My Night At Freddy's

Chapter Two: Orientation

The weekend seemed to fly by like it always did, and before I knew it my first night working at Freddy's had arrived. I made sure to thoroughly wash the uniform I was given, and I also picked up a few other things at the store to both make my life a little easier, as well as keep me safe in the unlikely event that something happened during my shift. I didn't think that I would actually have to use the hunting knife or heavy Maglite flashlight, but the large thermos full of coffee was a must. After all, the most dangerous enemy of anyone working the night shift was the Sandman.

Freddy's stayed open every night until midnight, but it was Monday, so the only people left there at that time were the few employees. They were busy cleaning tables and maintaining the animatronic characters when I came in, but for some reason they all seemed nervous; constantly watching the clock as if worried that the end of their shift would sneak up on them or something. There was only a total of about four people working there besides the owner and myself, but I admired their sense of teamwork because they all stayed in the same room until it was finished before moving on.

The owner had asked me to come in at about 11:00 PM so that he could show me around and make sure that I was better acquainted with the restaurant, so that's what I did. In fact, I was just about to enter the hallway that led to his office, when I noticed a sign on the wall. It read:

RULES FOR SAFETY

1. Don't run.

2. Don't yell.

3. Don't scream.

4. Don't poop on floor.

5. Stay close to mom.

6. Don't touch Freddy.

7. Don't hit.

8. Leave before dark.

Thank you, Management.

Me and my friends must've read that sign a hundred times when we went there as kids, and of course we all had a good laugh at rule number four. I always wondered about that last one, though, and why they would want people to leave before dark when the place stayed open until well after. No one ever paid attention to it, since it was a relic of decades past, as was the rest of the place. But I suppose it protected the owner from legal action in case something did happen.

As before, the owner seemed really excited to see me as I walked into his office. He made the usual compliment about looking sharp in the uniform that every boss gives to the new employees, and then it was time for my grand tour of the place. The majority of space was dedicated to the dining area and in front of that was the stage where Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica performed. The stage sat between the two front entrances, and the characters themselves were being carted through a door to the left that was marked Back Stage.

Moving down that same wall, the next feature was an open archway that led to a smaller side-stage area called Pirate Cove, where Foxy put on his one-man show. This one had been my favorite as a kid, since I loved the cheesy pirate act and all the lingo in those days, but now things were different. The curtains on the Pirate Cove stage were closed, and a simple sign hung on them that read: Out of Order. On the other side of the dining area was the side hallway that led to the restrooms as well as the owner's office.

A set of two matching hallways ran from the back of the dining area, one housing a janitor's closet and the other providing employee access to the kitchen, and the far end of these hallways served as side doors to the security office that connected them. This was to be my office from now on, and I gotta say that it was a bit run down. There were cobwebs on the ceiling and in the upper corners of the doors, and the static-filled black and white monitor screen looked like they had been around since I stopped going there back in '87.

There was also a phone on the desk as well as a small booklet labeled New Employee Manual, but the owner wanted me to wait to read it until my shift started so that he could show me one other important thing. Aside from the obnoxious Celebrate poster of Freddy and his band hanging on the wall, the only remarkable feature of the office was the switches on the wall next to the doors that were simply labeled: Door. The owner warned me to stand back as he pressed the button, and then I took an extra step back out of surprise as a heavy metal sheet suddenly slammed down to block the doorway.

He told me that this system was to be only used for emergencies, and I wondered what kind of Red Dawn scenario would've called for such protection, but he assured me that there would be no need to use them. The slabs quickly retracted with another press of the button, and that was about it for my orientation. The other employees were just leaving as we came back into the dining area, and once they were gone the owner used his key to turn off the main lights, leaving everything lit up by nothing more than a set of dual security lights on each wall.

The owner then told me that he would see me in the morning as he went outside, and once he turned the key to lock me in, a set of metal security shutters slowly came down over the doors and windows. There was still enough light to see my way around the tables and things as I headed back to the security office, but everything seemed kind of creepy now that the whole place was dark and silent. Still, I figured that there was no need to worry as my first night at Freddy's began with the clock in the office striking 12:00.