Some Things Are Better Left Buried

By: Miss-DNL

Chapter 12: Mike Schmidt

"Thank you for coming today Mr. Schmidt." Gregor Scott said, as he sat on the front of the desk, appearing at home in the manager's office. He looked at the middle aged man in front of him. Mike Schmidt was a man in his late forties and certainly looked it. His face worn, mainly around the eyes which were sunken. His frown lines were as evident as the actual frown he wore. Mike didn't seem too pleased to be where he was and sat quietly with a stewing expression. The man looked, as a whole, down trodden and worn from a long tiring life. His hair was a dark brown and bore greying streaks and looked barely brushed as further evidence of such a life.

"Yeah, well, can't be late for the interview." Mike answered with a noticeable tired dullness. The man looked like he just tossed on some moderately nice clothes that had been lying around. They were wrinkled and worn, but still above t-shirt and jeans.

"I noticed that you worked security before." Gregor noted as he held Mike's application in hand.

Mike nodded curtly and grunted, "Yeah, could say I've made it my life career. Can't seem to sleep at night and don't got much going on in the day. Fits my needs and all."

"Mr. Schmidt," Gregor began.

"Call me Mike." Mike corrected passively.

"Mike, did you happen to work at the last Freddy Fazbear's?" Gregor questioned, eying the older man before him carefully. When Mike stiffened at his question Gregor continued, "Before this place was constructed and we were still planning I had to do research, dig around, to find parts for the animatronics. While doing so your name came up."

Mike appeared to be surprised to have been found out, but gradually it faded and instead he appeared almost amused about the turn out. The older man gave a gruff laugh, "That's me alright. Kinda had a feeling I'd be found out." He leaned back in his chair, eyeing Gregor carefully. "So, where do we go from here?"

"Safe to say you're hired Mike." Gregor began. The security head motioned over the animatronics, "I'm guessing you're aware of how the animatronics…" He held a moment to search for the proper word. "Behave, at night. From what I've learned this isn't a new development."

The former guard stiffened again, gripping the chair's arms in a choke hold with each hand. Mike eased up as he reminded himself that it was daytime, that were was no danger, and released the arms of the chair. He gave a shaky laugh and formed a wary grin. "I'm aware alright. Was hoping that glitch was fixed. So they still move around on their own, huh?"

"That's right." Gregor answered, as he continued his voice showed faint signs of wariness, "If feel I should point out that we have three more than the restaurant you worked for. Those being Puppet, Mangle and Balloon Boy."

Looking to Mike, he seemed to be mulling over his predicament. Gregor wasn't completely sure what decision the former night guard would make. He hoped the guard would say yes, in spite of the new threats he'd face. Then he could use him to teach the newer guards how to handle the animatronics.

Mike held his face, mind carefully thinking over his situation. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy he could handle just fine. He'd only worked at Freddy's for a week, but that week had forced him to learn the robot's behaviors well. He also knew how to handle the…other Freddy, if it was still around. The idea of three new animatronics on the other hand did not sit well with him. However, he did have a reason for coming here.

After a long moment of thought Mike nodded, "I think I can handle three new bots. You have some info on how they work?"

The answer surprised Gregor even though it'd been the one he'd hoped for. Quickly he gathered himself and dispensed what information he had for the veteran night guard. "Balloon Boy seems to be harmless. Mangle crawls along the ceiling and prefers the vent but doesn't seem to mind coming from the right office door. Puppet is the most dangerous of the lot, but is kept contained by winding a music box." Gregor listed off as Mike listened attentively.

"We'll be getting more information on the animatronics soon. I'll update you if we find out anything." Gregor added as he wrapped up what he had to say. Mike gave him a curt nod of understanding. Putting aside the application Gregor decided to end the interview, "When can you start?"

"Tonight." Mike answered to Gregor's further surprise. The rehired guard crossed his arms, "I know it's Friday, and I figure you got some newbie guard going in tonight. Friday and the weekends are utter hell. Let me show the kid how it's done."

Having thought of the idea already Gregor wasn't one to object. "Alright. Your coworker's name is Kyle Hudson. She knows how to work with the three new to you. She should be able to fill you in on them more."

"Right." Mike said as he got up from the chair, "Don't worry about uniform. I still have mine and I see you're still using the same one. All I need is the key."

"I believe I have a few spares left." Gregor answered. The head guard got up from the mahogany desk, went over to one of the locked drawers, unlocked it, and pulled out a new shiny key from inside. Once the key was in Mike's hands the man pocketed it and headed for the door.

"See you later." Mike said simply before exiting the room. He heard no farewell from the current security head. It was odd having someone less experienced as his supervisor, but Mike paid no real mind to it. Least he knew what was going on a fact which wasn't a good sign but worked in Mike's favor.

The guard looked around as he walked through the building. It looked much nicer than the Freddy's he had worked at. The ceiling wasn't falling apart for one. It didn't smell of decay and there wasn't garbage littering the floor. He stalled as he came across the main trio of the five he'd dealt. His breath hitched as images of his horrid week flashed before his eyes. Glaring lifeless eyes, rows of teeth, choked breaths, and piercing shrieks.

Mike felt a prickling pain dance up his arms as he forced himself from the room. The farther he got away from the main trio the better he felt. It was going to be difficult to face them tonight, but it was something he had to do.

The hall had people milling about but few gave the older man much thought, aside from some paranoid glances. As he came up to the prize corner Mike stopped and looked into the alcove. Might as well acquaint himself with the new terrors he'd be going up against. Balloon Boy looked positively tame in comparison to the other animatronics. Puppet on the other hand, he felt like the thing was watching him. A little too closely at that. Mike's frown deepened by a margin, he could tell he was going to have to keep an eye on this one. What had Gregor said about it? A music box kept it under control? He'd have to check in with the other guard about that.

With only one other animatronic left to meet Mike looked around for Kid's Cove, and of course it was basically across from Pirate's Cove. Mike winced as he recalled going past the red fox animatronic on his way in. Of all time for him to have arrived the damn thing had to be putting on its show. Being control by someone in a hidden room or not, just seeing the vicious thing dancing around while it told pirate tales made his old scar act up like crazy. Mike felt the scar on his shoulder bristle with invisible needles just thinking about it.

That'd been a tough wound to handle on his own, but could he have told doctors? A crazed, murderous, possessed, animatronic pirate fox had hooked his shoulder and had tried to drag him away to be stuffed in a bear suit? Yeah, that would have gone over well.

Mike took a deep breath and shoved the thought of the red fox far as he could into the back of his head. Unfortunately for him he soon found out that Mangle was another fox. The guard frowned deeply and cursed to himself, "Of course it's another fox…great, just great."

He quirked a brow upward as he looked Mangle over, who, oddly wasn't mangled. If anything it just looked like a white and pink version of Foxy, with a lime green parrot. The fox looked substantially less threatening than Foxy was. It had cheery pink cheeks and lips. Its voice was almost mothering as it told tales of friendship and whatnot to the toddlers. Mike was bored of the story by the third sentence Mangle uttered.

With the parents around and him lacking any child Mike left Kid's Cove. As much as he wanted to write Balloon Boy and Mangle (he needed to ask why it was called that) off as no threat, he knew better. He severely doubted any animatronic in this damned place was remotely harmless. Particularly considering Mangle could, somehow, apparently, walk on the ceiling.

Exiting through the front doors Mike pulled a cigarette out of a pack in his pocket. Before he first worked for Freddy's this was something he'd never thought he'd do. Smoking was bad for you, everyone knew that. After going through hell featuring animatronics for a week, Mike had given into it to calm his ever worn nerves. Heck, he even drank now. At eighteen he loathed alcohol, his father having been a drunk. Drunk as the man had been, he'd still managed to raise him. Still, Mike had hated drinking on principle and yet he had a fridge stocked with it.

Mike exhaled a cloud of smoke as he walked to his car and got in. Window down he sat there trying to calm his jittering self. Working for Freddy's for only a week had left him so changed. Mike was sure that his younger self wouldn't believe he'd become the way he was now. In a week he'd gone from an average young adult who enjoyed hanging out with friends and his girlfriend to a troubled isolated man with a pair of vices he never wanted, but needed to cling to in order to stay calm.

"It's going to be a long night…" Mike muttered to himself as he pulled out of the pizzeria's parking lot. Hopefully the guard he was paired with wasn't a shaking like a leaf soon as she came in. That would not be good for his nerves. Until then, time to fish out one of his old uniforms from the closet and try to sleep.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Jessica Myer, Kyle's girlfriend, questioned. Kyle was currently at the couch, sitting with her laptop on her lap. She dipped a brow noticing the intense look of focus etched in her expression. Jessica eyed her a moment before continuing, "You have a shift tonight you know."

"I do, I do. I just want to look up more about what happened at Freddy's." Kyle answered as she clicked through a website devoted to information on the troubled pizzeria franchise. The website had a dark back ground with mascots, from all iterations decorating the border. The header was of course Freddy himself. The image seemed to have been made from a 3D model. The bear was in shadows, just peeking over the border. Kyle huffed and put down the mouse, "It's hard to find anything concrete on this place…well, when involving the incidents anyway."

Jessica nodded and sat down before offer Kyle mug of a coffee. Kyle blinked in surprise before taking the red mug and giving her thanks. Jessica appeared a little amused, "Made you that because knowing you, you won't be going to sleep now."

"You know me so well." Kyle cooed in reply before taking a long drink of the caffeine rich drink. She shrugged, "I got plenty of sleep anyway, I can handle a six-hour shift."

"I know. I'm just watching out for you." Jessica said sweetly, getting a smile from her girlfriend. Her expression sobered suddenly, drawing concerned attention from Kyle. Jessica looked off towards the windows of their small home. Holding her own cup of mocha coffee, she sat it on her lap. She frowned sadly, "My parents moved out of the town because of what happened."

"Was one of the kids…?" Kyle began, but she never got finish when Jessica cut in.

"No," She said briskly. Jessica gave a faintly amused laugh, "I wouldn't have let you work at that place if I was." Her amusement died quickly and she looked into the rich dark liquid sitting in her mug. "But my parents talked about it now and then. I'd listen in at times when they thought I wasn't."

Kyle nodded and Jessica continued, "I hadn't been born yet, but at the time they just couldn't think of having a family in Hurricane with what was going on. It wasn't just what was happening at Freddy's. There was someone going around killing outside of the pizzeria."

"Around the time of the disappearances?" Kyle questioned, a look of muted horror on her face.

"Around that time, I think." Jessica answered with a curt nod. She took a drink of her coffee and continued, "I don't know much obviously. I never really wanted to know more about it…" She thought back to the unsettled expression of her parents when they'd talk about Freddy Fazbear's past. "It was horrible to think about it with what I'd heard. I just wasn't keen on getting details."

"Can't blame you…" Kyle said, a look of sympathy on her face as she turned her attention back to the site. With what she'd read and the vagueness of what was known and the possibilities of what'd happened to the kids…it left her stomach sour. She took a drink of her coffee, savoring the chocolate flavor and letting it wash away the distaste she was feeling. With a sigh she set it down on the side table next to her, "I just wish more facts were known, but that is why it's unsolved."

"Sadly yeah…" Jessica agreed solemnly. She turned her brown eyes towards the TV and when she did found a way to lighten the mood. She perked up and got up from the couch. Kyle watched curiously as she went over to their dvd collection. Briefly Jessica perused the movies before pulling one out and showed Kyle. Jessica grinned mischievously, "How about a cheesy and bad romantic comedy to lighten the mood?"

Her plan was already successful as Kyle gave a snort of a laugh, "Oh god," She closed her laptop and placed it on their coffee table, "Sure why not. I think I'm done with pizzeria tragedies for the moment."

Author Notes: Hope you guys enjoyed my take on Mike. I sure enjoyed writing this part out! I've built up a good amount of parts. So I should continue to update about every five days. As long as I continue to write for this regularly of course. I'm really working toward getting to a particular part that I'm very eager to get to. A part I'm sure plenty of you are waiting for. I've gotten the next chapter written out so five days from now I will post the first part.

Hope you enjoyed!