This summer was going to blow massive nuts, Sherri and Mayra knew.
It was a time of freedom and undiscovered fun. The time was now to let loose, break all bonds, disregard all rules, and run against the wind. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen.
Because Sherri and Mayra were forced to get a job at the new pizza place downtown.
Sherri had driven the two down to the plaza where all the businesses of Pine Port were clustered along the road. The area was filled with the activity of groups walking down the polished streets, weaving around the various statues and fountains. They saw the cheerful banners and murals covering the ancient brick walls of the buildings. A seagull landed on a nearby post and obnoxiously screamed towards the water of the port near downtown. Sherri and Mayra were sitting at a stoplight, waiting for it to turn green. There were no other cars around, but it took its sweet time.
Normally, they would be off somewhere else, enjoying themselves by not acting like the legal adults they were. After the big graduation from high school, they were planning on partying at a small beach, away from the main city beach where all the other kids would be polluting. They were going to build driftwood forts and create an entire driftwood city. On the day of their freedom from an oppressing public education system they would break free from the chains of predetermined destinies. However, fate had other ideas for the two, because right now they sat together in a car belonging to Sherri's father, splattered haphazardly with sports decals.
Yup, this summer was going to suck. Majorly. Sherri turned up the radio even louder in a feeble attempt to drown out the depressing reality they were in.
Finally, the stoplight decided to turn green. Sherri stepped on the gas and the car lurched forward. She pulled into a small outlet to the side and parked as far as she could from their destination without looking suspicious. She turned the car off and the droning of the radio went silent. Neither of the girls could bring themselves to exit the car. Both of their eyes went to the colorful sign above the business.
Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
"Are you ready for Freddy?" Mayra asked.
Sherri leaned forward until her head hit the steering wheel. "No. But let's go anyways."
Both got out and made the trek to the front of the building. At least it was a sunny day with a cool wind blowing at their backs. Only a few lines of clouds were above them, and the sky was filled with seabirds languidly circling each other. In the far distance, at the edge of the horizon, they could see the ocean touching the fair sky. Such a beautiful day, and they were walking to the last place they wanted to be.
"I wonder if they'll make us wear uniforms." Mayra asked aloud.
Sherri inhaled sharply, "Jesus Christ in Heaven. They better not."
Mayra skipped ahead. "Lemme get the door."
The building looked unremarkable on the outside; it was just a featureless gray slab with a black door bolted into it. The windows were painted with dots of colors and held a cheerful "Come on in!" sign. Mayra opened the door for Sherri, who drudged in. A tiny bell gave a small melody as they entered. The two young women were immediately greeted by a dull and lifeless interior. Things seemed to be in various stages of chaos. Colorful signs and decorations were carelessly strewn around. Boxes of supplies were yet to be unpacked and were stacked sky high. The tile floors looked dirty and cracked, while the walls had yet to be covered with wallpaper. The building was bustling with movers carrying supplies to each of the rooms, ignoring the two new visitors. The two couldn't help but feel pretty conspicuous in the middle of all the movement. Mayra's face contorted in disgust when she breathed in.
"It smells musty in here," Mayra gagged.
"God," Sherri breathed to her. "This place is a mess! We have to work here?"
"Hopefully they fix it up soon, this smell is really getting to me…" Mayra replied.
As they awkwardly stood in front of the door, they noticed an old man hobbling towards them, pushing past the muscular workers and waving at them, grinning wildly.
"Is that the Frank guy that our dads talked to?" Sherri murmured. "He looks like he's about to die."
"I was just thinking that, this geezer looks like he's about to croak any minute now. Let's try to be nice." They both laughed. The old man finally reached them.
"Welcome, ladies! Are you the two young women here to acquire a job?"
Both Sherri and Mayra didn't want to speak, but eventually, Mayra spoke, "Yeah, that's us. I'm Mayra Caccamo."
"I'm Sherri Welbourne." Sherri introduced herself to the old man.
"Very nice to meet you," He greeted pleasantly. "I am Frank Fazbore. I'm the owner of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. We just moved into town from two states over, so it will be nice to see how Pine Port is." He gestured behind him. "Would you like a tour of the place?" Knowing that they couldn't say no, the two followed Frank. Frank started by waving his towards the right hand side of the building, showcasing black and white tiled floors and isolated tables.
"This is the dining area," Frank explained. "This is where our guests will enjoy their fine cuisine while they watch the show." Mayra nodded her head slowly.
"Yes… Fine cuisine." Mayra glanced at Sherri. Sherri gave her a sly smile and the two proceeded.
They strolled across the building to the opposite side, which was carpeted with a colorful floor. Large boxes and complicated-looking equipment was being placed in various places on the carpet.
"This is the Arcade. The kids will be able to play different games for entertainment. There will be a prize corner where the patrons can trade tickets. They can buy pizza tokens to play for the arcade." The old man pointed to a square counter connected to the wall, which presumably was where the prize corner would be.
Sherri could already hear the kids screaming in her mind. She rubbed her temples in smooth motions. Words couldn't describe how grateful she was that her and Mayra would only be working backstage and watching the animatronics.
Leading the ladies towards the back corner of the Arcade, they saw a tiny arena that was closed off by purple curtains. There was a tiny sign that said, "Pirate Cove" that had been placed in front of it.
"This is Pirate Cove. A special kind of character makes his appearance here. You'll get to meet the gang soon enough."
Sherri and Mayra had no idea what he was talking about, so they just did their best to look interested and continued following him.
Frank then came to a stop in front of a large stage, overlooking the entire place. His hands were spread wide in front of him, as though he were Christ being crucified on the cross.
"And this, the wonderful piece, is the stage. This is where our performers will perform for the wonderment of the children, bringing laughter and joy to this city."
It looked somewhat unremarkable to the duo trailing Frank. It was just a large wooden platform, elevated with two small steps leading up to it that were blocked by a small metal gate. Frank used a tiny key to unlock the gate, opening it and beckoning Sherri and Mayra to climb atop of the stage. They followed him on top and looked out over the entire floor. It was a disappointing view, to be honest.
"Just think about it, ladies. You will be pioneers on the frontier of entertainment." He smiled and said proudly.
"Yeah, I'm so excited." Sherri said, accidentally more sarcastic than she meant to. Luckily, Frank did not pick up on it.
"This will be a great learning experience." Mayra said, eyeing Sherri.
Frank nodded his head slightly. "I'm glad I met two young people who feel the same as I do. It seems in this generation, the youth of today are not concerned with the things that really matter. You two are pinnacles of society."
The two were shocked into silence. They honestly had no idea what to say. Before they could break the awkward silence, Frank suddenly looked straight into their eyes with a burning kind of energy. "Do you want me to show you the gang?"
"Uh." Sherri only said. "Yeah, I guess."
"Well, that's why we're here." Mayra said.
Frank nodded, and parted the back curtains, revealing a door. He used another small key on his keychain to unlock it, opening it. He motioned for Mayra and Sherri to stay put. "I'll show you the back later. For now, just wait here."
He disappeared behind the door, giving Sherri and Mayra a chance to talk amongst themselves.
"What do you think of the job?" Sherri asked.
"It's not the worst thing in the world…" Mayra pointed out slowly.
"Yes it is."
"Try to be a little optimistic."
"No. This place smells like diarrhea and looks worse. I can't believe we're actually working here."
"You have a good point there."
Their conversation was interrupted by Frank emerging from the door. He wheeled in four large figures, all obscured by a heavy, white cloth.
"Now, you get to meet the faces of our esteemed establishment." Frank wheeled them closer, all side by side. Sherri and Mayra considered stepping back, a little scared of what was going to happen.
Frank pulled off all of the sheets, revealing the figures that lay beneath them. They were very ancient-looking animatronics, covered with a thick layer of dust. Their eyes were lifeless and their bodies were slack, draped over their stands like corpses. A wet, slight putrid smell began to fill the air between them. It smelled as if a soaked, dying dog just walked onto the stage. The girls almost began to gag, but luckily were able to suppress their reflex. The animatronics were all cartoony animals, being a bear, a rabbit, a duck-chicken, and a pirate fox. Though the sight was a bit nostalgic to the two—they had been to animatronics pizza places as kids—but it also seemed weirdly outdated to them. Those kinds of businesses seemed like a fad; they were cool at one point in time, but they had faded into obscurity. They didn't have the heart to tell Frank, who looked so passionate about such relics of time.
Frank gently touched the face of the bear, almost lovingly. "This if Freddy Fazbear, the leader of the gang. His companion and best friend is Bonnie, the rabbit, who plays guitar while Freddy sings."
He pointed to the bird. "That is Chica, the chicken. She's a backup singer, and loves to serve and eat pizza."
Then he pointed at the last member. "That is the pirate Foxy. He's a supporting companion to the main Fazbear gang." His hand waved over the other three. He looked sheepishly at the two. "I'm afraid his little area, the Pirate Cove, is currently out of order. He was supposed to occasionally come out of the curtains to provide commentary, but there were some…" Frank's eyes rolled around in his head. "…complications. We're still trying to fix it." He stepped away from the lifeless robots. "So, what do you think of them? Aren't they beautiful?"
Sherri coughed politely. "Cool." It was the only thing she said.
"They're lovely." Mayra said. She was lying through her teeth.
"Thank you, I'm sure they're happy you think that." Frank nodded. "So, onto the more pressing of our matters, I'm sure you'll want to work here as soon as possible."
That was the complete opposite of what the girls wanted, but they nodded anyways.
"Of course. I'm sure you'll find that working with the Fazbear gang to be a rewarding experience. Follow me into the back rooms, and I'll get you your uniforms and contracts and all that other professional stuff." He walked briskly back to the door, with a pep in his step and a blaze in his eyes. "You'll love it here, almost as much as I do."
Sherri and Mayra looked at each other. Yeah, they were sure they would love it here like the Lord walked his golden feet on the tiles.
That was very heavy sarcasm.