After Hours
Stepping In
The clock on the dash displayed twenty minutes to midnight as the dark green Camaro pulled to a stop in front of her house.
Grace saw the car through the front windows and her lips pulled back into a broad smile. She swung on her coat and shouted a quick goodbye to the rest of the house as she shoved the door open and charged out onto the lawn, drawn to the car like metal filings to a high-powered magnet. The driver pulled the passenger door open as she approached, allowing her quick escape from the cold prewinter air. She shut the door and sighed deeply, settling into the comfortable seats.
A laugh came from the driver beside her. "You've been waiting for a while, haven't you?" The driver was a young man, with long brown hair and a friendly demeanor. She knew him fairly well. He smiled at her, and she returned the expression.
"What are you implying, Schmidt? That I wouldn't be excited for our date?" Grace jabbed. "Or prepared?"
Mike shrugged. "I'd hardly call an overnight trip to a rundown pizzeria a date. No offense, but if that's your idea of a good time then this is gonna be a weird relationship to take part in."
"Just drive," Grace said. She snuggled back into her seat and closed her weighted eyelids. "I took a nap earlier but it did not do enough for me, I'm gonna catch some z's. Wake me up when we're there, 'k?"
"Fine, but it's only going to be maybe ten minutes," Mike replied.
"I can roll with that."
And with that, she went out like a light. Mike laughed, but it didn't do much for his anxiety. He could only hope that this wouldn't all go down in flames.
The next thing Grace knew, a hand rested on her shoulder, shaking her awake with a firm grip but a gentle motion. She roused from her sleep-coma, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "I thought you said it would take ten minutes to get there," she groused.
"It did," Mike replied, beckoning out through the windowsill. "We're here, Grace." She followed his pointed finger and, lo and behold, Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria rested on the land ahead.
Grace collapsed back into the seat with a moan. "In that case, ten minutes wasn't nearly long enough. Can't we stay out here for a while?" Sleep was only half the issue; Grace also really didn't want to see the animatronics at night. They were more than creepy enough during the day. She knew she should have expected this when she'd asked to join Mike for the night, but she'd been bored and to be honest, the thought of spending more time with Mike sort of clouded out any of her worries.
He was a good guy. Weird, but way better than most of the man-children she'd met in college. Plus, she had to admit, the fact that he had hard enough balls to both work the graveyard shift in this nightmare factory and enjoy it granted him a few dozen more points in her book.
But now that they had actually arrived at the pizzeria, Grace's resolve was beginning to falter. Plus, the inside of Mike's car was really warm. She wouldn't have at all minded getting to sleep just a little longer…
A sudden burst of frigid air shocked Grace fully back into being awake and sent her shivering madly. Mike had pulled her door open and now stared at her in an expectant manner. "Hey, come on. We don't have a lot of time before my shift starts," he said, waving her out of the car.
With utmost reticence, Grace dragged herself outside and walked with Mike across the frosted parking lot. The air stung with a bitter cold, although it did serve to keep Grace fully awake – which Mike seemed happy with. "What's the big deal? So what if you're a little late clocking in? I doubt the money guys'll care enough to give you the boot," Grace said.
"Maybe, but I'm not about to risk it," Mike said, mouth drawn into a determined line. It fit the situation so poorly, sticking out like a sore thumb, and Grace couldn't help but be silently confused. "Besides, my shift starts at midnight sharp, and it's best we get in with some time to spare." He turned to face her. "Just to be safe," he added swiftly.
Alright, so Mike was in a weird mood tonight, Grace thought. Perhaps that wouldn't be as bad a thing as she was envisioning. Maybe he had a surprise planned for her. Maybe he intended to kill her at the stroke of midnight, take her home, and stuff her body into his-
Okay, best not to go down that trail. Grace decided to just wait and go along before choosing any plan of action. If things went south, she could run, and she still had her phone. She prepped a text calling for help, then slid the phone back into her pocket without sending it to anybody – a habit she'd come into a while ago, mostly to screw with people who didn't expect such an instant response.
Grace had never expected to have to call for help with it. She hoped things wouldn't come to that.
Mike unlocked the door with a deft, practiced maneuver and pulled it open. He held it in place with a foot and turned to his companion. "After you, milady," he said, gesturing into the building in a gentlemanly way.
Grace chuckled and slowly stepped inside. Once she'd made it through, Mike slid in after her, and the door swung shut, ending the stream of cold air that had been flowing in.
The interior of the pizzeria was warmer than Grace had been expecting. Normally she wouldn't have minded this, but right now it felt rather eerie. Looking down the hall, Grace could see the main dining area and stage ahead. Mike stepped into line in front of her and led the way. Neither of them spoke.
Grace couldn't have known it, but Mike had his own worries. On the way here he'd been gunning to get in early so he could explain things to Grace before the animatronics woke up to say hi, but it was only a little before five to midnight now and his mind was blank. The fact that she had an open fear of the animatronics only made things worse; at least his father had been largely ambivalent toward them.
And damn it, he liked Grace. He wasn't quite ready to tell her just yet, but he'd already accepted it himself. He enjoyed spending time with her and chatting about all the unimportant things that went on in their lives, the ones he didn't usually bring up with other people. Mike didn't believe that they were anything serious – not yet, at least – but he wouldn't have minded the opportunity to take things to that level at all. Wasn't that what people did? Find somebody that they enjoyed being around and then spend more time with them? Hell, he'd already been doing that with the robots, but time was running out for them.
Maybe the time had come for him to find somebody real – not that the animatronics weren't, but they were metal and fabric. Perhaps now Mike needed somebody made of flesh and bone. Somebody like him.
He would be happy if that somebody turned out to be Grace.
They stepped together into the dining area. Mike removed his coat, and Grace did the same. Mike set both coats down on a table and turned to face his companion, arms spread out toward the pizzeria. "Alright, we're here. What do you think?" He asked. He beat himself up internally for sounding so awkward but didn't let it show.
Grace looked around for a little bit. "What do you mean 'what do I think?' It's the pizzeria with the lights off," she said. She didn't sound impressed.
"Oh, I got that." Mike walked over to the nearby light switch and flicked it on, turning on the lights in the ceiling and casting away the darkness. "How about now?"
"Now it's the pizzeria with no people," Grace replied. "And they're just staring at us." She turned to the animatronics and shivered. "They're so much creepier now. At least in the daytime there are always other people to put between you and them."
Mike sighed. This might have been a bigger mistake than he'd imagined. Maybe he could still run Grace home and make it back to spend some time with the animatronics alone. As much as he wanted her to like them, he didn't want to risk driving her away.
"Well, there isn't much else to do around here other than watch the place and hang out with the robots," Mike began. He didn't savor what he was about to say, but he couldn't think of another solution. "Then I suppose I could-"
"You're not taking me home," Grace cut him off. "I'm not some scared little girl who has to be taken away from everything she doesn't like."
Mike recoiled, and Grace felt guilty. She ran her hands through her hair and took a breath. "I mean, yeah, I'm scared of those things." She jerked her head toward the animatronics. "They're freaky, and sometimes I imagine them coming to life and strangling people. But I'm not a kid. I can – I can survive one night with them."
Grace was determined. She'd always tried to be tough around others, ever since she was young, and she hated the idea of letting them see her weakness. Tonight wouldn't be an exception – it couldn't be. It would be one thing to chicken out while she was on her own, but Mike was here too. Grace didn't think she'd be able to look him in the eye if she ran away from the pizzeria. Even if it terrified her just to stand there.
She knew it was an unhealthy mode of thought, but that was how it had always been with her, and old habits died hard.
"You're sure?" Mike asked one last time.
Grace swallowed, but nodded firmly. "Yeah. I'll be fine."
Mike looked conflicted but recovered soon enough. "Good. In that case, I…" He trailed off, his lips pulled back into a worried grimace. "Um, there's… I need to tell you something," he got out. He pulled out his phone and his face blanched as he checked the time. "It's really urgent."
"…Okay?" Grace cocked her head. This was not a version of Mike she'd ever visualized before. He looked brutally uncomfortable – a far cry from the mellowed out young man Grace had always seen him as.
Mike continued to struggle with his thoughts, eyes flitting repeatedly back toward his phone but never checking it. He looked… under pressure, Grace realized. It hadn't clicked until just then, but he was acting more like somebody strapped to a bomb than somebody chatting with a friend in a pizzeria after hours.
"Mike? Everything still working in there?" Grace asked.
"…We need to talk, Grace," Mike said at last, speaking every word carefully as though he'd come up with them one at a time and not all at once. "Will you follow me for a minute?" He walked a short distance back up the hall, then stopped in front of the door to the guard booth and beckoned for Grace to join him.
Grace stared at him, not moving an inch. "Mike? What the hell's going on? You're getting really creepy and I don't like it," she said. From the look on her face, she didn't intend to move.
"I haven't… been completely honest with you about what I do here at night," Mike admitted reluctantly. Grace's eyes widened slightly in confusion. "But it's sort of a long story and I'd rather not talk about it out here. Just come into the guard room with me and I'll tell you the whole story."
Grace stared at him like she suddenly didn't recognize him. Mike supposed he deserved that. She folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not going anywhere, Mike. If you have something to say, then say it out here."
"Grace, we shouldn't-"
"Screw that! You're the one freaking out, not me! I'm staying out here, and if you want to talk, then you can come over here and explain it to me!"
They stared each other down. Mike realized that this was not a fight that he could win; Grace's face was steely and distrusting, and while he couldn't see his own he rightfully believed that it couldn't compare to hers.
The alarm on Mike's phone buzzed. Midnight had come. He could already see the animatronics loosening up for the night behind Grace. She hadn't noticed. Mike had been hoping to show her the robots via the cameras from his laptop, but it looked like this lesson would take place in the field instead.
Joy.
Mike cycled a deep breath. "Okay, it's like this, Grace. The animatronics here come to life every night while I'm here. I'm not still entirely sure why, but they've been doing it for a long time – way longer than I've been working here." Grace's eyes have widened in surprise, although Mike had no illusions about whether or not she believed him. He shot a glance behind her – Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica stood up onstage, while Foxy peeked out of his Cove. They all watched on in confusion; they hadn't expected any other visitors today. Judging by their silence, however, they seemed to understand what was going on.
Mike was thankful for their restraint. Grace hadn't looked away from him, and he didn't want her looking around and seeing them until he'd explained everything. He continued speaking. "For the past month, I've been coming in every night and hanging out with them until my shift ends at six. At first, I was scared of them too, just like you are.
"But… do you remember when we first met, how I told you how I imagine the animatronics as people? And then I told you how I envisioned all of them?" He waited for a response, but Grace didn't give him one. She kept staring at him, silently, like she wasn't sure if she should keep giving him a chance or get out of there while she still could. It cut Mike deeper than he cared to show, so he forced himself to speak on. "That wasn't just something I've been imagining, Grace. That's how they all are at night. They're good people – a little weird sometimes, but some of the best friends I've ever had. And I want you to like them, too."
Mike took another breath as he came to a close. The animatronics still watched quietly behind Grace, keeping their presence unnoticed but clearly curious as to who this new girl was in their pizzeria tonight.
And Grace… she stood there in stunned silence for a few more seconds before shaking her head. "Bullshit. Really, Mike? I thought you were above telling stupid lies. You couldn't just be honest with me?"
Mike blanched, but somebody else beat him to a response. "He ain't lyin', ye wench!" Foxy exclaimed from his Cove. "Tell her, bucko!"
Grace whirled around swiftly to chew out the source of that voice, and froze at the sight of the still-moving animatronics. Taking her realization of their existence as a sign to move, all four of the animals made their way out into the dining area, toward the humans.
"Foxy, please don't call her a wench," Mike said, as though this was the most normal situation in the world – which it was, for him. "Her name's Grace, and she's a friend. I brought her here to meet you guys and she's skittish around animatronics, so play nice, all of you. Got it?"
"I resent that, you know," Bonnie stated. "We're beloved kids' characters. Have we ever acted otherwise?"
"Are you asking because you'd like permission to act otherwise?" Mike countered.
"I withdraw the question," the rabbit answered. He beckoned to a dumbstruck Grace. "But hey! You got a girlfriend? Good on you."
"It was about time," Chica agreed. "So where'd you meet? How long have you been together?"
"Does she be always white as a banshee?" Foxy asked, cocking his head. Indeed, Grace's face had gone pale.
"Nah, but she think you're all creepy and she's kind of scared of you guys, so this is a big shock to her."
The animatronics all looked hurt. "What does she have to be afraid of?! We're wonderful people!" Bonnie whined.
"Yeah, I know that, but… think about it," Mike said.
They all did, and all four of them seemed to concede Mike's point. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Chica admitted. She looked at Grace – who jumped slightly when their gazes met. "Hey, Grace, was it? I know we can be scary, but we're not going to hurt you, I promise. Are you going to be alright spending time with us?"
Grace didn't respond, choosing instead to stare ahead in a glassy-eyed manner not unlike a deer caught in a car's headlights. This was turning out to be too much for her, evidently.
"Grace?" Mike asked, sounding worried. "Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?"
Grace nodded slightly. "I think so, yeah," she mumbled.
"You look more like you're about to faint, girlie," Bonnie said. "Need us to catch you?"
"If you wouldn't mind."
"'S no problem at all, missy," Freddy spoke up.
Grace's vision swam, then blackened, and she keeled over as the bear surged forward to catch her falling form.
Grace awoke in a small metal cube, lit by a small hanging light, with a large desk pressed up against one wall and posters and drawings hanging above it. To her immediate right and left were two metal doors, both shut with no apparent hinges or doorknobs. And sitting in front of her on the lip of the desk was…
"How do you feel, Grace?" Mike asked.
Grace sat up in the swivel chair and grimaced as the ensuing kink in her neck protested the movement. "My neck hurts," she groaned, rubbing at the spot where it hurt the most. "And I just had a crazy dream where the robots were talking. You kept saying that they came to life for you, or something. How long was I out?"
"About half an hour," Mike answered. He tried to appear casual, but underneath he was troubled. Grace had reacted… well, about as well to the animatronics as he'd expected. Maybe even a little better – she hadn't run out of the pizzeria screaming, after all. But fainting was definitely not the reaction he'd been hoping for when he'd brought her in to meet his friends.
Should he try pushing her further toward them in hopes of getting a better second impression? If she'd already reacted this badly to them, then maybe taking her home would be a better idea. Mike decided to ask Grace, but she beat him to it. "Where are we, anyway?"
"Uh, the guard room," Mike said. "I used to keep watch over the place at night from in here before I started going outside and doing it. Things get claustrophobic in here after a while."
"Yeah, I can get that," Grace said, looking around the cell with some distaste. "So what happened? Did you carry me in here while I was asleep?"
Mike stared at her for a while, face blank but with a battle raging inside his mind. Eventually the truth won out, apparently. He sighed and looked Grace in the eye. "Grace… that was not a dream," he stated bluntly. Grace stared at him – Mike had a sudden kick of déjà vu – and opened her mouth to reply but this time Mike stopped her. "The animatronics really do come to life every night. I really do spend time with them whenever I'm here. We have a lot of fun together, and part of why I brought them here is so that you could come to like them as well.
"But then you fainted, and they helped me carry you in here. I shut both of the doors to keep them out for you," Mike finished. "Do you wanna, I don't know, try again?"
Grace said nothing. This time it was her turn to appear conflicted. "Are they…" She began hesitantly. "You weren't kidding, were you? About how they're all friendly? They won't h-hurt me?" She heard her voice break and cursed herself silently.
Mike didn't seem to care, though. He smiled as though Grace had already said yes. "Of course not. They're all really nice, and they love meeting new people. Even Bonnie."
"But what if…" She trailed off for a few moments more, then took a sharp breath and nodded. "Okay, I'll do it. Don't make me regret this, Schmidt."
Mike pounded the door button in triumph.
Not much to say here. Hope you all enjoyed!
Tomorrow's Hero, signing out.