Author's Note: Okay, before you all jump me, let me just make one thing clear: Yes, I'm still working on my other stories (particularly Just an Animatronic). But I've been hit by some intense writer's block and figured if I just took a short break from it and wrote out this story (which has been consuming most of my ideas lately), I would have a clear mind to write the other. I already have most the chapters for this story pre-written (it's looking to be around six in total) so there's no reason they won't be released frequently. Also I've been dying to write a story with Springtrap for a while now, so hope you enjoy! As per usual, future notes will be posted at the bottom of each chapter.


A Stormy Night at Freddy's

As Mike Schmidt slept soundly in his bed, he could faintly hear the sounds of rain washing the outside world, and the distant rumbles of thunder that traveled in from afar.

It was an early July night, hot and humid, and Mike was taking full advantage of his night off from the pizzeria by getting all the precious sleep he could. It had only been a month since he'd gotten the job as night watchman at Freddy's, but with all that had happened—the traumatizing first week, then the sudden change in the animatronics' demeanors—it felt like more like ten years.

But despite it all, he found it rather interesting that the animatronics had suddenly changed. One night they were stalking him from the darkened hallways, eyes black with the intent to kill, and the next… they just wandered aimlessly, like he wasn't even there.

He recalled clearly the first thing he did to try to solve the problem: It was near the end of his shift and he was so unsettled by their behavior that he opened the left hall door and threw an empty bottle out to try to grab their attention. When Bonnie had shown up to investigate the loud noise, that's when Mike took the opportunity to speak. The rabbit had just seemed confused at first, but when Mike asked him why he wasn't trying to get into the office anymore, he understood.

Mike learned a lot about them after that—how they were sentient and their undying love for children. But even with this new slate, he still didn't linger around them too often. He would talk to them from time-to-time, but for the most part, he just stayed in his booth and observed. They still had tried to put him into a suit at one time.

Mike was awakened to the ringing of his phone. He groaned and looked at the number on the screen: Freddy's. He wanted to scream in frustration. Why would they be calling him now? There was no way in hell his manager was getting him to come in on his night off! So pressing ignore, he set the phone back onto his dresser, managing to catch a glimpse at the time in the process.

2:14am.

He sighed. It wasn't easy getting sleep at this time anymore. He was more accustomed to coming home from work and sleeping seven to three. But he wasn't going to do that on his day off; there was nothing to do by himself to pass the time.

As his eyelids fell shut again, he heard his phone ring. Cursing angrily, he threw the sheets off of him and answered the phone.

"Hello?" he asked, trying not to sound too curt.

"Mike?" A voice on the other line questioned. "Mike, where are you?"

The guard furrowed his brow at the familiar voice before asking: "Bonnie? Is that you?"

"Mike where are you? Why aren't you here?" The voice asked, ignoring his question.

Mike stuttered, trying to process what was happening. "Wha—how did you get my number!?"

"We heard you tell it to the manager," he informed.

Mike deadpanned. Great, now he was going to get hundreds of calls from them every time he stepped foot outside the restaurant!

There was a pause on the other line, then the sounds of several other voices in the background. Bonnie returned.

"Mike, we need you to come in," he said. Mike shook his head.

"Look, I know you guys might be bored without me," he heard Chica snort in the background, continued anyway, "but this is my night off. I'll be back tomorrow night, promise."

There was a garbled clunk, then a different voice spoke into the phone, this time female. "Quit being lazy and get down here!" she snapped. "There's a thing here you need to get rid of."

Mike's eyes suddenly quickened with interest. "Thing?" he asked. "What thing?"

There was a muffled argument before Freddy's voice came over the line. "Michael? Can you hear me?"

"Freddy, what's Chica talking about—that 'thing'?"

"I'm honestly not too sure, myself," he admitted. "When we came awake for the night, we found him sitting Backstage."

"Him?" Mike inquired.

"Yes. It appears to be another one of us, similar to Bonnie…but he's quite weathered. There are many holes in him and parts absent. His color seems to have faded quite a bit as well."

"Okay…" Mike said, confused. "So why do you need me?"

"Michael, this suit is a hazard; a child could easily be injured by the exposed portions."

"Why can't you guys just do it yourselves?" he asked.

"We cannot go outside, you know that. And besides, it's raining."

"Well, can't you just break him inside, y'know, stomp on him or something?"

The bear let out an imitation of a sigh. "Michael, I know you're not all that comfortable around us, but we've been over this: we will not harm you. If you didn't believe that you would've already hung up on us."

Mike pursed his lips. He had a point, he was still listening to what they had to say. But it unnerved him. How did Freddy know him so well? Had being around people for so many years made the animatronic acute in reading them?

Freddy continued: "We'll be waiting for you." He hung up, leaving Mike with this obligation.

He groaned again, this time out of helplessness. The animatronics hadn't really left him with much of a choice in the matter, and if he chose not to go something surely bad would happen to him the next shift.

He growled, shaking his head, "I wasn't going back to bed anyway."