Chapter 4: The Mall
Foxy and the others dropped into a sprint, desperately searching for a place to hide. After the people in the police station recovered from their shock, they started to chase the animatronics, and Foxy could hear sirens in the distance. Thankfully, it was still way too early for most of the suburbanites to be awake, so all the robots had to do was escape the police.
Several blocks away from the police station was the city's mall, appropriately placed near the largest residential districts. Despite Officer Reuben's phrasing, the police station he was assigned to was not actually located downtown, instead serving to provide police protection to the suburbs and their commercial areas. Freddy and the others ran for a service entrance, slamming through it and breaking the door's deadbolt with their momentum. Unfortunately, the four robots had all tried to get through the doorway together, ending up tripping over each other and landing in a heap just inside.
Chica got up first, having winded up on top of the pile, and quickly shut the door. Bonnie, who was under Chica, but on top of Freddy and Foxy, rolled off of Foxy's back, standing up and peering around. They had broken their handcuffs after the police found out they weren't human, but still had the rings clasped to their wrists.
As Foxy and Freddy untangled themselves from each other, Chica joined Bonnie in walking around to the atrium. Nothing was open, since it wasn't even six, and the lights were off. Soon, Foxy and Freddy joined them, distracted by all the shops, as well as the size of the building they were in.
"Wow! This place is huge!" Bonnie said, looking up through the many stories.
"I wonder what this place is for," Freddy wondered aloud. He walked over to a shop, its entrance covered by a metal gate. It was an electronics store, with many new and shiny gadgets and gizmos lining the shelves. Being unaware of what they were, Freddy soon lost interest.
As the four wandered about, the police sirens could be heard getting closer and closer. Remembering that they were indeed trying to hide, the animatronics ducked into a maintenance hallway.
"We need a plan," Chica said. Freddy nodded.
"I agree, I think they know we're here. Let's see…" Freddy said, thinking.
"Let's just scare 'em off," Foxy offered, "We already spook 'em."
"Yeah! And we're pretty good at it anyway," Chica agreed, then looked to Bonnie, "Unless you have a problem with it."
"I don't!" Bonnie told the chicken, crossing her arms, "It's different, they started it!"
"So it's agreed? Same old scare plan?" Freddy took a vote. It was unanimous. Let the fun begin.
Officer Wilkes pulled his squad car into the mall parking lot. Those things had been heading in this direction, and torn up lawn showed they had been here very recently. Shining his spotlight, he noticed one of the side doors was damaged, a large dent apparent in the middle.
"This is Wilkes, pull up to the West side, I got 'em," he radioed. Reuben and Galloway acknowledged, and soon the three officers were standing outside the damaged door.
"Holy shit," Reuben said, "Those things just barreled straight on through."
"Dr. Terrace said she wants these guys re-captured, plus they did sort of break out of jail, technically," Galloway reminded the group, "So I guess we better go inside." He pushed open the door, showing a completely dark mall, the only light the dim square formed by the open doorway.
"How inviting," Reuben said sarcastically, pulling out his flashlight. The others did the same, and started sweeping the beams around the open space, walking inside. The three panned around, looking for any signs of Freddy and the others. A large shadow dashed by to their right, and Wilkes quickly aimed his flashlight, but illuminated a potted plant.
"Stupid plant. This place gives me the creeps," he said.
"Well, we need to hurry up, it'll be six soon, and mall staff will show up," Galloway reminded the group.
"No need to encourage me," Wilkes replied. Heavy footsteps sounded, rapidly approaching, and the fox jumped into their flashlight beams, screeching. The officers screamed, and before they could recover, Foxy had sped away.
"Jesus! Oh shit, shit," Galloway swore, putting a hand on his chest. Wilkes had already shrugged it off, and searched rapidly with his flashlight.
"C'mon out, you freaks!" he taunted.
"Be careful what you wish for," a deep voice growled from behind them. Whirling around, the officers were face to face with both the rabbit and the bear, who also screeched their voice boxes as loudly as they could. This time, however, Wilkes wasn't nearly as startled, and he swung at the rabbit.
Bonnie caught his hand, and shoved the officer back, knocking him to the floor. Reuben picked him up, while Galloway put his hands up defensively.
"Whoah, whoah! We don't want any trouble," he stammered.
"That's a shame, because now you've got it," the bear said, stepping forward. Bonnie narrowed her eyes.
"Chica, if you'd please," she said. Suddenly the yellow bird appeared from the side, swiping flashlights out of Reuben's hands, and went dark upon hitting the floor. Foxy did the same to Wilkes, although the light remained on, so Foxy kicked it away. Galloway had already dropped his light in fright, so now the officers were in total darkness, except for the glowing eyes of Freddy and the others.
"Oh shit," Reuben muttered, and the blue eyes disappeared. Galloway felt a presence behind him, and reached back, touching fur.
"Um…" he began, but he was suddenly lifted aloft by his shirt. He began yelling out, and kicking.
"Hey! Let me go! Hey!" Galloway called out, twisting to see what was carrying him, only greeted with glowing blue eyes. The officer began to be carried away from the group.
"Galloway!?" Wilkes called out, unable to see.
"Help!" Reuben and Wilkes heard him call out, much farther away.
"Damn it, they got Galloway!" Wilkes cursed.
"Stick together, try and get as close as you ca-," but Reuben was interrupted by feeling his legs get knocked out from under him, and his arms getting caught before he could fall over. He screamed as he was being dragged away.
"Reuben!? Shit! You ain't taking me!" Wilkes cried, drawing his gun, and searching around. He saw green eyes staring at him from the distance, and he aimed.
"You ain't taking me!" he screamed again, and pulled the trigger. Bonnie yelped as the gunshot rang out, and a bullet tore through her suit. Luckily, the round hadn't struck any part of her endoskeleton, and passed harmlessly through the back, leaving a small hole. Chica heard this, and slapped the weapon out of Wilkes's hand, and knocked him out.
"Are you okay?" Chica called out to her friend.
"I-I think so," Bonnie replied shakily.
Meanwhile, Freddy and Foxy had thrown the other officers outside, where they scrambled into their patrol cars and sped away. Returning to the atrium, they could see Chica picking up the knocked out Wilkes, while Bonnie picked up and examined his gun.
"What's that?" Foxy asked, looking over the rabbit's shoulder.
"I don't know, he pointed it at me, it exploded, and this… thing went through my suit," Bonnie explained, turning the pistol around in her hands.
"If it's dangerous, get rid of it," Freddy ordered, holding the door open for Chica, who tossed Wilkes into the bushes. Bonnie nodded at Freddy, and dropped the gun into a nearby trashcan.
"What time is it?" Chica asked, walking back inside.
"I don't know, let's find a clock," Freddy said, and began peering into the stores. He finally found a clock that was visible in a small bookstore, and read the time: 5:56.
"Oh no! It's almost six, and we're nowhere close to the pizzeria!" Freddy exclaimed.
"What do we do?' asked Bonnie.
"We should hide, before we lock up," Chica said, and the others agreed.
"Split up, spread out," Foxy advised, "We'll be harder ta find." The four frantically ran around, looking for a spot to hide, when they heard a chime, signaling six o'clock.
"Oh no!" Bonnie cried, and the animatronics tensed, waiting to lock up. It didn't happen. They waited another minute, but found they could still move.
"We can move!" Freddy observed.
"Alright!" Chica cheered. In the middle of this victory, they heard the sound of a lock turning, and a door opening. The animatronics dashed out of sight.
Several hours later, the animatronics were still trapped as the mall continued to fill with people. Freddy and Chica had hidden together in a store that was still under construction, and currently abandoned, while Foxy and Bonnie ran upstairs. Chica opened the door a crack, and peeked out.
"I think there's even more people now!" she reported quietly to Freddy. He sighed.
"This isn't good. I'd say that we just head for the pizzeria now, but our history with humans has been… less than favorable," Freddy told her. "I hope the others are doing better."
Foxy was not doing well, having to hide in plain sight by joining a series of sculptures. The local art museum, it turns out, had established a small exhibit showcasing a series of works by some artist who worked with scrap metal and spare parts, making things like animals. Foxy, in his damaged state, managed to fit right in, and now stood stock-still in the middle of a rapidly filling shopping mall.
It wasn't having to stand still that made Foxy upset, he could stand still for hours, being a machine and all. No, what upset him was that people felt compelled to ogle him, making comments about either how "creepy" he was, or still others that tried to find artistic meaning in the pirate's form. It felt very degrading, but Foxy didn't dare try anything now.
The exhibit was right by the food court, where Bonnie hid in the storeroom for one of the larger restaurants. From what Foxy could see, she hadn't left, and no one who walked in seemed to notice, since they left like nothing was amiss. Foxy mentally frowned. How were they going to get out of this one?
Mike Schmidt sighed as he walked through the Central Mall, looking for a store that would have what he needed. His niece's birthday was this coming weekend, and he needed a gift. Mike figured the mall was a good choice, since he wouldn't have to ride around town on the bus. He liked his niece, and didn't want to disappoint her, and with all the previous events, shopping had escaped his mind.
Thankfully, Mike still had the overtime bonus from Freddy's, which would be enough to get a nice little toy for his sister's daughter. Seeing nothing of interest on the first floor, he climbed up onto the second, and his stomach growled. Mike skipped breakfast, on account that his options consisted of a moldy sandwich, and mustard. He decided to go up to the food court on the third floor, and noticed a crowd mingling around some sculptures. One of which looked very familiar.
No. No way. That can NOT be him, Mike thought, walking up to a sculpture that looked exactly like Foxy. He stared, and when the people closest to the figure moved on, Mike stepped up, apprehensive. He began to be convinced it was indeed a replica, until Foxy's eyes snapped to look at him. Mike leapt back, smothering a shout, causing several people to stare. He regained his composure, and continued to look at what was now most certainly Foxy. Mike inched closer, hoping the crowd would discourage the fox from trying anything.
"Foxy? Look down at the ground if you're not locked up," Mike muttered, voice barely above a whisper. Foxy immediately looked down, then back at Mike.
"It's me. Please help, I'm not gonna hurt ya," Foxy said, mouth motionless, and very quietly.
"Alright, I trust you. Are the others here?" Mike asked, moving to stand right beside Foxy, but looking around the mall.
"Aye," Foxy muttered, staring straight ahead.
"Where?" Mike asked, faking a stretch and yawn.
"Bonnie be in the back o' that big restaurant," Foxy reported, "I don' know where Freddy and Chica be."
"Alright. Sit tight, I'll figure something out," Mike told the fox, before moving towards the restaurant. He could converse more openly with Bonnie, and figure out why they were out here in the first place. Mike lingered in front of the storeroom entrance, leaning against the wall. An employee from the restaurant exited with a large box, and Mike stopped the door with his foot. Once he was sure no one was looking, he slipped inside.
Mike looked around, seeing that the storeroom was empty of employees. He walked towards the rear, where he figured the rabbit would be hiding.
"Bonnie?" Mike called out. A large, tall box that sat against the wall stirred.
"Mike?" he heard Bonnie say as the box turned to "face" him. Bonnie lifted the box off of herself.
"Mike! It's so good to see you!" Bonnie cheered, and pulled Mike into a hug.
"Bonnie! Air!" Mike gasped, trying to pull himself out of the robot's crushing hug. Bonnie immediately let go.
"I'm sorry! You're not still scared, are you?" Bonnie asked, worried about the other night.
"No, in fact I was going to come by tonight. Glad I went here first," Mike told the rabbit. She grinned.
"You got our message! We've really missed you Mike, we need you," Bonnie said.
"It appears that way, yeah. How'd you all end up here?" Mike asked.
"Policeman came to the restaurant and took us to this place they called 'downtown'," Bonnie explained, "We escaped to try and get back before six, but they followed us, so we hid here."
"And the mall opened, so you couldn't get out," Mike guessed.
"Exactly! I'm not sure why we aren't locked up, but it's helped us hide," Bonnie said.
"Not Foxy, he's stuck pretending to be a sculpture," Mike told Bonnie.
"Oh dear, I thought he didn't find a hiding spot in time," Bonnie said.
"He's okay for now, but we gotta get you out of here," Mike said, "Arianna's going to be so pissed you guys aren't there." Mike began to walk around, deep in thought, and Bonnie followed him. He suddenly snapped his fingers, and turned to face her.
"I've got it! Get back under your box, I'll be right back, I just need to tell Foxy," Mike ordered, and slipped back outside the storeroom again, leaving one of his shoes to keep the door ajar. Bonnie lifted the box over herself, and struggled not to move in excitement. Mike was back.
Foxy watched Mike slip into the storeroom, then leave several minutes later, walking straight for the fox. As he walked by, Mike muttered a message to him.
"I got a plan, be ready to move around," Mike told the fox. Foxy struggled not to grin as Mike walked away.
Mike immediately descended to the second floor, having seen the store he needed on the way up to the third. He walked into the small hobby shop, heading for the art supplies, grabbing a large box of permanent markers. After paying for phase one of his plan, he once again crossed towards the storeroom, giving Foxy a reassuring grin.
Upon arriving at the storeroom, he lingered around again until he was once again sure no one was watching, before slipping through the door, retrieving his shoe. Mike walked up to Bonnie's box, and tapped on it.
"We're clear, c'mon and help me," Mike told her, and Bonnie took the box off. Mike tore open the markers, and handed Bonnie an empty box.
"Hear, tear this into squares," Mike said. The sound of tearing cardboard sounded, and four, flat pieces of cardboard were handed back.
"I'm going to make some signs, the story is we're promoting the pizzeria," Mike explained, and Bonnie started to bounce on her toes a bit.
"Ooh! Can I help?" she asked, excitedly.
"Uh, sure, here," Mike said, and handed Bonnie several markers and piece of cardboard. Bonnie lowered herself onto her stomach, and drew intensely, legs swinging slightly. Mike stared at the odd childish action, before returning back to work. Soon, Bonnie had finished, and stood up, holding her sign proudly.
"What do you think?" she asked. On the cardboard were the words, "Come to Freddy's!" with a picture of pizza, and a pretty accurate representation of Freddy.
"Not bad. Better than me," Mike admitted, gesturing to his work.
"Oh, you drew a block of cheese!" Bonnie said, grabbing Mike's sign and looking at it.
"That's Chica," Mike said, "And you're holding it upside down."
"Oh," Bonnie said, "Well, it's… nice…"
"Tell you what, you draw them," Mike said, "I'm going to look for Freddy and Chica."
"Ok!" Bonnie said, and gathered the art supplies, sitting on the ground.
"They're downstairs, last I saw them," she added, starting to draw.
"Got it, thanks," Mike told her, and left the storeroom, wedging the door open with cardboard.
Mike searched around, looking for what large robotic animals would use as a hiding spot. He found a shop that was under construction. Testing the door, Mike noticed the lock looked broken. He walked inside, and heard a rustling in the corner.
"Freddy? Chica?" Mike called out. The room was dark, and Mike's eyes hadn't adjusted.
"Michael?" he heard Freddy say.
"Yeah, where are you?" Mike asked.
"Over here," Freddy replied.
"Gee, thanks. Really helps," Mike replied sarcastically.
"Glad to see you're still happy," Chica called over, stepping out from behind a pile of lumber.
"Good, you're here to," Mike told her, "Now huddle up, I have a plan."
"You trust us?" Freddy asked.
"Yes, I do. Now listen, Foxy and Bonnie are fine. Foxy's stuck hiding in plain sight, Bonnie's in a backroom. The plan is to act like we're promoting the restaurant, so I have Bonnie making signs. We'll start upstairs, get Foxy, then come down for you two. Make sense?" Mike explained.
"That's brilliant, Michael!" Freddy praised.
"Oh man, our manager is going to be really upset with us," Chica said.
"Let's not worry about that now. Stay out of sight, I'll be back in a few," Mike said, and quickly walked out of the empty room. Time to get to work.
A/N: And we'll stop right there. We're getting ready for the main event, ladies and germs, so stick around. Thanks for all your great reviews, follows, and favorites. I still don't quite understand what makes me so popular, but I'm grateful for it. In fact, I'll let you know something: I'm working on a little side project, focused on you kind folks, as well as a possible spin-off series of sorts. So even when this series inevitably ends, I won't be done as a writer. I've found myself to truly enjoy this experience. But the end of this series is still in the distant future. I'll let you guys know more about my project, but from looking around, I'm confident in saying it hasn't been tried before, so it'll be some sweet, sweet science. Like, sweet as in, brownies. It'll be brownie science. Have a good one. Or two. Or like, eight. Actually, just take the plate. –DeltaV (Now with flavor crystals!).