Together they rode their bikes through the Grey Village as night began to fall upon a quiet, tranquil little haven the two girls called home. They pedaled quickly, hoping to reach the museum in time before the animatronics came alive. Though it was only seven fifteen, those things were no longer awakening after eight anymore because now they would start activating earlier as the nights prior to this one suggested. With Flavio's help, they produced some healthy snacks to provide the two of them with energy to stay awake at night. The old demon was a great cook, and Macarona's taste buds never had anything tastier aside from Dialo's cooking. He was probably just as good as she was, if not better; though it was also possible he rivaled Dialo in that sense.
The wind blew leaves past them as the wheels of their bicycles crushed them, crinkling the leaves and ripping them up in their haste towards their intended destination. Macarona and Crona rode in silence as they contemplated what they might unearth within the museum. Earlier that day they discovered that the hearts of angels from the war kept the machines powered, though the two of them couldn't understand why. It was so long ago that their hearts must've decayed by now, but at least one inference was made from another document Macarona read in Mr. Averniche's house.
The letter from Cleopatra to Clarabella implied the healer did not die in battle as the stories about her claimed, but could've been killed to cover up the conspiracy and the Theft of Donations. That plaque about her in the museum did say she sacrificed her life for her comrades, though it did not specify whether that was in combat or out of it. At first Macarona assumed it meant in combat because of the painting, though now she wasn't sure as she now believed Cleopatra's sacrifice was meant for preventing Project Dynol Peiriant from being accomplished. That was Crona's idea, and the young angel began believing it wholeheartedly that her death in battle was a ploy to trick others into believing that Cleopatra perished for her comrades in combat. Metaphorically, this incident could be considered a battle to stop Project Dynol Peiriant even if it wasn't on a battlefield.
As they both approached the museum, they turned to look at one another, acknowledging their respective duties with a nod while disembarking from their bikes. Macarona would man those cameras in the security office and keep a close eye on the animatronics and Crona. She'd alert the demon through a pair of walkie talkies if the former came close to the latter. Not only would this mean the animatronics would split up into two groups to hunt them, this was also a tactic to make things easier on Macarona so she wouldn't have to worry about them all at once. Her job was to protect the switch, so that task was more important than finding clues. That was Crona's job, but Macarona needed to help her out too by alerting Crona whenever an animatronic was closing in on her position. Hopefully neither would have too much to handle.
While they were at Crona's house earlier before they departed for the museum, Macarona and Crona went over a map of the museum which the latter happened to acquire a few days ago to plan out an intended route the demon would follow there. First Crona would perform another quick check around the offices and then head to the storage rooms and search in that area. It was supposed to be a simple job, and the demon would soon join Macarona after her search so they could survive together and each take a door to close when the animatronics came by. Basically it was like when Reficul had spent the night with her, though this time it was with a fellow employee which did in fact make it official even if Crona's position as a day guard for tonight was unofficial. She wasn't supposed to be there afterhours because the museum required a day guard, hence the subterfuge.
"Are you ready, Macarona?" the demon asked to ensure her partner was fully prepared. "I cannot stress the importance of this duty any more than I already have. You have successfully gone through four whole nights already, so I'm sure you are prepared. However, the same thing you've experienced last night could happen again. For that very purpose, there are a few spare batteries in a case within the security office." She took out a small key and handed it to her. "This key is for it in the event the power goes out again. Use it only when necessary, and don't leave the batteries in the generator room like last night. The animatronics could very well destroy them. Luckily there's a camera in there which Xerxes had installed today due to Robin's attack during the power outage."
"Yes, you mentioned that before," Macarona nodded as they both stepped inside. "Now we can be aware of their presence if they attempt to tamper with the equipment. I didn't ask him about those safeguards, but I assume there are sensors in there like with the museum, correct?"
Crona nodded to confirm it as Macarona pocketed the key. "Indeed, but I'm sure the ghost draws power from them as well, just like from other sources that can feed it energy. While I would much rather prefer we did not keep the power on at night, it's a necessary evil to maintain constant vigilance on what happens at night. The screws also act as a sort of safeguard against them as they can only be taken out with the screwdriver you used because it's been designed to work for specific ones used to keep the panels covering the batteries securely closed. Also, the panels are made out of stainless steel so anything they do to damage those will not work." She took a deep breath before heading off to the stairs. "Good luck, Macarona. I'll see you later after I'm done with my search."
"Thanks, you too," Macarona returned the remark as she went off towards the elevator as the two of them went their separate ways. "I'll leave the doors open for you, but I'll have to close them whenever the animatronics come by. I can only hope a few of them come towards the office."
"Likewise since searching for clues will be easier, but that's a double edged sword," Crona called from the stairs as the angel pressed the elevator call button. "I do not want to be responsible for sending you to your death, or sending anything that could cause it."
"It's quite alright," Macarona assured her, "I don't mind."
"Don't worry about these lights," her friend called again, "I'll get them before I go upstairs to look around. Just turn off the ones in the basement."
"Got it."
And with that they both went about their respective responsibilities. Macarona to watch the security footage, and Crona to dig up the dirt on information about Project Dynol Peiriant. Each task had its difficulties, but they made the effort to handle them to the best of their abilities. As the girls split up for good until they reunited later, they each hoped the other was successful and safe in their endeavors. They would need that hope if the two of them were to survive together.
Macarona sighed as the elevator went down and opened at the basement. She walked over the threshold and started shutting off all the workshop lights and the ones in the hallways too. The ghost could be seen at several instances, popping up at one moment and disappearing the next with Macarona always aware of where it was since she could feel its presence. No doubt it noticed her friend as well, so the apparition's priorities were split between two different areas for some time.
Her gaze was on the very last spot it left in the painting workshop, and the young angel just clenched her fist in determination. "You won't get to do as you please for much longer. We know about what's happened in the past now, even if the picture isn't fully clear yet," she said aloud so it could hear her. It was risky provoking it since Crona was here too, plus Macarona didn't want a repeat of last night all over again. She probably wouldn't get away without any critical injuries or worse—death—this time, but she wasn't going to back down. It was time to declare how far they had come, so the angel chose to inform the spirit of how much time it had left to roam because she believed that once she and Crona uncovered everything, the ghost would no longer haunt this place. "We're close to the truth now, and we know something else is here. It's only a matter of time until we find whatever it is, but we won't stop looking until we discover it."
Casually sauntering over to the security office, Macarona set the bagged lunch down upon the table by the newest security monitor for the generator room. Checking to see if the circuit was on a separate system so she wouldn't have to cycle through other cameras on it, she smiled with a sense of some satisfaction since this monitor alone was solely for that room. She sat in the chair to start her work and cycled the first floor cameras around to see the animatronics there moving about. Robin was at the elevator while Leonidas was moving up the stairs to the second floor as Cleopatra descended them to join the archer. Germain's shadow was caught moving against the wall, so she decided to update Crona with this latest information while flipping the switch.
"Hey, Crona," she said into the walkie talkie after pressing the button on it so that her voice could go through. "Where are you right now? Leonidas is joining Germain on the second floor as Cleopatra is grouping with Robin. It appears the guys are after you."
"I'm in Marcus' office now," she heard the demon's reply from the other end. "Nothing is here, so I'm going to head over to Xerxes' office next. They probably know where I am right now, so I'm hiding. Let's just hope I don't get caught, otherwise you'll have to come up and look during the day." Macarona smiled, grateful that Crona programmed these to remove the static and muffle the noise while lowering the volume so they could only be heard when the walkie talkies were held up against their ears like phones. She was a smart demon with a knack for technological devices.
"Yeah, as I'm sure a date with the boys will keep you busy at work tomorrow," she quipped, trying to brighten the mood with a lighthearted joke.
"That's not funny," Crona retorted with a hiss. "How about you come up here and entertain them while I sit around cracking bad puns at your misfortune?"
"Sorry," Macarona apologized sheepishly as she closed her eyes and chuckled, pressing a button on the basement security footage for the workshops to watch the girls exit the elevator. "It's just a joke, nothing personal. I'm only trying to alleviate some of the tension, that's all."
"Well, alleviate it later," Crona commented before they stopped communicating. "I've got to hang up now. One of them is trying to open the door, but I locked it. They're not getting in. The damn things think they've got me cornered for now, but they'll leave eventually."
Macarona sighed in relief despite knowing the animatronics could very well break it down. They certainly had the strength to knock down those doors up in the main building, but down here the two security doors were the only obstacle preventing them from entering the office. She was a little worried for Crona, but knew the demon could handle herself just fine. She remembered asking Crona how long she had lasted back when she was a night guard while poring over the map. Crona said it was three nights, but she counted Macarona's fifth as her fourth since the angel didn't mind. Currently Macarona would be in the lead if she passed tonight, but rankings over the number of nights one stayed for the job was unimportant considering the circumstances.
With the basement footage focused on the sculpture workshop, she watched the door of the elevator open up and saw the two animatronic ladies stepping out from the blind spot behind the wall. Macarona quickly checked her watch and saw it was seven thirty as she switched to over to the painting workshop where she watched Robin break the steel mesh covering the vent and hop in to navigate the shaft while Cleopatra started walking towards the right door. Luckily, Macarona quickly stood up and closed it just in time as the healer started sauntering at a quicker pace. When Macarona returned to her seat, she grabbed the flashlight and shined it up at the archer who seemed to be faster in the vents than on the ground. She wondered why that was, but figured it was the old technological innovations built into her system in the past.
Time passed as the two animatronic characters tried getting in. Robin kept retreating from the light shining in her face, and Cleopatra tried going back and forth between the doors at several intervals without moving to the other workshops. Both of them were so focused on that switch that neither could really do much about it because with their numbers it was impossible unless the two animatronics tried to meddle with the generator. That was exactly what Robin tried to do, but she failed several times and didn't go back there anymore. Two against one was normally double the power of one, but in this case the tables were most certainly turned until one of the others upstairs went into the elevator and came down. Three hours passed, and Macarona hadn't heard Crona on the walkie talkie in a while. She was about to check on her again when her colleague called.
"Macarona, you there?" she inquired through it as Macarona pressed the button to respond.
"Yeah, what's up? I was getting worried and was just about to contact you."
"I just found something in Xerxes' office," Crona explained quietly, but still loud enough for Macarona to hear. "There was a secret compartment in the desk. From all the dust in there, I'd say it hasn't been opened in decades or so. Anyway, listen to this: inside there is an old map of the building we're now in. However, these blueprints I'm holding say the plans for construction were for a laboratory designed to create animatronic weaponry in this very building."
"You don't say?" Macarona asked in surprise, closing the left door as Cleopatra arrived in time for it to close before shining the flashlight up at Robin. "So this place was also saved by Miss Etihw back when she and Mr. Kcalb made our world?"
"Right, but here's the thing. Those storage rooms in the basement were once part of a very secret area few angels knew about. I can tell only they would be aware because it lists names of a select group involved in Project Dynol Peiriant under Germain and Clarabella."
"Really?"
"Absolutely," Crona affirmed it for her, "and if you're thinking what I'm thinking, there is something in those storage rooms which is connected to this conspiracy. I'll come down when I'm able to as the animatronics up here have me hiding. Just keep the security footage on the sculpture workshop camera and the main lobby. I have a key for the shutter door, so you don't need to worry about bringing me yours if you brought it with you tonight."
"Understood," Macarona nodded as they stopped talking so she could do as she was told while checking her watch. It was a little after ten thirty, so Crona essentially spent most of her time up in the main building hiding from Germain and Leonidas. Luckily for the demon, Germain was in the pottery wing downstairs while Leonidas was patrolling the sculpture wing. She saw Crona as the demon's shadow passed along the wall en route to the elevator. Her friend pressed the button to call it upstairs before hiding in the shadows as Leonidas returned to the sculpture threshold. He didn't appear to have heard the elevator coming since he wasn't going in that direction, and neither did Germain who was still touring the pottery wing all by his lonesome self. Perhaps the hearts of these guys really were beating in all that machinery, somehow reminiscing about old times.
"Do you guys miss the good old days?" she inquired somberly, wondering if they had their feelings from back then. "It must be sad being cooped up in those animatronic bodies without your original bodies. I can only imagine what it feels like to be trapped in an animate prison for decades without having known what it felt like to be truly alive."
The elevator door opened in the basement as Crona exited, narrowly avoiding the sight of Cleopatra who was moving to the other security door. Macarona switched to the jewelry workshop and watched as the demon quietly opened the door and close it behind her before Robin approached from the sculpture workshop and stood outside it. Though she didn't make any attempt to open the door, the archer went into the pottery workshop instead where another accessible vent was located for her to enter. Perhaps she was going to make an attempt to ambush Crona in the storage rooms, so she contacted the demon about that to update her on the latest development.
"Crona, Robin's in the vents. She might be heading to your location."
"Got it," Crona replied with the camera on her entering the art records office. "I'm checking to see if there is another hidden compartment somewhere in here for other documents before I start looking around the storage rooms. Keep the cameras on me and watch the sculpture workshop for the elevator. Germain and Leonidas might come down at some point."
"Very well," Macarona said before hanging up to do just that with the right door closed to prevent Cleopatra from entering that way. Just as she turned to the sculpture workshop, Macarona caught sight of Leonidas sprinting towards the left door and quickly closed it before he made it to the door. Now both he and Cleopatra were out there, and neither one was moving; that left Germain and possibly Robin going after Crona, so Macarona changed to the jewelry workshop to check the shutter door. It was open this time, so Germain apparently did go in with Robin in the vents.
She decided to call the demon again. "Crona, Germain is coming after you as well. It looks like he's entering the pottery storage right now, so just be careful."
"Right, thanks," came the brief reply from her friend before they hung up.
Macarona sighed in relief, turning her head to look at both doors and watch the animatronic characters on her end. Both the warrior and healer remained rooted to their respective spots, taking a look into the window to watch what their opponent was doing. She didn't have to worry about it as these two could stay out, but Macarona was concerned for what their intended purpose here was in the bigger picture. It was almost as if they were sent to guard her, knowing full she couldn't exit either side to aid Crona if the demon required it. Her only route of escape was through the vent in the ceiling above her, though the steel mesh was covering it. Macarona could possibly break it off herself, but that could get her into trouble even if she needed to fly up there, plus Robin was inside.
All she could do now was watch the security cameras for the storage rooms and hope they went away. A couple more hours passed as the time changed to twelve forty-nine. Five hours and eleven minutes left until six. Macarona was wondering whether Crona should try to head home in a while as soon as possible, but she still hoped her coworker could find something. Germain was still in the storage area patrolling each of the rooms. With regards to Robin, Macarona didn't know where the archer was; aside from ventilation shafts which went all over the place inside the ceiling, so that meant Robin could be anywhere. She was going to contact Crona at this time, but her walkie talkie buzzed instead to indicate it was the demon calling her instead.
"Alright, so I just drove Robin away with the flashlight I had for her just in case." Crona's voice was tinged with exasperation as she spoke. "I assume Germain is still in the storage area, am I correct?" she then inquired as Macarona checked the footage.
"Yes, he's in the pottery workshop now," Macarona responded as the camera in there went out. "Unfortunately, the camera in that room just died now, so I must switch to the hallway."
"Fine, just keep a watch on that. What of Leonidas and Cleopatra? Where are they?"
"They're right next to the doors while watching me work. I think they're guarding them."
"To prevent you from having to come aid me, I presume," Crona deduced. "I wouldn't try the vents if you ever need to get out. Robin just went back in there, so you may run into her."
"What if it's at six o' clock?" Macarona inquired. "Could I possibly be safe then?"
"They come alive early now, so I wouldn't recommend that either," her friend replied. "I'd say their old systems, their angry spirits, or whatever's causing the hostility may last longer now."
"I see…Well, change of subject, but did you happen to find anything?"
"You bet," Crona responded as Macarona could hear the sound of paper from the other end of the walkie talkie. It appeared the demon was unwrapping something. "Let's see here…yes, there was another hidden compartment in the art records office. More blueprints, but this time they show how to open a secret room hidden in the jewelry wing. I'm heading over there now if the mage is not strolling around over here, in which case I may have to hide again. Just watch me, okay?" she said before hanging up as Macarona observed her leaving the office for the jewelry storage. It was fortunate that Germain didn't seem to notice any of this, but Macarona kept watching that corridor to see whether he was going after Crona or not. With the other two still keeping a close eye on her, she could only hope Crona was safe and that this camera would not lose power like the other one. The apparition must've had something to do with that.
Another few good hours went by because Germain had gone into the jewelry storage where Crona was searching, but the demon hid behind some boxes and only came out once the mage was gone thanks to Macarona having alerted her when he left. She switched the camera into the main corridor and watched him enter the painting storage to search there while Crona resumed her own investigation. All Macarona saw was Crona moving some boxes around by the blind spot, when she quickly turned to that one for just a moment before changing to the painting area to check on Germain. Although Crona said she should've just kept the camera on the hallway, Macarona knew Robin was still a valid threat. She cycled through each of the three cameras every few moments to check all three areas to allay that fear when Crona suddenly called her again on the walkie talkie.
"Alright, I found the right spot. It took a while, but the door is slowly opening now," Crona said as Macarona returned the footage to the jewelry workshop so she could check on her coworker and how she was progressing. "It took a bit longer than I expected since these holes were so small, but I finally unlocked the door. The mechanism keeping this thing shut tight was built to store two animatronics according to the blueprints. I guess something must be special about these because it wasn't detailed on the other blueprints for the rest of the building. The locking system utilized isn't like anything I've ever seen, so it must be old technology the angels used back then. Unlocking it was tricky since I had to slide my hand around the wall like one of those magnetic locks one could find on some kind of lockbox customized for this sort of thing."
"What do you see inside?" Macarona inquired as she heard the sound of a large, mechanical door on what sounded like very old hinges. "Are those other animatronics in there or not?"
"Hold on, it's opening now—ah, damn it!" the demon swore. "My flashlight died, and this room is extremely dark. I can't see anything here. Hold on, these spare batteries I've brought with me should do. Is the mage anywhere near me by any chance?"
"Nope, you're good," the angel remarked, quickly cycling through each of the cameras so she could find Germain. He was now in the sculpture workshop, so Crona had enough time to look at her discovery. "Although, I think you should immediately head out after this and get some rest. I believe you'll need it for work tomorrow." She heard Crona sigh on the other end as the demon fiddled in the dark with those batteries for her flashlight.
"I think you're probably right, though I can take half a day off as I've not used any vacation days during my occupation in both of my positions here," she explained briefly as Macarona heard a loud bang from her friend's location as the camera died.
"Crona, the jewelry workshop camera just died and I heard something on your end. Quickly find what you're looking for and get out of there!" she exclaimed in a panic as she heard the demon make a low grunt of annoyance at having to change the batteries without light.
"Shit, well that's just great! Hold on, I've got them in and the light is coming back on now. I can take a quick look inside and make a quick retreat before—"
But she never finished her sentence because at that moment Macarona heard a loud scream from the other end. The scary thing about it was that the scream wasn't normal; it was mechanical, so Macarona's eyes widened in horror as she became very pale at the realization of what suddenly happened on the other end of that walkie talkie. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to talk.
"C-C-Crona…?" she said into her own walkie talkie in a tremulous voice, hoping her friend was alright. What she heard couldn't have happened. There was no way what she heard happened.
The camera suddenly came back on as she found Germain standing in the jewelry storage. He was looking up at it through soulless, black eyes containing nothing but those white pupils. It seemed as if he was staring at her with malicious intent, peering deep into her soul as she stared at him in return while the walkie talkie dropped from her grasp and hit the floor with a thud after two familiar words came through it—words from Crona's dream and last night. "You can't…"
That was when Macarona's worst fear had been realized as she began to tremble fearfully.
Crona had been attacked.
…
Another cliffhanger! This is a shorter chapter than the others, though this is all I had wanted to get done for it. Crona's been attacked, but her fate is unclear. You'll see what she fell victim to later on the sixth night. Things are beginning to come together now, and Seven Nights at Clarabella's is approaching the final climax. Two nights remain, and I shall retain a sense of unique diversity present in each night so far. However, as these are the final nights with the conspiracy nearly unraveled fully, these last nights will be special. I hope you enjoy reading this story as I enjoy writing it.