Maybe one day I'll finish a fanfic. Maybe when life lightens up lol

I'm determined though, so I'll just go with "Slow and not so Steady will Eventually Cross the Finish Line" XD

Chapter 9

Squealing children were not what I was hoping to be around while I was recovering for my excruciating migraine, but here I am at Freddy Fazbear's during Mike's shift with a too-sweet soda and soggy pizza in front of me as I sit in one of the back corner booths near Pirate's Cove.

I can't help but glare at Freddy as the big curtain rolls back to reveal the band as they sing one of their over the top cheesy songs.

My bag ended up missing after the incident on my shift and none of the other employee's have seen my things. It's no where backstage. No one has brought it to Lost and Found. It just went "Poof! Gone!" and that stupid bear was messing with it before I was attacked by Foxy.

I take another sip of the fizzy syrup.

Everything sucks right now.

"Foxy's not in time out! He's just resting!"

My eyes drift over to a little girl doing all the shouting nearby at a group of little boys. I can't help but chuckle as she stomps her little foot as the biggest kid there sticks his tongue out at her.

"My mom says he bit a kid, so they're gonna throw him out," another of the boys says. He's wearing a blue shirt and khaki shorts that are decorated with ugly streamers.

His mom must not be too bright if she let him leave the house looking like that.

"No they're not! Foxy's a good pirate! He loves kids! Stop being so mean!" The girl's brown hair is falling out it's ponytail as she continues to berate the little group.

Tears well up in her eyes as the boys point and laugh at her. I look around to see if any of the parents are seeing this.

Do none of them care that their sons are bullying this little girl? Do none of them care that this little girl seems to be by herself with no one there to be on her side or to take her away from the mean kids?

No one's even looking. Not even the other staff members are paying attention.

With a huff, I look back over to the group.

Or, where the group had been at least.

The boys have dispersed back throughout the arcade, arguing amongst themselves about other stupid topics that only children find important. But the girl is no where to be seen.

I scan the party room, looking for the messy brown hair and blue dress.

There!

I pale as I realize she's climbing into Pirate's Cove.

Climbing into where Foxy resides.

I scramble up from my seat and quickly head over to the curtain separating everyone else from the shut down attraction. I don't make it over in time though and her little red shoe slips under the thick purple fabric before I can grab it.

Crap...

It's not midnight. It's daytime. You're with Mike. He's not going to get you.

Save the girl.

I inhale a deep breath before climbing inside the area myself, silently thankful that the other staff members now that I work here or else this would be really awkward to explain why I'm back here since my ID went missing along with my bag.

"Hello? Little girl? You can't be playing back here, sweetie, it's dangerous."

No response.

"How about you and I head over the prize corner? I saw they got in a new shipment of Foxy plushies. Would you like for me to get you one? I know it's not to be as exciting as the real Foxy, but you can play with him while the Captain is resting."

Still nothing but silence.

A glimmer of silver catches my eye, however, and I feel my breath get caught in my throat.

Foxy lays slouched against the back wall of the stage. His legs stretched out in front him while his arms are lax. His head seems to hang limply with his jaw partially open to where you can just barely seen the endoskeleton in the back of his mouth.

And his eye...

The one not covered by his eye patch seems to be looking directly at me.

"What the-"

"Christy!"

I jump and spin at the sound of Mike's voice on the other side of the curtain. He peeks his head in and squints at me.

"What on Earth are you doing back here?"

I cock an eyebrow. "Did you not see that little girl crawl back here on the cameras?"

"Little girl? Kiddo, you were the only one that came back here while I was watching the monitors."

I can't help but stiffen. "What?"

I look around again in the small space. There weren't many places for a kid to hide back here, and they could if they wanted to, but they could only get in here from either climbing up the stage which is in full view of the camera or from back stage, and only staff have access to back there.

Of course, there's no kid hiding in the shadows. It's just Foxy, sitting there lifeless, with his now closed eyes.

I must be going insane.

"Chris? Are you okay? Do I need to take you home?"

"No, I think I might just be tired," I admit as I rub my forehead.

Mike climbs in and guides me back out into the main area. Kids are still screeching. The band is still playing. The pizza is still smelly.

I think I'm going to be sick.

"Come on, let's go back into the office. You can lay down for a bit while I finish my shift and then we can head home, how does that sound?"

"Good. Yeah, sounds good."

We head back into the security office and Mike pulls out the secret cot from the supply closet, stored by employees for employees. I get settled after he sets it up and I'm already drifting off as I feel him drape his jacket over me.

Just before sleep claims me, I can't help but wonder if I losing it. Whether it be because of this job or my brain, I feel like I'm beginning to go insane.

I guess only time will tell by this point.

I hope you guys are doing okay this holiday season.

Sometimes they're tough, other times fun, but remember to be kind to yourself no matter what.

~Rooting for you, Alpha 3