Nolan nervously switched back to the vent cam. Checked his watch. Checked the cam.
He was still there.
"Are you trying to trick me or something?" He asked the camera. He rapped the screen. Checked the office. Exhaled.
Ventilation system. Hallucinations. After three nights of it, Nolan was used to it.
The night before, Springtrap had come so close to attacking that after barely managing to lure the sound activated animatronic away with the sound-byte he'd been supplied with, overcome by the tense situation, he had screamed at a speck on the floor, causing Springtrap to return. Fortunately, his shift had ended right then, and, the inexplicable westminster chimes being much louder and more magnetic than Nolan's terrified gibbering, Springtrap had slunk away.
Good.
"Oh gosh, did you fiddle with the cameras? I bet you're peeking into my office as I speak!" Nolan whimpered.
He checked. There was absolutely nothing outside the office.
He spotted the empty Freddy suit. He glared at it. Freddy stared back emptily.
He checked the vent cam. Still there!
He turned back to "Oh, Freddy, why did I take this job? I must have been nuts. Actually, I think I am going nuts! Wait, why am I talking to you?" Freddy stared back, saying nothing.
He looked back at the camera. Still there! Still there! How much longer could he take it?
"Come on, move! Do something!" He yelled at him.
One of the kid's drawings of Chica hopped onto his desk. "Considering your current situation, asking him to move wouldn't be a very good idea." It said in a high-pitched voice.
Nolan gawked at it for a moment, than quickly rebooted the ventilation. The Chica drawing disappeared, returning to it's picture on the wall without a trace.
He checked his watch. 5:00. An hour to go. Could he make it? Could he make it?
"Come on, Nolan." He told himself, taking deep breaths. "Y-you're being v-very s-s-silly. It's a good thing he hasn't moved. A very good thing." He tried to relax himself. "EXCEPT ANY MINUTE HE'S GOING TO COME AND ATTACK ME AND I WON'T BE ABLE TO A SINGLE THING TO STOP IT!" He screamed.
The foundation shook.
Some very early birds flew away from a tree across the street.
Nolan turned back to the camera. Springtrap's perpetual malicious grin was tightly pressed into what seemed to be a grimace, and his arms, which had been out in front of him previously, were now bent inwards in what seemed to be an effort to cover his ears.
"Ha! You moved! A little!" Squealed Nolan. He started to giggle uncontrollably. Then he put his hand over his mouth. He turned to the empty Freddy suit.
"I think I've gone nuts." He said.
5:30
Ever since Nolan's earsplitting shout, Springtrap hadn't changed position again.
Nolan decided to play audio. He really didn't like this new movement pattern. The one where Springtrap didn't move. I bet he's planning something, Nolan thought with a gulp.
He selected 'Play Audio' on CAM 6, the closest non vent cam to CAM 12. "Hello." A voice said in the distance, muffled by the vents.
Nothing happened.
Nolan frowned. "O-OK, he h-h-hasn't responded to au-audio b-before. L-let's try again."
He pressed the button again. The sound of children's laughter this time, in CAM 7.
Nothing. Then, a very soft thump. Scratch. That could only mean one thing.
He switched back to CAM 12, where Springtrap still was, though he seemed to have changed position slightly.
Or not.
Nolan felt like screaming.
"Hello?"
That sound wasn't from his sound byte. He hadn't pushed any buttons.
A totally blacked out balloon boy advanced near him, jumpscared, and vanished, reducing his monitor to static.
"Eeep!" Nolan eeped and started to reboot his camera.
Before he could even finish the reboot sequence,
Another blacked out figure, a bear, (He'd taken to calling them Phantoms) advanced toward him. And jumpscared.
Then Chica. Then foxy. Then a puppet got up close and personal while the others all jumpscared at once.
Nolan backed away, voice sore from all his shrieking, now more frustrated then scared.
"GRAA! WHAT IS WITH YOU!?" He finally yelled at them.
He screamed again when the Phantom Foxy jumpscared him in response.
Eventually they lost interest in him and slowly dissipated. But Nolan knew they come back any minute. Oh, yes. They would wait as soon as he let his guard down...Nolan shivered and bit his lip to restrain screaming.
Springtrap, on the other hand, hadn't changed cams at all as far as Nolan could see.
Audio.
"Hello?"
"Ha-ha-ha!"
"Hello?"
"Hello?"
"Hello?"
It felt like he'd played the audio a million times.
"I'm not going to stop watching you, not for one milla-moment." Nolan fumed. "You're just going to attack me." He sneered at the monitor.
"I'm not switching cameras either-wait, that's it. I need to refresh the cameras! How could I be so dumb?"
It was a perfect refresh. As far as refreshes go, it was a refresh that was the envy of all other refreshes in Nolan's eyes.
He squeaked and jumped when he saw that Springtrap was still in the vent cams. He checked everywhere.
The only place Springtrap was-and had been for the past four hours-was the vent cams. "Argh!"
"Wait, my cellphone! I'm calling my manager Springtrap! He'll fix this! Oooh, you are in so much trouble!" Nolan cackled.
Wait, he thought I was joking when I told him Springtrap nearly killed me yesterday. Why should he listen to me now? Nolan wondered. Aw, shucks. It's worth a try.
"Hello? What time is it?" Asked a sleepy, slightly irritated voice.
"I-it's your s-s-security guard, sir! The animatronic is in the vents! I th-think h-he's planning something!"
"..."
"Can this wait until morning?"
"Technically it is morning, sir! And he's in the vents."
"Nolan, he hasn't moved around during the day."
"Well, he's in the vents!"
"Did you check the cameras?"
"Yes! How else would I know he was in the vents if I didn't check the cameras?"
"I doubt he is in the vents, Nolan. First of all, those vents are rather cramped-"
"Dang it, he doesn't care about how cramped it is!He's a menace!"
"Uh-huh. Look, this was funny this morning-"
"Oh, forget it, you're no help." Nolan hung up.
5:45
Springtrap was exactly where he had been for most of the night.
"This is a mystery." He told the empty Freddy suit. The empty suit said nothing in response.
12:00 am, the same night.
"Alright." Said Nolan. He checked the cams.
"There you are, S-Springtrap." He carefully managed to lure Springtrap away from the exit signs. Too close for comfort.
12:30
"Oh god, where are youwhereareyouwhereareyou?" Squeaked Nolan.
Nolan jumped when he heard a scraping sound. BANG. BANG. BANG. Nolan bit his fingertips.
Then,
BANG Scrapebangscrapecrashcrashcrashbangbamcrash
Now what was that?
"Vent cams!" Nolan realized.
He found Springtrap glaring at CAM 12, where he would remain for the rest of the night.
5:50
Nolan frowned. "You're acting really weird and I don't like it!" He yelled. "I don't like this at all!"
You aren't the only one.
5:59
"Come on, if you're going to attack me, come out and get it over with!" Yelled Nolan tearfully.
Then,
DING DONG DING DONG DONG DING DING DANG
Nolan left the building at nothing less then a sprint.
"Worst night ever!" He sobbed.
A/N: And now one question remains: Why DID Springtrap spend most of his time in the vents? Find out...for yourself. I have faith in your abilities.
