"I can't believe I have to go to this shit."
Frustrated was an underestimate, William was pissed. Back at the job he hated, nightmares plaguing his sleep, and memories reoccurring.
As the lights blinked off, he groaned, grinding his teeth and slamming his head on the desk as HandUnit sounded from the speakers overhead.
"There seems to be a power malfunction- "
William snorted.
"Please stand by while I reboot the system. I will be offline momentarily during this process. Various other systems may be offline as well, such as security doors, vent locks, and oxygen- "
His breath hitched. "Wait, what."
"Commencing system restart."
As the voice vanished and breathing became more difficult, he sat there; the air getting thicker by the minute. He couldn't breathe; the oxygen shut off and his rapid breaths quickly dispersing the remaining oxygen.
William's head felt fuzzy, almost as if he was swimming in honey; sticky and hard to move. His mind was slowed, and his heart rate sped up; helping to remove the oxygen.
Closing his eyes, William chanted a common phrase in his head, one that had been overused across the years of being involved with the restaurant, even some select few childhood memories.
This is fine. I'm gonna be fine. Just don't think about how everything secure is gone, or the fact that there are killer robots-
"Animatronics"
His head shot up, trying to focus on the source of the voice despite not being able to differentiate between a desk and a cup right now.
His heart was racing and sweat was trickling down his forehead and various other parts of his body. Anything could happen in the dark, in THESE establishments.
There was no movement, every surrounding and every piece of machinery was stock still. No whirrs, no ticks, just silence. It made him uneasy, his heart beating rapidly as he sucked in his breath, holding it for what he was worth. There was going to be hell if he survived this.
If he listened carefully he could hear faint echoes, a mixture between footsteps and voices. Almost as if someone was pacing while speaking or if there was a group of people inside.
This isn't in my job description. William stood slowly, his back cracking in places as his spine adjusted to being straight. The air felt heavy as he tiptoed to the sound, his footsteps making the occasional scuffing noise on the ground.
He felt as if he just signed his death sentence.
As he moved closer the sounds gradually got louder, as well as quieter in certain places; a mix between close and far away.
It confuses him and more than once, he turns and goes in the wrong direction before eventually turning and going closer to the noise.
It doesn't take long, the confined space of his office and the place he's allowed to go make it easy to find the source, and he finds himself standing in front of glass, Baby's auditorium placed right through the glass, allowing him to identify a dark form as the animatronic herself.
Looking at her in the dark fascinates him, finally able to see the animatronics themselves when they aren't…functional.
The way he prefers them honestly.
At least then they can't touch him, and he has full control; able to disassemble them at ease. They're practically putty in his hands.
William stands there for a minute, his breaths finally steady and his heart rate slowed. It's just him and Baby, and HE has the upper hand.
Occasionally there's a flash of light; bright green light filtering through the glass and blinding him momentarily but every time he opens his eyes, the light is gone, and the room is back to pitch black.
"You will now be required- "
"SON OF A BITCH!" He jumps, turning quickly and his hand thrown against his chest as he bangs against the edge of the desk painfully, his tailbone crying out in protest at its mistreatment.
"To crawl through the Ballora gallery using the vent to your left to reach the breaker room." The HandUnit continues, seemingly oblivious to the panic caused.
"It couldn't give me some kind of FUCKING WARNING?!" He's furious and his words are coming out in hisses covered in a spray of venom.
"It is recommended that you stay low to the ground, and reach the other side as fast as possible, as to not disturb Ballora. I will deactivate myself momentarily, as to not create an auditory disturbance. Deactivating..."
As silence once again fills his ears, William stands, his head buried in his hands, as he tries to calm his beating heart. His tailbone's aching and he's had more heart attacks tonight than he ever has, which can't be good for his health.
"Go through the Ballora gallery?" He sighs, "Sure, I don't think I've had enough heart attacks tonight."
Crawling through the vent is tedious, his every move broadcast back into his ears and every breath creates an echo that seems ten times louder than the original. Even the voice announcing his arrival pierces his head, digging its way into his mind, creating a dull throb.
As he arrives in the next room, he's surprised by the faint light which fills the room allowing a few feet of floor to be seen. The light surrounds a hatch, which is small and seemingly leading to a dark expanse.
"Well, might as well get to hell early. Ma's always getting up me for being late." He shrugs his shoulders and squats down, his face directly inline with the top of the hole.
A light breeze passes his face, the air icy cold. I always thought hell would be hot or even at the very least not a fucking ice bucket. He shivers as he rubs his arms trying to preserve any body warmth.
As his hands touch the metal plating of the floor inside the tunnel, he shivers, and a voice fills his head once again.
"When you crawl through Ballora Gallery, go slowly-" It's spoken in a whisper, almost as if it's speaking to his very being.
"She cannot see you and can only listen for your movement. When you hear her music become louder, she is growing near, listening for you-"
Listening for me?! His thoughts are panicked. What kind of fucking robots are these?! This is INSANE!
"Wait and be still." With that, the voice is gone and William is once again left in silence, only his own organs and his breath able to be heard.
He's fully in the tunnel by now, and his knees are staring to ache, having been pressed in the same spot of metal for a few minutes by now; his age starting to catch up with him.
Crawling through the tunnel is nerve-racking and the fact that something's going to be listening, hunting, him makes it even worse.