SATURDAY MORNING

When the two of them managed to pull away from one another and start out of the security office – Charlotte cradling her bitten bloody shoulder and Mark limping, one arm hanging basically dead at his side – they came face-to-face with something scarier than possessed animatronics and murderous hallucinations.
Their boss, Manny, standing at the door, arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.
Manny was someone who never got angry, especially at his employees. He was a fairly reasonable man who was known more for his jokes than his temper. But the moment the two of them locked eyes with their manager, they knew they were in trouble. And though his scowl broke for a moment to show a mixture of emotions hidden underneath – confusion, fear, surprise, and most of all, for some reason, guilt – he reset it quickly to ensure they knew he meant business.
"You two. My office. Now."
The pair followed behind the stout gentleman as he led them to his office, which was across the main lobby near the main stage. Both of them knew they were a mess – sweaty, bloodied and injured, hair a mess; eyes puffy from crying – which probably made their case even worse. Neither of them looked at the animatronics as they passed the main stage. "Charlotte first," Manny said as he pushed the door to his office open for the girl. She walked inside, letting him close the door behind her, not bothering to sit down.

"What the hell happened to you two?" were the first words out of her manager's mouth, not angry, but rather confused and scared. He sounded so much like her father when she used to come to him crying about bullies at school. Manny took a seat behind his desk, which was covered in papers and file folders of all different kinds. "You come out of the security office with a torn up shoulder and he comes out with blood all down his arms. You both look like you've been crying. Hair a mess, face a mess. You're not even supposed to be in there, Charlie!" He leaned forward. "What happened last night?" For a moment their eyes locked, and she swore she could tell him the truth. She swore she could tell him everything that Mark had told her, recount last night in full detail and have him believe her. His fatherly instincts were showing, making her soft around the edges. "Do you want the truth?" she asked, her roughened voice surprising the both of them. "It's gonna sound crazy, the truth, but I'll lay it all out for you. I'll answer your questions. I'll tell you everything. But you'll have to just trust me and my word, and believe what I say." She paused. "Or do you want some bullshit excuse you can put on record that'll give you some justification for firing me?" That made him sit back. "I want the truth, Charlotte." Another pause, this one longer, the two of them looking at each other. Are you ready to lose your job? She asked herself. Are you ready for a pink slip? Are you ready to be blackballed by every restaurant chain in the country? The thought of not having to work another restaurant chain ever again didn't sound like a bad proposition. Will Manny cart you off to a mental hospital like he did the other night guards you reported to him? She opened her mouth, hoping that question could answer itself, and began.
Starting from the Missing Children Incident and working her way through The Bite, the reports, and how it all tied it with them losing so many night guards, she wove a true horror story, not caring what he had heard before. When she started talking about Mark, retelling his part of the story and how it entwined with her own, she felt just a small pang of worry. He's going to lose his job too, sure, but where's he going to end up after this? Is he going to be transferred to another Freddy Fazbear's, or is he going to be blacklisted too? She continued on, finally recounting the last two nights she spent at the pizzeria, rushing through the parts that were hard to talk about. She talked about the injuries both her and him sustained, which of the animatronics had dealt them, and how they fought them off together.
Finally, she laid everything out, explaining in detail the theory of the dead children possessing the animatronics, the golden Freddy hallucination, and telling him what Mark had told her he had heard and seen, not remembering anything about her encounter with the apparition. The entire time Manny was silent, listening quietly and remaining impassive, keeping his face unreadable.

Once Charlotte finished, it was quiet for a long time. The silence gave her a moment to think. I hated throwing Mark's name in there so much, she realized. It felt like I was trying to blame him for all this. Neither of them were to blame; she knew that.
"You know," her manager said finally. "The last night guard who made it all five nights, the one who killed himself, he came to me saying the exact same things you're saying to me now." Her heart hammered against her ribcage, this information new to her. "Killer animatronics. Dead children possessing the suits. A golden-furred Freddy Fazbear hallucination…" He trailed off, not looking at her, but staring off in thought. "And all the other night guards, the ones that came to me, the ones you reported to me, talked about moving animatronics. Some even mentioned them being out for blood." He shook his head, but it sounded like he believed her and Mark. The thought made her breath come up short. "I'm not a very religious man, Charlotte. But I do believe in a sort of afterlife. I believe in spirits of a sort. I believe that some lives aren't done when they die." He looked at her. "You said they never found the kids bodies, or their murderer. So it'd make sense, in a really sick and weird sort of way." He shook his head, leaning forward. "But…" He sounded guilt-stricken. Here we go, she thought to herself. "The rest of the world isn't quite as open-minded as me. This sort of information, this theory, it won't hold up anywhere. I can't do anything. Killer animatronics possessed by scared and vengeful dead children won't hold up in something like a court of law." He motioned to her injured shoulder. "That's going to land the company in a lot of hot water, but if you try and justify it with what you just told me? You think we were excommunicated before..." She looked down at the arm she was cradling, the streaks of dirt and blood darkening her light skin.
"You realize I have to fire you, right?" he asked, genuine sorrow in his tone. "Yeah, I know," she replied, looking back up at him. "I'll put it under clocking in for overtime without it being scheduled, or something." He pulled out a pad of pink slips and a pen from a drawer, beginning the process. "Listen, I know I'm basically in no position to be asking anything of you-" That earned her a little smirk. "-But can you not fire Mark?" That made Manny pause. "I have to, Charlie." He resumed writing. "You really don't. Listen, he – He's a good guy. He's got a heart of gold. He doesn't deserve to lose his job and get blacklisted because of me." As he finished up filling out her pink slip, Charlotte kept going. "Transfer him. Put him in a place without animatronics. Let him be a night guard in a place that won't fucking kill him. He deserves that much." The two of them looked at each other. "He deserves a second shot at a proper job."
He held the pink slip out for her to take and sign, seemingly ignoring her request. "Your last check will be direct deposited." She signed it - her uninjured hand not her normal writing hand, which made her signature come out shaky and squished together – and handed it back to him. He tore off her copy, it a much brighter shade of pink, and nodded to the door. "Let Mark in." She stuffed her pink slip in her pocket and turned, heading out by opening the door with her foot, the memory of kicking Freddy in the chest coming back to her. The door swung open and it stopped, Mark grabbing it to keep it open before it swung back. "You're up," she said, smiling encouragingly, trying to keep a false sense of hopefulness. He nodded shakily and limped into the office, letting the door shut behind him.

A moment of silence passed between the two before Manny announced, "You're being transferred." It made Mark's heart skip a beat. "There's a Freddy Fazbear's not far from here. You'll be their new night guard. It's got an arcade rather than animatronics. Good hours, proper insurance, you know. I've got all the papers in front of me, right here." The manager motioned to the small packet in front of him. "You deserve a proper shot a job." The fact that he wasn't going to be fired made his chest tight. "Manny, I – Thank you, Manny. I – God, I can't thank you enough," he said, voice a bit strained. Though the older man smiled, he replied, "Well, don't thank me. Charlotte's the one that fought for you to keep a job with us." That made his chest tighten further. It astounded him how much she had come to care about him in just a few short days. Well, risking your life with someone will do that. "I need to warn you though, Mark." The tone shifted back to serious. "What happened in the past week, no one can know. For your sake, and for Charlie's. If anyone hears that kind of thing, you'll be wrapped up in a straightjacket tighter than a sausage's skin." Mark nodded solemnly. "I understand." Manny nodded as well. "Good. Now, take a seat. I'll help you fill all this out."
It took a bit of time filling out the transfer papers, but when Mark finished, shaking his old manager's hand and thanking him for everything, he found Charlotte waiting for him outside the door. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, but it was much sadder. It was then that she held up her hand and the bright pink slip of paper, which he immediately recognized. "Oh no, Charlie…" She shrugged her unharmed shoulder. She fought for me, but didn't fight for herself? "I'm so sorry, Charlotte." She just shook her head. "Don't be. It was bound to happen because of a night guard anyways." But he wasn't convinced. "No, Charlie, I'm really sorry. I should never have gotten you involved… If I'd have known…" The look that crossed her face was a familiar one. "Stop. It's fine. I knew what I was getting myself into. Sorta." That made him laugh a little. "And let me tell you, it's been one of the most interesting weeks of my life, hands down." He laughed more. "I'm gonna get some awesome scars out of this-" She motioned to her shoulder. "-And I can't wait for the PTSD to kick in." The thought of Charlotte facing that alone made his smile drop.
"So where you off to?" she asked, noticing the look on his face and trying to change the subject. "Not far," he replied. "Some place with an arcade." She nodded. "Staying a night guard?" He nodded back. "You realize the second I find out where you're getting transferred to I'm going to come and bug you every day, right?" The both of them laughed. "Like, you're never going to get rid of me now." The thought of a life without Charlotte was a surprisingly boring one. "I hope you do," he responded, scooping her into his arm and hugging her tightly. A squeak of pain escaped her and he pulled away, concern in his eyes. The look on his face made her giggle. "But first, take me to a hospital?" Her tone, a sweet mix between biting and faux-flirty, made him laugh.
Gingerly wrapping her uninjured arm around his waist, she helped him half-limp-half-walk out of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, letting the gold-painted double doors close behind them.