Five Nights at Freddy's: Obsolete

by Tenebrae Vesper

This was his final performance and he knew that he wouldn't return. Still, the glitch he had created remained, forcing William Afton, alias Springtrap, to confront what he had left behind. Even Sam is troubled by his return, aware that, beside her, there is another person who decided to carry on his murderous legacy…

15. The Game Continues

Happy Halloween everybody!

Not only did I have an exciting weekend with the FNaF Movie being out (which I LOVED!), but I'm also back with more FNaF stories. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

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Night 14

The Game Continues

''Reawaken the fears that you know and summon the shadows that quickly grow. The lingering of our mechanical appearance, leaving you paralyzed in a box of defense. Are you fearless? The wires that surround you are closing in. Where can you go? He is getting closer, you can feel you're not alone. Repairing familiar faces, but one mistake and you are gone for sure. So stay alive from the violence you've endured!''

– Haunted Reality by PsychoticFox (Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted)

xXxXxXx

Sam stared at the screen before her, at the tiny game icon on it, holding the VR headset. Even though she was adamant about playing the Halloween DLC, even though it was way past Halloween, she decided to wait until the weekend, when she had enough free time to play through the game DLC in one day. Frankly, it was a rather awkward week for her, considering Springtrap's return and the fact that she was still furious at him for what happened months ago. To her surprise, or perhaps, she should've expected it, Springtrap respected her wishes and gave her space to process the situation and her own feelings. If she ignored him, he didn't try to talk to her, but Sam noticed the hopeful glances sent her way, only to turn ito disappointment when she gave him the cold shoulder. Even if they wanted to talk, Sam had been too busy with school and her work at Freddy's, so things were a bit of a blur.

So, once her schedule cleared, she walked straight into the guest room, or perhaps, it was now just Springtrap's room, telling him, ''I'll be playing the Halloween DLC today.''

Springtrap perked up, clearly more happy about the fact that Sam was talking to him for once than the information they might get from the Halloween DLC, and waited for her to set up everything. Emma had already left for work earlier that morning, but she gave them a dubious look in regards to hearing how Sam's plan for today was to play a video game. Springtrap understood that Sam probably didn't tell anything to Emma about Glitchtrap, and while he knew that Emma would be interested in their activities, this was above what either of them were comfortable sharing.

''I wonder what Glitchtrap will have prepared for us this time,'' Sam said, looking at Springtrap, who was sitting on her bed.

''I wish I knew, but I can only make assumptions,'' Springtrap responded.

''Of course,'' Sam responded in a snarky tone, with Springtrap's ears drooping.

''Trust me, if I knew what was going on, I would've told you everything,'' he said, sounding a bit hurt. Sam didn't seem to care about that though, turning on the game instead.

''I know. Anyways, I'm starting the game. If anything suspicious happens, just close the laptop. That should also shut down the game,'' she told him. Springtrap nodded in acknowledgement, observing her as she placed the VR headset on. He then got up, looking at the screen of the laptop to watch her progress.

''So, this is the Halloween DLC…'' Sam mumbled under her breath as she found herself at the main hub, noting the cupcake bucket with a remote inside it.

''Congratulations. It appears you have been granted access to additional holiday content. Press the special button in the candy pail to enter the Halloween hub. Keep in mind that this DLC pack is nothing more than a festive holiday themed ad-on which has absolutely no hidden intent or purpose. So, have fun!''

Sam snorted, shaking her head. ''Yeah, I sincerely doubt that this DLC pack has no hidden intent or purpose.'' She looked around, finding a green bunny plushie next to her, and picked it up. ''Oh, hey, look who is here!''

''Is that Glitchtrap?'' Springtrap asked, leaning over her shoulder as he looked at the screen.

''Yeah, he is,'' Sam replied, looking around the main hub. ''It doesn't appear that he is anywhere at the hub in his normal form.'' She then grinned, grabby a candy bar from the table and fed it to the Glitchtrap plushie, then patted it on the head. ''Okay, now be a good murderous virus and let me play the game to figure out what's your deal.''

She then promptly turned around and threw the plushie away.

''Uh, was that a good idea?'' Springtrap asked, feeling both baffled and impressed by her audacity.

''He deserved that,'' Sam responded, pressing the button and entering the DLC properly. The first thing she and Springtrap saw was some desolate area with pumpkins and bare trees, and a projector showed the title of the DLC.

''Curse of Dreadbear,'' Springtrap read it, with Sam then looking up. Suddenly, there was a lightning strike, briefly illuminated the figure with glowing yellow eyes looming over them. It was clearly a bear with bolts attached to his neck. ''I suppose that's the titular Dreadbear.''

Sam looked around the area, trying to see whether there was anything of interest, and she was surprised to spot Withered Bonnie in the distance. As lighting illuminated the area again, she could also see Withered Chica. Once she couldn't find anything else, she pressed the nearby button to proceed and finally found herself at the Halloween Hub.

It looked like she was at some kind of abandoned farm area, with a shack nearby, pumpkins decorating her surroundings, a banner with Fallfest 83' hanging behind her, a malfunctioning car in the distance with its lights flickering, and a tractor on the other side. She then pulled the switch on the table before her, causing everything to be coated in purple light, but didn't find anything. She returned the hub back to normal and focused on the screen before here.

''Okay, so it looks like there are three new game modes: Afraid of the Dark featuring Plushkin Patch, Pirate Ride and Corn Maze, Spooky Mansion featuring Hallway, Build-A-Mangle, Trick or Treat and Dreadbear, and Danger! Keep Out! featuring Night 01, and what I assume to be Night 02 and Night 03,'' Sam sighed. ''Okay, depending on how hard those games are, it might take me longer than I assumed to complete them.''

''I wish you good luck with all of them,'' Springtrap said. Sam stretched out her arms, selecting one of the mini-games, called Hallway Crawl, and started the game properly.

''Woah, is that the Five Nights at Freddy's 4 house?'' Sam was surprised, listening to the wind blowing and storm outside. Springtrap watched her as she slowly walked through the hallway, only to notice an animatronic hiding in the shadows, with Sam suddenly stopping as she realized that this was a game of Red Light, Green Light with the Nightmare Animatronics. ''Okay, there is Nightmare Bonnie and… am I being followed?'' She turned around, only to see the faint outline of another animatronic. ''Goddamnit, I'm on a timer here!''

Springtrap watched her as she made her way through the hallway as carefully as possible, when Nightmare Foxy suddenly appeared, jumpscaring her when she made a move. Sam was startled, crying out in surprise, only to find herself at the Game Over screen.

''Aw, com'n… What the-?!'' Sam was surprised to see a giant Dreadbear looming over her. ''Where did you come from? Oh, and hello!'' She had turned around, finding what looked like Nightmare Foxy set on fire standing behind a gate and dragging his sickle-like hook down the stone pillar. She had to admit, they certainly made the game creepy. ''Okay, I suppose I should've expected that.''

''They certainly nailed the Halloween atmosphere,'' Springtrap commented as Sam restarted the game. He wasn't exactly a huge video game enthusiast, but he had to admit that the Halloween DLC had certainly a lot of effort put into it. He was also a bit fascinated with how video game technology advanced, to the point where they could use headsets like the one Sam had to immerse themselves into the video game. He muttered to himself, ''I still remembered when Pong was popular…''

''What's Pong?'' Sam rose an eyebrow as she made it through the hallway successfully and into a room that looked exactly like the child's room from Five Nights at Freddy's 4. She was then taken to a barn decorated for a party, with a banner hanging over a prize box, congratulating her on winning the game. She quickly grabbed her prize, a piece of candy, and went for the next game, Plushkin Patch.

''Pong was basically a table tennis game, and one of the first arcades Henry and I had ordered for Fredbear's, and later on Freddy's,'' Springtrap explained, his ears lowering and his tone filled with clear disappointment about the lack of recognition. Sam shrugged, too busy with keeping eye on the Circus Baby plushies. Springtrap took a step back, letting her complete the game and noting how Sam wasn't exactly interested in talking to him.

It took a bit, but Sam eventually made it to the next game, Build-A-Mangle, and as the instructor helpfully explained, she needed to gather the components to build an animatronic, while also shocking everything that wasn't supposed to be on the assembly line, like an annoying Freddle.

''No, animatronic engineering is not as simple as this guy says,'' Springtrap said, a bit amused that Sam basically got fired over the animatronic abomination she had built.

''That's true,'' Sam responded, picking out the next game, Pirate Ride. ''Oh, wow, a shooter mini-game!'' She smiled happily when she saw Foxy in his pirate attire giving her instructions on what to do in the game. ''Okay, let's try to get through this in one go.''

''You're pretty good at this,'' Springtrap commented as Sam proceeded to hit the targets in one or two shots.

''If you think that flattering me will get you anywhere, you're mistaken,'' Sam responded in a cold, matter-of-fact tone, with Springtrap feeling a bit hurt by her comment. He was well aware that he hadn't been completely forgiven, but he still hoped that Sam wouldn't be as bitter as she was before. It appeared that he was mistaken.

''So, what is this one about…'' Sam muttered as she moved on to the next mini-game, that being Trick or Treat. She found herself at a door with a Foxy-shaped knocker and six masks, that being of Foxy, Freddy and Balloon Boy on one side and Mangle, Chica and Bonnie on the other side. She pressed the doorbell, noticing the animatronics inside the house, and quickly realized what she was supposed to do as music played, along with ticking and the animatronics moving around. She quickly put the Foxy mask on once she realized that he was missing, and as expected, Withered Foxy opened the door.

''This game doesn't appear to be particularly difficult,'' Springtrap commented.

''That's because you're not the one playing it… Mangle, get off there!'' Sam was annoyed that Mangle obstructed her view, but managed to put a Chica mask on just in time for Withered Chica to open the door. ''It's a completely different experience when you're playing it instead of watching.''

''Okay, I believe you,'' Springtrap responded, with Sam placing the Balloon Boy mask just before Balloon Boy opened the door. Fortunately for her, she just needed survive three rounds to win all the games.

''What does make me curious is how I haven't really found anything in relation to Glitchtrap aside from the plushie earlier. You'd think there was more to this game,'' Sam said, this time deciding to play Night 01 on Danger! Keep Out!. She found herself back at the Five Nights at Freddy's office, this time decorated with a carved pumpkin and Jack-O-Bonnie and Jack-O-Chica trying to get into the office through the boarded doors. ''Ah, so we're going back to the basics.''

Springtrap observed her as she successfully fended off both animatronics, flashing lights at the two animatronics. He still thought that she made it look very easy. She eventually made it to 6 AM, with nothing eventful happening, and hovered with her hand over Night 02, only to go back to the Pirate Ride.

''Why don't you continue the Night?'' Springtrap asked her.

''I… I don't know. I just feel like I missed something at the Pirate Ride. I only got First Mate ranking, and I know I hit every target. There was to be more to it,'' Sam responded. Springtrap tilted his head, only to realize that her gut feeling was right when Helpy suddenly appeared and Sam hit him. This led her to an area where she had to shoot targets before she got attacked by Jack-O-Bonnie and Jack-O-Chica. ''Now, that's what I'm talking about! Still, there don't seem to be any secrets.''

It took a while, but eventually, Sam explored all of the areas of the Pirate Ride, having restarted the game several times, but there wasn't really anything of interest there. Eventually, she returned to the main hub and decided to go for the Dreadbear mini-game.

''Welcome back to Research and Development. Today, we are using science to pervert the mysteries of life and reanimate the inanimate. To begin, it is customary for the creator to give a melodramatic speech. Go on. I'll wait…''

''Uh, Springtrap, do you want to do the honors? You're the melodramatic evil scientist guy, you'd know what to say,'' Sam asked, turning to where she assumed Springtrap to be standing. All she got was a groan in response, and even though she couldn't see it, an eye-roll, causing her to giggle.

''All done? Good job. Let's wake our little experiment with a controlled shock. Throw the switch, then lower the platform.''

''This feels like something out of Frankestein,'' Sam said as Dreadbear was lowered down and she started the experiment by shocking the animatronic.

''It's alive, but lacking the necessary control module. Namely, the brain. So, let's calibrate one. Use the laboratory tools to adjust the brain's vital characteristics. Use the pull-down blueprints as a guide for matching the correct colors, size, and neural feedback loop. When you are satisfied, carefully place the brain in the creature's animatronic head cavity.''

''Maybe this game doesn't have any secrets,'' Sam said suddenly as she started matching colours with Dreadbear's brain.

''What makes you think that?'' Springtrap asked, narrowing his eyes.

''Well, this seems like a completely normal Halloween DLC. There are no secret messages or tapes or anything… or maybe I wasn't looking hard enough,'' Sam responded, finishing the mini-game and returning to the main hub. ''I still got three more mini-games to play. Maybe I'll get something if I finish the whole game.''

''Maybe… I will say, I do have a lot of fun playing this game,'' Sam responded, going for Night 02 and Night 03 in Danger! Keep Out!. Night 02 added Grimm Foxy, while Night 03 added Dreadbear to the game, but she still managed to get through it with not much difficulty. ''Okay, I got one more game left, Corn Maze.''

''Do you want to take a break?'' Springtrap asked as Sam lingered in the main hub.

''I guess…'' she said, looking around the main hub and trying to see if anything was different. To her surprise, she spotted a button on the side of the monitor, having not seen it earlier. She pressed it, but nothing happened. Frowning, she turned the whole hub into Blacklight Mode and then pressed it. ''Do you see anything, Springtrap?''

''No… There doesn't seem to be…'' Springtrap squinted his eyes as he stared at the monitor, only to notice a figure in the distance. ''Wait, stop right there!''

''Where?'' Sam asked, not moving,

''There on the hill, do you see it?'' Springtrap asked, with Sam squinting her eyes. To her surprise, there was a figure on the hill, dancing and swaying in a familiar manner.

''Wait, is that… Glitchtrap?'' she asked, feeling chills down her spine. ''Yeah, it looks like him.''

''It doesn't appear as if he's going to approach you,'' Springtrap noted.

''Yeah, it looks like this one needs to be activated deliberately. It's not less creepy, though,'' Sam responded, and then selected the Corn Maze mini-game. Finding herself in the titular maze, she soon learned that she was being hunted down by Grimm Foxy, and to hide from him, she needed to get behind the cardboard character signs. She eventually came across a red key, realizing that this was probably her way out of this place. ''How many keys are there?'' She wondered as she found a green one. She also noted that Grimm Foxy got more and more aggressive the more keys she collected, but she could deal with him if she waited at one of the character signs and hid behind it, letting Grimm Foxy run past her. This game was long and tedious, especially since she wanted to win it on her first attempt, and she couldn't rush things. Fortunately, she had managed to find all four keys, and now all that was left was to escape the maze.

''Do you know how to get out?'' Springtrap asked her as she started to aimlessly wander around the maze.

''I'm just exploring,'' Sam responded, not wanting to admit that she had no clue where she was going. However, it seemed that her aimless wandering did benefit her in some way, as she found one more key, which turned the top of her flashlight purple. ''Great, now where is the exit?''

''Over there is a cellar,'' Springtrap pointed out, with Sam sprinting towards it and quickly opening it before Grimm Foxy could get to her.

''This doesn't look like the actual exit. It is more… what the-?!'' Sam was genuinely surprised when she found a mask lying on the table. It was a white and brown rabbit mask with red eyes. She stared at it in stunned silence. ''That… I don't think that's supposed to be here.''

''I think you should pick it up,'' Springtrap told her, with Sam following his instructions and putting the mask on. There was some heavy breathing, and the screen turned black, only for her to return to the title screen for the Halloween DLC.

''Okay, that was weird,'' Sam said, lifting the VR headset up and rubbing her eyes. She had been playing this DLC game for around two hours at this point and her eyes and head began to hurt. ''I wonder what that rabbit mask is all about.''

''It doesn't look to me like any character belonging to the Freddy's franchise,'' Springtrap replied. ''The only rabbit character that was ever present was Bonnie and his counterparts.''

''In other words, it is possible that this is what we've been searching for,'' Sam responded. She returned to the Halloween Hub, but after messing around with it, she couldn't find the rabbit mask, so she returned to the main game's hub. There, she spotted the Glitchtrap plushie next to her and picked it up. ''Okay, I need answers. What is up with the rabbit mask?''

''I don't think the plushie is going to provide you with an answer,'' Springtrap told her in a somewhat snarky tone. Sam frowned.

''Thanks for pointing that out, Mr. Obvious. I knew that already,'' she replied, deciding to look around the main hub area to see if she could find anything. Fortunately for her, the rabbit mask was at the Prize Corner. Sam picked it up, only to remember something. ''Hey, wait, didn't Tape Girl say that one of the previous players, Jeremy, made some kind of Halloween mask? What if this was it?''

''Do you really want to put it on?'' Springtrap asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

''I came so far, and I'm not going to run away from a mask,'' Sam replied, then glanced at the mask and then at the Glitchtrap plushie she was still holding. She then put on the mask and grabbed the Glitchtrap plushie, only to feel chills when a message started playing.

''Yes, I hear you. I know... No. There's no miscommunication... I understand... Yes, I have it. I made it myself. I think you would like it... No, no one suspects anything... Don't worry, I'll be ready, and I won't let you down. It will be fun.''

Sam froze, then quickly took off the VR headset, shaking her head as she processed what she just heard. ''D-Did you…''

''Yeah,'' Springtrap nodded, a grim look on his expression. ''Are you okay?''

''I'm just a bit tired,'' Sam replied, closing the game and sitting down on her bed, pressing her head against her temple. She figured that the headache she felt was the result of playing the Halloween DLC without a moment of rest. Springtrap sat next to her, still worried about her, but he didn't say anything. Instead, Sam rose her voice, ''That woman that works with my Dad, Vanessa, she sent me all of this stuff. What if she works together with Glitchtrap? I mean, with that message and mask… Would it be possible?''

''I'm not sure, but considering all the things that happened to you, this Glitchtrap entity may have hold more power than either of us had assumed,'' Springtrap said, his eyes narrowing. He wasn't really sure how to feel about the whole situation, considering how Glitchtrap was him, but was also an individual separate from him. Even though he knew what had happened, it still felt hard to comprehend what had happened.

''I wonder if I should send an e-mail to Vanessa to tell her that I completed the game. Although, I do feel that that would be a bad idea,'' Sam replied.

''If your gut feeling tells you that you shouldn't do it, then don't. After all, you always trusted it in the past,'' Springtrap said. Sam looked up at him, her eyes narrowed.

''You mean like the time I decided to bring you home even though you almost murdered me,'' she replied in a snarky tone. Springtrap felt a sting of guilt as he remembered that event. He felt as if it had been a long time since that happened, even though it was only a few months ago.

''I regret… what had happened. You know that,'' Springtrap told her.

''Yeah, you regret it now,'' Sam said casually, leaning back against the wall. Both were silent for a bit, only for Sam to start the conversation again, ''Hey, Will…'' she said, drawing Springtrap attention. ''Is it really true that you have returned just because of me?''

Springtrap glanced at her, answering her question without hesitation, but still with a hint of curiosity in his tone, ''Of course I did. I had no regrets in death besides not apologizing to you.''

''Really? No other regrets?'' Sam pressed.

''I'm fairly certain I said all I wanted to those who knew me,'' Springtrap responded, giving Sam a questioning look. In turn, Sam sighed, biting her lip as she clearly wanted to say something else, but didn't know how to express herself. ''You know, Sam, I can handle some brutal honesty. So, if there is anything on your mind-''

''I'm sorry,'' Sam blurted out, cutting Springtrap off. He just stared at her in stunned silence, with Sam continuing, ''I shouldn't have yelled at you when you came back.''

''Sam, you and I know both that you had a good reason for that. After all, I did leave you without any explanation,'' Springtrap responded.

''Yeah, but still, I didn't want to admit to myself that I did know and understand the reason why you have left,'' Sam replied. ''After all, everyone was saying that you should go back to Hell, and taking Connor down with you would be a bonus.''

''First and foremost, staying in that fire was my own decision… although I admit that hearing everyone else telling me to leave didn't help. I had just figured that I should finally put the past behind me, and to do that, I also had to remove myself from the situation given how I was a huge part of the problem. I had figured that it would be better for you not to be anymore involved in the mess I had created, while also making sure you had all the necessary knowledge to keep yourself safe. I had hoped that you would move on eventually, and I believed that you would understand. I wanted for the nightmare that I started to finally end.'' Springtrap fell silent for a moment, snorting in amusement and shaking his head. ''Thinking back to it, it was incredibly pointless. Why would I even try to do something selfless? I didn't mind killing Connor a second time, but going down with him was just stupid of me.'' He turned to Sam. ''So, after spending more time being driven crazy by the literal ghosts of my pasts, I decided that I should just come back, as I'd always do.''

Sam was silent, staring at him for a moment, then sighed. ''Okay, I will admit, even though I was angry at you when I saw you again, I also felt relieved; and it made me angry that I felt relieved because it felt like that was the wrong emotion. I know what you had done, and you being in Hell would be the best resolution, but at the same time, I wanted to be selfish and feel happy that the person who was basically my best friend and father figure has returned.''

Springtrap's eyes widened, a bit surprised and pleased to hear that Sam still genuinely cared about him, even still seeing him as a father figure, and he felt quite proud of that.

''I think that is okay to be selfish, especially if you're not hurting everyone,'' he told her, with Sam snorting in response.

''It's ironic that you're the one to talk about that,'' she said. Springtrap smirked.

''Perhaps, I should just stick to what I'm doing best,'' he said.

''Murdering children?'' Sam responded in a deadpan stone. Springtrap's ears lowered and he gave her an exasperated look.

''I didn't mean that… I thought about helping you deal with the current situation,'' he replied. ''After all, Glitchtrap is something I'm responsible for, and I'm not letting another murderous bunny steal my spotlight, even if it is part of me.''

''So, you are going to stay here for good?'' Sam asked.

''I'm staying here as long as I want… or until Emma gets that flamethrower she constantly threatened me with,'' Springtrap replied, shrugging. ''Rest assured, I have been thinking, and I realized that as long as the Freddy Fazbear's Franchise is around, I'm not leaving either. Especially not in a time like this.''

''You mean, the Mega Pizzaplex that is being currently worked on?'' Sam asked. Springtrap nodded, folding his arms across his chest.

''I want to see what Fazbear Entertainment has come up with this time. From what I've seen, they are trying to move on from the past while making fun of it, but I'm certain that something bad is going to happen because this franchise has always something bad going on,'' he explained.

''Sounds to me like this is going to be just like the old days,'' Sam said, smiling. Springtrap was quite happy to see her like this. He could see her eyes sparking up with excitement and intrigue.

''Well, it wouldn't be exactly like the old days, but I can assure you that I'm not going anywhere. It doesn't matter if any of the other ghosts return to drag me back to Hell, I'm not leaving,'' he told her in a firm tone. He was startled when Sam suddenly hugged him. Surprised, but happy, he hugged her back in assurance. ''I hope you feel better now.''

''Yeah, I do,'' Sam replied, leaning back as she broke off the hug and gave Springtrap a serious look. ''Speaking of which, has anyone contacted you yet?''

''No,'' Springtrap replied, shaking his head. ''At this point, I believe that everyone has given up on me.''

''Perhaps, that's for the best,'' Sam responded, humming in thought. ''So, the Pizzaplex… Anthelm had told me how I'd get training in order to learn how to handle the new animatronics, and honestly, I'm looking forward to it.''

''Do you plan on continuing learning more about robotics?'' Springtrap asked. Sam placed a finger on her chin, looking up in thought.

''I never really thought about that,'' she replied. ''I'll think about it, though. For now, we'll have to meet up with the Showtime Animatronics and go over an actual plan for the future.''

''So, you plan to involve the Showtimes into this as well?'' Springtrap asked curiously.

''Considering how they're under Glitchtrap's influence, they are already involved,'' Sam responded. ''So, the most I can do is to give them the complete rundown on the situation. Afterwards, we can work on what to do once the Pizzaplex opens, as well as how to deal with Vanessa and, more importantly, Glitchtrap. Not to mention all the stuff Fazbear Entertainment might try to cover, because even if you're not around to cause trouble, something will definitely happen at Freddy's. It's like a curse at this point.''

''I completely agree with that,'' Springtrap responded.

''Have you already figured what your role is going to be while you're at Freddy's?'' Sam suddenly asked.

''Not really, although I'm certain that none of the Showtimes would be happy even if I do,'' Springtrap responded in a snarky tone.

''Well, I think you can talk to them about it. I might not be working today, but I want to go back to Freddy's tonight,'' Sam replied.

xXx

Vanessa stared at the computer screen, at the message she had sent over a week ago. It was addressed to the daughter of a man who worked on the Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted, allowing his daughter to have and early VR experience than others, one that would literally send her into a neverending rabbit hole of mystery, horror and murder. But, why had she done that? She just made the decision out of blue the moment she heard the name of the person she was supposed to send it to. Her memories of that were quite blurry, parts of it even missing. At nights, she had been suffering from nightmares, holding nothing but a lamp and running through some kind of castle while being hunted by monsters. But still, something told her to continue, despite her reluctance. She became more irritable and paranoid, always feeling as if something was lurking over her shoulder, guiding her, sometimes by force. She scrolled up the recent e-mails from one of her co-workers.

"no subject"

To: nessie97

From:

Ness,

I guess you're not coming in today, which is too bad - not just because you brighten up the office (which you do) but because I really need to talk to you.

I didn't want to put this in writing, but over the weekend, did you happen to create an IT department email address for yourself and use company credentials to reach out to a subcontractor and access their system?

I know that sounds crazy - I mean, why would you even do that? It's just that it really looks like you did that. I'm sure it's a misunderstanding or a glitch or something. Just get back to me as soon as you can, OK?

-Luis

"no subject"

To: nessie97

From:

Hey, Ness,

I haven't heard from you. I guess you probably know that. Does _pizzaplex mean anything to you? Whoever created those false credentials also used them to override security protocols and allow a data packet through after it was flagged as a virus.

I know it wasn't you. I just need to hear you say it. Or write it, whatever. Please just get in touch with me.

-Luis

"no subject"

To: nessie97

From:

Ness,

Please just let me know you're OK. There is a package here for you from a fabric company. Are you making a costume? :-)

Yours,

Luis

Reading those e-mails, she felt quite irritated. Luis was quite annoying, and she was glad that the e-mails had stopped, even though she didn't know why. However, he had proven to be quite useful, especially since she needed a bit… help, due to working several jobs at this point. She had managed to transfer from her position as a video game beta-tester to that of the security guard at the new Pizzaplex. Of course, that hadn't been the only thing she was busy with.

Vanessa looked up at the closet behind her, staring at the white costume with stitching all over it, and a blue bow on the neck. A white bunny mask was hanging next to it.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes, shaking her head as her vision turned blurry, with a purple haze falling over like a curtain. She then turned back to her computer, continuing her work.