Michael could swear up and down that he was dreaming. But this was reality, and frankly, reality was fucking terrifying most of the time. Because the strange thing in the closet was speaking to him. To him! And using that nickname only three people have ever used…
He licked his lips.
He grabbed the closet's handle.
Being honest, Michael was absolutely terrified. His fear matched Evan's fear, who was shaking behind him.
"Who's there?" he repeated.
"Guess," replied that soft voice.
Mike stepped back, still surprised by the fact there was a reply, and that the thing that replied was somehow sentient enough to make a reply at all! He swallowed thickly.
"How do I know that guessing won't lead to our immediate deaths?"
"You don't," it said plainly. "But that is what makes it all the more fun." Mike didn't say anything, so it continued to speak. "The anticipation of knowing… Isn't that enticing? I think, rather, you know the answer of who I am instead of what I am. I am certain you would not like knowing what I am. At least, not right now."
"You seem pretty certain of a lot of things," Mike said.
"Yes, I am."
"Charlie," Evan said, as quiet as a mouse. "Are you Charlie?"
"Unfortunately not. I know she is important nonetheless." Michael heard the sound of servos turning. "No, I don't know where she is either."
Mike inhaled. "One of the children? The five missing ones?"
"No."
That answer was not surprising, but he tried anyways.
"Lizzy?" Evan peeked out, blue eyes large, staring at the closet. "You have to be Lizzy!"
Michael felt hopeful. "Are you?"
A gentle exhale exhibited out from the closet, airless and just sound. "Perhaps… Perhaps I'll indulge you if you do me a favor. It is not a tricky favor, but it does require some patience. Do you have what it takes?"
"Yes," Mike said breathlessly. He cleared his throat. "What's your favor?"
"Go into the diner. Look for the golden rabbit. The bear shouldn't be there, but that's okay. Come back and tell me what you found inside the suit."
And then the green lights went off.
Michael and Evan looked at one another, completely covered in the darkness of the room.
"How are you going to get into Fredbear's?" Evan murmured. "Isn't it all closed?"
Michael walked out of the room, glad to get away from the creepy thing in the closet. Evan followed him close behind. "I know how to handle that." It wouldn't be the first time he'd broken into unauthorized areas.
Evan's eyes glistened. Knowing. "Be careful."
He kissed his little brother on the forehead. "Worry more about yourself, okay?"
Mike left as soon as he could. It wasn't uncommon for him to be out of the house these days with nothing to do. He thought about taking the bus to Fredbear's, but he remembered how close nearby it was from his victimizer days. Although it stopped snowing for now, the wind still blew at Mike's face with a sudden chilliness. He walked through the slush with determination. The cold he ignored.
The walk was shorter than he remembered it to be. Maybe that was because he was walking and doing nothing else. Well, walking and planning. He wasn't sure how he'd made his way into an entirely boarded-up building. And without getting caught too.
He was already working on a plan when a group of familiar looking kids passed him. Michael tried to not pay anything attention to them, even when he heard one of them mutter a dreaded word.
Murderer.
Oh boy. Mike couldn't turn that down. Turning around, he grabbed the sleeve of one of the kid's shirts. "Excuse me?"
The kid tried to fake innocence. "Excuse you?"
"Hey!" one of the others shouted. "Isn't that our dear friend Michael Afton?"
Suddenly, three familiar faces crowded him. Mike bared his teeth. The boys who were once his friends were now pure strangers. He could barely recall their names, and didn't even care to try to. Mike released the sleeve he grabbed, composing himself and walking onwards.
"I don't think you have the right person," he said over his shoulder.
"Oh. We do."
Hands snagged at the back of his jacket, making Michael's walk turn into a run. Quickly, as he heard footsteps rush towards him from behind, his run turned into a full-on sprint. The cold air whipped at his face, freezing him from the inside out. He ran down the path the sidewalk created, soon jumping onto the lazy morning traffic. The roar of engines around him drowned out the sound of footsteps.
Mike looked back behind him, seeing a glimpse of the pursuing teenagers. He pushed himself to go faster as he dodged car after car. "Be careful," said Evan's voice in his head. With a nod of promise, Mike weaved between cars and trucks and jeeps, landing so hard on the other side of the street that he felt dizzy. He pushed himself up, and despite his burning lungs and pounding heart, continued to run all the way to Fredbear's abandoned building.
He ran and ran until he was absolutely sure nobody was following him anymore. Without being sure, Mike felt risky in the sense that he'd jump over the gate lodged in front of the building. The climb was simple- the climb out would be trickier. By the looks of it, the building was already starting to be prepped for a new use. He'd have to be quick.
The inside was just as abandoned as the outside. At least the inside wasn't the main focus in construction yet. The place was dead. Nobody was here. That relieved Michael, but it didn't stop the emptiness from sending a shiver down his spine.
He walked around, feeling nostalgic. Too nostalgic. Almost overwhelmingly nostalgic. Michael knew he'd been to this place too many times as a kid, and that train of thought didn't make him feel any better. Neither did the remark commented by his crappy ex-friends. Murderer. Apparently the attempt to keep the dead children mystery under wraps was not working very well. The crazy part was that they thought Michael himself was the killer. What he did to Evan was an accident. Only an accident. He didn't know the locks in Fredbear's mouth would trip.
What did Afton say about the spring lock suits? Weren't some of them overly sensitive, like if a small hint of moisture or air touched the locks, they would trip? Seemed dangerous, Mike thought. He was completely unsure how the company still deemed the suits "safe". Well, hopefully not for long.
The stage where those two yellow animatronics played and danced was still there. All of the tables were left untouched, like everyone just suddenly vanished. Or like the place was set up for upcoming parties, but nobody cared to come. Mike thought it was a little sad. He walked through the table isles, heading up towards the stage. Below center was still a very familiar red stain on the carpet.
Too quickly, he found himself plunging back in the memory. His eyes were attacked by colorful stage lights. Ears were being haunted by the songs and pitiful crying. The weight on his arms filled him with regret.
And always, always, was that terrible sound and blood.
Michael shook his head, chest tight with the memory. He felt like crying, leaning all of his body weight on the stage's corner. It was all in his mind, but he swore he could smell the metallic liquid that was once there.
A sound off in the distance snapped his attention out of his wallowing. Mike looked up in the space where it came from, warry and suspicious. But curious all the same. He instead crawled underneath the stage, wriggling into the dusty control module. It was clear the module was designed to only fit one person while sitting down, but that didn't bother Michael the slightest. His concerns laid more on what in the fresh hell was in the old restaurant with him.
He moved as far in the module he could, covering his mouth to ward off dust. The sound of footsteps filled the empty building, echoing. Michael could catch muted voices through the halls. He groaned inwardly. Those bloody bastards managed to follow him.
A few pairs of legs passed by the module's hidden entrance. He held his breath.
The sounds of footsteps receded down another hall. Mike wriggled out of the module and went the opposite direction. Pictures made by children were still hung up on the wall. Sunlight streamed through the windows despite the wooden boards. Glitter and fanfar littered the floor, making Michael wonder when this place was last cleaned. And if anyone would clean it anytime soon.
Most of the doors were locked. Smart. Though there probably wasn't anything stealable in any of those rooms. Maybe.
Mike continued down, listening intently. He turned the corner cautiously, running his fingers against the decorated wall. The place was quiet. To Mike, it was almost too quiet. The goal to find the yellow rabbit was tricky. A poster of the two golden robots flashed by his peripheral. Mike wasn't even sure where the robots themselves were even placed.
He thought about when he was a kid. The shows performed by those animatronics always used to entice him. It never mattered if the songs played were meant for him or not- he always enjoyed them. He used to know them all by heart. But then he got older, and the adorable robots became creepy. With himself and his own thoughts, he wondered how it all changed for him. Where did the wonderfulness of childhood vanish off to?
He kept trying doors. Unsurprisingly, they were all locked.
Except one.
Mike's mind didn't think too much about it until the knob finally turned in his hand. His eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, he pushed open the door. The inside of the room was as black as night. Wishing he brought a flashlight or something of the sort, he walked blindly into the room. After just a few steps, something touched his forehead. Reachin up with a hand, Mike came into contact with a long string. He tugged on it, and immediately the room was illuminated with light.
Just a turn to the right and he found what he was looking for. But something was wrong. The suit looked like it was placed down haphazardly, almost like someone had been here before him.
Michael backed out of the room and exited the building. When he got home, Evan was waiting for him, eyes sparkling. Michael walked right past him and straight for Elizabeth's room. He faced the closet in the darkness.
Mike cleared his throat.
The same green light illuminated the closet as before. "Ah," said that soft voice. "You're back."
"I found the suit," Michael said.
"The golden rabbit one?"
"Yes."
Mike figured the lights came from eyes. Two large green glowing eyes. When the lights vanished, there was a blink.
"You are a very strange person. Someone who faces fear with a face not of just bravery, but of pure determination. I wish I was like you. I wish I was full of that kind of resolve. I wish I could help you ameliorate your search, but I'm not allowed to." The closet doors parted slightly, giving Michael some view of the hidden robot character. It looked like a cartoonish clown mixed with a giant toddler girl. A shiver ran down Mike's back. "He's not-so clever if you know his favorite game. Everyone has games, you know."
Mike swallowed. "What's his favorite game?" he asked hesitantly.
"Chase."
That didn't make Mike feel better at all. He pulled on his thumb, making sure he wasn't dreaming. Reality hit when the pain did too.
"It is getting late. Mother and Father will be coming back soon." The clown-girl turned her face to his direction, a permanent smile on her face. "Thank you big brother."