Help Wanted
In a few ways, Fritz's Family Fun Palace was a lot like Freddy's. It had the same kind of colour scheme and decoration, it had robotic performers and the same kind of fun-for-all-the-family vibe. That last bit really meant the kids would go nuts while the parents would just find somewhere quiet and wait for it all to be over. But for Susie, it would never be Freddy's and with all that she had learned recently, she saw both places in a completely new light.
She turned her head to the sounds of the performers in the main room through the door. Who would have thought that underneath all that hard plastic and painted smiles, there were things that had stepped straight out of science fiction? It was almost a shame that, if they did this right, no one else would ever know that.
She gave a smile to a woman who returned it. Rather cute with freckles and brown hair. She came in here every day, but Susie couldn't really recall what for. She'd told her the first time she arrived but she hadn't been paying attention.
Her eyes cast around the other restaurant staff, as they hurried about. It chilled her blood to think that, among them, there was a child kidnapper and killer. Someone who was just walking freely amongst the kids and their parents. And it was up to her to find them, along with that security tape.
She snapped out of her train of thought when Jeremy approached the desk.
"Hey there!" he greeted. "I'm here about the night guard position?"
"Okay, let me check." She flicked to the appointments. "Yep, here you are. Jeremy, right?"
"That's me. So, where do I go?" he asked.
"Go through to the Party Area and through the door next to Prize Corner. I'll ring up to let you in," she told him.
"Awesome, thanks for that."
"No problem. Hope you get it!" she said.
Jeremy returned her smile and set off. Susie briefly watched him go and returned to what she was doing, calling the reception desk upstairs to let Jeremy in. They'd both agreed to make it seem like they didn't know each other. It was safer that way.
Her thoughts turned to the stairs she'd directed him to. They led up to the building's offices, primarily the manager's office where Fritz Smith resided over his little kingdom. She had a feeling that if the tape was going to be anywhere, it would be there.
The trouble was getting there. The door was coded and she didn't know it. Only the people who worked up there did and the security guard during the day. Even if she did get the code, she couldn't just go up without any reason to be there. It also meant going close to Prize Corner and out of all the performers, the one that lurked in the box gave her the creeps. So just how was she going to get upstairs?
She pressed her fingers together, deep in thought. Five days. That was all they had to work with, before the truth would be revealed to everyone. It didn't exactly leave much elbow room. It was quite daunting, but Susie wasn't going to let that stop her. She just had to pick a starting point and work from there.
It occurred to her that she didn't really know a lot of the staff very well. Back at Freddy's, she'd been on a first name basis with everybody there. It helped they were a small staff in an equally small restaurant. After what had happened at Freddy's, she hadn't really felt the drive to get to know new people like she usually did. She'd just isolated herself, did her best to cope day after day.
Now, it looked like she was going to have to call upon her social skills. After all, if you wanted to know about a place, the best idea was to talk to the people who worked there. She checked her watch. Lunch was in half an hour. There was at least one member of staff she knew she could talk to. She would ask him then.
Susie became aware of somebody approaching the front desk and looked up to see Jeremy again. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand and had a big smile on his face.
"Well, I got the job!" he announced. "They told me to come downstairs and give this to you, said you'd give me a little tour."
"Oh that's great! Well done!" Susie took the paper from him and scanned it. A whole lot of disclaimers. "Okay, if you'll just follow me this way, Jeremy."
She flagged down one of the other floor staff to cover the front desk. She'd given similar things to other new staff members, so she knew this like the back of her hand.
"So first of all, welcome to Fritz's Family Fun Palace! You may have heard of our other branches in Greater Borealis but this is the first branch we've had in Little Borealis since 1983. Sadly, we were beaten out by some local competition but after recent events, we thought it was high time to remind everybody just exactly what family entertainment means!"
Though she said it with a smile, a little bit of her died inside whenever she had to say that.
"So this is the entrance hall, the gateway to our nonstop fun and festivity. Just follow me through here into the main Games Room, the heart of our vibrant community." She led him through the doors, assailed instantly by a cavalcade of noise and cheers.
Even Susie had to admit, the space was very impressive. Arcade cabinets lined the left side of the room, where children groaned in annoyance at the loss of their last life and ran off to beg their parents for more change. Those who had reams of tickets hurried over to the Prize Corner to claim their rewards. A small carousel circled around the centre. Customers chatted excitedly while waiters hurriedly brought them their food. At the centre of it all was the main stage, where the band were playing their way through one of their songs.
"Wow. You weren't kidding about it," he commented.
"Oh we like to have our jokes here, but we never kid around about the experience only we can offer," she said. She had to suppress a laugh when Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Just come right this way."
She guided him along, pointing out all of the highlights along the way. The last thing she arrived at was the performers themselves.
"Now, you've probably heard about Freddy Fazbear's who also had animatronic performers and the many issues that came with their performances. Well, here at the Fun Palace, our performers use the same state-of-the-art technology, improved for the modern age and extensively tested for your entertainment and most importantly, your safety," she emphasized. "These are the stars of our show: Teddy, Hermy and Clyde."
She indicated the bear, chicken and rabbit respectively who had just finished their last song, to the joy (and relief) of those present.
"Thank you all, thank you all very much!" said Teddy. "Well, this is absolutely lovely, isn't it you two?"
"It sure is! I'm havin' so much fun!" squealed Hermy.
"Oh you bet, Ted!" enthused Clyde. He set his guitar down and let out a yawn. "And now, I think it's time for me to have a little nap…"
"Now, Clyde, you can't go to sleep yet." Teddy put on a rather inspired air. "It is our duty to never rest, to never tire in our uh… duty! Yes, to entertain these good people."
"Hey, Teddy?"
"Not now, Hermy," he said dismissively. "And for this, we must forge on. For though our bodies may tire and our spirits wane, it is what we must do. For everyone that steps through those doors, for all that come after and-"
"Teddy!"
"For goodness sake Hermana, what is-?" Suddenly, the anger that was in his voice changed to a lighter tone. "I mean, I'm sorry, Hermy! What did you want to tell me?"
"It's Clyde. I don't think he liked your speech too much," she said, pointing.
"Eh?" He looked to see Clyde had fallen asleep, standing up no less. "Oh, Clyde you lazy bones! Come on, up you get." The rabbit didn't respond. "Clyde? Clyde!"
"Here, lemme try." Hermy crossed over, got right next to his ear and screeched, "HEY! RISE AND SHINE, SWEETHEART!"
With that, he suddenly snapped awake and glared at the chicken, who hopped back out of reach of his hands.
"Hey! What do you think you're-" And again, it was like a switch flicked and his annoyance gave way to good-natured laughter. "You got me again, Hermy!"
"Excellent work, my dear!" praised Teddy. "Now, as I was saying, it is time to-"
"Time to party!" cried Hermana. She jumped from the stage and onto the skates that came out of her feet. "Who's ready to get their body movin?!"
Teddy sounded rather annoyed. "Actually, I was going to-"
"You go ahead and party, I'm gonna go take five back here. See you at the next show," said Clyde. He pulled back the curtain and stepped backstage.
"I really would rather prefer to…" Teddy trailed off when he saw no one was listening to him. "To get right on with what you suggested! Capital job, both of you! I'll stay here for anyone who like to uh, have a fun time with me. Yes indeed, rather!"
But no one did come over to see him and those that did, didn't do so for long. Everyone was either dancing with Hermana or on the machines with Clyde. He picked a direction and awkwardly walked off in it.
"Aren't they a hoot?" said Susie. "They do shows every hour and interact with all the guests. They're your responsibility when the lights go out, so take good care of them. Now, just gotta read this out to you…"
"Hello," a small voice said.
They looked down to see the smallest of the group. The rosy-cheeked little boy with a striped shirt and beanie hat, holding a balloon in both hands.
"Hi there," he said brightly and offered one to Jeremy. "Want one?"
Jeremy was only at a loss for a moment. "Sure. Thanks, little man."
"You're welcome," he said brightly. "Welcome to the Fun Palace!"
"Ah, I almost forgot. This is little Balloon Boy. If you want a balloon, he's your man," said Susie.
"Sure am," Balloon Boy said proudly.
They waited for him to go, but he didn't. He continued to stare up at them, his eyes lingering especially on Susie. Why did he always seem to do this?
"Okay, so back to this." She started to read through the disclaimer. "All performers are property of the Fun Palace. Any damage done to the performers will be deducted from paycheques directly. At lights out, all performers must be carefully monitored, as they must remain active during closed hours to prevent mechanical issues. Please do not tamper or interfere with the performers. All activities that may or may not occur during afterhours should be regarded as confidential in nature and should not be reported to anyone, beyond upper management. Any incident of the night guard repeating an afterhours event to unauthorised employees or members of the public is to be regarded as a breach of contract and will result in immediate termination and legal action. If you have any-"
"Are you going to be looking after us?" Balloon Boy asked Jeremy.
"Yep, that's my job." Jeremy crouched down to his level. "I hope you're gonna be good for me."
"Don't worry, I will. Bye," he said abruptly and wandered off into the crowd.
"He's a… cute one," remarked Jeremy.
"I guess. Anyway," she said, "last bit is if you have any questions, direct them to upper management. All good?"
"Sounds good to me," he said.
"Great! I'll show you where you'll be working."
She took him towards the back of the Party Room, along another corridor. She indicated the door in front of them.
"That's Parts and Services, where maintenance is carried out on the performers. And just through there is Kid's Cove," she said, indicating another entrance in the Games Room, "where we have activities for our younger guests, including a special construction attraction using old mechanical parts." She read again from the disclaimer. "Parts and Services is kept locked and is only accessible to authorised engineers. Kid's Cove is also considered off-limits afterhours, to all personnel. Right, just down here. We'll be passing the other Party Rooms, private spaces for hire for our guests."
They walked past these doors into the security room itself. A man with short hair and glasses sat at the desk, watching the monitors closely. He only looked up briefly at the two of them, then went back to work.
"Once we close up, this is going to be your little space," Susie told him. "You'll be able to familiarise yourself with the camera equipment when you come in tonight. This is where you'll also get your keys for the night so you can lock up and I'll be giving you your uniform on the way out. Any questions?"
"Nope, I think you've covered pretty much everything. I can't wait to get started," said Jeremy, sarcasm very faint in his voice.
"That's great to hear." She led him back where they came from and handed him his clothes from behind the desk. "Let me just finish by saying, welcome to the Fun Palace crew and don't hesitate to come find me if you have any questions. My name is Susie," she said.
"Well, it's been great meeting you, Susie," Jeremy replied and shook her hand. "I'll see you around."
"See you later!" she trilled and waved him off. Internally, she let out a sigh of relief.
It was good to know that Jeremy had his place secured. While he did her part, she would do hers. On that note, she saw that it just hit lunch and went to take it in the breakroom. Luckily for her, it wasn't far away from the front desk.
She stepped inside, getting her food from her bag and quickly scanned the room. She found who she was looking for and went to sit with him. It was Ken, one of the old waiters from Freddy's and among the few who signed on for the Fun Palace. He looked up with surprise and elation.
"Susie! Hey, it's good to see you." He stood up to give her a hug, which she returned.
"Hey Ken. Sorry I've not seen much of you," she said. "After what happened, I just needed some space."
"It's okay, I get it. That stuff was messed up and I had some things I needed to deal with too," he said. "And Mike… who would have thought he'd be the one?"
"I've never really been too sure about that," said Susie.
"Oh yeah, you were pretty close with him huh?" recalled Ken. "Anyway, I guess he's locked up now and we just gotta deal with it. You doing better?"
"A little bit, yeah. Still a ways off, but I'm getting there," she admitted. "What about you? How's Anita?"
He shook his head mournfully. "I'd tell you, but I haven't seen her since it happened and she doesn't talk to me anymore. Doesn't answer my calls or reply to my texts." Despite himself, he laughed. "Kind of funny, considering her relationship with her phone."
"I don't blame her. I mean, that was her sister who…" Susie's thoughts turned to her. "What they're going through must be horrible."
"Yeah, I bet. Since they moved away, I'm not exactly holding much hope of seeing her anytime soon. I just hope she gets back in touch with me," he said.
"Hey, give it time. I know it's hard, but she'll come around. After all, she does think you're a super nice guy," she added.
"Really?" Ken's face lit up and his cheeks went red. "She does?"
"I saw it in a text over her shoulder," Susie said conspiratorially. "She wasn't happy when she saw and she made me swear not to tell so you didn't hear it from me."
"I got it," he said with a wink. "So what about you? How's Wendy doing? Didn't she look after one of the kids or something?"
"She did," Susie murmured. "I'd rather not get into Ken, if that's okay?"
"It's cool, it's cool," he said quickly. "Let's just talk about something else."
"Good idea," Susie said, taking a chance to steer the conversation where she needed it. "So how are you finding all the staff here?"
"They're pretty cool. Most of them are, there's no Bobby if you get what I mean. Glad he didn't come back," he added. "But you remember Jim, from the kitchens at Freddy's? He works here now too."
"I don't blame him, considering he didn't have a job before Freddy's. Are we the only ones?" she asked.
"From Freddy's? Yeah, all the people that stuck around long enough. Everyone else is all new faces," he shrugged. "It's kind of weird, after working with the same people for so long but that's just life huh?"
"Yeah," she said absently. "What do you mean, people who stuck around?"
He glanced around and leaned in conspiratorially. "Well, you remember how we had a hard time holding down a night guard at Freddy's before Mike showed up? All those guys who had the post before, they work here now."
"What?" Susie was surprised by this. "I thought they were arrested."
"They got let out. The owner of this place wanted to give them another shot." He smirked. "I forgot you don't really keep up with the news."
She shrugged. "There's enough doom and gloom in the world without being reminded of it every day."
"Can't really blame anyone but yourself for not knowing though," Ken pointed out.
"Fair point. Still, that's a pretty big thing. Have you talked to them?" she asked.
"Nu-uh, no one has. I get that it's a stereotype, but they were arrested for actual crimes. People are a little freaked out by that sort of stuff. They kinda just stay as a little group in here. There's a couple over there," he said, jerking his head.
Susie looked to see two men in the corner of the room. One rather skinny, the other rather large with their heads bowed in conversation. They were too far away to hear. One of them glanced at her and she averted her eyes.
"Yeah, I'd say best thing is to keep out of their way," said Ken quietly. "You don't know what guys like that are capable of."
Susie silently agreed, but she kept an eye on them regardless while she made small talk with Ken. A little later, a woman came to join them and the skinny guy left. Around this time, her lunch was over and thanks to a sudden surge in customers, she couldn't do much else to follow up on this. She committed their faces to memory and did her best to watch them. The two guys appeared to be waiters but she lost sight of the woman.
In the late afternoon, she had finished her shift and started home. Normally, she could look forward to putting up her feet and lazily watching YouTube for the rest of the evening. But she would be doing something different on her computer this evening. She stood in the doorway for a bit when she arrived back and called out. No response.
Wendy wasn't home yet. She was silently thankful for that. Her partner hadn't been having the best time of it recently and neither had their relationship. Though Mike mentioned the issue a while ago that Wendy might blame her for what happened to William, they'd never really talked about it and it had only gotten worse after his remains were found. Wendy had always been a quiet sort, but these days she barely said a word unless it was a necessity. Susie felt it was best to give her space and she would just come around eventually but she still hadn't…
She put that out of her mind for now. She had work to do. Pulling out her laptop and turning it on, she stared at the screen for a bit. Where to start…
She remembered what Ken had told her about the guards, how Fritz had been the one to hire them. A quick search showed her the article. Five individuals, formerly imprisoned for breaking and entering at both Freddy's and their warehouse. She found another article reporting that incident and it came with photographs of them. There was no mistaking their faces. It was definitely them. The same people that Mike had fended off, with the help of the synths. Well, three of them at least but one of them with the glasses looked familiar too. It didn't take long to recall that he was the day shift guard. He was called Gordon. The skinny guy was Stuart, the larger was Ernest and the woman was Jenny. The only one she hadn't seen was Daniel, their proclaimed leader according to the paper.
Susie sat back in her chair, looking long and hard at the photos. She couldn't shake the feeling in her gut. It was one of them, it had to be. They might even be able to tell her where she could find what she was looking for. The question now, was who?
