Before Author's Note: As promised, here is a longer chapter. It took me a bit longer than I expected. I'm currently in English 101 and Creative writing so I'm stuck writing a bunch there. Either way I hope y'all enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 2: Night 1
Mike made himself comfortable by sitting in the previously occupied swivel chair and took a minute to get familiar with the office.
The room had two entrances on opposite sides of the room, each paired with two buttons. One was red with the label 'door' above it while the other was white with the label 'light' above it. The office also had a desk which had a fan, a plastic pink cupcake with big eyes, a digital clock that said '11:58', a tablet, an office phone, and a red and white spiral cup with a straw that had a sticky note on it. The sticky note read, "Good luck! - Jeremy" in neat writing.
After Mike glanced over the note he, in one fell swoop, tore the note off, crumpled it, and tossed it haphazardly to the nearby trash can. Missing, he had only added to the trash around the empty bin. Mike paid no mind, however, for he was chugging down the lukewarm drink.
"Coca-Cola," the name popped into Mike's mind, "I'm more of a Pepsi man, myself"
Just as soon as Mike finished off the Cola drink; the lights outside the office and throughout the restaurant, all shut off with an alarming, *Ka-choom*
Mike could swear his throat went dry again after the soda. Everything felt stiff and oddly quiet, save for the light hum from the desk fan. "This place is definitely off…" Mike muttered to himself, "Guess I should get the layout of the place, before anything else at least."
Now having a plan of action, Mike takes a peek down the west hallway. He could just barely see what seemed to be a utility closet and some drawings through the thick blanket of darkness that was spread throughout the pizza restaurant.
Not willing to walk blindly in the dark, he tried rummaging through the drawers in the desk. And sure enough, he found a great big pile of papers.
"Ugh, couldn't they've given me a flashlight, seriously." Mike grumbles.
Peeking through the left door again, Mike debates whether he should check the closet for a flashlight. Inching forward, he softly curses himself for being afraid of a little darkness.
Taking full steps now Mike approaches the utility closet passing some children's drawings along the way. He stops in front of the door reaching for the doors' handle and grabbing it firmly, he gives it a pull.
Nothing,
Mike tries tugging it again.
It rattles, barely budging.
"Well, I guess I'm stuck in the dark then."
Glancing back at the office he debates whether or not he should cut his losses and go back. He ultimately decides against this and presses forward, out into the dining space.
The dining room was very spacious and abundantly dark, much like the rest of the restaurant, filled with tables with confetti tablecloth draped over them and chairs with a star on the backs of the seats. All shuffled around in a disorganized heap.
Mike's eyes wander over the sea of dining furniture and eventually finds himself staring up at the stage at the far end of the room opposite of him.
Up on stage, there were multiple colored stage lights all pointed at each of the three characters on stage. All the lights were subsequently off. On the right on stage facing out to the dining area, Mike saw the outline of a bunny-like animatronic. From what he remember from his interview, the bunny wore a red bowtie and held a painfully fake plastic guitar that was red to match the character's tie. The character itself was lavender in color. Mike couldn't place the name for the animatronic.
The character in the center was a brown bear that wore a black tie, similar to the bunny character, and a fitting top hat. He held, surprisingly, a real microphone. It would be all but impossible to not know that he was Freddy Fazbear, who was the face of the Fazbear franchise.
And to the left of Freddy was a large yellow chick animatronic. She held a pink cupcake with eyes, on a small plate, similar to the one in the office and also wore a bib that read, 'Let's Eat!' Just like the bunny character, Mike couldn't remember the name of the character.
One thing that all the characters had in common was the dead look on their faces. The half-lidded eyes and open mouth all capped off with the empty stare into the empty room. Mike felt a cold chill go up his spine making him shiver.
Mike turned to leave, feeling a need to rush, but bumped into a custodian cleaning cart instead.
"Oof, I need to watch where I'm going..." Mike muttered, grabbing the handles of the cart.
Almost instantly a small whirring sound could be heard onstage; startling Mike he looked back at the stage to find.
"What in the fresh hell-" Mike cuts himself off,
"Holy shit fire."
Freddy and his band had turned to face the fresh nightguard. Their eyes were wide open and glowed with light, making them appear less dead inside and, instead, a great deal aware.
Mike froze in place, like a deer in headlights, unsure whether to make a run for it or to stay still. Mike watched nervously; waiting for what the cartoon characters would do.
Mike's grip on the cleaning cart tightened as the bunny and chick animatronics looked at each other then back to himself. Even though the side characters had blatantly moved, Mike was more unnerved by Freddy and his unwavering gaze.
Right as the tension was rising to its peak, a ringing could be heard through the hallways. Mike instantly thought of the phone in the office. He glanced at the hallway he had come from and back to the characters on stage as the bunny and chick were stepping down from the stage.
Mike took off, bolting down the hallway passing the closet and drawings again. Turning into the brightly lit office, Mike slapped the door button which brought down a thick metal door that slammed to the ground with a loud clang.
Mike jumped at the sound, startled by the heavy door. He paused to catch his breath but quickly snapped back to the sound of the phone. He swiftly picked up the phone from the receiver and held it to the side of his head. He hoped that the person at the other end would be laughing at him. Telling him that it was all some cruel joke. However, a high pitched voice from what sounded like an older teenager greeted Mike.
"Hello? Hello, hello? Uhhh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Umm, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm...finishing up my last week now as a matter of fact so...I know it can be a little overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you: there's nothing to worry about, uhh, you'll do fine! So...let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Ok?
Uh...let's see. First, there's an introductory greeting from the company I'm supposed to read. Eh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. 'Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza: a magical place where kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage, property or person. Upon the discovery of the damage or death of the third, a missing person's report will be filed within ninety days or as soon as property and premise have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached and the carpets have been replaced. Blah, blah, blah.'
Now that might seem bad, I know, there's really nothing to worry about.
Uhh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No! If I were forced to sing...those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too. So remember: these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children. You need to show them a little respect. Right? Ok.
So just be aware: the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uhh, they're left with some kind of 'free-roaming mode' at night. Uhhh...something about their servers locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uhh...they used to wander during the day too, but then there was the Bite of '87. Yeah...i-it's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, ya know?
Now concerning your safety: the only real risk to you as the night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters...uhh if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll-they'll most likely see you as a metal endo-skeleton without its costume on. Now, since that's against the rules at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit. Umm, now that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area, so you can imagine how having your head forced inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death. Uhh...the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth would pop out the front of the mask. ...Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up...
But hey! First day-night should be a breeze; I'll chat with you tomorrow, uhh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power.
Alright. Goodnight."
Mike had to consciously close his mouth from the shock of the phone call. The phone call seemed to swirl around Mike: night roaming animatronics, metal endo-skeletons, death by suits. When Mike checked the time it was a little over three o'clock and the power was at 53%.
Realizing he had left the door to his left closed, he simply pressed the button to raise the door with a similar sound to the door closing. Shoulders sagging, he cupped his face in his hands and slumped in his office chair. After Mike recomposed himself and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Glancing around the room he found that it felt smaller than when he first arrived.
Turning his attention back to the tablet, he flicks his way through the cameras to spot the characters. When he clicked the dining room camera, he was surprised to find the room tidied up and clean.
"Well, I guess I don't have to clean up after all." Mike murmured.
He then changes the camera to the stage to find Freddy and the chick animatronic on stage. Mike stared at the camera for a while, feeling like he was missing something. And when he found out what was missing, a chill went up his spine. The bunny animatronic was still not on stage.
Mike felt the panic rise up again and looked through the cameras to find the rouge animatronic. Finally spotting the bunny at the west hall corner, looking straight into the camera. Mike lunged for the buttons on the door but hesitated. He held the light button down and peeked out the door, holding his breath.
There stood the animatronic staring at the camera. They were bigger up close than what Mike was expecting, however, he could see better detail now that he was close. The bunny animatronic had definitely seen some lavisher days. The lavender fur that covered the suit was stained and matted with greasy handprints and what Mike assumed, or rather hoped, was pizza sauce.
Mike took a second to breathe and was hit with a smell that wasn't there earlier. The smell was gag-inducing and eye stingingly rotten. He wished he had held his breath for longer now that he knew there was a stench. His face scrunched up and he started coughing. He brought his free arm around to cover his mouth and muffle the sound but there was no hiding his cough.
The bunny animatronic slowly swiveled his head to look down at the scruffy man. The two of them were still as they stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Mike slowly removed his arm from his face and gave a soft, little wave. The bunny animatronic looked shocked for a second before relaxing, returning a clunky wave.
Mike leaned back into the office having successfully, establishing dominance. He noticed that the light button was still on even when he let go of the button. He tapped the button again to turn it off, with more knowledge of how the doors operate.
Mike relieved a sigh as he plopped himself in the office chair. Lifting his hat in one hand he ran the other through his hair. It was a bad habit of his when he got stressed. Some old college friends of his pointed it out at some point, so Mike became somewhat self-conscious of it.
He broke out of his daydream when he heard a loud clang that made him jump from his seat. The sound came out the right doorway and was soon followed by more metallic shuffling. Mike tapped the light on and looked into the east hall and found only a few news articles on the walls. With further listening, it sounded similar to a kid playing with pots and pans deeper in the restaurant.
Mike tapped the light off and strolled to the opposite doorway, curious about what his bunny neighbor was up to. Tapping the light button, it merely clicked and the hall remained dark. Tapping the light repeatedly to no effect, save for the click-clacking of the button itself. Remembering the incident with the door Mike gives up and stood there frustrated.
Standing before the pitch-black doorway, Mike was conflicted whether to peek out of the safety of his lit room. However, curiosity got the better of him so he reached out hesitantly. Not even a foot away from the door he felt a hard plastic wall covered in a soft, oily fabric. The bunny animatronic was in the doorway.
Yelping, Mike snatched his hand back tripping backwards. After scrabbling around to get back on his feet, Mike turned to run through the unoccupied doorway. Quickly tapping the light button he rounded the corner and was face to face with the chick animatronic. She appeared to be looking in the window but quickly glanced at Mike with her mouth wide open. Mike did not stick around long enough to get a better view of the character. He just knew she smelled more rotten than the bunny.
Hastily returning to his sanctuary, he smacked the door button and with a loud clang the barrier separated him from the chick. Pressing his back against the door, Mike slides down to the floor staring out in the open doorway; looking near the top of the doorway, he saw two pinprick white lights where the bunny's eyes would be. Mike tugged at the edge of his collar finding it hard to breathe. Standing back up, he decided that now would be a good time to bargain.
"So, uh, I appreciate the company and all, but, uh, could you maybe not come into the office that would be splendid. Um… yeah." Mike spoke as he edged back to the desk reaching around for his tablet.
Quickly flipping the tablet to his face, he glanced at the time and power that remained. It was nearing six o'clock and there was 7% remaining. Mike nearly dropped the tablet when he heard the sound of soft, wispy, groaning. Peaking over the tablet he felt sick to his stomach. The bunny animatronic had started making his way into the room. He had one foot in the office with a hand gripping the door frame and seemed to be ducked down, leaning into the office.
He stared straight at the night security guard with unwavering magenta eyes. Mike did not dare look away because he knew for a fact that if he did, that he might as well have been a goner. They stayed like this for only a few moments before the sound of bells filled the air. Suddenly the lights in the building burst on and the cheery atmosphere returned.
The bunny stood up and seemed to switch himself from 'psycho death robot' to 'overly enthusiastic band member'. He glanced over at Mike and tilted his head in a cute and cartoonish manner before straightening out and saying,
"Hello! If you would like to see Freddy, Chica and I sing, please return during our opening hours."
And having said that he walked out of the office, presumably returning to his stage.
The bunny's voice was strange to Mike; it felt too friendly. He had just been looming there, staring at him with a look filled with scorn. Mike couldn't tell which felt more in character for the bunny. He felt himself gripping his hair. This was the fear his brother felt his entire life.
Mike fell to the ground. His entire body felt numb. He scooted himself under the desk collecting the dust with his uniform. He cradled himself in the fetal position. And with that he finished his first night.
After Author's Note: Well how about that? I've got myself discord server, if anyone's interested you can pop in and get an early heads up when I'm gonna post a new chapter. And I also got myself a Twitch and Youtube account so if y'all wanna catch me playing some games go ahead and check me out. I should live stream frequently on twitch and upload the VOD's on Youtube. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, and until next time, see ya!
Twitch: CreeperMageInc
Youtube: CreeperMage Inc.