Declaimer: Five Nights at Freddy's belongs to Scott Cawthon, I own nothing but the plot and characters I make up.
Hello ladies and gentlemen, humans, earthlings, sentient creatures, etc!
Welcome to my story: Journey Into The Shadows.
This is my first story, ever, and though I'm a bit nervous, I'm also super pumped to finally post this.
A bit of forewarning, this follows a base of the FNAF storyline, however it takes some twists and turns, also, the lay outs of the building will be changed some, areas will be added, and/or moved.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM is welcomed with open arms, and I'm looking forward to hear what you guys have to say about my story.
Now... Without further interruption...
Journey Into The Shadows
-RangerMK01
A young man, in his mid twenties, with dark brown hair to about his ears, tan skin, and hazel eyes, sat a large wooden desk. A sheet of paper lay in in front of him, a black pen beside it. The desk was littered with small trinkets, bits of trash, and pens. A closed laptop sat to the side, a brown plushy of a bear with blue eyes, a top hat and microphone resting on top. A lamp sat next to a window, overlooking a quiet field of grass, and beyond that, a green forest. It was dark outside, stars sparkled in the sky, and a half moon shone down on the ground. He spun in a black swivel chair, looking at the walls. To his right, a shelf was filled with books, underneath, a red electric guitar and a silver microphone leaned against the wall. To his left, the wall was lined with pictures and posters. Behind him, a closed wooden door stood, more pictures lining the wall around it.
The man sat thoughtfully, staring up at the ceiling where a fan rotated. He tapped his feet gently on the carpeted floor, occasionally swinging the chair from side to side. He glanced at the sheet of paper every now and then, seeming in deep thought, only too turn away again, shaking his head.
He just couldn't figure it out, what should he do?
His head snapped up suddenly, and a smile formed on his face as the sound of small running feet up stairs reached his ears. A second later, the sound of someone trying to open the door reached his ears. He swiveled in the chair to look at the door, as a young boy, about four, burst through, arms out stretched, running at full speed.
He had light, brownish-blonde hair, light tan skin, and brown, green speckled eyes. His face was and cloths were stained with red sauce, and he smelled like pizza.
"Daddy!" The boy shouted happily, leaping into his fathers arms, and hugging him tightly.
"Hey kiddo!" The man said equally as cheerful. "What are you up to?"
"I help mama make pizza!" He said looking up at his father.
"She let you help make pizza with her?! " The man said incredulously, genuinely shocked.
"That's right." The man looked up from his son. Standing in the doorway, a young women, also in her mid twenties, leaned against the doorframe, her right hand on her hip, a pleasant smile on her face. She had medium length blonde hair tied back in a high pony tail. Her eyes were a solid jade green, and her skin was light. She wore a simple pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, and a white apron, stained with red pizza sauce.
"And he's quiet the cook, makes twice the pizza you ever could." She added, her voice light and cheery.
"That's because you only let me help you make pizza once!" The man retorted.
"Uh-huh, and once was enough, remember what the pizza looked like?" She said smugly.
"That was eleven years ago!" The man argued, even though he knew he was losing.
Her eyebrow shot up. "And you haven't made a pizza sense then, probably a good thing..."
The man gave a defeated sigh knowing he wasn't going to win. "Alright, you win..."
She smiled triumphantly. "As usual..."
A tug at the mans sleeve reminded the man of his son on his lap.
The man looked down and smiled at his son. "What are you doing daddy?" The boy inquired.
"Yes, what are you doing?" The women asked, sitting on the floor in front of him, and taking the young boy off his fathers lap, and setting him in her own.
The man sat thoughtfully. "I'm... Writing a book..." He said finally.
"A book..." The boy and women quietly.
His son looked up at him from his mothers lap. "What it about daddy?" He asked.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out... I don't know yet..." The man said thoughtfully.
He searched the room to inspire him, his wife and son watching him quietly.
Finally, his eyes landed on a picture by the door, it was old, and slightly faded, but it was still one of his favorites. Suddenly, an idea came to him, and a smile came across his face "What? Did you think of something?" His wife asked, eye brow raised.
The man nodded. "I'll write it about a boy." He said, his smile growing wider.
His sons eyes widened. "Like me?" He asked in awe.
The man chuckled. "Yes like you, it'll be about a boy, a boy and a place called..."
He met his wife's eyes, a wide smile on his face.
"A place called Freddy Fazbear's Pizza..."
"You sure this is it?"
I glanced out the window, and smirked. "Yes mom, can't you see the sign?" I said, looking up at the large colorful sign.
It depicted a large, brown, animatronic bear with blue eyes. A microphone was clutched in its right hand, and a black top hat rested on its head. It waved towards the parking lot with its left hand, bright flashing lights blinking around it and the words "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza" across the bottom.
It was placed above a set of glass doors, that led into a large brick one story brick building, with a flat green roof. Multiple windows lined the walls, and posters were placed in the intervals, advertising for party reservations, the large sign above the doorway.
"Thats not what I meant." She replied simply.
I turned, my eyebrow raised, curious as to what she did mean.
My mother, Mary Schmidt, was a short women, with dark brown hair, fair skin, and light brown eyes. She wore a serious expression, which added to my curiosity, usually my mother was a very light hearted person, always cracking some joke, or telling some funny childhood story.
"What do you mean then?" I asked.
"I mean, are you sure this is the place you want to work, the pay is horrible, and theres probably a million other jobs that you would probably enjoy more then watching cameras for 12 hours each day."
I rolled my eyes. "I'll be fine, besides, it's just a small summer job so I can earn some cash and not be killing myself for money during the school year, and besides, money for basically doing nothing, it's a kids pizzeria, what could go wrong?"
She looked out the windshield of the car and frowned. "Nothing, your right..."
I could sense she was worried about something, but I decided not to press. "Okay, I'll be inside for a few minutes, just wait out here for me."
She nodded, but said nothing. Opening the door, I threw a quick glance towards her, taking note of the concerned look on here face, I stepped out of the small blue mini van, into the hot afternoon air.
The small town had been experiencing some of the hottest weather in years, setting the fire danger at extreme. Already starting to sweat, I quickly headed for the pizzeria, eager to get out of the sun.
The sound of tires moving told me that my mom was moving to a parking spot, but I didn't look back, I needed to stay focused, calm, collected.
I briefly looked down at my attire. Pair of jeans, white T-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. Tucking in my shirt, doing the best to make myself look presentable.
Standing straight again, I reached for the handle to the glass doors, I hesitated briefly, before taking a deep breath to settle my nerves, I pulled open the door.
The first thing that I noticed, was the smell.
It was a vague coppery scent, and something else, something decaying.
The next thing was the yells and cheers of children. The whole pizzeria is filled with the screams of children, and the smell of pizza.
I slowly entered the building, taking care close the door behind me.
I was in a small lobby of sorts, it was square, with a black and white tiled floor, with two windows on either side of the door, and a small check in too the right, where a waitress stood, waiting
A short hallway lined with children's drawings led directly into the dining area, and the screams of multiple children and loud music seemed to flow out of it.
The waitress, was fairly tall, maybe 20, with green eyes, and a braid of light brown hair running down her left shoulder. She stood upright, with an edge of authority to her, and even though I was a couple inches taller, she still managed to look down on me.
She walked over, and looked me up and down, her face unmoving. "I'm afraid that children under the age of 18, must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to be here." She said in a plain, almost board voice.
I bristled slightly at being called a child, I was 15, just because I wasn't an adult didn't mean she could call me a child.
Keeping my cool, I forced a smile. "Actually, I'm here for the day guard position, I called yesterday, could you direct me to the manager?" I replied with all the enthusiasm I could muster.
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, then a look come over her face. Pity? "Ah, I see, that changes things." She said shortly, her face resuming an emotionless expression. "Please follow me then."
She turned and took off at a brisk pace toward the singing area.
Caught by surprise, I hesitated a moment.
Why had she been so unwilling to let him come in? Why had she looked sorry when he had announced he was going to be the day guard?
Shaking my head, I took of after her, my shoes slipping occasionally on the slick tiled floor.
I stopped at the end of the hallway, taking in the chaos before me.
To my right, the show stage showed off the three main attractions, the animatronic bear, bunny, and a duck/chicken crossbreed. They were singing a silly song about pizza, their voices slightly glitchy from years of use. Further right, a pair of push doors led into what I assumed was the kitchen. A cheering mob of children surrounded the singing animatronics, their parents desperately tried to keep track of their children, but were failing miserably. Waiters navigated through the chaos, holding trays of steaming pizza and soda, bringing them to hungry children. To the left, two hallways led further into the building. Straight ahead, a set of purple curtains stood closed, a sign reading "Out of Order" in front . A door marked "Employees only" stood closed next to the show stage, slightly open.
A tap on my shoulder brought me back to reality. I turned to find the waitress tapping her foot impatiently.
"Come on, I don't have all day." She said sounding irritated.
She turned before I had chance to answer, and headed towards one of the hallways to the left. I quickly took off after her.
We entered the hallway and passed the bathrooms, and continued towards the end. A/N: I know the lay out of the building is different, but changes had to be made for the entry to work, the entry way takes the place of the bathrooms, and the bathrooms now branch off from east hall corner.
We passed a cracked window, where I got a small glimpse of someone pacing inside.
We stopped at a large steel door, with black and yellow caution striped on the top and bottom. I blinked, why would a kids pizzeria need two inch steel bomb doors?
The waitress knocked on the steel doors, the sound echoing through the hallway ominously. I jumped when the door went up into the ceiling with a loud clang, revealing a man.
He was about a half a foot taller then me, with short dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a thin beard. He wore blue jeans and a white T-shirt with a picture of the animatronic bear and the words "Stay safe, and have fun!" printed in purple ink beneath.
He looked surprised to see the waitress standing. "Hello Sydney! What brings you here during the work hour? Certainly not me." He asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes David, definitely not you. I came here to drop off him." She replied, stepping aside and gesturing to me. "He claims to be the one who called for the day guard position."
Stepping forward, I extended my hand in greeting. "Hello sir, I'm Michael Schmidt, we spoke the other day on the phone." I said as calmly as possible.
His face brightened. "Ah yes, I remember, uh, thank you Sydney, you may return to your work."
She nodded once, then turned. She shot me a pitying glance, before walking off down the hallway, the sound of her heels echoing in the hallway.
David took my hand and began shaking it vigorously. "Nice to meet you in person Mike, is it alright if all right call you Mike? My name is David Guenther incase you forgotten." He said energetically, a large smile on his face.
"Yes sir, I remember, and Mike is fine, everybody else calls me that anyways." I replied once again forcing a smile and mustering all the enthusiasm I could
Somehow, his smile widened further, making his face look like it was going to crack in half. "Great! Well Mike, step into my office and will see about getting that job!" He said happily, stepping aside so that I could enter.
I hesitated slightly, something just seemed... Off... Why was he so enthusiastic to get me hired?
I stepped in slowly, taking in the office as I entered,
Too my right, a black metal desk covered in monitors, crumpled sheets of paper, candy wrappers, an old metal fan, a pink cupcake plushy and dust, was wedged into the front of the office. Wires ran up the walls alongside dozens of children's drawings. To the left, a old, dusty, and slightly battered swivel chair was pushed up against the wall, in an attempt to make the room less cramped, it didn't work. Directly ahead, another steel door stood closed beside another window, similar to the other one, only less cracked. A set of buttons were on the doorframe, the one on top was marked "LIGHT" well the one on the bottom was marked "DOOR". Over head, a dim light illuminated the room, buy only served to cast a eerie orange light on the office.
I stepped into the middle of the room, and jumped slightly when a loud clang resounded behind me.
I turned to find David, his hand on the button marked "DOOR" standing casually.
"Aaaaaaalrighty!" He said cheerfully, walking over to the swivel chair, and plopped down, his right leg rested on top of his left. "Let's talk about your job!"
I shifted my feet awkwardly. "Uh, sir... Can I ask a question?"
He chuckled. "You just did!" He replied. "But yes, you may."
"I was wondering... Why does a kids pizzeria need bomb doors?" I asked.
He sighed, his mood seemed to drop for a second. "The previous manager, thought it would be a good idea to purchase fire doors, but forgot there were windows... Cost a fortune..."
He replied. "But enough about that! Let's talk about your application!"
I nodded slowly.
He reached into a black suitcase beside the chair, and pulled out a folder, marked, "Day guard application."
He opened the folder, and quickly flipped through, selecting a sheet of paper. "Alright, right now, were running on low budget, meaning pay in minimum, and were short on staff. So that means, I'm going to ignore age, health issues, and or criminal records. You follow?"
He looked up at me, a inquiring look on his face. I nodded again, slight unnerved by the criminal part.
Good... Alright here's the terms of agreement: Hello and welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza magical place, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear entertainment is not responsible for any damaged property or person."
He stopped again. "Still all good?" I nodded, a little more shakily, things were starting to get weird.
"You are forbidden too bring any weapon of any sort to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a baton will be provided in case of emergency.
You will not leave the building for any reason during your shift, unless instructed by your manager.
You are at any point, available to be moved to the night shift."
Why would they need to move me too the night shift in the first place?
Ignoring my surprised expression, he continued.
"You are to never tell anyone, aside from your manager, me, what happens during your shift, and will never discuss what happens with anyone, should anyone ask, tell them you are unable to discuss it. Should they press why you can not, reply simply by saying 'Company policy'.
You are also to not discuss the terms of agreement with anyone, and shell handle the situation using the method above.
You must at least spend a week working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza before you can resign, any attempts to leave will result in immediate legal action.
You must always where you staff shirt during you shift, but only during your shift.
You are to not interact with families, unless they are braking the rules, or approach you first.
And finally, you are to never tamper with the animatronics.
Breaking any of these agreements will result in legal action."
I stared at him as he looked up from the sheet of paper. "You alright? Your kinda pale..." He asked.
I nodded. "Just kinda... Hard to make sense of..." I replied.
He sighed. "Look, don't worry about it. The reason we say that were not responsible is because about a year ago, some guy went home from work, and was murdered in his sleep, lot people blamed us. The reason we say don't leave the building is because some guys during their shift, would just show up, then leave, hang out with friends so they would be making cash for nothing. All these are here for, are because somebody did something stupid in the past, and the company is just too lazy to change them."
I nodded, feeling my nerves settle slightly.
He handed me a pen and the paper, gesturing too the bottom. "Sign here please." He said simply.
I looked down at the paper. Holding the pen ready. Did I really want this job? Because as soon as signed, there was no going back.
"Mike?"
I brought the tip of the pen to the paper, and began to sign.
-END-
Thank you for reading the first chapter and I hope you enjoyed!
Updates may be a bit slow because of my daily life, but I'll try to get them out as quickly as possible!
Remember, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is appreciated greatly!
Hope the rest of your day is awesome!
-RangerMK01