"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jessica asked. The rolling of thunder echoed behind her. She stood by Carlton's car, the skin on her hand and forehead wet and clammy as a result of the weather. Her clothing stuck to her body because of how damp it was, even though she was wearing a jacket. Gentle patters and pocks echoed around her as water droplets hit the foliage. She had her hood over her head.
"What do you mean?" Carlton asked. He wore a slightly shorter jacket compared to Jessica's, but that was because of his difference in size. He was leaning against the side of his car that the rain was angled away from, meaning that he wasn't as soaked.
"All of this," Jessica said. She pinched her lips together and she held her hands behind the back, gripping her wrist. "I'm exhausted, and I'm sure you as well. It's already midnight, and you want us to back into that park, a park that is crawling with animatronics." She looked past the car and at the entrance to the theme park. A sheet of water was dripping down from the roof of the park entrance. Her eyelids seemed heavy, and her head was drooping as if it's wobbled on her neck.
"I mean, there's no turning back now, right?" Carlton asked. He met her gaze, and he formed his hands into a steeple. "Look, we've driven all the way here. I'm worried about my dad, and I don't think he's safe. We have to go, and besides, we've done this sort of thing before."
She sighed heavily. "Sometimes you worry me."
"Why?" Carlton asked.
"It's because you make rash decisions sometimes," she said. "And I think this is one of them," she added. Carlton just shrugged, not commenting on it. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with. We find Clay, we get him out of here, and then we bring Charlie and John over to decide what to do next. We can't just go in blind."
Carlton nodded. "Okay. I guess that works," he said. He opened the door to his car and climbed inside, grabbing two heavy-duty flashlights. He then got out and closed the door behind him, then locked the car. He offered her one. "Here."
"Thanks," Jessica said. She took the flashlight and tucked it under her jacket. "I don't want this to get wet." She then glanced back at the park. She noticed that there was only one car parked in the entire lot—a police car. Well, there was another one next to it; it appeared to be a black Chevy.
Carlton leaned into her. "Jessica, those flashlights are weather-proof. If you drop one in a puddle, it won't even flicker. You'll be fine," he said. He put his flashlight into his right hand and turned it on. It produced a wide and bright beam of light that illuminated the part of the lot he pointed it at well. He then flicked it off. "Still, you should try to limit how much you use it. The batteries are good, but I have no idea how long we'll be here for. The last thing I want is to be in the middle of some dark hallway and then have my flashlight flicker off."
Jessica nodded, though she backed away, somewhat frightened by the fact that he mentioned that. She frowned. "Okay. Let's go then." She turned to face the park, and then, she started walking. She flinched when she walked through a puddle, the water splashing all over her jeans. However, she didn't mention anything and she just continued walking. The two eventually reached the front entrance. The small wooden gates that would be opened by an employee if one showed their ticket were sealed shut, and the employees were gone. "I guess we'll have to find another way in," Jessica said.
"That might not be necessary," Carlton said. "We could just clim
"Or we could just climb. It's not that short." Carlton crouched, and then, he managed to leap and grab onto the top of the gate. He pulled himself up and managed to climb to the top, and then, he jumped, landing on the ground. He was now inside the park. He turned around and walked to the control booth and he opened the gate. "See?"
"Yeah yeah. Don't try and impress me, because it's not working." She walked past the gate and into the lobby of the park. She glanced around but found no one—not even an animatronic. "Where is your dad, anyway?" she asked.
"I don't know, he was really vague in that call." He walked up to the map of the park. It was backlit, so he was able to read it. He tried to think of places Clay would be, however, he was shot. "And I don't know where he would go anyway. I'm trying to imagine myself in his position."
"Think of it this way—where would we go if we were trying to solve the mysteries of this park?" Jessica asked.
Carlton shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we could check the cameras," he suggested. He glanced upward, looking at the security towers. They overlooked the entire park, and he believed that the cameras could be accessed from within those towers.
"That's actually a good idea. Come on!" Jessica exclaimed. She ran past the map and the hedges, and over to the entrance of the west tower and looked at the door that led inside—it was locked, and it had a keycard reader on the side. She frowned.
"I don't think so," Carlton said. "It requires a card to go in. We aren't security guards, and unless you plan on attacking one, that option is off the table." Carlton groaned.
"Then we'll just have to search the entire park by foot. We'll split up and go in oppos—"
"NO!" Carlton shouted, and then he slapped her across the face.
"Ow!" Jessica shrieked in pain. She clutched the side of her face, and she furrowed her brows. She felt a heaviness in her heart. "What the hell was that for?"
"Jessica, the point is for us to stay together," he said. "If we are apart, the animatronics could easily hunt us down one by one. We would die," he said.
"What makes you think all of the animatronics will hunt us down, and not just Bonnie?" Jessica asked.
"Jessica, this is Fredbear's Fun Park. It's a Freddy Fazbear location, and in those locations, all of the animatronics will tend to hunt people down at night. This probably is no exception. We should stick together, no matter what."
Jessica reluctantly nodded. "Fine. I feel like being here is a mistake, but whatever." Jessica turned on her flashlight and walked to the entrance to Vinnie's Wild West. However, she backed away as she realized something right away was wrong. "Carlton!" she shouted.
"Yeah?" He asked. He glanced over to her, but he couldn't really see much. He walked over to her. "What's going on?"
"Look at the gate! It's closed!" She gestured him to look at the gate. Carlton glanced at it, and his eyes widened, and he froze in place. He then backed away, swallowing hard.
"That's ridiculous. How are we going to find him now?" he asked. His upper lip curled back and he grimaced, wanting to look away from the gate, but unable to. Then, his head recoiled, and he finally looked away, back to the parking lot.
"I don't know, but there's got to be another way. Maybe we should try the other gate," Jessica suggested. She turned around and walked across the lobby until she reached the entrance to Chica's Party world, however, the gate for that part was sealed too. She felt her blood turn to ice as she stared. "No... Carlton! Carlton!" she shouted.
"I can't find a way inside!" Carlton complained, trying to break through the gate but to no avail.
"Yeah, I know—Come over here," Jessica said. She turned around, glaring at the other gate. Carlton rolled around and ran toward her. "Oh my god... okay," she said. "Okay, we got..." she paused. "Carlton, you coming?" She walked forward, closer to the other gate.
"Yeah, I'm over here," Carlton said. He walked toward her.
"Alright, come on, hurry up!" Jessica shouted. The two walked toward one another. They met each other's gazes.
"So the gate is closed?" Carlton asked.
"Yeah," Jessica said. She shook her head in a slow, back-and-forth sweep of denial. Her neck disappeared as her shoulders rose and pulled forward eyebrows folding inward, her nose crinkling. "There's no way to get to the rest of the park."
He backed away, putting some distance between himself and Jessica. He gripped his throat. He swallowed hard. He was panting heavily, and his heart was pounding against his chest harder than a drum. He shielded his chest with his arms. "What the hell are we going to do now? We shouldn't leave, because it's pretty obvious that whoever is running and managing the gate system of the park wants to keep us away from my dad! They want him alone so he could die quicker!"
Jessica sighed. "I don't know." She then walked close, staring into his eyes. He stumbled back a couple of steps. His breaths were quick and shallow. His veins were standing out in his neck. "Carlton..." she began. "Look, I don't know what to do."
"No!" Carlton just shouted. "Those animatronics are hunting him down, and we can't do anything about it!" He sighed, sitting down. He felt completely and utterly defeated, unable to do anything. He squeezed his eyes shut, and he clenched his fists both in fear and anger. His body folded over, making himself appear small.
"Carlton..." Jessica began. She bent down, placing a hand over his shoulder. "Come on, there is still a way to find him."
"No!" Carlton said. He got up and faced her, grasping the sides of his head to try and regain control. His muscles looked tight and clenched, and his legs wouldn't stay still. He grasped to try to control his breath; his face was pale.
"No, I mean, there has to be a way. It's practically the law for there to be another way to get to the rest of the park," Jessica said.
Carlton shook his head. "Jessica, this entire park breaks the law. It's a hunting ground for animatronics to kill workers," he said.
"We don't know that!" Jessica said. "All we know is that one of the animatronics attacked. Besides, it would be a liability. There has to be some kind of secret way to get to the rest of the park, and I intend on finding it." She then extended a hand. "Come on."
"Alright," Carlton said. He got up and grabbed her hand. His voice was elevating in pitch and volume. He glanced back at the gate, seeing it closed. The bright white lamps from the other side shone through the gate. He then turned to meet her gaze. "You said you know what to do?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Come with me." She swung around and walked past the large guard tower until she got near the center of the park. Then, she made a left turn and walked up to the gate that led to the outside. It was much darker out there, and the rain was heavier. She walked through the open gate, then found herself underneath one of the arches that separated the outside of the park from the inside. There was no rain beneath the arch, but a long sheet of water ran from both sides of the arch from all the rain. She shivered. "I don't want to walk through that—ahh!"
Carlton pushed Jessica out of the way, making her fall into the sheet of water, though she was out in nearly a second. Carlton followed her. "Sorry. I just couldn't want," he said.
Jessica growled, furrowing her brows. "Why did you do that?"
"I wanted to get it over it," He said. he then glanced around the parking lot, not really finding anything that could be considered helpful. "What's your idea, anyway?"
Jessica made a left turn, walking across the sidewalk that wrapped around the outer wall of the park. There was a mesh fence at the edge of the parking lot, and this fence extended all the way to the wall that the park was contained in. She slowly approached the fence, glaring at it. "You see that fence?"
"Yeah," Carlton said. He turned on his flashlight and stared at it. The fence was just a little shorter than the border wall. "You think we could climb that?"
"It's worth a shot, right?" she asked. She bent her knees, and then, she jumped up, trying to latch onto the top of the fence. She succeeded, however, the top bar was so slippery that she immediately lost balance and fell. She cried out just as she was about to hit the ground with her back, however, Carlton caught her.
"You alright?" he asked. He helped get Jessica back onto her feet, and he scanned her with his eye, making sure she wasn't hurt.
"I'm fine, I guess," she said. She looked at him, and then she looked up at the fence. "I don't think I can climb it."
"Let me try," Carlton said. He took a few steps back before he jumped up, trying to grasp at the top of the metal fence. He managed to get a grip, and he finally pulled himself up, and then he sighed, panting heavily from exhaustion. He then crawled to the top of the border wall itself, where he fell back. He looked down.
"You did it," Jessica said.
"Yeah," Carlton said. He crawled over and extended a hand. "Grab my hand and I'll pull you up." Jessica then took his hand, and he pulled her up, however, her weight caused him to fall forward. He landed on his knees, and he gritted his teeth as he felt the shockwave from the impact reverberate through his legs.
"Carlton?" Jessica asked.
"Yeah... I'm never trying that again," he said. He got to his feet and started walking toward the entrance, but he staggered to the side, causing him to lean onto the outer wall for support.
"Carlton, are you okay? You look hurt," she said, noticing his posture. "Can you walk?"
"I'm fine." Carlton managed to get on his two feet. and he just walked to the front entrance. After around thirty seconds, he got to the gate and he walked through it. Jessica walked up to him. "So... now what can we do?"
"I really don't know," Jessica said. She glanced around the area, looking for anything that might help her get to the other areas of the park. However, she found absolutely nothing at all. "I feel completely useless."
"Me too," Carlton said. He set his eyes on the front stage, the one that Fredbear's head was on. "Hey, did we check the stage?" he asked. Without saying anything else, he slowly approached the stage, walking past the chairs. He climbed up the stage and looked into the area which the animatronics would perform in—it was in Fredbear's mouth.
"I don't think we checked it." She saw that Carlton was walking to the stage, so she followed him. Then, she got on the stage with Carlton. She glanced around the dark stage, but something caught her eye: a faint glow of light coming from the interior of the stage, practically Fredbear's mouth. "Hey, you see that?"
"See what?"
Jessica grabbed Carlton's hand and walked toward the faint light. Eventually, she found herself face to face with a wall. She realized that the light was coming from a vertical crack, about the height of a person. "Do you think this could be a door?" she asked.
Carlton shrugged. "I suppose it could. What could be in there?" he asked, glaring at Jessica.
"I don't know, but we are about to find out." Jessica pushed hard against the shallow space next to the crack, and then, a black door swung open from the pressure. Jessica peered inside, shining her flashlight on. The room seemed to be a kind of backstage room.
"Did you expect this?" Carlton asked.
"No," Jessica said. She rubbed at her eye with her palm before she looked around. There were various items and endoskeletons scattered about. The endoskeletons looked all shiny, as if they were thoroughly cleaned recently. "Doesn't this feel weird to you?" she asked.
Carlton looked at the endoskeleton in question. He narrowed his eyes, squinting at it. He lowered his head, studying it, arms tight. "Yeah, this is weird. Why would they clean these endoskeletons so much? No, how about this—what are these endoskeletons even for? The animatronics are fine!"
"I don't know. I guess these were recently used," she said. She looked further—there were four more endoskeletons lined up next to the one she was looking at. They seemed to become progressively less pristine as she looked more to the right. "The two ones on the left are cleaner than the ones on the right."
Carlton nodded. "Yeah, that's really strange." He bent down, studying the endoskeleton closely. The frame of the endoskeleton seemed a bit off—it was twice as wide as it should be, and the arms of the animatronic had metal rings around them that seemed to have a set of springs that connected the actual skeleton to them. He looked down, noticing the same exact thing in the legs and torso. Then, his eyes widened as the realization hit him—and his heart stopped. "These are springlock suits," he said.
"They are?" Jessica asked. She turned to meet his gaze. "Why would they use them? I mean, everyone knows how dangerous these things are. Who would wear these things? And why?"
"I don't know," Carlton said. He felt his heart pounding hard against his chest, as if a jackhammer was slowly drilling into his chest. "I don't think these things were simply worn, though. Remember when my dad called? He said that the animatronic jammed the worker inside a spare animatronic suit."
"Yeah," Jessica said. "I remember that, but the police said a spare. These don't look like spare suits, or even suits at all. Their endoskeletons have been removed and relocated to here, and these endoskeletons... they're so clean, almost as if—" Her body froze mid-movement. Her mouth fell open, her upper lip curling back. She grimaced and wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Jessica opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find the right words. She shook her head in a slow, back-and-forth sweep of denial.
"Jessica?" Carlton asked. He leaned in, watching her movements. She was clearly horrified, as if she stumbled upon a terrible thought. "Jessica, what's going on?"
Her eyebrows folded inward, her nose crinkling. She swallowed hard and put some distance between herself and the endoskeleton. She turned to face him. "Carlton... what if the guards were stuffed into these very endoskeletons?" she asked. "These endoskeletons all look clean, but they were cleaned at different times. The first two were cleaned yesterday, and it looks like the two after that were cleaned last week."
"What are you suggesting?" Carlton asked.
She swallowed hard as she tried to process what was happening. She then took a deep breath. "All of these endoskeletons are possessed, aren't they? It's almost like the animatronics are hunting down these guards and putting them inside these springlock suits like it's a business."
"Yeah, but how could someone profit off of this?" he asked, glaring at the four endoskeletons. "I mean, when you think about the expenses here, it just doesn't make sense."
She shook her head. "No, it doesn't make sense." She sighed, and then she turned around, walking out backstage and onto the stage again. She glanced to her side, noticing a much smaller building next to the stage. "Hey, what's in there?" she asked.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling that there's something inside there." Carlton ran over to that building and stepped inside it. Jessica stepped inside too. The room was small. In the corner, there was a generator. Then, an idea struck her.
"Wait, this is the generator, right?"
"Yeah?" Carlton asked.
Her eyes widened and her motions froze as she realized. Her mouth hung open and she gave the generator an inward gaze. "If this park operates the way I think it does, then if we shut the generator off..."
"The gates will open," Carlton realized. We can finally go inside, he thought to himself. Dad won't die.
"Yeah," she said. She walked around the generator and saw a large switch subtitled with the words 'GENERATOR POWER.' It was in the ON position. "Hopefully." She then took a deep breath. Carlton walked around and up to her.
"Jessica?" he asked. He then turned and saw the switch. Jessica backed away for a moment, collecting her thoughts.
Jessica's stared at the switch. Then, she grasped it with her hand. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest, and she felt the blood pumping through her veins. "Here goes nothing." Then, with as much strength as she could muster, she pulled down the switch, and then, the room was plunged into darkness.
"Get ready for six hours of exhaustion."
Clay Burke stepped into the security room of the west tower. The room was dimly lit. By now, it was completely dark outside, and he could see the lights of the park, including the bright white lights of the Ferris wheel. Clay and Mark had spent the last four hours exploring the park and getting a feel for it. However, it was now 12:02, and their shift had started. All other employees had left the park several minutes ago.
"You shouldn't be worried too much," Mark said over the radio from the security room in the east tower. He took a deep breath, and then he glanced at his camera monitor. It showed a map of the park, with different buttons representing areas of the park. "I'm gonna test this camera system, and you should too." He then hovered over and clicked on 7B, and it showed him the entrance of the park, with the front stage in view. The entrance was empty, and there were no cars in the parking lot. He then exited back to the view of the map, and hovered over 1A, and it showed the stage for Vinnie's Vindaloo. Vinnie was standing on the stage, alone. He then exited and clicked on 1B, and it showed the entrance to Vinnie's Wild West, specifically the gate for it. "Camera 7B, 1A, and 1B work fine for me."
"That's good," Clay said. He walked over to his monitor and sat down in the chair. He looked at Camera 3B, which was Foxy's stage. The curtain to the stage was closed shut. "Someone sealed Foxy's stage," Clay said. "It looks like the cameras are working really well."
"Well that's good," Mark said. He hovered over Camera 2A, which showed Chica's stage. Chica was standing on the stage, a cupcake in her right hand. She was mostly still. "There's Chica. Hi Chica," he said to himself.
Clay then switched to camera 4A, which was Bonnie's large stage. The stage was empty. Clay stood still, not saying anything until he saw Bonnie walk onto the stage, and then it began walking around in circles. "Oh. Oh hey... Bonnie's just kind of moving around acting weird," he said. He watched the camera for a brief moment. The animatronic finally stood still, so he exited the camera.
"Oh yeah, I see that," Mark said. He was looking at Camera 4A as well, watching as the animatronic moved around. It was still now though. "Oh wow, uh... that's interesting," Mark said. He then checked Camera 5A. All it showed was the entrance to the haunted house in Fazbear Hills—the door was closed. The house itself was made of wood, and it had clear signs of damage, rot, and decay. There was a window but it was shattered. He exited the camera.
"Yeah, it's strange," Clay said. He looked at Camera 6A—it showed Freddy on his stage. His stage seemed more like a round elevated podium that Freddy stood on. He was holding his microphone. "I can see Freddy, he's just on his stage." He then switched to Camera 7A, which was inside the Fredbear's restaurant. Fredbear and Golden Bonnie were on their stage. "Fredbear's looks fine, the animatronics are on the stage." A chill traveled down his spine as he realized that the Golden Bonnie animatronic looked exactly like the suit William Afton wore.
"Alright. Things look fine, but let me check on uh," Mark began, looking at all the different camera buttons in the menu. "Let's see... Freddy's area," he said, considering checking it, but then, he changed his mind. "I'm gonna check on Foxy here super quickly," Mark said.
Clay checked on Camera 1B. It showed the entrance to Vinnie's Wild West. The gate was open, and the area itself was empty. "Yeah, go do that man," Clay said. He then checked on Camera 2B. It was the entrance to Chica's Party World. The area was mostly empty. "I'm just going to keep checking on all the cameras to make sure they are working."
"Alright. Everything looks pretty good there," Mark said. He stared at Camera 3A, which was Foxy's pirate ship. The curtains to Foxy's stage were opened ever so slightly. "I think the curtains might've moved, but I might be going crazy or something. We've been awake for much longer than normal."
"I guess that could be it." Clay flipped through Camera 4B to Camera 7B, and they all showed their areas of the park, but again, they were empty, so there was nothing to see. "How's Bonnie doing?" He flipped to Camera 4A, which showed Bonnie's stage. However, the stage was completely empty. "Oh. Bonnie is uh, no. Wait, is he on stage?" He tilted his head as he stared into the camera, but it was difficult to see. "I can't tell, it's so dark on the camera. I don't think Bonnie's on stage anymore, let me check.." he muttered. He flipped through more cameras, but he couldn't find Bonnie.
"Alright um... 7B. I'll check out the main stage area I guess" He clicked on the 7B camera, and it showed the front entrance of the park. There were no people or animatronics there.
"We should honestly close the gate for Bonnie's um..." he stared at Camera 4B, which was the entrance to Chica's Party World, but it was in Bonnie's Rock Zone. "Let's see... is this the right gate?"
"What, Bonnie's?" Mark asked.
"This is into Chica's Party World," Clay said. He stared at the camera, but there was no one or any animatronics visible. "No wait, this is the interior to Bonnie's, isn't it? You know what, I'm gonna seal it." Clay pressed the button to seal the gate, and the gate separating Chica's Party World from Bonnie's Rock Zone closed shut.
"Okay, well I'm going to check up on Foxy one more time," Mark said. He switched to Camera 3A. The curtain was much more drawn out this time compared to the last time he checked. "Oh, something's going on," he said. Then, the curtain opened up completely. Mark backed away. "It looks as if—uh, Foxy is moving the curtains, it looks like," Mark said.
"Woah, hey," Clay said. He switched to Camera 3A, where he saw exactly what Mark saw—the curtain was open completely. "You're not hallucinating this or anything. I'm seeing the same exact thing," Clay said. "Wait, is Foxy even in there?" He glared into the curtains, zooming in with the camera. However, it seemed too dark. He expected there to at least be a reflection due to Foxy's reflective material. "I don't see Foxy."
"I saw Foxy in there moving the curtains right before I went to go check the cameras. I'll keep an eye on Foxy, let me just..." he switched to Camera 1A, where he looked at the stage to Vinnie's Vindaloo. Vinnie was still on the stage, not moving in the slightest. "Okay."
"Oh boy. Okay, you know what?" Clay switched to Camera 3A, where the gate connecting Vinnie's Wild West to Foxy's Pirate Cove was located. "I'm gonna seal the gate to Pirate's Cove then." He then toggled the gate, and it slammed shut. "Okay, we're good." He then flipped through several more cameras. "But Bonnie. Where's Bonnie at?" he asked, still searching on the cameras, but finding nothing. He then flipped to Camera 4A, which showed Bonnie's stage, but it was empty. "He's definitely not on his stage."
"Well that's lovely," Mark said. He sighed, walking away and looking out the window that overlooked the entire park. "You know, this feels more like a sick and twisted game of hide and seek than an actual security job. Did you notice that?"
"Yeah," Clay said. He reached into his holster and pulled out his pistol. He cocked it and then grasped it tightly in his right hand. "Alright, I'm gonna go out there and try to find answers for all this. Once I leave the lobby, I want you to seal both gates that lead to it. I also want you to block off the entrance to your security tower with whatever you can find. You can't let those animatronics get inside, you understand?"
"Are you serious?" Mark asked. "I mean, I'm all for investigating this place, but it isn't a good idea to go out there when we've already established that those animatronics are out to kill you," he said. "And plus, there are already two animatronics out there."
Clay glimpsed out the window. "Look, I have a gun and a flashlight that can leave a dent in an animatronic. I'll be fine, as long as you cover me with the camera and the gate. Understand?" he asked.
"I understand," Mark said. He still felt skeptical about this, but Clay was a cop.
"Good." Clay stepped out of the security room and into his office. He pressed the call button for the elevator that led down. After a few moments, the door slid open. Clay walked inside and pressed the button to bring the elevator down. Then, the elevator traveled downward to the first floor, where it then opened. He stepped outside, where it rained heavily. The water splattered all over his uniform, and he flinched. The cool air felt strange to him. He glanced around, trying to figure out where to go. He eventually figured it out. "I'm going to head to Bonnie's Rock Zone. I might be able to find papers or documents in the offices in there." He then walked off, heading into Chica's Party World.
"Oh, so now you're actually going to one of the animatronics? You're a maniac," Mark said. He switched to Camera 2B, seeing Clay walk through the gate from the entrance. "I'm serious, you are just crazy. Bonnie is one of the animatronics that are missing, and you decide to go to Bonnie's place?"
"Look, I'll be fine," Clay said.
"Whatever, I'm closing the gate." He pressed the 'CLOSE GATE' button, and the gate was sealed shut. He did the same on Camera 1B, which was the other gate connected to the entrance. "Both gates are shut now," he spoke into the radio.
"Good, now I want you to cover me. Check the security cameras for the area I'm in, but also watch your own back and make sure the animatronics aren't climbing the walls and trying to break into your area." Chica's Party World was a large open space. There were lampposts that were placed around the area, enough of them to keep the place well-lit at night time. He walked forward, and eventually, he reached the entrance to Bonnie's Rock Zone.
"Make sure you close the gate behind me," Clay said.
"Alright," Mark said from the office. He navigated to Camera 4B and he stared at it. He saw Clay walking through Bonnie's Rock Zone. He pressed the 'CLOSE GATE' button. "It's done."
"Good." Instead of the flooring made of black and white checkered tiles, the floor was instead made of the same material that the flooring in Fredbear's was made of: a purple surface with different colored stars dotted around it. There was a concrete pathway that ran through Bonnie's Rock Zone. Ahead of them stood two lamp posts on either end of the path. There were large colored music notes that loomed over them like trees, dotted around the area.
To the left, there were a series of buildings, one of which had a stand that resembled those dart toss game where prizes would be won if balloons were popped. Just ahead of them was a circular hedge that wrapped around a patch of grass, and in the middle of the grass was a large tree. Four lamp posts surrounded the hedge, and between the lamp posts, there were benches that faced outward.
It seemed that this hedge pattern repeated several times. Clay turned to his right, and he saw what appeared to be a blue bounce house in the shape of a castle right next to him. He walked to the side of the bounce house and ran his hand across it—it was made of some kind of nylon, as he expected.
He walked past the bounce house, and he glared at the entrance to it which was parallel to the entrance to Bonnie's Rock Zone; there were a pair of yellow and purple music notes standing outside the entrance. The entrance itself had a queue. There was a large inflated guitar that seemed to represent the 'gate' of the bounce house, one that was vertical.
"So now what are you going to do?" Mark asked. He flipped to Camera 1B—there were no animatronics in Vinnie's Wild West, or at least none in sight. He then flipped to 2B—Chica's Party World, and it was more of the same. He then switched to Camera 7B, and his eyes widened in shock. A car pulled up in the driveway, and then, two figures stepped out of the car and approached the park. "Clay!"
"What is it?" Clay asked. He was standing in front of a large building that looked like an office building. He glanced around, looking for any kind of entrance. Damn it, I know there has to be a way in!
"A car just parked in front of the entrance, and two people just stepped out," Mark said. He felt his heart racing.
"Who are they?" Clay asked.
"I don't know because this camera is so dark, I can only see their silhouette," Mark said. "One is definitely shorter than the other though. And they have flashlights."
"Oh dear," Clay said. "Whatever. Make sure you close the gate and make sure they can't get inside. And if they do get inside, make sure you tell me so that I can cut off my radio," he said.
"Alright," Mark said. He clicked the 'CLOSE GATE' button, and the front gates for the park sealed shut. He breathed a sigh of relief. "You're all clear."
Clay finally found a way inside the office building. He kicked open the door and stepped inside. He turned on his flashlight and looked around. The walls were an off-white color, and the floor was a white ceramic tile. "I'm in," he said, though he heard no response. He assumed that Mark was concentrated on something. The building was much larger than it seemed. He was in some kind of empty lobby. He scooted to the side, pressing himself against the wall perpendicular to the main hallway. The lights were all on, so he turned his flashlight off. Finally, he walked inside the hallway. The walls were made of dark wood. The ceiling was the standard foam tile, and there were fluorescent lights dotting the ceiling like the bars on a ladder.
He walked down the long hallway, brushing past a fire extinguisher. He continued walking by until he found something: another hallway to the right, but it was blocked by a transparent vinyl curtain with biohazard symbols and a zipper that ran through the middle of it. He stared at it, and then he glanced back, seeing that the coast was clear. He shrugged, and then he unzipped the curtain and slipped through.
He walked through the new hallway. The walls were plain and white. He made a left turn at the end of the hallway, where there was a wooden door. He stepped up to the door and tried the knob, but it was locked. He sighed to himself, trying to yank it open, but failing. He glanced to his right, and he saw a keycard reader. Before he could think of anything else, the sound of the hammer of a gun clicking echoed from behind him.
"Hands up," a man in a Northern accent demanded, pointing the gun at him. 'Hands up."
"Woah," Clay said, raising his hands in the air and slowly turning around. He saw two men holding guns: one looked like a man in a suit, and the other was in a blue security uniform that read: 'AFTON ROBOTICS PRIVATE SECURITY.' So it's true. The 'security' guards hired by this pizzeria to work the night shift aren't actually for security.
"You think we don't have the cameras?" the suited man asked, gesturing with his free hand to the black dome-shaped security camera on the ceiling.
"Look, Mr. Afton asked for me specifically, okay? How do you think I got in?" Clay asked, attempting to wing it. Of course, he didn't know for sure if William Afton was involved, however, animatronics hunting people down and stuffing them into suits seemed to be the handiwork of William Afton.
The suited man sighed, taking out a radio device. "What's your name again?" he asked in skepticism.
"It's Clay Burke. Chief Clay Burke," he said.
The suited man glanced to the side as he put the radio device to his face. "Yeah, I've got Clay Burke here—OW!" Clay punched the suited man square in the nose, and he fell down to the ground, bleeding profusely. He then quickly reached for his side, grabbing his revolver and cocking it, and then aiming for the other security guard. He pinned him to the walls and grabbed his gun with his free hand, and then yanked it away, tossing it across the hallway. He then pressed the revolver against the guard's chin. The guard raised both his hands in surrender.
"We do not copy your last message, what did you say?" the radio device beamed.
Clay glanced at the guard's uniform until he found something clipped to his side—it appeared to be a keycard. "Hey," he began as he yanked the keycard away from the guard. "You think I could borrow this?" He then swung around and slid the keycard into the reader, and the door opened up after a loud beep. He kept his gun aimed at the security guard. He slipped into the door and then slammed it shut behind him. He then glanced at the keycard reader on the other side and he shot at it. The gunshot caused a spark which destroyed the device.
He took his radio device and put it to his face. "Hey Mark, are you there?" he asked. His voice echoed throughout the hallway that was ahead of him. There was no response. "God damn it, Mark. Where the hell are you?" he asked, but there was still no response. He sighed, putting the device back on his belt. "Great. Another cliche. I guess I'll just have to investigate this little place on my own." He opened up the drum of his revolver, and he saw that it was completely loaded. He then closed it, satisfied. He wasn't sure of his safety yet, however, him having broken the door lock might have helped a bit with preventing the security from catching up to him. He just walked down the hallway.
Clay eventually exited the narrow hallway, finding himself in what appeared to be some kind of hospital room or medical bay of some sort. The walls were a light gray color, and the floor was a dark gray ceramic tile. The ceiling was not made from foam, but instead, steel, and the ceiling lights were overhanging florescent lights.
To the right side of him, there was a tray, and on the tray there was a defibrillator. Ahead of the tray, away from him, there was a wheelchair. He turned to the left, and he saw a hospital bed, with a heart monitor and an IV stand nearby. Straight ahead, there was a hospital curtain. He walked past the curtain and glanced to his right—there was a short bench that had a tray, with two syringes. On the wall, there were displays of a human skull, and a leg bone.
There were two more hospital beds, each with an IV stand and a heart monitor. He took his radio device out and pressed it against the side of his face, and then clicked the dial; a static sound emerged from it. "Hey, Mark. Look, I don't know if you hear me or not. I went into that little office, and as it turns out, it isn't an office at all, it is like a secret facility of sorts. I was right—the security guards at this park, you and me, are not actually tasked with security. There is this security company called 'Afton Robotics Private Security' that handles that."
There was no response from the radio. He sighed, and he pressed his forehead against a wall. "Look, I found out that William Afton is the one calling the shots in this theme park. I told the hired security guard that William Afton asked for me personally to come, and they somewhat believed it, meaning that William Afton is their boss."
"I'm in a sort of hospital room right now. There doesn't seem to be anything interesting here." He then attached the radio device to his belt again. Clay turned to the left, seeing a large door that presumably led out. He walked up to the door and stared at it—the door had an electronic lock with a keypad. He took his gun and aimed at the locking mechanism in the keypad, and then—he shot at it. The bullet smashed into the lock, and sparks flew out from all directions. At that moment, the lock failed, and the door began to open out slightly. He kicked the door open and stepped outside.
He saw that he was in yet another hallway that made a sharp turn left. There were several pieces of paper attached to the wall, but they seemed to be nothing of importance. He made a left turn and walked forward towards the end of the empty hallway, which had a door, but this door seemed like a regular door with a knob. He twisted the knob and walked inside.
The new room had the same style as the other rooms—dark gray ceramic tiling, gray walls, and a steel ceiling. To his right there was a dining table with two chairs. To his left, there was another table lined against the wall, with a microwave on it. Straight ahead, there was a series of cabinets, and on the counter, there was a coffee machine, a rack of plates and dishes, a sink, and at the far right, a fridge. To his right, there was another door that was closed, but opened inward.
Does someone live here? Clay thought to himself. At first, it was hard to believe because of the fact that this was inside a theme park, but it was well guarded. He shrugged and walked to the door and opened it, finding himself in yet another long hallway, but this hallway was different because it had a vent on the ceiling and a couple of paintings of the animatronics at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
He continued walking down the hall, and then he made a right turn into another hallway. This hallway made a left turn at the end. He walked past the two bathrooms before he finally made the left turn. There were several lamps that hung from the ceiling, barely lighting the hallway up. To his right, there was a window that was boarded up. He peered inside, seeing the different models of Freddy through the years. The models were still. He decided to walk past it, and he continued until he reached the end of the hallway and found a set of double doors, and a button next to it. The doors seemed to be sliding doors. It's an elevator, he realized. He pressed the button for the elevator, and after a few seconds, the doors slid open, revealing an elevator compartment that had a musty feeling to it. He stepped inside, and he looked at the control panel. The only option for him was to go down, so he pressed the button shaped like a down arrow. Then, the elevator compartment descended down.
Eventually, after about thirty seconds, the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. He stepped out of the elevator and looked around: there was a hallway that only went forward, and at the end of the hallway there was a door. He walked up to the door and tried opening it, however, it was locked. He put his ear to the door, and he heard what sounded like the buzzing of a hand saw.
He backed away a few inches before running forward, kicking the door open. He held his gun firmly in his right hand. There was a man sitting down in a chair, operating on a small animatronic. The man wore a white lab coat. He had a haggard look. The man seemed to be middle-aged, but his movements were jagged, stiff, and rigid, almost as if he were far older, and it appeared that even the slightest of motion required great effort. There were several scars that ran along his cheek, and these scars appeared deep, yet old. Clay walked up to the man and he cocked his gun, pointing it at the man. "Put your hands behind your head, stand up, and then slowly turn around," he demanded as he pressed the pistol against the back of his neck.
"Or what?" the man asked as he stared forward, disobeying his demands. His accent was a clear West Australian accent, one that he has heard before. However, he couldn't remember who that voice belonged to.
"I'll pull the trigger and blow a hole through your neck," Clay said. "Do you want to die?" he asked. The man nodded his head, getting on his two feet and slowly turning around to face the police officer's gaze. However, he seemed more surprised than anything.
"Oh, you're one of the dime-a-dozen security guards, aren't you?" asked, glaring at his uniform. He chuckled to himself. "You know, there's a saying. Curiosity killed the cat," he said. "You don't belong here. Why are you here?"
Clay grunted, furrowing his brows. "I'm no security guard, I'm Clay Burke, the Hurricane police chief. You have no idea who you are messing with by resisting arrest," he said as he pressed the barrel of the gun against the man's forehead.
The man simply chuckled as he stared into his eyes. "You are truly a fool." Footsteps slowly emerged from behind him. "You have no idea who you are dealing with," he finally said. Clay swung around and pointed his gun at the figure—it was a private security officer, wearing a blue uniform.
"Stay back or I'll shoot you," Clay threatened. The guard did not listen, instead pointing his pistol at Clay. Clay grunted, and then he opened fire at the officer. The bullet went right through the officer's skull, and he collapsed. Clay was about to turn around when he felt something tiny prick the right side of his neck. His eyes darted to the right, where he saw a syringe embedded in his neck. The man pushed the plunger down, injecting a kind of liquid inside him. Clay immediately felt the world around him spin, and eventually, it faded to absolute darkness.
"I'll see you soon," the man said.