Author's note 1:
Considering the amount of views received along followers and favourites, this isn't so bad.
Much better than I anticipated.
Enjoy!
If someone had to ask William what he would have liked to pursue as a job, he always answered with classic choices: a doctor, a lawyer etc. etc.
But wearing a night guard uniform with a childish hat on his head? William could feel a blush on his cheecks.
It didn't help that Clarence was annoying him.
"Wow, mister night guard! We're gonna catch some big bad guys like Batman? Or we'll just goin' to get crazy like Joker? I know I am."
Exiting his car, William rubbed his eyes in frustration. "I just had to be stuck with you, didn't I?"
"Look, it's not my fault that you monkeys somehow found our structure underground and we started to infest your minds like a virus. Besides, you should be thankful! I didn't join the Hive mind and we share this body, which means the wheel's gonna be hot with both of our hands runnin' it!"
"I would prefer if you'd gently keep down that voice of yours when speaking to me. It's already strange that we didn't die and got transported to a place where I still have a house and live a life of my own. No logical explanation available too." Shaking off the chill given by the wind, the man walked towards the restaurant, making sure his hat wouldn't fall off; an insigna spelling "SECURITY" on it.
Clearly Clarence had more to say, however William was greeted by Andrew.
"Ah, there you are, William!" His new boss patted him on the shoulder. "You look just fine in this uniform, perfect fit. You're good?"
"You mean good by listening to my intellectual conversations? Then yes, we're fine dude."
"Better than ever, Andrew…" He ignored the virus and nodded. "…any particular rules I have to follow? Wouldn't dare to be fired on the first night of all things."
"Nothing more than what I already said in the interview…" He held his fingers up as he started counting each point. "…don't sleep on the job, control the restaurant at all times, don't leave the office unless absolutely necessary and don't damage the company's properties or we'll be forced to repair the damage by reducing your check."
William rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure only an idiot would dream of applying for the job only to break the animatronics with the possibility of a law suit against him."
Andrew chuckled. "Trust me, William. There are people capable of doing that…" He digged his pockets for a moment before offering the keys required to enter and close the restaurant, with a taser.
The owner checked his clock. "Alright, it's 11:45 p.m. Your job starts in fifteen minutes until 6 a.m. Use this time to explore the place…" He marched a few steps before stopping. "…ah! Almost forgot: I left some old spooky messages from a nightguard when the original owners were still alive. They sound like some cheap horror stories, but they hold some valuable informations on the power usage. You can hear them if you want."
"Oh! Finally this idiot spilled the beans. Let's get inside and check the place, I wanna hear 'em, monkey."
Paying his goodbyes, he entered the place and closed the doors behind him, launching the keys in the air and catching them while whistling.
William passed near the stage and shited his attention on the animatronics, which were frozen on their spots.
His phone said that it was 11:48 p.m. So he still had some time left to do as he pleased.
He walked the small stairs leading to the animals and stood before them, putting his hands on his hips.
"Well, well, well. I thought they were pretty ugly from afar, but they're not so bad at this distance…" The way Clarence snickered after that meant a possible trauma for William. "…If I was a furry, I would bang the chicken, no lies."
He facepalmed and rubbed his face in frustration while groaning. "Okay, guys, I'll be your night guard for the time being. No funny business and we'll get along just fine, yes?"
Of course they wouldn't answer to him, but at least he wasn't alone per se, he had Clarence with him.
"Love you too, my dear host." Either it was irony or he was truly serious, but nothing was confirmed.
He searched the restaurant for anything out of the ordinary before leading to his office, which was in part old, rusty and dirty. But since Andrew confirmed that most of the money went for the rest of the building and the animatronics, it was understandable.
"Almost time, monkey. You're ready for 6 hours of boredom?"
A tablet on the desk grabbed his attention, it revealed to be the security systems, although the feed was a bit outdated by modern standards. On the left the power reading was shown and how much he was consuming, for now he had 100%.
He quickly turned off the device and set it back where he found it. "Should probably wait until midnight before using it." William raised an eyebrow when he spotted an old recorder from the eighties.
"So, that's what the idiot was talking about, uh?"
He pressed a button and let it start, out came a voice muffled by the old phone. "Hello? Hello, hello! Uh, I wanted to record a message for you, to help you get settled in on your first night…"
His phone buzzled, signaling the beginning of the 6 hours of guarding. He set a timer to warn him, so he quickly grabbed it and chose another for the end line of the night.
"Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now as a matter of fact so… I know it can be a little overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you: there's nothing to worry about, uhh, you'll do fine!"
"Why does he sound like a blushing cheerleader drooling over a guy in high school? This monkey's voice is so insecure and funny!" William hushed Clarence's laughter and continued to listen.
"So... let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Ok? Uh...let's see. First there's an introductory greeting from the company I'm supposed to read. Eeh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know." The man shifted a few papers on the other side before continuing. "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza: a magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon the discovery of the damage or death has occurred, a missing person's report will be filed within ninety days or as soon as property and premise have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached and the carpets have been replaced. Blah, blah, blah.'"
Those old politics came from the original franchise, William read that legal forces were keeping a close eye on this new structure in case anything would happen. And Andrew wasn't going to wash his hands if a person went missing or if someone died, he already said that he would take full responsability.
Perhaps a way to get a better image of his activity, but on the contract this introductory the… Phone guy read wasn't present at all. So Andrew was saying the truth.
"Now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about!"
"Why do I feel like this Phone guy is saying a lot of bullshits?"
"By the tone of his voice, he is. But let's hear everything he has to say before commenting on the approach." Clarence grunted in agreement and settled back in his mind.
"Uhh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No! If I were forced to sing...those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too." He chuckled at the end.
"Well, shit. He just earned my respect with that sentence."
"So remember: these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and you need to show them a little respect. Right? Ok. So just be aware: the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uhh, they're left with some kind of 'free-roaming mode' at night. Uhhh...something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long?" William widened his eyes and leaned in, interested.
"Uhh...they used to wander during the day too, but then there was the bite of '87. Yeah... it's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, ya know?"
Just the thought of all that blood almost made the man puke, but he restrained by taking a deep breath. "Hold it there, monkey…" Clarence had said. "…just take deep breaths and you'll be fine." Somehow it worked.
"Now concerning your safety: the only real risk to you as the night watchmen here, if any, is the fact that these characters...uhh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without it's costume on…"
The night guard grabbed his tablet and scanned the restaurant as he listened, his power had dropped down to 98%.
"…Now since that's against the rules here at at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit."
William paused and glanced at the phone for a moment. The rumors about killing animatronics were mostly taken as jokes, but if a guard from the old days revealed this information, could there be a truth behind this web of lies?
"Um, now that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires and animatronic devices especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort... and death."
"They would most likely pierce my internal nerves and if they're sharp enough they could cause serious damage to bones. I can't think about what would my organs suffer through." He finished.
"Well… for what I care Andrew was right about these messages. They do sound like cheap horror stories, however there is a hidden truth behind 'em. Wonder if the animals are gonna come for us like they did years ago."
"Wow, I can't believe you are actually paying attention to the message instead of mindlessly rambling in my head, Clarence."
"Fuck off, monkey."
William chose to leave the conversation hanging there, least Clarence tried to take over his body by force.
"Can always slap your cheecks."
A sigh escaped his mouth.
"Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when the pop out the front of the mask, heh. Y-yeah they don't tell you these things when you sign up."
"No shit, but money rules the social structure nowdays and back then."
"But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, goodnight."
He was now left alone with Clarence, while guarding the restaurant. His phone displaying the time: 12:15. Power usage normal and left at 96%. Nothing out of the ordinary as the animals stood on the stage.
"You're not gonna listen to the other messages of this Phone guy thing?"
"I will listen to each of them next nights. Since my paycheck will be given to me after four more days of work, I want something to return to each time. Besides, I have a very important job, can't knock myself out with anything else." He scoffed and filled a cup with a bottle of water resting on the desk, drinking the shot in one swing.
Clarence only sighed at his explanation. "This is gonna be a long night…" He chortled. "…I'm gonna re-watch your first date, that's better than a movie, monkey."
"You son of a bitch."
He didn't receive an answer.
3 a.m.
3 hours later and nothing changed, the building was empty and secured… and Clarence was so bored the only activity available for him was to annoy William.
And William Afton? He checked every 5 minutes the cameras with a quick eye before closing the tablet. At least his phone had been fully charged when he came here, so he could use it.
65% of power remained, not bad.
Although at one particular check, he squeezed his eyes.
Backstage? Check. Kitchen? Check (he heard how in the last location only the audio worked but even if now it was visible, a looming penumbra stopped William from actually analyzing every part of it). Restrooms? Check. Stage? Freddy and Chica were still there. Chec-
"What the hell?" He tapped the previous camera and only two out of the three animals actually were there.
But a chill down his spine appeared as he looked at the Dining area: Bonnie was there, his guitar nowhere to be seen, and he was watching William from behind the camera. The man could've sworn a glare was present on the animatronic's lifeless "face" (or mask).
"Guess the Phone guy was right after all, monkey. Whatever happened back in the eighties is returnin' now. And we're in the crossfire."
He couldn't keep us the monitor for much time and it was a surprise when Bonnie shifted from the Dining area to the Backstage.
William stared back at the animal in defiance, even if he couldn't see him. He just had to keep his eyes on him and he would get out of this alive.
5 a.m.
Bonnie walked around the restaurant, always keeping away from the office. The closest position he went to was the West hallway.
30% of power remaining. He alternated between using the cameras and checking the door with the light button, measuring the amount of electricity spent and adapting to it.
Now, however, he couldn't find the animal. West hallway? Empty. Supply closet? Empty. Backstage? Empty. Dining area? Empty.
Where was Bonnie?
"Close the door…" Clarence suddenly said, voice firm and serious.
"Clarence?" He echoed back.
"CLOSE THE DOOR, MONKEY!"
William jumped from his seat and slammed his hand on the red button, the door slamming shut.
He leaned against it and breathed deeply. "W-why did you order me to do it?"
"Use the lights and look to the window."
He did… and gasped.
Outside the friendly purple bunny was watching him, but his eyes lacked the red pupils he was known to have. Instead they were replaced with white ones, similiar to his reflection back home.
"His eyes… they look like yours." It came out as a whisper but apparently Bonnie heard it as he tilted his head for a moment, before glaring at him.
"How did you come back?"
…
"What?"
The animal wasn't satasfied with his answer, he placed a paw on the window and leaned closer, the light of William's office accentuating the features.
"We watched you burn, how did you come back from Hell and in a body so similiar to your original one? Did you come here to torment us again? Because we will hunt you down again, Afton…" Bonnie stepped back and grinned. "…doesn't matter. Tomorrow it'll be harder than now and so will be the night after that. See you soon, William."
He walked away without another word, leaving a confused young man behind.
"He knows something we don't. It might be referred to the other William Afton."
William opened the door and sat back in his seat. 20% of power remaining. 5:15 a.m.
"We need to find clues and answers. And I don't think the animatronics are willing to share their knowledge. God knows how they're even sentient and seem to possess emotions…"
He rubbed his face.
"…and Clarence?"
"Yes, monkey?"
"Thank you… for warning me."
"My host, this doesn't regard only you, but me…" If he had a body, Clarence would've turned his eyes to the tablet.
"…they look too similiar to me taking the wheel of your body."
Author's note 2:
Wellllllll….
Decent, I guess?
Don't know, not like there'll be many reviews so, whatever.
Byeeeee!