The bell of Roosevelt High rang at the 3 p.m. on a fine summer day, indicating the end of another school year. As students ran to and fro to their lockers to gather their things and head home for the summer, two in particular were hanging out by the statue in front of the school's entrance. April O'Neil opened her backpack and took out a newspaper that she had placed inside earlier that morning. Her friend Irma, noticed this and peeked over.
"Come on, April," Irma griped as she and April looked up and down the paper, "You've been looking at this newspaper all day. Would you take a break from it for, like, two minutes, already?" April looked up from the paper at her friend.
"I know it looks like I'm obsessing over it, but I've been thinking about getting a summer job for a while now," April replied, "I mean, seriously, how hard could it be? Sign up for a few weeks, earn some quick cash, and then chill out the rest of the summer. Plain and simple."
Irma spoke up again. "You know, April, if you want to, you could always help me and my parents at the antique shop," she suggested, "We're always getting piled up with crazy stuff that people bring in and we could always use an extra set of hands." April tapped her chin with her finger for a second.
"Sounds fun, Irma, but I think I'll have to say 'no' to that one," April replied, "The last time I tried to help at the shop, I nearly got my head smashed by a big statue of Budda. I learned that day that that is not my destined career. Besides, I just want to find a job that's simple and has a decent pay," April answered, "But I do appreciate the offer."
Irma then took the newspaper from April and began to do some reading of her own. After a minute of scrolling through the pages, the girl finally stopped and pointed to an advertisement.
"Hey, how about this one?" Irma said as she read the advertisement, "'Freddy Fazbear's Pizza: Family pizzeria looking for security guard to work the nightshift. 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. Monitor cameras and ensure safety of equipment and animatronic characters. Not responsible for any injuries on the job. Pay is $120 a week." April suddenly perked up at this.
"Looks like we just found that job I was looking for," April said, her blue eyes practically gleaming, "Tomorrow, I'll head down to Freddy Fazbear's and ask about getting a job interview." With that, Irma handed the newspaper back to April, who put it back in her knapsack. As the two girls prepared to leave, a male voice suddenly spoke up.
"Hey Red, you sure about that?"
April looked over her shoulder another one of her friends, Casey Jones, standing over her. The teen continued. "I've heard some pretty bad things about that place, and while I'm not trying to stop you from getting that job you want, I just don't want you to get hurt." April smiled and put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I'm sure it won't be that bad, Casey," April replied. With that, the three began their walk home. As the trio walked on, April couldn't help but think of Casey's words from earlier; something about bad things happening at the restaurant.
"Hey Casey, can I ask you something?" April said as Casey turned to look at her and nodded, "What was that you said earlier about 'bad things' about Freddy Fazbear's Pizza?" Casey glanced over to the side in response.
"Well, these are probably just rumors, but I heard somewhere that some kids went missing at one of the restaurant's chain locations," he replied, "And before that, there was an incident where one of those robot characters they have actually bit down on a some guys face and caused severe damage to his brain. He survived but his frontal lobe is nonfunctional." April winced at this, knowing from what she learned in anatomy class that while the brain could go on without the frontal lobe, the person would be comatose for a long time while the brain compensated for the damage.
"Well, that was a long time ago, right?" April replied with a nervous chuckle, "I'm sure that things have improved since then, right?" Casey looked at April and noticed how her confidence seemed to waver for a bit with that last sentence.
"You know, if you want I can give you a lift to the restaurant," Irma suggested, "I actually went there a couple times when I was a little girl and I still know where it is." April beamed at the idea.
"Thanks, Irma! I'd really appreciate that," April replied. With a final smile and a wave, the three friends went their separate ways, Casey and Irma heading to their respective houses and April to a bus stop to take her to her apartment. After an hour of waiting and a 15-minute bus ride, April unlocked her apartment, went inside and set her backpack on the kitchen table before getting out the newspaper and picking up the phone on the counter. After dialing the number in the advertisement, the phone rang twice before someone answered.
"Hello, and thank you for calling Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a fun place for kids and grown-ups alike," the person on the other end of the line deadpanned, "We're famous for providing great 24/7 customer service, from birthday parties to weddings."
"Hi, my name is April O'Neil," April answered, "I read in the newspaper that your facility is in need of a security guard, and I was interested in applying." With that, April and the employee on the phone began the long conversation leading up to arranging a job interview.
…
The following day, April called Irma on her cell phone and asked her to give her a lift to the restaurant for her interview. After a 45-minute wait, Irma arrived at the apartment building and April quickly climbed into the passenger seat before the two of them drove down the road. As they went through town, Irma looked over at April, who was looking over the newspaper article again.
"Um, April, I don't mean to repeat everyone when I ask this, but are you really sure that you want to do this?" the girl inquired, "I don't know how to put this, but the way you described the call yesterday, something just doesn't feel right." Irma looked over at her friend with a small grin and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It'll be fine," April said with surety, "And besides, you said it yourself. Those 'bad things' that happened there are probably just rumors. I really doubt a bunch of life-sized toys are going to do any damage."
"I hope you're right," Irma said as she looked back at the road.
"If you are, then at least you get to say 'I told you so'," April replied. Another 10 minutes went by, and the two teens were soon at downtown New York. April looked around and saw that most of the buildings were either really run-down or condemned for demolition. Yet some of the buildings were still in good condition, so it didn't take long for April to find her new potential workplace, even though the big sign on the front that said "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza: A Magical Place for Kids and Grown-ups Alike" was an obvious giveaway. Irma pulled her car into a parking spot and the two got out of the car and walked into the restaurant. Upon entry, April noticed that the front entrance was decorated with all kinds of children's drawings and party decorations, indicating the restaurant's popularity with children.
Mikey would definitely love this place, April thought as she and Irma walked past the main party room. The two looked inside and saw what appeared to be heaven for children. On the far end of the room there was an arcade full of all kinds of games, ranging from 8-bit games like Donkey Kong to classic table games like air hockey. In the center of the room were several long tables surrounded by chairs, all of which were occupied by children eating pizza and laughing with each other. On the other far side of the room was a large play area next to a small attraction that seemed to be closed off by a curtain. The real show-stealer, however, was in the center of the room. Music suddenly started playing, which attracted the kids' attention, and the curtains on a large central stage opened up to reveal three large costumed characters. On the left was a purple rabbit with a red bow tie and carrying a bass guitar, and on the right was a yellow bird holding a cupcake in its left hand and wearing an apron that said "Let's Eat!" But the real star of the show, however, was a large brown bear standing in the middle. It was wearing a black hat and bow tie and holding a microphone in its right hand.
"Looks like Freddy hasn't changed that much since I was here," Irma said as the animatronics began singing and the children roared in excitement.
"You know their names?" April asked.
"Of course," Irma replied, "When I was a little girl, one of my friends invited me to her birthday party here. It was the most fun I ever had in my childhood. The bear's name is Freddy, the bunny's name is Bonnie and the bird's name is Chica." With that, the two continued on, but not before April noticed the animatronic Irma identified as "Bonnie" seemed to be staring right at her. A shiver ran down her spine as she ran to catch up with Irma. The two walked up to the desk at the end of the front entrance and rang the bell to get the attendant's attention.
"Excuse me, my name is April O'Neil," April said as the attendant looked up at her, "I called yesterday about a job interview for night security guard."
"Ah, yes," the attendant said, "Mr. Fazbear has been expecting you. His office is the last door on the right of the hallway." Nodding in understanding, April looked over to Irma.
"Um, I'll just wait out here," the teen said. April nodded again and walked down the hall to the manager's office. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door and waited.
"Come in," a voice said from behind the door. April turned the doorknob and walked into the office, seeing a man with brown skin in a white shirt and black pants sitting at a large wooden desk. The man looked up and saw her standing in front of him. "Ah, Ms. O'Neil. Thank you for coming, please take a seat." April complied, sitting in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. Mr. Fazbear cleared his throat before speaking. "So, my assistant told me that you were looking to work as our new security guard?"
"That's right, although you can thank my friends for pointing it out to me in the first place," April replied. Mr. Fazbear chuckled at this.
"Nice to see someone humble," the man said with a grin, "Not many people are like that nowadays. Now, before we go into any of the job details, I need to ask you a few questions. Have you ever had any other jobs before this one?"
"Nope, this is my first one," April replied.
"Excellent," Mr. Fazbear said, "Are you comfortable working in small spaces?"
"Yes, but that's because I'm already used to doing schoolwork behind a desk," April answered with a chuckle.
"Good, now for the final question," Mr. Fazbear said with his tone suddenly sounding more serious, "Do you have any problems with anxiety or nervousness?" This took April by surprise.
"Not that I'm aware of," April answered, "If I did, then I'd be telling you about it right now." Mr. Fazbear raised an eyebrow, and April suddenly felt tense, feeling like she had just blown her only chance at getting a job. But then, Mr. Fazbear suddenly smiled and stood up.
"Perfect. Follow me and I'll show you where you'll be working for the next week," the manager said as the two walked out of the office and walked down the hall. They eventually came to a large open door leading to a small office. Inside the office was a desk put up in front of a wall lined with all kinds of posters and more children's drawings related to the restaurant and its signature characters. On the desk were a small metal fan for temperature regulation, a telephone and a small tablet. The place looked a bit dusty and looked like it could use some tidying up, but other than that, it seemed to be the perfect office for a security guard.
"Doesn't look like much," April said as she looked around the small room.
"Yeah, I know it doesn't, but this small room is probably the most important part of the facility," Mr. Fazbear replied, "After all, it's your job to make sure nothing gets in or out after hours. See this tablet?" He gestured to the device in question, to which April nodded.
"This little device is linked to all the security cameras positioned all around the restaurant. All you have to do is press this button on the bottom to turn it on, then just press any of the rooms on the screen to see through the camera in it." To prove his point, Mr. Fazbear turned on the camera to reveal footage seen through the camera by the stage. April looked on it and saw Freddy and his friends on the stage, singing songs and telling jokes to the children.
"That's actually pretty cool," April said as Mr. Fazbear turned off the tablet and placed it on the desk. The two walked out of the security room and back to Mr. Fazbear's office. Once the two were seated, Mr. Fazbear looked April dead in the eye with a serious look on his face once again.
"I also have something to tell you, Ms. O'Neil," the manager said, "A personal matter really. This company is dying. Because of our dark recent history, we've been due to close by year's end."
"Sorry to hear about that," April replied, "My friend Irma told me this place was quite popular back in its heyday. She even went here once on her friend's birthday party."
"This company was once my uncle's property," Fazbear continued, "When he died 20 years ago, he passed the torch down to me. I tried to make the best of what I had, but it seems that fate wasn't in my favor then and now. First those children disappear, then that one patron nearly gets his head bitten off, then our company's original location has to be shut down and everything transferred to a smaller facility, and now we're finally being shut down due to health conditions. But, there's no point in dwelling on the past now. Report here tomorrow night at 11:30 and we'll get you settled in."
"Sure thing," April replied as she shook Mr. Fazbear's hand and strode out of his office, a smile of success on her face. She walked out into the main entrance lobby, where Irma was seated in a chair by the front door. Irma saw the smile on her friend's face and warmly approached her.
"So, did you get the job?" Irma eagerly asked her hands fidgeting in anticipation. April quickly nodded. Overjoyed, Irma squealed in delight and hugged her friend tightly, April returning the hug without hesitation.
"Tomorrow night, I start my first summer job," April replied. With that, the two walked back out to the car and drove home. But if April took the time to look back in the party room as she walked out, she would've noticed that Freddy had his big blue eyes focused on her the whole time.