I apologize for the delay folks, it took me some time to rework the dialogues.
Anyways, with this chapter, the Help Wanted arc is slowly nearing towards its end. In addition, I'll be also taking a short break from FNaF to focus on my Digimon and Up Ladybug story. If you want to know which story I'm currently working on, check my Profile. The story is marked with a *.
I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!
Night 10
Into The Pit
''Every wall, every place, somethin' dark is followin' me here without a trace. Is it real or in my head? I guess I'll find out when I wake up back home or dead. Dreadfully, terribly, something is amiss! But I won't mind the feeling, it's all made up in my head. Destiny's melody calling out to me! So what I'm gonna do is fall for you or walk out to the edge. Never the same, the hope I will drain from you. Into the pit, I must admit, I come anew.''
– Into The Pit by DHeusta ft. Dawko
xXxXxXx
Showtime Freddy's gut feeling told him that something was wrong the moment he saw Sam walking into the building. Freddy's had closed for the day, but Anthelm had called the employees for a meeting, including Sam, who wasn't really supposed to work that day. Fortunately for the Showtimes, the meeting was held close to the stage, so they overheard all of it. The current topic of discussion was about the Halloween party that would occur this weekend, something the Showtimes were looking forward to. Considering Freddy's haunted past, it would be the prime location for the Halloween party. However, unlike the past events, the Showtimes would make sure no one would get hurt this time around.
''Someone had misplaced the Halloween decorations that were supposed to arrive today. Does anyone know what happened to them?'' Anthelm asked. The employees exchanged glances, most of them tired and just half-listening, as it was after hours and everyone wanted to just go home. Some glanced at a particular employee, who was on her smartphone. Anthelm rose an eyebrow. ''Janet?''
Janet looked up suddenly from her smartphone, her eyes darting around as she tried to figure out why everyone was staring at her. ''Why are you all looking at me?''
''Weren't you the one who was supposed to pick up the decorations?'' one of the male employees asked. Janet shrugged.
''I dunno, I was busy,'' she replied.
''With what?''
The Showtimes all exchanged glances of amusement as Janet went silent, looking quite anxious. The four knew that she had been hanging out at the back room, texting someone on her smartphone, as Chica found her there when she was looking for an employee to clean up the cake that was accidentally knocked over. Anthelm crossed her arms, sighing.
''I'll call upper management about the decorations and whether they had been delivered and where,'' she said. ''Anyways, onto the next point – the Halloween party. It had been decided that there will be a costume party, but only for visitors. The animatronics will also give out candy packets to any child who comes Trick or Treating. As for the employees, everyone who works will be in uniform.'' There were some of disappointed glances and sighs, but no one really commented on it. Anthelm continued, ''As for our next topic – we will be doing promotions in the upcoming weeks for our newest location.'' That revelation seemed to have caught everyone's attention. ''I will explain everything in more details later on, but for now, all you need to know is that in about a month, Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex is going to open.''
''Is that the building outside Hurricane? I saw it when I went out of town,'' one of the female employees asked. Anthelm nodded.
''It is. As I said, we'll be doing promotions for the new location, like giving out coupons and once the Pizzaplex opens, they will also be promoting this location,'' Anthelm added. ''If you have any questions regarding the upcoming events, you can send me an e-mail or ask me during work hours. That is everything.''
The employees then walked away, most just wanting to finally go home, with Janet being the first at the door. Sam lingered for a moment, with Anthelm approaching her.
''I'm sorry for calling you on your day off, Blackburn, but I have some things I need to discuss with you in private,'' Anthelm told Sam, who nodded. ''Like said, the Pizzaplex will be opening in about a month and there had been a discussion concerning the staff members, especially technicians. It had been suggested that all of the technicans should be trained to handle the new generation of animatronics, whether they work at the Pizzaplex or not. Therefore, you'll be sent over to the Pizzaplex to learn more about them.''
Sam rose an eyebrow, but added an uncertain, ''Okay?''
''You won't work there, though. It is just a precaution in case of an emergency. If there is an accident where a technician is unable to tend to the animatronics, you'll be sent over to do the job,'' Anthelm explained.
''I see,'' Sam replied in a quiet, if not tired, tone. ''I'm okay with that.''
''Good,'' Anthelm said. ''Also, after we locate the box with the Halloween decorations, you'll have to dress the animatronics for the party, as the box also contains clothes for them.''
''Okay,'' Sam nodded, then added, ''Speaking of the animatronics, since I'm already here, I had figured I could check on them, just to make sure they're ready for tomorrow. Would that be fine?''
Anthelm paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement. ''Sure, but keep in mind that this repair won't be counted in your paycheck.''
''I can live with that,'' Sam replied. Anthelm gave her a small smile, then glanced back at the Showtimes.
''I don't think you will have much of a problem learning how to manage the new generation of animatronics. I was told that the Showtimes were the prototypes for the new Glamrock generation,'' she said, turning back to Sam. She was unaware of the worried looks the Showtimes gave each other behind her.
''So, the new generation are known as the Glamrock Animatronics?'' Sam asked, her eyes narrowing.
''Don't mention to anyone I told you this,'' Anthelm told her in a hushed tone. ''Fazbear Entertainment wants to keep the new generation of animatronics and their theme as a surprise. They want to hype the visitors up for something brand new, something they hadn't seen before.'' She then turned on her heel, grabbing her bag from the closest table. ''Good night and please, lock the doors behind you.''
''I will,'' Sam said, watching Anthelm leave. Once she saw Anthelm leave the room, she turned to the Showtime Animatronics, noticing the looks of concern on their expressions.
''For your information, we don't need any check-ups,'' Bonnie informed her helpfully, grinning innocently.
''I already know,'' Sam told him, beckoning the four to follow her to the booth closest to Puppet. ''The real reason why I'm here is because I wanted to talk to you. It's really important.''
''So, what is it about?'' Freddy asked as they all sat down. Puppet was inside the box, listening intently.
''I need to talk with all of you about Glitchtrap; the virus that had been affecting both you and me,'' Sam said, her tone calm and collected.
All of the Showtimes were silent, waiting for Sam to continue. They felt tense and uncomfortable, as this wasn't a topic they wanted to address. However, Sam was set on talking to them. She needed someone she could discuss what she had discovered and the Showtimes were the only ones who would actually understand what was going on.
''What exactly is bothering you?'' Puppet asked, breaking the silence and drawing everyone's attention.
''First of all, I want to know whether Freddy had told all of you about our conversation from before, about how you guys had memories from previous animatronics and how whatever coding had been used for Help Wanted was affecting you in a negative way,'' Sam said.
''He told us that night what had happened,'' Chica said. ''We usually try to keep everyone informed when there is any kind of development and your own discovery was really important.''
''You weren't the only one who wanted to know why we were behavin' so weirdly, lassie,'' Foxy added.
''It was a bad experience for all of us,'' Bonnie said. ''The information you had gathered helped us to process everything.''
''In the end, it turns out that it was because of our own coding, or rather, because of the shortcuts Fazbear Entertainment took,'' Freddy said, shuddering. ''They made sure that visitors get the authentic experience, but they had forgotten that the authentic experience also included us, or rather, our predecessors acting hostile towards anyone who approaches us.''
''We should call ourselves lucky that we didn't hurt any of the children,'' Puppet added in a bitter tone. ''It is already bad as it is to know that we might harm someone without wanting or even knowing.''
''Right, imagine having a black-out and snap,'' Bonnie snapped his fingers, ''we are suddenly surrounded by blood and a body lying on the ground, not knowing what happened and whether the person is alive or not.''
''Then it's a good thing that I'm here,'' Sam said, only to be interrupted by Foxy.
''Just a moment, lassie; why aren't you worried that we might snap and hurt ya?'' he asked.
''Foxy, you have seen what I've been dealing with during the past months,'' Sam replied, giving him a confident look. ''I'm certain that I'd be able to handle things in case you got out of control. However, considering how things are, I doubt that you would attack me. You had been attacking and scaring off all of the previous technicians, but nothing like that happened while I was around. I'm sure that there is a reason for that, even if we don't know what exactly that reason is.''
''So, what about Glitchtrap?'' Freddy asked. ''You had told me that you don't believe that he is just a video game character.''
''You're right, he isn't,'' Sam replied, falling silent for a moment as she thought about how to explain what she knew and, more importantly, how she felt. She lowered her head. ''It's just… a bit hard to talk about it.'' She shook her head and looked at the animatronics with a determined look on her expression. ''Still, I feel that I cannot continue refusing talking about this.''
''I had told you before, if you need any kind of comfort or someone who'd listen to you, we're here,'' Freddy told her. Sam nodded and took a sharp breath. She then stared at the table, contemplating how to express herself. It was finally time to open an old wound.
''You had told me that you always feel like someone's observing you… That there is a shadow-like figure watching every move you make,'' Sam said, glancing at Freddy.
''I did,'' Freddy replied.
''I had concluded that this figure might be Glitchtrap and that, like some kind of virus, he had affected you.'' Sam glanced at the other animatronics, who exchanged looks of concern. ''However, I don't think that Glitchtrap is purely virtual in nature, even if he does only exist in a video game. After all, I had been affected by him as well, and I'm a human. Granted, some of the stuff I had experienced was while I was wearing the VR headset, but I was also dealing with hallucinations outside the game.''
''Do you have an idea what he might be then?'' Puppet asked her. ''After all, if he could influence you, maybe he might have ties to the supernatural.''
''I-I-'' Sam clenched her fists, thinking about what Puppet had told her. ''I-I'm not sure, but there is a possibility.'' She took a deep breath, before continuing, ''It's… I don't think I'm as upset about hallucinating stuff… Well, okay, I am, but there's something else I don't want to even think about.''
''If you don't want to talk about it, we'll understand. Don't pressure yourself,'' Chica told her in a gentle tone. Sam shook her head adamantly.
''You guys are the only ones I can talk to about this,'' she told them. ''Matt doesn't know the whole story and Mum will freak out if she learns about any of this… I don't have anyone else I can confide in and if I don't say something, I feel as if I'm gonna lose my mind.'' She frowned. ''As for the actual issue… I hate to say it, but Glitchtrap reminds me a lot of William.''
The animatronics fell silent, all of them exchanging glances. Admittedly, they weren't surprised that Sam made the connection between Glitchtrap and William, but that she actually called him by his name, considering how she was adamant about not mentioning him at all.
''What tipped you off? The fact that they're both bunnies?'' Bonnie asked sarcastically. This got a chuckle out of Foxy, with the rest just staring at him.
''You're also a bunny, Bonnie,'' Freddy told him in a deadpan tone. ''Appearance doesn't mean everything.''
''Freddy is right,'' Sam said, with Puppet turning towards her.
''So, you think that Glitchtrap is William?'' she asked.
''No, I don't,'' Sam responded, shaking her head. ''Honestly, I don't believe that's possible. It… It just can't be possible. He's gone for good, after all.''
''So, do you have any idea who exactly Glitchtrap is?'' Chica asked.
''N-No, not really… Well, I mean I do, but I'm not completely sure. I don't want to jump into conclusions until I'm 100% sure,'' Sam told her, her tone becoming more serious. ''Although, there is another thing that bothers me.''
''What is it?'' Freddy asked worriedly.
''At first, I thought that Glitchtrap was just part of the game, but thanks to the logs I collected, I know that he isn't. He reminds me of William, but it can't be him, meaning I still have no idea who he really is,'' Sam explained. ''We also know that he doesn't only affect the game, but also affects you, myself and even the people who played the game before me.'' Sam sighed. ''Fortunately, Tape Girl did tell me that there is a way to get rid off him, or at least, she left instructions on what to do. I just need to collect a few more logs and I hope that there will be a way to delete him.''
''That sounds like a good plan,'' Foxy commented. ''If yer and this Tape Person find out how get rid off Glitchtrap from our code, we would greatly appreciate it.''
''I'll do my best,'' Sam replied, feeling a hand being placed on her shoulder. Freddy gave her a comforting look.
''Do you feel better now?'' he asked.
''I do… if only a little bit,'' Sam replied. ''The moment I learn anything that would help your situation, I'll tell you about it.'' She then tilted her head. ''What about you guys? You were all giving each other weird looks when Anthelm mentioned the new location.''
''Uh…'' Freddy didn't know how to respond and looked at the other Showtimes, who were just as anxious has he was. No one dared to say anything, forcing Freddy to explain the situation. ''Well, hearing that were just prototypes for a new generation was rather weird.''
''They won't replace us though, right?'' Bonnie said, giving Sam a nervous grin. ''Right?!''
''I'm sure these Glamrock Animatronics are going to be nice…'' Chica tried to be uplifting, but she didn't seem to believe what she claimed.
''How can we know that?'' Foxy asked in a frustrated tone.
''Well, Sam would be going there for her training, so…'' Puppet gazed at Sam, her words causing everyone else to stare at her.
''Hey, don't worry, I don't think the Glamrock Animatronics were created to replace you,'' she replied, trying to give them some hope. ''You'll be staying at this location and they are going to be at the Pizzaplex. I'm sure that both locations will be important.''
''I don't know,'' Bonnie said in a doubtful tone. ''Wouldn't visitors be more interested in the new location rather than the one they know?''
''Well… I guess they would, but once the novelty wears off, they will make up their mind and return here,'' Sam told him, adding, ''Besides, Pizzaplex is outside the town, so it'll take a while for people to get there. People have more access to this location, especially if they're parents who just want to drop off their kids and get some rest.''
''You're right,'' Freddy said, then gave her a bitter smile. ''However, the most we can hope for is that this location won't be closed in favour of the new one.''
xXx
Sam was staring at the VR headset for the better part of the afternoon. It was weekend and she felt nervous about playing the game again and having to deal with Glitchtrap. She couldn't get rid off the uncanny feeling of how much he reminded her of William, not only in appearance, but also saying the one thing she associated with the latter. She didn't believe that he was William, but she felt uneasy around him. However, she needed to go through this. She had only one more challange to complete. As for the Halloween DLC, she had figured that she should take a break before she tried to play through it. Sam then took a deep breath as she put the VR headset back on and found herself back at the main hub.
''Hello? Can you hear me?''
Sam felt chills flowing down her spine and groaned, frowning as she looked at Glitchtrap, who waved back innocently.
''I honestly wish that Tape Girl succeeded in getting rid off you,'' Sam told him. ''Then I wouldn't have to deal with all of this mess.''
''Really?''
Sam winced, baffled when she heard Glitchtrap talking to her once again. She was aware that he was trying to communicate with her, but he would usually be quite cryptic or his sentences would be broken. However, this time, it seemed that whatever barrier obstructed their communication line was breaking apart, or was broken enough for him to talk to her properly. She still had four more Tapes to find for this barrier to completely break. She had a feeling that things would probably escalate once she did find all 16 Tapes, even though she had no idea what would happen. She needed the information, yet she feared what would happen once she knew exactly what was going on. Still, she decided to engage in a conversation.
''Why do you sound so doubtful? After all, you know well how stressed out I've felt during the past days,'' Sam told him. There was a moment of silence.
''Don't you like exploring?''
Sam's eyes narrowed, a look of uncertainty forming on her expression. Glitchtrap was right, she liked exploring. This was something she felt comfortable with and enjoyed, so having Glitchtrap question it felt wrong.
''Of course I do, but…'' Sam wanted to tell him that her gut feeling was screaming at her that she was putting herself in danger, only to realize that investigating an anomaly inside a video game paled in comparison to what had happened with Connor. She felt that it was hypocritical of her to back out of this investigation because of the potential danger, especially since she had been in a much worse situation before. She just turned her back to Glitchtrap, deciding to think through her response and focus on the last game she had, Night Terrors.
She found herself back at the bedroom from Five Nights at Freddy's 4, realizing that she'd have to play through it again, but she had no idea whom she'd have to deal with, aside from Funtime Freddy.
''Hahahaha oh, well, hello again!''
''Oh, for the… Wait a sec!'' Sam ran over to the right door and shone the flashlight down the hallway, noticing Funtime Freddy moving back. ''It is going to be a bit harder to pick up those Tapes like this.''
She soon learned that she was dealing with Funtime Freddy, Bon-Bon and Bonnet the hard way as, while she tried to keep Funtime Freddy away from the room, she ended up getting jumpscared by Bon-Bon and Bonnet. Fortunately for her, it wasn't a Game Over, but it did freak her out enough to neglect Funtime Freddy, who used the time to get closer to her. The only reason she was still in the game was because she had the foresight to close the door the moment she suspected Funtime Freddy was outside.
''I s-see you over there in the dark! Co-Come on out!''
''Not a chance,'' Sam said, waiting a moment, then opening the door. Funtime Freddy was gone, so she pointed the flashlight at Bonnet, who popped out of the drawer. Just when Bonnet vanished back into the drawer, Sam heard another noise and tracked it down, only to be jumpscared by Bon-Bon.
''Not again!'' Still startled, she shut down the left door, listening to the noise outside and waiting for Funtime Freddy to leave.
''Haha, I know you're over there somewhere!''
''I don't like this…'' Sam sighed as Funtime Freddy left and focused again on Bonnet, who popped out of the closet. She ran towards the closet, closing it just in time. She hoped that the night would be over soon, being determined to get through it without a Game Over.
As she continued the game of cat and mouse, she thought about Glitchtrap's question. She had accepted that this one was on her and that she would go through it no matter what. She knew that she wasn't responsible for any of this, but she wanted to take on the responsibility. It was messing with her head and stressing her out, but she felt that she was the only person who knew how to deal with this situation properly. She didn't owe anyone anything, but she felt that she owed it to herself to finish what she had started.
She wanted a peace of mind, but she knew that she wouldn't get it unless she got through this chaos first.
''I will regret this, I know that,'' Sam muttered as she finished the segment. After taking her prize, she found herself back at the main hub, seeing Glitchtrap waving back at her. She glared at him, but then added in a calm tone, ''I do agree that I like exploring, however, due to what I had experienced, I have my doubts. I can recognize danger when I see it, but I also don't mind exposing myself to it. It's maddening and it's stupid.''
She waited for a response, but there wasn't any. Resigned, she focused back on the next segment of Night Terrors. This time, she was dealing with Nightmarionne. The moment she was back in the bedroom, she could hear My Grandfather's Clock playing. She wondered whether there would be more animatronics than just Nightmarionne, but fortunately, it was only one animatronic.
''This is freaking me out…'' Sam muttered as she saw the tentacles wiggling around as Nightmarionne attempted to enter the room. Fortunately for her, this segment was less eventful than the previous one, and she made it through.
The next segment, however, the next segment was a nightmare. Sam was facing Circus Baby while hiding in the closet. She was confident that she would be able to survive the night easily, but it seemed that she failed to account for another issue.
''You should've known I'd find you.''
The moment Circus Baby saw her, she ran over, forcing Sam to close the closet. That part was easy. The actual problem were the PlusBabies that were next to her, shaking whenever she closed the closet. Being paranoid that she may have been doing something wrong, she turned to them, only to realize she hadn't closed the closet properly. The end result was predictable.
Sam winced due to the loud jumpscare and was determined to return to the game. Not to mention, she also needed to collect the Faz Tokens and the Tape she had seen lying behind her.
''You won't die, but you'll wish you could.''
''Oh, shut up Lizzy, I'm not going to… agh!''
Sam facepalmed when she found herself back at the main hub. She had just picked up the Tape and the Faz Tokens, thinking that Circus Baby was too busy searching for her, only to turn around and have the animatronic scream into her face. She then took a deep breath, trying to collect herself.
''Game Over…''
Sam turned to Glitchtrap, who just waved back at her. She frowned, feeling as if he was teasing her.
''I'm not done with this segment yet. I am going to finish this game today,'' Sam told him. To her surprise, it seemed that, for just a moment, Glitchtrap slightly nodded. Rising an eyebrow, she turned back to the segment.
''Did I catch you off guard?''
''Yeah, you did,'' Sam replied. Fortunately, this round was easier due to her earlier experience. She kept the closet closed, opening it the moment she was sure Circus Baby was gone and eventually survived the night. ''One more segment and then I can do the Blacklight Level.''
As she entered the last segment, one where she'd have to deal with Nightmare Fredbear, she figured she'd take a break and listen to the Tapes she had, then go for the Blacklight Level. After dealing with Circus Baby, she was completely focused on Nightmare Fredbear, who seemed to be teleporting at lighting speeds from one hallway to the other. She only had a moment to grab the Tape behind the toy telephone in front of the closet before returning back to repelling Nightmare Fredbear.
Luckily, she did have an advantage here. She only had to deal with one animatronic and didn't even need to use her flashlight as Nightmare Fredbear's red eyes would glow in the dark whenever he was in the hallways, making it easy for her to find him in time. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when the night ended, realizing that she was soon done with the entire game.
Cracking her knuckles, she entered the Tape Room. Glitchtrap was already waiting there for her and while his expression showed the same annoying grin, she had a feeling that he was eager for her to listen to the Tapes. Sam noted that she was still missing two more Tapes, figuring she'll find them in the Blacklight Level.
''Something I'm curious about…'' Sam said as she put in Tape 13, then turned towards Glitchtrap, crossing her arms. ''Tape Girl said she had figured a way how to delete you, so why would you want me to learn that?''
''Go on…''
Sam frowned as she stared at the virtual bunny mascot, realizing that he was a bit too confident for her liking. However, considering he was still inside the game, it meant that Tape Girl had failed. Therefore, it wouldn't be surprising that Glitchtrap would think that Sam wouldn't succeed in deleting him either, even if she followed Tape Girl's instructions or tried to come up with her own plan. Her computer skills weren't that great.
''Let's see what we have here,'' Sam muttered as she played Tape 13.
''They lied to us. They lied to all of us. They told us that the whole point of this VR game was to undo the bad PR done by a rogue indie game developer, who supposedly made up a bunch of crazy stories that tarnished the brand. But that's not true at all! In their haste to develop this VR game and clear their name, they sent us some things I don't think they intended us to see. Such as a hard drive containing e-mails between Fazbear Entertainment and a certain indie developer. Fazbear Entertainment hired the game developer. Those indie games were designed to conceal and make light of what happened. This isn't just an attempt to rebrand. It's an elaborate cover-up. A campaign to discredit everything.''
This was something Sam already knew. Any promotion Fazbear Entertainment had done for the game talked about how the previous Five Nights at Freddy's games were just made to make the company look bad. However, now she had the confirmation she needed.
''Why am I not surprised that Fazbear Entertainment had hired someone to as a scapegoat to cover the past?'' Sam asked sarcastically. She sighed, placing Tape 14 into the tape player.
''I ran a fragmentation program on the area of memory that was storing these logs for you. I effectively broke the files into pieces, and broke the anomaly along with it. That means that you won't have my warnings to guide you. But hopefully, it also means that this anomaly, this virus, or whatever it is, will remain broken and unable to do more damage.''
''Ooooh, damn…'' Sam's eyes widened as she listened to Tape Girl's log, realizing how she completely messed things up by collecting the Tapes. Tape Girl literally broke Glitchtrap apart in order to make sure he wouldn't do any harm and she put him back together piece by piece. ''You have to be kidding me!''
A cold laughter rang in her ears and Sam turned back to Glitchtrap, who was cheerful as ever. He waved at her again, tilting his head. ''Do you enjoy the game?''
''Who are you?'' Sam asked, feeling frustrated.
''Why don't you find out?''
Sam's surroundings suddenly started to glitch out. She knew that this wasn't some kind of bug, but Glitchtrap controlling the entire game. She closed her eyes, getting a headache from all the flashing glitches and when she opened them a moment later, she found herself back at the main hub, the Blacklight Level Pizza Party being set for her. She turned around, but to her surprise, Glitchtrap was gone.
She turned back to the menu screen, aware that she had to make her choice. She could leave the game and hope that she wouldn't give Glitchtrap more power by finding the last two Tapes… or she could finally learn who he was and what he wanted from her. But, would the consequences really be worth it?
What should I do?