Chapter 4: One Empty Chair
(This chapter contains graphic violence.)
*Saturday, 29th of June, 1985.
…
'Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life,' was the slogan.
Gabriel wished he could relive those times where he could actually believe corporate catchphrases like that, but unfortunately for him, he knew better. He had seen what happened back at Fredbear's.
This allowed him to sense that these last few days had been…unusual. He couldn't tell why, but something was just off. The animatronics, for starters. Ordinarily, the three main members of the band would spend some time off stage whenever they weren't performing, where they-d interact with customers.
As of recently, though, Bonnie and Chica would mostly just…stand still. They didn't talk to the kids as much, or wave their hands. It was just those two who acted this way, however, which was bizarre. For Freddy and Foxy, it was business as usual.
And that's not even mentioning that creepy marionette thing. Ever since they redesigned it and took away its ability to leave the Prize Corner, it genuinely acted as though it had a mind of its own. Maybe he was being paranoid, but at times, he felt like it was staring at him…
On top of that, there were noticeably fewer customers as of late, which was especially suspicious. A Saturday such as this one was supposed to be a busy day, even more so during Summer.
To add insult to injury, the patrons that were present, did not look particularly phased. This left Gabriel metaphorically banging his head against a wall. Had things actually changed, or was it all just in his mind?
And as if all that wasn't enough, now he was being stared at by some girl!
From what he could make out, she had her red hair tied in two pigtails, and emerald green eyes, a very rare sight in their town. She was watching him intently from two tables away. What did she even want? He tried to ignore her, but she was being very adamant.
He did not like that expression of hers. Mischievous… Knowing… The Puppet was enough on its own; he didn't need two creeps watching him!
As he was just about ready to say something, he saw someone sneak up behind her. She hadn't noticed yet. A man dressed in a mascot suit started talking to her. He wasn't wearing just any mascot suit, though.
It was Spring Bonnie. Gabriel couldn't hear what they were saying, but a feeling of cold terror seized his little heart once he saw her walk away with him, toward the restrooms. The yellow bunny was here…but how? Why? This company would surely never reuse those old suits after what happened at Fredbear's. They couldn't…
"~I see the secrets that you keep~" sang the band members, carrying on like usual.
Gabriel tried to calm down. Maybe he was overthinking it. Or, rather, misinterpreting it. What is seen in shadows is easily misunderstood in the mind of a child, after all. Yes, that was it! Everything was fine…
He fidgeted in his seat, as dark scenarios continued to assault his brain. That girl hadn't returned yet. Grace Fitzgerald. That was her name. Irish origin. He knew of her, since they both went to the same school. That said, they were one grade apart, which is why they never spoke to each other.
'And now, we're not going to.'
He shook off that appalling thought, and started weighing his options, contemplating what he should do. What could he even do? He was scared…
Yes, that's right. He was scared. Yet, his mind had settled with newfound determination. Back at Fredbear's, he had just stood by and watched, as the tragedy unfolded. Not this time. Never again.
He gritted his teeth, furrowed his brow, and with one deep breath, he went down the same hall. He failed to notice that across the tables, beyond the crowd of children, and through the Prize Corner's glass doors, the Puppet's eyes were fixated on him as he left.
Leaving the security and comfort of the show area in favor of the foreign hallway was like stepping into a parallel dimension. A dimension filled with familiar sights, sounds and smells, but in an unprecedented and alien context.
The same black and white checkered tiles that covered the floor of the dining room were here and accounted for. Unlike those, however, these were filthy and covered in dirt and dust, as though they hadn't been cleaned since the day they were laid down two years ago. The farther down the hall he went, the worse it got. The hallway itself, while not inherently short, appeared to be almost infinite to the boy.
The walls appeared to be in a similar condition in terms of cleanliness. Posters depicting the characters performing had been plastered on them, but their corners were bent and their colors faded, a testament to their age.
The smell of pizza was still prevalent, but accompanied by a hint of stagnating air. Music coming from the stage still managed to make its way to Gabriel's ears, but it was muffled and distant, something that allowed his rapid heartbeat to take a hold of his hearing.
All of these factors combined, in conjunction to the flickering lightbulb overhead further cemented the fact that he wasn't supposed to be here. Even so, he kept going. He would not go back until he'd either find Grace, or run into a security guard.
His footsteps echoed through the corridor. Another sound joined them. It barely lasted a second, but there was zero chance he had imagined it. A scream. He followed it, running to the closed door at the end of the hall.
A deep laugh resonated from the other side of the door. Steeling his nerves, he turned the doorknob and kicked it open.
Gabriel's mind didn't have enough time to process the sight he was witnessing. He locked eyes with Spring Bonnie, who appeared to have been frozen. That did not last long, because with two long strides, he managed to reach the boy, and grab him by the collar.
Gabriel was thrown to the floor, and he scrambled to get up. While doing so, he realized that he had done it. He had found Grace. She was staring right back at him, like before. Only this time, she couldn't see him. Not with those glassy eyes of hers, which complemented the ever expanding crimson stain on her orange shirt.
He wanted to gasp, but a sharp and cold sensation on his chest cut him off. Said sensation was swiftly replaced by hot pain, as the blade of a knife was plunged deeper inside him. He jerked and coughed, as blood began to creep up his throat.
"Heh heh, sorry, old sport. You were at the wrong place at the wrong time," Spring Bonnie said, with a voice so coarse, it made Gabriel's hair stand on its end. Blood continued to leak down his abdomen and back, causing his shirt to cling to his skin.
Spring Bonnie removed the knife from the boy, which led to him falling face-first on the floor. The last thing he remembered seeing was Grace's beautiful eyes staring back at him.