Michael opened the main entrance to Freddy's Pizzeria, he saw himself reflected on the glass door. He came in for his second night shift at this place. A special place home to a birthday animatronic, that did not just hold a special place in the hearts & minds of kids. But was fully capable of sentience, speech, & crushing a persons skull with its, well, Bear hands. Mike wasn't sure which one unnerved him the most. He walked past the reception desk, and made his way to the office. But before that, he walked down the west hall. Mike stopped near the entrance to the dining area, nervously gulping as he peaked inside. His eyes scanned the dimly lit room, until his eyes landed on Freddy Faz Bear. There was the big ole slightly fuzzy faz bear. His microphone clutched in hand, grinning slightly into a lifeless dining area. The dining area itself was tidied up nicely. The only slight difference was that all the chairs were pushed in this time. Plates & cutlery were neatly laid out across all the tables. Michael continued to look at Freddy, the very animatronic who saved his life. Mike was internally conflicted by all the events that had happened yesterday. On one hand, He was scared of Freddy. On the grounds that he could kill him in one fell swoop of his hand. He didn't even fathom to think about what he may have done with those bodies. But then on the other hand, If it wasn't for Freddy himself, he would have been instantly dead that night. Just then the phone in the office started ringing, Which made Mike jump a little. As he looked back between Freddy & the phone, He gave the bear one more look before heading back to the office. As he left, Freddy turned his head toward the west hall slowly.
Mike finally sat down & grabbed the receiver. "Hello? Hello?" said the guy on the phone. "Hey, Yeah I'm here" replied mike, leaning back in the chair slightly to try & relax this time. "Ah yeah. Hey, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night, but there was this emergency meeting so, I was unable to leave with you any proper information. So for that, I'd like to give you my sincerest apologies." Said the guy on the phone. He wasn't gonna lie, any kind of information would have been helpful last night. Not that it would have done him any better. "I-It's alright. Last night was uh, fine." said Mike, Thinking quickly for a moment.
"Well no worries, now I'm here to help ya now. Um, believe it or not, I actually worked in that office before you. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?" said the phone guy, tone somewhat nonchalant sounding.
"Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know." He stated. Mike took a moment to bring the cam tablet up to check Freddy & the store. As he did this, The greeting was read to him.
"Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life." the guy started saying. Mike continued checking the feeds, and slightly lighting the halls to make sure no one was there. This became a precautionary move for him now. The guy on the phone continued on with the greeting. "Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death have occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced." he said. That part of the greeting caused a sense of unease within him. Why did it have such a rather grim sounding policy? The guy on the phone continued on nonchalantly, setting the camera tablet down. "Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about. Now uh, the animatronic character here does get a bit quirky at night. So, just be aware, Freddy does tend to wander a bit" he warned him slightly.
In a snap the camera feed was back up, Mike's eyes glued to the show stage. Freddy was still in place, But for how long? His face was white washed in fear, heart skipping a few beats. "Uh, He's left in some kind of a free roaming mode at night." The phone guy went on. "Uh...Something about his servos locking up if he gets turned off for too long." he said. Mike fell back in his chair, pushing it to the wall. His inner most fear was coming true.
'He moves. He. Fucking. Moves. Freely.' He thought, a hand placed on his mouth in slight disbelief.
"But hey, I wouldn't blame him." The phone guy went on. "If I had to sing, That same stupid song for several years, & no one gave me a bath. I'd be pretty irritable too. I'd wanna walk around to take my mind off things." The guy on the phone said. "Y-you don't say" Mike replied, trying to sound at ease. "Yeah but like I said, you really have nothing to worry about" the guy said. "Now I uh, managed to get copy of your incident report from yesterday. And uh, yeah there's been some problems going on here for a while." the guy said, his tone changing to that of seriousness. Was he aware of the problems with Pizza hut? "It wasn't usually this bad before. It was all just regular healthy competition between franchises, but over time it uh, got rather heated." he started.
"Last night's break-in was a sign that one of our rival competitors is starting to step up their "Strong Arm" campaign against us." said the phone guy. Mike readjusted himself in the chair, sitting up to listen more. "Strong Arm campaign?" asked Mike.
"Some people just don't like competition." said the phone guy. "We weren't really muscling in on anyone. We just basically setup shop here & created a place for kids & grown-ups to have fun, give them some decent quality entertainment & overall above average Pizza." stated the phone guy, his tone sounding more sincere. "I don't know if you had any of our pizza, but it's better than that cardboard tasting crap they serve over at 'Chuck E. Cheese!'" boasted the guy on the other line. He remembered his slice of warm pizza from yesterday. "yeah the pizza was okay." Mike stated honestly. It wasn't the best he had in a while, but it certainly wasn't the worst he had. "Well I appreciate your honesty kid." the guy said nicely. "I really believe you're gonna do fine tonight. well uh, at least a lot better than yesterday." Joked the phone guy. Michael couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Last night was not his finest. He still felt sore in his chest from the hammer hits. He started rubbing his chest gently. He winced slightly, as there was some minor tender pain. Thank god for painkillers. "Alright then. You just check the monitors, Shine the lights in the halls, and just keep an overall eye on the place & Freddy, and i will talk to you tomorrow night. Have a good night!" said the guy before hearing a click. 'Yeah...thanks' thought Mike as he placed the phone down. Leaning back again, Mike rubbed his face slowly. "How in the world did I manage to end up here?" he said to himself softly. He pushed himself back to the desk and brought he camera feed back up. The cam showed an empty show stage. Michael's heart traveled up to his throat when he saw this. The Bear was on the move...
[1:30 AM]
It was already a half hour when Michael talked to the previous night guard on the phone. All the while he was mainly talking to him, Freddy decided to finally loosen his legs up a bit. He had already stepped down from the stage & began to wander about the place. The big bear strode past the tables and into the kitchen, accidentally clanking some pots & pans. departing from the kitchen, he wandered down the east hall and was actually silently listening to the conversation Mike was having. Freddy overheard how he was considered 'Irritable' at night. Which he did not feel was true. He felt anything but that, Maybe a bit lonely at night. It was just nice to keep the legs going. As for the bathing part. It would be another three days before the cleaning staff would give him a good scrub down, bleaching, and lubrication replacement. So he had to deal with some dried soda, a slice of Pizza or two on his body, and of course a bit of vomit. Freddy did feel dirty, which caused him to sigh silently & frown. He quickly tiptoed back to the stage area before Mikey had the cam placed back on him. For a long while now, Freddy knew the layout of the camera's. He knew the blind spots Pretty well, & there were more darkened area's for him to blend in. To him it was almost like a game of hide & seek. But as Freddy resumed his original pose on stage, he really wanted to go and chat with his new friend. The excitement became too much for him, as Freddy dismounted off stage and made his way down the west hall. When Mike was finished with the call, It was when he brought the camera feed back to the stage that put him in an immediate panic. As Freddy slowly approached the left office entrance, he could hear mike literally panicking. "Where is he?! Oh god where are you?!" he heard him say to himself. Eyebrows up, Freddy didn't want Mike to feel uncomfortable. So he stood right in front of the doorway, covered in the veil of darkness. It was then that Freddy broke the silence by uttering:
"Hello."
Freddy's voice caught Michael off guard. He was literally frozen with fear. As his eyes drifted to the source of the 'hello', he was met with a pair of white, beady eyes. His hand was shaking intensely as he drifted closer to the light switch, his eyes locked on the eyes on Freddy's. Mike could hear his heart pounding. He pressed the switch, and got greeted with the illuminated bear, standing tall with a friendly smile on his face. Michael's scream was in between that of a girl & someone whom has seen a ghost. The scream was also enough to catch Freddy off guard and scream slightly as well. Michael immediately kicked the door shutter button whilst kicking himself off the chair at the same time. Michael groaned in pain afterwards. Freddy suddenly started knocking slightly on the door.
"H-hey! Are you ok?" Asked Freddy. Mike gripped the table to get himself up. He stood up and looked at the closed-door. Freddy was actually concerned for his well-being. Why him? "Uh, Y-Yeah I'm alright." replied Mike, breathing slowly to ease the sudden pain. "I'm just still slightly sore from yesterday" he said. Freddy outside looked down, twiddling his articulated fingers nervously. "Oh yeah, i forgot to tell you." he started, moving towards the window. Mike was able to see Freddy's face and white eyes. "I'm sorry." he said innocently. Michael tried to calm himself down, but the eyes were unnerving him. Why were they like that in the dark? Straightening himself out, Mike walked closer to the window. "Sorry? sorry for what?" Michael asked. It was then that Freddy placed one hand on the window. "I'm sorry I didn't step in sooner." He stated, looking down some more. So he could have come in at anytime and ended those guys? The interesting part to him was that he was actually watching him take on the Pizza hut guys. "Were you really watching me yesterday? Michael asked, interest growing in his voice. Freddy looked up to him. "Yeah." Freddy said. His tone changed to that of Jolly sounding. "For a moment there Mike, you were taking them all on very nicely." he said, blinking once. Michael tried to contain his embarrassment for getting his shit kicked in yesterday. "W-w-well i wasn't just gonna let them smash you or this place up." Said Mike, trying to cheer up & appease Freddy. "It's my job. I'm no real fighter or anything." Mike admitted, looking down at the desk as he ran a finger across down it.
"Well, if it means anything." Started Freddy, pressing his face closer in the window. "I think you are a real stand up fellow for trying to protect me" he said, cocking his head to the side and smiling sincerely. Michael was absolutely floored by Freddy's words. All his life he's been bullied & beaten, and not just in school. No one ever came to help him. neither did he have the strength nor backbone to aid others. "do you. do you mean that?" Asked Michael, sounding both stunned & dumbfounded by Freddy's honesty. "Of course i do, Mike." Freddy said with a soft touch in his voice. Michael swallowed hard. An animatronic bear was being kind & courteous to him. What sort of twilight zone did Michael find himself in. He didn't even seem a tad irritable like the guy on the phone said. He turned to look at the door switch, and began to internally debate whether or not to let Freddy in. "I didn't mean to have frightened you by accident" Freddy said through the other side.
"I was hoping we could uh, well. kinda talk~" stated Freddy shyly, Twiddling his articulated fingers once again. Never in his life could he have ever imagined having a chat with a self-aware animatronic. He reached out and hit the door switch, the shudder door went up instantly. "I-I believe you just-" Mike started, slowly realizing the potential life ending mistake he is doing. "Don't hurt me" Mike uttered, stepping back a little. The thumping of Freddy's feet were heard as the big bear ducked down slightly to enter the office. He was a lot taller and slightly broader up close. He had a bow tie on his neck, and his little bowler hat right on top. Two little teeth seen overlapping his bottom lip, in an innocent and cute little grin. Freddy definitely towered Mike by at least several inches. Mike was only able to get up to his chest & bow tie. The bears ears twitched & turned as he brought a finger up to his mouth, almost as if he was in trouble.
"W-why would I want to hurt a friend?", He said, sounding very surprised. It was then that Michael's heart tinged a little. Growing up, he basically had little to no friends. All his birthdays were either spent alone or with his parents. He tried to fight back the growing emotional pain inside, as he struggled to reply to him. "F-friend?" he managed to weakly stutter out. Freddy looked at him more intently, sensing his unease & clear emotional shock. "Yes." Freddy said in a comforting voice. "Do you wanna be my friend?" Freddy asked, sounding very shy & hopeful. Michael found himself struggling harder to fight back tears. This was a mechanical kids mascot, coming into his office & talking to him. It was also offering friendship, something Michael never really had as a child. Was he really going to have a friendship with this animatronic? Maybe this is as good as it will get for him in terms of having friends. So far he hasn't crushed his skull like a grapefruit, and has been honest and sincere when talking to him so far. As Mike hurriedly wiped away a developing tear, he looked right up to him and said "Yeah..." Mike said calmly, a small grin forming on his cut lip, "yeah i would be very fine with that" Freddy's eyes immediately lit up, his ears perked up in a sign of happiness. His arms reached out and grabbed Mike. Suddenly panicked filled, he yelped as Freddy pulled him closer to him. It was then that he realized that Freddy was giving him a rather tight, yet comforting hug. Mike felt the pressure of the hug, Exhaling some as he tried to pat his back.
"You're the first real friend, I've ever had" Said Freddy, sounding both happy & slightly sad at the same time. Mike could hear the whirring of gears inside of Freddy. As he finally managed to pat his back in return, His hand managed to grab a hold of something. "what the?" he said, as he started pulling and peeling something. "Freddy." Mike said, motioning for Freddy's attention. He instantly let go of mike, and made a look of concern. "W-whats wrong?" said Freddy. Mike finished peeling off whatever was on Freddy's back. He brought it up for both to look at. It was a slice of Pizza from today. It looked stale & a slight bit fuzzy. "Uhh..." Mike uttered, gazing at the slice & then at him. Freddy produced a nervous sounding laugh. "y-you know how k-kids are." he said with a reassuring grin. Michael smirked slightly, tossing the slice into the garbage. "Yeah, i know." he said, tapping Freddy's arm gently. "I used to be one." Mike said jokingly. That was enough to make Freddy laugh again. In a weird sense, Michael felt happy to hear Freddy laugh and display emotions such as happiness and sincerity. It was a sudden change from the viciousness last night.
[2:00 AM]
As an hour passed, Michael & Freddy walked around the pizzeria. With his hands in his pockets, he walked along side Freddy Faz Bear throughout the entire Pizza store. Freddy inquired about Michael's life before he signed on for the night watch. Taking a deep breath, Mike went on to describe his life growing up. He had a mother & father that loved him equally. Of course his father had a minor drinking problem, which would unfortunately be taken out on him. His school years were as basic as most people's. He got picked on for most of his school years, which caused Freddy to gasp & say "golly". He had played sports for a while, a bit of football in freshman & sophomore year, then managed to take part in soccer during junior & senior. Michael admitted that he wasn't good or bad at things like sports, but that he considered himself mediocre at best. Freddy stopped in the middle of the east hall and looked at him.
"You consider yourself, mediocre?" asked a curious Freddy. Mike stopped to look back at Freddy. "I don't mean it in too bad of a sense." Mike started, trying to make sense to Freddy. "It's sort of like, uh. Well, I'm not good at stuff. Yet at the same time I'm not bad. You can say i tread a proverbial line between decent & abysmal." Mike said halfheartedly. Freddy took the moment to process what mike said. He scratched his chin in a mocking fashion. "I don't know about that Mike." said Freddy. "If you were you on a few different teams, and contributed your skills, wouldn't that count as helping them win their championships?" asked Freddy in a quizzical manner. That made Mike think for a moment there. He suddenly remembered one of the state football championships. He was lucky to join a team. it was nearing the end of the game, and they were down several points. Michael was brought in at the very last moment. He remembered scoring two touch downs & a field goal before he had to be removed from the game after tearing his ACL. If it wasn't for his little contributions, the home team would not have won the state championship. It was then that Michael beamed a bit. He then remembered breaking an old Cross country track record. He felt some pride in himself for once.
"In my humble opinion Mike, If you were able to play on a few teams & help them go far. I don't think your skill's are mediocre in the slightest" Freddy said, being honest. That truly made Michael speechless for a second there. A mechanical bear was making him feel good about himself. "I mean, during the day I have a lot of kids who play in the Little Leagues that have looked up to me." Freddy went on, waving his arm some. "They always tell me how hard they practice. Their hopes & dreams of joining the major leagues. of how some of them feel that their skills aren't enough to help the team or their future as adults. And so they start to doubt themselves." Said Freddy as he continued to walk down the hall. Michael followed, listening closely to him. "It disappoint's me sometimes to hear people question their abilities." Freddy stated, sounding slightly disappointed. "People should always believe in themselves." He said whilst looking at Mike as they walked past the restrooms.
"I would always tell them, 'Look inside yourself & you will see a winner that will emerge on it's own'" He said, his tone sounding very encouraging. Michael couldn't help but feel slightly encouraged by him as well. How could he be capable of such encouraging wisdom? Just who exactly designed & built this Bear? His mind raced with so many questions. "And I hope from now on Mike" Freddy said, turning to Mike as he opened the doors to the dining area, "I hope you see a winner inside of you." stated Freddy with a toothy smile. This time, Michael felt a smile widen on his face. This was the only time in his life that he ever felt touched by someones words. These words, coming from an animatronic. "I-I will from now on." said Mike, struggling to find the words to thank him. "T-thanks Freddy." he said.
They entered the dining area together. Michael took a moment to look around the rather nicely sized room. "So this room gets packed during the day?" asked Mike, turning to Freddy. It was there though when he saw Freddy stand straight did he realize how tall and broad-shouldered he really was. Freddy was roughly 8 to 9 ft tall. Though he felt slightly intimidated, he couldn't help but think 'Wow he's big'. "Yes it can get quite occupied during the day!" he said with excitement in his voice. "There were about ten birthdays today, It was absolutely fun!" he said enthusiastically. Michael looked on as Freddy walked around each table. "When the kids watch me do my performances, I see their faces light up with smiles. When they start cheering for me, It makes me feel happy." he said softly, taking a moment to pick up one of the birthday hats on a plate. "I enjoy celebrating their birthdays with them. To be able to bring Joy into their lives. It is a wonderful thing Mike." Freddy said, putting the hat back down. Michael looked at Freddy with intrigue.
"You really like celebrating birthdays with everyone?" Michael asked with curiosity. "Oh absolutely!" exclaimed Freddy, who jumped a bit out of Joy. "There is nothing more wonderful than spending the day of your birth with the people who you love & cherish!" Proclaimed Freddy, his ears twitching a bit. It made Michael remember his birthdays. Sure he was able to spend it with his parents. Sometimes one of them would have to work late or such, making it a bit disappointing. And he really didn't have many friends to invite. "Didn't you have fun birthdays?" asked Freddy, looking over at mike with bright eyes. Michael inhaled slowly as he leaned against a table gently. "Well I don't know about fun." started Mike. "I mean, yes I enjoyed them to some degree. mainly when both my parents were there. As for friends, well..." Mike trailed off, taking a moment to pull out a chair and sit down. "I really didn't have many friends to celebrate with." Mike said, sounding a bit down. It was then that Freddy had a rather sad look on his face. "y-you had n-no f-f-friends?" he stuttered. "Well, like I said. not many." responded mike, looking up towards Freddy. "The ones I did have couldn't make it. So in retrospective, I guess i spent my birthdays alone."
"B-But that's not right!" protested Freddy. He walked towards mike. "A guy like you should have lots of friends!" He said. Michael blinked. "I guess I'm just not the right person in most people's eyes." Mike replied helplessly. "That's just a bunch of Hooey!" Retorted Freddy, placing a hand carefully on his shoulder. "By the looks of you, you're a smart, kind, & decent person" Freddy said in a deep sincere tone. Michael just stared at him, completely at a loss of words. How can an animatronic bear be capable of such kindness & sincerity. Mike bit his bottom lip & looked away slightly. "y-your just saying that cause you're programmed to be kind & loving." he said. Freddy had Mike look him in the eyes.
"That might be so, I may have been 'Programmed' like you said, But!" Exclaimed Freddy, smiling very warmly to Michael. "I'm a kind & loving bear that means what he says" the bear said in a heartfelt way. Michael tried in vain to fight back tears. "I think you are a bit hard on yourself sometimes. you consider yourself Mediocre in terms of skill & ability. But from what I saw last night, you've got the potential for greatness." said Freddy. Michael started wiping away more tears, sniffing slightly. How could something, or rather someone like Freddy Faz Bear exist? He listened to him. He somehow understood him, and even saw potential in him. Michael just sat there and silently wept while Freddy patted his back
[3:00 AM]
It was three in the morning when an eerie fog began to roll in. The streets were swept away densely by the fog, bringing visibility near zero. The parking lot of Freddy's Pizza wasn't nearly affected too much. Within the foggy distance, heavy mechanical footsteps were approaching. The sound of servo motors running & gears churning increased as it drew closer to the parking lot. Brightly lit, green piercing eyes penetrated the fog, staring right at the little pizzeria. A tall, slender, animatronic mouse came forth out of the fog. Dressed in Cheerleader regalia with a large green 'M' imprinted on the shirt. Green pompom's were in both of its hands. It doll-like face gazed up at the name of the store. "Freddy Faz Bear's Pizza." It slowly read, it's voice sounding like that of an excited high school cheerleader. "This is the place!" it said. It raised its arms in a mechanically excited way. "I haven't performed in years! I can't wait to entertain my private audience!" It exclaimed, bending & twisting itself around in a highly energetic way. And suddenly, It began to march forward in an unsettling way. Joints bending & clanking as it started slowly approaching the Pizzeria with soulless eyes.