NOTES (IMPORTANT THING!)
Hello! Sorry for the wait, I've hardly had any time to be at home.
But! To make up for it, I've got a small surprise!
Some art! Done personally by yours truly!
UPDATED
Alright, originally I had tried using a google drive link to share the picture, but as you might expect it didn't work very well. Fanfiction kept cropping out the website name (understandably), so I needed to use something that didn't require a link.
Temporary solution! Reddit. (I am so unbelievably new to reddit don't kill me)
Username is ParticularlyLargeRat, and the drawing is the only thing on that account at the moment. If you get bored enough, go check it out!
Some context: I'd only ever drawn with pencil and paper before, so what you're seeing is basically the first thing I ever drew on a brand new drawing tablet for my PC. If you have some tips to help me accommodate, or have anything else you want to say in general, don't be afraid to message me or leave a review!
Alrighty, lets hope this goes better than the drive link did.
Silent Night
It's a struggle traversing through the icey wind to reach the front doors. The temperature tonight isn't much lower than it usually is on cooler winter nights, but the wind alone is enough for just about everywhere to close down due to a 'winter storm'. It's enough that as soon as you step outside, every part of your skin that isn't entirely covered in cloth starts to bite like crazy.
That's saying a bit. I'm a lot less susceptible to extreme temperatures due to my nerves not having regenerated entirely, and it still simply hurts to be outside for any more than twelve seconds.
...Why didn't I come during the day? The place is closed anyway, so no one's gonna be here regardless of what time I show up. Maybe I could've waited out the storm and then came.
Well. If things continue like this, I might've been unable to dig my car out of the snow to come here. Not to mention the insufferable road conditions. Suppose it's good that I came here when I still could.
...
Shoot. That probably means leaving is gonna be impossible.
I look back in the direction of my car, but it's entirely impossible to see more than three feet ahead of you. If it wasn't for the parking lines all over the lot, I'd have no reason to believe I was even headed toward the Pizzaplex.
...
Merry Christmas, Mike. This year I'm gifting you the experience of shoveling an entire parking lot in the morning.
Whatever. First thing I should do is get inside.
Sheesh.
So apparently, in an attempt to save on electricity, many of the lights that are left at all times on have been turned off. Didn't help with finding the entrance in the blizzard.
As soon as I'm inside the second set of glass doors, I brush myself off. The amount of snow falling off me might actually create a sizable puddle.. I'll have to remember to wipe that up later.
It's a little ominous in here with the lights turned off.. Makes my movements seem a lot louder, despite the lobby not being any quieter than it is when I'm working any other day.
I guess I'm not really 'working' tonight. If I even attempted to clock in, Cooper would know. Not that I'd be any trouble, but he'd likely coerce me into going home in this weather.
The darkness is still enough to make me feel like this is somewhere I'm not supposed to be; though it doesn't really do much for me considering that the entire 'planet' feels like somewhere I'm not supposed to be.
...
Didn't really come here with a plan. Not sure what to do from here.
Guess the only place to go from here is the auditorium. I'll decide what to do from there.
The cold and quiet room makes my heart race a bit. Reminds me of how things were before, in the old locations, but.. Not in a bad way. Sneakily roaming an animatronic-infested building had always filled me with just the right amount of exhilaration. I'm glad those days are behind me now, but hard work will always be the work that fills your heart the most.
That being said.. I have it pretty easy here.
The hardest parts of my job including preventing Trudge Monty and Chica from breaking things, and obliging Roxanne's ridiculous demands from time to time. Freddy's pretty self-sufficient, which is no surprise.
Still, I've fallen asleep on more than one occasion. As soon as I'm done looping around the Pizzaplex once, I just exist here for a while until the clock tells me to go home.
..Maybe I shouldn't be complaining about how easy my job is. The alternative would be finding something more difficult to do, and I'm not sure that's what I want either.
As soon as the doors to the auditorium open, I'm immediately met with an oddity.
The lights in here are heavily diminished as well, which isn't a big surprise. The darkness makes it difficult to see things that aren't actively glowing a bit, or are more than a meter away.
Movements like the soft collisions of my feet on the floor are incredibly distinguishable through sound alone. Like the previous room, the auditorium is dead silent...
Except for a softly echoing bass guitar, strumming from around where the show-stage should be.
Almost like a physical force, the strumming causes me to stop moving all at once. The atmosphere created by a bass strumming alone in an almost pitch black auditorium is suffocatingly palpable. Like a magic spell's being cast on the entire room, causing the inhabitants to simply stop doing whatever they're doing and listen.
...
Monty is the bass player in the band. The only person who can reasonably be over there is Monty, but I'm too far away to see them clearly.
Part of me wants to call out to him, but there's nothing on the planet that would build my courage up enough to penetrate this hyper-sensitive atmosphere with my voice.
My solution is to, well.. Get closer. Even if I tried calling out to Monty from here, I'd either have to yell or talk in my normal conversation volume. Both would obviously be enough to catch their attention with how well sound bounces around this room, but neither seem appropriate for the distance I'm at. Yelling would pierce the atmosphere like a bullet, and talking normally from this far away would sound unsettling.
I step as lightly as possible in attempt to snuff out any noise I might make until I get close enough, but it's difficult.. Every step taken makes some noise, no matter how hard I try. Whoever's playing the bass is thankfully a bit preoccupied to notice a sound as small as mine compared to their strums, but if I take a step at the just the wrong time when there's a lull in the tone, it might just be enough to catch their attention.
...
It's like we're creating a melody. I'm not sure if my footsteps unintentionally started to match their time, or if they subconsciously started strumming to the almost inaudible beat my feet are creating, but we're synced. It's kinda neat, but it also makes the atmosphere more potent.
...
- Click, click. click.. click... -
Shoot, well that did it. The melody went in a direction I wasn't expecting, and the strumming suddenly cut off. I thought I did well stopping my footsteps at the same time.. But the bass's final strum rung out considerably faster than my footsteps, resulting in my step's echo repeating a couple more times.
I've made it most of the way through the auditorium, now standing where the closer parts of the show crowd would usually stand. Still, it isn't as close as I was hoping to get.
I can almost tell the exact thought process going through the strummer's head as they register what they heard, despite still not being able to see them. First they freeze upon noticing an unusual sound, then they continue to stay still and see if the sound will play again. At this point, they've fully cognitively recognized the sound they heard, and they're unsure what to do about it; staring out into the darkness in front of them in a kind of stalemate.
...And now:
"Hello..?"
That's Monty alright. There was little doubt to begin with, but it's nice to be sure. Their voice pierces the absolute stillness of the auditorium, causing us both to get slightly less comfortable.
Well, there's no hiding it now. I'm still not close enough for either of my talking options to make sense, so I decide to bite the bullet and speedwalk these last couple steps toward the stage.
"AAHhh-h-hello?!"
Alright, perhaps that wasn't the smartest plan. I guess the last sound you'd want to hear in a pitch-black room by yourself is 'rapidly-approaching footsteps'.
Forgot Monty's the easiest to freak out of the gang, despite his monstrous strength. Even Chica wasn't afraid of the endoskeletons in their exhibit, but Monty was cowering behind me the entire time.
"Monty?" I call out, feeling comfortable enough to use a normal talking voice at this range.
"...H-Huh?"
"Hey."
At last, I finally reach the distance where Monty's outline is visible. I'd assume the same is true for me, since Monty's head seems to be pointed directly in my direction.
"...Oh- Mike..?"
I stop about ten steps from the gator, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.
"It's me, yeah. Sorry about that, I was hoping to close the distance before calling out to you."
"Oh, Mike! Fred' said you wouldn't be 'round for a couple-..! Here.." Monty's outline rises from the lone chair he appears to have dragged out onto the main stage. He sets his bass gently off to the side, and some distinguishable clicking can be heard a few times before a warm glow erupts from their hands.
I almost have to cover my eyes. The light isn't bright by any means, but my eyes had just gone through the work of adjusting to the pitch-black.
"Woah.."
"Ain't it neat?" Monty holds the device towards me to show it off. "Arin told us to use these fer a bit, while all the lights are turned off. All four 'a us got one."
"Is it a lantern..?"
"Don' think so.." He brings the light up to face-level. "They kinda look like 'em, though. I think that was the point. They ain't got fire or nothin' in 'em."
"Huh.." My eyes finally recover enough to inspect the light myself. It really does seem shaped like a lantern, but I think it's purely for effect. A warm glow emanates from it's center, heavily resembling the light of a fire, but it looks like the light itself appears electric. "That's probably for the better. Places associated with the name 'Fazbear' don't agree with fire very often."
"They don't?"
..Probably shouldn't get into it with him.
"A couple of them burned down, but nothing important was lost." I shift my gaze from the lantern up to Monty. "Anyway.. Do you practice in here very often?"
"Nahh, I don't need much practice anymore." Monty gently sets the lantern down on the floor, letting it illuminate the area around us. "Got everythin' down, but I like experimentin' from time to time."
I take a few steps closer to be at a more comfortable talking distance now that we can see each other, and Monty returns to sitting in the chair he dragged out onto the stage.
"You were experimenting out here?"
"Well.. Nah, not really. This time I was just playin' some stuff I knew how to play." Monty shifts a bit, reaching over to bring his bass back into his lap. "The slower stuff mixes real well in here, with the lights bein' off and sound bein' low. Y'know?"
"Yeah, you thought it was a relaxing place to play."
"That's it."
How uncharacteristically 'lo-fi' of him..
Not really knowing what else to do, I lower myself to sitting on the floor, staring out into the darkness surrounding the stage.
"Don't think I've seen you do this kind of thing before." I mention whilst shifting to sit cross legged. "You're more of a 'bouncing off the walls' character."
Monty chuckles.
"Sorry. I usually save 'chillin' out' for I think I'll be alone."
"How come?"
" 's easier. Gotta stay energetic 'front of the kids, y'know?"
That makes sense. Monty's high-energy matches the busy hours of the Pizzaplex very well, and kids are gonna gobble that right up.
"I guess so."
"Did ya want to go play somethin' while you're here? I can always save this fer later; got nothin' but time on my hands."
"I'm alright. Think I'd prefer 'chilling' for a bit."
"Ahhh, alright.. Soo.." Monty side eyes me. "How do we do that?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Sorry! Don' think I've ever relaxed 'with' someone before. Dunno how it works.." Monty scratches the back of his head.
"Oh.. Huh."
"So whaddo we do?"
"Same thing we do when each of us relax normally, I guess."
Monty stares ahead into the dark for a second.
"Well that just sounds like two people relaxin' individually, don't it?"
"That's pretty much what it is."
"I'm confused."
What a strange creature.
"You were playing bass to relax before I got here, right?"
"Yyyep."
"So keep doing that."
"Keep playin'?"
"Yeah."
"..Do you gotta bass?"
"..No?"
"We ain't gonna play together?"
"No, you'll just do what you like to do, and I'll do what I like to do."
"Oh. Huh! Alright!" Monty kicks his bass back into playing position. "What're you gonna do then?"
"Nothing much, I guess." I kick back and use my hands to support myself. "Think I'll just sit and listen for a bit."
"Aaalright, suit yourself."
...
"Oh, before I forget: Merry Christmas, Monty."
" D'aww.. Thanks, Mikalike! Merry Christmas!"
I somehow miss Monty reaching over to slap my back, and I spend the rest of the hour pretending like it didn't hurt like hell while Monty strums his bass into the void surrounding us.
The animatronic corridor doesn't have any electricity either.. Honestly I was expecting this area to be the one exception on account of being the one area the animatronics spend most of their time.
Despite the lack of electricity, there are still a couple light sources visible from the doorway I'm standing in. Warm orange glows illuminating the radius around them, just like the lantern Monty was holding.
One of them is in Chica's room, barely visible on account of the curtain being pulled over her window. The other, however, is directly to the left as soon as you enter the corridor.
There's no use in trying to be inconspicuous, since this place is just as deafeningly quiet as the auditorium, so I make no attempt to mask my echoing footsteps while I enter through the doorway.
...
Naturally, the only source of light in the entire corridor is the first thing my gaze shifts towards. If one of the lanterns is sitting around out here, then one of the animatronics must be as well.
Sure enough.
There's a lantern standing upright on the floor, illuminating the area around it. And only a couple feet away lies it's owner.
Roxanne, sitting in one of the bean bags that I usually sit in.. Absent-mindedly scrolling through the laptop in her lap.
My laptop, of course.
I fight the urge to snicker and draw attention to myself. Honestly, I don't really mind if she uses my laptop anymore; the only reason I did in the first place was because I didn't want her to read the document before I had edited it. But as far as Roxanne knows, I still don't want her touching it. It's like she's 'asking' me to mess with her.
..It's a bit weird how Rox doesn't realize I'm here yet.. Monty was able to hear my footsteps from a good distance simply due to how quiet it was. Well, as far as I can tell, it's no less quiet in here. Surely she heard me come in.. My second guess is that she's too absorbed in what she was doing to notice, but I don't think that's it either. She looks kinda bored, actually.
Maybe she thinks I'm just another member of the gang, or an entirely different animatronic.
Well, whatever. The important thing is Roxanne hasn't noticed me yet, and I intend to take advantage of it.
I take a couple steps closer, once again making the unmistakable sound of feet clacking against tile.
Still no reaction.. New idea.
I lift my arm and start to fiddle with my Faz-Watch, making as little noise as possible.
-.-.-.-.-
TXT - (Michael_Afton, Roxanne_Wolf)
Michael: Heya.
-.-.-.-.-
...
Roxanne's watch vibrates and the sound echoes through the corridor, causing her to jump. That reminds me, I should turn that off before she can message me back.
-.-.-.-.-
Roxanne: Forgot to take your watch off again, dumbass?
Michael: It's easy to forget about.
Roxanne: I'm starting to think you're doing it on purpose.
Michael: Maybe.
Roxanne: What do you want?
-.-.-.-.-
I peek over my arm. Roxanne's annoyed expression towards her watch contradicts the message her gently swaying tail seems to send.
-.-.-.-.-
Michael: Bored.
Roxanne: You're texting me because you're 'bored'?
Michael: Mhm.
Roxanne: Shouldn't you be spending Christmas with family or something?
Michael: It's the middle of the night.
Roxanne: Being nocturnal doesn't run in the family, huh?
Michael: Not much runs in my family.
Roxanne: Whatever. Do you need something from me or not?
Michael: Sure. Check out this hat, Trudge gave it to me.
-.-.-.-.-
A few seconds of silence pass, neither of us tapping at our watches.
Eventually, Roxanne huffs and starts typing again.
-.-.-.-.-
Roxanne: You have to send the picture, moron.
Michael: I do?
Roxanne: Of course you do, I can't fuckin see you from here.
Michael: Why not? Just look for yourself.
Roxanne: Mike, I can't see your damn hat without a picture.
Michael: Why do you need a picture?
Roxanne: 'Cause you aren't here! Are you fucking with me right now?
Michael: Of course I'm here, I'm right in front of you.
-.-.-.-.-
I love this job.
Roxanne stares at her watch for a while longer, as if trying to figure out what the words on the screen mean.
I lower my arm to my side and wait for the magic to happen.
...
...
"Wh-AAAHMichael!?"
Roxy slams the laptop shut as if that helps her situation.
"Heya."
"F-Fucking Mike! Don't do that! Scared the fuck outta me..!"
"You deserved it, for reading my laptop." I take a couple steps toward a bean-bag and plop down on it, still grinning from my success.
"I wasn't..!" Roxanne starts, but immediately chokes on her words upon realizing that she has literally no way to defend herself. "Nnh..."
"Had a lot of stuff I didn't want to share in there, was really hoping I could trust you." I shrug.
"Mike, don't fuckin.. Don't patronize me..!"
"Where am I supposed to keep my secrets safe if you keep breaching my privacy behind me back?"
"I'm.. Mike."
"Can't believe you, Rox."
Roxanne remains silent for a few seconds, her expression doesn't really know which direction to head in.
"Sheesh, I'm sorry.. Did it really mean that much to you?"
"Nah, not even a little. I don't really care if you use my laptop."
- TONK -
Before I can even relish my accomplishment with a laugh, I'm pelted with a lantern; causing me to recoil and tip until both me and my bean bag fall backwards.
"Fucking asshole!"
"Ow."
"Jeez!" I can hear Roxanne fall back in her seat, which she apparently stood from when chucking the lantern at me. "You've been here for two minutes and I'm already tired of you..!"
Unable to think of a way to elegantly sit back up, I continue to lay on the floor and look at the ceiling.
"Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, jerk."
I do chuckle this time, amused by Roxanne's genuine response to my holiday wishes.
"What do you think of my hat?" I ask, returning to the subject of our text messages.
"Who gave you that thing?"
"Trudge. He said it was my Christmas gift before he left."
Trudge gave me a santa hat. He gave me HIS santa hat that he was wearing at the time.
"Your purple skin doesn't match."
"I didn't think so either." Begrudgingly, I rise from the floor and sit in my bean bag upright. "Nice throw, by the way."
"Nice catch."
"Mm."
Fair enough, I'll accept defeat there.
...
"How much did you end up reading?" I finally work up the courage to ask.. The document still isn't edited as much as I would like it to be, so I'd at least like to know what she knows.
Roxanne crosses her arms and lowers her snout, still a little ashamed she got caught using something I specifically told her not to use.
"Not very far. The part where the guy gets his body back from the robots."
Mnn.. Not the greatest thing to hear. That part was particularly annoying to edit, so I was saving it for later. I've changed all the names and everything, of course.. But a lot of what's written in that portion of the chapter is a direct documentary of what really happened.
"Mm. I wasn't done with that part yet, so it was probably a little convoluted."
"Nah, it was alright." Roxanne finally relaxes, letting her head fall back on her bean bag. "Just not my kind of story, I guess. Got bored and started messing around."
...
"Messing around on my laptop?"
"Yes. Duh."
"Like what?"
"Looking shit up, mostly. Kinda nice having the answer to whatever you want whenever you want it."
"Fair enough." I mimic her actions and sink into my seat a little further. "What kind of stuff did you look up?"
"Nothing."
"Incredibly suspicious answer."
"Nothing important, I mean."
"I'm checking the browser history later."
"I don't know what that is."
"It shows me what you looked up."
...
"D...Don't.. do that.."
Honestly I wasn't really planning too, I was just making conversation. Absolutely gonna check it after a response like that, though.
...
"That machine had a stupid name, by the way." Roxy dictates. Does she expect me to just 'know' what the hell that means?
"What machine?"
"The frickin' 'scooper'."
"Oh."
"The damn thing cut his stomach open up the middle and scooped out his guts. It should be called something more hardcore than the fuckin' 'scooper'."
"I like it."
"Sounds like something you use to serve ice cream, not a death machine."
You aren't the first to say that.
"It 'scoops'. What else would you call it?"
"I don't fuggin' know, you're the one writing the story. Something other than the 'scooper'." Roxy raises her head just enough to look at me. "It's too simple, or something."
"It's not too simple." I raise my head to look back at her. "Like how the tree thing was called the 'chomper'. It chomped."
" 'Chomper' is a more fitting name than 'scooper'. Gets the 'death machine' point across."
"Neither of the machines were death machines, they just happened to be used in a way that resulted in something bad."
"Whatever you say, Mike.." Roxanne sits forward, getting more engaged in the conversation. "But if you were killed by a machine like that, you wouldn't want to be remembered as the guy who died to something called the 'scooper'."
"I'm fine with it. He didn't really die anyway."
"Of course he didn't. It'd be a shitty way for the hero to die."
I chuckle, sitting forward to match Roxanne's posture.
"He's just the protagonist. 'Hero' is a bit of a stretch."
Roxanne raises an eyebrow.
"..No, he's the hero. The hero is the one who's on the good side."
"That 'hero' tormented and killed his own brother."
"Yes, but he took responsibility for it, moron. Why am I explaining this to you-, you wrote the book!"
"Making up for doing something bad doesn't make you good. It just makes you a little less bad."
"No-, Mike.." Roxanne puts her elbows on her knees, leaning forward to explain. "I get that, but this guy isn't just 'making up' for it. He's dedicating himself to stopping that bastard father of his from killing kids."
"The only reason the father started killing kids to begin with is because the protagonist killed his brother. He triggered the whole thing, so everything he does to stop his father only goes as far as 'making up' for his mistake."
"The father did all that shit on his own. Just because his kid died doesn't justify goin' and killing a bunch of others."
"I know it doesn't, but it's still the protagonists fault." I lean forward like she's doing, elbows resting on my legs. "Whole thing wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for him."
"Whole thing wouldn'tve happened if the dad wasn't such a shitty father, either! Everything the father did was his own fault, not the hero's. Even if the hero unintentionally triggered it."
"That's exactly why it's the protagonists fault. Because he triggered it."
"Holy shit, Mike! We've talked about that already, listen!" Roxanne scoots her seat closer. "The dad was never 'forced' to kill anyone, he did that by himself! The hero making the mistake he made just 'happened' to be the thing that triggered his rampage."
"Look-, even 'if' the father did everything he did on his own, the protagonist did horrible things that can't be forgiven."
"Why not?"
..Is she for real?!
I scoot my seat closer.
"I-.. What do you mean 'why not'?!"
"Why not!? The hero did impossible shit to redeem himself! He even died for it!" Roxanne holds her arms out to exaggerate.
"He deserved worse. You can't possibly redeem yourself from something like 'tormenting your innocent younger brother until he dies to your hand'!"
"I get it, and you're right, it would be 'hard' to make up for shit like that. But the hero already suffered, right!? At least the brother didn't have to be used as a skinsuit for god knows how long! And after that, the Hero got back up and 'kept' fuckin' working to fix shit!"
"Rox, imagine.." I sigh while I try to think. "Imagine if Monty tortured you ever time you ran into him, and eventually he picked you up and forced your head between something that crushes it. What part of that makes you think He's a good person?"
"When he fuckin' changes! When he figures out how wrong he was and apologizes for it, then goes from nightmarish-hellhole to hellish-nightmare to try and make up the mistake he made! Suffering and dying in the process, and then continuing to keep pushing forward for me!"
"Rox, you wouldn't forgiv-"
"I would! And the hero's brother would forgive him, too!"
...
...
...
...
"..Mike?"
"Y-You're just.. Saying that.."
Roxanne starts to stand from her seat.
"Mike? What happened? Are you okay?"
That hit me a little hard.. I've spent my entire life thinking that Evan would despise me forever for the things I've done.. Roxanne probably just said that in the heat of the moment, but the thought that someone believes Evan would really forgive me clogged all brain processes for a second.
I rub my eyes.
"Sorry, dunno what that was all about.. Felt weird for a second."
"..Mike, you're story is fine, you know that right? I was just saying what I thought, but I didn't mean your story was bad."
Aww.. She thought she hurt my feelings by disagreeing with how I was writing the story.
"That's not it, you're fine. I really did just feel weird for a second."
"..Okay.. You're gonna be alright, right? Don't need anything?"
I finally get over myself and chuckle under my breath.
"Quick transition from 'fuck you, dumbass.' to 'I didn't mean it, can I get you anything?' ."
"I'm-, Mike!" All the concern on her face immediately evaporates, just the way I like it. "Fine! Have a heart attack for all I care!"
"I might take you up on that offer, actually. Think you can grab me a glass of water,?"
...
"Like, for real?"
"No. Making fun of you."
- TONK -
Lantern again.
It was.. Honestly a little jarring when Chica's door didn't automatically open the moment I approached. There's a lantern in there, and I can't think of any reason why besides Chica being in there as well.
I don't think I've ever seen any of the animatronics make use of their door locks, with the exception of Roxanne failing to trigger hers a few days ago. Chica did too at one point, but that whole situation was a bit absurd.
Naturally, I'm compelled to knock. I try tapping on the door quietly, but the sound still echoes through the entire corridor a couple times.
...
...
How strange.
Last thing I want to try is checking my watch, but pulling up the contacts list also reveals that Chica's name isn't lit. So wherever or whatever Chica's doing at the moment, she isn't wearing a Faz-Watch.
...
Oh, you know what. She's probably just sleeping, dumbass.
Now I feel like an asshole for knocking.. Hope I didn't wake her up.
Both Trudge and Chica told me that the former wasn't gonna be around today in particular. Chica basically feeds off of Trudge's energy for survival, so it isn't hard to imagine the Chica's sleeping this particularly boring day away.
Just before I'm about to lower my watch, a message lights up.
-.-.-.-.-.-
TXT (Michael_Afton, Freddy_Fazbear)
Freddy: Are you around here, Michael?
...
Michael: Yeah, how'd you know?
Freddy: What a pleasant surprise. Forgive the interruption, I'm working on another Faz-Watch for the company. I noticed your name was lit up on the contacts list.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Ah, of course.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Michael: No problem. Might drop by in a few minutes. I was trying to say hi to Chica, but her door's locked.
Freddy: Ah. I've noticed that too. Chica has been peculiarly unresponsive tonight.
Michael: I figured it's just because Trudge is gone.
Freddy: I thought the same.
-.-.-.-.-.-
My gaze shifts above my arm and at Chica's door again. I hope she's alright. Her and Trudge have been getting progressively closer together over these last couple of weeks, shockingly so. Hopefully the repercussion isn't that she falls into a depressive episode when Trudge isn't around.
...
Nah, Chica isn't a dog. She knows he'll be back in a couple days, I bet she's just tired from all of the shenanigans.
Just as I turn to step away, my watch vibrates again.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Freddy: Did you travel here through the storm?
Michael: Yeah, it's worse than I thought. I made it here safely, though.
Freddy: That's good to hear, but how do you intend to leave when the morning comes? The storm isn't going to let up for most of tomorrow as well.
Michael: I'm.. Still figuring that out. I'll be fine.
Freddy: Michael, if you don't have a plan, you may want to leave while you still can.
Michael: I doubt I could even if I wanted too. The roads would be impossible to traverse.
Freddy: Not if you leave in the next hour or so. We're in the eye of the storm, you could say.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Fuck, is that true?
...
I really wanted to talk with everyone. Even if I didn't, there's still one thing I absolutely have to do before I leave.
...
Damn it, he might be right..
-.-.-.-.-.-
Michael: Damn. You might be right.
Freddy: Language.
-.-.-.-.-.-
I might've done that on purpose, just to get a reaction out of him.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Michael: I was really hoping to talk with everyone before I left.
Freddy: Chica's out cold already, you may not get to talk to her anyway.
Michael: Maybe..
Freddy: Before you continue, I'm fine, Michael. I greatly appreciate you coming to visit, but you'll be coming in for work in a couple of days. We can talk then.
Michael: When do I work next? Do you know?
Freddy: A few days, but two days from now Cooper is bringing some employees over to help dismantle the Christmas decorations. If you're not opposed, we can see each other then. I'm sure they would appreciate the help, anyway.
...
Michael: Are you sure? Feels like I'm skimping on my responsibilities for tonight.
Freddy: You have no responsibilities, Mike. It's Christmas. Go spend your time at home!
...
Michael: Alright.
Freddy: Goodbye, Michael. Merry Christmas.
Michael: Merry Christmas.
-.-.-.-.-.-
For the second time today, I stumble through the double doors and into the Pizzaplex.
Freddy was right, the storm did calm down significantly.. But he was also right about it picking up in the near future.
I had an hour, and not very much of it is left.. I had a whole plan for today and everything, but I'm kinda doing the synopsis version of it with how little time there is.
Came in today and hoped to talk to each of the animatronics individually, to see what they might want for Christmas. My plan was going pretty well until Chica's door decided not to open..
There was a Walmart nearby, so I used what little I gathered from my interactions with Rox and Monty to figure out something they might want. I walked outta there with a gift for each of them, so far so good.
None of the gifts are particularly grand, I should mention. A couple small things. Managed to scrounge around Walmart for a specific color of make-up Roxanne looked up on my laptop. That browsing history was interesting by the way. Chica gets a small cookbook and a voucher for sending me on an errand to receive whatever ingredients she wants to use 'once'. After that it's becoming a Trudge thing.
So on and so forth..
Like I said, nothing grand. Just something to simulate that feeling of receiving a gift for Christmas, which the animatronics wouldn't have felt without someone from the outside running and grabbing something for them.
Part of my plan was that we'd all get together and do whatever Christmas things came to mind, but.. I'm out of time. The storm is kicking back up in no more than fifteen minutes, and I still have to drive back to my house once I've dropped these off.
..For that reason, I think it would be better if I delivered these as discretely as possible.. If I get seen putting gifts in front of someone's door, they're gonna want to say something about it, and I'm gonna run out of time to get my ass back home.
...
The unrivaled silence doesn't help me sneak around any.. But the dark might.
As the door to the auditorium slides open, the familiar sound of Monty's bass pierces the air once again.
Monty is definitely gonna have a hard time shutting up if he spots me walking around with presents, especially if I'm actively trying to give him one.
...
But, he's turned his lantern off. Not entirely sure why, but he seems to enjoy playing in the dark. That'll work to my advantage.
I just have to get close enough to place this present within the lantern's reach when he turns it on, so there's no chance of missing it.
Sneaking around didn't go very well last time, but.. Here's the rematch, I guess.
Like before, I start stepping when the music reaches it's loudest. Once again, one of us starts to follow the other's time, so we're creating an odd unintentional rhythm. Maybe I'm the one following him. If my footsteps are in time with his music, the sound will stand out less.. Maybe I realized that sub-consciously the first time. Good goin', brain.
...
Oh- There..!
My feet stop moving, and as expected, Monty's music ends shorty after.
Guess that's the benefit to sitting there and listening to him play for all that time.. I recognize when there's a lull in the song now.
This feels like a game. Red light green light. Except my ability to go home is at stake.
...
I start moving again, and shortly after, I'm there.
Guess that means I win.
I'm not gonna try getting on the stage, that's bound to catch his attention, even if I step at the correct times.. But that's probably alright. I'm here at the end of the stage, and I recall that the lantern's light reaches a bit beyond the edge.
So, just gotta set it right here..
And get back.. Forgot I have to get back. Sigh.
...
...
...
...
Alright, that wasn't so bad.
I wasn't as worried that he'd hear me this time. Even if he did, the lantern wouldn't be able to reach me, and he'd see the present. Still, I managed to reach the next doorway to the corridor without him noticing, so I guess I'll wear that hat for a while.
...
Right before leaving, I wait for his music to fade. As it does, I take my last step out of the room with a little extra force.
The music doesn't continue, but after a short time, the noise of his lantern clicking on can be heard.
The next two were pretty easy.. I'm not entirely sure where Freddy is, but his door was unlocked, so I set the present in his room. Chica's door thankfully continued to ignore my presence, so I did the best I could and sat the gift in front of her door.
It's labeled as well, so with any luck, no wandering animatronic will try opening it before Chica. Monty's a 'maybe'. He gets excited easily.
...
Roxanne isn't where we were sitting a little while ago, so I'm not really sure where she is.. Suppose that only makes it easier for me.
Her door is unlocked. Even easier.
- Pshh -
Sheesh, forgot it made that sound..
Oh, shoot.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who heard it. There's no lantern lit in here, but I can hear the ruffles of the bed inside.
...
Roxanne sits up and looks in my general direction hazily.
"...H-...Mike..?"
Oh hey, she was sleeping. That works out well for me.
I've been caught, undoubtedly; and Roxanne would absolutely start blabbering nonsense about how she doesn't want the gift, so she'd be difficult to get to accept the present, and I might run out of time.
..Buuuuut, she looks too tired to even stand up straight. What are the chances she can catch up to me?
"Hey shitass."
"Wh-?" Rox is immediately interrupted by a small wrapped box colliding with the top of her head. "Hey..! Wh-!?"
I've already left by the time she can register what happened.
...
She's lucky her gift was so small and light. Those lanterns pack a punch..
Alright.. I'm just about ready to go somewhere with light..
My footsteps are getting harder to hear with every step I take towards the great outdoors. Think things turned out pretty well for how little time I had.
Christmases aren't usually something rushed like this. Kinda wish I got a bit more time to chill with Rox, but I'm gonna be stuck here forever if I don't leave right now.
...
I meant more time to chill with 'everyone'. I was just.. Thinking about her present at the moment..
Maybe I should stop thinking in general. Gotta save some brainpower to use navigating through the snow.
After taking my sweet time to reach the bottom of the steps, I lift my gaze a bit. Wouldn't call the outside 'bright', but the moonlight visible through the doors is starting to look pretty appealing-
I stop walking.
...
...
There's an endoskeleton in here.
In front of the doors, obscured by the darkness, stands one of the endoskeletons you can find in the lower levels. They usually hang around their exhibi, which is absolutely nowhere around here.
...
It's.. A little freaky. All of the other animatronics are so smooth and move so organically that it's hard to forget they're 'creation'. But these things look no different than the endoskeletons I've been 'competing' with my entire life.
Muscle memory kicked in the moment I saw it, and I froze in place, watching to see their next move.
Why is it up here? What do they want?
...
I.. Don't like this thing..
Without warning, the endoskeleton takes a step forward. It's difficult to see the thing due to it's dull colors, but it obviously sees me just fine.. It's staring directly at me, bee-lining for my position.
I tense a little. This thing is so far away from where it should be.. The only reason I can think of is because it came out here to wait for someone.. Most likely me.. Why?
...
Every step it takes shakes something in my soul. I don't want to admit it, but my gut instinct is screaming 'danger'.
Even if I wanted to avoid confronting this thing, there isn't really anywhere for me to go over here. I'd have to go back up the stairs. So, I stand here, staring back at the contraption clanking it's way towards me.
...
The suspense is killing me.. But I won't have to wait much longer.
Suddenly, the machine decides it's close enough and juts it's arm toward me. An learned instinct flares somewhere in me, but I remain still.
...
Oh, is..? Really?
It just wanted to..?
...
I delicately take thes mall, neatly wrapped gift the endo was holding out to me. It nods and waves before I can conjure up a response, and takes off back the way it came.
...
I can't believe myself.. I really started to freak out over nothing there for a moment. Thought I was starting to get better with this kind of thing..
My sights lower to the small box, wrapped better than any of my gifts to the animatronics were. It even has a small bow.
What on earth could this thing be..? From an endoskeleton, nonetheless?
...
The wrapping crumples in my hand as I comprehend the image in the box.
It's a tiny drawing of Chica and I walking through the endoskeleton exhibit together, like we were doing yesterday. Not framed or anything, but there's plaster over it to protect the image.
...
Aw.. I honestly thought I was bugging them every time I went down there. Bringing Chica along made me feel extra conscious about it.. Maybe they don't mind my visits after all.
...
Tell you what, I bet I can sneak in a last second trip to the store and grab a frame. This would look nice on my desk.
Instinctively I look up and search for the endoskeleton that wandered off, but it's already mysteriously disappeared. Not a big surprise.
...
Alright, seriously, if I don't go now I might not make it home.
Maybe I took a bit longer than I thought.. The wind is starting to kick up again, and it's a bit difficult to see.
I've already dedicated myself to going home, so no turning back at this point.. May have to save running to the store for another day.
It took me a while to find my car.. Without it's lights on, there's no real indicator of where it is besides the now mostly-obscured lines on the parking lot.
Placing my hand on my door-handle, a glimmer in the corner of my eye catches my attention.
..There's another car in the parking lot, one that just arrived.. If it wasn't for the headlights, I would never have seen them through this snow.
Of course, I can't just sit here and let that 'be'... It looks like Trudge's car, but I'll have to check just in case it isn't.
...
I begrudgingly start sidestepping back towards the Pizzaplex, doing my best to stay out the line of sight of whoever just arrived..
It looks like Trudge, yeah.. The silhouette of his smaller frame running through the storm is pretty unmistakable. Part of me wants to go ask what he's doing here, but 'Chica' is probably the answer. Hope he can get out of here before the storm makes it impossible..
..There's another figure, actually. One running right behind him.. That wouldn't happen to be one of his parents, would it?
...
Chica..!?
The realization is almost enough to make me drop the picture in my hands. That's Chica, running right behind Trudge.. How? Trudge just got here not even twenty seconds ago! There's no way I missed her waking up and walking out of the building with me, is there..?
...
No, that's impossible. And I doubt Chica was just sitting out here in the snow, waiting for Trudge to arrive.
So.. What other option is there besides 'Chica left the Pizzaplex with Trudge'?
...Holy shit, I almost can't believe it, but it makes sense now.. Chica and Trudge were the only ones who knew of the latter's 'plans', so maybe they were just.. In on it, you know? They must have made the parent thing up, right? And Chica's peculiar unresponsiveness was weird, even if she was 'sleeping'. I should have considered that Chica wouldn't have kept the lantern on in her room if she really was in there trying to sleep.
...That's.. Incredible. I'm not really sure what to make of it. Chica left the Pizzaplex with Trudge for Christmas. They must really be closer than I thought..
Should I do something..? I'm sure I'm 'supposed' to do something, but..
...
...
Alright, here's the deal..
I'll talk with Trudge some other time, let him know I saw what happened.. I'm not really opposed to the animatronics leaving for a little while, but.. Only if they let me know about it first. As far as I'm aware, I might be the only one between Cooper and Arin who would be willing to allow it.
If someone found out one of the animatronics was missing, and no one had any idea where they were.. Who knows what world of panic would have went down..
...
Shock does a surprisingly good job at not making me feel cold anymore.. Not sure how great the trade-off is.
Even if I don't feel all that cold, I need to get in my car.. Exposure to winter wind like this won't treat my body well.
Well shit, that's something to think about.
...
Something to think about at 'home'. I seriously need to leave, right the hell now. Good luck Trudge, I'm not helping you shovel.