Summary: After agreeing to head to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria for his little brother's sixth birthday, Kyle Martinez is set on a collision course with destiny as events spiral quickly out of control. Ten years have passed since then and now the animatronics are beckoning Kyle and his family back once again, and Kyle is set to uncover the secrets long hidden away.
Chapter 1: Lifeless.
"Tommy! We're leaving!" Kyle called out to his younger brother, who came rushing into the living room with a grin on his six year old face. Moppy brown hair was haphazardly combed while green eyes stared at each other. Kyle rolled his eyes at his younger brother's antics, but merely led them towards the other two members of the family. Their older brother, Tyler Martinez, stood next to their mother with a bit of a frown on his face, looking straight at Kyle the whole time.
Compared to Tommy, Tyler was taller with some wiry muscle from his experience as a track and field runner for his high school, but the same type of moppy brown hair mirrored itself across the whole family. Kyle was somewhat of a mix of the two, still developing but wanting to be on the nearby soccer team. Their mom on the other hand was a bit plump from years of desk work and the worry of raising three kids all by herself. Tyler somewhat worked as a father figure of sorts, but they all knew that it did wane on her a bit. As for where they were going...
Kyle knew the rumors of Freddy Fazbear's, the pizzeria they were going to be spending Tommy's sixth birthday at, how children had been going missing and not ever being found. Tyler wasn't liking this, but Kyle begged him not to tell Mom, knowing that she would never let them go if she knew and knowing how Tommy begged for even going a single time. Tommy was old enough to know to not trust anybody luring him away, the question was if he would remember in the end.
"Happy birthday, Tommy! I hope you're enjoying yourself!" Their mom said with a smile as she took off and started driving towards the pizzeria. Tommy grinned and nodded enthusiastically while Kyle and Tyler said nothing. Kyle simply smiled lightly, it not reaching his eyes while Tyler kept a near glare firmly on Kyle.
"Tyler, what's wrong?" Mom asked the eldest brother, but Tyler merely sighed.
"I'm just worried. Are you sure that Freddy's is safe?" Tyler admitted as Mom frowned a bit.
"I checked it out myself, and I won't deny having the same doubts, but Tommy and your brother can take care of themselves too. We'll keep an eye out in any case, okay?" Mom said as Kyle's eyes widened.
"Y-You knew?" Kyle stuttered as Mom laughed.
"Yeah, I wasn't going to go there without at least checking it out myself, children going missing there all the time is beyond worrying, but I know that you all can behave and stick together, right?" All three of us nodded, each with varying levels of enthusiasm, but what was done was done.
We got out of the car once Mom found a decent parking spot and walked to the entrance before Mom turned around at her three kids, "Now remember, no separating, you go together or not at all, I don't care what they tell you, okay?" The three of them nodded before she smiled, "Now, let's have a good time in there." She said as Tommy burst through the doors in excitement.
Kyle looked around as Mom did the purchases for their birthday party, catching note of the animatronics that were on the stage. It looked like there were three animatronics, with the potential of some in Pirate's Cove, but he couldn't see much from this angle at the entrance. He managed a brief glimpse at the three on stage, noting how creepy they looked, even during the day.
It wasn't so much horror as it was a feeling of unease that came from how they looked, as if they were just real enough to exist, but fake enough that you really didn't want them to exist. Kyle gulped as he noticed just how big they were, his head merely level with the bottom of his knee from this distance away, but he knew that he was probably only level with maybe the foot if he was up close and off the stage itself.
These things were tall, and that actually freaked him out a bit, but not nearly as much as the state they were in. They were nowhere near as pristine as the T.V. show commercials would show, but he wasn't expecting that.
He was expecting them to not look so messy, with plenty of food stains on the animatronic bodies, especially on Freddy. He snapped back to attention when Tommy grabbed his hand and dragged him closer towards them, while Mom and Tyler went to find a good place to sit for them. Getting closer merely proved Kyle right and wrong all at once. Those things weren't just tall, they were bulky too, looking like they could easily squash him if he so much as breathed the wrong way. He laughed a tad nervously as Freddy, the big, brown bear in the middle of a purple rabbit, Bonnie, and a greenish yellow chicken, Chica, looked down right at the two of them.
Tommy was ecstatic, not at all seeing the danger that was just emulating from the three animatronics in front of him as Kyle pulled him back with the hand he was still holding. Tommy looked confused, "Kyle? What's wrong?"
"I...I don't know, something about them doesn't s-"
"Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria! Is today your birthday?" Freddy cut him off with a loud announcer voice, still staring right at the two of them.
Tommy, of course, didn't heed the warning, "It's my birthday!"
"Fantastic! We wish you a happy birthday and hope you enjoy your time here! What about you, little one?" Freddy asked, shifting his focus from Tommy to Kyle. Kyle froze a bit, a shiver rushing down his spine. Something seemed really wrong now, but he remembered Tommy's pleas and how he eventually relented. Even though that happened, he hadn't really thought of actually seeing the animatronics, any of that.
The rumor went that there were three kids back when the restaurant was still called Fredbear's Diner that went missing. None of them came back, and after the incidents surrounding the animatronics over the years and security guards coming up injured or dead, it was a wonder that this place was still running to begin with. Kyle realized with a jolt that Freddy was still staring at him.
"I-It's not my birthday today." Kyle eventually stuttered out, not trusting himself to say more from the crippling fear that was quickly running up his body.
"Oh, that's alright!" Freddy tried to reassure him, but that merely caused another shiver to rush down Kyle's spine, "Anybody is welcome at Freddy's, and we hope that your time here is the best day of your life!"
"Th-" Kyle tried to say before the happy birthday song started blaring over him, with all three of the animatronics singing and staring at Tommy all along. Kyle's eye twitched slightly while Tommy looked so damn happy to be there, as if it was the best day of his life. Tyler and Mom eventually walked over to them, walking the two to their table and ordering some pizza to eat. Tyler eventually took Kyle to the side as Mom kept Tommy busy.
"So?" Tyler asked pointedly.
"Tommy's enjoying his time here a lot." Kyle answered back as Tyler smiled a bit.
"Makes sense, glad he is to be honest, would be a shame for him not to. And you?"
"I…" Kyle hesitated as Tyler nodded.
"They're pretty unnerving, huh?" Tyler changed the question knowingly as Kyle nodded, "It's okay, we're not gonna let anything happen to you two. Just enjoy the games with Tommy, okay?'
"I-I'll try." Kyle managed out, still feeling thoroughly creeped out. Tyler merely sighed, knowing that his little brother was a bit of a scaredy-cat; although, he couldn't really blame him when looking up to the animatronics still singing for his youngest brother, noticing the grime that was building on them. Tyler merely nodded and patted his shoulder, knowing Kyle needed the reassurance.
It was a fun two hours, even if the food wasn't that great, and Tommy was having a blast being here. Soon enough, they were about to leave when Tommy grabbed Kyle's shirt and tugged him back.
"Look, look! There's a funny man over there!" Tommy said as Kyle looked up, seeing a man waving back at them. Kyle looked the man up and down, and just looked back at Tommy, "I know she said not to go alone, but he said there was a birthday surprise waiting for me back there! I think that it would be given personally by my favorite, Freddy! Pleaseeeeee, Kyle?" Tommy begged as Kyle gulped.
"No. You know the rules," Tommy gave him puppy dog eyes, and Kyle couldn't deny that it was starting to work, "Hmm… Let's ask Tyler first, if he says yes, then we both will go with him, and I'll wait around the corner for you, that way you can still get your birthday surprise while having a bit of privacy, okay?"
"Okay! Tyler, Tyler!" Tommy said, running towards their older brother as Kyle simply watched the man. The man frowned severely once he saw Tommy running off before glaring at Kyle. Something was very wrong here, but Kyle wasn't sure what.
Praying it was just paranoia, Kyle walked over to Tommy and Tyler, catching the tail end of the argument that unfolded, "Tyler, does that man seem strange to you? He was frowning when Tommy ran off and glared at me afterwards. I think I see something in his right pocket, but I can't quite make it out." Kyle admitted. While the nine year old wasn't that smart in school, he knew enough about crime shows to know that something was amiss.
Tyler looked over to the man and took a picture, watching as he went to try and bolt afterwards, "Yeah, something is very wrong with that, Mom! Give us a second, we'll be right there!" The fifteen year old yelled back, getting an okay in response.
Tommy was less than pleased, "But I wanted to get my birthday surprise…." Tommy whined as Kyle and Tyler shared a look.
"You still could. Tyler took a picture of the man before he left, and it's good enough quality that they can see who it is. While Tyler reports to the front desk about it and makes sure that it isn't a bad guy doing bad things, we can go and see about your birthday surprise with Freddy. Tyler, that okay?" Kyle asked at the end, as Tyler nodded.
"Sure, that seems like a plan, but don't let him out of your sight, okay?" Kyle nodded as he took Tommy's hand and walked towards where the man was. Kyle kept looking at his younger brother constantly, unintentionally tightening the grip of his left hand on his brother's.
"That hurts." Tommy said as Kyle blinked, loosening it after a second.
"Sorry about that, I'm just...worried." Tommy nodded, a smile on his face.
"Don't be! Today was amazing and I can't believe that there's another event for it! A special birthday surprise for me!" Tommy said as Kyle rolled his eyes with a smile of his own.
"I know, I know, I just worry for you." Kyle told him as they saw the man again, who looked at them and smiled, walking up to them. Kyle kept a close eye on his little brother, taking a step in front of him protectively. The man simply continued on his way and stopped a bit in front of them.
"You wanna have your surprise?" The man asked as Tommy nodded enthusiastically, "Well, you have to get it by you-"
"I'm going with him." Kyle interrupted without remorse, before continuing, "It's nice of you to have a birthday surprise from his favorite animatronic before he leaves, but he doesn't have to be there on his own, I'm going with him." Kyle told him as the man frowned for a second before nodding and turning around.
"Follow me then." He told us as Kyle put a finger up to his face, looking at Tommy before getting his phone out and calling Mom and muting the call itself as a just-in-case policy in case of anything bad happening. He remembered a show that the character used this trick to get their team to realize when the criminal went about attacking him, so he just prayed that his mother would pick up and stay on the line.
"Alright, are you ready for your surprise? It's right through this door here. Freddy thought long and hard about it!" The man said, having noticed throughout the day how Tommy liked being with Freddy Fazbear the most. Tommy, of course, was absolutely ecstatic at the idea of a surprise, but Kyle made sure his grip was secure.
The three entered the room, Kyle nervous as the man let them through first. That nervousness tripled the moment he looked back and locked the door. "Where's Freddy?' Tommy asked, confused as Kyle's eyes widened, making sure that he was facing the man the whole time. The man's smile widened as well.
"Why, he's right here, he found the perfect gift for you! You just gotta get a bit closer." He told Tommy as Kyle finally noticed what the bulk of the man's pocket was. A knife.
"TOMMY, GET BACK!" Kyle yelled, dragging him back as the man gripped the knife.
"Don't you want your surprise!?" The man yelled as Tommy gulped, noticing the fear in Kyle's eyes.
"Wh-What's wrong?"
"He has a knife!" Kyle said, instantly regretting his words as he remembered the next thing that happened in those kinds of shows. When a criminal is caught, they get desperate. Case in point, the man grabbed his brother by the hand, Tommy having turned just a tad too late to be far enough away, and yanked him out of Kyle's reach, "TOMMY! LET GO OF HIM!" Kyle yelled as the man merely kicked him out of the way, straight in the gut. Kyle coughed loudly at that, but managed to lift his head up to see…
"Ky-!" Tommy tried to shout out, but the man merely dug his knife farther into Tommy's stomach, causing Tommy to cough out what looked to be blood.
"TOMMY!" Kyle screamed out in pure fear, not knowing what was happening. The criminals never won in those shows! They would just brag and lose by bragging out their evil plans! W-What was happening!? Kyle's head was screaming at him to get up, save him, but his body refused to move. Terror struck him to the core as he watched that man do something with Tommy's body behind a bunch of crates, merely seeing what looked to be a fox costume to the left of the man.
"And now for you, you damn brat!" The man yelled, facing Kyle in earnest, Tommy nowhere to be found. Kyle's eyes widened before both of them stared at the now-ratting door.
"KYLE! TOMMY!" Mom yelled through the door, the man growling as he quickened his pace to Kyle. Adrenaline filled his brain as Kyle got up and rushed the man as he brought up his knife, not at all afraid to headbutt the man in the place where the sun doesn't shine. It definitely winded him a bit, but not as long as Kyle would have liked.
"MOM! TYLER! I DON'T KNOW WH-" Kyle struggled, the door finally opening as the man put the knife to Kyle's throat and his hand over Kyle's mouth. The man growled as Kyle felt tears coming from his eyes as he tried to focus from a third person's point of view. The man was behind him, a bit of a gap between Kyle's throat and the knife as he kept slightly in range of Kyle's hands.
Kyle looked towards Tyler and his mother before making his choice. Like hell he was going to be a hostage! Taking yet another trick from shows he watched, he licked the hand before biting down, noting the grossed confusion that soon shifted into pained surprise as Kyle dug his elbow into the man's gut before grabbing the knife and running to his family, eyes darting to where Tommy had disappeared to as he turned back around towards the killer.
What he saw caused him to drop the knife, the tears rushing from his eyes as he knew exactly what had happened. Tommy's lifeless eyes stared back at him from the Freddy Fazbear costume that was previously acting on the stage as the police officer grabbed the man before he could rush off after him. Tyler looked on with him, but neither him or their mom noticed the dreadful truth that Kyle did. Tommy was stuffed into the suit by the man.
Kyle couldn't hold back, puking on the ground as the thought truly crossed his mind, becoming embedded in it as he struggled against his heartbeat being so loud as to echo into his ears. He had nearly died. He had nearly died. If that guy decided to slash him as he escaped, he would have been dead as well, and it would just be Tyler and Mom mourning their deaths.
His brother dying was already enough to make them all tear up, but Kyle couldn't bring himself to tell anyone where Tommy's body was, just that he did die and that the man put his body somewhere that Kyle couldn't tell since he was knocked out. Kyle honestly doesn't even remember making that statement, being in a state of shock that the therapist assigned to him called "disassociation" or something, but he didn't remember it that well.
All he remembered was Tommy's eyes staring back at him from inside the bear suit.