Some Things Are Better Left Buried
By: Miss-DNL
Chapter 21: Recollection
Mike Schmidt groaned, his body felt sore and tense all over. It felt like he'd slept in an uncomfortable position all night long. The thought caused a pause. He looked around, it was dark wherever he was, but not completely dark, there was faint traces of light coming through cracks between whatever was in front of him. A sudden rush of dreading realization he was tight in enclosed space. Mike wasn't claustrophobic, but he didn't like the feeling of waking up in a dark and tight space. Instinct took over and he tried pushing away whatever was pressed up against him.
This, turned out to be easier than his frightened mind expected. Something above him went tumbling away with a soft, and hollow, thud. Mike stopped and stared, surprised by this. He decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and moved to get up. On the other hand, getting up was not as easy. His body nearly immediately rejected moving with sharp pangs of stiffness and a stab of pain from his right arm.
Surprised by this, his mind still drunk with sleep, Mike shifted his arm, freeing it from being pinned at his side, and looked at it. Even with his eyes squinted he couldn't really make out what he was looking at. Tentatively he felt his arm and quickly he realized his forearm was wrapped in bandages.
What? Was the first question that popped into his mind, followed shortly by, Why?
Then, the events of what had happened prior him waking came flooding back to him, the mental block of his sleep induced daze giving way. For a moment Mike felt overwhelmed by the influx of information but it soon was replaced by sheer panic. Even with his body being stiff and pained, Mike began struggling feverishly to get himself free. The objects around him seemed to have varying weights, some being harder than others to move. Eventually Mike managed to get himself into a sitting position after finally getting enough leg room. Soon after the night guard, with a bit more struggling, pulled himself up.
Mike held onto, what he now knew where boxes, as the door to the prize corner storage opened. Mike winced, his darkness adjusted eyes recoiling at the sudden introduction of light. Gradually, his sight readjusting, Mike realized that it was the janitor that had found him. This brought about the confirmation that it was in fact day time. Worry swelled up in Mike and he frantically fought to move the boxes out of the way. Soon aggravated by the objects stubbornness Mike snapped at the janitor, who'd seemed to just be staring at him, "Don't just stand there! Help me out of here!"
The janitor didn't seem certain that getting near the frantic guard was a good idea at first. Then after a couple moments she came over and helped moved the boxes out of the way. Soon as she did Mike grabbed onto her, startling her.
"Where's Kyle, the other guard, where is she!" Mike demanded. The janitor, Karen as her name tag stated, stared at him. Either she was surprised by his sudden rashness or she was trying to think of a way to explain what'd happened. Mike cared for neither option, but disliked the latter one even more. His grip on the custodial worker tightened just a little more, just enough to emphasize his words, "Answer me…"
Karen looked at him a moment longer then said, "You want a lie or the truth?"
Mike narrowed his eyes at the janitor then light pushed her away, disgusted, "You're in on it too then? Of course, you are," He muttered, "someone has to clean up the blood." Mike tensed, trying to brace himself for the worker's answer, "And Kyle…? Tell me the truth."
Karen looked at Mike, she could see his frame was all tensed up trying to brace himself for whatever news he was going to receive. The janitor mentally sighed, the guard wasn't going to take the news she had for him well. Karen glanced towards the back of the building and said, "I don't think you actually want to know."
Mike ignored her words, barely having registered them after catching her glance towards the back. He pushed her aside and ran to towards the main party room and to the back hall. Once or twice he called for his shift partner, only to get no response. His calls reverberated throughout the pizzeria, due to its current emptiness, and were only accompanied by the sound of his own hurried footsteps. The animatronics greeted him wordlessly with their presence as Mike entered the main party room. The guard only gave them a passing glance to check if they had any blood on them. They didn't, but Mike felt no better.
Karen watched Mike go then followed after him. She had to make sure he didn't try and do something to scene before she could document it. Maybe, if she was fast enough, she could explain what Jones and her were planning. That is, if Gregor didn't show up. Unfortunately, the man was awfully punctual. She hurried faster after Mike.
Mike stormed through the door to the staff lounge, looking around wildly at the area empty of people. Then he caught the smell of blood, the bitter tang of metal, and he stared. Mike knew what'd happened now and he felt his heart drop, but he had to see. He couldn't just turn away.
The world went completely silent around him. He couldn't hear a thing as he slowly made his way over to the source of the smell. When he opened the door, its whine sounded like a grieving wail in his ears. Its condolences were lost on Mike as his eyes were immediately met with the sight of Kyle's lifeless body. A faint, just barely audible, no slipped past Mike's lips as he took a step into the room. Emotions arose within him and his heart was being crush by their simultaneous arrival.
"Kyle…No…" Mike fell into hysterics repeating no over, and over, again. He rushed over to his fallen comrade and collapsed onto his knees, picking her up limp body up by its shoulders. His heart fell as her head slumped back, and clenched upon sighting the gruesome wound that lead to her death. He may have only known her for a short period of time, but in that time, Kyle had been the first person he'd opened up to in thirty years. And he'd failed to protect her as she had protected him during his time of weakness. He'd failed again. He'd ran and hid when he should've gone to find her, made sure she was safe; but no. Coward, he thought.
"I'm so sorry." Mike sobbed as he carefully closed Kyle's eyes. The guard stayed there, on his knees holding her body. Tears of regret began slipping down the sides of his face. Mike squeezed his eyes shut and gently put her back down. Suddenly gripped by anguish he gripped his face, squeezing hard. Mike let out a rough noise of grief as pulled himself together, at least for the moment.
Breath uneasy Mike noticed something nearby. A part of some sort. Mike was left a bit confused by this, what was it doing here?
Mike reached out and grabbed it, the cold metal chilling his moderately warm hand. As he turned it over Mike saw the red splotches of blood that coated one side. The realization that it was Kyle's blood caused the guard to instantly drop the murder weapon out of shock. Mike stared at the metal object like it was something horrifying. He looked back to Kyle's form, realizing the item had been used to kill her.
"Did you touch the part?" Mike looked up when he heard the accusatory tone of Karen. The janitor was standing in the doorway staring at him. With all the rushing emotions Mike, hadn't realized he'd just left incriminating evidence on the murder weapon.
That, however, wasn't the biggest concern for Mike. No instead he stared past the janitor and at her cleaning supplies. In a flash the guard was on his feet with a look of fury on his face. Karen was taken aback by the drastic change in demeanor. With a heated snarl Mike glared at her, "Don't you dare cover this up! I know you and your boss have already covered up one! I noticed how the occupation was taken up then reappeared a short while after!"
Caught off guard by the declaration, more so how he'd figured out what happened to Cole, Karen stared at him in surprise. Once she found her nerves again Karen attempted to talk the infuriated guard down, "Look, you're upset, but I need you to listen to me."
"Like hell I will!" Mike snapped, fully ready to stand his ground.
Karen bit back the urge to insult the man and kept her tone calm, "If you let me explain. I'm-" she stopped talking when she heard the pizzerias front doors open then close. It sounded like Gregor had arrived.
Momentarily Mike's attention was diverted from Karen to the direction of the sound. He stiffened, the guard got the feeling the head of security had arrived. Gregor was the last person he wanted to deal with, or ever really.
"Shit." Mike flicked his attention back to Karen, why was she upset about her boss showing up? The janitor looked back to the guard, "Look, trust me or don't trust me but just know I ain't actually working for him."
Mike looked at her with hard disbelief, "What? You honestly-"
He stopped talking when Karen held her hand out to his face. Mike shot her a look, but hearing the approach of Gregor he stopped to consider the situation. Whether Karen was lying or not, now wasn't a good time to argue. Though as they listened to Gregor's steady approach he began to wonder, why would she tell him that? What would it possible to do to help them? Gain his trust so they could set him up? If that was it, Mike wasn't about to trust their undertaker.
After a few minutes of waiting Gregor arrived in the manager's room. He looked just about as lively as Mike did, and the faint stubble he was developing suggested he'd hadn't bothered shaving recently. His uniform wasn't on as neatly as Mike last recalled, but he hadn't examined that aspect closely. The thought did bring Gregor's worn out appearance together though, whether it was a new development or not.
Gregor examined the scene before him. His guard, the janitor, and a dead body in the same room with the two standing near it. He stepped into the room, his tired expression remaining neutral. Gregor looked at the body, noting the murder weapon a short way away from it. He looked from the part to Mike with a questioning look on his face. Gregor didn't need to say anything aloud for the veteran guard to get the implication.
"Don't even think it!" Mike snapped, posture going ridged out of defensiveness. Gregor didn't give Mike any overt reaction, which only caused the guard to bristle more in agitation. Grief still strongly lingering in him the silent accusation deeply insulted Mike. Something that he wasn't about to stand for, "How and why would you think I'd kill my shift partner! When killer animatronics are after my hide!"
"You don't have the best history with the company Mike." Gregor stated evenly. His eyes, though worn, looked at Mike with a certain sharpness that was almost unnerving. Gregor walked to the side to get a better look at the wound that killed Kyle, as he did he continued talking, "Maybe killing off the other guards to get us shut down as an act of revenge. You were the one that insisted on being scheduled with the other guards. Because you know how to handle the animatronics, at least the four main ones."
He turned his attention to the bandages on Mike's arm, "I see your injured. Did you get in a fight last night, Mike?"
Mike scowled at Gregor with a glare of loathing, "Why don't you check the camera recordings? You'll see that I didn't kill her."
"I would but the tablet is mysteriously missing from the security room." Gregor mentioned. He looked at Mike now with a clearer hint of accusation. Mike stopped, the fact that the control tablet wasn't present in the security office caught him off guard. This time even Karen gave Mike a slight glance. Gregor looked the guard up and down as if trying to determine whether he was capable of murder or not.
"If you want to prove to me that you didn't kill Kyle then where's the tablet Mike?" Gregor questioned flatly in a manner of an evenly spoken demand.
Mangle, Mike recalled the animatronic had driven them out of the security room. Then Freddy had tossed him down the hall. Yes, he'd had the tablet with him. Mike recalled he'd heard the screen crack but was still functional, thankfully.
"I know where it is. I just left it somewhere." Mike stated stiffly, honestly wanting to punch the guy rather than talk with him.
Gregor only eyed Mike for a minute, "Show me then." He stated with a gesture for him to lead the way.
The guard was about to get going when he stopped, realizing his wording. He glanced by to the cleaner, Karen, and questioned, "What about her?"
"She has nothing to do with this, and she has a job to do." Gregor stated with an underlying firmness. He gave a look to Karen that suggested she got to work doing her job. The janitor gave a passing look to Mike but nodded regardless. Mike stopped and stared at Karen as she went to go retrieve her janitorial cart. Next thing Karen knew was she was being blocked by an angry and distraught night guard.
"I told you before, and I'll say it again. You're not going to just cover her death up! I won't allow it!" Mike protested vehemently as he blocked the doorway, where the cart sat just behind him.
"And what do you expect us to do?" Gregor challenged, still maintaining his off-putting calm, "If we do call the police, you'll be put in jail. You were the only one here last night Mike, and she was clearly bludgeoned to death with that part." He continued even when it looked like Mike wanted to interject. Gregor raised his voice a bit, to reinforce the fact he was speaking, "And if we were to show the surveillance footage, would that really help? You'd likely still get blamed for this, she was bludgeoned to death not bitten or even stuffed into a suit Mike. The supernatural isn't something that holds up in an investigation, let alone court. Unless there was someone else here last night, things won't look good for you."
Gregor stopped speaking when he spotted a peculiar expression flitted across Mike's face. It was enough to cause him to consider something. He eyed the man carefully, "There wasn't anyone else here last night, right?"
The head of security didn't notice it but Karen stiffened for a moment. The unsettling incident with the killer's ghost speaking through her very own cellphone still too fresh in her mind. She shifted slightly in place to distract herself a little.
"I don't know. I passed out after Golden Freddy attacked…" Mike answered stiffly, there was no other way of explaining how he wound up found in the prize corner stock room. If he said he fainted while hiding in there, it may jeopardize him staying. Something he couldn't risk.
"Golden Freddy?" Gregor echoed with an arched brow. Mike nodded in confirmation. The head guard shook his head in disbelief, "No, that can't be right. We don't have that suit."
"Then I had a pretty damn real hallucination." Mike grunted bluntly. He narrowed his eyes at the younger man before him, "The other kids are here. Why not it? Maybe it was drawn here because of its friends, who knows? I'm not a spiritualist, medium, or whatever. All I know was that things were different last night. We saw a…figure on the tablet before shit hit the walls. It looked like another security guard, all purple, with the same eyes as the possessed animatronics. He came up from the back stage. I didn't see it but he might have something to do with Kyle's death."
This time both Karen and Gregor felt themselves go ridged. Karen from experience and Gregor on a bad hunch of who that figure represented. He shoved the unease back, unwilling to show a sign of weakness. He gave Mike a questioning look, "A purple man? Was there any sign of a break in?"
"Not that I know of." Mike answered. "We hadn't heard anything but the animatronics last night."
"And was the man actually purple on the camera? It sounds like a ridiculous claim." Gregor pointed out skeptically.
Mike's lips drew down in a frown. Out loud what he said did sound rather uncanny, a man with purple skin? Ridiculous. He held up a hand slightly and shook his head, showing that wasn't what he meant. Even still he couldn't find a way to explain what'd happen in a manner that didn't sound just as ridiculous, "What happened was…odd. Even for this place, but, the camera…it-it changed. Looked almost like an old game." He held up both hands when both Gregor and Karen gave more disbelieving expressions. "Just remember we're dealing with ghosts." After reminding them Mike continued, "Then the figure showed up on stage. I don't actually know if he's actually, purple."
Gregor was silent for a moment before asking, "Any idea who this purple guy is?"
The way he asked it, the slightly off tone, made Mike think he had an idea himself but wanted Mike to either support or deny his theory. The guard himself thought carefully if he should say what he and Kyle had suspected. In the end, he decided to neither confirm nor deny, "I have an idea but don't know for sure."
This seemed to be enough for Gregor, but the answer didn't seem to lift the grim look that'd begun to settle in his eyes. There was a noticeable shift in the air, like all of them had realized the something was lurking out sight. Gregor put the feeling aside in favor of continuing the conversation and pulled it back to the original issue, "So either someone broke in, or, we have a new problem. Regardless, you must let Karen do her job."
Mike's anger had waned a little over the previous discussion but now it had returned full force. He clenched his hands into fists, "What the hell is it with you? Why are you so damn hellbent on keeping this place open! To the point you're just covering up horrible deaths! You're doing the same damn thing as the last owner!"
It seemed Mike had touched a nerve as Gregor's voice and posture stiffened slightly. His tone was hinted with warning, "I have my reasons, and you don't need to know them. And what about you?"
"I'm trying to figure a way of stopping this! To free them!" Mike yelled, just about at his emotional wits end with Gregor. It was becoming harder and harder by the minute to keep himself from slugging the man. The problem was that the downsides to hitting him seemed so insignificant they were hardly even there.
"If that's the case then we need to keep the pizzeria running." Gregor stated in a cold uncaring manner. By doing so he tossed Mike's own conviction right back at him. The guard froze in stunned disbelief, his eyes widened. He hadn't expected his own words to be used against him in such a manner. Even Karen seemed to be stunned momentarily. Gregor narrowed his eyes at him, voice commanding, "Unless you want to debate this further, take me to the tablet."
Mike's lips twitched into a begrudging frown before the turned and stormed out of the room. Gregor let him leave ahead of him before he looked back to Karen, "Get your job done. I'll handle your payment for this."
"I'll get right on it." Karen said, maintain her indifferent tone. Gregor, suspecting nothing from her turned and followed Mike. Karen watched him go for a minute before turning back to her current task. She couldn't say the sight was unsettling to her, or that it'd haunt her sleep, but the circumstance that lead to her death were troubling. Karen shook her head and got ready to do her job.
Mike's mind was full of begrudging and loathing thoughts towards Gregor as he led the man now dubbed "bastard" in his mind to the security tablet. He hadn't liked him prior, he was a variable carbon copy to the last owner at the time, but now he despised him. Mike hadn't thought he'd ever hate anyone else more than himself but Gregor was challenging that now. The fact that he'd used his own motivations against him, to make him allow Kyle's murder to be covered up was building hatred inside him. His motivation has been Kyle's as well though, and Mike wasn't certain how she'd react to this. Mike would never know how she felt, and that fact bothered him. It reminded him that Jessica would be without her love now. This whole situation was a despair filled mess. One that Mike alone was left to try and clean up.
He stopped at the entrance to the prize corner, the place where he had hidden himself. A fresh sense of guilt threatened to drown his anger, but the man behind himself froze the feeling in its tracks. Mike pressed forward to the stock room door. The once stacked boxes now laid in disarray due to Mike's forced escape. Not caring about this Mike pushed some of the cardboard containers aside until he found what he was looking for. Up against the wall laid the cracked tablet.
As he held it in his hands Mike looked the device over, realizing it'd been turned off. Mike tapped the power button but got no response. Pensively he pressed down on the button, trying to urge the tablet awake. After a moment passed Mike realized the battery must have died. He turned his head to Gregor and grunted, "Battery is dead."
Gregor took the tablet from his hands and, after eying it a moment, said, "That's fine. I'll charge it myself. I'll just let the other day guard know to mind the battery." Mike thought nothing of the mention of another day guard until Gregor said, "Which reminds me. I move one of the night guards to the day shift."
"Fine by me, less for me to worry about." Mike uttered dully, wanting to leave the premises of the pizzeria now.
"Leroy seemed too skittish and needed more money for his rent. So, I accepted his decision to move." Gregor explained, to which Mike only half listened. The head of security looked at Mike questioningly, "Do you want me to move Harriette to tonight?"
Mike looked at him with shock, "What? No! You are god damned dense!" He huffed when Gregor hardly looked offended, "No, move her to me on Monday. I need a night at least to see what I'm dealing with. If anything at all."
"I thought so," Gregor stated then with a grimmer sense of foreboding asked, "But are you sure you want to deal with them all on your own? New threat or not."
"I've dealt with them solo before." Mike reminded him flatly.
"Not with them plus three others." Gregor responded, now looking at his guard with a firm expression of warning.
Mike rolled his eyes, "Nice to know you actually do care."
"I can't afford to lose you Mike." Gregor stated firmly and Mike was left unsurprised. The head of security looked at the veteran Fazbear guard sharply, "If you want to save them, if that is at all possible, don't be reckless. Are you certain you can handle them all?"
"Of course not…" Mike muttered to himself at Gregor's initial words. The rest of his words got him to think for a moment. It was possible that he'd have another episode, a panic attack, and this time he wouldn't have Kyle to snap him out of it. Golden Freddy all night and in his nightmare warned him to stay away, that he would be killed if he kept coming back. No, he wasn't backing down. He wasn't running away once again. He couldn't let Kyle's death be in vain.
"I can handle them. Besides you need someone to keep an eye on them." Mike answered with a worn but firm conviction.
Gregor examined his guard and after a moderate stared down nodded, "Go get some rest then if the last few nights are anything to go by you'll need it."
"Fine…" Mike said dully, he was beginning to feel the wear of the night settling in again. Nightmares never left he feeling well rested and the emotional strain of what he was going through now was not doing him any favors. He sluggishly walked past Gregor and out into the prize corner. Mike stopped when he reached the end of the counter. Slowly he turned and looked back to Gregor, the man eying him, "There is one more thing."
Before the younger adult could even ask Mike socked Gregor soundly in the face, sending the unprepared man crashing into the boxes. His fist shaking Mike tenderly rubbed his knuckles as he began to leave the prize corner again. Tone stiff with utter dislike Mike growled out, "That was for Kyle, and the other guard. I don't give a rat's ass what your reason is, when this is done you can burn for all I care."
That said Mike left Gregor to pick himself up and marched out of the building. He didn't bother to care about the man's response, not like he was going to fire him. Gregor had just said he needed him, so Mike was sure that his position in the death trap of a pizzeria was secure. As such, not once did he look back as he left the building and got into his car.
Once he shut the door a thick silence filled Mike's car. For a long while he sat there, stewing, in the silence. His hands on the steering wheel, keys not even in the ignition. Mike let his head fall onto the center of the steering wheel, and he let the unfinished tears from before fall from his face. The anger and hate melted from him and grief took both of their places, followed shortly by a bitter sense of failure.
He'd let this happen, he'd let her down. Now all he could do was finished what they'd set out to accomplish.
Once he'd let enough of his sorrow out Mike put his keys in the ignition and headed home. He'd settle himself and try to come on how to deliver the news to Jessica. If she came to hate him then it was what he deserved. Enwrapped in his own thoughts Mike didn't notice a car was following behind him…
Author's Note: Wow, over two weeks. So sorry guys, I got caught up in life. ^^;
Recently hopped onto the "Bendy and the Ink Machine" bandwagon. Not that I have plans on writing a story for that. And my DeviantArt account (same user name) has gotten an influx of watchers so I've been trying to keep that going. I'm also going back and revising another on-going story of mine "Reverse Falls: Who Are You?" a Gravity Falls story. This means that new chapter production for a while will be on this story alone. ;)
Also been reading some horror novels to get some inspiration. Currently reading "Watchers" and man, it's good already in the first fifty pages.
Guest Reviews:
Drakeon: I resent the message back to your account , that was you right? Good to see that Kyle's death had some impact. And also a bit of a pick here, but my Purple's name isn't William. :T Again AU but his name is reference to the book just not William. Just want to clear that up. ^^; His name will be revealed pretty soon, but if you don't want to wait it's revealed inmy fic "Harmless Beginnings"
Hope you all enjoyed, see you next time!