"Hey Cathy."

"What can I help you with Leroy?" the ever-sunny receptionist asked, as the guard approached.

"Nothing. Gregor just wanted me to tell everyone that we're having a meeting at the end of the shift. Might be closing a little early for that." Leroy replied. When he received a quizzical look, he shrugged, "That's what he told me earlier. I've been going around telling everyone. When I have the time."

She looked to the schedule on her computer monitor, "We don't have one today."

Leroy smiled helplessly. "I figured. I didn't remember one either, but he said he wanted to celebrate the first week ending and go over some things. So, surprise?"

"Okay, I guess." Cathy sighed. Then she smiled at him, "Thanks for letting me know."

Leroy nodded and strolled his way back to the security office, or rather his office. Since he started working here, he hadn't ever seen Gregor sit in this office. He guessed it was nice to basically have the place to himself. If only it wasn't so cramped feeling. There was plenty of leg room for him, yet it still felt like the walls were at his back. The large vent wasn't very welcoming either. Shaking that off he moved to pick up the tablet, which, oddly, had been found at the front desk this morning. Leroy figured, perhaps, the night guard had felt similarly and sat there for his/her shift. Couldn't blame them honestly. Just wish they hadn't cracked the screen, he worried about scraping a finger on it. He hadn't yet though.

As he sat back, he began to peruse the cameras, checking over the building for anything off. While uneventfully flipping through the cameras, his mind wandered to what would come up during the meeting. Far as he could tell, things had been fine. Perhaps there'd be a mention of minding children wandering into the back? That'd happened twice already. With the same kid. Hopefully that wouldn't be a mark against him…

The ring of the phone caused Leroy to jump in his seat. Thankfully, he didn't drop the tablet and managed to guide it to the table between jumpy hands. Exhaling, certain that there would've been a mark against him, he picked up the phone. He settled himself then answered with the customary, "Freddy Fazbear Security office, Leroy O'Conner speaking, how can I help you? Is there an issue?"

"Oh, good it's not Scott."

Puzzled, Leroy reflexively responded with, "Excuse me?" Gathering himself he then asked, "Who is this?"

"Mike Schmidt," The caller answered, "I work the nightshift."

"Oh."

"Look, this is about Gregor," Before Leroy could even ask about what specifically, Mike sternly added, "Stay away from him. Something's, something's not right with him."

"What do you mean? He's," For some reason, Leroy couldn't really pin anything to say in retaliation. He pushed past the blockage, "I don't really know him, but he doesn't seem like a dangerous guy."

"Would you say you trust him?"

Leroy found his words lodged in his throat again. Anxious, he fiddled with his silver cross, looking off as if to avoid the caller's gaze, "Not, particularly." Quickly he added, "Like I said, I don't know him."

"Then don't start now." Mike advised. "In fact, get out of there soon as you can today. Encourage everyone you can to leave early."

The encouragement of insubordination caused Leroy to falter in his words, "Ah- wha, what? What's this all about? I don't know you either and you're suddenly calling up out of nowhere telling me to get everyone to leave early?" He stilled when he saw some passersby give him a look before heading to main party room. Voice hushed, he continued, "I don't know what you've got against Scott, but it should stay between you two. Besides we've got a meeting today and I can't lose this job."

Out of all that, Mike focused on one thing, "He's called a staff meeting? Shit."

There was a bit of commotion in the background, it sounded like someone else was there with Mike. They spoke a bit, whatever was said Leroy couldn't make it out. Aside from the fact they sounded upset, worried. The fact unsettled Leroy. Soon, Mike spoke back into the line, "Look. I'll admit, Leroy, right?"

"Yeah."

"Leroy, Gregor, and I don't like each other, but…it's not actually him I'm trying to warn you about. He, Gregor, isn't himself. To put it lightly."

Cross pinned between his fingers; Leroy eyes looked like a deer in headlights. An image of a crayon drawing flashed in his mind. "He isn't him." Realizing this man was a nightguard, one who could dismiss or confirm his worries, Leroy scooted closer to his desk. Hunched over he spoke into the receiver with a hand cup around his mouth, "Mike, I've seen things, been told things. Is," He hesitated, "Is it true? About Freddy's past, the rumors?"

"Yes." Mike answered solemnly.

"Oh god…" Leroy gasped, "I've a lot of the others about the meeting. Wh-what do I do? What's he going to do?"

"First," Mike interrupted, "Try and keep calm. What you're dealing with, it's dangerous. Just try and keep those you can safe and keep an eye out. Okay?" Leroy managed a noise of confirmation. Mike took it for what it was, "I'm not asking you to put your life on the line. I can't ask that. Just, stay safe."

"Okay, okay." Leroy uttered.

"Right. One more thing, is Karen in?" Mike asked, somewhat out of nowhere. The sudden topic shift caused Leroy to take a moment to process what'd been asked.

"Karen, the janitor?" Leroy asked in turn, sounding unsure.

"That's right. She in?" Mike asked again.

"She should be…" Leroy answered uncertainly. He picked up the tablet, "Hold on, let me check." He flipped through the cameras and saw her in the Parts & Services room, mopping. "Yes, she is, she's mopping in the back. You want to talk with her?"

"That's right. She's got a radio, right?" Mike questioned.

Leroy hummed and looked at her through the camera, squinting a bit, "Looks like it."

"Okay. Now, do as I say. Call her up about a spill or the like. Be discreet." Mike instructed, "Don't want to draw attention."

"Got it." Leroy replied, uneasily. The room felt smaller than ever, like an unseen gaze on him now. He breathed, thumb rubbing his cross, "Okay, just one second." He put the receiver down and plucked his radio from his hip, "Karen Santos, can you come up front? We've got a spill. Over."

In a moment, the radio buzzed, "Alright, be right there."

Leroy breathed a silent sigh of relief. That'd went over easily. Somehow, he felt like there'd have been some form of resistance. Thankfully, he'd sounded natural enough it seemed.

Shortly thereafter he heard the rattle of the janitor's cart trundling down the hall towards his office. The middle-aged woman tilted her head into the room, looking worn and non-plussed. "Where's the spill? And what kind is it?" She raised a brow when the guard motioned silently for her to come into the office. Saying nothing, she stepped inside. Karen casted a glance around the room before flatly saying, "I don't see a spill."

Again, Leroy said nothing and handed her the phone. Eying him, Karen took it, saying into the receiver, "Hello?"

"It's Mike."

Surprised, Karen parroted, "Mike?"

"Last time we "met" you said you're on my side. Or something to that effect." Mike stated dryly, "Well, time to prove it." Karen tried to say something, but Mike talked over her, "There's something hidden in that building, isn't there? The company's freakshow from the past."

Karen's face paled. She gulped then answered, voice hollowed, "Yeah. That's right."

"It's on the loose. So, to speak and is out to get payback on everyone working there."

Withholding a shudder, Karen shakily answered, "I know."

"You know? Sonofabitch, how much-?" Mike bit his tongue, "Know what, forget it. Just help Leroy here keep as many people as possible safe. That bastard is trying to get everyone to stick around. I'm sure you can guess why."

"How would he-?"

Mike didn't let her finish, "Leroy can tell you why. I can't talk forever. Need to get things ready for tonight."

At that he hung up, leaving Karen and Leroy looking at each other. Both filled with unease.

"What're we supposed to do?" Leroy questioned, again, tone teetering the edge of hysterics. He paced back and forth in the janitor closet, where Karen and he currently hid, which amounted to less than a handful of steps before repeating. His hands clutch his forehead, knuckles white, like they were the only things keeping it upright. Leroy shook his head, eyes wide, repeating, "What are we going to do? I, I already told just about everyone that there was a meeting. No doubt word has spread. Oh god, oh god." He scratched his arms, trying to soothe himself. Leroy looked to Karen for some sort of guidance, "Karen? Karen, what should we do?"

Karen didn't respond. Her face was plaid white, and her stature was stiff. Briefly, Leroy thought she hadn't heard what he'd said, but then she squeezed her eyes shut and thinned her mouth, "I... how should I know?"

Her tone was snippy, but it was obvious she was scared. She flicked a hand upward. "I mean, if we do anything." Fear filled her eyes, and her voice went quiet, mind imagining what could possibly happen, "He'll turn his attention to us."

"Did," Leroy hesitated, but with how Mike wanted to speak with her, he figured, "did, you know him?"

The distraction seemed to be a welcome one, Karen answered, "Not really. Just knew him as a guard and mechanic my folks worked with." She suppressed a shudder, "He...didn't seem like," She struggled to find a word, whether to properly describe or worry about being overhead, Leroy didn't know. "Like he'd do what he did. Hell, I watched him work on the bots...alone." Her face paled again. She shook it off, forcing herself to speak more, "He was always busy, sometimes he was cranky but that was it."

"Nothing we can use, then." Leroy surmised, though he hadn't expected much. He'd just wanted to distract himself. For the moment.

"Yeah, nothing like that."

Leroy sat down on a can of paint, thinking aloud, "What if, we pulled the fire alarm?"

"What time is it?" She pulled out her cellphone and shook her head, "Just before seven-thirty, it'd get everyone out of the building, but everyone would file back in before long. He could figure something was up if there's no fire. But keep that in mind, we could use that before this supposed meeting. When is it anyway?"

"Sometime before the shift ends. So probably after nine, during the time we clean. If I had to guess we'll probably shut down an hour early, so the cleaning could be done." He shrugged, "That's my guess, that's all he told me."

"Great." Karen remarked. Then she perked up, "Tell everyone they won't get paid for the meeting."

"Huh?"

"Would you want to stick around, possibly longer than usual, hearing someone yammer on if you're not getting paid?" Karen questioned.

"Not really." Leory admitted.

"Exactly." She moved over to the door, "Try and be discreet and I don't think I need to say this but," She looked at him, fearful and concerned, "Don't be left alone with him."

Leroy had to remind himself that they weren't talking about Gregor. It was all so surreal. He'd always questioned if things like this were real. The idea of his body being controlled by something else sent shivers through him. He gripped his cross, praying for safety and protection, not just for him but everyone. He nodded, "Yeah, I'll do my best."

It was all Karen could ask for, so she returned it. "Ok. If it comes to it, I'll be the one to trigger the fire alarm. With me having to mop I'll have plenty of excuses to be near one. I got gloves. If it gets to that."

"Hey Cathy."

The receptionist lifted her head from her work, going over the cash drawer for the day. It was tedious but she liked doing a bit of math at the end of the day. Beat listening to the constant noise of pizzeria during the day. She smiled, "What can I help you with Gregor?"

"Avery needs help in the kitchen." The guard said before giving a long yawn. He covered his mouth then rubbed his eyes that'd watered as a result.

"You really need to get some sleep." she remarked amusedly.

"Yeah, I'll get on that later." Gregor said dismissively. He gestured to the kitchen with his head, "For some reason the other kitchen staff booked it."

Cathy straightened in her chair, surprised, "What? Why?"

"Not a clue. I'll worry about that tomorrow." Gregor answered. "He needs help in there, can't clean the kitchen by himself. Everyone else is busy with their stations, so..."

Catching on, Cathy nodded. "Okay, I just started." She pushed the drawer shut and locked it.

Gregor watched her go, smiling, "Appreciate it, Cathy."

"Don't mention it." she said as she headed down the hall.

As she headed into the main party room, she noticed quite a few people were missing. A rather notable amount. She frowned in irritation, this meant they'd have a heavier cleanup load. She shook her head as she neared the kitchen doorway.

"Cathy."

Turning her head, she saw Leroy heading over to her, "I need to talk to you about..."

"It'll have to wait Leroy." Cathy cut in, guessing about the sudden drop in staff, "I already know. I need to help Avery in the kitchen."

"Oh. Okay." Leroy nodded, looking appeased. "I'll get back to work then."

Cathy left Leroy to it and went inside to the kitchen. Briefly she was puzzled when she didn't see Avery the chef in the room. There was still plenty to clean, namely dishes. Not something she looked forward to, she hated doing dishes, but it had to be done. Just as she was about to call him when she heard things fall in the storage room followed by a grunt. Blinking, she looked at saw the storage room ajar.

"You okay in the Avery?" Cathy asked. It sounded like something had fallen on him. She got no response as she approached the ajar door. She was beginning to get concerned, had something hit him on the head? Something like a box? She called to him again, "Avery?"

She heard a guttural noise in response. Concerned, she pulled the door fully out of the way. At first what she saw looked like the chef toppled over on top of a crate of tomato sauce cans. Then she saw the line of red draining down onto the floor. There was no mistake, it was blood. Thinking Avery had hurt himself, somehow, Cathy ran over to him. She grabbed him by the shoulders and with some effort managed to lean him back against the shelving. "What happen- oh god." Her words halted. She could see the wound now. His throat had a deep stab in it.

"Wha, what...who did this?" Quickly she realized it wouldn't be a good idea for the chef to try and answer. "Actually, don't speak. I'll, I'll go get help." She got up frantically looking around, "No, I should find something to help stop the bleeding first." Nodding to herself she headed out of the kitchen, "Stay there. I'll go get a towel."

Quickly she recalled that they didn't have towels and none of the rags looked large enough to stifle the bleeding or were dirty. She quickly turned her attention to the roll of paper towels, the brown paper bag colored kind. Practically unwinding the thing halfway, Cathy tore off a long chunk with enough force the rest went tumbling onto the floor. Not caring, she turned to dart back into the storage room.

"What's going on?"

Alarmed, Cathy whirled to face the voice. She relaxed that the sight of clean, yet rumpled clothed, Gregor. A puzzled look on his face.

"It's Avery- he's hurt badly! I- I think someone stabbed him!" Cathy was still hurrying into the supplies closet as the words poured out of her mouth. She didn't wait to see Gregor's reaction nor response. So, as she finished speaking, she was tending to the cook's wound practically stuffing it into the gash, urging him to hold it firmly down as he could. He was already going pale. She realized; she wouldn't be able to go get further help. She had to stay here and hold the packing in place. "Gregor, go get help!"

Silence.

Thinking he was stunned by the sight, Cathy yelled, "Gregor! He needs help!"

She looked up as she saw his shadow move closer to them. Still saying nothing. Cathy didn't notice Avery's face gape in horror. She looked over her shoulder, "Gregor what are you-"

He rushed her. Pinning her into the storage shelving. She let out a yelp of pain. Cringing at the pointed corners of the shelving, digging into her shoulders, she turned her eyes up to her attackers. That was Gregor, right? But why would he do this? And why did her mind have trouble recognizing this as him? His eyes were dark pits.

A hand covered her mouth to keep her from screaming, as the knife plunged deep into her neck.

"How'd it go?" Karen questioned, meeting up with Leroy in the control room to Pirate's Cove. It'd taken a bit of convincing to get the guard inside the room, or rather passing by the fox animatronic. Even after informing him, he was safe during the day, even if it was a bit late by then, he'd kept his eyes pinned on the animatronic. Karen couldn't blame him.

"Good, I think." Leroy answered, hands soothing running over his sleeved arms. "Cathy went to the kitchen to help Avery, so they're safe. I think." He quickly shifted back to the positive, "But, just about everyone is gone. Aside from us, maybe one or two others, I think."

"And "Gregor." Karen added, shifting uneasily.

A silence fell between them. Leroy's eyes shifted to the door, nodding. He swallowed, "I'll do one more round, then, we'll leave." He knew they both wanted to get out of this place now. He really wanted to leave, but he had to be sure. "Once we're out and somewhere safe, we should get back in touch with Mike. Do you have his number?"

Karen nodded curtly.

"Okay." Leroy said, mostly to himself. He repeated, "Okay. Here I go."

"I'll go with you." Karen added suddenly.

Leroy didn't object.

They walked carefully out into the now mostly silent pizzeria. The patrons had been told to leave a while ago, the children, and some of the parents, hadn't been too keen on leaving, but the excuse of a meeting to better things (given by Gregor over the intercom) smoothed things over. Somewhat. Further apology gifts, little gift bags, sent them on their way.

Now, stripped of the activity, the pizzeria felt hallowed out, empty. The silence mingled with the hum of the AC unit was the only thing to fill the emptiness. The sensation they were alone but knowing they had left them on edge. They looked around for anyone. The hall seemed longer than last they saw it, now that it was emptied of customers coming and going. The whole building felt larger, more imposing. They glanced into the side party rooms as they walked along, but were met with only empty rooms, partially cleaned.

The party room was the most cleaned of the rooms, as the workers had been clustered in there to tackle the biggest mess together. Leroy stuck just behind Karen, following closely, gaze fidgeting back and forth like bird. Karen was left to lead the way, even though she really didn't want to but one of them had too. She reminded herself to keep moving and get this over with. She had known stuff would go down. She personally had cleaned up after it! Yet, facing the perpetrator was more terrifying. She could end up like the others...

She stopped moving when she heard Leroy stop and stifle a whimper. Looking back to him Karen questioned, "Leroy?" Seeing his frightened gaze fixed on something, Karen followed it and stilled herself. Gregor was walking out of the kitchen, arms tucked behind his back. A calm almost serene smile on his face. To Karen, it looked familiar, uneasily familiar. It was a knowing smile. It reminded her of Davey.

"Well, looks like you two are the only ones left." Gregor stated casually while he made his way to them.

"The only ones? Where's everyone else?" Leroy blurted out quickly, trying to sound confused but it wasn't convincing.

"Yeah, we noticed how quite it'd gotten and came to see what was up." Karen added, tried to amend their explanation to sound more convincing. Though, even she didn't feel it helped much.

Gregor didn't answer. He walked up to them, looking from one to the other with the same at ease expression. His exterior was still worn out, bearing the appearance of being tired but his eyes were fully alert. Gregor glanced back to the party room, finally answering, "Yeah, it's the weirdest thing. Everyone just, left." Suddenly he looked at Leroy, "You did tell them about the meeting, didn't you?"

"Yes, of course, I did." Leroy's response was automatic, startled by the sudden focus on him.

Seeming convinced, Gregor hummed, seeming to think it over.

"Maybe they just wanted to leave early. You know, most of them are high school or college kids." Karen offered, wanting to end this conversation.

Gregor pondered this. As he responded, he rounded around them. Leroy and Karen subtly shifted away from him as he neared. A flicker of emotion passed across his face, but it was gone before either of them could properly register it. He shrugged, an impassive grin spreading wide across his jaws, "Yeah, that could be it. But I suppose I'll find out later. They have to come back if they want to keep their job."

Karen and Leroy exchanged looks. He looked amused? The reaction just felt off, his grin didn't look like it belonged to his face.

"You two can clock out for the day." Gregor announced, interrupting their confusion.

"Uh?" Leroy sputtered. This couldn't be going over so easily. "Are you sure?" Not wanting too confused he gestured to the partially cleaned side party rooms, "I mean, there's a lot of cleaning left to do."

Gregor waved them off. "The others can finish their work tomorrow. It'd be unfair for us to take their parts just because they decided to up and leave." He turned to leave. "If they think they're getting out of this. They're wrong. So, head out, before I change my mind."

The statement sounded teasing, meant to be a joke, but there was a sharpness to it. Like it was teetering on the edge of being jovial and legitimate. A taunting jab of danger laid out right in front of them.

"If you insist." Karen answered. She shifted her foot, readying to move, when she saw, Gregor was heading to the back. "What about you?"

"I still have some things I need to do." Gregor answered simply before he disappeared into the back halls.

There was a weighted silence between Leroy and Karen, letting the exchange sink in. It'd started and ended in less than a handful of minutes. Yet, it'd felt much longer than that, both of them expecting something to happen. Something that never did, leaving them braced. Eventually, Karen muttered, "Come on."

Leroy simply nodded his head. They turned and headed down the hall. Not bothering to clock out before leaving. Once they were outside, the doors shutting behind them with a clatter far heavier than it should've sounded, like the door to a cage being slammed shut, they both let out breaths that they'd been holding.

"He, he knows." Leroy stuttered out.

"Damn it." Karen cursed. She appeared to say more but discarded whatever it was. She shook her head, "Come'on, we need to get going. You come with me. I have Mike's phone number; we need to call him."

Leroy hesitated. Did he want to continue to be involved? He felt appalled by the thought soon as it sprouted in his mind. These were lost souls. They needed to be helped to pass on, instead of suffering on-going abuse. Then there was- him. The monster who'd killed them now puppeteering the body of a living man. To continue to commit heinous crimes. Even with this reminder, it took a strong mental push to get his feet to follow Karen. He was still terrified, but he couldn't turn a blind eye. He wouldn't be able to live by himself if he did. He just wished he knew what he could offer that'd help.

As he tagged along to Karen's truck he stopped, noticing another car. His eyes locked on as he said aloud, "That's...Cathy's car."

It was empty.

"You said she went to help the chef in the kitchen, right?" Karen replied, fingers slowly thumbing through her key ring, but her eyes were on the car.

"Gregor...came from the kitchen."

They were both dead.

They had to be.

It was dark in his space. As it always was as he slept. The song he'd heard all week played once again and would play again and again, always wound back up before it fully ended. Unless someone got careless. Even though this repetitive peace brought a form of comfort it was a sedative, confining one. The pain and anguish would consume him once the song was over. The reminder of their suffering would fall upon him instantly. Much like it was now. The song was winding to its end, consciousness stirred within the simple animatronic, yet its vessel didn't move. Faintly, focus not quite there yet, there was the sound of something shuffling outside. It moved closer, till it was right outside. Then a whistling started an old familiar tune. He knew this tune. More so, the presence it brought with him. A horrid darkness.

Anger flooded him but he couldn't move. Not yet. The song was still playing. It was like fighting a well dosed sedative. A losing battle.

Then he could hear the clatter of metal. The realization came too late.

A definitive click of a lock.