He looked up at the sign, taking in its flamboyant theme and color. He'd only ever seen it in shadow, never caring to visit the dreaded place during the day; yet here it was, and here he was. Chica had stayed with him in the office until six, and when he left, feeling a little better, Chica told him to come back during the day if he was still feeling bad, telling him that the crowd of children would be a good distraction from the pain.
He didn't know why he took her word for it. But it was too late to turn back now. He felt he owed it to himself, to Chica- a short relief. Maybe it really would work.
He pocketed his truck keys and stepped out onto the tar-stained pavement. His boss might be surprised to see him. He was supposed to be resting for his next shift. But why should he be concerned about that anyway? He was just too tired to care anymore.
He slipped out of the hot sun into the cool, well-conditioned pizzeria. Inside was well-lit and full of noise, more voices than Mike had ever heard in one place since the academy for boys. Thinking about that put a sour taste in his mouth and he looked to the stage to see the robots perform for the first time.
They looked so different from the creatures they became in the silence of night; Freddy looked friendly and fun and Bonnie seemed trustworthy, Chica had the air of a gentle sister and Foxy was quite comical. It was so strange to see them in the sunlight, twirling around and laughing with the crowd of kids at the stage's base. Mike kept in the shadows, suddenly not wanting the animatronics to discover his presence.
Freddy and Chica held a high note together before breaking down into staged giggles and Freddy recited. "Okey dokey kids! Break time!"
"Are you hungry for pizza? Let's eat!" Chica crowed.
"We'll be back shortly," Promised Bonnie.
The kids disbanded and flocked to their guardians, awaiting their snacks excitedly. The robots retired backstage and Mike couldn't hold back a tiny smile. They were pretty friendly when he wasn't around to see them.
"Hey, Miles!"
Mike looked up in confusion to see a somewhat familiar face standing in front of him, seemingly shocked to see him. He was an employee with brown hair and eyes and sported funky round glasses. "It's a surprise to see you here!" He continued, as if the two were great friends. He flopped down in the seat next to him and crossed his legs, his expression falling just a bit. "Hey... I heard what happened between you and... you know. Thought I'd tell you how sorry I am. But there are more fish in the sea; you'll find someone else."
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Mike tried to keep the frustration out of his voice. "And I really don't want to talk about that."
"Oh! Do you seriously not remember me? Then again, I guess the night watchman has enough to stress about instead of remembering some random people, eh? I'm Scott!" The guy picked up Mike's limp hand and shook it, unfazed by Mike's dull tone. "Scott Cawthon. Used to work in that office before you, you know. Might've heard my messages on the answering machine. It's gotten me the nickname of "Phone Guy" with the other employees. Kinda annoying, actually, don't call me that. Anyway, you haven't been keeping in touch with us at all, Miles, where've you been?"
"It's Mike. And I really prefer to be by myself." Mike didn't remember a time when someone actually tried to strike a conversation with him-other than Amy, and the creepy people sitting on the curb in the middle of the night from his neighborhood. It was actually kind of nice, but at the same time, it pushed at his comfort zone and he wanted it to stop.
"Ah, right. Well, it's great to see you here, you know!"
"...Really?"
"Mm hmm. Look a little down, though. Want something to eat? I'm starving. Employees eat free ya know."
"...No thanks."
"Mmkay, then. Well, I gotta go check up on the kids in Pirate's Cove. Foxy get's a little twitchy now and again. I'm sure you've had more than enough encounters with him to know how he can get. Bye!" Scott pushed himself to his feet and jogged across the room to join the kids in Pirate's cove. Foxy was cracking his neck and looking a bit overwhelmed, and Mike could sympathize.
Suddenly, he heard a sniffle behind him. Mike turned around in surprise to see a lonely figure standing in the doorway to the girl's bathroom, visible through the doorway of its corresponding hallway. Mike's table happened to be right near that doorway.
The lone figure in the doorway was a little girl around six or seven years old, with brown pigtails and pretty green eyes. She wore an old-fashioned party gown and ruffled white socks to go with her purple shoes. It certainly wasn't modern, but Mike wasn't one to judge on that-he wasn't exactly up on trends either.
The girl looked sad. Not in any way Mike had seen a sad child before, though; it as less 'I can't find my mommy' and more 'I'm better off being alone'. He didn't know why a sweet girl so young would be wearing such a painful expression but there was one thing he did know; Mike knew that expression all too well. He knew the reaction he should give.
He said nothing to the sad child, but he gave her a smile. A truly sympathetic smile. I know.
She seemed surprised, but she managed to return the smile-a wobbly smile, as if she were about to cry. Any normal teenager would be freaking out, wondering what to do with a crying child, but Mike wasn't that normal teenager. He continued to sit, comforting her from a distance, telling her without words that he understood.
There was a clatter from the stage area and Mike broke eye contact with the girl to see Freddy and his friends coming back to sing again, chipper as ever. They called out some cheerful phrases and began their next song. Mike took his gaze back to the girl's bathroom doorway, to see the girl's reaction.
But the girl was gone.