"Hmm...mister Afton...shouldn't have made this chair so comfy..." Mike said as he stretched, doing his best to stay awake.
The newest Fazbear Family security guard struggled to remain conscious even with a grape-flavored caffeinated beverage in his system. However, it wasn't his fault; he made sure to sleep as much as possible before coming to work so he could easily stay up all night. The blame instead lay with William, for it seemed like every part of this security office was designed to render him unconscious. First, you had his leather seat, then there was the air conditioner keeping the room at a nice cool temperature, and lastly, you had the total silence that filled the building; it all came together to form the perfect conditions for slumber.
"What time is it?..." He asked while looking at the tablet which rested in his lap, "Oh, wow, it's almost two." He discovered, "Well, I guess I can start my first patrol sooner than I planned. I think I need to. Otherwise, I'll slip into a coma in here." He decided as he got up from the chair.
Stretching a little more before heading out, Mike left the office to make his rounds once he was good and limber. Funnily enough, he didn't even need to use a flashlight since the place was illuminated by all the signs and other decorative sources of light, which made his already easy job even more so.
"Alright, the main area is secure." He said with his hands on his hips, having a little fun at how uneventful this would be, "No chair is out of place. No table has been scuffed. And Freddy and the gang are still smiling like idiots." He listed, referring to the signs with that last part, "Can't wait to go into every room and find the same results over and over again. It'll be the most exciting thing ever!" He exclaimed as he swung his right arm in front of him, hamming it up as much as he could.
Hey, you have to find some level of fun and enjoyment out of patrolling an empty building all by yourself. You can't blame Mike for getting a little silly with his antics. Even so, Mike knew when to pull it back, hence why he walked normally into the next area rather than marching as if he were in a parade, for the thought had crossed his mind for a moment. The first room he investigated was the designated party space, indicated by the long tables and chairs that filled it.
Mike still didn't fully understand why so much effort went into furnishing the place. The arcade machines, prizes, and other items children would play with made sense since he needed to test those. But the tables, chairs, and other furniture had no reason to be here. So, what was the point?
"Maybe this is for the animatronics?" He wondered, coming up with a possible explanation, "I can see that. To make sure they don't bump into people during a birthday party. Or, in the worst-case scenario, break down and fall face-first into the table." He reasoned, his mind now filling with the tragic (yet admittedly hilarious) image of Freddy Fazbear falling on top of a poor unsuspecting birthday cake.
After he was sure that the party space was the way it should be and no dastardly deviants were hiding in the corners, Mike returned to the main area to move to a different room. However, for the sake of being thorough, he made another quick check of the room since he did want to do his job properly. And when he did, Mike could've sworn that a few of the chairs looked weird, not to such a degree that someone had definitely moved them, but still, something felt off.
"...Nah." He said, casting away any absurd thoughts that tried to invade his head, "My brain's just messing with me. I've never been alone in the dead of night in a place like this. So it makes sense I'm a little on edge." He reasoned, using logic and a sound mind to explain it.
With that settled, Mike moved to check the bathrooms next, which wouldn't take long at all. One stall after the other in both the men's and women's restrooms was searched, and the only scary thing hiding in each of them was that the toilet paper was put in the wrong way. And, as pointless as it might be, Mike couldn't keep himself from fixing all of them because whenever the time came for nature to call, he wouldn't be able to answer if the roll wasn't in the correct direction.
"...What am I doing?" He stopped for a moment to question himself, a roll of two-ply in his left hand, "I am a security guard in what could be described as an abandoned arcade. And yet I'm standing alone, in a bathroom, rearranging all of the toilet paper instead of doing my patrol." He described, just now realizing how insane this was.
But seeing as how Mike had already done most of the stalls at that point, it'd bug him even more if he left it alone now, so he carried on until he was done. A full five minutes had gone by; whether or not they were well spent depended on your personal opinion regarding the proper direction of toilet paper.
"You know, I think I've earned the right to test the arcade games now..." He sighed, feeling a little regret for how wasteful that five minutes was, "After that...I think I'm done. There honestly isn't anything in the other rooms worth checking on." He said, taking a second to think about it.
Mike, like before, made his way out of the ladies' room and entered the main area to move to a different part of the building. Only this time when he did, the chairs didn't feel odd from his point of view, which for him proved that it was all in his head. Although, as Miike walked through the room to get to the arcade area, he couldn't help but feel as if someone was watching him. But unlike with the notion that ghosts were nudging the chairs when he wasn't looking, that was much more understandable due to the abundance of cameras.
"Let's see..." He began when he reached his destination, clapping his hands together as he did, "Are there ANY games here that aren't Fazbear originals?" He asked while scanning the sea of virtual delights.
Unfortunately, no. Whether it was due to some legal mess that Mike didn't care enough to learn about, or his boss only wanted Fazbear products in his businesses, the games present were those that were made in-house. However, because this was a test facility, none of the machines required tokens to play, so if he found one he didn't care for, or there was something wrong with one of the games, he could easily move on to the next.
"Hmm..." He hummed, trying to guess which of the games might be the best purely from the title, "...I...guess we'll start with Freddy In Space." He decided.
The machine Mike had chosen was on the other side of the impressively large room positioned against the wall. Two long rows of other various games and arcade delights surrounded him on both sides as he made his approach. Upon reaching the cabinet the game was housed in, Mike waited to start playing as a preview video of what the gameplay would be like appeared on the screen, which was convenient since now he knew what to expect.
"Huh, it's an fps..." He noted, a bit surprised by that due to how some parents feel about the genre, even when it's made child-friendly, "...Okay. I think I get the gist. Zap the aliens, find your friends, get a high score." He said as he pulled out the plastic gun holstered on the cabinet.
Squeezing the trigger of his zapper on the assumption it'd begin the game, which it did, Mike still had to wait to play since an intro movie started.
"In the deep unknown of space, where no bear has ever gone before, a menace looms on the horizon threatening to take away our most precious resource. Pizza." The narration spoke, making Mike roll his eyes.
"Subtle." He commented.
Giving the trigger another squeeze in the hopes it'd skip the movie, which it did not, Mike let out a sigh as he'd have to stand here and listen to this corny dialogue.
"First suggestion, make the movie skippable. I don't think any kids are going to have the patience for this." He thought, "Although, the illustrations of the characters are pretty nice. They have a Saturday morning cartoon vibe." He added as it continued.
Forced to wait until he was finally given control, Mike was left standing there with a plastic gun in his hand with nothing to shoot with it. However, as Mike kept his focus on the intro cutscene, his back facing the rest of the room, he failed to notice the shadow that was suddenly cast upon him.
"And so, as our fearless hero, Freddy Fazbear, begins his search for his kidnapped friends and stolen cheesy treasure. He enters an abandoned space station, completely unaware of the dangers that lie within." The narration concluded, finally at their end.
"Okay. Great. I can start shooting aliens now. Hopefully." Mike said with a sigh of relief as he raised the gun and pointed it at the screen.
Watching as the screen for but a second turned black, it was in that fleeting instant that Mike could see his reflection in the glass...as well as something else that was behind him on top of another arcade machine. Unfortunately, before he could register what it was that he saw, a sudden voice rang out through the air.
"DEATH TO THE INTRUDER!" It shouted, followed by something impacting Mike's back with enough force to push him forward into Freddy In Space.
Letting loose a startled yell as ANYONE would, Mike's first action was to reach behind him and HOPEFULLY remove whatever it was that had latched onto him. Luckily, he was able to get a solid grip on it, discovering that his attacker was surprisingly soft, which then allowed Mike to pull it off of his back and throw it to the ground. And it was then, at that moment, that all of the panic and fear that was rushing through Mike's body disappeared, replaced by a numbing shock once he saw what had ambushed him.
A small red fox, dressed in a pirate costume, the spitting image of the Fazbear Family mascot Foxy, only much younger as if it were a child.
"Argh! Ye got me good there ye dirty scoundrel!" It exclaimed, its voice also like that of a child's, "But don't think ye've bested me yet! I, the great captain Foxy, will strike ye down!" It proclaimed before rushing at him and latching onto his leg.
Before Mike could even attempt to say or do anything, which was almost impossible given his current state, the fox opened its mouth and bit down on his shin as a form of attack. The sudden jolt of pain caused by this snapped Mike back to his senses, and the first thing he did was what anyone in his situation would.
"GET OFF OF ME!" He shouted as loud as he could, rearing his leg back and kicking it forward with as much force as possible to try and rid himself of this...this...THING.
Luckily, due to the size difference and lack of grip strength on the fox's part, it was sent flying off of Mike's appendage. Soaring through the air and across the room, the fox's flight ended when it made contact with one of the arcade machines, an audible thud accompanying the collision. With his leg now freed, Mike let his body take control as it rushed for the room's entrance, wanting to get as far away from that creature as he could. And yet, right when his goal was but a few feet away, Mike stopped, halted in his escape by what sounded like...crying?
It was quiet at first, a sniffling nose, but soon came a few whimpers and the eventual sounds of a distressed child. Although a part of him wanted to keep running, planning on making it to the security office and closing the doors, Mike couldn't keep himself from moving towards the corridor between the games where the noise was coming from. To no surprise, it was the fox; as it laid on the floor with its eyes tightly shut, tears leaked in mass, matting the fur on its face. On top of that, the fox's tail and legs were pulled inward as it curled into a ball, the crying only intensifying as the seconds passed by.
Seeing such a sight changed the mood in an instant. No longer was Mike afraid for his life; if anything, a sickly feeling of guilt was welling up inside of him.
"It...It really is just a kid..." He thought as a look of regret appeared on his face, "I...I didn't mean to hurt them. Whatever THEY are. But I did. And I can't leave them here all alone knowing that." He decided.
Although there were so many questions burning in his mind, Mike put them aside to focus on the issue at hand, tending to this hurt child. His approach was slow, just in case this was a trap or something, for he couldn't rule out that possibility just yet. But as Mike got closer, and the fox continued to cry, it became clear that this wasn't a facade; they were genuinely in distress.
"Uh...hello," Mike spoke, hoping to get their attention.
However, when the fox heard his voice, its eyes shot wide open, and an expression of terror appeared on its face.
"Hey, easy now." He continued to talk, holding up his hands as he did, "I'm not going to hurt you." He said.
"L-Liar!" The fox exclaimed while it struggled to choke back its tears and whimpers, "St-Stay back!" It commanded as it tried to scooch away, only to stop immediately as the pain in their back flared up, "OW!" It shouted.
When that happened, the fox continued to cry, making Mike want to help it more.
"I'm sorry." He apologized, hoping that would earn him some trust, "I didn't mean to hurt you, honestly. I was scared when you bit me, so I tried to protect myself." He explained.
"...*Sniff*..." The fox sniffled, trying to calm down so it could speak some more, "Y...Ye...were...scared?..." It asked, only able to get that much out.
"Yes, I was. You were VERY scary." He complimented, believing that would make them happy.
"I...I was?..." The fox inquired, their mood slowly but surely improving.
"Oh yeah. I felt a shiver go down my spine, my stomach jumped up to my throat, and every last hair on my head stood on end." He told them.
For a few seconds, there was silence. The only sounds either of them made were the fox's sniffling. Then, in what was a major relief to Mike, the fox reached out for him, wanting to be picked up.
"C...Can ye make my back feel better?..." It asked, showing that it was willing to trust him.
"I sure can," Mike answered with a smile before he sat down next to the fox, "So, here's what we're going to do." He began, gently picking them up so he could put them in his lap, "Put your head on my chest, close your eyes, and listen for a thumping sound. Focus on that, and the pain will start to go away." He instructed.
"Y...Ye promise?..." The fox asked, looking up at him with its bright yellow eyes.
"Cross my heart and hope to die." He answered, even going so far as to draw an X over his left breast.
That one tiny gesture was all it took to convince the fox that this would work, so they laid their head down where Mike had drawn the X. Sure enough, as the fox closed their eyes and listened for the sound, a rhythmic beating entered their ears. As they did this, Mike carefully placed his left hand on the fox's back, where he then started to move it up and down to help soothe the pain.
"Well?" He inquired, wanting to know if it was improving.
"It's...working..." The fox quietly replied while it nestled into his chest, "My back...feels...better..." They added before a yawn escaped their mouth.
"Are you sleepy?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"Mhm..." They responded as they gripped onto his shirt, not intent on letting go.
As the seconds became minutes, Mike watched with a smile that wouldn't falter as the fox relaxed more and more, until eventually, he was certain they'd fallen asleep.
"...I have no idea what just happened..." He thought, now able to think with a clear mind since things were peaceful, "I have SO many questions. Sadly, I'm pretty sure there's only one man who can answer them. And I might not see him until tomorrow. If he doesn't come back at six, that is." He continued, referring to William, "But...despite the bite to my leg and the heart attack I nearly suffered...this is by FAR the best outcome to the situation. Especially since I believe I've made a new friend. And an adorable one at that." He concluded with another smile as he lightly scratched the top of the fox's head.
Even in their sleep, the fox responded to the contact by leaning in, signifying that they enjoyed it. Feeling his smile grow bigger due to that display, Mike decided that both he and his new crimson companion would be much better in his office rather than on the floor of the arcade. So, he carefully got back to his feet, making sure not to wake the sleeping critter, and when he was upright, Mike left the area with his tiny partner in tow. However, like before, Mike failed to notice something as he left, several pairs of eyes all watching him from the shadows, their gazes mostly focused on the fox in his arms.