Chapter 12
Questions
Mike sculled the last of the beer, forcefully sticking his tongue into the neck of the bottle to lap up the last few drops, before tossing it away and pulling another bottle out of the fridge. It was definitely a bad idea to consume this much alcohol in the middle of the day and if anyone saw him, standing there in his briefs, they'd see him as just another no good college drop-out; but quite frankly Mike couldn't care less. Considering the state he was in, he was ready to finish the whole box.
They had happened one after the other, an endless stream of nightmares. After the first one that took place in the museum, he had simply passed it off as typical nightmare caused by his current plight. But then another came, and another, and other, each following the same pattern as the first. It didn't matter where he was or where he started off, it always ended with him hunted down by something that he couldn't see behind him. When he had woken up he was shivering from the cold, damp sweat coating him like a film, and his hands ached from clutching the sheets in terror during his slumber, and it didn't help that he had a dull, throbbing headache ever since he'd woken up too.
Now it was the middle of the day and the few, fleeting moments of sleep that he managed to grasp onto felt like they were worth nothing at all. Thanks to his working hours and the daily tasks that needed to be done he struggled to get enough sleep as it was. He only had a few hours of sleep in the morning before he needed to get up and organize lunch for his mother, and go shopping and clean the house, followed by another few hours before he had to get up and go to work. He wouldn't lie to himself; it was a depressing way to live. And now this had come along and made things ten times worse. He wasn't sure what it was; whether he was just really, really disturbed by his job on a subconscious level, or perhaps this was something supernatural. It didn't matter to him; he just wanted it to stop.
Even with his head slightly buzzing from the alcohol in his system, he struggled to think back on what that homeless man had said to him. Really, most of what he said seemed like gibberish incurred by an abusive drug habit, but it also felt disturbingly uncanny. From the frantic bursts of speech he had managed to understand that person was a former guard at Freddy Fazbear's that managed to get away, but it cost them their sanity. What had they said? The other one? Someone on the radio and in your dreams? It was regrettable that he didn't pay attention. That crazy man may have known something important and yet he was too unstable to be around, he had damn well nearly shanked him in the alley!
"Are you feeling well, Michael? You shouldn't be drinking in the middle of the day like that…" Mike looked up to see his mother watching him from the kitchen doorway, a worried look on her pale, thin face. She had always been the kind of mother to worry over everything her little boy got up to, so it didn't surprise him that she would fret over him drinking, despite it being a daily thing for him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a bad nightmare is all, mom." He quickly put the remainder of the beer back in the fridge and shook his head in an attempt to sober himself up. He didn't want his mother to worry any more than she already did, and for that reason he lied to her on a daily basis about his new job. Realistically it was dire enough to feature on one of those 'world's worst job' shows, but from what he told her she had been led to believe it was relaxing and fun. It was better that way, for both of them.
"You look tired son, are you sure you're all right? If… if it's too much, you can quit that job. We have enough money to get by." She said warmly, in that motherly tone of hers. As much as he lied about his job, it was plain to see to her that it was making him exhausted. The deep pits forming under his eyes and the constant aura of tension coming from him was clear evidence of that.
"I said I'm fine, didn't I? Besides, we need the money. Food doesn't just appear on the table, you know." She winced at his remark and he instantly regretted saying it. His mom's welfare helped with food and bills, but it was undeniable that she couldn't cope without his wages, and it was a fact that neither of them was comfortable acknowledging. She was ashamed of the fact that she depended upon her own son to get by, and that look upon her face made his stomach twist his grief.
"Just, don't worry about it, ok mom? I like my job. My workmates are… fun to be around and it's not exhausting. Although if it weren't for that bastard I wouldn't need to have a job in the first place." Mike let the anger show in the expletive when he said it, gritting his teeth as he did so. Every time he thought of that godforsaken person his blood began to boil and everything turned a shade of scarlet. He was snapped out of his angry daze by the warmth embrace of a hug. As she stepped back away from him, his mom chided him.
"Your father would have had his reasons for leaving, Michael. What they were exactly I'll never know, but he was a good man-"
"If he was a good man then why did he let this happen to us? What kind of man just leaves and allows this to happen to his own…?" He trailed off there. They had had this argument so many times before, and it never ended positively. She would always defend that sad excuse of a man and he would walk off angrily, and it would take hours before they could talk to each other again. As much as he hated his own father, there was no need to bring it up again.
"Uh, anyway, I'm going out for a while, so I'll bring you back some lunch." Mike hurried to gloss over the sudden shift in tone, but now he just seemed callous. Could he do anything right?
"Oh? Where are you going this time of day?" She asked politely, as eager to drop the tension as he was.
"Work. I left my smokes behind, I'll stop by the bakery and buy you some lunch on the way back." Mike said. It was terrible and he knew it, but he just wanted to get out of the house and be on his way already, he had too many thoughts buzzing around in his head to focus on for too long.
"Oh, well, do what you have to do." She stood aside, allowing him to pass through the doorway. "Be careful out there, son. I worry myself sick every time you go to work. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you!"
"Don't worry mom, I'm not in any danger. I'll catch ya later." He gave a quick hug as he moved past her, not bothering to look back as he hurriedly left the house. He could feel her eyes boring into his back as he sprinted out the door, sore head held by his bandaged hand.
After seeing him off, Mike's mother slumped back down in the couch and covered her face with her hands. She had always known when her son was lying; ever since he was little he had the tell-tale trait of biting his lip when he tried to cover up the truth from her. She had been worrying about his new, mysterious job since day one, and this proved to her that there was something wrong with it. What exactly, and why her son didn't want to tell her, she didn't know. She just wished he was more honest with her. He had always been a hero, rushing off to help people without telling anyone what he was doing, without thinking about the consequences, or about himself. It was both rude and inaccurate to call him an idiot, but it was definite that his sense of justice outweighed his common sense. Turning back to the news on TV, she wondered what to do with her boy.
…
If there was one thing Mike was grateful about his job, it was the close distance to home. He had found that ten minutes of walking was usually enough to prep him for the night ahead, and short enough that he could make it home in the morning. Plus, if he had had to for public transport then he would be risking his life each night for no profit anyway. Besides, despite his exhaustion and throbbing head the cool winter air felt surprisingly refreshing as he traversed the city.
He had lied to his mom and he hoped she didn't figure out; for some reason she had a way of knowing when he was lying. Mother's intuition, perhaps? It didn't really matter though, she would never even begin to suspect how deep in shit he was.
In reality he was off to see Edwin in search of answers. That old man had touted himself as the oldest employee and if anyone knew what was happening, then it should be him. Both Tom and Henry would know as well, but Tom was unwilling to share information and considering Henry was presumably the one covering up murder after murder, talking to him about it sounded like a bad idea. What exactly he was going to ask Edwin about, he wasn't sure. Definitely what the hell was up with the animatronics and why nobody did anything about them, and maybe if he knew anything about that crazy bum too. This was all assuming Edwin wanted to cooperate, too. For all he knew Edwin was in on this criminal activity too, and what would he do them?
As he came up to the building he called his job, he paused to cautiously peer down the alleyway he had been assaulted in a few hours prior, but there was no sign of that mysterious former Fazbear employee. He was honestly relieved to not see that… thing skulking around his workplace, but at the same time he was worried where it could be. They were obviously unstable and had no problem attacking him with a weapon, god knows what else they would do.
As he braced himself and pushed through those all-too-familiar doors for what felt like the hundredth time this week, the first thing that hit his was the unusually quiet, peaceful atmosphere about the place. Normally it was bustling and noisy with children and parents running in all directions, but today it was almost empty. A few families and couples sat here and there talking amongst themselves, but the empty seats far exceeded those that were occupied. There were fewer staff too, and nearly all of them were lazing around rather than serving what few customers there were. And a heavy, sleepy aura hung in the air like a raincloud occupying the room. It seemed strange at first, but then he remembered it was a Thursday afternoon; most kids would be at school and Thursday was probably the worst day to come to a place like this anyway. He didn't even dare look at the curtains. He didn't even want to consider what was behind them until he had to.
Now, where would Edwin be? Last time Mike had met him he bumbled around the hall with no particular purpose, so it was hard to distinguish what his role was exactly. Would he be in the kitchen? The office? Mike scanned the room thoroughly but there was no sign of the old man. Worse still, he could see the unfamiliar staff watching him, clearly wondering why a man like him was here alone on a Thursday afternoon. With his lack of sleep and slight intoxication, he was aware that he looked scruffy enough to be thrown out based on appearances alone. If he didn't find someone to help soon…
"Oh? Mike? What are you doing here out of work hours?" Despite hearing that curt voice only a few times in his life, Mike could readily match a sallow face to it. Looking nervously to his left he was accosted with the sight of Henry in the hallway entrance casually leaning against the wall, arms folded, eyes glowering with a quiet, dark impression. There was nothing wrong with him coming here, and yet from Henry's stance alone Mike felt vulnerable, like a child caught stealing candy.
"Ah, Henry, uh…" He clamoured to excuse himself but all he did was trip over his own words in his haste, causing his employer to raise a suspicious eyebrow. Without so much as a greeting Henry circled around him one delicate step at a time, like a lion observing its prey, all the time intently watching him. All sounded faded from the room as Mike could focus on nothing but the sinister glare of his employer. Was this thing even human?
"I'll ask you again. Why are you here?" After coming full circle around him Henry stopped before him and folded his arms, brow raised as if to beg him the question. "If you have no reason to be here, then go home. It's dangerous to be here even during the day, although only for you." His voice became hushed but sharp to match the look in his eyes, like a sheathed blade ready to strike. He had seemed so friendly the other day, but that had melted away to reveal a shrewd demon inside.
"He was meeting up with us for lunch. We planned to hang out during our lunch break." Henry looked up and past Mike to the familiar voice that called out to them, causing Mike to spin around to see his saviour. Behind him stood Maria with her arms crossed, a nervous Glen standing partially, silently watching it all unfold. Without another word Maria came striding up and grabbed onto his arm with strength surprising for a woman. It took all that was left of his mental fortitude not to flinch in pain in front of everyone watching him. "Come on then Mike, my lunch break isn't all that long. Let's get going." She continued, tugging on his arm.
"The three of you, hrmm?" Henry callously glanced at the three of them, unsure what to make of the sudden situation in front of him. It wasn't obvious but Mike could tell he was as pissed off by the interruption as Mike was relieved by it.
"…and Edwin." Mike blurted out. He looked pleadingly at Maria, hoping she would understand. "Edwin was coming too, right?" At first she stared blankly back at him, but then with a spark of understanding twinkling in her eye she gave a subtle, almost unnoticeable nod, before turning over her shoulder and calling out loudly to the kitchen. There was a metal clatter before the wrinkled old head popped out and smiled at them warmly.
"Well now, whatsa matter, Maria?" He cheerily called out. On a quieter day like this he didn't look so haggard, but it still surprised Mike that someone as old and frail as that man would still be working, particularly in a place like this. Noticing his new workmate, his smile deepened as he gave a small nod of acknowledgment. "Oh, it's you boyo. What can Edwin do you ye?"
"Lunch. We were going out for lunch today, remember?" Maria interjected.
"What on earth are you talking about? We didn't-" With a sudden tug Maria pulled herself and Mike aside, giving Edwin a clear view of Henry, who looked less than impressed. Seeing who was behind them, the old man's face hardened ever so slightly as he took on a different tone.
"Right! Lunch! Completely slipped my mind. Let me just wrap this up and I'll be with you folks in a second!" With that Edwin ducked back into the kitchen, more metal clattering sounds erupting from within as he vanished. With him gone everyone's attention shifted back to their boss, who stood facing them with an indefinite expression.
"I find this unbelievable; none of you have ever done anything like this. What is the meaning of this?" Angrily Henry strode up to them, glaring at all three of them as he waited for an explanation.
"None of the night guards have ever stayed at this job for so long. We're simply want to get to know the man who cope with that slave-labour you call a job, unlike the rest of them." Maria parried his accusation with one of her own, smiling as Henry's scowl deepened. Insulting your own boss was universally a bad idea, but she was the best cook at this restaurant and without her they'd be a lot worse off. As vicious as he seemed, he couldn't do anything against her.
Realising he had been bested for now; the snake of a man gave a tch of annoyance and stood back. "Whatever, go do what you want. You better be back by the time your next shift starts or you're getting a pink slip instead of a paycheck." He grumbled. "And you! I don't want so see you here again out of work hours, understood?" Before leaving, the manager turned to Mike and bared his teeth vehemently, before skulking off back down the hallway. Just by watching him go Mike felt deflated, as though he had just witnessed some epic battle between forces.
"Uhh, thanks for saving me there. I don't know what I would have done." Realising Maria was looking at him; Mike fumbled to blurt out his gratitude. All of it had happened so quickly he was still struggling to comprehend all of it.
"It's no problem, I saw you being hounded by him and I had to help. He's a prick of a man." Realising she was still tightly holding his arm; she relinquished her grasp and stood back, brushing back the small piece of hair hanging over her face.
"Hi Mike! It's nice to see you during the daytime…" Glen, who had been silent until now, spoke up to timidly greet his workmate. Next to the tall and slender woman beside him, he looked even more like a kid than usual. He stood in a slouched pose with a schoolbag slung over one shoulder, schoolbooks threatening to spill out of the open zip and onto the floor.
"Oh, hey Glen." Mike said in return, before returning his attention to Maria. It was rude of him to be so abrupt, but he had to grapple with what was currently happening before pleasantries. "So, were you serious about going out for lunch? Or was that just a lie to deal with Henry?" He asked coyly. He tried to say it in an offhand tone as if he didn't care at all, but judging by her sudden laugh it only made him look beta.
"Nah, it was just a lie to get Henry to piss off." She chuckled. Seeing the crestfallen look appear on his face, she changed her tact ever so slightly. "Although I told Edwin we were going, so I guess I have no choice."
"Me too! Don't leave me behind, please." Forcefully pushing himself in-between then, Glen piped up to grab their attention. With a roll of her eyes Maria patted his wavy hair in consolidation.
"Of course, you were coming here for lunch anyway, right? Just, don't go causing trouble for us last time, ok?" Maria spoke in an almost exasperated tone, as though unpleasant memories danced before her eyes as she spoke to him. Mike was more surprised that this wasn't their first time hanging out. Was this a regular thing for them?
"All right! Let's be off then! We only have so much time a'fore we have to be back at them ovens, kids." With a hurried gait Edwin came bustling back out of the kitchen as he cried out to them, coat carried underarm and fedora placed neatly on his balding head. Mike usually cringed until it hurt whenever he saw some hipster wearing that godforsaken hat, but on an old person it didn't look half bad. Almost stylish, even.
"Yeah, we better go. Henry won't fire us, but we'd get our pay reduced for sure if we're late for our shift. I may be doing you a favour Mike, but I'm not going penniless because of it." With another unwarranted tug she dragged both Mike and Glen out the front door with her as they hurried to catch up with Edwin, who was already dawdling down the street, whistling a tune.
Mike felt as though it were a bit early to be calling them friends, but spending time with his co-workers had improved his mood by a lot. He still felt like crap, heavy eyelids, throbbing brain and the depressing reality of his job and all, but with people to talk to he could divert attention away from it and that was enough for him to cope, at least for now.
They had come to a tiny café three blocks down and despite its diminutive size it set itself apart from the rest of the street. It was one of those high-end ones with fancy mental tables and chairs on the pavement outside, completed with a veranda decorated by drooping rose vines and quirky windchimes. It was the sort of place you'd expect to see rich woman talking amongst themselves with designer handbags in hand, and the four of them, Edwin and Maria in their sweaty work uniforms, Glen in his school uniform and Mike in his sweatpants must have looked like dirty bums in comparison.
"Isn't this place a little… expensive for a quick lunch?" Mike hesitantly asked Maria as they walked inside to order their food. The interior of the cafe was more humble in comparison to the extravagant exterior outside, it was furnished with little more than basic wooden furniture. But it was clear they had still invested a pretty penny in this place, with the dozens of cat clocks staring intently at them as they entered. A shiver ran down Mike's spine as he returned their wooden glare, their artificial eyes bearing an uncanny resemblance to the animatronics that pursued him at night.
"Nah. The food isn't as expensive as you'd think, and it's nice and quiet here. We usually come here to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Pizzeria." Maria replied.
"And it's good food too." Glen interjected as he bought his food. After paying for his he stood aside and indicated for Mike to go next. A bored and snarky-looking girl at the register stared back at him, chewing gum.
"Oh, uh, I guess I'll have…" He stared up towards the menu hanging above. Most of the meal names he had never heard before, in fact half of them were probably French. Hesitantly he looked to the others for help with pleading eyes. With a half chuckle half sigh Edwin came in for the rescue.
"The chicken and cranberry Panini is good you'll find, my boy." Edwin pointed to an unreadable name.
"Uh… I'll have two of them please. One here and can the other be take-away?" He said in exasperation. This was supposed to be a nice lunch outing, but it felt more like a French exam. With a roll of her eyes the girl snatched the money out of his hand and walked huffily off into the kitchen. "Geez, their customer service could use some work…" He muttered under his breath.
They went back outside to wait for their meals thanks to Edwin's suggestion. He had begun to complain that kids these days spent too much time inside and some fresh air would be good for them, and all three of them knew it was better to just comply before he trailed off into a typical old-person rant. In all honesty it did feel good to be outside; for the last week he had done nothing but cower in fear at Fazbear's or rot at home in the darkness. Just sitting outside in the sunshine talking with others, it made everything that had happened recently seem irrelevant, as much of a lie as that was.
"By the way, shouldn't you be at school?" Mike asked the schoolboy seated beside him. It had only just occurred to him that Glen wasn't where he was supposed to be. "Don't tell me you're bunking school man…" He continued.
"Nah I'm a good student, but my school lets us leave school grounds at lunch so long as we're back by the time class starts." He replied. "I usually hang out with Maria and Edwin coz their fun."
"Well what about your friends at school?" Mike continued. In response Glen nervously cast his gaze down at his feet, idly shuffling them under the table.
"I-I… um.. " Glen muttered anxiously, clasping his hands together in nervousness. Always one to fail noticing the mood, Mike pressed onwards unaware to the increasingly upset look on Glen's face.
"Your school friends. Wouldn't you rather hang out with them? I mean Edwin and Maria are cool and all, but you really need to socialise with people your age-GUUHH!" Across the table from him Maria slammed the heel of her shoe into Mike's shin with as much force as she could muster, giving him the evil eye of all evil eyes as she did. Mike doubled over in pain as the breathe left his lungs, causing him to lie curled up in his chair feebly gasping for breath as he stared in confusion at the woman who was cross with him. ""What did I say wrong?" He squeaked out.
Ignoring him Maria turned to the distraught Glen and smiled sweetly. "Never mind him Glen. You're always welcome to hang out with us, we like having you around." She said softly. Edwin, who had been oblivious to everything that had transgressed, pitched in his approval too leaving Mike to silently suffer alone.
"Thanks guys, you're the best." Glen smiled back at them. It didn't look like a genuine one, but it was better than the miserable look he had just had on his face. Geez, how was he supposed to know Glen had no friends? It wasn't like he had upset him on purpose.
From within the restaurant the same girl from before came out with their meals on a tray, handing each one out and receiving her tip in exchange. At last it came to Mike, all eyes trained on him as the waitress awaited her tip. Coolly Mike pulled out his wallet and opened it, making sure to flash the several notes inside to the waitress, before snapping it shut and putting it away again. "Oh, look! The money you rudely snatched from me at the register happened to be the last of my money." He flashed her a Mike-brand smirk as he spoke. "How unfortunate for you." Furiously she scowled at him and seethingly stomped away into the café, slamming the door behind her, the quirky wind chime rattling nosily as at rebounded off the still quivering door. He glanced at everyone around the table for their support for his little stunt, but everyone had already begun to quietly eat, avoiding his gaze.
He picked up the thing sitting on his plate and sniffed it apprehensively. He could see chicken inside, and the goopy orange stuffed smelled like apricot, but he was unsure about eating foreign food. It never agreed with him. Seeing Maria watching him with one eyebrow raised questioningly, he took a swift breath and bit into it. Apart from the effort required to stop it from falling apart into a mess, it was quite good. Edwin wasn't a liar, it seemed. Satisfied with his response, Maria returned to her own meal.
They continued to talk for a while, shifting from uninteresting topic to uninteresting topic. Mike didn't really care for what they had to say and his interest was waning, but it was good to socialize for once. The way he was currently living, he was expected to devolve into some basement dwelling neckbeard, having constant nightmares over demonic robots. He wasn't going to admit it to them, but these three had been the first people he had hung out with in years.
"So, why did you come today?" Maria, who had seemingly forgiven him for the previous incident, asked him that question as she ate her exotic-looking fish wrap. At that point Mike realised he had totally forgotten why he was here in the first place, he was so engrossed I actual human interaction it had slipped his mind entirely.
"Oh, well… I needed to talk to Edwin for a bit." He swallowed a mouthful of Panini before responding. Hearing his name, Edwin turned at looked expectantly at him.
"Well, I'm here. Whatsa matter, need girl advice?" A small smile appeared on his face, revealing several missing teeth, as he gave a subtle nod in Maria's direction. Thank god she didn't notice, he wouldn't have put it past her to slap him considering her hot-headed attitude so far. Picking up on it too, Glen started to giggle, covering his red face as Maria looked at him in confusion.
"Ahaha, uh, no. It was actually about something… private. Once we finish lunch do you mind staying behind for a bit while Maria and Glen leave? I know it's rude and all, but this really needs to be discussed between the two of us." He gave an apologetic glace to Maria fearful of her reaction, but she accepted it with a simple, silent nod.
"A private chat, hmm? Well, I don't have a single clue what you'd want to talk with ol' Edwin about, but I'm game." He let out a chuckle as he scratched his balding head.
"Hmm, it's getting late already. If you two want to stay behind for a while then I need to go back to work now. You should go back to school too, Glen." Maria glanced at her watch back to the other three people sitting around the table.
"Aww, already?" Glen let out a disappointed sigh. "I was really having fun today… Mike, you're fun to hang out with."
Maria stood up from her seat and neatly dusted the crumbs off of her uniform. "You're a bit on the dumb side, but you're cool I guess. It's a shame we didn't get to talk for longer, we should hang out more often." She spoke to him crisply with a straight face, but a warm sparkle in her eye told him she liked him more than she was willing to display. "Let's go, Glen. I'll see you back at work Edwin, for the love of god don't be late. And you." She turned to face a quiet Mike once more. " I'll see you whenever I guess. Don't go getting into trouble with Henry again, I won't be able to bail you out anymore."
"Don't worry, I've got more worrying problems to worry about than him." He replied confidently. With another quiet nod she turned away and began walking down the street. Unconsciously his eyes flittered to her rear as she went, watching it move side to side. It wasn't even on purpose either; he would just chalk it up as a natural male behaviour. He forcefully tore them away in a panic when he realised Edwin had noticed what he was staring at.
"Aww, well, see you tonight then Mike. Promise you'll say hi to me before you start your shift. Buh-bye!" Glen stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, waving goodbye as he chased after Maria, already far down the street. For a minute the two remaining men watched them go in silence, until they disappeared around a corner.
"Alright Mike, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Edwin asked. Turning back to the old man across the table for him Mike steadied his breath and shifted into a serious disposition.
"I think you already know, Edwin." He said bluntly. It was still just as warm and sunny as before, but now that he was moving onto the topic he feared most, everything felt darker, less comfortable, as if the very essence of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria had awoken and chased him here.
"Sorry son, I have no idea. Why don't you inform an old man?" He asked kindly. Mike bit his lip nervously, was Edwin feigning ignorance or did he really not know? He had said that he was the oldest employee here, that he had seen many things over the years. There was no feasible way Edwin could have worked at that place all this time and have not seen or heard anything about what went down there at night.
"It's about the animatronics, the ones at the pizzeria." He continued to speak in a serious tone, trying to convey the gravity of the topic without explicitly stating it.
"What about dem? I already told ya what I think of them, inneresting machines they are." He said innocently.
"Is that so? Well how interesting is it that they move at night? That they walk? Talk? That they've killed people, tried killing me!" His voice steadily began to raise at Edwin as he spoke, drawing attention from patrons at other tables. In an instant Edwin's smile vanished to be replaced with a taunt tight-lipped grimace of fear, eyes nervously darting all around as he frantically signalled Mike to stop talking.
"Stop! Stop! Please!" He called out in a hushed but urgent tone. He reached out across the table to cover Mike's mouth but he angrily swatted it away, continued to assault him with a volley of accusations.
"Why should I? I've been cut, had my head bashed and for the last three nights I've grappled with murderous machines that are alive and trying to kill me! If you don't tell me what the hell is going on, I'm going straight to the news station and letting the world know how many people have died in that place!" At his last angry point people all around began to nervously whisper amongst themselves unsure of what to make of this outburst.
"No, don't! You'll get us killed! Just sit down and let me explain what I can!" Edwin's face was bright red in terror as he waved frantically with his arms to stop Mike from saying anymore. At his sudden threat Mike went silent for the moment, willing to listen to what he had to say. Edwin whirled his head around, scanning the area for something, or someone, before turning back to Mike and speaking in a frightened, but stable whisper.
"Look, I understand how you feel. I know how terrifying and confusing all this must be for you, I know from personal experience." He paused to give another fearful look around them. "I want to explain it all to you, I really do, but I can't. This isn't just about the animatronics, there are… others involved in this and they don't want any information getting out. If you or I keep talking about this then we'll wind up dead. They're probably already aware we're having this discussion." Swiftly but noiselessly Edwin got up from his seat, giving an apologetic shake of his head to the rattled man in front of him.
"I'm sorry, so sorry, but I can't say anything. I've survived in that place for all this time, I won't die now. All you need to know is that you need to do your job. If you figure out their patterns, those children, I mean, animatronics aren't as dangerous as they seem. Watch the cameras, conserve power, and you'll see it through to morning. Others have lived for weeks on end, and you can too." With that Edwin began to hobble away with a distraught look on his face, before pausing to say one last thing over his shoulder.
"And if a man in a business suit approaches you, do whatever he tells you as if your life depended on it. I really want to help you more, but I can't… just can't." The old man continued to mutter that to himself miserably as he fled, leaving a confused and upset Mike sitting by himself. The only person who could've told him anything had only made things harder to understand. What did he mean there were others involved in this? Just how many people were in on this and doing nothing about it? Mike felt as though the whole world had gone mad. How could Edwin expect him to survive in that place? At this time, now worse than ever, he felt alone. That happy moment he had just shared with his co-workers was worthless now, and the throbbing in his head only got worse now that there was nothing to distract him from it, and he was very close to breaking down into a sob right there on the sidewalk. Why had his happened to him? All he wanted was a job to get by, and he had been thrown into a nightmare by no intentional action of his own. He was central to the problem at hand, and yet he couldn't just leave it. Realizing the curious stares he was getting from the other customers, Mike miserably got up, took the extra Panini for his mother and went home.
…
As he wearily approached the doorstep of his own home, Mike paused at the sound of voices talking inside. A visitor? Mom never had visitors. Who the hell could possibly be in his house? With a swift tug on the door handle Mike leapt into the door to confront whoever had come into their house. As he burst into the room his mother, who was sitting in her usual spot on the couch, glanced up at up at him and smiled. Next to her sitting neatly with a cup of tea in hand was a blonde man in a clean, fine-pressed business suit. Seeing him come in, the man stood up to greet him.
"Oh, speak of the devil! Mike, your workmate popped in for a visit. He said he needed to talk with you urgently." His mother called out to him. But he wasn't listening to what she had to say, the blood rushing in his ears blocked out nearly all noise. Here, in his own house, watching him with a quaint smile, stood a man that resembled what Edwin had just warned him about. In terms of apparel he looked a lot like Henry, but the inhuman glare in his eye was immeasurably worse than his employers. He held his arms clasped before him as he stood in an almost disarming manner, but Mike could see the glint of a handgun in his pocket.
"Ah, Michael. A pleasure to meet you. We haven't met each other yet, but I'm a fellow employee of yours. I need to speak with you pertaining matters of the highest urgency. Miss Schmidt, if you please." He spoke in a soft soothing tone, but it was laden with the stench of poison. At his request, Mike's mom stood up and went up the stairs without questioning him. Mike went to call her back, but pulled himself beck at the last moment. There was no need to bring her into this. Turning to the stranger in his house, Mike wasted no time in accusing him.
"Who the fuck are you?" He snarled viciously, his face scrunched into a mask of aggression. Ignoring him at first, the man pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one up, before offering one to Mike. At his lack of a response, he slipped the packet away with a sigh.
"I could tell you my name, but then I'd have to kill you, and your mother." He said calmly. Sensing a sudden movement from the other man across the room, he withdrew the handgun in his pocket and held it steadily, the barrel pointing neatly between Mike's eyes. This was the first time Mike had ever had a weapon pointed at him, and he froze out of fear. "Besides, after your little chat with the one you know as 'Edwin' that we were monitoring, you should have a good idea who I am.
"What do you want from me, you bastard?" Fearful of death and yet not fearful enough to talk shit, Mike stood his ground. Seeing this small act of defiance, the man in the suit gave a small chuckle, muttering something inaudible under his breath.
"Your cooperation is all I ask for, Mr Schmidt. So long as I have that, you needn't see me for a second time." He raised an eyebrow in Mike's direction. "Can I have that from you, Michael Schmidt?"
"Depends on what exactly you want to do that requires my cooperation." Mike growled back. If it weren't for that weapon pointed at him, he would have murdered this man already. He wouldn't consider himself the violent kind, or even the angry kind, but for this man to enter his house, make demands and threaten to kill him and his mother, he could understand how some men were driven to murder.
"It's not what I'm doing, but what you're doing. All I want you to do is your job, the one you're payed to do. And stop asking so many questions whilst doing it." He paused to circle around the couch and examine the family photo of Mike, mother and father, before coming back around to stand right in front of Mike, still backed up against the front door.
"You see, Michael, I work for an organization that is… aware of the situation occurring at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. I have been tasked with making sure the situation remains under control. "
"But the situation isn't under control! People have been killed! I'm at risk right now!" Mike angrily interrupted. How the hell did this man have even the slightest belief that things were 'under control' over there?
"By under control, I mean kept at a level where the general public or anyone outside of Fazbear employment are not affected. Under no circumstances can the reality of the situation be made known to anyone not already caught in its influence. If a few people such as yourself have to die occasionally to keep the status quo, then that is fine. To put it simply Mike, you need to keep doing what you're doing. Go to that place each night and keep those anomalies distracted while we work on resolving the situation. Perhaps you'll die by then, but it doesn't really matter though; if you to flee or take any other sort of action you'll die anyway." The man continued. Finishing off his smoke with one long huff, he tossed the butt into Mike's favourite ashtray resting on the table.
"So what? I'm just a sacrificial lamb?" Mike asked, unwilling to accept this despite knowing it was unavoidable.
"You could put it like that, yes. But don't worry, I'm in the same position as you. Everyone in the world is, in one way or another. I don't expect you to understand." Putting the gun back away in his pocket, he reached down onto the couch and retrieved a wide-brimmed hat, the sort you'd see on a mafia boss, placing it on his head so that the brim covered his eyes.
"As short as our talk has been, I must take my leave for now. I hope that you do merely as I ask – do your job and prevent information regarding it from leaking out. Do that, and you can live in relative peace, and you'll never see from me again. Any information I need to pass onto you will be via my puppet, the one known as Henry Phelps." He brushed past the stunned, silent Mike as he headed for the door, shunting coldly into his shoulder as he moved past.
"Don't understate me or the organization I work for. Those pathetic littles toys you play with at night? They are mere childsplay to what we are used to dealing with. In addition to that, we are willing to go to any length to prevent this from reaching public knowledge. If you do so much as make a Facebook post about this, we'll kill you, your mother, your co-workers, we'll carpet bomb tis whole city if we need to. We control everything in this world, and we can remove you from it as though you never existed." The door closely slowly behind him as he made his way outside, leaving Mike to collapse to his knees on the floor.
"I hope I never have to see you again, D-2140."
A/N: Sorry again for the late chapter, I know so many have been eagerly waiting for an update. Final exams and Christmas don't exactly leave me with much spare time.
Since this is the last chapter until Christmas passes, I'd like to wish all of my readers a pre-emptive Merry Christmas. Have a good holidays guys. Since this was another uneventful chapter, I'll add as a promise that next chapter is when things really start to ramp up in terms of shit going down. Consider it your Christmas present from me 3
In return I'd like to ask a favour, selfish, I know. But could my readers who are capable please give this story a mention or a recommendation elsewhere? It occurred to me that awareness of this story on other sites like Tumblr for example would increase awareness as a whole and boost its popularity greatly. I'd deeply appreciate it, even if it were just a token effort.
Anyway, happy holidays and I'll see you guys after New Year's!
