Monday went by in the blink of an eye. Ethan didn't really keep track of the time passing by. He did his work on autopilot, hardly paying attention to the teacher's lectures. He went to wrestling practice, working his usual set of moves with no variation. Ethan couldn't bring himself to think about anything else.

Tonight was his first shift and Freddy Fazbear's new night guard. And by the gods, Ethan was excited.

'Hey, automaton.' Jerome snapped his fingers in front of Ethan's face, who quickly shook his head and looked at his friend. Jerome looked concerned. 'You okay, man?'

Ethan nodded. 'Yep, all good. Had my two cans of energy drink, lunch,' Ethan counted on his fingers as he spoke, 'and as far as I'm tracking, I'm still alive. So yeah, I'm okay.' Ethan looked back at Jerome. 'Why you ask?'

Emma chimed in now. 'Because you've been walking around like a zombie all day. Hell, even the teachers noticed, and they usually just let you be.' Emma was clearly concerned for her friend.

Ethan shrugged nonchalantly. 'Just getting hyped up for tonight. First shift at Freddy's, you know, 'the place where fun and fantasy come to life,' he quoted, swinging his arms widely as he spoke, drawing a few eyes.

Jerome chuckled. 'Man, I have never heard a guy so excited to sit in an office for the entire night. Sounds like hell to me.' Jerome tossed up his football, catching it as it came back to Earth.

Ethan laughed heartily. 'That's because you don't know how the hell to settle down, you ADHD chuckle douche.'

Jerome flipped Ethan off as the three continued walking. Jerome bid Ethan and Emma goodbye after another minute of walking, leaving the two walking alone to Emma's house.

Emma sighed loudly, clearly trying to get Ethan's attention. Ethan, however, didn't notice at first, silently talking to himself as they walked. Emma faked coughed, which finally got her male friends attention.

'You okay, Emma?' Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emma smiled and nodded. 'All the pollen in the air, I think.'

Ethan shrugged. 'Figures.'

Emma took the chance to continue the conversation. 'So, night guard.' She chuckled slightly. 'Must be something really big for someone like you.'

Ethan scoffed. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Well, it's just that, from what I've seen, taking on a six hour night shift has to mean that the person taking it is really prepared to do that, get enough sleep, and still be able to function normally, all at the same time.'

Ethan shrugged. 'What the hell is sleep?' He asked jokingly.

Emma sighed. 'A foreign concept to you, apparently.'

'Ah, I'll be fine. Nothing caffeine and sheer willpower can't handle.'

The duo came up to Emma's street, two rows of gray two story houses greeting them. Emma stopped and turned fully toward her friend. 'I need to know something. '

Ethan stopped and turned. 'What's that?'

'That you'll be okay doing the job. I don't want you burning out.'

Ethan laughed. 'I'll be fine, lovely.' Emma blushed at the word, knowing what Ethan was doing. 'Trust me.' He snapped his fingers as an idea came to his head. 'Look, how about this. If you think I'm getting burned out, you tell me, and I'll ask your grandpa if I can have a few days off to recuperate.' He held out his hand. 'How's that sound?'

Emma smiled and blushed again. 'Alright, Gunner, you have yourself a deal.' The two shook hands and locked eyes for a moment. Emma saw nothing but excitement and determination in Ethan's eyes.

He was ready, that much was obvious.

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11:30, Freddy's Fazbear's Pizza.

Tonight was the night. Ethan walked up to the front doors of Freddy's, making his way inside to the dark restaurant. Ethan turned on his flashlight, the bright beam illuminating the tables of the main dining area.

Ethan made his way over to the main stage, shining the light on each of the animatronics present. He scoffed silently, and then began his journey to the security office.

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Freddy watched the teen with unwavering yet all seeing eyes. The light that was shined in his face was annoying, and Freddy was already on edge. This person wasn't Afton, that much was clear, but that didn't matter.

He would die like the rest.

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Ethan found a purple T-shirt and baseball cap both emblazoned with the word "Security" on them. A note beside them read "For work use only." Ethan laughed slightly as he threw on the shirt.

Sitting down in the office chair, Ethan pulled himself up to the desk and quickly observed its contents. A laptop sat on the table, and once Ethan turned it on, revealed the CCTV system wired throughout the restaurant. Ethan scoffed and spoke quietly to himself. 'Ah yeah, Sinclair, upgrade the bots, but not the security. Awesome idea.' He shook his head in amusement.

Ethan then stood up and looked at the right door, the one he had come in. There were two buttons; one labeled "Light" and the other "Door." Ethan curiously pushed the button labeled "Door."

Ethan jumped slightly as a heavy metal door came slamming down from the ceiling. Ethan cursed. 'Oh, there's the actual security system,' he joked to himself. 'That's nice to know.' He hit the light button next, and unsurprisingly a light illuminated the immediate hallway outside the door. 'And that's there for some reason. Alright then.' Ethan shrugged as he checked the other door to make sure that side also worked.

The teen sat back down, sighing. 'Christ, hundred a week for being bored out of my mind.' Ethan giggled. 'Fun fun.' He checked his watch. 11:50 now. Ten minutes before his shift started.

His stomach growled. Ethan sighed as he reached into his backpack he had brought, stuffed with jerky, chips, some water, and a few energy drinks. Plenty of food to last him the night.

Ethan leaned back in the office chair as he popped open an energy drink and opened a bag of jerky, munching on a piece and he sat there, already getting bored.

Suddenly, the office went dark. Ethan shot up from his chair, jerky bag falling to the floor and drink slamming down on the desk. As quickly as it had gone dark, however, a small light hanging from the ceiling came on. 'Back up generator on,' a small voice from the laptop said, noting the time as twelve am now.

Ethan growled, sitting back down and finally noticing the small power gauge present on the desk that lit up. According to the gauge, he was at ninety nine percent power. Scoffing, Ethan cycled through the camera system. 'Can't afford a constant feed either?'

Everything seemed to be in place. Nothing out of the ordinary, though Ethan did take note that the gauge had added one green bar when he had the camera system up. Closing the laptop returned it to a single green bar.

'Oh, and that drains power, fragging great.' Ethan really questioned the design of the restaurant's power system. He shook his head and sighed. This was going to be a long night.

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They knew what the time was, and what it meant. The game would begin again.

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The phone suddenly rang, startling Ethan. A message started to play when he picked up the receiver.

"Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?"

Ethan shrugged. 'Alright, so a recording. Cool. At least they give me that.'

"Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life." Ethan chuckled at the company's introduction. However, the next part made him lose his smile.

"Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or persons. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced."

'Fucking excuse me?' Ethan asked.

"Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about."

Ethan laughed dryly. 'I really doubt it.'

"Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too. So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay."

'Sure, why the hell not.'

"So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night."

Ethan scoffed. 'Wow, more shit they don't tell you.'

"Uh... Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?"

Ethan raised his eyebrows. 'Again, what the hell?'

"Uh, now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll pr- they'll most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton

without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit."

Ethan felt his face go white at that comment.

"Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death. Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh."

Ethan's face lost more color.

"Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, the first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night."

Ethan sat down, slightly overwhelmed and rubbing his temples. 'Christ, this is great. Now I'm not only watching over a restaurant, I'm trying to not get killed.' Ethan put a finger gun to his head. 'Shoot me now.' Ethan opened up the laptop, quickly cycling through the cameras until he landed on the main stage, and he flinched back.

Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica were all looking directly at the camera, staring intently.

Ethan sighed. 'Well, here we go.'

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So it began.

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Ethan cycled through the cameras again. 'Alright, Bonnie has moved first.' He said the words flatly, officially. That little bit of information was quickly filed into his brain for the future. He quickly shut the laptop and leaned back, listening for movement.

Heavy steps came faintly from the dining area. It was currently 1:30. They were moving slowly, that was for sure. Ethan flipped the camera's back open and hit the dining room cam. Sure enough, Bonnie stood looking into one of the hallways, toward the security office.

'Huh. Odd.' Ethan was expecting the animatronics to move much more aggressively, yet here was Bonnie, hardly making himself a threat.

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Bonnie noticed the red light on the camera, quickly freezing before the guard could see him move again. He scowled slightly. Usually, the band could hear the panicked yells or gibbering of the guard once the call was done, and usually caught them out as they ran in a mindless panic toward the locked door.

This one seemed to have his head about him. He would be a lot tougher to break. Bonnie liked a challenge.

The camera light turned off, signaling that Bonnie could move once again. However, he didn't, hearing Chica come up behind him.

'Is he the one?' She asked innocently.

Bonnie sighed, irritated. 'Did you not see his face when he came within five feet of us earlier?'

'Yeah, but I can't tell his face apart well from others.' Chica sighed. 'I tried, okay, Bonnie?'

Bonnie sighed again, moving toward the Parts and Service room. 'Apparently not hard enough, Chica.'

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Ethan did a quick camera cycle again. He had heard another one move, and quickly found it to be Chica. 'Alright, so you two move first, gotcha.' He noted. He hit the Parts and Service camera, and immediately swore loudly.

Bonnie stared directly, black eyes and white pupils, into the camera. Ethan growled, and poked his head out the left door, not really caring if one of those things was there; more like, he knew they weren't.

'Really, you purple bastard?' Ethan yelled, swearing as he tucked his head back in. He grumbled. 'Christ, these things have issues.'

Another few hours passed with minimal movement, though Ethan did hear Chica clattering around in the kitchen. Three thirty now. Close half way there. Ethan took out another energy drink and sipped at it, munching jerky between sips and thinking about his current predicament.

He did another quick cycle through the cameras again, noting that neither Freddy nor Foxy moved or showed their face, respectively. Odd. Maybe they would later.

Four thirty now. Another cycle through the cameras.

'Oh god.' Bonnie was missing now. Ethan quickly hit the hallway cameras. Nothing. That meant one thing. Ethan hit the light on the left door.

Bonnie stood there, staring intently.

Ethan cursed loudly and slammed the door shut, hyperventilating. He slammed his fist on the door in a small fit of rage. 'Damn you, you oversized stuffed animal!' He yelled. How the hell had he snuck up on him?

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Foxy poked his head out and laughed as Bonnie came walking back, the bunny smiling. 'Got him good, did ya, lad?' The Pirate Fox was grinning, clearly pleased by his friend's antics.

Bonnie laughed in response. 'You darn right I did. That's what you get for calling me a purple bastard.'

Foxy laughed again. 'Good on ya, laddie. Show him who runs this show.' Bonnie made finger guns as he walked back into the dining room.

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After that scare, Ethan stayed planted in his chair. 'Alright, you want to play games, you jerk? Let's play.'

Six am. A grandfather clock chime sounded from the small desk clock, startling Ethan slightly. He sighed and chugged the rest of his energy drink. 'Finally. One shift down, four more to go.' He burped. 'Then a raise.' Ethan walked out into the dining room, and glared at the animatronics on the main stage.

He walked over to Bonnie specifically, and sighed. 'I never liked you, and now I REALLY don't like you.' He looked over at Chica and pointed at the yellow, cupcake holding chicken. 'You're okay, for the most part. I really don't understand why you go into the kitchen and screw around with stuff, though.' Ethan shook his head. 'Odd.'

He walked to the main entrance, seeing Mr. Sinclair walking up to the door at the same time. Sinclair smiled, unlocking the door. 'So, how was the first shift, Ethan?'

Ethan scowled. 'Oh, fine, fine, other than Bonnie deciding to pay me a visit. Other than that, all good.'

Sinclair laughed. 'Sorry bout that. Their night mode is a bit funky.'

Ethan smiled sarcastically. 'Noticed.'

Sinclair laughed again. 'Well, see you again tonight.'

Ethan laughed dryly. 'You betcha. I need money.'

Sinclair nodded. 'Well, be seeing you then.'

'You bet.' Ethan walked out to his truck, checking his phone and figuring out how much time he had before he had to get to school. He sighed, looking back at the restaurant.

'This week is going to suck.'