?” Vanessa leaned forward, paying full attention.

“Months,” Luis’s head tilted down, not sure what else to say. “I haven’t really made any new friends. I guess I've felt …hated…”

“Hated?” Vanessa was shocked. How could anyone hate Luis? He was always so nice.

“Well, I also thought…” Luis didn’t know how to put his words in a sentence. Vanessa felt the need to speak instantly. “You can tell me Luis,” she whispered.

“So um, do you remember what happened at work months ago?” Luis recalled. Vanessa hesitated for a second before quickly nodding in agreement. “Well, when you stopped talking to me all of a sudden, I kinda thought you were trying to tell me something. I thought I had done something to upset you…” Luis paused before continuing. “I assumed I made a mistake and you didn’t want to be friends with me anymore. Or you were having some personal issues and I didn't want to accidentally offend you. So I just… I tried to respect your implied wishes and let you be…”

Vanessa’s eyes widened. “What? Why would you think that?” She questioned, saddened that she felt that this was allowed to happen to someone like Luis.

“But now I feel really bad doing that. If I had known what was really going on, I would have done something differently…” Luis commented, leaving no stone of emotion unturned. “I understand that it’s not your fault.”

“Oh Luis….” Vanessa placed her hands on Luis’. He felt that cold feeling of rejection leave him. Her warm hands gave off a comforting feel of love. Luis’ hand unfolded as they both looked at each other with affection. Whatever holding hands was supposed to achieve, it was working. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that I was pushing you away. You really mean everything to me. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Luis felt those lovely words reach into his heart. His cheeks gave off a hint of red, as he noticed Vanessa blushing back at him. He couldn’t hide his emotions anymore. Vanessa leaned closer and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “I love you, Luis…” she said.

The waiter returned to pour some fresh drinks on their table. Luis and Vanessa smiled at each other as the glasses of refreshments were placed. “Won’t be long,” the waiter promised before leaving again.

“Aw,” Luis stopped blushing. Their hands remained connected along the table. “They didn’t have chocolates.” He joked.

“Only you could think of chocolates at a time like this,” Vanessa laughed.

“Hey, what can I say? They’re my weakness.” Luis replied in a joking manner. The two of them chuckled lightly before they saw the waiter heading to their table.

“Oh it looks like our food has arrived,'' Luis said. The waiter had returned, carrying with him their order.


///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////




“Mmm, this is quite tasty!” Vanessa remarked.

Thank goodness they didn’t order two separate meals. What they had ordered was too much for a single person to finish all by themselves. Vanessa and Luis shared their ordered meal together. This felt special and Vanessa felt she would remember this moment forever.




“Thanks for teaching me how to use chopsticks,” she winked.


“First time I actually got it right too,” Luis fiddled his utensils to pinch some noodles. That sparked an idea in Vanessa’s head.


“Hold on,” she told Luis as she gleefully got her phone out of her jacket and tapped on the camera. She held it from a side view to take a selfie. She opened her mouth with a smile as Luis held a pinch of noodles close to her mouth. She snapped a pic, and ate Luis’ offer. “Mmm thank you,” Vanessa was clearly enjoying herself. With a few taps on her phone’s screen, Luis got notified on his phone.


Luis swiped until he found the sent image. Him feeding Vanessa with chopsticks. How cute! He thought excitedly. “Guess this is payment for feeding you?” Luis flirted.


“What’s the matter, you wanted more?” Vanessa teased playfully.


The conversation moved on to how Vanessa thought of the Pizzaplex during her work shift there at that time. Of course she didn’t have many bright memories as a staff guard, but regardless of her experience there, she had to say the Pizzaplex was the dream jewel that any franchise would crave to have. A huge location would house huge attractions, and with them came huge visitors which generated more income to grow the foundation even bigger.


“How is that kid you’re taking care of Ness?” Luis decided to ask. “Gregory, was it?”


Vanessa nodded. “He’s at school right now and doing well. To be fair I think he has a higher chance of getting a job than me. Other than homework, he feels safe around me now that I am his legal guardian.”


“That’s great!” Luis happily followed on. “That kid does seem like a handful. I’m glad you're able to manage everything.”


“He's helped me a few times. I remember twice I had a really bad nightmare, and he came up to my room and asked if everything was ok,” Vanessa recalled. “I also forget about some of the errands I have to do sometimes, but Greg always seems to remind me haha.”


“How nice of him,” Luis noted. “Have you been getting better sleep lately, Ness?”


“Hmm, I still have a few bad dreams occasionally here and there,” Vanessa replied while looking at Luis, lost in a thought of whether to compliment him or say again how much she loves him. “But it’s nothing too severe, just me being late for a few basic errands….and maybe being late to have a coffee with you…”


“Late or not, I’ll always wait all day for you,” Luis smirked.


“Oh stop making me feel bad,” Vanessa shyly replied in a sweet voice.


Soon the meal was finished. Luis was surprised at how much time had passed. It was almost 3. “Was the meal good?” Luis asked.


“Best food I’ve ever had,” Vanessa had her face brightened with joy. Her happiness was contagious, as Luis could feel a spark of passion between them. It was growing stronger. “We should do this again more often,” Vanessa suggested, her hand again holding onto Luis’s hand.


"How do you know if a boy wants to kiss you?" Vanessa thought to herself. "Is it something instinctual?"


“We should,” Luis replied to her. “I’m sure we’ll have so much fun together.”


Vanessa felt she would have given Luis a thank you kiss. But at the moment, something grabbed Vanessa’s attention from Luis.


Over at the far opposite end of the restaurant, was a couple with their child. Vanessa couldn’t help but notice how oddly familiar that child had looked. Where had she last seen a face like that? Her youth? Her work? Vanessa’s heart froze. The Pizzaplex. That child had a huge resemblance to someone she’d captured long ago, when she was controlled by the virus. This observation was starting to make her feel uneasy. She felt cold, as though a virtual tidal wave of regret started to fill her. Guilt, sadness, and depression had all started coming back to her. Why? Why now?


“Ness?” Luis realized that she was looking pale, like she had seen a ghost.


Vanessa couldn’t hear his voice. Just the sound of her own heartbeat beating slowly as all sounds in the world were muted. Vanessa felt the heaviness of guilt bring her head to gaze at herself holding Luis’s hands. Her hands. These held her focus. She felt a bulge swell in her throat to stop herself from sobbing. Her hands, they had taken the lives of innocent children. How many? Too many.


She remembered what happened to those who had been caught by her. She tried to shove the guilt back into her core, but it was too much. She knew what she had done. Those hands had done things that were unspeakably evil. How many families had been destroyed because of her…how many lives were touched by her actions…and now…those same hands wanted love…they held on to a caring man’s passion. But did they deserve it at all? After everything that had happened?


“Vanessa?” Luis looked at her, turned his head to look at what she was looking at before turning back to face her.


A tear escaped from Vanessa. She felt like she was barely holding it together. She brought herself to question. Did she really deserve a life where she could be loved? Did she really deserve Luis, Gregory and the others as a family?


“Vanessa?” Luis called out, touching her hand with concern. That warm feeling he felt from her hand earlier was void, replaced by a cold pulse.


Vanessa finally came back to her senses. Her head nearly jerked up. As if she was almost asleep in her own thoughts. “Oh…” she froze, realizing she had left him hanging. “Sorry…”


“Is everything ok?” Luis examined her with a sad look. He knew something was up.


Vanessa didn’t know how to answer. She felt she should tell him. But was it worth bringing this up right now? Vanessa you didn’t mean to. You had no control over yourself. It wasn’t your fault that those kids… Vanessa shut her mind up again. She was left looking at Luis blankly before she quietly replied. “Yeah… I’m fine.” She felt another tear coming up, her hands quickly sprung to her cheeks to wipe her face. “This was nice Luis,” Vanessa said again. “It was a great date.”


Luis now was confused. She’s hiding something. He could tell a real smile from a fake one as of now. Vanessa’s smile was forced. She was trying to mask her emotions. “I….I have to go now…” Vanessa said softly. “There’s something I have to take care of back home.”


Her voice sounded calmer as she finished towards that last sentence. “Maybe she needs some space to take all of this in. Maybe she thinks it’s happening too fast?” Luis thought. “Ok Ness, but are you sure you’re feeling ok?”


Vanessa nodded too easily. “Yes Luis. I’m really glad we did this…” She wanted to leave. She felt sadness crushing her heart but also trying to contain it from showing. She didn’t want to push Luis away. But she really needed time to herself too. “Thank you.”


“Anytime Ness,” Luis replied as they both stood up and gave a goodbye hug. “It’s all good.”


Luis brought out his wallet to pay for the meal. Vanessa felt that she should leave now. There was nothing more to say. She couldn’t make things better, but maybe she could stop things from getting worse. As she trailed off towards the restaurant’s entrance, Luis got one more glance at Vanessa. She exited the door without another gesture. He sighed a little before shrugging. “She needs time,” he told himself. After around 5 minutes he had paid for the meal and was starting to head for the entrance too when the waiter stopped him.


“Oh wait sir,” the waiter called. He was holding something in his hand. “You forgot your phone.”


Luis turned around. “Oh no, she must have left it.” Luis recognized that it was Vanessa’s. He thanked the waiter for telling him and decided to take it to her. But Vanessa was long gone. “She’s gonna be wondering where her phone is,” Luis thought again. It was then he decided, he would just go to her apartment and drop off her phone. With that, Luis got into his car and began driving.



/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////




Vanessa barged into her apartment, she shut the door behind her and collapsed on her couch. Her hand felt her forehead as she angrily threw a short fit. What were you doing!? You were having the peak moment of your life and you screwed it up!? Why!?


Vanessa let out a stream of cold tears. That memory of the child still was lingering in the back of her mind. She had done terrible things. Unspeakable of being forgiven. She didn’t feel well at all. Her mind was racing with guilt, drowning out the love she experienced this evening. I ruined everything. What was stopping her from moving on in life with him? He wanted to be with her after all. At least it appeared that way.


Vanessa stopped crying for a moment. She thought about it over again. He knows everything that happened. She thought harder. And he hasn’t left you yet, so he has to at least want to try having a relationship with you, right?


Vanessa looked around. She was stressed and tearful. The agony was scratching hard against her feelings. It was emotional self-harm that was dragging to sink in the depths of sorrow. She began wandering around, trying to clear her head. Looking around, Vanessa noticed some clean laundry that she hadn't yet put away. So, she decided to go ahead and take care of it to try and calm herself down.


She started putting away the clean clothes, going through the motions of hanging each piece in its respective place in her closet. It helped to distract herself from her intrusive thoughts. “Just calm down Vanessa." As she kept reassuring herself, Vanessa’s hand happened to bump into something, it was a cardboard box, its top held closed by some packing tape. It was hidden on the floor of her closet, obscured from view by the hanging clothes. Vanessa looked at the box in confusion, she couldn’t remember why she had this thing. She pulled it out from where it sat and picked it up. "Now where have I seen this before?" Vanessa thought to herself. She could feel that whatever was in the box was fairly heavy. Vanessa placed the box on her bed and, out of curiosity, decided to open it up. She quickly undid the tape on the top and looked in.


Vanessa felt everything stop, inside the box was her old VR headset. “No…it can’t be… ” She had thought she had lost the thing all those months ago, she had no idea it had just been sitting in her closet the whole time. Something else grabbed her attention, it was a small USB drive located next to the headset. It had a small label in marker on it that said “TAPES”


Suddenly, she remembered why this was here. She flashed back to several months ago, she- no, VANNY, had saved the audio of the tapes, seemingly as a way to archive them.


Vanessa suddenly remembered some of the content of the “tapes” themselves, specifically the ones where they had said to not collect them. The memory was as clear as the day she had first heard those tapes. "finding them and reassembling them will also reassemble the very thing I’ve tried so desperately to destroy" And what had she done? She had collected them, assembling HIM.


Then more memories made themselves apparent of Vanny blaming her for everything, and the reasoning was sound “You are the one who put him back together in the first place. So…”


…It’s all your fault. Vannys voice felt like it was right next to her. Vanessa gasped as her surroundings disappeared. She found herself in an alleyway, of which she could see had a shadowy dead end. There she could see a pair of glowing purple eyes staring daggers at her. “You put it back together."


Vanessa noticed that the dirty ground was littered in broken tapes. “You did this!” She walked away from the alleyway and into the open street. She didn’t recognize the place she was in. Fog clouded the atmosphere and those staring eyes leaped out of the shadows. “Deep down you wanted this to happen.”



“No, I did not!” Vanessa screamed as she ran from the creature. It was a pale-yellow mascot suit that looked like a bunny. It skipped after her, leaping gleefully as if it was enjoying her fear.


As Vanessa ran away, her thoughts never stopped pursuing her. You were warned not to! But you did anyway, you created the thing that corrupted you! This was your doing!


“Stop!” She cried, taking a quick turn into another alleyway. She stopped as she came across another wall. Another dead end! She tried leaping but it was too high to climb on the edge. She turned around, seeing that pale bunny mascot lurking in between the only way out of the alleyway. “Leave me alone!”


“Are you having fun yet?” The mascot crooked its head, as those all too familiar words escaped its mouth. Its voice distorted and demonic sounding. Vanessa could only stare in horror as the mascot looked closer and closer. Each step it took was making her heart drum faster.


In no time, it was within a yard of her reach. It offered her its pawed hand. “You enjoyed it, didn't you?” It said with a glitched laugh.


Vanessa tucked her head down with her hands covering her ears and closing her eyes. “This isn’t real!”


The mascot crooked its head again. “But what you did was!” It laughed loudly. Vanessa heard its voice vanish. She slowly opened her eyes again. The alleyway was gone. She was now in the Pizzaplex’s abandoned car park construction. Only a few lamp lights to shine the way. Vanessa could see shattered glass all over the floor. She suddenly spotted a large broken mirror facing her, making sure Vanessa got a good glimpse of herself. She wasn’t in her date clothes. She was suited in a white bunny costume. Her hands were now pawed fingers. Her face was masked by a rabbit face with red eyes. Her reflection suddenly waved at her and gave a shushing gesture.


Vanessa turned to run but stepped on a dark puddle of liquid. It was black, almost dark red. She raised her foot, seeing the liquid she touched was appearing bloody red on her white costume. Crimson smears started to appear on her hands and arms, and the torso of her costume. Her horrified face turned into a tearful broken mix of shock. There were more dragged blood marks all over the car park, barely noticeable in the dim light.


The lights brightened. Vanessa gasped and cried, her hand covering her mouth. The lights revealed nine children leaning against the wall on their backs. Their heads were nodded down, lifeless, black blood streaming from their eyes and mouths. They laid there in a pool of blood and agony. The wall behind them had a message written in what looked like red graffiti.




“THIS MAKES YOU A MONSTER!”




Instantly, Vanessa was hit by memories of every one of the murders she had committed as Vanny. All of them flew into her mind from the buried past, starting with how she cornered them, making them suffer and scaring them. She remembered again how the virus within her made sure the death wasn’t painless. It wanted to feel their pain, and it wanted her to feel it too. She saw herself over and over again. Repeatedly using the knife she held.


Before she delivered the final killing blow to her victims, the virus would taunt her by forcing her to remove her bunny mask and stare straight into their crying eyes closely. They would always let out a final scream as she plunged the dagger into their souls.


Vanessa snapped herself back into reality at that instant. She looked around, haunted and terrified. She was back in her apartment’s room. Right where she was this entire time. Those hallucinations had weakened her mental state. Out of the corner of her mind, she heard a final breath of words. They weren’t clear, scrambled like a jigsaw. But she knew what it said. “You’re the monster. And monsters…”


Vanessa looked at her uncovered hands at this point. “Don’t deserve to be happy…”


Vanessa knelt; her legs sunk to the floor as those words crushed her within. She cried it out, sobbing as she felt the agonizing guilt of what she had done. It hurt so much, To carry the burden of being the cause of death of those children. To know that she would never deserve to be happy, after all she had done.




////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////




Luis parked his car outside Vanessa’s apartment, getting out with a worried expression engraved on his face. He gave the apartment a glare, before walking inside the building. Luis spots Vanessa’s door, and as he walks nearer, the sound of sobbing was audible in this silent place. Luis didn’t even have to press his ear against the door. He could definitely hear someone crying there. He had heard it a couple of times before. It belonged to Vanessa. He knew. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea,” he said to himself.


Luis, feeling hesitant, looks back at Vanessa’s phone, tucked in his pocket. “Well, it would be rude to keep something that doesn’t belong to me.” Luis awkwardly raised his hand and started giving a gentle set of knocks on the door. “Vanessa?”


No answer. All he could hear was just crying. It was getting fainter, however. “Maybe I should…” Luis’s hand touched the door handle. “No, I shouldn't disturb her.” He argued with himself. “But…what if she needs help?”


Luis felt his grip on the door handle growing stronger. “She always needed me when she cried. I have to do this. Whatever the reason…I have to be there for her.”


He twisted the knob, and to his surprise, it was unlocked. “Ness?” He called out gently. The crying got to the point where you could barely hear anything. Luis stepped inside, cautiously walking in a way not to scare Vanessa off guard. Her bedroom door was left wide open. And he could see that she was knelt on the carpeted floor, hands covering her eyes, head bowed, tears flowing across her cheeks.


Luis didn’t know what to do. Should he make his presence known? He had a feeling Vanessa hadn’t seen or heard him at all. He took a deep breath, keeping his distance as a single word left his mouth. “Ness?”


She wiped her tears, thinking she was hearing those “voices” in her head. Maybe she had gotten to a point where she was thinking of Luis to try and calm herself down. "But, I don’t deserve him" She thought to herself, the pain of regret and guilt still present.


“Vanessa…” Luis called out; a bit louder but still gentle. Vanessa heard it this time as a real voice. She raised her head and turned towards Luis’s direction. She didn’t say anything. Her eyes filled with tears continued to flow, and she went back to holding her face in her hands, palming all the tears that streamed along her cheeks. Luis approached Vanessa slowly, unsure of what to say. His mind was blank, taken aback by Vanessa’s state and he didn’t want to make the situation worse.


Luis crouched down beside Vanessa. Her face was hidden by her hands as she knelt. Luis gently wrapped his arms around his dear loved one. The embrace was soft and long, Vanessa’s mind felt a wave of comfort. She felt as though the agony was being driven away to a temporary halt. She wanted this, but at the same time, she felt as though she shouldn’t have this. Her arms instinctively gave Luis a deep hug. For a moment they just sat there, eyes closed, not letting each other go.


Luis waited as Vanessa’s tears dried. Putting his hand on her shoulder, Vanessa’s eyes met Luis’s. “Would you like to tell me about it?” he asked, reassuringly. Vanessa, not answering immediately, gave it some thought. After some time, she slowly nodded.


She started to talk to her dear Luis, just like back when she first opened up. She never left anything out of the picture this time. The guilt that haunted her was about to reach Luis’s ears. Vanessa told him how she felt ever since she left the restaurant. She continued to tell him her thoughts on herself. Luis listened with a sad yet understanding expression, taking in everything she said.


Vanessa held her breath as she was nearly finished explaining. “And that’s what makes me…” Vanessa coughed on a sob. “A monster…”


“Ness…” Luis started while looking at her reassuringly. “You’re not a monster. It’s not like you were in control of yourself when it took over you. That doesn’t make it your fault.”


"I was warned, and I didn't listen. if only I had paid more attention to those fucking tapes" Vanessa cried, sounding angry. She quickly softened her tone, not wanting to scare Luis away. “It was me who let that virus in. I’ve suffered the consequences of that mistake. That one mistake I made was indirectly responsible for the deaths of so many. If I had just listened…I could have stopped all of this.”


“The tapes?” Luis asked, with Vanessa returning him another silent nod. Luis thought for a moment, unsure if he could find a way to justify her actions. "Do you think it would be possible for me to listen to them?"


“I don’t know...” Vanessa’s eyes landed on the packaged box she discovered earlier. She crept slowly to it and opened it for a second look. Luis looked inside. “Is that your old headset?” He asked.


“Yes…” Vanessa reached in the box and pulled out an old USB, marked “TAPES.” She stared at it, rotating it with her fingers. “Actually, it could be possible… assuming I archived the Tapes… back then…”


“We can try…” Luis looked over to her desk, eyeing her computer. “If you’re ok with that?”


Vanessa sighed. She was ready to say no, but she couldn’t. She could see that Luis was trying to help her. How could she reject someone that was trying their hardest to prove her innocence? “Ok…let’s see if it still works.” she replied after a while.


Luis helped her boot up her computer and inserted the USB inside the drive slot. The screen didn’t appear glitchy, much to the couple’s relief. Vanessa seemed nervous to move her mouse to start playing the tapes’ audio.


As they listened, Luis held Vanessa’s hand. She was looking terrified and regretful. The first tape was about to finish, as Vanessa’s palm squeezed Luis’s hand due to the stress of listening to the audio. Luis looked at Vanessa, trying to see if she still wanted to continue. Vanessa gestured for him to continue, still holding his hand tight.


Luis played the audio of the second and third tape. Mentions of a “character” stalking the person who recorded the tapes. By the time they played the ninth tape, Vanessa was looking sick. The tape was mentioning the assumed death of a VR tester. Luis could feel the intense stress building up in Vanessa.


He calmly drew Vanessa into a side hug with his arm. Vanessa shut her eyes as she shook, her head resting on Luis. They sat quietly on the floor as the twelfth tape played. Vanessa appeared to stop vibrating. Her heartbeat was getting slower, more relaxed, Luis could feel. As the sixteenth tape played, they both listened closely. More mentions of the virus and how it wants to escape by taking control of someone. A host. The last tape finished, ending with the blacking of the screen.


Vanessa felt the need to speak up. “I…I told you…” She fumbled with her words, trying to hold herself together. “I let it happen. I started all this. It should have been obvious to me that it was a trap.”


Luis chose the time to correct what he heard. It was now or never. “Ness…it really isn’t obvious…” Vanessa stared at Luis, puzzled by what he just said. He continued. “Those tape warnings sound like the average spooky messages we would find in a horror video game.”


“So?” Vanessa countered. “How does that prove that I’m not guilty of what I did?”


“Vanessa, anyone would think those tapes are just scary additions to make the game scarier. They can easily be mistaken. It wasn’t that clear that it was trying to warn you,” Luis started again. I wouldn't even have taken the messages seriously unless I knew what was going on.”


“I still was an idiot to let all this happen,” Vanessa started sobbing. “It’s still my fault. I don’t deserve you…”


“Ness, look at me…” Luis told her. Vanessa looked straight at him obediently, more tears filling her eyes. “It isn’t your fault. The point of all this is that you were tricked. You didn’t deliberately ignore the instructions of someone. You didn’t know it was trying to warn you from a real danger. You couldn’t have possibly known the threat was actually real!”


Vanessa swallowed her sobs. Her gaze was still fixed on her boyfriend. Hints of “he’s right” and “that’s true” flew about in the thoughts of her mind. Luis proceeded. “You were just going along with what you thought was a gameplay mechanic.”


“You probably thought the virus was like a secret boss or something. That wouldn't trigger any red flags” Luis could only guess that Vanessa was now fighting in her mind. There was a storm raging in her head. She was arguing against her own thoughts. The clash of whether she was innocent or a monster.


Luis added on as he placed both of his hands on her shoulders. “Ness…you’re a good person. No…” he paused, “...you’re more than that to me. You can’t blame yourself for what happened. Here me out, it wasn’t your fault. You do deserve me. I…”


“I love you Vanessa…” Luis cried. “You’re not a monster. You hold a place deep in my heart. You deserve to be happy. And if being with me makes you happy, don’t force yourself to feel guilty. I’ll be with you. I promise.”


Vanessa, hearing all this, felt the rush of the storm in her head cease. She felt as though she had survived. Everything Luis said was running in her head by now. She tried finding a way to find guilt. Something she could connect herself into believing. But this time, there was nothing bad she could think of. Luis had proven his point. “This had to be my fault…” Vanessa thought harder.


Nothing. She couldn’t believe the reason she had given herself as to why she was guilty anymore. This whole time after she had been freed, she had managed to find happiness in the new family she had formed with her savior, Gregory. But she had denied herself this one thing, because she didn’t think that she deserved it. Luis had given her hope and love, all to prove that she really did deserve to be loved like this. It was time to let the past die and try to move on.


Vanessa, drying her tears, leaned forward to give Luis a big bear hug. She grew a smile, finally happy to be released from this guilt. Luis and her sat there as the comfort grew. Her heart felt Luis’ care and love all over again.


“Luis…thank you…” she whispered sweetly.


“I love you…” Luis said it again, this time in the most heartfelt voice she could ever hear.


“I love you too…” she replied at last.


It was all gone. The guilt, the self blame, the sadness, had vanished. Replaced with comfort, kindness, and most of all, the love surrounding her and Luis. This was her happiest moment. This memory, she would remember forever. She was truly free, having someone to share her future with, and even a little family to go along with it.

❤️THE END❤️