Security
Gregory kept on running, sprinting further and further away from the creepy bunny lady. The little one had many close calls nearly ramming into people on their way to and fro to their destinations. He finally had to come to a complete stop when his legs were burning and his lungs were heaving for breath. The child slouched against the closest wall to him before sliding down and sitting on the cold sidewalk. He continued to breathe heavily through his mouth as he looked up into the cloudy sky above.
He saw the white, puffy clouds above, most were simply just amorphous blobs but some did catch his imagination. One reminded him of a bear, a teddy bear to be exact. The clouds making it look extra fluffy. A toothy smile slowly started to appear on his lips. Another cloud reminded him of a bird of some kind, his mind at first thought of a duck but upon further inspection… it looked more like a chicken. Just like with the bear, the cloud managed to make the fowl appear fluffy or would that be feathery instead? He chuckled a bit at that not even noticing the strange looks he got from passersby. Gregory continued to look up into the sky but the next cloud looked simply shapeless like the original set he saw, that was until a gentle breeze started moving the blobs about. That's when it started taking shape… a dragon. The wind blew off the wings and it soon turned into a dinosaur. But the wind blew again, this time flattening the reptile and Gregory's mind thought of a crocodile… or was that an alligator. He simply shrugged, deciding it was simply a crocogator and smiled at that.
The wind continued to blow as the three animal shaped clouds began merging together. The chicken was absorbed by the bear as it started losing its features and simply became a blob. The crocogator broke in half and began to drift towards the cloud, one half connected itself to the top while the other half floated a bit before connecting itself a bit from the first half.
Gregory's smile instantly faded away as the cloud looked like that of a rabbit's face. His eyes go wide when he saw that costumed lady's face looking down at him. The piercing red eyes stare at him. He quickly looked away, knowing that the lady was not in the clouds and it was just his imagination running wild. The little one shook his head before looking back into the sky and still saw the rabbit cloud but no costumed lady's face. Gregory let out a sigh of relief but still had a lingering sense of fear in the back of his head as he started to see a new cloud beginning to roam closer. At first, it had no shape but slowly but surely it started to become something to the child. A dog? No. A fox? Definitely not. A wolf! The wolf shaped cloud collided into the rabbit one causing it to simply dissipate. The canine cloud soon remained stationary in the air as Gregory was reminded of something.
He looked down at the wolf plush in his arms. She just stared back at him with the same toothy smile. "You would keep me safe from that scary bunny lady, wouldn't you?" he timidly asked the wolf plushie. He grabbed the back of her head before having her nod to him. "Thank you," he quietly responded with a smile. The small child then pulled the toy into a hug. Gregory let out a contented sigh before standing up. As he stood, something fell from his lap causing him to look down. Staring right up at him was the smiling purple hippo magnet. Gregory bent down to pick it up before saying, "Can't forget you, can I… umm… Mr. Hippo?" He paused for a moment remembering someone from earlier in the audience mentioning that the purple hippo was simply called Mr. Hippo. How he remembered that during that stressing time, he just didn't know.
Suddenly a vehicle's horn could be heard, quite a few people nearby turned to look including Gregory as he unconsciously pocketed the magnet. The child saw a van driving down the road as he saw a blonde haired lady behind the wheel. As the van passed him by, the world seemed to slow down as he looked at the side of the vehicle. It was advertising Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex, he read but what caught his attention were the four cartoon characters drawn in between the words: a bear, a chicken, a crocogator, and a wolf. He mainly stared at the animated wolf character as the van continued on its way down the street before he lost sight of it.
Gregory looked down at the plush. "It's you," he told her, "Are you famous?" He lifted up her arms as if shrugging which in turn caused something else to fall out of his hand. It was a piece of paper, a little crumbled up due to being in the palm of his hand for so long. He picked up the paper and saw it was the coupon for a free slice of pizza and a drink. His stomach grumbled at the thought of food. Gregory was hungry but the coupon was given to him by that rabbit lady which scared him a bit. What if this was just her way of him coming back to her? What if this was just some ploy to lure him in? Gregory felt a wave of anxiety flood his mind but he had to stop thinking about that lady. He took a deep calming breath, not even noticing he was starting to hug the plush. The small child had to start convincing himself that that lady was not after him. He looked around him and there were numerous people everywhere now. Where were they at when he was alone with her? No. He shook his head clean of that thought. That lady wouldn't dare try anything while he was in public. He just had to make sure that he wasn't alone. He could just slip in the place, get his free slice of pizza and drink, and get out of there.
He began walking down the sidewalk following the direction the van had taken. Along the way, part of his mind was warning him not to go to this pizza place and to just move on from this area. With that, he halted in his tracks. His mind went back and forth, debating on what he should do. Gregory looked towards the building he had stopped in front of, it was a restaurant.
It was mostly empty sans for a couple of grownups and a few kids. The adults were sitting on stools at a counter. One adult was practically hidden by a portly gentleman. He was currently chowing down on a great big burger. Unconsciously, Gregory licked his lips as hunger started to set in. When he was littler he wouldn't want any of the veggies or condiments. He vaguely remembered liking his cheeseburgers plain and dry but those days of being picky were quickly forgotten. When one's survival was on the line, you eat any type of food you can get your hands on. He turned his attention to the children within the restaurant. A boy, older than him, was sitting at a booth while messing with some blue rectangular device and weirdly drinking a bottle of ketchup as if it was a glass of water. Gregory stuck his tongue out at that. He may not have been picky anymore but to drink the condiment as if it was water that would just make one even thirstier and water was a commodity he didn't always have. He turned to the other child in the room. A girl with glasses was sweeping up the floor and seemed to be groaning.
He took one last look at the portly man finishing his burger before letting out a sigh. Hunger apparently was the winner within the debate he decided. When suddenly a loud bang was heard on the glass in front of him, all he saw was bunny ears which in turn caused him to jump back in fear as he lost his footing and fell back onto his rear. All he could hear was a high pitched laughter from inside the restaurant. Gregory hated when he was laughed at. Luckily the adults simply just ignored him. He was thankful it was just children that would laugh or mock him. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty with those his own age but didn't know what to do if that were grownups. His eyes watered at the whole ordeal before quickly getting up and running off down the sidewalk.
Eventually he came to a stop though not because he was exhausted like last time but because he figured he put enough distance from that restaurant. He sighed once again as he looked at the building he was next to. The building's glass was tinted so he couldn't really see inside but he could see his reflection. Tears were still in his eyes which he quickly started wiping away. He was not weak. He wouldn't let anyone see him cry. Gregory looked back up at himself to make sure there wasn't any evidence of him crying but that's when he saw it. In the reflection, he could just barely make out that logo he saw on the side of that van from earlier. He turned around and began going towards it, making sure he safely crossed the street in the process.
The closer he got the larger the logo was getting. The building that the logo was attached to was absolutely ginormous compared to the surrounding buildings. He was in amazement at the size of it all, thoughts of the lady in the rabbit suit were the farthest thing from his mind. There were people waiting in a line to get in. The lines were short possibly due to it being early still and that it was a weekday. He continued towards the line of people before getting in what he thought was the shortest line. Gregory waited patiently or patiently as a starving child could wait.
A sigh was released. "Next," a voice completely devoid of life called out. The teen simply cocked an eyebrow as he watched as a small child moved up to the window. "Umm? Can I help you?" He watched as the boy placed a small white paper onto the counter through the hole in the glass. The guy picked up the sliver of paper before reading its contents to himself. "Kid this is for once you're inside this place."
"Oh… so… do I go in then?" questioned the small boy.
"Not without a ticket you don't." The guy behind the counter then looked up as he noticed there didn't seem to be anybody with the boy. "Kid is anyone with you?"
The child's eyes got wide as his mouth formed a straight line. "Why does that matter?"
"Cause I can't let you in without a parent or guardian accompanying you." He let out another sigh. "So I have to ask again, is anyone with you? Or are you alone?"
A short burst of air entered Gregory's lungs as he simply stood there, not knowing what to do.
The teen let out a sigh as he rubbed his forehead. He reached under the counter before pressing a red button that was shaped like a certain hat wearing bear's head. The guy waited patiently, as patiently as a super uninterested teen could be.
"Um…"
It was at that moment a newcomer had entered the scene. "What seems to be the problem?" A tired sounding voice called out. Gregory turned in time to see a woman approaching his position. She wore a white buttoned shirt with a shield emblem sewed on the chest which told him she was likely with security. To further support that claim, she wore a cap that literally read, 'SECURITY' above her blonde locks.
"This kid seems to be unaccompanied by any parent or guardian," the teen responded.
The woman stared down at the child before letting out a tired yawn. "Sorry," she covered her mouth, "but is this true kid?"
Gregory at first stared at her freckled face and quickly took notice that underneath her green eyes were dark bags. He figured she must be tired but then he saw her cock an eyebrow at him which in turn caused him to stare down at his worn out shoes. The child did not know what to say to her. He didn't know what would happen if he told the truth. If he was smarter, he should have booked it, running far, far away from this place. He could not go back there… he would not go back there ever again. His thoughts were interrupted from the gentle hand that was placed on his shoulder. Despite the soft touch, he still flinched as he stared up at the lady.
Her hand was retracted so fast she looked as if she burned herself. "Sorry," she apologized once more. She turned to the teen in the window and said, "I'll take it from here."
The teen simply nodded before muttering under his breath. "They don't pay me enough for lost kids." He looked at the couple and their children next in line before saying, "Next!"
Gregory moved out of the way of the people, wanting to buy tickets. He gingerly looked back up at the lady in front of him. "Follow me," he heard her say. Though when he didn't move an inch, he heard her follow up with, "Please?" The child still didn't know what to do. She was most likely going to call the authorities and he would be sent back to that horrid place. With his free hand, he absentmindedly rubbed his bottom which didn't go unnoticed by the woman.
The lady ended up letting out a sigh before standing right next to the small boy. She, once more, placed her hand delicately over his shoulder which caused the same reaction… a flinch. However, this time her hand remained where it was at. She began pushing him forward but with only enough strength to get his feet moving.
His mind went blank as his feet just didn't want to do what he wanted. He wanted his feet to bolt but instead his feet steered him in whatever direction the lady was guiding him to. Tears were starting to prick the sides of his eyes. He wouldn't cry… he wasn't weak. So instead he closed his eyes and hugged his fluffy companion, blocking out everything else.
The lady ended up guiding him into the pizzaplex, the sliding glass doors automatically opening, allowing them to enter. The area was abuzz with the noise of laughter and screaming from the patrons of the pizzaplex. She slightly glanced to the side and saw kids of all ages surrounding one of the mascots of the place. The woman figured the main star would've been around the entrance to greet every single person that entered but instead found a certain canine animatronic.
"Who is you favorite?!" The animatronic was simply riling up the children into yelling out her name and when they did she responded with, "I can't hear you!"
The lady heard the kids scream even louder the robot's name. She simply smirked before shaking her head. That was when she looked down at the boy she was guiding to her office. She noticed in his arms clutched tightly was a certain wolf plushie. Her pace came to a complete stop as her eyes went wide. Her neck twitched as she closed her eyes feeling the beginnings of a headache incoming.
Gregory slowly opened his eyes at the lack of movement before peering up at the lady. She had her eyes closed sharply as if she was in pain. This was his chance! His chance to make his escape. His escape to another section of town or even to another all together. So what did he do? He asked a question, "Are you okay?"
With her free hand, she began massaging her forehead before nodding towards him. "Yeah, just a little tired." She then quickly shook her head, the pain subsiding. "Come on," and with that their walk continued.
Still hugging his plush, he opted to just stare at the ground ignoring the hustle and bustle that was happening around him. Eventually they came to a stop which was when Gregory looked up and found himself staring up at a door that read, 'Security Office.' He felt her hand leave his shoulder which oddly felt cold afterwards.
She reached to her side and on one of her belt loops was a plastic card. The woman pulled it as a string kept it attached to her pants before scanning it over a black device mounted to the wall. The device let out a beep and a little green light flashed as she let go of the card which caused it to retracted back into place. She proceeded to open the door before gesturing for the little boy to enter first which she was thankful when he easily complied.
Why did he enter the room? He was so dumb. Gregory gasped once he heard the door close behind him. The boy watched as the lady walked towards a desk before sitting on a chair behind it. She gestured for him to take a seat in the chair in front of the desk. Apparently that was all it took for him to find himself planted squarely in the chair.
The lady interlocked her fingers together before placing them on the desk. "Now," she gently smiled, "can I please know your name?" She waited patiently as he doesn't make eye contact and seemed to fidget with his hands and the plush. "Hmm… perhaps I should start with my introduction first. I am Vanessa, a security guard for…" she let out an exasperated sigh before continuing, "Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex!" she said sweetly with an annoyed look on her face. "Corporate forces us to say it like that." She rolled her eyes with a shake of her head. Vanessa looked back up at the quiet child who still doesn't seem to want to answer. The security guard watched as he looked up at her before looking away and mumbling out something but she couldn't understand it. "Say again?" He continued to stare at anything that wasn't her. She watched as he clung to the canine plush. It was time for a different tactic! "So… I take it you're a big fan of Roxanne."
Gregory furrowed his brows in confusion as he looked up at the security guard. "Who?"
Vanessa smiled, now they were getting somewhere. "Roxanne Wolf. Your little friend there." She pointed to the object in his hands.
His eyes went wide as he looked back down at the plush in his hands. "Your name is Roxanne?"
She watched the interaction with a small smile on her face. "So can I now know your name?"
He went quiet again, debating with himself if he should divulge this information. His mind thought up the scenario of him answering and suddenly being taken away back to that wretched place. He shook his head away of those thoughts.
Though to Vanessa, she saw that as him not wanting to tell her. She let out a sigh knowing what this could lead to. The blonde didn't want to think about what could happen. She needed to know his name, where his parents were… anything really. Her eyes glanced back to the Roxanne plush again. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage. Perhaps Roxanne could coax the information out of him. She only hoped she was in a good mood. Vanessa opened her mouth about to bring up a certain animatronic when all of a suddenly she heard a growl. When she looked back to the boy, his cheeks were red.
To say Gregory was embarrassed would be an understatement. Whenever his stomach growled he was usually by himself. He looked down at his shoes dangling off the chair before mumbling, "Sorry."
The kid was cute. She smiled before standing back up. "You hungry?" she asked as he still looked away from her. Vanessa walked around her desk before placing her hand on his shoulder again.
Gregory flinched at the contact but relaxed when he felt that warmth again as his eyelids began to close. 'This is nice,' his mind thought with content. Maybe… just maybe he could trust her, let his guard down. But then shook his head, shooing that thought away. He had been down that road and had been burned by that before.
Her smile never left her face as she watched his face change expressions. Vanessa let out a sigh as he shook his head once more. "Look kid, you may see me as this mean, scary guard but I'm here to help." Her smile returned as he slowly looked up at her. "I know you're scared but trust me when I say this, you don't have to be afraid around me." She held out her other hand towards the small child.
He looked down at the offered hand. The gears in his brain began spinning once again thinking of possibilities that could happen. Most of his thoughts were leading him to getting sent back to that atrocious nightmare. Gregory looked back into the tired eyes of the security guard wanting to believe he would be safe. That she could keep him safe from the evils of this world. His head slowly lowered down as he hugged the plush once more. He knew deep down that she would just sell him out and he would be back to square one again.
Vanessa sighed again knowing she was going to have to play smart. "Maybe I could introduce you to Roxanne." Her smile returned as his eyes snapped open and his attention was fully given to her. She wondered how Roxanne could have a fan that didn't even know who she was. "She and her friends are scheduled to do a live performance a little later. Perhaps afterwards I could introduce you to her." Vanessa giggled as the child's excitement grew. She knew that Roxanne wouldn't mind helping her with a lost child… at least she hoped not. "Though I still need to know your name." The excitement quickly ceased to be at that. "I can't introduce you to her if I don't know your name."
This is it. He just knew if he told her his name… his world would end and he would be back slaving away at- he closed his eyes removing that thought from his mind. Gregory's eyes looked down at the plush within his hands. Roxanne simply stared back up at him with her toothy smile. He felt calm and with that threw caution to the wind. "I'm Gregory."
Submitting this on my birthday!
But we're getting closer to meeting the one and only!
