Gaz slowly peeked out of the closet, glancing back and forth before inching along the dark hallway. Her eyes were peering around, looking closely for any sign of animatronics that were trying to sneak up on her, her ears trying to pick up any kind of sound whatsoever. She moved slowly and deliberately, trying not to make too much noise. Those animatronics were fast, after all, and she didn't want to take any chances. After passing by the bathroom, she took notice of the prize corner off in the distance, not too far from the arcade.
There was another ghost child there, sitting on the countertop, head hung, slowly sweeping it back and forth. It was humming a bit, none of the other animatronics nearby as Gaz slightly inched closer to get a better look at what it was holding in its hands. It was, oddly enough, a key. It turned it over in its hands, Gaz blinking at the odd design it had on the end: a gigantic circle with an x through it. Odd. What could it be to?
The ghost slowly vanished a few moments later, the key being put on the countertop, Gaz glancing left and right before slinking along the floor, crouched low as she snagged the key and then hid behind the counter as she heard that familiar, ugly sound of THRAHK THRAHK THRAHK coming close. She cringed, keeping her baseball bat close, Bloaty's ugly voice echoing through the pizzeria.
"Heya kiddos! Bein' a Bloaty's is soooo much fun! You're gonna love it here! I GUARANTEE IT."
Those last words sent a shiver down Gaz's spine as she bit her lip, waiting as Bloaty lumbered through the arcade, slightly bumping into one of the machines with a faint CHA-CHUNK before he seemed to stop. And indeed, though Gaz couldn't see him, she knew. She knew he was looking in the direction of the prize corner countertop. She squished herself as tightly into the currently-empty prize corner as she could, hearing horrific, musky, heavy breathing as Bloaty peered over the countertop, placing gigantic hands down with a thud as he looked about.
Gaz held her breath. The seconds seemed to tick by for hours before, at last, he grunted, getting up and heading away. "Always a good time at Bloaty's kiddies! Come and let Bloaty give you a big hug!"
Gaz waited, taking in a deep breath before making sure he was really gone. She wiped her brow, peeking over the top of the prize counter countertop before looking down at the key, pocketing it before inching towards the kitchen. If she could clear out some of the cupboards in there, she could probably hide there for a while before her shift was over. But she cringed at the cheery, ugly-looking little boy animatronic that was walking down the hall near the kitchen. Luckily she had an idea, slinking behind one of the arcade machines before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her wallet. She tossed it at the nearest machine, making it whack off arcade. "OW!" She loudly yelled out, the boy animatronic's attention gotten as she waited for him to race towards the machine she'd thrown the wallet at. She saw him waddle towards it excitedly, laughing in a high-pitched, mocking tone.
She carefully crept away towards the kitchen, making her way inside, seeing one of the cupboards WAS open at the top, and only had a few pots in it. She snuck onto the countertop, glancing back briefly and listening. Yep. That idiot was still by the arcade machines from the sound of it. Breathing a sigh of relief, Gaz took the pots out, then crawled into the enormous cupboard, closing it behind her and waiting, suddenly hearing a familiar vibrating sound, quickly getting out her phone. She was glad she had muted the sound on it as she looked down at the screen, quickly changing the brightness setting, only her breathing echoing through the cupboard.
"On my way, you HAVE to get out of there." A text from Dib seemed fervent and terrified. She knew the feeling, giving a sad sigh before exiting the screen. She froze up though at the sound of something moving through the kitchen, humming.
"Throw her to the hungry rats for dinner, throw her to the hungry rats for dinner, throw her to the hungry rats for dinner ear-ly-in-the-moooorning!
The Hunter. She zipped the lip, not saying anything as she kept hearing him move through the kitchen, singing that song. But every single verse got progressively more louder as he got closer. She didn't say anything, the Hunter just continuing to sing before a familiar laugh filled the air.
"Ah-hahaha!"
"Ah, hello there, BB. How are yeh?" The Hunter asked, turning away, inches from her own cupboard as Gaz held her breath, not saying a word.
"I thought she was by the arcade machines, but the night guard's not there. Got her wallet though!" He laughed, holding the wallet up. "Bet she might feel like coming out if we threaten to set fire to all these nice dollar bills inside."
Gaz would have been mad, but it was a matter of "confront these idiots now and probably die over fifty odd dollars" versus "stay in relative safety". Not really much of a contest. She stayed quiet and still, the Hunter evidently walking off with Bloaty Boy or whoever it was that it called itself and waited for a few more minutes, biting her lip. Then, at last, she tried to push the cupboard open.
It wouldn't go. She blinked, trying to push it again. It wouldn't push outward, why in the-
"Ah-hahaha!"
"Oh no." She grunted.
"Gotcha! Hiding in a cupboard? Your ideas are so lame."
Gaz inwardly cringed, but tried not to show fear. "Ha, ha. You're a laugh riot. Now lemme out."
"Oh, I will! Right after I get Hunter. I'm sure he'd love sticking his sword into you again and again and seein' all the nice blood that's gonna pool out of you from every hole in the cupboard!" BB remarked with an overly cheery, chipper tone.
Gaz kicked at the cupboard door, growling darkly. "Let me out!"
"Nah, I don't think so." BB said with a snicker, making his way back out of the kitchen as Gaz kicked at the cupboard door with renewed force. Damn it, she didn't have time for this! She had to get out of here. She bashed her head against the door in an attempt to get free, slamming her shoulder into the cupboard door, but none of it worked. And then she heard the Hunter's chuckling.
"Well, well, well. Look what I've caught here. Ain't this a lovely little sight. You're completely helpless, ain'tcha lass?"
"Oh yeah? If I was out of this cupboard, I'd shove your sword so far up your own ass your breath would smell like steel!" Gaz snarled, trying to be brave. The familiar fury was filling her. That sense of rage, anger and entitlement that allowed her darkest, deepest secrets to boil forth. If she just had enough space to get out and get a good shot!
"That's cute." The Hunter wisecracked. "You, thinking you stand any chance against me."
"My brother's going to be here any minute. Once Dib's here, he'll stop you for sure, he's all about that kind of paranormal-"
The Hunter audibly drew in a harsh breath, Gaz blinking in surprise at this as BB let out an "Ooooh". "…did you say…Dib?" He asked. "…the Dib-Stink!?"
Gaz stiffened in the cupboard. No. No, it couldn't be. But then a loud honking noise filled the air and an unmistakable chuckle came from the Hunter's mouth. "I'll be right with you, Little Gaz. But I've an engagement to take care of."
"Ooh, Mary's come to save his widdle wamb!" BB remarked cheerily, clapping his hands together as he and the Hunter slunk out of the kitchen, Gaz banging on the cupboard.
"DAMN IT! No, no, no!" She quickly reached down for her phone, beginning to type a text into it as Dib opened the car door and slunk along to the back of the place, looking up at a vent which was juuuust big enough for him to crawl in. He got atop the dumpster it was underneath, unscrewing the screws that held it in with his handy-dandy pocket screwdriver before climbing inside. He shuffled through the vents, a faint jingle ringing through the air.
She blinded me with science!
She blinded me! With SCIENCE!
Dib picked it out of his jacket, looking it over, eyes narrowing. "They know you're here".
SHA-SHING! A sword shot through the vent inches from where his face was, his eyes bugging out, mouth hanging slightly open before quickly shimmying further down the vent, the sword getting yanked out, then shot back up into the vent again, barely missing him before Dib finally saw the exit in the distance: the kitchen! He was just about to slip out when this time, the sword hit him.
In the eye.
"GAAAAAH!" He screeched, reeling as he flopped on his side, howling, dropping his phone, clutching at his wounded eye. "Jesus Christ!" He screamed out, hearing horrific, mocking laughter as a sinister chuckle lingered in the air.
"Well, well, well. After all these years I finally get to do what I always wanted. Kill Dib."
But Dib was not going to give him the satisfaction. Though his eyeball was cut into, his skull feeling as though it was on fire, all Dib could think of right now was Gaz. He launched himself through the vent, the sword missing him once again as he flopped onto the kitchen floor, looking up and seeing the blocked cupboard door. Ripping the spatula that was holding the cupboard shut out, Gaz crawled out as she saw his bloodied-up eye, taking off Dib's jacket and ripping off an arm so he could wrap it around his head, the Hunter and BB appearing in the doorway.
This time Gaz was ready. She was positively pissed. No more fancy plans. No more hiding about. This time she was going to tap into the very worst parts of her. Her body seemed to be enveloped in a deep purplish/red miasma of dark power, her eyes glowing like fire coals as she rose up in the air, clenching her fists so tightly that she almost cut into her palms. And with a hateful, furious growl, she shot her arms forward, the foul miasma shooting forward as she called upon her dark powers and they slammed into the Hunter's head. The hat went flying, the Hunter reeling back, panting and growling as BB gasped, Dib's remaining eye widening as he held his hands over his mouth.
The Hunter's true face was now revealed. And it was Zim's, his face stretched across the skeletal frame of the Hunter's skull. The Hunter's eyes were piercing and cold, mockingly staring back at them as he rose up to full height, laughing slightly with piercing, sharp fangs as he touched his own face with a clawed glove. "What? Don't you like what you see, my bonnie lass? You used to have a thing for this face. And he for you, in his own, lovely little way. And I'm gonna share my love in MY own special way." He remarked, holding his sword up, licking the blood from Dib off of it.
"That should have blown your head off!" Gaz snarled.
"Do you really believe your dark magic is going to effect something like US? What do you think gives us life? Fairy dust?" He snorted.
So Dib did the only thing he could think of, grabbing hold of the nearby table and flipping it as hard as he could. And amazingly, it worked. The table soared at the Hunter, knocking him down as BB began laughing at this, Gaz and Dib bolting for the front door, Gaz taking Dib's hand as he flinched with every step…
But then Gaz remembered. The door was closed. Locked up. She tore at the chains, growling angrily before see and Dib stiffened, hearing that horrible, hateful sound…
THRAHK THRAHK THRAHK.
The two of them turned around, Bloaty now standing there, in all his full, ugly glory. Blood was slowly pooling out from his enormous animatronic suit, eyes gazing out, eyes far too human yet bloodshot as he lumbered closer, closer. Dib drew in a harsh breath, seeing the open rips and tears in the costume, as Gaz realized why Bloaty had smelled so horrible to her, for within the suit she could see. She could see a grasping hand, the unmistakable sight of human ribs, flesh torn and stretched, mouths open and screaming. This unspeakable horror was like a gigantic walking body bag, it's two mouths opening up, the outward suit and inner robotic frame laughing in an unnatural, unsynchronized fashion as he came even closer to them.
"AlWayS a GoOd TiMe At BlOaTy'S! LeT oL bLoAtY gIvE yOu A hUg!"
Hands reaching…inches from their face, God, God he smelled like rotting pepperoni-
And then, salvation. 6 AM and the chimes of the clock rang out, Bloaty's hands fading mere millimeters from their skulls along with the rest of his body as Dib slowly blinked his remaining eye before turning back to look at Gaz.
"…your job sucks." He mumbled. "…and I'm gonna just lie down now."
And with that, he collapsed.