A/N: I know it's been a bit of a wait, but here it is. I hope you enjoy!


TUESDAY, JULY 4, 2017, 8:29 AM

"Hi, you've reached Chris. I'm currently unable to take your call. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you whenever I can. Thank you."

BEEP.

"Hey, it's me. I know you probably already left for work by now, but I just wanted to wish you the best of luck today. Hopefully, everything goes well. Alright. Talk to later."

END OF MESSAGE.


When Josh entered the pizzeria, he was surprised to find both of his managers standing in the lobby speaking to one another. They both had on professional attire: Rebecca had on a silver pantsuit, different from the brown one she previously wore, and Derek had on a black suit and tie. They looked over at him.

"Good morning, Josh!" said Derek in an ecstatic tone, reminding Josh very much of his sister. "Are you ready for the big day today?"

"I think so," said Josh, which was true. He had no idea what to expect but hoped it wouldn't be too much more tedious or challenging than the previous day.

"Good to hear!" he said with a smile. "Sorry I couldn't be here for your first shift yesterday, but being a manager has its busy days sometimes. I heard you did pretty well."

"I got through it," said Josh.

"So I see," said Derek. "Well, not much going on this morning. Go meet with Susan and see what she needs help with.

"Okay."

He headed off to the break room, hoping to find Susan there, but it was empty. She must already be out there, he thought. As he shuffled into his work clothes, he realized that there was no foul smell like there had been the day before. He thought it had something to do with the room and the ventilation, but when looked up at the vent, he saw that it was operating perfectly, with a small, trance-like hum coming from it as it blew out clean air. Maybe they fixed whatever it was?

But he couldn't worry about that now. As he clocked in, he noticed that he was a minute late. He rushed out to the cafe area and found Susan standing there with Rebecca.

"...so that we don't have any issues, you know?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Well, looks like your partner in crime is here, so I'll leave you both to it. Make sure you fill him in." Rebecca gave him a smile as she turned and walked away.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Just letting me know to make sure we keep our eyes open today."

Josh's face fell slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a big day today, so there's a greater chance of something happening."

"Like what?"

"I don't know!" said Susan, growing a little irritated. "Like a child falling and getting seriously hurt, or someone trying to steal food from back here! Rebecca didn't go into detail, she just wants us to make sure we keep our eyes open to make sure everything goes smoothly!"

"Okay," he said, walking over to check the soda machine. "Sorry," he added quietly, half-hoping she would hear. She didn't.

It was a boring morning. Most of the preparations were decorations done by the planning committee, though he and Susan did have to help move a few things. Though he had only been working there for a day, Josh felt that the building had a noticeably different aura to it, like there was something unique about this day, and not just because it was a holiday. Something felt...different.

After what seemed like forever, the place finally opened. Immediately, the place was filled almost to the brim with screaming kids and music from the animatronics, who began playing a special set of independence day arrangements. Some of them actually sounded decent, like the rather emphatic rendition of "God Bless America," while others were more laid-back and average like one would expect from an animatronic band.

Within minutes, Josh and Susan had a line of customers to deal with. Some of the orders were rather large, almost three times as much as usual. Josh figured it was for a large party waiting for their food somewhere. Nevertheless, they managed their way through the line and hit a break after about forty-five minutes.

"Whoo! That was fun, wasn't it?" Susan asked with a grin.

"Oh yeah. Very much so," Josh replied, matching her smile. "Makes me want to do this every day."

"You will be," said Susan as she gave him a wink.

"Yeah. Looking forward to it," said Josh. "Man...that nacho cheese machine really gave me trouble. What's wrong with it again?"

Susan rolled her eyes. "It's a piece of junk from a second-rate company that offered express shipping, the only reason we bought it from them...or so Derek says. Terry said he got it going again but thinks there's a short in the circuit somewhere."

"So why don't we just ditch it?" asked Josh, thinking back to his frustrating mornings dealing with his family's old toaster.

Susan shook her head. "According to Rebecca, running this place costs so much to run that we can't afford to replace anything until it breaks for good. Personally, I can't wait for the day that finally happens. Every single time I use this stupid thing I'm worried it's gonna burn the whole place down."

"Yeah. Then we'll have to ask people if they want rubble with their nachos."

Susan laughed as she grabbed a rag to wipe the counter. "So, is your family coming?"

"Sometime later, I think," said Josh.

"I'm curious to meet them. Your sister sounds like a real party."

"Oh, she is. Meanwhile, my brother's a party-pooper. And my parents…"

He paused, realizing that he was venturing into uncharted territory with his mother. Her concerns came back to mind, as did his run-in with Chris yesterday. Susan noticed this.

"What about your parents?" she asked.

He looked at her, debating on whether or not to tell her. It felt a bit too much like a personal matter to discuss, not to mention he felt a bit stupid mentioning it, but her eyes were yearning and trusting like she was really willing to listen to him. He sighed.

"Well, to be honest, my mother's a bit concerned about this place."

She looked confused. "Why's that?"

"Because of this place's past."

After a moment of bewilderment, she said, "What, about the you-know-what from thirty years ago?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Did Rebecca tell you about that?"

"Of course she did. She told everybody upon hiring them, but she assured us that she and Derek have taken special precautions to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Besides, it's been thirty years. I'm sure whoever it was is either dead or in jail somewhere."

"I know, but...still, my mom's a bit worried about all this, like there's something she's not telling us."

Susan shook her head. "Well, I've been working here for a few months now, and absolutely nothing strange has happened since then, so I doubt that that'll change today. Who knows? Maybe this can help her loosen up?"

Josh thought about it. Actually, that may be true. Maybe Mom'll stop worrying so much after today and she'll get off my back about how work was every single day.

"Uh-oh," said Susan, causing Josh to turn to her.

"What?" he asked, half-expecting her to say something about the topic.

"Looks like we have a spill at table 3 over there. Think you can handle it?"

"Aye, Cap'n!" he said with a salute before grabbing the cleaning supplies and making his way over to the table.

As he began to wipe, he noticed Chris standing nearby, watching him closely. As soon as they locked eyes, he turned and walked away. Josh stared after him for a few moments before returning to his work, his curiosity still growing.


"Well, here we are!" Richard announced as the family pulled into the lot. Even after only being open for one hour, the parking lot was absolutely filled. The entire front of the building was completely decked out in red, white, and blue ribbons and balloons. Even the neon lights, though not as visible in the bright sun of midday, were flashing the colors of the nation's birthday.

"Yay!" Olivia squealed, causing Kendall to jerk. "I can't wait!"

As the four Phillips began to exit the vehicle, Olivia almost made a sprint for the entrance when her mother stopped her.

"Easy, honey. There's no rush to get inside," she said, her anxiety still evident in her tone.

"Sorry, Mommy."

Richard closed his door. "Kendall, could you grab your mother's appointment book?"

Kendall reached over and grabbed it from the console and gave it to his father. "Why does she need it again?"

"I think she wants to look for potential new clients while we're here. We're not really fit for the play structures anymore, you know?"

Kendall scoffed and gave his mother the book.

The change in noise level upon crossing the threshold was unbelievable. They approached the front desk. The man looked up at them with an uninterested look.

"Party of four?" he asked dully. Richard confirmed and paid the discounted amount. He gestured them to the main room ahead of them. As they walked by, Olivia caught his gaze. He looked at her like she was an unpleasant gust of wind blowing by him. It made her uncomfortable as she clung to her mother.

As they entered the main room, they were greeted by the sound of screeching children. A few kids brushed by Emma as they ran past, causing her to have to adjust her skirt.

"It's very noisy in here, isn't it?" she asked in a loud voice to her husband, who nodded. She turned to the animatronics which were in the middle of some jolly tune. Their movements were much more fluid and human-like than she imagined. The way they eyed their audience while singing and playing their colorful instruments was like a live performance by people. She couldn't help but wonder whether or not they were even real animatronics or simply people wearing costumes.

"Olivia!" came a familiar voice from nearby. They turned to see Cameron moving toward them as fast as he could with his limp. He was wearing a bright red shirt with blue pants, perfectly fitting for the occasion.

"CAMERON!" Olivia shouted playfully, running over and giving him a hug. He winced slightly from the impact but hugged her back.

"Olivia. Take it easy on the poor fellow!" Emma barked.

"Oh, it's alright," said a woman from nearby, standing about five feet tall and wearing a red blouse and white skirt. Her face was round and covered in freckles, accented by blue eyes and topped by blond hair: Cameron's mother. "He doesn't really get out much, except for when he's playing with them."

"I just don't want the young man to get hurt," said Emma.

"It's alright, Mrs. Phillips," said Cameron. "Olivia may be full of energy, but I can take it. I've felt much worse at the physical therapist's office!"

"Well, promise me that you'll be careful," said Emma.

"We will, Mom! I promise!"

The pair of them went off toward the arcade area. Emma turned to Kendall.

"Keep an eye on them, would you, honey?"

Kendall sighed. "Okay, Mom." He walked off after them, completely unphased by the assignment. He knew there was no point in arguing.

"So where's our young trooper in action?" asked Richard.

"Probably over in the cafe area."

"You want to go see him?"

"I don't think he'll like us embarrassing him," said Emma, smiling.

"Yeah, you're right. That's what makes it more fun!" said Richard, causing them both to laugh.


"Order of three sandwiches, a mini-pizza, and fries!" Susan called out to Josh, who was already in the process of taking a small pizza out of one of the miniature ovens.

"Got it," said Josh as he reached for the pizza cutter.

"Oh, and two large drinks, too!" Susan added.

Josh groaned. There was always a last-minute addition to the orders. As he prepared the food, he struggled to maintain his calm demeanor. He placed the tray gently on the counter as the man thanked him and took it away. Josh turned back to the ovens to check on the other pizzas that were cooking when he heard a familiar voice.

"Excuse me? May I place an order?"

Josh froze as he heard Susan answer. "Of course. What'll it be?"

"Actually, may I have the young man standing over there take our order?"

Rolling his eyes, Josh turned to see his parents standing there with large grins on their faces. He sighed and stepped up to the register as Susan stepped aside, chuckling.

"What can I get for you today?"

"Can we get four sandwiches and some and two large orders of fries?" asked Richard.

"Certainly. Will that be all?"

"Let's see," said Richard, rubbing his chin in pretend thought. "How about four drinks to go with that?"

"Hey, Richard? I overheard Cameron's mother talking about how appreciative she is of Olivia playing with Cameron so much. Maybe we should get him something, too."

Richard nodded. "Make that five sandwiches and drinks."

Josh nodded as he input the order into the register.

"So how you doing, sport?" Richard asked.

Josh shrugged. "Not bad. Busier than yesterday, but that's the nature of the work, I guess."

"And who is this?" Emma asked, gesturing to Susan, who smiled again.

"A friend," said Josh.

Susan nodded. "I'm Susan," she said. I'm glad he didn't just say we're coworkers. He is a friend.

"Nice to meet you, Susan," said Emma. "Have you been showing our little boy the ropes?"

Josh winced. There it is! There's her doing her duty of drowning me in embarrassment again! Why do I bother doing anything at all? Seriously, why do I bother?!

"Easy, hon. Let's not embarrass him in front of his girlfriend!"

Josh glared at his father, who wasn't faring any better.

"We'll get this order coming right up," he said in a cold voice.

He scrambled to prepare the fries and drinks while Susan competently made the sandwiches faster than he thought possible. Within a minute, the order was ready.

"Have a great day!" Josh announced in a forced cheery voice.

"You want us to save you anything, sport?" his father asked.

"Nah, I've got my lunch break to look forward to," said Josh.

Richard nodded. "See you around," he said as he and Emma walked away.

"They're so nice," said Susan.

Josh snorted. "Yeah, they are. That's totally why my cheeks are red and my forehead's hot. It's all the wonderful affection!"

Susan scoffed. "Oh cheer up. We've all had those moments. My parents do that to me, too. Just be grateful they love you so much."


Rebecca sat at her computer typing up her latest inventory report when she was interrupted by a sudden chill that seemed to blow by her like a gust of wind. Her desk fan wasn't on because the building's internal air conditioning was adequate. She turned to check the window, but it was only slightly cracked. Her thoughts began to drift elsewhere for the source when her watch beeped.

Looks like it's time, she thought, saving her work and logging off before getting up. She pondered who to unofficially leave in charge. I'll let Susan know to keep an eye on things around here. She's pretty responsible.


"Look, Mommy. I'm a walrus!" said Olivia as she stuck two French Fries onto her teeth.

"Eat your food, 'Liv," said Emma.

"Thanks again for buying me lunch," said Cameron.

"Don't mention it, sport," said Richard as he nibbled on his sandwich. "I'm sure your parents would do the same for Kendall and Olivia."

"Yeah," said Cameron.

"So what have you kids been up to?" asked Emma. "Exploring the place?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Olivia. "They have a lot of cool arcade games! There's this one where you have to drive a snowmobile through all these hoops, and another one where you have to shoot all of the zombies…"

"Yes, well, let's maybe stick to the non-violent ones for a while, okay, hon?" said Emma.

"Kendall? You alright, sport?" asked Richard.

Kendall had been lost in thought staring at the animatronics. He'd seen them advertised on TV and in magazines before, but this was his first time seeing them in-person. So far, they looked pretty normal, at least from here. He was having a hard time trying to figure out why his mom was so concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."

"Well, if you're that interested in robots," said Richard, catching the direction of his gaze, "I think I have a few more books you might like."

Kendall smiled. "Cool."

"I'm done!" announced Olivia. "Come on, Cameron. I want to check out the playscape!"

"Okay," said Cameron, grabbing his cane and walking after her as fast as he could.

Emma turned to Kendall with raised eyebrows. Kendall knew what it meant.

"Don't worry. We'll save your food for later," said Richard. Kendall nodded and got up to go after them.

"Ooh!" Richard groaned as he downed the rest of his drink. "You know what? I need to use the restroom. Hopefully, the line's not too long."

"I think it's over there," said Emma, pointing across the room. He got up and disappeared into the crowd. Emma sat at the table, glancing around the room. So far, everything appeared relatively normal, with no sign of anything bizarre about to happen.

But then again, it did last time, too, she thought, right before-No! It's the past. Don't even think about it!

She watched the animatronics play. It really was amazing how fluidly they moved, as opposed to the more robust movements that she was used to. It really looked like someone was inside of a costume, and could easily reach out at any point and…

No! Stop thinking like that. It's no good to keep imagining the worst. Maybe Richard's right. Maybe it is all in my mind. After all, technology certainly is more advanced than it was before.

She continued watching the robots and the sea of kids near them that she initially failed to notice that a man had approached her. It wasn't until he cleared his throat that she turned to him.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

She looked up to see a short man with black hair and dark brown eyes looking at her. He was wearing a thin, brown jacket over a light gray T-shirt.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"I couldn't help but notice you talking with the Johnsons a few moments ago."

It took her a minute to realize that he was referring to the couple with whom she had just secured a work appointment.

"Ah, yes. Are you interested?"

"Not so much me personally," said the man, "but my wife's been interested in cosmetics recently, and I'm trying to dissuade her from buying those expensive kinds online."

"Well, is she here?" Emma asked, peering around.

"No, as a matter of fact, she isn't. She's an event coordinator and has another commitment downtown today."

"Well, then what brings you here?" Emma asked curiously. "Do you have a kid here?"

"Yes! He's...around here somewhere." The man began looking around. "That darn Timothy, always wandering off." He gave a light laugh. "You know how kids are, right?"

She nodded in agreement, although there was something interesting about this man. He looked and sounded friendly, but his eyes were constantly wandering around like he was looking for something other than a child.

"So which one's yours?" he asked.

"I have three," she replied. "One's back behind the counter in the cafe, and the other two are somewhere around here."

"Ah, getting the young man working then, huh?" the man said with a chuckle. "Yeah, Audrey and I are thinking about doing the same thing with Tommy when he gets older. Teach him how to work hard and reap the rewards, just like my dad always told me."

Her eyes narrowed. "Who's Tommy?"

He looked slightly taken aback. "My kid. He's around here somewhere."

"I thought you said his name was Timothy?"

He paused. "Oh, that's right!" he said in a slightly flustered voice. "It's those crazy T names, you know? Personally, I wanted to call him Tommy, but my wife-"

"-probably knows how to lie better, if she even exists," said Emma curtly. She had enough experience dealing with people like this from past jobs that she could smell them out rather quickly.

The man was absolutely speechless. For a few moments, he wanted to fight to keep his story going, but as he gazed into her searching eyes, he knew it was hopeless. With a sigh, he sat down.

"Alright, you win. I don't have a kid, but I really do have a wife." He pulled a badge out of his pocket. "The name's Jack Samson. I'm a private investigator here in St. Louis."

Emma stared down at the badge. It looked legitimate, with his name clearly etched into the bronze. She looked back up at him.

"Well, what are you doing here?"

He gave a quick glance around, checking for eavesdroppers. Seeing none, he leaned in close.

"I recently received an anonymous tip about this place."

She stared back at him, speechless for a few moments. "What kind of tip?" she asked, her worry beginning to grow again.

"I'm not entirely sure," said Jack. "Something about illegal activity being conducted here."

She gasped silently. Her breath quickened and her stomach churned. "What kind of illegal activity?" she said in an anxious voice.

He shook his head. "I don't know. Quite frankly, I'm not even one-hundred percent sure whether or not the claim is valid. I get a lot of tips from people, some of them legitimate, others not so much. That's what I'm here to find out. For all I know, it could be some paranoid patron who's worrying about one of the animatronics looking at them kind of weird or something like that."

"But what if it is legit?" she asked him.

For a few moments, he gave her no answer, mainly because he had no answer to give. Personally, he was hoping that wouldn't be the case.

"Let's just say...if there really is something fishy going on in this place, we'll go from there." After another few seconds of silence, he stood up. "Well, I'm sorry to have to have bothered you. I didn't mean to frighten you or ruin your day or anything. Hopefully, there's nothing to worry about, but rest assured that I'll keep looking around." He gave her a small smile in an attempt to calm her down. "You know, you're pretty clever. You ever thought about being a detective."

She shook her head. "I don't think I can handle dealing with the stress every day. I'll stick with cosmetics, thanks."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, here's my card." He reached into his pocket and gave her his business card. It read JACK SAMSON: P.I. in bold, green letters, followed by his contact information. She nodded.

"Thanks."

"I trust you can keep this little chat between us?" said Jack. "Just so we don't cause a scene?"

She hesitated, silently debating whether or not calling attention to the suspicion would actually do more harm than good, but nodded.

"Good," he said. "Oh, and by the way, I wasn't kidding about my wife's interest in cosmetics. May I get in touch with you sometime in the future?"

She nodded again. "Yes, that would be fine."

He smiled and walked away right as Richard finally came back.

"Who was that?" he asked her, watching Jack disappear back into the crowd.

She looked at her husband. Should I tell him? What would he say? Would he take it seriously or reassure me that it's all probably a hoax anyway?

"A potential new client," she remarked.


Chris stood by himself against a wall, watching the children running around and screaming. Aside from the slightly different theatrics by the animatronic band, it was the same old scene as it always was. But today was different. Today was the day that it would all end...if everything went well. All he had to do was wait and watch for the right opportunity.

After growing bored of standing in the main room, he moved over to the room with the play structures. Peering inside, he saw that it was the same as always in here, too. There was, however, something of interest. He noticed a trio of children, two older boys and a younger girl, hiding beneath one of the slides. One of the boys, in particular, looked strikingly similar to the new employee, Josh.

Sibling, perhaps? I wonder if he's told them about me at all.

As Chris turned away, he noticed a cane laying against the wall.


"Are they gone yet?" asked Olivia as she peered out from beneath the slide.

"Who are we even supposed to be hiding from again?" asked Kendall.

"The bears who were chasing us! Didn't you see them?"

Kendall looked up in pretend thought. "Oh, yes. Silly me. I forgot!"

"There they are!" said Cameron, pointing over at a random spot near the wall. "I think they gave up. They're leaving!"

"Kendall, you go first. Make sure the coast is clear," said Olivia.

Groaning, Kendall emerged from beneath the slide and gave a very exaggerated look both ways, followed by a heavy sigh of relief. "Yep, they're gone."

"Oh, thank goodness!" said Olivia as she helped Cameron out. "I was so worried we would get eaten!"

"Yeah, close shave, huh?" said Kendall.

"I'll go check to make sure our food is still safe. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, honeykins." Olivia ran over to their makeshift hiding spot. Kendall winced at the pet name and Cameron chuckled.

"You know, she really likes it when you play along," he said.

"Yeah, I figured," said Kendall. "The thing is, I've been having to play these games with her all my life. I was hoping that she'd find someone else to play with one of these days so I wouldn't always end up being the sucker stuck with her."

Cameron said nothing. Kendall looked at him and noticed that his eyes went wide.

"I'm sorry," said Kendall. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just...after a while, her games just get a little annoying, you know? It gets frustrating. I guess I was a little pent up."

Cameron still said nothing. After a few seconds, he looked down at the floor with his mouth curled into a frown. He looked like he was trying to understand but wasn't quite able to.

"And hey! You seem to really like my sister. Maybe it is a good thing that the two of you are playing together so much!" Kendall continued, hoping that he was adequately covering his error.

Cameron continued glancing around at the floor and walls, absorbing the words and clearly trying to avoid eye contact. After a few more moments of silence, he squinted at the nearby wall.

"Where's my cane?"

Kendall was slightly taken aback. "Your cane?"

"Yeah, I left my cane against that wall over there!" said Cameron, pointing at a spot near the entrance to the room. Kendall looked over and saw nothing against the wall.

"It's not there," said Kendall.

"Yeah, I know! I'll go see if I can find it. My parents won't be happy when they hear I've lost it."

"You want me to come with you?" Kendall asked.

"No, I'm fine," said Cameron as he began his stagger towards the main room. "Stay here with Olivia. Tell her I'll be right back." Although he did his best to hide it, Kendall could detect hurt in his voice.

He doesn't want to be around me now, he thought. Great. Why did I have to say that? I'm an idiot!

"Okay, food's still safe!" Olivia announced as she practically bounced her way back over to her brother. She noticed Cameron's absence and frowned. "Where's Cameron?"

"His cane's missing," said Kendall. "He went to go find it!"

"By himself?" she asked, sounding absolutely horrified. "What if he trips and falls? We should go with him!"

"He didn't want me to leave you by yourself," said Kendall. "Besides, it probably just got picked up by an adult who thought it was something else. It's probably in the lost-and-found. I'm sure he'll be right back."

She scowled at him. As badly as she wanted to go after Cameron, her mother told her not to leave Kendall's side. She sat down on one of the nearby benches and pouted.

"Well, I'm not playing anymore until he gets back!" she announced.

Hallelujah, thought Kendall as he sat down next to her, waiting for Cameron to return.


Cameron looked around the entire area near the entrance to the playroom from which he came. He was hoping he would see it lying on the ground somewhere, knocked over and kicked around by the traffic. Unfortunately, it was nowhere in sight. Sighing, he resigned himself to having to tell his parents. As he made his way over to where he last saw them, he noticed a man wearing a black suit whom he recognized as one of the managers.

Maybe he can help.

Cameron slowly approached the man right as he finished up a conversation with a patron. He turned to the child as he approached.

"Excuse me, sir?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, young man. How can I help you?" said Derek.

"I don't know what happened to my cane!" said Cameron.

"Your cane?"

"Yes, my walking cane! I left it over there against that wall and now it's gone!"

Derek took a look over at the wall. He furrowed his eyebrows before turning back to Cameron with a smile.

"Not to worry, young man," he said. "Come with me. Maybe someone picked it up and put it with the lost-and-found stuff. Come along."

From the other side of the room, Chris caught a glimpse of his boss walking away with the child. With a burst of determination, he followed.


"Where is Cameron?" Olivia asked. "He should have been back by now!"

"He's probably taking his time!" said Kendall. "Have you seen how crowded it is in here?"

"He's been gone forever!"

"He has not. It's only been five minutes."

"I'm going to check." Olivia hopped off of the bench she'd been sitting on and began fastly walking in the direction that Cameron had gone. Kendall hopped up and hurried after her. They glanced around the main room for any sign of Cameron's brightly-color shirt, but no sign of him.

Olivia gave a worried grunt which caught Kendall's attention.

"What?" he asked.

"He wouldn't just disappear like this," she said miserably.

"How do you know? We've only known him for like a week!"

"Yeah, but whenever he leaves he always comes back. Just like in the jungles!"

Kendall rolled his eyes. Her fantasies were really starting to get annoying. He noticed her eyes beginning to water.

"Look," he said, trying to calm her down. "We'll go ask Josh and see if he can help, okay?"

She sniffled and nodded.


Josh handed the hot tray of food to the man, whose children were tugging at his arm to get their hands on it. He shushed them as he handed Josh the money. As they began walking away, one of the kids dropped his soda, which spilled all over the floor.

Of course, Josh thought, annoyed. He gave the kid a new soda and grabbed the mop and bucket. As he cleaned the mess, he wondered what could be taking Susan so long. She'd gone in the back to grab more napkins about five minutes ago, probably because she didn't really trust him to do it after what happened yesterday. Still, five minutes to grab napkins? Something was up.

He returned the mop and bucket and placed a wet floor sign down. As soon as he got back behind the counter, he was greeted by that unmistakable stench again. He almost gagged at how repulsive it was. It smelled even stronger now than it did before, like rotting flesh mixed with a sewer's odor. He briefly examined some of the machines to see if they were malfunctioning in any way, but none of them appeared damaged.

And then...from directly above him came a small thump. He looked up to see a ventilation shaft. Through the grating, he thought he could make out what looked like an eye. Before he could study it further, there was another thump and both the eye and the smell were gone. He stood there staring blankly up at the vent for a few moments as he struggled to process what he had witnessed while the normal cool air blew back onto him once again.

"Josh!"

Josh turned to the noise, looking around for a customer. When he saw his siblings, he groaned.

"What?"

"We can't find Cameron anywhere!"

Josh looked confused. "Wasn't he just with you?"

"He was, but he went to find his cane and we haven't seen him since!" Olivia chimed in.

"Well, maybe he's having trouble finding it. Give him time, he'll be back. Besides, I can't leave my post right now."

"Could you help us find him? Please?" asked Olivia with pleading eyes.

Josh turned to his brother, who was giving him the same look only more out of annoyance. He briefly scanned the room, hoping that he'd spot Cameron somewhere and get out of this since Susan still hadn't returned and he didn't want to get yelled at. Unfortunately, Cameron was nowhere to be seen. He sighed heavily.

"Alright, but only for a few minutes," he said.

Gesturing with his finger, he led them into the playroom with the mechanical rides. It, too, was full of kids, but given its significantly smaller size than the main showroom, it didn't take long to deduce that Cameron wasn't here.

"Come on," said Josh. He led them into the arcade room. A similar scenario with an equally fruitless result. "You said he lost his cane?"

"Yeah. He couldn't find it anywhere!" Olivia exclaimed with worry growing stronger by the second.

Josh sighed and led his siblings back into the main room. He scanned the crowd of kids who were preoccupied with the animatronics. It took a few minutes, but he finally realized that Cameron wasn't there, either. He noticed one of his coworkers standing nearby, keeping an eye on the children.

"Hey, Gerald?" Josh called out. "Where do we keep our lost-and-found stuff?"

"Up front," said Gerald, pointing with his thumb. "It's the small bin sitting near the front desk."

Josh led the other two up to the front desk. There was Gary, still as excited as ever to be part of the world.

"Gary. Where's the lost-and-found?"

Without a word, he pointed at the small, green bin next to the nearby wall. In it was nothing but a hoodie and a pair of tennis shoes. Josh turned back to Gary.

"Is this it?"

Gary nodded.

Josh turned back to his siblings. "You said Cameron had lost his cane, right?"

They both nodded, Olivia slightly more assertively.

Josh sighed. "Well, let me ask my boss. Wait here."

He led them to one of the benches and walked back inside over to Rebecca's office.

"Hey, Rebecca? I was wondering-"

It was empty. Her computer was on, but the display was just a screensaver of a small plush animatronic bear that looked like it was dancing for joy. Aside from that, it looked like she hadn't even been there at all, with her purse and overcoat gone.

That's weird, Josh thought. She said she'd be here if I needed her. Wonder where she went.

A loud cheering suddenly erupted from the main room behind him, causing him to jump again like he had during his interview. Even through the wall, the noise was startling.

Looks like the animatronics have started their net set, he thought grimly as he headed back to the bench where he had left his siblings...only to discover the bench was empty.


As soon as Josh had disappeared to go find his boss, Olivia started bouncing her legs anxiously on the ground, shaking the bench.

"Could you stop that?" said Kendall.

"I'm worried about Cameron! He would never just disappear like this! And he always knows exactly where his cane is! Do you think someone took it?"

Kendall opened his mouth to say "Why would someone take a walking cane?" but stopped. Perhaps it was just paranoia, but suddenly something didn't quite feel right. There was a chill in the air that he hadn't noticed before. He shivered; it felt eerily similar to the one he'd felt the day before while on the playground right before he saw…

His mind flashed back to that mysterious and creepy face peering out of the bushes at him. He remembered how uncomfortable he felt in its gaze as if the whole world had dissolved around him and he was taken into its otherworldly reality.

After a few seconds, the chill passed, as if whooshed away. He turned to Olivia and saw that she was shivering.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm cold!" she said.

"You mean...you felt cold, too?"

"Yeah!"

Kendall's heart would've leapt in encouragement had his confusion and concern not been so strong. At least he was just imagining things, although he still was unclear whether that made it better or worse.

"What is that?" Olivia suddenly cried in a quiet yet panicky voice. She was pointing at the doorway into the main room. Kendall turned just in time to see a black figure slipping inside. Just before it disappeared from view, it turned to look at him, and he recognized a familiar white face.

"Come on," he said, getting up.

"But Josh said stay here!"

"We won't be long," he said as he pulled her to her feet. "I want to check something out."

Without another word, he led her back into the main room.


Susan returned to the cafe only to find the counter deserted. She groaned in frustration. Really? At the worst possible time? Where did he go?

She scanned the noisy crowd, searching for her coworker amongst the chaos. It wasn't easy keeping the food center up and running by herself on one of the busiest days of the year, and the fact that Rebecca had just informed her minutes ago that she had to go out on an errand didn't help. That boy was already getting on her nerves with some of his antics. She figured maybe it would be best to keep him on cleaning duty for a few days to teach him responsibility.

As she rambled in her thoughts, she was greeted by one of her other coworkers who showed up for his shift.

"Hey Susan," he said.

"Hey Timmy," she said with a smile. "Listen, can you hold down the fort for a few minutes? I need to go track down the new guy?"

"Slacking off already?" he asked with a grin. "Oh dear. I suppose you're gonna wanna give him a good talking-to?"

"You know it," said Susan as she stormed off to go give Josh a piece of her mind.


As Kendall and Olivia walked back into the main room, Kendall suddenly felt like he was being watched again. He looked around for the source, a mysterious black figure, but didn't see anything in the crowd. His eyes fell on the animatronics, which were still singing their songs. It had to be the fifth time going through the set, but he wasn't paying attention. He remembered his mother telling him about the animatronics, about their dead but lifelike eyes and movements. He watched the bear standing on its podium, singing into a microphone in a booming bravado voice, its rhythmic, mechanical movements smooth and flowing. It looked down at him, and Kendall felt unnerved in its gaze. He prayed that it was all paranoia, that it wasn't actually looking at him but just seemed like it. In his fear, he wondered just how advanced their computerized recognition programs were, how they saw people, what a person even was in their minds. What was this animatronic seeing him as? A child? A young adult? A mindless robot like itself...possibly? After a few seconds, the unblinking eyes turned away as the song continued.

"Kendall! What's back there?" Olivia said. She was pointing at a door along the back wall.

"I don't know. Probably the place where they keep all the spare parts...and where they fix the animatronics when they go down." It only made sense, since there had to be an area where everything was kept, which he hadn't seen anywhere else.

"Maybe he went back there!" said Olivia.

"Why would he go back there?"

"I don't know. Maybe he went looking for his cane back there!"

"But isn't the lost-and-found up front?" said Kendall.

"Maybe he saw he wasn't in there!" Olivia retorted.

Kendall said nothing. He was growing increasingly irritated by his sister's annoying suggestions. Why would he go in the back? There's no reason to go back there! His cane has to be out here somewhere, in the clutches of some other meddling kid.

"Cameron?" she said suddenly.

"What?" said Kendall.

Olivia ran over to the door and pressed her ear against it.

"I think I heard him!"

"You heard him?" said Kendall, walking up next to her and placing his ear against the door as well. "How can you hear anything in this noise?"

"I heard him shout!" said Olivia. "I think he's in trouble!"

She grabbed the door handle and began pulling on it. The door was heavy, too heavy for her arms to manage. Kendall grabbed the door and stopped it.

"Olivia, we can't go back in there! We're not allowed!"

"Didn't you hear that?" Olivia cried. "And it's cold again!"

Kendall stopped. He noticed that she was right. There was an eerie chill emitting from the door, the exact same mysterious one from before, although now it felt even stronger as if he had opened the door to a freezer.

Out of nowhere from somewhere inside, a loud cry echoed out, causing both of them to jump. Kendall turned back to the restaurant, but nothing had changed. The outside environment had not changed and everyone was still going about their business, completely endless to what he and his sister were experiencing.

"He's back there. I know it!" said Olivia with determination.

Kendall hesitated. He still didn't feel completely comfortable with this plan, but that cry really did sound like Cameron's. If he really was back here somewhere and in trouble, someone should help him. Maybe their parents…

But before he could continue his thought, Olivia brushed by him and squeezed through the gap in the doorway, which was just barely big enough to fit her.

"Wait, Olivia!" he said, pulling the door open and entering in behind her. After a few feet, he caught up to her and grabbed her.

"We need to get help."

"But Cameron!"

"I know, but maybe Mom and Dad can help. We don't know what's back there. What if it's an intruder?"

"So?"

"So...you wanna go after someone who might have a knife or a gun? Well...do you?"

Olivia began to cry softly. "I don't wanna leave him here alone!"

Kendall opened his mouth but he heard the door opening behind him. In a panic, he pushed his sister into the closest room he could find a few yards down the hall. Although it was dark, he could tell it was a small supply closet, judging by the damp smell and the wooden broom handle and plastic bucket he was pressing against.

Outside the door, footsteps echoed through the hallway. As they approached, Kendall's heart began thumping harder and faster in his chest. It felt just like that movie Rise of the Sentients when the main character was hiding in a similar environment from a deranged-looking robot that was stalking him through a building. Thankfully, the guy got away, but only after a tense wait and a bladder-emptying jumpscare. As the footsteps grew closer, he began to imagine the face that would pop out from the darkness they were found. He closed his eyes, hoping it wouldn't be like in the movies.

Olivia was shaking from head to foot. She didn't know what was going on...or what was happening to Cameron. She was always brave in their games together, but she didn't imagine going off on an actual mission. All of her courage was gone. She was paralyzed on the spot, and Kendall, her older brother who always guarded and reassured her, was just as shaken as she was by the looks of him, which only made the situation worse.

The footsteps outside finally reached the door that they were hiding behind. Despite her efforts, Olivia let out a small squeak. The footsteps stopped. Kendall stepped back as best as he could. The floorboard beneath him creaked.

A single footstep came from outside and within a second, the doorknob was turned and the door was flung open. Kendall gave a panicked yelp and lost his balance, nearly falling over in the process. He was about to cry out for help when he noticed his brother's eyes glaring down at him.

"Josh!" screamed Olivia as she embraced him in a tight hug. "We're so glad to see you!"

"What are you two doing back here?" said Josh, annoyed. "Even I'm not allowed back here...and I work here!"

"We followed Cameron back here!" said Olivia.

"What do you mean 'followed?'" said Josh. "The only people I saw coming in here were you two!"

"We heard him shouting back here," said Kendall.

Josh looked back and forth between his two siblings. Olivia was nodding frantically while Kendal said nothing at all.

"Why would Cameron be back here?" said Josh.

"Maybe the monster took him!" said Olivia.

Her brothers both looked at her in astonishment.

"What monster?" Kendall asked.

"The one wearing that big black coat! With the makeup on his face!"

Kendall and Josh locked eyes. Without any verbal confirmation, they both knew what she was referencing and could tell that the other had seen it before, too. Neither of them was sure whether to feel relieved that they weren't going crazy or even more nervous in light of the revelation.

"When did you see it?" asked Josh.

"Last night outside my window," said Olivia, making her brothers' hearts sink. "I woke up to go to the bathroom and when I came back to bed I saw him looking at me."

"Why didn't you tell us?" said Josh.

"Because he was gone right after he saw me, and then I woke up in the morning. I thought maybe it was a dream. But then…" She trailed off. Her lip began quivering and she looked like she was about to lose it again. Josh pulled her back into a hug.

"It's alright, 'Liv. Just tell me."

She wiped her eyes. "When Cameron first left to go find his cane, I thought I saw something following him, but I didn't see it for very long."

Kendall stood in silence. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He never noticed that. Why did Olivia tell him?

Josh sighed. "Well, let's take a little look around and see if he's back here. If something or someone was following him, maybe he's hiding from them in here somewhere."

Olivia nodded.

The hallway was surprisingly silent in contrast to the noise coming from outside the heavy door. The walls were stone and the lights above them were dim. It almost looked like something out of a horror movie. There were a few more single doors lining the wall leading to a set of thick double doors as the end. They slowly approached the first door and Josh pushed it open. It was some kind of storage room filled with boxes of machine parts and other accessories. Josh recognized a few spare guitars over along the wall for the animatronics, as well as some more safety straps here and there like the ones he and Susan had applied yesterday.

"Not in here," he said, pushing the others onward.

Inside the next room was some kind of research lab. There were monitors all over the wall showing various parts and assembly processes listing many terms with which they were all unfamiliar. There were also a few desks and tables scattered throughout the room.

"Whoa," said Kendall. "I didn't think that this place was so...technologically advanced."

Cautiously, they stepped foot inside and began examining the place a little closer.

"What is all this stuff?" asked Olivia. "Is this like those medicine labs we see on TV?"

"I don't think so," said Kendall. "I don't think medicine labs work with such weird chemicals." He noticed a few test tubes on one of the tables and picked one up to examine. As soon as he did, he was hit by a powerful stench. It smelled absolutely revolting, like decaying flesh mixed with sewer mush. Even through the glass, it made him want to vomit. He put it down and backed away from it slowly.

Olivia peered up at the contents of one of the desks. "What is this?" she asked.

Kendall walked over and took a look at it. "It looks like schematics," he said.

"What are those?" she said.

"It's like a blueprint," he said. "It's showing how something gets put together."

"Like the robots?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, skimming through some of the designs. Most of them were showcasing different animals, from rabbits to bears to foxes to owls. Most of them looked intriguing yet ordinary, but there was one in the mix that looked odd. There were no distinguishable features of it aside from being slightly humanoid. Its labels were much more complex and difficult to understand.

As he put them down, he noticed that Olivia was no longer standing beside him. Before panic could set in, he saw that she had gone over to see what Josh was looking at. As he turned to check more of the test tubes, that familiar chill hit him again. He turned to the hallway just in time to catch a glimpse of a dark shadow moving further down the hall.

Josh's attention was absorbed in a small container that sat in the corner of the room. It looked like a box specially-designed to carefully house and carry something important. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly reached up and opened the container slightly. As it opened, a small wave of immense heat came from it. Josh pulled his hand back, rubbing it on the spot where a superficial burn mark was already present.

Inside the box was a small container holding a glowing, orange substance. Judging by the heat, Josh's first thought was lava until he realized that actual lava would probably be too hot for even this high-tech container to handle. The liquid inside looked calm and unmoving with no heat bubbles simmering at the top. Josh shook his head. It didn't make sense. How could something be so hot yet look so calm?

"What is that?" came Olivia's voice from right next to him, making him jump.

"I don't know, 'Liv, but I don't want to find out," he said, quickly closing the box before the mysterious contents burned him again. "Let's just find Cameron and get out of here, okay?" He looked up and noticed that they were alone. "Where's Kendall?"

They checked around the room behind desks and tables, anywhere that their curious brother might have gone in his fascination with how things worked. He wasn't there.

"Where did he go?" said Josh.

"Maybe the monster got him, too!" said Olivia, sounding like she was about to start crying once again.

"Shh, don't say that," said Josh. "Maybe he's back in the hall."

To their great relief, they saw him standing in the doorway of the next room down the hall, looking inside.

"See? He's here, being fascinated by something, as usual," said Josh. As they approached, they noticed a horrified look on his face. "What is it, Kendall?" Josh asked.

But Kendall stood there silently, his lips quivering as he stared blankly ahead of him. Josh walked up to him, intending to shake him out of his trance, but when he approached his brother, he turned to the doorway through which his brother was gazing.

Standing there in the room were Derek and Chris. Chris was holding Derek firmly by the collar, their faces inches from each other's. Derek looked confused and terrified. His clothes were ruffled like he'd been dragged around and his face slightly bruised like he had been struck a few times, while Chris wore a look of murderous intent.

"I don't care about your stupid little rules!" he shouted as he shook Derek's shirt violently. "I told you before that I'm not your slave! Now give me the kid!"

Derek turned and looked to the corner. Chris followed his gaze and saw it. A dark shadow stood lurking in the corner. Its face was pale and it had a single, glowing eye, which illuminated from beneath a thick black hood. Kendall and Josh immediately recognized the figure, but Olivia's breathing quickened.

"What is that?" she whispered frantically, tugging at Josh's sleeve. "Josh, what is that?"

But Josh couldn't speak. All that filled his mind was the figure standing there. He could only stand there staring at it. Kendall stood frozen in his place as well. He couldn't tell from this distance in what direction it was looking, but it felt like it was staring right at him, paralyzing him with its deadly gaze. Olivia wanted to cry, but she was likewise too scared to even do anything except match the creature's gaze as though she would get hurt if she moved.

"What is that?" shouted Chris. "And what is that?!"

Following Chris's pointing finger, Josh looked down and nearly vomited on the spot. Laying firmly in the figure's grasp was Cameron's limp body; his head was lolling to one side and his body was lanky and appeared emaciated, but the most notable thing were his eyes. They were open and ghostly black with what looked like a dark liquid leaking from them.

They were all startled by a sudden scream. Josh turned, expecting to have to calm his sister the best that he could, but was surprised to find Susan standing right behind them, unable to contain her own horror. The sound of her scream broke Olivia from her trance and she began screaming too.

The creature, also startled by the noise, embraced Cameron's body, tucking it beneath its cloak, and immediately disappeared from view. Chris gave Derek a hard shove. Derek fell front-first onto a pile of spare parts and gave an anguished scream. After a few moments, he fell to the floor, his ghost-like, unblinking eyes staring at the ceiling with a large metal pipe sunken deep into his now-bloody chest.

Chris turned and locked eyes with Josh. Josh stared back at this man, still at a loss for words. He studied Chris' face, from his twitching lip to his flaring nostrils. His eyes were frantic and lost; obviously, things had not gone the way he planned. Without a word, he charged at them.

Josh made to block him off but he was shoved violently to the ground. He got up to go after him, but Olivia's terrified scream turned his attention back to her. Kendall was holding her, trying to calm her down, and from the look on his face, he was struggling not to scream, too.

Susan was now sobbing. Following his brother's example, Josh walked over and pulled her into an embrace. By now, there were people running toward them through the now-open door into the main room. Some were asking what was wrong while others took notice of the manager's body lying motionless on the floor. Soon, Emma and Richard were there, both crying out in agony at the sight.

From there, everything happened in a blur. At some point, Josh's mind registered the smell of the main room and the sound of screaming and crying children. He couldn't concentrate on the finer details. All that he could think about was what he and his siblings had just witnessed: Derek's bloody body, Chris's expression, Cameron's lifeless body, and that horrible pale face hidden beneath the black hood.


A/N: Whew! That was a long one, wasn't it? I know I said I'd try to keep them shorter, but with how climactic this chapter was, there was actually I lot of detail and buildup that I felt needed to be included. To any avid readers who may have been eagerly awaiting this update, I apologize for the delay. Life's gotten a bit busy and hectic this month, and probably will be throughout next month too with the holidays still coming up. I'm not sure when my next update will be, but I will certainly try to get at least one more chapter out before the year's over. That said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

And to all my U.S. readers, I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. We all certainly have a lot to be thankful for this year!