Chapter 5: Together Again

"Hello, hello! Hey, wow, day four... I knew you could do it."

I returned, despite it all. I was in too deep to go back.

"Uh, hey, listen... I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow…"

A banging noise came through the speaker. It was loud and constant, like someone was knocking on metal. I eyed the cassette player wearily.

"It's been a bad night here. For me… Um, I-I'm kinda glad I recorded my messages for you… when I did," the phone guy said. He sounded nervous. More so than usual. A terrible feeling washed over me.

"Uh, maybe sometime, uh, you could check inside those suits? Uh, in the back room? Uh, I'm gonna try to hold out... until someone... checks. Maybe it won't be so bad."

The banging noise still hadn't stopped.

"I-I-I always wondered what was in all those spare heads…back there."

A music box melody began to play. The same one that Freddy had played for me yesterday. The Toreador March was its name.

"Oh no…" he said.

An ear-splitting screech came through the speaker, which was followed by static. After the call ended, I realized just how fast my heart was beating.

The phone guy… did he…?

I never thought much of him until then, but… I sincerely hoped he had made it out alive, like I did. He had said some slimy things, but… I didn't think he deserved to die for it. I probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for the advice he had left behind…

In any case, I had checked the backstage room the day I started, and found nothing. Either he survived, or…

…

It had been his last week, too…

I heard a deep laugh coming from a far away room. It was Freddy's. Through the cameras, I could see that the stage was completely empty. Bonnie was still in the dining area, which made sense considering how the night had only just begun. Chica was near the restrooms, while Foxy was already peeking out.

I couldn't find Freddy anywhere. I could tell he was standing still somewhere, for I couldn't hear any movement, but the fact that I couldn't see him made me anxious.

I just couldn't stop thinking about the possibility that this could have very well been my last night alive. The phone guy had died on his fourth night. Why would I be any different?

I shut off the monitors, and grabbed my logbook. Without a second thought, I started writing.

'Cassidy. I don't know if you can see this. If you can, please, show yourself to me. I want to talk to you.'

I waited. For a while. Nothing happened.

'I won't get scared again.'

…

The lightbulb above me flickered, before fizzling out. It eventually lit up again, and I knew I was no longer alone. I turned around, and sure enough, there it was.

No… there she was. Somewhere, inside that yellow bear suit, was my best friend. She was looking at me, with those glowing pupils of hers. Neither of us said anything. We just kept staring at each other.

It was clear we didn't know how to break the silence, but I knew I had to take the first step. I had told her I wanted to talk, after all.

"Cassidy…"

"..."

"I… I'm sorry for last night. I just… I don't know what came over me."

She didn't say anything at first. Not before letting out what I could only guess was a bitter chuckle.

"It's okay. It's not your fault."

Talking to her like this was surreal. I couldn't see her face, or her stance. The tone of her voice was the only way I could tell what she was feeling. Her voice… it sounded different than what I remembered. I couldn't tell if that was because it had changed, or because my memory was foggy.

"..."

"Oh, Mike… I can't believe it's really you. You… you're big now. You sound grown up," she said, her voice melancholic. I didn't know what to say to that.

"I missed you so much…" she added.

"I missed you, too."

She chuckled again in that same, sad way.

"I know. I heard what you said to Ms. White last night. All of it."

She had? How? I couldn't recall seeing her anywhere after I blacked out. Was she hiding somewhere nearby, or was she just aware of everything that was going on in the building?

"Um, you should probably get back to work now. I don't want you to get in danger because of me."

Get back to work? How was I supposed to do that? Like this?

"Alright… Just, don't leave. I want you to stay here."

"Okay, Mike. I'm not going anywhere."

I turned on the cameras again. Bonnie had now moved to the hall, while Chica was in the kitchen. Foxy hadn't moved, but I still couldn't find Freddy. I missed the times where he used to stay on stage for the entire night.

…

"Hey… Cass? Do you know where Freddy is?" I asked without turning around.

"...Olivia. She likes to hide in the dark. Just look closely."

I followed her advice. I eventually spotted two pupils, tiny like pinpricks, glowing in the darkness of the dining area. They were identical to Cassidy's.

"Ah, I think I found her. Thanks."

"…"

Now that I knew where everyone was, I returned to the topic at hand. Cassidy hadn't moved from her spot against the wall.

Talking to her still felt unnatural. I used to have daydreams of this moment in the past, and now, here it was. I finally had the chance to talk to my friend again. So why was it so difficult?

…

Perhaps anything was better than nothing.

"Hey, uh… How did… What happened last night? After I passed out?"

"...I tried to protect you from the others, but in the end, I got you hurt… It's like… They're like animals."

"You didn't get me hurt," I stated.

The way she talked… It hardly paid any resemblance to what I was used to from her. Obviously, I couldn't expect her to have remained unchanged after all this, but… it was still jarring. In any case, I carefully thought about what she told me, which led me to many questions.

"Are they always like this?"

"No… Only when there's a guard here."

"...And how are they when there isn't one?"

"...Normal. Well, mostly. They can't talk, but… I can tell they're in there… somewhere."

"…I see."

…

"How are you? How are you really?"

Her pupils lowered to the floor. Roughly ten seconds passed in silence. I had no idea what was going through her head.

"...I'm just happy you're here," she said. "I've been alone for so long, I forgot what it's like to… I don't know… Not be."

I felt a pang in my heart. Before I could ask her anything else, she spoke first.

"Tell me. How are my parents doing? Do you know?"

Her topic of choice was rather hard to talk about, but I couldn't not answer.

"...After you died… they divorced. Your father moved to another state. I haven't heard anything from him in… nearly a decade."

"Did he… did he forget about me?"

That question… it nearly broke me. I slowly shook my head.

"I don't think he can ever forget you. No matter how much he tries…"

"..."

"..."

"What about mom?"

I gulped. How was I supposed to say this to her? To a child who was barely eleven? I didn't want to lie to her, but I could tell my answer would crush her.

"...Your mother… She tried to stay strong. My mother and I tried our best to support her. Things were fine for a while. As well they could be, anyway, but…"

Her pupils were boring into my soul. I could tell she was waiting impatiently.

"Is she dead?" she asked out of the blue, catching me completely off-guard. I looked down in guilt.

"...Yes."

"..."

"I'm sorry, Cassidy."

Once again, I was met with silence. Her pupils moving was the only sign I had that she heard me.

Audrey Baker was truly one of the sweetest women I had ever met. She had always been such a kind and caring person.

She was working overtime on the nearby hospital during the time of the party, so she only found out about her daughter's fate after she returned.

…

I never saw it coming, even though in hindsight, the signs were there.

"Don't be. I know it's not your fault."

She sounded sad, but not in the sense that she'd start crying. There was a certain hollowness to her voice, a hollowness that was carrying years' worth of suffering.

…

"Miranda is at the door, by the way."

A series of footsteps came from my left. Chica was glaring at me through the window. I went to press the button, but to my bewilderment, the door closed by itself.

The yellow Freddy suit was shaking subtly.

"Did you do that?"

"Yeah! Being a ghost isn't all bad."

That was the happiest I had heard her all night, which wasn't saying much, but still. It was something.

Chica retreated back into the hall after a while, and I opened the door myself. I glanced through the monitors again.

Bonnie was in the supply closet, while Freddy and Foxy hadn't moved. Things didn't seem so bad all of a sudden.

…

"I'm curious. How does your day usually go?"

"... During the day, I just hide most of the time. I don't want any workers to see me, but… I try to keep an eye out for, you know, any kid that could get in danger… I don't want anyone to end up like us. When I get really bored, I try to talk to some of the children if they go too far away from the tables."

"And how does that go?"

"Well, some of them get scared of me. Actually, most of them do… But there are some who like talking to me."

"Sounds fun," I said with a chuckle.

"It is! But, you know, I can't do that very often. I don't want to scare people away."

That made sense. Freddy's had gathered enough bad publicity over the years. People finding out that the place was also haunted could only go one way.

"Anyway, during the night, I usually play with my friends. Like I said, they can't talk, but we still find ways to have fun."

"Like?"

"At first we used to play things like tag, or hide 'n seek, but we grew tired of those. Nowadays we just move all the furniture to mess with the workers here."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

She laughed too, in that same way I remembered. It was sweet like a bell.

"One night, we managed to close off the bathrooms by putting all the tables in front of the door. The janitor was furious," she laughed again. "But we stopped doing that when Mrs White took the job. We didn't want to make her life more difficult."

As she talked, a question popped in my mind.

"Who's Mrs White?"

"What do you mean?" she asked me in bewilderment. "You talked to her yesterday!"

"But she told me her last name was Carter…"

That seemed to have made her do a double take.

"...But… Hm… Maybe she got a divorce? Because that's definitely Miranda's mom…"

I let that sink in. That… Could that be true? Did Lucy actually lose her daughter here!? I thought about it more, and realized just how much Miranda and the cleaning lady looked alike.

Lucy… That poor woman.

I then understood what this place meant to her, and why she kept working here even with all the hardships. She was in a similar boat as I was. I appreciated her.

…

Freddy laughed again. It sounded just a little louder this time, which probably meant he had gotten closer. I felt this was a good time to check on the band.

Chica had retreated to the restrooms, Bonnie and Foxy hadn't moved, but Freddy was once again out of sight. I scanned each feed, until I finally found him peeking his head out of the women's restroom, right next to Chica. He blended in the shadows effortlessly. Again, if it weren't for his eyes, I would have missed him.

…

Having learned that these characters were actually possessed - possessed by children no less, I was reminded of some old childhood games we used to play. This whole situation made me think of red light - green light. I wondered if this was some sort of a twisted game to them…

I glanced at the clock, and the power.

12:28 AM

93%

Not a bad spot per se, but I still needed to be mindful.

"Hey, Mike?"

I looked behind me after closing the monitors.

"What do you do? For work I mean."

"I'm in college. I'm going to be an engineer once I graduate."

"...An engineer? I thought… I thought you wanted to be a detective?"

"You're not wrong. That's what I wanted to be when I was little, but… I changed my mind."

She seemed understanding, but I could hear the deflation in her voice. Seeing how I had changed must have been rather disorienting for her, as well.

"You came here, though. You wanted answers, right?" she queried.

"Right…"

"So, in a way, you're kinda like a detective on an investigation. Your dream came true, after all!"

I chuckled lightly.

"If you put it that way."

Another set of footsteps came my way. Bonnie was standing at the door, which I proceeded to close. I noticed how neither he, nor Chica reacted to Cassidy's presence. They must have been hell-bent on getting me.

"I heard that this is something they do often. Going after the guards, I mean. Why is that?"

Cassidy seemed hesitant to answer. I began thinking that I had somehow touched a sensitive topic.

"...The man who killed us… he was a guard, too," she explained, and left it at that. Naturally, I didn't push for more.

I had a feeling that revenge had been the children's motive after last night's dream, but having it confirmed came along with a very noticeable feeling of dread. How broken must these children have been so as to repeatedly hunt down any night guard they'd find? I was grateful that Cassidy was more aware of the situation, but…

I just couldn't see a way to salvage what was left of the other four. Bonnie left, and I opened the door.

I was looking for a more lighthearted topic to lift Cassidy's spirits after that last exchange. I blamed the general atmosphere, but in the end, I couldn't find anything fitting. I had to settle for something 'not depressing' instead.

I held up the logbook.

"How did you come up with this?"

"That's just something I used to do with some of the previous guards," she admitted with a chuckle. "It would always freak them out."

"Wow, thanks."

"Okay, you were a special case, though," she explained. "After you told me your name, I wasn't sure if it was really you, or just someone with the same name. That's why I asked you something only you could know. I didn't actually want to scare you."

"If you say so…"

As I kept an eye out for the other four, I couldn't help but wonder…

"Can I ask you another question? You don't-"

"You just did."

I could picture that smug grin by her tone alone. It made me feel… I don't know, it made me feel happy. Of course, I couldn't let her know that; it would get into her head.

"Hilarious. As I was saying, you don't have to answer if it's too touchy."

"...Okay. Shoot."

"...Why are you like this? And how?"

Once again, she seemed reluctant to say anything.

"I…"

Her pupils were slowly moving from side to side.

"I… No. I can't. I'm sorry, Mike. I don't want to talk about it. Not yet."

I nodded and immediately dropped the subject. I needed to be more mindful of the things I'd say to her from that point on.

…

No animatronic activity spotted.

"You said you'll become an engineer?"

"Right."

"Okay… So, what will you do then?"

"I'm going to specialize in mechanical engineering. Machines, motor vehicles, robotics and the like."

"Hm… Sounds kinda… I dunno, nerdy?"

"Hey! It is, but you don't have to say it like that!"

I smiled once I heard her laugh again.

…

"Hey. Tell me, did anything interesting happen in the world that I missed?"

That question sent me into deep thought. Not only was it tricky to think of a particular event that happened in the last decade, but it also had to be what she would consider 'interesting'.

Which meant nothing that had to do with the economy, politics, or foreign relations. Cassidy didn't really care about the Superbowl, either, so that was also out of the question.

Man… Just how old had I gotten?

She was looking at me expectantly; I had to think of something. I scratched the back of my head.

…

"Not much. Nothing important, anyway."

"What? C'mon, you can't tell me nothing happened in ten years!"

I racked my brain, until something came to mind.

"Have you ever heard of this 'World Wide Web' thing? It came out recently, and it's pretty cool, I think."

"No…? What's that?"

Now how was I to explain this to her? I didn't even fully understand how it worked, myself…

"It's like… imagine a whole bunch of computers. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, all around the world. They are all connected together, and trade information with each other. You can learn about things happening on the other side of the Earth this way."

"... So, like phones?"

"Kind of. But hey, you can't see a picture on a phone."

"I think I get it… So, no flying cars yet?"

I frowned.

"No…"

"Lame."

"Yeah… Who knows? Maybe in like… I dunno, thirty years someone will get around to it."

"Oh, you'll be an engineer! You could be the one!" she said with excitement.

"Ha ha, tell you what. If I ever manage to make a flying car, I will name it after you. How does that sound?"

"Aw, thanks! That's sweet of you."

The rest of the night was filled with similar banter. To be honest, this was not how I expected my fourth night to go.

The animatronics were about as aggressive as I thought they would be, if not more so. Foxy charged at me once in the middle of my shift. Bonnie and Chica wandered by my office around three times each. Freddy somehow managed to creep his way to the east hall by the end of my shift. He definitely knew how to keep a low profile…

Even so, it was nowhere near as scary as I had anticipated. I managed to get by unscathed, with even some power to spare.

Not being alone for once definitely helped in that regard. I had someone to talk to, someone who could calm me down, and even watch my back from time to time. Honestly, I was simply glad to have my friend back in one way or another.

6 AM came around, but I didn't want to leave quite yet. Cassidy told me that employees get free pizza, so we went to the kitchen. Or rather, I went to the kitchen, while she just sort of teleported over to it.

It had been a hot minute since the last time I had pizza from this place. I grabbed a slice of special, and bit down.

"How is it?"

I chewed, waiting to get a proper feel of the taste.

"Not as good as I remembered…"

I couldn't tell if it was due to the fact that so much time had passed, or if the company cut back the budget for the ingredients. It wasn't bad or anything, but I was admittedly a little disappointed.

"Really? Well… I guess that makes me feel a little better about… not being able to taste."

I frowned, as I thought of what Cassidy's ghostly nature entailed. The previous question I had asked her about it didn't go so great, so I was hesitant to push my luck. Still, my curiosity got the better of me.

"Cassidy… Can you leave this place? Or are you just… bound here?"

My question was met with silence, predictably enough.

"I'm sorry. It was a dumb thing to ask."

"I can," she blurted.

I did a double take.

"You… you can?"

"Yeah..."

"Really? And you can go anywhere?"

"No… Not anywhere. Just… places I've been to. But I haven't left this place in years."

"Why not?"

"Because I… Why are you asking me this?"

I carefully considered my words. It seemed I had a special talent for picking the most difficult topics to talk about..

"I was just curious."

"I know. But I don't think that was just it. What did you think of?"

Children are surprisingly perceptive, I noted. Way more than people give them credit for.

"I… Look… Freddy's will close down in around a month. I was just… I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't be stuck here."

She broke eye contact by lowering her pupils.

"Don't worry about it. I'll think of something," she said wistfully, and I dropped the subject.

…

"Could you do me a favor?" she asked. My interest was piqued.

"If it's not too much to ask, could you please find out what happened to… to the killer? I want to know if he's still alive."

"I can."

"Thanks… Oh, and please bring me proof, if you can."

I nodded, and she thanked me again.

"Ms. White will be here any minute now," she continued. "I don't want her to see me, so I'd better leave. You will come back tomorrow, right?"

"Of course," I replied without a second thought. "You don't mind if I tell her about you, right? She already knows you exist."

"...I don't know if it's a good idea, but… I trust you. Bye, Mike."

She didn't wait for me to respond. She faded away right before my eyes, going who knows where.

In any case, the front door opened, and Lucy strolled in.

"Mike? Are you there?" I heard her call.

I left the kitchen and went to greet her. She seemed relieved to see me.

"You had me worried there for a second," she admitted with a smile, which I returned. It seemed like last night's fiasco had brought us on friendlier terms.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"You seem awfully cheerful. Had a good night?"

I shrugged.

"You could put it that way."

In the end, I opted not to tell her, or at least, not at that moment. I was going to have to do some preparation…