There were still a few hours left before the security guard could leave this building. This gave Springtrap a little time to figure out how to go about cornering them. Really, if the guard would just hold still, everything would go much more smoothly.
Was it because the guard thought Springtrap might do something to them? How much did the guard know of Freddy Fazbear's past? Maybe that was why they were avoiding Springtrap so much? Because of the rumors, that weren't precisely rumors but couldn't be proved, as he had made certain of it?
Perhaps.
Right now, it was taking some time for Springtrap to be able to move again, because of being zapped with another electrical charge. Clever of the guard to set traps for him, but it only worked for a little while. The good thing that came from the inactivity was being able to work through some more coding.
Springtrap smiled humorlessly beneath Spring Bonnie's mask.
He had finally done it.
He had broken through the programming that forced the animatronic to stay within the building. Springtrap could leave now. So if he were unable to get the guard cornered to ask them questions, then Springtrap would be able to leave the building and follow the guard home to find those answers.
Springtrap, after failing to seize the guard's ankle, decided to keep his distance for the remainder of the night. He observed the guard carefully, but when it appeared the guard had no more tricks left up their sleeves, Springtrap decided to go after them directly, and not subtly at all.
Heedless of the noise he made, Springtrap moved as quickly as he was able to. He gave chase to the guard through several rooms, but Springtrap had no luck cornering the guard.
A human body was much more nimble and able to quickly dodge and duck away from a slower animatronic.
No matter how quick Springtrap made himself lumber down the hall, it was no use. It really didn't help that Springtrap occasionally ended up stopping, twitching now and again from the electrical shock he'd received earlier.
6AM came too soon, and the guard left immediately, without looking back this time.
Too bad they hadn't looked, as they would have witnessed the sight of Springtrap lumbering out of the building.
Springtrap was proud of his ability to override the programming and being able to get outside. As a bonus, the night guard didn't notice the large shadow that dogged their steps the short walk from Fazbear's Fright to what appeared to be an apartment.
Why would the guard live so near by?
A coincidence?
Springtrap lurked in the shadows of some trees across the street of the apartment. He kept an eye out for any cars that might be out this early in the morning, while the guard entered the apartment. Springtrap waited patiently there, until a light came on in a room on a ground level apartment. The room was toward the back, out of sight of the street.
Perfect.
No one would see him.
Springtrap slowly turned his head to look to either side of the street. When he confirmed that there were still no vehicles in sight, Springtrap lurched across the street. Spring Bonnie's AI didn't seem to like leaving the building, because there was some resistance, but Springtrap pressed through it, despite the occasionally glitching of his metal endoskeleton parts.
Springtrap's corpse's lips twitched into a twisted smile of grim amusement. As much as he felt that he could easily shatter a window, it would be more imperative for him to observe through the window for a time, and see what he could glean from the guard.
A single car that passed by looked unfamiliar, and sleeker than Springtrap was used to. Springtrap crossed the street, and once he reached the window, moved out of range of casting a shadow. Satisfied that he wouldn't be seen for now, Springtrap peered in through the window at an odd flat screen that was attached to a wall.
It appeared to be news of some sort.
Springtrap's eyes glowed a little brighter as they focused on the screen, before the animatronic blinked at the date. Springtrap didn't know how to process what he saw.
30 years.
Springtrap had been sealed away in that room, trapped within this spring lock suit for three decades?
Springtrap strained to hear the voice that was speaking on the screen, but it was too faint, even with animatronic hearing. The screen soon blinked out, as the guard curled up on the couch and appeared to drop right off to sleep.
Springtrap heard a rustle behind him a distance back, and went to investigate, where he found a newspaper. Springtrap glanced at the apartment before reaching down and picking the paper up. The Spring Bonnie animatronic went to go lurk beneath some trees near the back of the apartment building. Springtrap confirmed the date on the paper, and skimmed the contents of the paper without really latching onto much of the information, as he occasionally glanced up at the apartment.
A thought struck Springtrap.
Did the guard happen to have a computer? That would yield more relevant information. It would be a bigger source of knowledge than a newspaper.
Springtrap left the newspaper on the ground. It didn't look like it was going to rain any time soon, according to the content he did retain when paging through it. Springtrap made his way over to the guards' apartment window, dubious over being able to get in so easily. Springtrap smiled lightly over the way the window slid up with barely an effort at his prying fingers.
Foolish.
The window made some noise but the guard merely stretched out and flopped over before going still again.
Springtrap got the window open as far as it would go, and found that he was just barely able to fit the bulky animatronic through the space. Luckily, the floor was carpeted, which muffled his feet hitting the floor and didn't alert the guard. Springtrap shuffled past the couch and located a computer in another room of the small apartment.
Springtrap lowered himself onto a chair as best he could, despite it creaking under the combined weight of animatronic and corpse. Not that his corpse would weigh all that much by now. Springtrap examined the computer with its different design for a time, as well as its monitor, before attempting to figure out how to get it to turn on. Springtrap ground the animatronic teeth when he found that the computer being password locked.
Smart, if not useful for him to get the knowledge that he required at present.
Springtrap rooted around the desk, looking for some sort of clue, and instead found something much more interesting, and rather damning, about the guard. It seemed like the guard was suffering from memory loss due to some past trauma, but from the letter, an old friend had offered them a job at Fazbear's Fright.
Springtrap glanced over the letter a second time:
Hey, I know you weren't happy over the idea of this gig but there's nothing to worry about. We may not even have an animatronic, so it's not like some serial killer is going to show up and kill the visitors. Don't know where you heard that, but seriously, it'll be fine.
No serial killers here in my building. It's probably just something from those pieces of missing memories from last month when you, you know, were outside of one of those old Fazbear places.
Anyway, if you're interested in the job, come by on Monday at 9 in the morning.
Springtrap set the letter aside and after a little more rummaging, found the password. Getting onto the computer brought up many unfamiliar icons that Springtrap didn't recognize. But Springtrap selected one that was called internet. Springtrap paused at the sight of all of the information bombarding him, before he began to cycle through each one of them.
And then froze.
There were searches about serial killers who had been around in the past. Murderers and other terms were used as well. Questions about what had happened to the ones who were never caught. There were many searches on Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and its many locations, and even some searches on Fredbear's Family Diner, as well as questions about the apparent murders and speculation of what had happened to missing children.
There was one search that really gave Springtrap pause.
It was one that had been about Henry Emily and William Afton.
While Springtrap was amused to read about himself, it made him wonder what the guard knew, if anything. Was it all research for Fazbear's Fright, where the guard worked? Or, based off the letter, was it a genuine concern of someone who may or may not know something that they shouldn't know? From what Springtrap could tell, the guard didn't look to be older than their late 20s, so it wouldn't be like they knew anything relevant. They were too young to have been alive when everything happened, but then again…something didn't seem quite right with the guard.
But what?
Springtrap typed in his own searches in the internet, pleased with how quickly the information came, even if some of it was obviously untrue, yet interesting nonetheless. It was only when the time drew closer to evening that Springtrap decided to see if the guard was still passed out. Springtrap typed into a document for a short while, animatronic fingers still struggling to work, before he heaved himself up off the chair and went out of the room.
Oddly, Springtrap found that he could not rouse the guard, so he instead decided that there was always the upcoming overnight shift. From the look of things, the guard would have no choice but to go in for work. Springtrap didn't want to risk being seen by any passersbys, so he went to the window and got himself outside, before carefully closing the window. It was odd that it had been unlocked, now that he thought about it, when the guard had been gone from their home.
No matter.
It worked out, as the fact that Springtrap had gotten in and out without notice was sure to give the night guard some doubts. Springtrap retrieved the newspaper from within the tree-line, before he made his way across the street to walk the short distance to Fazebar's Fright.
The guard had had their fun.
Springtrap decided that he would finish with his tampering that evening, as he entered the building a couple minutes later. The dead man turned the anmatronic head to look around, before he found a room to start in, and crouched to seal off the vent. While Springtrap worked, he had memories of the past slowly clicking into place, except for a few important ones that still eluded him.
Serial killer.
Murderer.
No matter what you are called, you did this to us.
We won't forget.
The words followed Springtrap as he moved about the building, sealing off vents except for a few chosen ones. The voices haunted him, instilling a sense of unease, but it wasn't because he had killed and felt guilt. It had all been carefully planned, down to the last child being lured away. The unease came because of the details that were missing. Springtrap knew that those details were important, but had yet to find out why.
"Everything will come back to me...in due time..." The dead man rasped to himself in the otherwise empty building.