Happy New Year everyone!
The first chapter of 2022, and it's FNaF X3. I thank you for all of your patience and support during this year! It meant a lot to me, especially during the time when I had no desire to write anything or suffered from burn-outs.
Rest assured, Help Wanted is through it's half-way point and eventually, I will be able to focus on Security Breach in my story. I already have several ideas for that plot point, but for now, enjoy the surprises this chapter offers.
See ya in 2022!
Night 8
Hallucinations
''So welcome back once more, we've been looking for a friend like you. The nightmares and the haunted past has risen again with more clues. Feeling the chills and pain going down your spine with another five nights, to solve the mysteries in a new perspective filled with frights. Listen to the voice on the tapes that bring you secrets unknown. Bring back the Hell that they have faced long ago. That mask you wear doesn't hide the dread that you'll feel deep within. You've won the prize symbolizing your sins!''
– Haunted Reality by PsychoticFox
xXxXxXx
Her vision consisted of pure static. No matter where she turned, no matter how much she blinked, no matter the fact that she covered her ears, all she could see and hear was static smudged with splotches of purple. She moved from side to side, trying to ignore it. She didn't know whether she was standing or lying down, all she knew that the static was overwhelming her senses.
Suddenly, there was a loud screech and Sam sat up, her eyes wide as she felt her heart racing like crazy. Her vision was still hazy, but fortunately, there was no static. It took her a bit, but her vision eventually cleared and she reached for her smartphone. It was 3:33 AM.
Why do I have to wake up during the friggin' witching hour? Sam groaned and lied down, staring at the ceiling. Despite being awake during the creepiest hour in the night, Sam knew that there were absolutely no spirits around. Or, at least she couldn't sense them. The last time she had ghosts around her was when she had to deal with the Afton family, Henry and that kid who decided that using violence and almost killing her would make her see the light.
Interestingly, she saw none of them after what had happened. While she did miss talking to the Afton children, she knew that this was for the best. They were 110% done with their father's shanenigans and him being finally gone gave them a reason to stay in the afterlife. Rest assured, the dead should stay dead and Sam hoped that things would remain like that.
Still, even if that idiot is gone, I'm left dealing with the leftovers. Even if Fazbear Entertainment attempted a soft reboot of the franchise, they cannot erase what had happened. People will remember.
xXx
Sam stared at her notebook, barely listening to her teacher as he droned on about the formula he wrote on the blackboard. Frankly, she had a heavy dislike for mathemathics, feeling bored out of her mind whenever she saw numbers in her book. The only numbers she cared about were those on the clock as it slowly ticked towards the end of the class. If anything, this gave her time to process what had happened last night.
It was one thing to see and hear static in her dreams, but it was a completely different experience to see it while awake. The fact that the static was purple told her that it wasn't normal and that she probably should really stop playing Help Wanted. However, she was already half-way through the game and wanted to complete it, as well as find all of the Tapes and hopefully learn more about Glitchtrap. She just needed to continue playing.
After hearing the bell ring, Sam grabbed her backpack and followed her classmates into the hallway, walking towards her locker. On her way there, Matt had joined her.
''That was a long lesson,'' he said, grinning. ''I almost fell asleep back there.''
''You're not the only one,'' Sam told him as they reached her locker and opened it. ''Honestly, I can't wait until- Huh?'' Sam's jaw dropped when she saw her locker. It was all sparkly, filled with glitter. Her books were covered in glitter, her gym clothes were covered in glitter… It was everywhere! She and Matt exchanged glances, only to hear a burst of laughter behind them. Turning around, they saw Violet and two of her friends laughing, with Tessa standing next to them, trying to look like she belonged to Violet's group. Sam's look of shock changed and she glared at the four.
''It looks like a unicorn vomited inside it,'' Violet commented, still laughing, although her laughter sounded more like an ear-piercing shriek to Sam.
Sam gritted her teeth and clenched her fist, glaring daggers at them. She could feel the tears creeping up, but blind rage prevented her from breaking down crying. Instead, she stood there, listening to Violet, Tessa and the others laughing and observed as more and more students gathered. Some started laughing, and some looked just as shocked as she and Matt were when they saw the mess. Some even started asking what was going on.
However, to Sam, their laughter and questions were just an echo coming from afar as she focused on her tormentors. She loathed them for what they had done, for attempting to humiliate her despite her attempts to distance herself from them. She wanted nothing to do with them, yet they kept on pestering her, finding new ways to make her suffer. Sam may have been patient and she may have tried to ignore what they had done, but even she had reached her limit.
During that moment alone, she wanted all of them gone.
For that moment alone, her wish was granted.
There was a flash of red and black and Sam felt that her hands were wet and sticky. She looked down, realizing that her hands were covered in blood and when she cast her look at what was in front of her, she saw the mangled bodies of her bullies. They were all stabbed to death, the knife still lying in Tessa's chest, with dark pools of blood having formed beneath them. The hallway was dark, empty and cold and there was no sound. All Sam heard was her own frantic breathing and the pounding of her heart.
''What is going on here?!''
The sound of the teacher's voice brought Sam back to reality and she turned to Matt, who gave her a look of concern.
''What are you- Who put glitter in that locker?!'' The teacher's shrill voice caused everyone to shiver. The students ceased to laugh, even though Violet and her friends were still smirking. Tessa, on the other hand, shrunk back, hiding behind them.
Sam didn't respond to any of it, not reacting when the teacher approached her. ''Blackburn, is this your locker?'' she asked. ''What happened?''
Sam looked at her teacher, her eyes wide and her face pale, and ran. She ran away from Tessa, Viola and the others, weaving through between the students. She could hear the teacher calling for her, but she didn't care. This wasn't anymore about her vandalized locker.
This was about her desire to murder.
xXx
Despite having used to Sam losing herself in her own mind, Matt couldn't help but be a little disturbed when he saw her expression. It was the anger or rage she had shown when she saw her bullies laughing at her, but the emotionless glare she gave them. For a moment, she looked empty, her brown eyes glassy, as if her soul left her body. For a moment, it felt as if she wasn't beside him. Matt wasn't sure how to explain what exactly had happened, but he knew that this went beyond what Sam had told him about so far.
He turned to the teacher, who told another student to get the janitor so they could clean the mess up and started questioning everyone, including him, about what had happened. All Matt could tell her was that they found the locker like this and how it was awfully convenient that Tessa, Violet and Violet's friends were there when Sam discovered it. Rest assured, Violet was glaring daggers at him when she heard him. However, before she could defend herself, the teacher sent the four to the principal's office, shouting at them for vandalizing school property, and then told Matt to find Sam.
Matt didn't waste time, grabbing Sam's backpack and going after Sam. He could hear Violet yelling back at the teacher, protesting how she and her friends had nothing to do with it and how Tessa was the one to blame, having dragged them to see Sam's reaction. Tessa, in turn, protested how it was just a prank. Matt shook his head as he heard Violet's defense. Even if Violet wasn't the one who did this, she still obviously approved of this ridiculous ''prank''. Not to mention, there was no way they would be able to get rid off all that glitter.
Matt had eventually managed to find Sam at an empty corridor. She was leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths in order to calm herself down. She didn't see him though, staring ahead instead, looking freaked out. Matt contemplated whether he should approach her or not while she was still in this state, but then decided to go for it.
''Sam,'' he whispered softly, quiet enough to gain her attention, but not to startle her. Sam looked at him, relaxing when she realized that it was a familiar face.
''How bad is it?'' she asked.
''Your condition or the entire situation?'' Matt asked.
''Both?'' Sam shrugged.
''I heard Violet protesting how she wasn't at fault for what had happened and Tessa saying how it was just a prank. The teacher sent all of them to the principal,'' Matt explained. ''So far, Violet is furious at Tessa.''
''That's good to know,'' Sam replied, smiling half-heartily. Her smile then faded. ''So, what did you mean when you mentioned my condition?''
''It looked like you lost yourself for a moment,'' Matt had told her. ''It was as if you weren't there with us, at least until the teacher had called for you.''
''I think I was just daydreaming… At least I think that's what it was,'' Sam replied, clearly uncomfortable as she remembered what she saw.
''Do you want to talk about it?'' Matt asked. Even though Sam told him it was just a daydream, it was clear that it disturbed her. She shook her head.
''No, it's fine… I'll be fine,'' she said. ''I'm not looking forward to dealing with Tessa.''
''You don't have to,'' Matt told her. ''If she approaches you, I'll tell her off. You don't have to deal with this all alone.''
''Thanks,'' Sam replied, her smile genuine. She was thankful for Matt's encouragement and support. It was keeping her spirits up and she felt that she could relax in his presence. She trusted him, even if she decided against telling him what was bothering her. She could stand on her own, but having a rock-solid pillar to lean on when she stumbled was a huge relief. She grabbed the backpack and followed Matt back to the teacher.
For now, she would focus on the school drama, but once night came, she would return to what really mattered.
xXx
''How in the world did you end up getting covered in so much silly string?'' Sam was a little shocked when she saw Freddy sitting on the table in the back room. She was currently at work, having been told to check on the animatronic the moment she entered the building. The unfortunate bear animatronic had silly string all over him, making her wonder how he was even able to move.
''The party I attended got out of hand,'' Freddy admitted, chuckling nervously. ''10 kids high on cake and fizzy drinks, a bear animatronic and silly string don't appear to mix.''
''Well, most of it seems to be on your clothes, but I still need to do an overall check-up to make sure nothing got into the endoskeleton,'' Sam replied, rummaging through the drawers for a brush and then starting to remove most of the silly string into a nearby bucket. ''If any of that dried while attached to the endoskeleton, you would be in trouble.''
''But, you are able to fix it, right?'' Freddy asked.
''It depends on the damage,'' Sam replied, then after she saw the look of concern on Freddy's expression, added, ''Don't worry, you're gonna be fine. I won't let you nor your friends down.''
''That's good to hear,'' Freddy said, relaxing, while Sam resumed with the cleaning. Fortunately for the animatronic, Fazbear Entertainment did provide a replacement set of clothing for such cases, but Sam did plan to notify Anthelm about making sure people won't shoot silly string at the animatronics due to the damage it could cause.
''I think we both should be happy it wasn't glitter,'' Sam said as she managed to scrub off most of the silly string and started inspecting the joints that connected Freddy's arms to his hands. ''It would never come off.''
''I think there had been some talk about using edible glitter for the birthday cake,'' Freddy said, humming as he remembered the conversation he overheard. ''I'm glad they didn't go ahead with it.''
''You're lucky then,'' Sam told him as she let go of his hands. ''Can you move your fingers?''
''Yeah, I can,'' Freddy replied, slowly clenching his hands into a fists and opening them. ''What did you mean by saying that I was lucky?''
''My former best friend covered my locker at school in glitter and then she had the audacity to call it a prank,'' Sam replied. Freddy was stunned.
''Why would she do that?'' he asked. Sam shrugged.
''I'm not really sure. I have a few guesses, that it might be out of spite because I ignored her, but honestly, I have no idea… And, frankly, I don't care,'' Sam replied, adding in a somber tone. ''What I'm more worried about is how I felt during that moment.''
Freddy fell silent for a moment, then asked, ''How did you feel?''
Sam didn't respond at first, her mind going back to what had happened. She shuddered as she was reminded of the bloody scene in front of her. ''I was enraged… To the point I saw Tessa and the rest of the group as mangled corpses.'' She looked up, seeing the shock on Freddy's expression. ''I-I didn't mean to imagine them like that, but… It just happened. I wasn't so mad that I wanted to see them die, but it… just happened… and it was so realistic…'' She inhaled deeply and sat on the table next to the animatronic bear. ''I think that It was just a hallucination… At least I hope so.''
Sam felt Freddy's hand on her shoulder, feeling comforted by his gesture. It appeared that the animatronic had a good idea what she may have been going through. Sam recalled their conversation from before, where Freddy had described the confusion, rage and fear he and the Showtimes felt, caused by memories that didn't belong to them. However, her situation was different, wasn't it? It wasn't as if she was affected in the same manner like they were, right?
''Freddy…I saw static too…'' Sam said slowly, then quickly added when Freddy gave her a confused look. ''Not in my hallucination, but when I played Help Wanted.''
''You did talk about it,'' Freddy said, remembering their conversation. He was just as worried as Sam was. ''What do you want to do about it?''
''I think I'll just keep doing what I'm already doing,'' Sam replied after a moment of hesitance. ''I have an idea what might be going on, but I'm not really sure whether I want to draw any conclusions without hearing the end.''
Suddenly, the door opened and Chica peeked inside. ''How much time do you guys need? We have a performance in 30 minutes.''
''Don't worry, Freddy should be done by then,'' Sam replied. Chica nodded, hearing someone calling out for her. Sam then glanced at Freddy. ''You know, I think that we all should have a talk about this later on.''
''Good idea,'' Freddy agreed.
xXx
''Okay, I'm ready,'' Sam muttered as she entered the main hub. Despite being tired from work, she was determined to at least finish another level of Help Wanted and find more Tapes to learn what happened to Jeremy and Tape Girl. She noticed that Glitchtrap was still in the same place, waving at her.
''Hello? Can you hear me?''
Sam just glared at him and then focused on the screen. The next game she'd play was the Parts and Service segment. Cracking her knuckles, she hoped that she'd be able to quickly get through it. After opening the first mini-game, she found herself in a small room staring at Bonnie, while HandUnit explained to her what she was supposed to do.
''Welcome back to Parts and Service. Oh no, it looks like Bonnie's guitar is out of tune and must be recalibrated. First we must access his harmonization module located inside his secondary throat pipe. To access the throat pipe, both eyes must first be removed. You must be as precise as possible when removing the eyes from their respective sockets. First, firmly grab Bonnie's left eye and carefully remove it from its socket.''
''So, basically it's the same stuff I'm already doing at work,'' Sam muttered to herself as she did as she was told. However, before she could take the eye out, she stopped. ''Wait, my left or Bonnie's left?''
Thinking quickly, she went for Bonnie's left eye, relieved when nothing happened.
''Great job. Deposit the left eye in the cleaning receptacle on your left.''
She did as she was instructed and while HandUnit kept talking, she looked around for any Tapes.
''Well done. Now firmly grip Bonnie's right eye and carefully remove it from its socket.''
Unfortunately, there weren't any, but she did find Faz Tokens under the Bonnie plushie and the right side of the cleaning receptacle at her right. She then took the other eye.
''Deposit the right eye in the cleaning receptacle on your right.''
''This is too easy,'' Sam said as dropped the eye and focused back on Bonnie.
''Good job. To open Bonnie's face plate, carefully press the two buttons located on either side of Bonnie's jaw. When done correctly, you should hear two small clicks.''
Sam carefully pressed the buttons, getting startled when the faceplate suddenly opened. She actually expected him to lunge at her, so that meant that she was probably doing everything right.
''Well done. You now have access to Bonnie's harmonization module. Press the blinking button inside Bonnie's secondary throat pipe to enter calibration mode.''
After Sam had pressed the blinking button, each note on Bonnie's guitar started to play, with the button flashing in the corresponding color.
''Something is not right. One of those notes is out of tune. You may push the button again to replay the audio check. Press the colored button that corresponds to the incorrect note.''
''Okay, so I can listen to the tune again?'' Sam asked, not getting any response. She still pressed the button, relieved to see that nothing happened. She quickly adjusted the string out of tune, which was the yellow one.
''Press the blinking button again to verify your work.''
The tune started to play again and for a moment, Sam anticipated another jumpscare, but nothing happened.
''Great job. Bonnie is in tune and ready for his solo. Let's close him up. Simply replace both eyes in the same order that you remove them, then close up the face plate and we'll call it a day.''
''No offense, but I think my job at Freddy's is less nerve-wrecking than this game,'' Sam said as she placed Bonnie's eyes back and pressed the buttons for the faceplate. ''At least I know the Showtimes won't attack me.'' She paused for a moment. ''Well, at least I believe that they wouldn't attack me.''
''Well done. That concludes your Parts and Service's task. See you next time.''
Exiting the game, she found herself back at the main hub and immediately went for the Chica mini-game.
''Welcome back to Parts and Service. There has been customer complaints about Chica's acrid smell, sounds like Chica has been rummaging around the kitchen again. Remove all food particles from Chica's exterior and place it in the refuse bin on your right.''
Sam was only half-listening to HandUnit as she looked around for any of the Tapes, happy to find one in the trash can alongside a Faz Token. She then turned to Chica, removing the three slices of pizza from her exterior and placing them into the trash can on her right.
''Man, you really need to stay away from the pizza,'' she said in a dry tone. She wondered what was up with the Chica's and their obsession with pizza as even Showtime Chica would constantly be close to the kitchen or hover over the servers who'd deliver the pizza. She was a robot, so it wasn't as if she could eat it safely.
''Good job. Make sure Chica is not hiding any other treats inside her beak. To open her beak, carefully press the two buttons located on the sides of Chica's head.''
Sam did as she was told, only to get startled by the roaches. ''Eww…''
''Oh no, it looks like Chica has picked up some unwanted friends. To clear the infestation, apply the Fazbear Entertainment restaurant great chemi-spray to Chica's exterior. Press the button under the hanging canister to activate the chemi-spray.''
She reached for the spray, applying a generous amount to remove the roaches that were crawling inside Chica. She was glad that Showtime Chica didn't suffer from the same issue.
''Avoid inhaling the chemi-spray. Exposure to cleaning, disinfecting, and maintenance chemicals may result in respiratory problems, skin or eye irritation. Good job, now reattach Chica's upper arm, hand, and cupcake plate.''
''So, is Chica going to attack me?'' Sam asked as she reattached Chica's missing limbs. ''Agh!''
''Well done. Oh no, it looks like Chica needs another dose of the chemi-spray. Do not let the infestation spreads, be sure to give the canister button another push as needed.''
''Honestly, if this is the condition you guys were kept in, it is no wonder Freddy's had to close the door due to health issues,'' Sam said as the roaches fell off.
''Return the cupcake to Chica's plate.''
''Okay…''
''Place the cupcake on the plate.''
''Okay…''
"Please place the cupcake on the plate."
''Okay…''
''Great job, Chica is ready to serve pizza and hugs to the kids again. Take a complimentary slice of pizza for a job well done.''
''What?'' Sam rose an eyebrow as she saw the slice of pizza.
''Go on, take it.'' Sam snorted when she heard HandUnit's response. It was as if the game could sense her confusion over the sudden order. She then grabbed the pizza, holding it up, when HandUnit added, ''Eat it.''
''Man, you sound like a grandma who brought out a whole buffet after their grandchild told her they wanted a snack,'' Sam said, eating the pizza slice.
''Delicious, see you next time.''
''So far, so good,'' Sam said, stretching. It appeared that luck was on her side this time, as she breezed through the levels. The next segment she had to deal with was Freddy.
''Welcome back to Parts and Service. It looks like one of our guests left a personal item on our star attraction. Let's return it to the lost and found.''
''What the-'' Sam's jaw dropped when she saw a child's hat in Freddy's mouth. She was pretty sure that this one was a deliberate attempt to mock whatever accidents involving children happened at Freddy's in the past. Before she removed the hat, she took a quick look at the area, immediately finding another Tape under Freddy's right thigh. She then reached for the hat.
''Carefully grab and remove the child's hat from Freddy's mouth.'' After it didn't budge, HandUnit added, ''Freddy's got a pretty good hold of it, give it another firm tug.''
Sam pulled, removing the hat from Freddy's mouth.
''Good job, now place the hat in the lost and found bin on your right.''
''Don't tell me that there are…'' Sam trailed off when HandUnit spoke again.
''While we're at it, let's make sure there isn't anything else stuck inside. To access Freddy's chest cavity, grab Freddy's bowtie and pull it outwards.''
''Fine, the mouth I get, but the chest cavity?'' Sam shuddered as she remembered all the times that bodies inside the animatronics were mentioned. She pulled the bowtie outwards, opening the chest cavity, adding an exasperated, ''Son of a-''
''Well done, Freddy's chest cavity is now open. Remove the child's watch and place it in the lost and found. Be careful not to touch any of Freddy's sensitive wiring.''
There was no way a child would be able to place their watch inside the endoskeleton like this unless they knew what they were doing. Sam carefully removed it, having a bad feeling that this mini-game may have been based on something Fazbear Entertainment dealt with in real life.
''Good job, it appears there is a child's shoe wedged behind Freddy's music box. The music box must be removed before you can access the child's shoe. Gently grasp the music box and extract from Freddy's chest cavity before the safety latch descends.''
Grumbling, Sam managed to remove the music box before the safety latch descended.
''Carefully place the music box on the work table to your left.''
''Okay, I know what I'm doing,'' Sam told HandUnite as she placed the music box on the table and turned back to Freddy. The animatronic gave her an empty stare. ''Long day buddy, huh?''
''Great job. To reset the safety latch, press the button located on Freddy's endoskeleton.''
She reset the safety latch, getting interrupted by HandUnit again, ''Now remove the child's shoes and place it in the lost and found bin.''
''…'and there, they will remain forever, because we cannot afford telling the parents what happened to their children','' Sam continued in HandUnit's tone as she placed the shoe into the box.
''Well done. Return the music box to Freddy's chest cavity and we'll call it a day.''
''At least I'm d-agh-!'' Before she could even finish the sentence, Sam dropped the music box. She stared at it for a moment, being fairly certain that she made sure to keep it in her hand. ''Was this supposed to happen?''
''Oh no, you seem to have mishandled Freddy's music box. This is not good. A replacement may be found on the work table.''
Groaning, Sam grabbed the new music box and turned to Freddy, placing it inside his chest as slowly as possible. Eventually, the music box went outside and Sam sighed in relief.
''Crisis averted. To close Freddy's chest cavity, press the large black button on the center of Freddy's face.''
While she still was pissed off at Fazbear Entertainment, Sam couldn't help but chuckle as she honked Freddy's nose to finish the level. Her expression the turned to a frown when she heard the next part.
''That includes your time in Parts and Service. Your pay will be docked accordingly.''
''Screw you,'' she grumbled. Frankly, she was glad that her actual pay wasn't docked because she sent Showtime Freddy's clothes to be cleaned from all of the dried silly string. Shaking her head, she entered the Foxy's segment of the game.
''Welcome back to Parts and Service. Foxy has been out of commission for quite some time, this series of simple repairs should return him to full working condition. First, carefully pick up and place Foxy's head on his endoskeleton.''
''The question that remains is why was he out of commission in the first place,'' Sam said as she found a Tape on the floor on Foxy's left. One she was done with this level, she'd give them a listen. She then placed Foxy's head back on his body.
''Oh no, it looks like Foxy's proprietary servo motors are malfunctioning. It is recommended that you keep an eye on Foxy at all times. You will need to place new control fuses in the exposed receptacles to continue. Retrieve the fuse from drawer number one that matches Foxy's leg receptacle. To avoid bodily harm, wait for Foxy's legs to stop moving before inserting the control fuse.''
''Fine, keep staring at the pirate fox or he might jumpscare me,'' Sam said as she waited for Foxy to stop running in place. She then took a look at the fusebox on Foxy's leg and grabbed a fusebox from the drawer, placing it into the fusebox once Foxy stood still.
''Good job, Foxy has regained control of his legs. A gentle reminder, it is recommended that you keep an eye on Foxy at all times. Oh no, it looks like a former employee attempted to repair Foxy's chest motor using an incorrect fuse. Carefully remove the incorrect fuse from Foxy's chest and insert into Foxy's upper arm receptacle.''
Sam had no idea what happened, but for a moment, she lost control of the button or the game just lagged, and she dropped the fuse she took out of Foxy's chest, causing Foxy to suddenly jumpscare her. Sam stumbled back as if she got actually attacked, then found herself back in the main hub.
''Hello? Can you hear me?''
''Shut up.''
In her next attempt, Sam managed to successfully remove the fuse in Foxy's chest and place it in his arm, but then she ran into a new problem.
''Well done, the remaining chest fuses are located in drawers number two and number four. Fix both fuses to continue.''
As she fumbled with the fuses, she accidentally dropped the one she didn't need, causing Foxy to jumpscare her. Annoyed, she had to go through the entire segment again before reaching the part she failed. However, before she could place the correct fuse, Foxy started to run in place again.
''Dude, calm down!'' she shouted, relieved when the pirate fox stopped moving.
Once she was done replacing the fuses, HandUnit spoke again, ''Good job. Retreat Foxy's eye from drawer number three. When Foxy's eyepatch is fully open, place the eye back into his eye socket.''
Fortunately for Sam, this part was easy and after she placed the eye, she stepped back, admiring her work.
''Well done, this concludes all your Parts and Service tasks. Pirate Cove can now be reopened.''
Once back at the main hub, Sam inhaled sharply, taking a moment to collect herself. She didn't even realize that her hands were shaking until she found herself back on solid ground. She shook her hand, feeling a tingling in her fingers and once it passed, went to the Tape Room to listen to what Tape Girl had to say. Glitchtrap was also in the room, but she payed no attention to him as she inserted Tape 8.
''You can always tell when a company is getting ready to fire someone. They start giving out written warnings for silly things, making sure to make a paper trail and make a case for a firing. Things that normally no one would care about suddenly become grave offenses, all worthy of being written and documented. I guess it works two ways, because it also encourages a person to quit rather than be scrutinized so heavily. I think Jeremy was too far gone to consider that option though. The thing about it is, that I don't think they were going to fire him because of anything he was doing wrong. They just knew he'd seen something. They needed to discredit him.''
This statement didn't surprise Sam. She knew enough about Fazbear Entertainment that they would stop at nothing to cover their crimes. It didn't matter how many people they had to fire, how many strings they had to pull or how many lies and rumors they had to spread, as long as it kept their business afloat, it was worth it.
''And now, they have another location they want to profit from,'' Sam muttered under her breath, inserting Tape 9.
''There was something that looked like a Halloween mask laying on the floor. I didn't understand. Ink must have spilled. It was only then that I heard a shuffle from the testing room and realized Jeremy must be there. I went back and peered in the window. I couldn't see his face. He had the visor covering his head. He had ink spilled on himself as well. The front of his shirt looked black in the dark room. He turned his head in my direction, but I don't think he knew I was there.''
Sam froze as the tape finished. She did not like this, not at all. Going by Tape Girl's account, Jeremy was playing the same game as she was, not even registering his co-workers presence. The blood in her veins turned to ice when she saw a flash of purple covering her vision for a split second. She closed her eyes, shaking her head and then opened them. Everything went back to normal. Creeped out, she inserted Tape 10, hoping for an answer.
''I was told I had three days to finish Jeremy's work, but I know it's just passing the time. They don't really expect me to do anything. It's just to keep up appearances until the buyout is complete. We have to look like we have things under control. There's another potential development studio that wants to pick up from here. But who knows what kind of lies they're being fed to convince them to do it. Against my better judgement, I'm going to do my best to see what's here, make notes of it, and try to isolate where this thing is hiding. At least then, the next person that tests this will have a chance of getting rid of it.''
As the Tape finished, Sam sat down on the floor, not even daring to remove the VR headset. She had to take a moment to process everything she just heard, combining it with her own knowledge.
There was absolutely no doubt that Jeremy was driven mad by the game, or rather, something inside the game; that being the malicious code Tape Girl referred to and the entity Sam decided to call Glitchtrap. She knew that Glitchtrap had also probably affected the Showtime Animatronics and her as well. The purple static, the hallucinations… She too had been going the same path as Jeremy.
However, there was a difference. Unlike Jeremy, Sam wasn't so easily going to allow Glitchtrap to take over. She knew that she was dealing with something unnatural. She felt a sense of dread crawling through her body as she remember how Tape Girl described Jeremy being covered in ink. Somehow, she doubted that it was actual ink.
Then there was the mention of another development studio, which she figured was the one her father worked at. She decided that she would call him the next morning and ask whether there were any accidents or whether people started to act strange after playing through the game.
Sam took a deep breath and got up and then faced Glitchtrap, glaring at the bunny mascot. She knew that he was the source of all problems, causing injury to a man and letting several animatronics malfunction. Now, he was after her.
''Hello? Can you hear me?''
''I do and I want to know who you are and what you want from me,'' Sam replied. To her shock, her surroundings started to glitch out. One moment she was in the Tape Room, the other she found herself in some kind of void, then she was back in the Tape Room. ''What is going on?''
Sam felt her heart race as she looked around, being baffled when she saw all of the Tapes gathered next to her. However, when she reached for them, all but those she already found disappeared. Static covered her vision again, followed by a sudden noise that caused her to cry out as she put her hands over her ears. Then, a whisper carried through the noise, loud enough for Sam to hear.
''…come… back…''
The noise and static ceased as Sam stared at Glitchtrap, who was glowing in a soft green-purple colour. Did… Did he just communicate with me? It took her a moment to realize, but when she did, it hit her like a ton of bricks. Perhaps, the static and the noise she heard were Glitchtrap's attempts to tell her something, but he couldn't say anything until now.
''Do you want to tell me that I need to collect all of the Tapes?'' she asked. Glitchtrap glitched out again, with Sam blinking in surprise as it appeared that the bunny mascot nodded. Her ears were once again covered in that static noise.
''…I…back…out!''
Sam gritted her teeth, her head pounding. It felt as if there was a barrier between her and Glitchtrap, and the latter was trying to break through it. But, what is different now than it was before? Why is he able to say more now than at the beginning?
''The Tapes, right?'' Sam said loudly, glaring at Glitchtrap. ''You want me to collect more Tapes. If I do that, you will be able to talk to me properly, right?''
''Hello? Can you hear me?''
''I take that as a yes,'' Sam said, with Glitchtrap just waving at her. The girl shook her head tiredly, exiting the Tape Room and the game, but Glitchtrap remained, his smile widening.
''Soon, I will be complete.''