Marcus put his car into park and removed his keys from the ignition. He glanced over his shoulder at the empty back seat. Unfortunately, he decided he couldn't get away with bringing his NES with him every night. After the stunt he pulled, Freddy's was likely searching for an excuse to fire him, and a major increase in their electricity bill might just do the trick. Besides, he didn't exactly want much excitement tonight. He stepped inside the pizzeria, immediately being swarmed by the Toys.
"Can we play again?" Toy Freddy asked eagerly, "Last night was so much fun!"
Marcus shook his head. "Sorry, guys," he said, "Not tonight."
"Oh." Toy Freddy's gaze dropped to the floor, then he perked up. "Well, maybe we can do something else! I think the restaurant has some board games for when the power goes out. We could play those!"
"Guys, I didn't get much sleep today," the guard groaned, "What I would like to do tonight is take a nap and get some rest, okay?"
"But—"
A yawn from Marcus cut off the animatronic's protest. "Freddy, you managed for a week before I was willing to hang out with you, and from what I've heard, you weren't very successful before that. I think you can survive one night without me." Before the rosy-cheeked bear could counter, Marcus trudged past the animatronics into the hallway. As he left the room, the Puppet watched from a crack in her box.
The original four peeked hopefully out from Parts and Service, but their faces fell when the night guard passed them, unaware of their presence. The Toys shook their heads in confirmation that tonight wouldn't be all that fun. Marcus sat down in his chair and let his head rest on his desk. His eyelids became too heavy to hold up, and he gave into his exhaustion and let darkness consume him.
Marcus was roused from his slumber by two hands grabbing his lapel and lifting him into the air.
"Guys, I'm serious," he said, still groggy from his forceful awakening, "I'm too tired to play." He finally opened his eyes to find himself staring into the blank eyes of the Puppet. Except they weren't blank. Where there had once been nothingness, tiny white pinpricks glowed brightly in their place.
"Charlie? What's going on?" the night guard asked, becoming nervous. Something wasn't right here. "Where are the others? Are they okay?"
The Puppet said nothing in reply. Instead, it threw Marcus over the desk and onto the floor. As the guard skidded to a halt, the Puppet leapt on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Marcus tried to wriggle free, not wanting to hurt his attacker, but the Puppet was a lot stronger than the last time they were in this situation.
It was not, however, heavier, and Marcus was able to throw off the Puppet. He tried to run into the main hallway, but the Puppet caught his right arm and held him back. Before Marcus could yank it off its feet, it anchored itself on the ceiling light over the office entrance. Its weight, or lack of it, couldn't be exploited this time.
Marcus pounded on the black-and-white-striped arm restraining him, causing it to buckle under his force. The Puppet lost its grip on the guard and let go of the light to give chase. But Marcus wasn't running. He grabbed the long arm and pulled as hard as he could, launching the Puppet towards him.
He followed up with a punch to the lanky animatronic's mask, sending the Puppet sprawling to the floor. He walked over to the downed marionette, massaging his hand where it had impacted the mask. He glanced over into Parts and Service and into the dining area. Where was everyone? Surely they would've heard the scuffle by now.
"Charlie, where are the others?" he asked. The Puppet just looked up at him, its white eyes burning intensely. "The hell is going on with your eyes? They never had pupils before."
The Puppet swung one of its arms at the guard, connecting with his cheek and sending him backwards into the main area. Marcus gripped one of the poles on the carousel and pulled himself to his feet. He looked up into the hallway, preparing for another attack. But the Puppet had vanished from sight.
Marcus took a step towards the hallway to better investigate, but a long and slender arm wrapped around his and spun him around. The Puppet was sitting on one of the carousel seats, and yanked the night guard towards one in front of him. Marcus slammed face-first into the pole he had used to get up and fell back onto the floor. He didn't need to check to know what the liquid coming out of his nose was.
The Puppet wrapped its arms around his neck and began to drag him along the floor. Marcus pried at the hands that restrained him, but he didn't have much strength to begin with. Suddenly, the Puppet's grip loosened, leaving him motionless on the tiles. He rolled over to see the other animatronics pinning the Puppet against the wall.
"Ye really gotta be tired of ending up in this scenario, lad," Foxy said.
"Honestly, I'm just glad my luck hasn't run out yet," Marcus groaned, "Where were you guys?"
"Trying to get out of the closet," Bonnie replied, "Someone trapped us inside." Marcus looked up at the Puppet. Her eyes were back to their normal soulless black. She looked around in a panic and began trying to wriggle free.
"What's going on?" she cried, "What happened?"
"What do you mean, what happened?" Chica said, "You broke your end of the deal and tried to kill Marcus!"
"Now you pay the consequences!" Bonnie added angrily.
"What are the consequences if Charlie breaks her promise?" Marcus asked, "I mean, my consequences are clear. She gets to kill me. But what about her?"
"What if we lock her in the closet, like she did to us?" Bonnie suggested.
"Or," Marcus said, "We could just keep her in her box, unable to escape. Like a time out."
"Guys, I didn't do anything, I swear!" Charlie pleaded.
"Oh, yeah? Explain Marcus' bloody nose," Foxy growled. The mention of his nose caused Marcus to moan.
"Great, I have to clean that up," he muttered.
Charlie skidded to a stop on the floor, before looking up at the door to see it slam shut, leaving her alone in the dark. She pulled on the door, but whatever she did when she trapped the others inside had been replicated masterfully. She fell back against one of the walls and slid down to a sitting position, preparing for a long night. Suddenly, the air around her chilled, and she looked up fearfully to see the dreaded Golden Freddy plush sitting on a shelf in front of her.
"My, that didn't go over well, did it?" the deep voice said.
"Go away, Cassidy," Charlie snapped.
The voice made a noise that mimicked clicking one's tongue. "And here I was, planning to present you an offer that benefits both of us. I suppose I'll just have to do this one by myself."
Charlie hesitated. "Fine," she said, "What did you have in mind?"
"Well—"
"Show yourself. I'm not talking to a stuffed animal."
"Picky, aren't you? Maybe I'm not willing to talk to a living marionette." The plush vanished, and the withered golden bear that Cassidy inhabited took its place. Like Freddy, the bear didn't seem to be very worn, but unlike Freddy, frayed groups of wires sprouted out of his missing left ear, his shoulders, and his right eye. "Better?"
"Get on with it."
"Someone got out of the wrong side of the box this morning, didn't they? You're rather bitchy tonight."
"You would be, too, if someone took over your body and got you in trouble with your friends."
"Fair enough. I suppose I'll get to the point." Golden Freddy put a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "I know you want that guard out of here. But alas! He's turned your closest friends against you!"
"That was mostly you."
The ethereal bear ignored the remark. "Not to worry, my crybaby of a companion! I have the solution to all your woes!"
Charlie did her best to overlook the "crybaby" comment. "Enough with the dramatics. Spill."
"Ah!" Golden Freddy put a hand to his chest, pretending to be hurt by the puppet's words. "I would have expected a Fazbear-branded animatronic to appreciate some fine showmanship."
"I give out prizes. Entertainment isn't my thing. Spill."
"Alright, alright. I'd be happy to get rid of your little problem, so long as you stay out of my way. And I'll even throw in a bonus! If you agree now, I promise not to use you in my dirty work."
"The only reason that worked was because you took me by surprise. Next time, I'll be ready for you."
"I think you'll find my methods rather…persuasive, when I set my sights on someone." The bear offered his hand out to Charlie. "Do we have a deal? Keep in mind that you're stuck in here, while I can go wherever I please. Also, I don't think you need to ask what the consequences are if you go back on your word."
Charlie considered, then shook the yellow paw in front of her. "If you hurt them, the deal's off."
Golden Freddy shrugged, floating past the puppet and through the door. "Do my best," he said noncommittally, his voice fading as he left.
The next chapter is basically done already. Once again, it's a result of a chapter running longer than anticipated. I'm debating whether or not to release it alongside this one or not. Stay tuned!
