Chapter Six

Claustrophobic

I fumbled with the single key, carefully unlocking the door. The time was quarter to midnight—plenty of time to slip inside and race to that tiny office, my cage and my haven.

In my haste, I almost forgot to lock up once I was inside. I took a fleeting glance at the stage, and the animatronics were up there like always. Staring, slack-jawed, with their fake instruments in their hands.

Why did they wait until midnight to become active? Was it a ghost thing, or an internal clock thing?

"You made it in okay," Hart observed.

My mouth opened so I could respond, but I immediately shut it. I didn't want to make any unnecessary sounds and wake the machines up before I was safe inside the office.

"Nichole? Can you hear me?"

He wasn't going to shut up if I didn't respond, so I lifted my hand into my spy camera's sight to give him a thumb's up. Meanwhile, I continued my brisk pace down the hallway. My staccato steps echoed back at me, thunderous in the dark and mostly empty space.

Hart seemed to catch on and didn't say anything until I was seated in my office. The drone of the generator out back was soothing white noise.

"Alright, I'm in."

"I gotta hand it to ya, Nichole. I probably would have been sprinting down that hall, not just walking fast. You got nerves of steel."

Chuckling, I shook my head. "I learned how to harness my fear a long time ago."

"Yeah but you gotta be a little scared?"

I settled in at my desk, pulling out the tablet and plugging it in to the only outlet. The one other thing plugged in was my clock. It read eight minutes until go-time.

To Hart I said, "Of course I'm still scared. I'd be crazy not to be, but giving into it won't get me anywhere."

"That's very true."

While Hart set up his station, I rummaged through the drawers until I found the tapes and the recorder again. I popped out "Night One" and put in "Night Two". Once again, I had to rewind the tape, but it seemed like it was going to be a shorter message than the last.

"Start it now or wait until midnight?"

"Go ahead and play it now. You don't want it distracting you, right?"

Made sense to me. I set the device on the desk and my finger hovered over the play button. For a moment I let it sit there in the air, but eventually I pushed the button and leaned back.

"Uhh, Hello? Hello? Uh, well, if you're hearing this and you made it to day two, uh, congrats! I-I won't talk quite as long this time since Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses. Uhh, it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone's in their proper place. You know. . . ."

The messages certainly didn't sound scripted. He stumbled on a lot of what he said, pausing and thinking between sentences.

It wasn't quite midnight yet, but I still felt inclined to do as he suggested. I powered up the tablet and brought up the stage. They were standing there, looking out over the dining hall.

"Uh, interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often. I heard he becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so, hey, I guess that's one more reason not to run out of power, right?"

I listened for the generator—purring like a kitten. So far so good.

It was already beginning to heat up in the room, so I turned on the fan I'd found the night before. The generator didn't seem to mind, so I returned my attention to the tape.

"I-I also want to emphasize the importance of using your door lights. There are blind spots in your camera views, and those blind spots happen to be right outside of your doors. So if—if you can't find something, or someone, on your cameras, be sure to check the door lights. Uh, you might only have a few seconds to react. Uh, not that you would be in any danger, of course. I'm not implying that." He added it a little too hastily and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he's implying."

"Me too."

The voice continued. "Also, check on the curtain in Pirate Cove from time to time. The character in there seems unique in that he becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. I guess he doesn't like being watched. I don't know. Anyway, I'm sure you have everything under control! Uh, talk to you soon."

I shut off the machine when it buzzed and tossed it back into its drawer. "Well, that was loads tamer than the last message."

"He did say he didn't want to talk too long. Cuz of the robots."

"Right."

That simple reminder was enough for me to switch on the feeds, but I remembered that the time wasn't quite midnight yet. I wasted time checking the door and their lights to make sure they still worked. The last thing I needed was technical difficulties at any time during the night.

"Wait, did he mention Foxy?" Hart asked after a few minutes, as if it just struck him.

As soon as he mentioned it, the pieces clicked together for me, too. "You know what, you're right. But isn't that out of order?"

"Yeah, supposed to be broken. Like, doesn't work anymore. What could he possibly do?"

I picked up the tablet and tapped on the pirate cove camera—after missing it a couple times. The thumbnails in the bottom corner were so small. Those curtains were still drawn and the sign still in place, so I put it back down.

"I'll keep checking on him, but maybe these are old tapes, before Foxy broke," I mused.

"Dunno. The manager said he'd left them for you," Hart pointed out. "I guess that doesn't mean he couldn't have pre-recorded them earlier."

"Well, I guess we'll find out one way or another," I said.

At a couple minutes past midnight, I finally decided to check all the cameras. I figured that since the robots hadn't moved from the stage until well past the two-hour mark, they wouldn't move for a while longer.

Except Bonnie wasn't there anymore.

"Holy shit, he wasn't kidding when he said they got more active," I muttered.

"He really booked it, didn't he?"

There was no way he could move very far in a few minutes. I took my time checking the feed to find him. The dumb rabbit was in the dining room, standing right beneath the camera and shrouded in darkness. I could make him out from the midsection up, and I thought it kind of looked like he was staring up at the camera, but I couldn't be certain with how dark it was.

"Well, he's just standing there again. I don't understand. . .why don't they move? Do they know I'm watching?" I mused, propping myself up with my hand under my chin.

Hart was silent for a beat. "How would they know, though?"

"Because they're fucking ghosts, I guess?"

"Good point."

For an hour and a half, I tracked Bonnie's progress. He stayed in the same position in the dining hall for a while, then moved to the end of my hallway. I almost closed my door, but remembered that all I would have to do is check the light to see if he was there. At the end of the hallway, I wasn't really in any danger.

So far, I had no reason to believe I was in any danger at all. Besides some roaming robots and creepy as fuck messages from a mysterious employee, nothing had happened. The rumors were taking control over logic and the darkness was planting seeds of fear in my mind.

All I had to do was stay calm until one of the robots in here proved to be malicious. Then I could worry about everything else.

"Anything?" Hart asked after I set the tablet. No one else had moved yet.

I shook my head, then remembered he couldn't see it. "No. Bonnie was the end of the hallway last I checked. I haven't seen anything from Pirate Cove, either. . .maybe because I keep checking, maybe because he's broken."

Hart chuckled. "Like you said, we'll find out eventually."

When I checked the west hall, Bonnie's silhouette was gone. I backed up to turn the lights on in the doorway, but there was nothing, so I flitted through the feeds until I caught a glimpse of him and backtracked. He was close enough that all I could see were his shoulders up to his ears, and half of his face was obscured by shadows.

And he was right behind my doorway, just out of my line of sight.

"Oh shit, I didn't even hear him move past me," I breathed, finger hovering over the door lock until I finally closed it.

"You probably shouldn't do that unless you see them in your door. I can hear your generator through the microphone. You don't want to run out of power, right?" Hart said. I let it sit for a moment longer, then sighed and opened it back up.

Might as well not actively try to figure out what happened when the lights go out.

"Can't you hear the generator anyway?"

"Only a little bit, but it gets really loud when you turn on the door lights or close the doors. Nothing else seems to take up much power."

Sighing, I took a peek outside the door with my light. There was no Bonnie, so I went back to the cameras first to check on Pirate Cove—its curtains were still drawn, and we'd already made it past two AM.

Next, I monitored the stage. Chica was missing, but I found her in the dining hall. She was about as close to the camera as Bonnie had been, maybe even a few inches closer.

She, too, was almost completely obscured by the dark.

I watched my left door again before switching between feeds. Bonnie still wasn't in the doorway, Chica remained in the dining hall, and Pirate Cove was dormant as usual. Freddy, as the previous guard had already said, had yet to move from the stage.

As the night drew closer to three AM, Bonnie finally moved from the corner behind my door to the end of the hallway. Chica still had yet to do anything.

"Wait, go back to the hallway," Hart requested, startling me after we had sat in silence for so long.

I did as he asked, but the corner still looked the same. I went over it carefully, but couldn't seem to find anything. "What was it? Did you see something?"

He was silent as he examined the screen from his end, then sighed. "No, I guess not. Sorry."

"No need to be," I said, barely paying attention to the conversation. I turned on the monitor to the stage to check on Freddy, expecting him not to have moved as per usual.

He was still on stage, but his head had turned to stare at me through the camera.

"What's this asshole looking at?" I snorted.

"You, I guess."

I grimaced, watching Freddy for a couple minutes. "Devon, I swear to god. . . ."

"What? You asked."

Biting back a retort, I turned off the tablet and checked both of the doors. I thought about keeping the tablet awake the entire night, but putting it to sleep seemed to make the generator a little happier, since the tablet had to be plugged in the whole time.

Stupid broken battery.

"You know, I kind of wish I could go walk around," I sighed, checking the stage camera.

Freddy was still staring.

"Whatever for?" Hart asked, sounding flabbergasted.

Bonnie had moved back to the corner behind me and Chica was in the hallway, just outside of the sight range of my door and window. I didn't bother checking my lights when I could see them on camera.

For the time being, I checked on Pirate Cove to see if there were any changes.

Nothing.

To Hart I said, "I don't know, really. I guess I'm going stir crazy in here. I don't know, this office is just so small."

He chuckled and I could imagine him shaking his head. "That's a terrible idea. Why don't you stand for a while if you need to stretch?"

It wasn't a half bad idea, so I pushed my chair out of the way and stood up, arching my back and stretching my arms over my head. I walked in place some in order to get the circulation back into my legs, then I sat back down.

"Feel better?"

"Eh, a little."

I turned on the east hall's camera and found Chica missing. "Damn, sometimes they move fast, sometimes they don't. . .these assholes don't have any sort of pattern."

"Kinda weird for a robot, too."

"That's what I was thinking."

Just to be sure, I checked the door before looking for her. There was nothing outside or in the window. While I was at it, I swiveled in my chair and hit the light switch for the door on my left. Two hours and twenty minutes into my shift and nothing but moving robots and empty doorways.

The light buzzed to life, banishing the shadows. Immediately, I shot to my feet. A tremor chased up my spine as my breath caught in my throat. All around me, the world dimmed and slowed to a crawl. I looked up, eyes widening, following the contours of Bonnie until my gaze finally settled on his own soulless eyes. His head was tilted, as if he found me curious.

Hart's voice came crashing onto me like a wave. "The door! Nichole, The door! Nichole!"

Snapping to my sense, I slapped my palm against the door switch. It came sliding down with a metallic hiss just as the animatronic rabbit lifted an arm, reaching.

My hands trembled as I sank back down into my seat. Inside my chest, my heart was thundering. I leaned my head back to look at the ceiling, mouth open. I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth and inhaled shakily.

Up close, those things were huge. Bonnie easily took up the entire doorway, making it hard for me to believe he'd even fit inside. With his ears, he was way taller than eight feet. I rubbed my fingers against my palms and closed my eyes.

The first strike.

On the other end of my surveillance gear, I Hart was breathing as heavily as I was. Despite my heartbeat, I was keeping my own breathing even. I let the fear settle in my chest, accepted the danger, and opened my eyes again.

Truth be told, I had been getting bored. Now that one of these fuckers had made a move, I found gusto that wasn't there before. I swiveled in my chair and flicked through the cameras one at a time until I found Chica. Freddy was back to facing the dining room, Pirate Cove still had its curtains drawn, and I finally found the chicken in the back of the dining hall.

She was facing the camera with her head turned slightly, her beak hanging open. Their stillness was creepier than if they had been moving.

"Oh my god, I think he almost got you," Hart spoke at last. He must have finally recovered enough to form words.

"I had it under control," I said, keeping my voice even.

"Jesus, if you had been just a little slower! Fuck, what would have even happened? Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

I licked my lips and turned off the tablet's screen, then flicked on the light outside my left door to check on the rabbit. "Yeah, I need you to calm down or mute yourself until you do." My voice was thick and icy, a storm brewing beneath the calm.

He fell silent, but I could still hear him breathing. It was good enough.

After determining Bonnie was gone, I opened the door to quiet the raging generator and turned back to the cameras. He was at the end of the hallway again, lurking and waiting.

My screen turned to static and I swore under my breath. My fingers were still shaking as I flicked through the other cameras, waiting for them to come back online. Even before the picture was fully rendered, I knew Bonnie was no longer in the hallway: I could hear footsteps through the tablet.

"Shit shit shit," Hart hissed.

Doing my best to ignore him, I made careful progress through the camera feeds in search of the purple bunny. Chica was in the dining hall still, Freddy was still on the stage, Foxy was still quiet, and the rabbit was—was—

The rabbit was nowhere.

I turned the TVs off and stared at the table for a second. He wasn't on the cameras. There was only one place for him to be.

"Get ready. . . ." I wondered if Hart needed to talk to stay calm.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I reached out and turned on the light. The same trill went through my entire being when I saw Bonnie staring down at me again. He was standing straighter this time, the curiosity in his posture gone, replaced with menace.

This time I didn't hesitate. I slammed the door shut on his face and let out a shaky breath.

"Now he knows you're in there! He's not going to leave you alone." I heard something clatter to the floor back at the hotel and I winced. "Man! Fuck Bonnie!"

Again, I closed my eyes and drew in a breath to steady myself. I didn't have anything to fight with. No weapons, no nothing. I considered bringing in my firearm for next time, but I wasn't sure what that was going to do against robots possibly possessed by spirits.

When I opened my eyes, I leaned forward and filtered through the camera's screens to check on the others.

Bonnie was in the dining hall.

"How the fuck—"

"Did he get there so fast?" Hart finished for me.

I shook my head, unable to find the words. Hart probably didn't notice, but I couldn't muster up any fucks to give. Eyes on the monitor, I reached over and opened the door back up.

If Bonnie was in the dining room, then I wasn't sure where the chicken was. I checked the door light on my right, but she wasn't there. It seemed like the two of them stuck to their certain sides, so I didn't bother looking at any monitors located on the west end of the restaurant.

Finally, after checking the feeds a couple dozen times, I found her in the dining room, hanging out with Bonnie.

Unlike the previous night, she wasn't hiding in the back, just barely in view. Instead, she was up front and personal with the camera, staring into it. Her weird, teeth-rimmed beak was always parted. Bonnie's seemed to always be open, too, like they were both in mid-performance.

"Did you ever find out whether or not chickens or geese have teeth?" I asked. The clock on my desk read four-fifteen. Between waiting for the cameras to reset and taking all of these breathers, time was moving a lot slower than I felt it should. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Maybe I was staring at the live feed too long.

"I completely forgot."

"Probably for the best. . .more important things to worry about."

"Amen to that."

The two animatronics hung back from the hallways for a while. I continued to flick through the cameras and track their movements, but as time went by, the generator roared louder and louder. I could hear it as feedback through Hart's microphone and I grit my teeth. Too much camera time. I was using them too often, relying on them.

"Have you checked Foxy recently?" Hart asked, as if he wasn't watching this in real time.

I was still on edge from the close calls with Bonnie, but after an hour of nothing else happening, I was beginning to grow bored again. So, to humor him, I brought up that feed.

"I don't know why we bother," I murmured. "He's out of order. The guy said that he doesn't work—oh, hello."

The curtain was drawn back just a few inches, and the animatronic inside was partially revealed, staring straight toward the camera. His jaws were parted in a silent snarl, eyes glowing from inside the dark and teeth reflecting the light from outside. I thought I saw a hole in his chest, ragged and torn. My heart fluttered.

"So he wasn't lying. . .the thing really does come out sometimes."

"I'll just check on him more often," I said with a shrug. Part of me wanted to know how he worked, but that was a dangerous game.

Bonnie and Chica were accounted for—Chica was still in the bathroom and Bonnie was backstage. Freddy still had yet to step off of the stage, but he occasionally turned to look at the camera.

I tried to spend more time with the tablet off and use only the door lights to check for would-be intruders, but not knowing where they were was horrible, coupled with sitting in that room and doing nothing. Just waiting.

Watching the clock as the minutes passed gave me more anxiety than just tracking the robots, but I had to conserve power. Who knew what would happen if that generator ran out of juice. I had been too liberal. How much power did I have? An hour? I had a little over two hours left. . .I would have to stretch the electricity as far as it could go.

And that meant keeping off of the cameras for extended periods of time. I even turned off the fan for a few minutes, but the room heated up too quickly. I would perish of heat stroke if I didn't leave the damn thing on.

It was so cold outside, so I didn't understand it.

At four in the morning, I checked the cameras again.

Foxy was the first robot I looked in on. The curtain was open wider and he was out of his cave, head cocked and hook hand raised up. He seemed to be the only animatronic that had glowing eyes, and I couldn't decide which one was creepier.

"Where're you gonna go?" I whispered, squinting at the screen.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Purple bunny was back in the dining room, standing in the shadows in front of the camera. The stupid chicken had yet to remove herself from the bathrooms and continued to stare up at the camera with the same condescending expression.

With Foxy potentially on the loose, I found myself turning his monitor on a lot more frequently. He was an unknown, much like Freddy. When the moment came that Freddy stepped from his pedestal, I knew it would mean business. I had no idea what to expect when Foxy came, and I wanted to be ready for it, whatever it was.

"Devon," I called.

"What is it?"

"I don't know what he's going to do." My voice shook, and I hated it.

He inhaled sharply. "Just stay calm. Watch the cameras. Maybe close your door until you figure out what he's up to?"

I shook my head. "I don't have the power to spare for that. I have two hours left, I can't run out of power."

My heart thumped against my ribcage and blood roared in my ears. Every sense was on high alert and the muscles in my arms twitched, readying my reflexes.

Foxy was coming. I could feel it.

Bonnie moved to the hallway about fifteen minutes later. The minutes were dragging, and besides Foxy and Bonnie, none of the other animatronics were doing anything.

"I can't stand this waiting!" I groaned, slapping my palms against the table.

"Hey, careful what you wish for! This downtime is a blessing. I don't think my heart can take any more surprises."

Huffing, I flicked through the screens one after the other again, trying to keep track of everyone. As soon as I turned on the stage camera, though, the feed cut out and I had to wait for it to reset. I accidentally turned on the kitchen monitor, mistaking it for the hall, and heard pots and pans clanging together—was that Chica rooting around in there?

"What a fatass," I muttered.

"Who?"

I indicated toward the monitor before I shut it off. "The chicken thing."

Once again, Bonnie had moved to the corner of the hall, right behind my doors. I glowered at him, then shut off the cameras and listened to the rumbling sound of the generator. So much for saving power. My fingers curled in and out of fists. How was I going to make it the next hour and a half?

Outside in the hall, I heard something. I listened closely, then slammed on the monitor for the hallway. Adrenaline spiked. My muscles seized.

Sprinting down the west hallway, the first animatronic to move on-screen so far, was Foxy.