I can't comprehend it. Taking the role of a parent... For a bunch of dead children? No way I'm ready for that. Not to mention, I'm currently locked in a room with two robots that look like they're about to fall to pieces.

I'm just so confused, about everything.

I try to appear calm by voicing my questions and concerns one at a time.

"So... Why are you so beaten up and damaged? Is it because of age, or something else?" I address the otter, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Well bad treatment, rotting in storage, it was general stuff that did our suits in," She replies, "Spring's suit is actually older than mine, he was at the pizzeria for the grand opening, Stage 01. Mine was brought to the restaurant a few months later, but was never used."

"Oh. So... Um, what animatronic am I? What am I supposed to do? Oh, and what's your name?" I ask.

"My name's Olive." She then takes a moment to think about my other questions. "You're-"

She is interrupted by the door unlocking with a "click" and swinging open. Crowding the kitchen and doorway are the four main animatronics.

"Wyless?" Freddy asks softly. "Did you calm down? Can you come out?"

Chica pipes in, albeit louder. "I'm sorry for scaring you! It was an accident! I was just so excited to see you!"

I don't want to come out, but it's not that I'd rather be in here. I'd rather be at my apartment, alive.

"I'm ready to come out now. I really am." I reply, my voice wavering slightly.

"That's GREAT!" Says Bonnie. "We can play a game to get to know each other and it's going to be so much fun and-"

Freddy cuts off the little bunny. "I think he gets it."

"Um... Okay." I say uncomfortably.

"Can Spring and I play the game too?" Olive asks from behind me. I turn around enough to see the two standing. The rabbit, Spring, looks wholly uninterested, even angry, but doesn't complain.

Freddy glances at them suspiciously. "Fine..." He says. "I guess everyone should play. We need to get the others out from the basement though."

"Wait, others?!" I ask. Is there, perhaps, another adult? How many did these 'kids' kill? I remember from the phone calls that most people didn't make it to their third night. I had hopes he wasn't implying they died but...

"Yep." Says Foxy. "But like Freddy said, they're in the basement. If you'd like, I can show you where they are."

I'm surprised that Foxy doesn't sound much like a pirate. He must just be laying it on thick during the day, to suit his role.

"Sure." I reply. Foxy takes my hand and I flinch, but he doesn't seem to notice and drags me out of the kitchen, grinning slightly. Realizing I can still barely move, he supports me we walk.

He takes me through the dining room and into the backstage storage, where I first woke up. Opening a door I hadn't noticed before, and was in a blind spot of the cameras, he motions for me to go down with a wave of his hook.

I stare down the steps and into the darkness below. Reaching out with a hand, I click the light switch and the basement is illuminated below me. Looking back, I find Foxy has left.

I make my way down the metal steps, grasping onto the railing to keep from falling. I am nearly at the bottom when I hear a sort of sigh.

I reach the bottom of the staircase and take a look around me. The basement walls are made from cinderblock, with a coat of white paint over them. The floor is a simple stone like material. A few boxes litter the floor, particularly around the corners. But turning around, I find the source of the odd noise. An orange animatronic lies in a crumpled heap in the back corner, wincing at the harsh light, a paw over its eyes.

I approach it carefully, managing to keep my balance. It is what appears to be a tiger, and lays with its eyes closed. I am about to speak when it shifts its position to face away from me.

"Get away from me. I told you this before! Just leave me alone, and go burn in a fire or- or, something!" It, well, he says, voice fading into a sniffle. I can't quite decipher where I've heard this voice before, as I am sure I have. When I do, I'm shocked.

"You're... You're the man... That left messages on the phone..." I say quietly.

The cat jerks and sits up shakily, staring directly at me. Except for some slight stains around the eye sockets, it is mostly clean of blood and grime. Much nicer than myself, still bloody and messy- in other words, a walking corpse.

"Oh no... They got someone else..." He says, sounding defeated. "I had hoped the training tapes would prevent this..."

I don't respond, having nothing to say. He's so different from the other man, the one in the golden rabbit suit. Instead of trying to be intimidating, he sounds like he has nothing left in him.

"I'm so, so sorry..." He says to me. "There was nothing I could do to stop them from hunting the night guards..."

"It's not your fault I died." I tell him. "I shouldn't have come back week after week." That much is true.

He shakes his head. "Being able to survive more than three nights is a miracle. The lucky ones are able to quit before that. But so far, no one else has died. Thankfully."

"Why are you down here?" I ask. "Why aren't you performing?"

"Uh, well-"

"Hey, Tam's acting like he's conscious for once!" Cries out a voice from behind me.

I whirl around and end up falling against a wall before I can see who was speaking. Using the wall for support I stand, finally getting a good look at whatever it was.

Two figures stand before us. One is thin and lanky. Its body is midnight-black, except for thin white stripes around its wrists and ankles. Its face is a creamy white, with bright red 'blush' and purple lines resembling tear trails. Like it's forever crying.

The other looks like Freddy, but is the gold of the otter and rabbit. It is beaten up, but not so much as they were.

"Not another one..." I mumble under my breath. Well, it would be if I still breathed.

The black creature jerks its head around to stare at me. "Why did you come down here, Mr. Schmidt?"

"Uh..." I'm surprised that he called me by my human name. Then again, this creature is quite different from the others. Come to think of it, how did he know it in the first place?

"Bonnie wanted everyone to come upstairs. For a game." I stutter slightly, but get the words out.

"Okay. Oh, and you can call me Marionette, and he's Goldie."

"Or you could call him Mari. Or Puppet!" Exclaims the bear, Goldie.

Marionette gives him a friendly shove before turning and heading up the stairs. Goldie gives me one last glance before heading up the staircase as well.

Tamarin watches them leave. "They stay down here in the basement. At least they're quiet, most of the time." He comments absently.

"Hm." I reply, helping him up.

He stares me down, taking in everything about my suit. "Uh, what's you're name?"

"Mike. Well, Michael."

"Okay. You can call me- well, Tamarin. No sense in going by my real name, I suppose." He replies, giving me a sad smile. "But if you need something, I'm here. It's nice for there to be another adult to speak to when you need it."

"It gets lonely, I'm sure..." I reply, remembering all the time spent alone at this job, spending six hours a night in silence.

He sighs. "Don't worry. You'll make it through. Come on, now. We'd best be getting upstairs before they send someone else down. He takes my hand and leads me to the staircase. Letting go, he begins up the stairs, with myself coming up behind him, taking care not to fall. Despite everything that's going on, I find it surprising that I'm now able to move okay, despite having "awoken" barely... what, an hour ago?

Shutting the door behind us, I turn and follow him out of the backstage to the dining room. There, the others wait for us. Spring isolates himself from the other animatronics, who show no interest in them moving closer. Olive sits beside him, either to keep him company or annoy him. I still haven't figured out her true intentions behind being so friendly, and I want to suspect the latter. Tamarin and I cautiously sit beside the other animatronics, the "kids." By chance, I am seated right next to Bonnie, who smiles at me.

Darn, even when I hate them for killing me, they can be so adorable.

Bonnie stands and claps his hands together, but only succeeds in making a thumping sound.

"Okay, so we're going play a really cool game to get to know Wyless better. He's already proven to be the best wolf we've ever had, since he managed to get Tamarin out of the basement!"

"Enough with the jokes, Bonnie. Just get on with it." Asks Spring, acting the forever sadistic, or at the very least insane rabbit he's already proven himself to be.

"We're going to be doing something like truth or dare, but without the dare. So, you ask someone a question, and they give you the answer. That way we can all learn some more about each other, especially Wyless. Well, we already know each other pretty well anyway but its going to be fun!"

"I'll start!" Yells Chica, obviously eager.

"Uh, shouldn't we let Wyless start?" Freddy asks. Chica slowly nods, and looks to me.

"Oh... okay." I reply awkwardly. "So um... Spring! What's your favorite color?" I'd rather not be doing this, but if I have to, I might as well see if I can learn some more about everyone else. A favorite color, however, probably wasn't the smartest question to ask.

He looks at me oddly for a few seconds, and I can tell he didn't expect anyone to ask him a question, let alone me. Then, he puts his arm out. A shred of dark purple fabric peeks through one of the small holes.

"Purple, most definitely. I wore it on the day I was brutally chased down and murdered. By those five." He answers, motioning to the animatronics gathered around.

Goldie stands up suddenly. "Served you right, you monster."

Spring is unfazed. "Ah well. Marionette, on the topic of murder, what do you think it's like?" He glances over at me. "You know, hypothetically speaking, of course. Or maybe not."

Marionette is taken aback. "Err..." He looks a bit uncomfortable.

Spring seems about to make some sort of joke for this when Foxy speaks up.

"Uh, it's almost six. We should get back into place."

The others mumble in agreement, and begin moving back to their spots. Chica is helping Bonnie climb up the steps to the show stage when I speak up. "Wait, why? And where do I go?!"

Foxy addresses Tamarin and me. "The place is closed on Sundays, but cleaning staff come in today. They'll make sure all the blood and such is cleaned off of you two, and then you'll be joining me at Pirate's Cove."

"Won't they mind the blood?" Tamarin asks.

"Not the slightest. They never have before, and they're paid to keep this kind of thing quiet." Foxy replies. "Oh, and you two had better practice your pirate speak. But don't worry, I'll help you two get used to it, it's really fun!"

I blink. For a little while, I had forgotten what Olive had told me, that they just want me to be a kind of parent. So, I pat Foxy on the head, and he beams at me. It's a bit awkward, as they are just a tall as I am, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Tamarin and I head down the basement steps. Goldie and Marionette sit together in one corner, and we sit in the opposite one. Before long, we hear whirring as janitors come in and begin to clean.

There is a thump as several men open the basement door and make their way down the steps, balancing several large cleaning tools. I'm surprised when I see who is last.

It's the manager.