"Nice going, lass! Ye killed him!"
"Leave Mangle alone, Foxy! It's not like your hook is clean, either."
"Yeah, you've killed at least four guards!"
"Those were accidents!"
"And so was this, so leave her alone."
The bickering rang in Marcus' ears as he slowly began to wake up. As he opened his eyes he saw that Mangle, Foxy, and the Toys were standing over him. Marcus tried to drag himself away from the animatronics without alerting them. It failed as Toy Freddy looked down and saw his attempts to flee.
"Mangle, it looks like you won't have to live with a guilty conscience," he said, causing the others to look down at the terrified night guard.
"Ahoy, matey!" Foxy shouted, " Welcome back to the land of the living! And us, I guess." Marcus clambered to his feet and tried to run, but Mangle grabbed him and lifted him into the air.
"Before you try to run, we would really appreciate it if you listened to what we have to say," they said. Marcus reluctantly nodded, if only to get free from the robot's grip. Mangle set him down and took a deep breath, or at least what sounded like it. "We know you've heard things about us. How we're violent, how we'll try to stuff you in a Freddy suit. But that's not all of it. We have done those things, but we've never meant to. We don't see you as an endoskeleton. Most of us don't, at least. The original Freddy, Chica, and Bonnie do sometimes, but that's just because they haven't seen people in a while. I don't exactly blame 'em."
"How am I supposed to believe you?" Marcus asked.
"It be true, lad!" Foxy shouted, "I swear!"
"Again, not taking the word of the animatronics claiming to be harmless."
"Would you feel better if you had the Freddy head?" Toy Chica asked.
"I-I guess that would make me feel safer," Marcus replied, "But I want my flashlight, too." Foxy flinched at the idea.
"Alright, deal," Mangle said, ignoring its fellow animatronic's concern. Toy Bonnie left and came back with the head in one hand and the flashlight in the other. The bunny handed the items to Marcus, who hesitantly took them.
"We can leave you alone, if you'd like," Toy Freddy offered.
"That would help me trust you, I guess," Marcus replied. The animatronics nodded and walked off, leaving the man in the darkness with his thoughts.
Marcus checked the clock on his desk: 5 AM. Suddenly he heard a song, Pop Goes the Weasel, he believed, echoing through the halls. He absent-mindedly checked the cameras and saw that the Puppet was no longer in its box. Marcus shrugged: the animatronics hadn't bothered him all night, so if one wanted to see how he was doing, he couldn't complain. He looked up from the monitor to see the lanky animatronic staring at him from the shadows.
"Hi!" Marcus called out, "I'm doing fine, if you're here to check." It didn't respond. "Uhh, it's almost time to return to your area," Marcus continued, starting to get a little nervous, "You'll want to get back before anyone else arrives." The Puppet just stared at him, it's blank smile further serving to worry him. "Alright, get back to your box, now," Marcus said, standing up.
The Puppet's empty eyes locked with his, and he could have sworn the animatronic's wide smile had grown thin. "You won't leave me alone? Fine," Marcus growled, "I'll just get the animatronics to make you go away." He walked down the hall towards the dining area, ignoring the looped music coming from the animatronic. He shouldn't have turned his back.
Suddenly the Puppet slammed into Marcus, knocking him onto the floor. The animatronic tried to hold the struggling night guard down, but the young man was stronger and threw it off. He got to his feet and ran for the door to Parts and Service, knowing it had a door he could shut and barricade. He'd rather take his chances with one friendly animatronic and three iffy ones than risk getting caught by one he knew was trying to kill him before he made it to the exit.
His worries about escaping the Puppet were perfectly reasonable, as it pounced on him as he was within reach of the door, using the man's momentum to sling him away from the door. He expected the animatronic to jump on him once more, but instead it stood in front of the doorway to Parts and Service. Marcus took the opportunity to sprint towards the door. To hell with this job.
He heard a mechanical scream behind him and dropped to the floor in a desperate attempt to escape the wrath of the Puppet. Sure enough, the black and white-striped animatronic soared over his head and landed with a soft thud. It quickly recovered and stood in the guard's path, keeping him out of the dining area. Marcus charged his attacker, ramming into it with his shoulder to knock it aside.
The Puppet wasn't done with Marcus yet. It wrapped its slender hands around his neck, cutting off his air and slowing his escape. Marcus was yanked down onto the floor, turning to face the Puppet as he tried to loosen its grip. The eyes of the hard mask were empty, but to Marcus they burned with malice.
By now the other animatronics had noticed the struggle going, and ran to help the poor security guard. Toy Freddy and Toy Bonnie grabbed the Puppet while Toy Chica attempted to wrestle Marcus away. All the while Ballon Boy just stared and laughed at the chaos. Marcus shot the humanoid robot a spiteful glare, wishing he would live to cave its face in with a shovel when this was over.
Suddenly a flash of grey metal tackled the Puppet into the main hall, freeing Marcus at last, who fell to his hands and knees, gasping for air. He looked up to see Mangle shaking around the animatronic in its jaws like a dog with a chew toy, until finally it threw the Puppet towards the door of Parts and Service. The Puppet immediately picked itself up off the ground and attempted to throw itself at Marcus, but Foxy was there to catch the agitated animatronic with his hook.
"Stand down, matey!" the pirate fox barked, tightening his grip on the thrashing puppet. The Puppet reached out in a futile attempt to grab Marcus once more, the music playing from the animatronic picking up speed. "CHARLIE! CALM DOWN, NOW!" Foxy roared.
"Charlie?" Marcus whispered to himself. Toy Chica, having heard him,shrugged, just as confused.
After a few more seconds of struggling, the Puppet finally stopped squirming. Foxy waited for a moment before releasing Marcus' attacker. It floated past the guard, watching the young man as it passed. Mangle and the Toys immediately moved to stand in between the two. The Puppet returned to its box, closing it by itself.
Marcus looked up at the closest clock. "Guys, it's almost six," he said, "Get back to your places before someone else comes in." He started walking back to his desk when Foxy grabbed his shoulder.
"Please don't leave, lad," he said, "We need someone to keep us company during the night."
"I don't plan on leaving," Marcus replied. The pirate fox nodded and returned to Parts and Service. The night guard returned to his desk, gathering his stuff before walking out the door.
"Excuse me, mister?"
"Huh?" Marcus opened his eyes to find himself face down in a pile of newspapers on a library table. He sat up to face the dark-haired woman tapping on his shoulder.
"Are you okay, umm—what's your name?"
"Marcus."
"Well Marcus, you just kinda passed out while you were looking through these old papers." The woman gestured to the mound in front of him. "What are you looking for, anyway?"
"Sorry about that. I was working late last night, didn't get much sleep," Marcus deflected. What he was looking for would be seen as insane.
"I see. It wouldn't have anything to do with why you're here, would it?" Marcus froze, trying to hide his horror.
"What do you mean?"
"You wouldn't be looking for anything on Freddy Fazbear's, would you?"
"W-what?" Marcus sputtered, trying not to clutch at his no-longer-beating heart, "N-no, of course not! Why would you think that?"
"I guessed," the woman said, "There's a few papers in the back."
"Uh, thank you, uhhh…"
"Lisa."
"Right, thank you, Lisa." Marcus left the table and walked over to where Lisa had said. Sure enough, several newspapers with headlines about Freddy's sat waiting for him. And on the very top was a headline in big black lettering that read:
"5-Year-Old Girl Found Dead Outside Her Father's Restaurant!"
