Eighteen- maybe nineteen years ago- I was five years old. It was my birthday, and my parents were able to invite all my friends and book a party at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. It was one of my best birthdays of my young childhood. My favorite was Freddy- as he was the main character. Since then, I had my next five birthdays there before I decided I was "too old" to like silly characters like Bonnie the bunny, Chika the chicken, Foxy the fox and Freddy the bear.
As I grew up, I got into law and studied to be a cop. It's been a good run, but lately the work has been far too slow. This is a small town, crime wasn't as common as in those bigger cities like New York and Hollywood. Urged on by my wife, I searched for more work. This is when I saw an ad in the paper for a night guard position at the one and only Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. I thought it was perfect.
I applied, and I was accepted almost immediately. Who would've thought! I had to be at my post at midnight and no sooner. But knowing me, I just had to get there five minutes before and make sure I would be there. I'd be late if otherwise, and that wouldn't be good for a first day- night- on the job. I unlocked the door and walked in through the back. I was greeted with an office-like space. It was depressing in appearance, even a little unsettling. This must be the night getting to me. Closing the door behind me, I sat in the office chair and flicked on the fan.
When midnight beeped on my electric watch, almost like clockwork the phone on the desk rang. Should I answer it? I'm not authorized to touch anything besides the equipment needed for my job, which in this case consisted of an electronic device that was receiving wireless feed from all the cameras hooked up in the building. The ringing continued, before the click of the answering machine turned on.
"Hello, hello?" came a static voice over the speaker.
Is the speaker busted? Maybe they should fix that at some point. I'm no mechanic, though, but I'd fix it if I could.
"Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night," the voice continued. If I had to guess, it was a male in around his late thirty's.
"Uh, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?"
Well now that was a lot more wordy than it needed to be. How hard can it be to monitor for activity? I looked at the camera monitors and realized something... why were there no cameras outside? Am I not supposed to be monitoring for robbers?
"Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know."
What legal things could be read? I'm just watching over a building at night, right? Nothing to worry about.
"'Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced.' Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too. So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay."
My eyes widened considerably the moment he said "discovering damage or death". What the hell? And the animatronics get a bit quirky at night...? What did I just sign up for?
"So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh...Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?"
Ah, I remember that being all over the news for weeks after the incident. That's around the time Pirate's Cove was placed "Out of order". Foxy was never my favorite, but it still made me feel a little bad.
"Uh, now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit. Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death. Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh."
What in the hell...? My jaw dropped. No, there's no way the figures of my childhood would do something so god damn... grotesque and morbid.
"Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night." the click of the phone ended the one-sided conversation, leaving me uneasy. I looked out the two open doors on either side of me, noticing it was pitch black. I read the labels on the buttons, testing them out. One was to turn on a light, the other to close the door. Why did they need such a reinforced door in a place like this...? This was unsettling.
I checked the monitor. Ninety-eight percent battery, and this is supposed to last me until six in the morning. I tapped each room, checking for criminal activity. There's a lot of cameras around the room I'm in, for some reason. What's the purpose of that? I went from the bottom up, looking first at the cameras around me then moving up to Pirate's Cove. There was a curtain that hung over the stand, and a sign saying "Sorry! Out of order." in all capital letters. Well, if Foxy isn't working then I shouldn't have to worry about him right? I checked the front stage camera. There stood as jolly as ever the three cast stars- Bonni Bunny, Chika Chicken and Freddy Fazbear.
I couldn't help but look at the still animal-esque robots of my childhood and feel a wave of nostalgia wash over me, but only for a moment. They look a bit worn with age, maybe they should be taken better care of. Actually, with the lighting- or lack of- in the building they looked a bit eerie. Ominous, maybe? I never associated them with words like that before, so finding one was tough on me.
Seeing them actually made me remember the song they'd sing up on stage, and I found myself humming it to myself as I got caught up looking at the monitor. Ah- the battery seemed to be draining every time I clicked to a different camera. That's no good. Setting it down, I checked by the door ways. Apparently the only blind spots from the cameras were right outside my doors. I clicked the lights, sticking my head out both sides. All seemed clear.
I checked the monitors again- wait a second... where's Chika? I checked the other rooms, feeling panicked now. Oh, she's by the tables... okay good. Do these animatronics wonder out of the building? Maybe one of my jobs is to make sure they don't damage property... oh goodness this was going to be one stressful night. I checked the lights by me one more time, paranoia sinking into me. I checked on Chika, she was now standing by a table. Okay... so the animatronics just move around. That's weird.
I checked Pirate's Cove again for some reason. Did... did the curtains move? No- no that's just my imagination. I checked the front stage again- now where did Bonni go? I checked the cameras randomly. upon looking at the backstage camera, I nearly jumped out of my seat. Bonni stood right in front of the camera, staring at me. His once lively and happy eyes that he wore during the day were now void of the childish happiness I remember they had.
Trying to shake that feeling, I put the monitor down and checked the lights. Nothing odd here. I checked on all the animatronics again. Bonni hasn't moved, neither has Freddy, and Chika's... oh no, where did she go? I clicked to the different rooms, finding the camera to the kitchen had been cut off. What? Faulty wiring? Or... did Chika unplug the camera? No... no that couldn't be. She- no- it was just an animatronic! This is absurd; I'm getting worked up over nothing! They're just robots, Mike. They're robots that sing and entertain children... and apparently roam around at night. I checked the time- three in the morning. Okay, three more hours to go. I checked the battery- what! How did I use this much battery so fast? What happens when I run out of battery- does the monitor go out? I didn't want to test it and find out what happened.
As the hours wore on, I kept checking the monitors and the lights simultaneously. I had a system down by the time it was nearly six in the morning. Once that time rolled around, I finally left the Pizzeria. My entire body felt thankful that it was over, but another part of me thought... I have to come back tomorrow, and the next day. I don't know why... maybe some part of me believed I could figure out the mysteries and questions I have unanswered. The other part of me that said I should quit was silenced by my ungodly curiosity. I swear... this curious nature of mine may just be the death of me.
