Author's Note:

Hope you enjoy this chapter. We had a lot of fun writing it hehehe.

Also, you've probably noticed this isn't being posted on a Monday. We're going to stick to Mondays being our main posting day but if we have a very productive time writing then we might post on Thursdays too. It won't be every Thursday but only sometimes most likely. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 124

Karma comes a-knocking

The manager was fuming. That mechanic had gone right over his head and informed the staff not to show and that the pizzeria would be closed for the day. He'd had enough of that woman. He was going to fire her, screw their need for a mechanic.

They'd get a new one with the money they made from suing the bitch.

Grumbling angrily to himself, he headed to his office. He hadn't seen Hedy yet, and that pissed him off more. She wasn't answering her phone, so he was going to have to go and find her. She was probably hiding somewhere in the building, hoping that he wouldn't go looking with the animatronics around. Well, since most of them were off for repairs, he didn't care.

He'd find her and fire her as soon as he dropped off his things.

He shoved his door open and stalked forward to dump his briefcase on the desk.

"Hello Manager."

He froze at the voice and slowly looked up from where he'd been scowling at the floor. Ruby was sprawled comfortably in his chair, feet up on the desk. She was twirling a pencil in one hand, her eyes locked on him.

"It's been a while."

The door clicked shut softly behind him and Ruby smiled.

He couldn't even think for a moment, too caught up in his anger at Hedy, so the shock numbed him even more as he processed what he was seeing.

"Wow Manager. You look like you've seen a ghost." Ruby's grin was sharp and she was overly amused by her own words, like it was an inside joke.

Why had she said it like that? He couldn't dwell on it.

"R-Ruby." He swallowed. His throat felt parched suddenly, and he scrambled for something to say, backing up towards the door slightly. "I see you're out of the hospital. Good to see you've recovered. You didn't need to come in t-today. You're not scheduled to work...today. I-in fact from what I heard, a few days off are in order."

She just smiled at him instead of speaking.

The silence made him squirm. He was sweating.

"Welcome back," he blurted, unable to stand the lack of response.

Her smile took on a cutting edge, eyes glinting with a dangerous light.

"Happy to see me?" she cocked her head. "Now that is a surprise. From what I've heard, you enjoyed yourself quite a bit while I was gone."

She started drumming her nails on the table, the sound loud in the room.

"Hmm enjoyed yourself a lot indeed." she hummed and watched as he tried to tug the door open. Did someone lock it?!

He turned back around, the doorknob digging into his back.

"Now I don't know what on earth you heard," he said, trying to sound cautiously stern, "But this is still a business and with you in the hospital there was a need for a nigh-a temporary night guard."

He knew exactly what she was actually angry about. Of course, that bitch of a mechanic would whine to her best friend about him trying to put his foot down. He couldn't always let the two just walk about like they owned the place. With Ruby out of the picture, it was the perfect opportunity to teach Hedy some...some respect...and professionalism. She needed to be straightened out. Of course she was easier to straighten out than Ruby...and easier without Ruby but surely...

The justifications he was trying to knit together at a million miles an hour in his head broke down in time with his legs feeling like jelly.

He hated the both of them with a passion.

He should have brought this up with the board. They might have...found some medical reason why Ruby wouldn't wake up. He should have fired Hedy ages ago.

Ruby was still sporting that creepy smile.

"I think I made a mistake Manager," she admitted, setting down her pencil and dropping her feet to the floor to lean forward on the table on her elbows.

Oh? A mistake? What was she talking about?

"You see, I think I went about dealing with you the wrong way," she mused.

He found himself relaxing. Maybe she hadn't believed Hedy?

"I do believe I've been taking it too easy on you."

Whatever saliva he managed to force dried up immediately. He stared, frozen in terror.

She already terrorized him. What was this psychopath he hired going to do now?

She blinked, and he snapped out of it to try tugging on the door more. He banged on it.

"FRANK!" He shouted. "HARRISON!"

Frank and Harrison had been here since even before he had. They were reliable. They'd open the door if he ordered them to. He remembered a moment later that there was no one else in the building besides possibly Hedy and the animatronics.

Glancing back showed that Ruby hadn't moved and was just watching him with that eerie smile.

"There's been some unacceptable behaviour around here while I was gone." she continued when he fell silent. "I'm quite," she paused, unblinking now. "Unhappy."

"Now w-wait just one moment..." he tried frantically.

The smile suddenly wiped from her face, leaving it blank.

"You treated Hedy like shit this week."

"That's not at all what-" He stammered. "There are reasonable expectations for her job, a-and she-"

Ruby slammed her hand down on the table so hard that it rattled.

"Do not give me your bullshit excuses," she hissed. "Hedy is the best damn mechanic you could ask for, and you only don't like her because she doesn't respect you." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Why would she? There's nothing to respect. You're a spineless, selfish idiot who doesn't think twice about screwing other people over. You're disgusting."

Spineless?

"This is my restaurant," he snapped angrily, although his voice was still a pitch higher than he wanted. "It's my responsibility what happens here and I can't have you two go walking around like you're in charge here! Ms. Fitzgerald's work ethic left a lot to be desired this week, not to mention her attitude, and I was holding her accountable. It's ridiculous the damage that happened under her watch!"

Ruby was over the table, and in his face before he could move.

"This is not your restaurant. You're the manager. The stooge a corrupt board put in charge of the place. And when the hell did you take responsibility for anything, huh? When the night guards were being murdered? Did you take responsibility then? NO! You covered it up and hired the next sucker and just waited for it to happen again! You want to know what Hedy has been dealing with all week? Why the bots got damaged? You didn't even ask her! You just blamed her! Well, I'm not letting you enjoy your ignorance any longer. You want to take responsibility for this place? Fine."

She took a step back.

"Timmy?" she requested.

There was a long moment of nothing before a kid faded into view. "Are you sure about this Ruby?" he asked dubiously.

"He wants to take responsibility. Then he gets to face what he helped cover up over and over again."

The manager couldn't breathe. His legs went out from under him and he slid down the door, choking on a scream.

"What-How..."

Where did that kid come from?! He couldn't just...This was a trick.

A nasty little voice in the back of his head laughed at him. He knew he shouldn't be surprised. He tried to shove away the thoughts like he always did, but it was harder to embrace the denial with a ghost right in front of him...

"This is Timmy," Ruby's voice was forcibly calm now. "He's a ghost. He died in one of the other Freddy's locations. Now, Timmy's death was mostly an accident. It was his idiot brother's fault."

"He didn't actually mean that one," Timmy defended weakly.

"The other ghosts here? Now they aren't nearly as friendly. But they've got one very important thing in common with you." she leaned down, looming over him despite her small stature. "They are damn terrified of me. When I met them, I dealt with them. It's why the killings stopped. It's why I'm the best night guard. I was the only thing keeping them under control. Then when I was missing for a week, they made the same choice you did. They were back to their old bad behaviour." She glared at him. "That's what Hedy has been dealing with this whole week. The bots were damaged because the ghosts possessing them didn't care about being careful while they hunted her and Mike down." He didn't know Jeremy had been there, so she didn't mention him. "Timmy here, he's a great kid. Like Casper the friendly ghost. The rest are all damn little poltergeists. Not to mention the literal murderer that came along later. You should be thanking Hedy since no one died thanks to her."

The Manager looked like a fish, opening and closing his mouth with no idea how to respond.

Ruby had zero sympathy.

"Those ghosts are always here and if they ever ended up with a bot to control and were in a room with you? They wouldn't hesitate to kill you. And guess who's standing in the way of that?" she mocked. "The two girls who you hate." Her eyes slid to the side. "Any comment, Goldy?" she asked casually.

The bear faded into sight with a scowl.

"I'd say it's not just the ghosts he's got to worry about. I've heard some of his plans for the bots and Hedy," she muttered darkly.

"Technically, you're a ghost bear," Ruby pointed out.

All the blood was drained from the Manager's face at that point. He let out a strangled whimper as he got a good look at Goldy, his eyes wide with fear. A yellow Freddy suit that sometimes appeared and disappeared was part of the urban legend that he worked every day to deny.

Goldy just stared back at him, taking full advantage of her eerie appearance.

"Now," Ruby was back to that creepy smile. "Back to the original problem. I don't appreciate how you've treated Hedy. And neither does Goldy. And unlike the other bots she's got a little bit more... leeway, in her morality. Lack of code does that you know." She paused. "Although Puppet would probably also be a threat to you. He hates all adults, except Hedy."

"He would," Goldy nodded. "He's just distracted by Spring or he would have already done something."

The Manager stiffened and shuddered involuntarily. He never liked that thing.

What were they going to do to him?! They wouldn't...

They wouldn't actually dare...killing him. Right?

He had never actually feared for his life before. Even when Ruby bodily threatened him. But now he couldn't tear his eyes away from the empty black sockets with pinpricks shining from the distant depths of the head and bits of wire in the empty suit, the tired expression of the little boy, and worst of all, the cold threat in Ruby's eyes. He couldn't bear to imagine if the Prize Corner Puppet was there.

Ruby crouched down in front of him.

"I have rules for myself, Manager," her voice was soft, almost chillingly kind. "Lines I won't cross." Her eyes flicked up to meet his and there was undisguised madness there. "I came very close to crossing them last time Hedy was hurt."

There was utter silence. All the Manager could hear was the pounding of his heart in his ears. Neither of them moved for a long time as Ruby hammered her words into him with her gaze.

The little boy eventually spoke. There was no sympathy in his voice, and even he sounded cold.

"You're blocking the door," he said dryly with a tone rarely heard from little kids. "You should move if you want her to leave."

Ruby didn't twitch.

The Manager numbly scooted until he was beside the door, never blinking. Was he shaking?

Ruby gave him that utterly cold, manic smile as she stood up. Then between one blink and the next that madness was locked up, hidden again.

But he'd seen it. He wouldn't forget it. He couldn't.

"Lovely chat as always manager," she put a hand on the doorknob and opened it like it had never been locked. "I trust we won't need to have another."

The kid and the yellow bear blinked out of existence as Ruby left, making him yelp.

He sat there for a few minutes, long after Ruby's footsteps had receded. He stumbled to his desk and sank into the chair.

The room felt so small, getting smaller. Closing in on him.

He glanced around.

He felt like he was still being watched. How many?

How many night guards did he cover up? How many ghosts were there? Were they all watching him? He didn't even bother to know most of their names, so only one or two came to mind.

The Manager shuddered, massaging the back of his neck and trying not to picture Scott looming behind him, staring into his soul.

He had practically celebrated when they finally found Scott's remains.

The previous Head of Security had already been working his job for a long time when the position for Manager needed to be filled. He was a constant pain in the Manager's side, making it hard to hire stupid kids (orphans) or people without family or support. He was always refusing his day shift so some other guard wouldn't have to pull the night shift. The Manager hadn't really cared. If the crazy guy wanted to get himself killed at night, fine, but the constant messing with the schedules pissed the Manager off. But now?

Now all he could think about was Scott watching him. Plotting. Waiting. Watching.

He couldn't even bear to leave his office, too terrified of running into anyone. Or anything.

Ruby, Hedy, and the animatronics currently occupying the building were a small part of his concern now.

Ruby sauntered back into the main room, looking incredibly smug.

Hedy glanced up. "You look pleased." She glanced suspiciously at Goldy as the bear reappeared, Timmy gently fading into view next to her and earning a couple curious looks. Goldy was never far from Timmy, not after the tearful reunion when the bear finally got to hug him, breaking down into apologies. It had taken Timmy twenty minutes to calm her, firmly telling her that it hadn't been her fault. That he didn't blame her.

"Was that the Manager I heard stomping to his office?" Chica asked with a fake sweet voice from where she was lying on a table waiting for Hedy to get to her.

Foxy and Mangle both let out quiet growls, Foxy still looking ridiculous without the lower half of his mouth.

Ruby's smirk widened.

"Yes. Yes it was." She looked like a self-satisfied cat. "We had a... lovely discussion"

Goldy snorted.

"I didn't realize how much I could hate a boss," Mike deadpanned.

"...Do we want to know what you did?" Hedy asked.

Goldy giggled.

"And why Goldy is so happy?"

"Let's just say, the manager will think twice about behaving like that again. And I didn't even have to hit him once," Ruby flopped on the nearest table, hiding her wince.

"He knows about ghosts now," Goldy explained bluntly when Hedy looked irritated at the vague answer. She smirked as the mechanic's eyebrow lifted.

"Ah..."

Ruby sighed. "I should have done that ages ago."

"I think he had an idea," Hedy admitted. "But wanted to deny it."

"I'm fairly sure he really believed it was us and our coding going awry at night," Freddy disagreed dryly.

"Not anymore!" Ruby sing-songed. "I feel much better after that." She carefully stretched out on the table and then went limp with a happy sigh as she relaxed. They found it ironic that she was allergic to cats and yet acted so much like one.

"Is he still here?" Mike asked, glancing at the hallway.

"You think he feels safe enough to leave his office?" Ruby asked sweetly.

"I dare him to try." Puppet said from where he had dragged his box over to sit inside and watch everyone.

Hedy cracked a smile and giggled, covering her mouth and not feeling bad at all about her amusement.

The manager really had made her life difficult. So what if she enjoyed his suffering a little?

"Remember, we still need him to write our paychecks," she laughed. It was the only defense she ever had for that sorry excuse of a man.

"Ugh. I'm telling you Hedy," Mangle said. "Just move in here. Then you're not going to need any of that stupid human stuff humans need money for."

Mike looked confused again, but that wasn't really new at this point. He was resigning himself to it.

"Not how it works, Mags," Hedy said. "Food is fun to eat, believe it or not. And I like my baths. Hot water is something I need to pay my water bill for."

Mangle made a face, water being something animatronics preferred to avoid as the other night had reminded them. None of them wanted to mention that though, especially around Hedy.

Mike straightened. "Oh, that reminds me. The last time I was here, or uh-the last location, I got through my week and he ended up firing me for 'bad odour'."

Bonnie snorted. "What?"

"That's what the pink slip said. Tampering with the animatronics. General unprofessionalism. Odour," Mike said. "Okay, maybe I skipped a shower those last few nights, but I didn't even go near you guys."

"That's illegal," Ruby raised an eyebrow. "You could sue. I know a good lawyer."

"Your lawyer is a shark," Jeremy muttered from a few yards away where he had claimed a chair and was pretending/trying to get a few minutes of sleep under a ball-cap. He'd been shocked when he found out just who that lawyer was. Only Ruby could get the most cut throat lawyer in the city under her thumb like that...

He'd had a few run-ins with them, and each time they were on opposite sides of the courtroom. Defense lawyers already weren't always well liked by cops. That one especially though...

Mike rolled his eyes. "Pretty sure that would be suing the company, not him personally. I'll settle for freaking him out by talking to myself when he's around now. He doesn't know exactly how many ghosts there are, right?"

Ruby's grin was sharp.

"Nice. No, he doesn't."

"Perfect."

Jeremy cracked an eye open and stared at Mike. "Shit. Please tell me you don't do pranks too."

"Nah, I'm not smart enough for those. I stick to puns." Mike smirked.

There were groans all around. He looked far too proud about that. Even the cat looked unimpressed from where Spring was petting her, but maybe that was her normal state.

Ruby squinted.

"But I'll make an exception here," Mike continued. "No ghosting the Manager on this."

Hedy snickered.

"That was awful," Mangle complained. She glared at Hedy.

"Oh, you saw right through that one?" Mike kept going.

"Someone stop him," Puppet said, sinking into his box and pulling the lid closed.

Spring snickered at his reaction. Puppet could be very dramatic...

"Now that Goldy can really mess with him, work is going to be really un-bear-able for him."

"Stop! You've used the bear pun like twenty times already!" Teddy snapped.

"You gotta bear with me for a bit. I'm still working on new material." Mike begged, leaning back against the wall and balancing on two chair legs with a shit-eating grin.

A knife slammed into the wall next to Mike's head and he nearly fell out of the chair, the front legs harshly hitting the ground as he lost his balance in a panic.

Mike didn't want to admit his scream was a little high and girly.

"Shit!"

"Don't push it," Ruby warned.

"Why are you carrying around a knife?!" Freddy yelled.

"Just in case." Ruby didn't look away from Mike who looked like he was hyperventilating a little.

Wasn't he done with almost dying?!

"You're fine," Hedy said with an eye roll, far too calm about this.

"My aim is great," Ruby agreed. "I only hit what I mean to hit."

"That's knife of you." Mike regretted his automatic response. Shit!

"She will stab you if you push her, Mike," Hedy said. "She knows where the major arteries are."

There was already another knife in Ruby's hand as she glared at him.

"I'll do it. I've done it before." Ruby growled, pointing the knife at him.

Spring had an odd expression, like he was trying to decide exactly what she meant. She couldn't be talking about when she beat Michael. It wasn't like any of his wires or oil tubes matched up to a human arterial system. The implication that she had stabbed another human worried him, but perhaps it was a bluff.

Maybe.

"Let it go," Hedy warned.

Mike stared, thinking back to the threats Ruby made on the tapes he found (and took home.) They'd been rather creative, but also terrifying.

The teenager stared back with a smile that was just too sharp to be pleasant.

"I'm done," Mike raised his hands in surrender.

She eyed him suspiciously. "Good, cause I've got a lot of frustration to take out and I don't need much of a reason to punch someone."

He just grinned nervously at her. "I'll keep that in mind."

Usually, the Manager had access to the cameras from the computer at his desk. He tried for at least an hour to connect to them and hoped he could catch a break with a clear shot to the exit. He couldn't leave out the front doors. The bots were in the main room. But perhaps he could get to the loading bay in the kitchen.

But something was wrong with the cameras. He was being told by the computer they were working, but every single one he checked was full of static.

Shit. What did Hedy do to them?

He was trapped here. He needed out. He needed to leave, to get away from invisible judging eyes.

He roughly scrubbed at his face. He needed to get out. He was going insane in here. Swallowing hard he crept over to the door and eased it open, peering out. He didn't see anyone.

He was feeling rather confident as he crept down the hall. No one was wandering about. He could make it. He could-

He froze.

The temp and Hedy were down the hall, talking about something. The man was rubbing the back of his neck while Hedy had her head tilted as she talked.

The manager only caught the end of their conversation.

"It is very strange timing," Hedy said, seeming amused.

Or stressed? He didn't have a clue. It wasn't like he actually ever cared what she was feeling.

"Yeah...Are you sure you're okay?" the night guard (how was he still here if Ruby was back?!) asked the mechanic.

Hedy laughed. She seemed a little hysterical. "Ha! That's what I was expecting you to ask!"

Mike chuckled apologetically.

"I'll be okay, Mike. It's sweet of you to worry, but right now I'm more concerned about Ruby. I'm upset and maybe a little injured, but I'll be fine. I know you don't know her, so there's no frame of reference, but she's acting strange. Something hap-" She cut off as she noticed the Manager trying to back up and out of sight.

Mike looked over his shoulder, squinting when he saw the man.

They stood there staring at each other for a moment before Hedy's eyes suddenly slid past him. Like she was looking at something behind him.

Or someone…

The sweet smile she made sent ice through his veins. It was as frightening as Ruby's but with a different tone to it. It wasn't as dark, but there was an unknown warning behind it that made up for the terror well enough.

"Oh hello, Manager!" she said brightly, while Mike continued to stare. "I see you're doing well. What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."

That horrendous joke had a far different effect than when Ruby said it before, knowing what he did now. He didn't like how the temp suddenly grinned either.

Were they just trying to freak him out? Or was… was there someone behind him. He didn't want to look.

Even when she was speaking directly to him, Hedy's eyes never left that space just over his shoulder.

He swallowed hard. "H-Hedy. Good to see you. I'm just-just heading out." He gave them a strained smile.

Hedy's own smile didn't leave. "Oh really? But the day is just starting. I'm sure you have many questions about the animatronics' repairs that you need to ask me about." Still, she turned her chair and backed up toward the wall as if daring him to try passing by to his escape.

He twitched. He didn't really want to pass them but… he also didn't want to turn around and see whatever was behind him.

"Ah, I've got, business. Yes, business to attend to outside the pizzeria. And since we-we aren't opening today, I thought I'd...deal with it."

"Hm. Good idea," Hedy agreed, still fucking smiling, "While you're at it, would you mind putting Mike on payroll as the Head Electrician? The Night Guard position has been filled and he's a bit out of a job at the moment."

Mike blinked a little and glanced down at Hedy.

The Manager swallowed down everything he wanted to say, still remembering that look in Ruby's eyes.

"Of course," he said weakly. "We...We did need an electrician."

Mike looked back at him and gave a disarmingly pleasant smile. "Looking forward to working with you, sir."

Bastard…

"R-Right…" He forced a smile for Mike.

"Thank you," Hedy said, "Have a nice day, Manager."

He gave her a nervous nod. Was it unusually cold behind him? Or was he imagining things?

"G-Good day Hedy." he hesitantly stepped forward and scooted by them despite plenty of space between Hedy and the other side of the hallway.

He felt cold all the way to the exit.

"Was there even anyone behind him?" Mike asked.

"Nope," Hedy said before bursting out laughing. It was good to hear her laugh.