DISCLAIMER: I do not own Five Nights at Freddy's or any of its characters.
A/N: Whoa! What's this?! Posting early?! Yep. I'm taking a vacation from work and usually post my chapters on Sunday before my shift but, since I'll be off, I wasn't sure if I'd get to post or not, so I decided to do it today before I leave. Enjoy your early posting :)
AN EYE FOR AN EYE
Chapter 30: The Stuff of Nightmares
Mike's decline was steady, but expected. As his body continued to decay from the robotic parts of the animatronics inside of him, Mike continued to shut himself off from the world, Jeremy quickly becoming his only link to the world outside of his apartment. He did whatever he could to help his ailing friend, including household chores, running errands, paying bills, etc. Jeremy was the only one who knew the true extent of Mike's problems, so there was no way he could abandon his friend in his time of need.
Of course, not leaving the house for such long periods of time definitely made Mike a bit stir crazy. It was during those moments of desperation that he would dare to venture outside. Mike usually didn't make it too far, as the stares, gasps and cries of those around him in response to his decrepit condition usually forced him to cut his excursions short.
Today was another one of those days. Anyone he passed by had an instant reaction to him. Some were in fear. Some were in complete shock. One guy actually ran to the nearest trash can to throw up. Catching his reflection in a window, Mike saw what he had become, something he had been refusing to do for quite some time now. His skin was a deep shade of purple, his eyes had a chilling white glow to them. Mike's movements were slow and pained, very zombie like. He looked like a monster, the stuff of nightmares.
It was in that moment that Mike felt as though he, too, was going to be sick. Making it only a few few from the window where he had seen himself, Mike's body began to tremor and he started to gag. The shaking continued, as did the need to evacuate whatever it was that was piling up in his throat. Eventually, after a few short minutes that felt more like several agonizing hours, Mike regurgitated the robotic parts that had been acting as a parasite in his body for some time. The parts tinked off of the sidewalk and spilled into the sewer via a nearby drain on the street. Mike had only a brief moment of relief before his body collapsed and he fell face first on to the concrete beneath his feet.
He was dead. He was sure of it.
"You won't die..."
Mike wasn't sure where the voice was coming from. Hell, he wasn't even sure that he actually heard the voice and that it wasn't some sort of delusion or hallucination.
"You won't die..."
There it was again.
"You won't die..."
And again. But this time was a little different than the others; the voice was clearer and Mike was fairly certain that he recognized the owner of the voice: Baby.
"You won't die..."
He won't die? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Mike hadn't the faintest idea what was happening when he felt his body begin to shudder and become mobile again. Before he realized it, he was standing again. He was alive...he was alive?! Somehow, some way, Mike was still alive. But, of course, his body relying on the animatronic parts within him for so long was severely weak and unstable, so he collapsed to the ground again. Now what was he going to do?
"Mike!" a familiar voice called out to him.
He didn't have to look at the owner of the voice to know instantly who it was: Jeremy. The blond had gotten worried when he stopped by Mike's apartment and did not find him there so he went out to go and search for him.
"Dude, are you all right?" Jeremy hurried over to his fallen friend, crouching down next to his body.
Mike opened his mouth to respond but no sound came out. Jeremy let out a breath. He then helped Mike up and acted as a crutch to help get him back to the apartment.