Henry, despite him being in a state of shock the previous night, had returned to Freddy's the next morning with a clean mind. William awaited him at the finger-smudged glass door, once again prepared for a new day of entertaining the masses.
As William flipped a switch, the fluorescent neon lights of the place lit in unison, filling the room with a joyful atmosphere. The curtains upon the stage were still closed, but glimmering in the light as if the drapes themselves were somehow alive. They opened at the perfect pace, revealing the three animatronics, their looks just the same as they were the evening prior.
He jogged over to the rusted steel door of the backstage, where in the dark, he removed one golden suit.
It was the golden bear, the one known as Fredbear. A blackish-blue top hat and bowtie decorated the otherwise-plain suit. He held the robotic costume up, placing it on top of the stage, right next to the dapper Freddy Fazbear. "I guess we should let this puppy perform today, Henry. He ain't seen the light in years," William smirked. "After all, it is my two kids' special day..!"
Just after he bolted the golden machine to the stage, he suddenly skedaddled out the sticky doors of the place with a grin on his face. Turning back, he yelled to Henry. "Just finish the place up, I'll be back in 30!"
William sprinted to his car, hopping in the door and slamming it shut. He drove off seemingly as fast as a cheetah, the dust from the roads clouding in his wake. He rapidly approached his own house, slamming on the brakes with barely any breath left. Normally, he wouldn't be this ecstatic just to pick his kids up from home, but today was the first time his children would see the lovely pizzeria. This was the very first time his kids would see his creations that he was oh-so-proud of.
Now, before we continue on, these children deserve a proper introduction.
Michael was a tall 15-year-old. His dark, messy hair usually hung over his copper-brown eyes. He may have been somewhat muscular for his age, but he was still thin compared to most kids he knew.
Suzy was just turning ten, quite an energetic child, and her strawberry blonde hair always curled and bounced every which way she went. Her optimism would light up a room within a second.
Brendon, the same age as Suzy, was just like Michael but quite a bit shorter. He was never the bravest of children, nor the strongest, but that never mattered to him.
"Suzy! Brendon! Michael! I'm back, and we're leaving now!" he yelled excitedly like he'd never really done before. Brendon and Suzy barrelled down the wooden stairs with glee holding their favorite plush toys by their sides. Michael ran down slightly slower, aware of any risk coming his way. He clutched a mask behind his back unawares. He had only grabbed it without a thought, uncaring where it came from or what it was.
The three hopped into William's old car, Michael in the front and the other two in the back. William gleefully explained just where they were heading as Brendon and Suzy oohed in delight.
"This sounds sooo cool, Dad!" Brendon hollered, gripping onto the back of the driver's seat with excitement. Suzy chimed in, already daydreaming about the big, happy animals that would sing just for her and her brothers. She was almost ready to be greeted by thousands of bear hugs and bunny kisses, just being the optimist she was.
Michael scowled and slouched in disgust. Gazing out the grimy, half-blurred window at the grayish-red mountains, he thought of going anywhere but Freddy's. A sigh escaped his lips like a dandelion in the crack of a sidewalk. He didn't want to be there. Michael may have looked ignorant, but in all reality, he felt a knot in his stomach. Something was not right.
William, taking his eyes off the lesser-trodden road, glanced at his oblivious son for just a moment and looked back to the road filled with confusion. Shrugging it off like he did with the bills, he continued the last stretch to Freddy's.
Finally, their rusted-down silver car arrived right at the doors of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Parlor. William opened the doors to the car as if he was a chauffeur, his purple uniform popping out against the rectangular grey building. After all the children hopped out of the car, William took their hands and walked proudly towards the glowing front doors. They all smiled together, even Michael smirked in the aura of happiness around the family. It was somehow gratifying, even for just a moment.
As they shoved the doors open, Henry greeted them wearing a sharp violet uniform like William's and showed them to a table right in front of the stage. The golden-white lights blared from above, shining light into every nook and cranny of the room. Confetti hung from the ceiling as if it was frozen in time. The family took their seats, the plastic tablecloth covering their legs and feet just right. The curtains on the big stage flipped open unnaturally, revealing the traditional trio of thespians. They somehow looked normal, un-haunted. Their eyes gleamed with the bare suggestion of life, just like they always had.
But then, in the very exact center of the stage, right where Freddy would have placed his oversized paws, stood Fredbear. Beside him, the regular mascot of Freddy's sung along to a song that had just begun. The golden bear in the center stood perfectly still among the others with eyes drifted to the glossy wooden floor of the stage as if it felt emotions. It's face was hidden in shadow, despite the amount of light in the room, and it almost seemed to be filling with life. Even after forever seemed to have passed, it still stood slouched in the same position.
Michael poked Brendon in the shoulder. "Hey, what's that doing there..?" he began to say, pointing towards the yellow-furred bear. Brendon took one glance at it and then immediately turned his head away.
"I don't know, Mike. I-it's kinda creepy." Brendon mumbled, shivering as he tried not to look at it.
A robotic fox poked it's slim head outside of a distant purple curtain in the room and faced straight at Michael as it opened it's jaw like it was laughing at him. He felt another pit in his stomach. This thing was glaring straight through him, almost reading his own mind. Michael flipped his head around, trying to ignore the twisted fox's stare. Once again, he found himself looking back at the creature. Just the look alone was controlling him. He stood without his own command as William left the table to cook pizza for the family. A child's voice began chanting in the back of his mind, growing impossibly louder as he tried to hold back against it.
"Brethren in the jaws! Brethren in the jaws! Brethren in the jaws of the bear!"
Before he even knew it, he held the mask in his hands. The same one he absentmindedly grabbed earlier now looked less like plastic and more like a living thing. It appeared exactly like the fox behind the midnight-purple drapes. Even though he tried to cover his face with his hands, the damned mask slipped over his teenage head as he unwillingly picked up his little brother with a grip too strong to be human. Brendon shrieked at the horror onstage as mothers and children turned their heads. Under the tablecloth, Suzy cowered away, hugging a stuffed rabbit.
Fredbear began to tilt upward robotically, his mug finally shown. Sharp teeth lined the gums of it's maw, eyes filled with hatred gazing straight at Michael and Brendon almost hungrily. Everything about it looked like a monster and not a friendly bear like William had made him to be. Michael robotically stepped towards the stage, still clutching his brother. Beneath the dark eyes of the mask, tears streamed down his face. The only thing he could do was try and tune out the voice still shrieking in the back his mind. Onstage, Fredbear laughed in an unnaturally deep tone.
Everything's okay, Mike. It's just a dream. You wouldn't hurt your brother. he told himself, forgetting if he was lying to himself or not.
Brendon faced Michael, tears pouring down his face as well. He stared into the dark eyeholes of the mask, a subtle hint of hope on his young, smooth face. Brendon knew that his own brother couldn't ever do this to him. It wasn't natural, but it was so unreal that it couldn't be a faux memory.
Michael only stared at the yellow bear. The three main animatronics began to stomp closer to Fredbear in a fashion too similar to his. Parents began to hide their children in fear of what might happen. William and Henry both hurriedly dashed towards the stage, but it was too late. Michael had raised Brendon towards the mouth of the nightmarish bear. It's maw opened wide, revealing rows upon rows of tilted, dagger-like teeth. Just before the creature's jaws snapped shut on Brendon's forehead, Michael clamped his eyes shut and screamed through the tears that ran down his face.
"I'm sorry, Brendon!"
Author's Note: Hey, y'all! Sorry for the late chapter this time around. It's been a busy week. Plus, I've been planning another AU or two. :P
What do you all think of Horrifica so far? I'm curious, especially considering the direction I'm taking with this.
Stay tuned! :D