Nothing. No clues. I found nothing.
After maybe two hours of sleep in my amazing cardboard hut-house- which didn't do much for my energy levels, but it was something- I'd figured I should be productive during the day as well as at night. I dedicated a few hours lingering in specific locations. Jr's Bar- that was an especially tricky one as I crept behind garbage and greenery to remain unnoticed. Especially from the bartender. I had no idea if Abby still even worked there, but I certainly wasn't about to find out. I don't care if she told the truth. She's still a liar.
Twelve o' clock snuck up fast. At ten til, I unlocked the door for what would be the third time now- the second night working at this pizzeria. The party room looked… the same as last night. Dusty floors, big tables, rickety carousel, creepy animatronics on stage, empty Puppet box, and OUT-OF-ORDER Foxy Cove welcomed me once again. I hadn't acknowledged that purple curtain the previous night. He's broken?
I slipped into the security office. Firstly, I checked out those big file cabinets against the wall. Their yellow paint chipped off in places. By almost breaking my knuckles, I found out that these cabinets were pretty solid. I managed one dent at best. No opening them by force. I need a key. With a sigh, I gave a tug at one of the handles. The door clicked open promptly. My eyebrows raised. Oh. But in trying another door, I discovered that the rest were- as initially expected- locked. The open cabinet revealed a stack of extra guard uniforms, old colouring packets and their crumbling crayons, and a ruby-red guitar that gleamed in its nostalgic glory.
That's right, Bonnie used to play. Why did he stop? I remembered the posters and advertisements accompanied by cool riffs. With sluggish but careful movements, I skimmed the contents of the desk drawers. Just stupid papers and trash. The last guy here was a total slob. I slammed everything shut with more force than necessary.
If Father doesn't show up here, I have no leads. What if he's not even in this state-
BRRRING! The phone's chiming frightened me into a ready fighting stance. I blinked and repositioned into the desk chair. Right! 12 am! My body sank upon hitting the cushion. The ringing grew in urgency, almost but not quite drowning the drowsy effects of the desk fan's white noise. I lifted a finger to mute the call but stopped, reluctant and guilty. And tired. Maybe I'll let it play tonight…
"Uhh, hello? Hello? Uh, yeah, if you're hearing this, and you made it to day two- congrats!"
"Thanks," I mumbled wearily in response.
"Yeah, so, Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses. Yeah. Uhh, it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone is in their proper place…"
My hands moved to do just that, meanwhile a childish pout formed on my face. This is pointless. You can hear them coming. And it's too early for them to move now, anyway.
"They weren't like this before. It's almost like somebody made them upset. Hah. I'm just pulling your leg, actually."
I squinted. Right. I did do that.
"But no, they do move a lot," Phone Guy contradicted himself. "Hey, interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often. I think he becomes a lot more active in the dark though. That sounds like me, haha- nah, I'm single." A pained chortle accompanied that. My hands closed around the desk edge. So am I. The camera feed flickered, creating the illusion of movement for the umpteenth time. I almost wanted them to move now.
"Um, sorry," Phone Guy mumbled, then continued his awkward rant, "Anyway, yeah, I guess that's one more reason not to run out of power, right? I-I also want to emphasise the importance of using your door lights. There are blind spots in your camera views, and those blind spots happen to be right outside your doors. So if-if you can't find something- or someone- on your cameras, be sure to check those door lights! You might only have a few seconds to react. Uh, not that you would be in any danger, of course! I'm not implying that. Here at Fazbear Entertainment, we value the safety and wellbeing of our employees-"
I stopped the call, grinding my back teeth and rolling my eyes. They just make him say that. The camera feed shuffled once more- or was that movement? Chica wasn't facing that direction. Or Bonnie. Or Freddy. Damn.
"We're live," I muttered like a lethargic radio announcer.
It was just the same gradual game as before- Bonnie made his way to the office, then Chica; they wasted the power as they stood behind the doors, taunted mercilessly, then left. If I hadn't already been through so much, this little game would be terrifying to play. But thanks to a lack of heartbeat, my body refused to panic.
The clock displayed some time after 5 AM. I hadn't paid much attention.
Gasping in fright, I met Bonnie's eyes before closing the door. He made his way to the window next. I didn't have to turn on the light to see the dumb little smile stretch across his face. This is funny to him- torturing the guy he thinks is his killer! That's when I noticed the footsteps sounding down the other hall. I whirled. There was the chicken; her frame blocked the doorway.
"AGH!"
As I fumbled for the door button, it hesitated with a KRRK! The floor seemed to descend under my aching feet. No, no, it's JAMMED! Chica smiled at my misfortune. She pushed warm, unnatural breaths through her gaping beak-mouth onto my chilling face. I couldn't move. My nose was irritated with spicy pepperoni smell, and my body was more frozen than ready-made pizza.
"What's wrong?" she taunted. I blinked, swallowing away some mental imagery of fragmented body parts. Oh shit- Chica's body pounced like a rabid creature, her hands lunging for the kill. I had to think fast.
Chair! my brain directed. I sprung into action, getting a grip of the swivel chair and heaving it over. Chica lurched back as a mechanical scream caught in her throat. I gave the door button a good thwack. The door nearly took the bird's head clean off, I think. SLAM! As for the other door, I kept it shut until a glance at the cameras told me Bonnie was nowhere near me. A tiny laugh found its way out of my mouth. See, I'm a natural! But then I saw the power. The percentage dropped faster than my Junior year grades. 20%... 17%...
No way! I protested internally as I pressed random keys on the computer in the hopes it was a glitch. There has to be something wrong! On one of the camera feeds, a flash like lightning shot across the floor. My eyebrows pinched together. The hell? This system is garbage!
I can't just stay a sitting duck, I quickly decided once the power level ticked below ten. I have to do something to keep them away. A distraction. Or something. My hands found the taser on my belt, and my guts pretzeled in response. No. I can't. I felt an urge to check my six, and as I did, I caught sight of Bonnie's rad strings in the locker cabinet. That is oddly convenient, isn't it? Did someone leave it here on purpose? I pushed that unimportant thought away. Maybe I can use it.
On the camera feed, Chica began the same route back to the hall. I squinted at those flickering pixels on screen. She walked past some posters; one of which seemed to gleam in the pale light. In my intense examination, I realised that one of those posters was not like the others. Something like determination stirred from my toes up to my chest. Is that- that's a fire axe. That's a weapon. Why did I not notice that?! My hands tingled for it.
If I break these animatronics, nothing can stop me from searching this place. No more danger. Oh! I spun in the chair as my head spun with ideas and fears. But I could get in trouble! But I'm already in trouble. Shit. It doesn't matter. Would it hurt them? No. It could help them! They're not like me. Destroying them could free them.
I peered down the hallway; Chica was for sure heading down the other one. Then I started forward. My throat was tight with anxiety. In the dim area, the posters and other wall decor overlapped each other. They expertly shadowed the brown glass container of which the fire axe hid. A single rap-tap against the glass freed the weapon. No key or anything required.
I'm a lucky boy, I thought, squeezing the axe handle with two unsure hands. And now what? I wait? Crouching steadily, I held my breath and listened. Faint footsteps sounded from somewhere in the building. I figured that Chica found the office. My ankles shook after a short while, so I settled against the wall. Or, I thought I did- my back reeled through a curtain. Wood and nails pressed into my skin, catching my fall. Huh?! I pivoted and rose from the floor. It just looked like wall behind me. My eyes narrowed. The longer I squinted, the clearer the curtain became. I gripped the fabric and tore it away.
A secret room! my brain observed excitedly. To be more specific, it was an entrance, and the boards nailed over it restricted a pitch-black abyss. Metal, mould, and meat scents wafted freely into the air. I took the axe from the floor. With little effort and a wrinkled nose, I brought the old boards down. I bounced on my heels. There's gotta be something in here! I wish she could have seen this!
Footsteps resounded behind me. I spied over my shoulder. At the end of the hallway, I saw pink irises and a jumbo bunny's silhouette.
"There you are!" Bonnie cried out in joy. Then, without warning, he broke into a clunky run. A hoarse yelp escaped past my lips. I fled; my shoulder bounced off Chica's body, and I stumbled backwards into the office. The chair's arms caught my hands. I glanced at the computer. POWER: 14%. Bonnie's ears hung past the metal door frame.
Guitar! I sprang to get it from the locker. Before Bonnie completed his little jump-scare, I waved his prized instrument under his nose. His eyes and the pupils within bulged.
"Would you be interested in th-this instead of-"
He didn't let me finish as he attempted a rapid swipe. I flinched back, scolding like a clever parent, "Nuh-uh-uh!" What I assumed was a pout formed on the robot rabbit's face.
"That's mine!" he whined in protest. I forced on a stern expression, swallowing back doubt.
"Th-then you'll have to come g-get it. Follow me."
Bonnie froze in place, and for a second, I thought time had stopped around me. His eyes didn't move from the guitar. He longed for that guitar. My neck tensed. Okay… I took a step back. And Bonnie stepped forward- a stiff, mechanical motion. Eyes wide, I stepped back again. Bonnie moved.
This is working? I thought, unsure. Or I broke him. Hurriedly, I backwards-marched to that secret room. My footsteps made quiet patters while Bonnie's clanked on the tiles. Strange that he didn't notice the rusty axe in my other hand. I bit the inside of my cheek and stepped into the doorway of the mystery room. Light from the hallway didn't do much to illuminate the walls- I was able to discern a few screens and faded cartoony faces. The edge of a bulky arcade cabinet rubbed against my backside.
Bonnie hesitated in the doorway. His eerie shadow engulfed me. I lifted the guitar, keeping the axe against my back.
"C'mon," I called for him. A rotten taste settled in my mouth then. I swallowed. I've done worse. I didn't exactly understand what I was about to do. The rabbit twitched. An eternity later, he entered the darkness. I bit down against my teeth and feebly tossed the guitar away like it was a stick for a dog. Then I slunk back. Bonnie crouched, picked up his guitar, and played six sharp notes in succession.
"Finally," he exclaimed, forgetting me instantly, "I can really party now!" I grabbed the taser, thinking that I could incapacitate him first, but nausea loosened my grip. I can't. I refocused my energy on holding the axe upright.
"Do it," I hyped myself up under my breath. I couldn't shock him, but I could destroy him just fine. Using all my body weight and pent-up feelings, I sent the axe crashing down onto Bonnie's head. The metal sliced through his face like a hot knife through butter. I yanked the axe out of his thick jaw. Bonnie's head spun to face me. Wires raged about almost as if they were alive themselves. Red pupil-like dots flashed where his eyes used to be. I kicked the animatronic down, biting back an apology. I'm hurting him. Bonnie stumbled too easily and began screeching with an ear-piercing pitch. He shielded his not-face with his paws as I swung the axe again. This huge bunny animatronic cowered like a defenceless child at my feet. A swing connected with the guitar, making a resounding twang.
"N-N-NO-O!" Bonnie screamed with a pained, eerily human yet robotically-broken sound. Another strike rendered his left arm a withered mass of twisted wires. I heard another scream- this one in my head- and pictured a wide-eyed girl on the opposite side of the room. I squeezed my eyes shut. Shut up! This is the only way! There's no going back now! Her glossy gaze flared through my eyelids. Only when Bonnie quieted did I stop dismantling him.
My body gave out, crumpling to the floor. Both my eyes and limbs ached. I thought I'd fainted, but after minutes of staring at dark cobweb shadows on the ceiling, I suddenly jerked upright. My hands, both translucid and a healthy rosy tone, faintly lit the darkness with their glow.
My soul, I knew. The inky darkness was still and silent, the arcade room a faded background within. Faraway music seemed to play behind the walls. Another glowing, glass-like body sat up a few feet away- a young boy. He sat in place of Bonnie's pieces, and the murmur of his quiet crying echoed throughout the room.