Chapter 6: The Fifth Night

*June 26th, 1983

6:52 PM

Today's birthday party was slowly nearing its end. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza was still decorated accordingly, to fit the occasion.

Balloons; confetti; party hats; gift boxes; when put together, they made for a delightfully festive atmosphere.

The band was singing the last song for the day. It was a funky track that had been released roughly two years prior.

Bonnie was still playing the guitar as usual, but Freddy and Chica had swapped their roles; Chica was the lead singer, while Freddy handled the backup vocals.

"Happy, happy birthday in a hot bath

To those nice, nice nights

I remember always, always

I got such a fright!"

Children were playing the arcades, getting some goodies from the Prize Corner, or just generally running to and fro.

It was a wonderful party, yet something was still bothering the birthday girl. She'd had plenty of fun with her friends, and had even received a present. The cake was delicious, too. She was grateful for this day. She couldn't ask for a better birthday, or even a better first day of summer vacation. And yet, despite it all, a part of her was sad.

"Hey, Cass?"

The birthday girl looked up, and saw Olivia looking at her with curiosity.

"Have you seen the others? I can't find them anywhere."

Cassidy thought back to the last time she'd seen the rest of her friends. At first, Miranda seemingly disappeared, which later prompted Bradley and Grace to go look for her.

Now how many minutes had passed since then?

"I'm not sure. They're probably where the prizes are."

Olivia's long wavy hair gently swayed back and forth as she shook her head. Although Cassidy liked to keep her hair medium length and tied into a ponytail, she admittedly felt a little jealous of her friend.

"That's the first place I checked, but they weren't there."

"How about the arcades?"

"Not there either."

Cassidy frowned. They weren't in Pirate Cove either, from what she could see. It was truly strange.

"Maybe they're in the bathroom?"

"...All three of them?" Olivia asked, baffled. Cassidy shrugged.

"I dunno. They drank quite a lot of soda."

Olivia folded her arms.

"Whatever, I'll go check. Stay here until I return, okay? I don't want to go looking for you as well."

"Yes, mom," Cassidy said with a chuckle. Olivia rolled her eyes and left. Cassidy knew it was funny, so she wasn't bothered.

…

And so, the birthday girl was left alone with her thoughts, and the band's singing to keep her company. Chica was really going at it…

"Seeing them in my dark cupboard with my great big cake.

If they were me, and I was you,

Would you've liked a present too?

Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday!"

She probably wouldn't have been alone if she and Mike hadn't fought the other day. He was so selfish and obnoxious. Not to mention arrogant and a massive jerk, too.

So why did she miss him?

Cassidy closed her eyes and shook her head. There was no point in thinking about him. She was sure he wasn't thinking about her, so why bother?

…

A few minutes passed. The curtains had lowered, and the animatronics were taken backstage for maintenance. People were slowly starting to take their leave.

Olivia still hadn't returned. Cassidy felt compelled to leave her seat to go look for her, but decided against it. There was a real risk she'd end up losing her.

…

"Why the long face, birthday girl?"

Someone had approached her from the side. She looked up, and saw Freddy, or rather, someone wearing a Freddy suit. This one was unique, however. Instead of brown, it was a vibrant yellow color. This special suit was reserved only for birthdays.

"Is something wrong?" he asked in a deep, sing-song voice.

"No, I'm fine."

"Well, that just won't do. You shouldn't look so sad. It's your special day, after all! What is your name?"

His gray eyes were staring right at her. Cassidy thought about it, and figured that whoever was inside the suit was an employee. She got to thinking…

"My name is Cassidy... I'm looking for my friends. Do you know where I could find them?"

Freddy scratched his chin and repeated her name a couple times, in a rather theatrical manner.

"Hmm… Tell me, would one of your friends happen to be named 'Olivia'?" he asked.

"Yeah! Have you seen her?"

"Of course!" Freddy announced, snapping his fingers. "I've seen all of your friends, actually. They're waiting for you."

He let out his hand.

"Your good pal Freddy will take you to them. Follow me."

Cassidy accepted the gesture, and let him guide her. She noted how he was taking her away from the main show area, which somewhat weirded her out. She reasoned that maybe children who get lost are to stay in the security office until their parents or friends get contacted. It wasn't too far-fetched, she thought.

The pair were heading towards a door that was labeled 'Employees Only'. Cassidy then had a strange feeling. It felt like something wasn't quite right. She brushed it off. Freddy opened the door, and ushered the young girl inside. He pressed the switch, and turned on the lights.

She found them.

No words could leave Cassidy's throat. Freddy pushed her forward, and closed the door behind them.

Cassidy nearly fell between the four slumped over animatronics. Blood had pooled around them.

"Well, there you have it. I brought you to your friends."

…

"What's wrong, little lady? Isn't that what you wanted?"

…

Her friends.

They were all there.

All in a line, looking at her.

…

"Come on, birthday girl. Give me a smile."

…

They weren't smiling.

They weren't happy.

…

"Why are you crying?"

…

The man removed the costume's head, and placed it on the desk, along with other spare parts. Cassidy's vision was blurry. She couldn't make out his features.

"Won't you say anything?"

…

"I did what you asked."

…

The man frowned, and stepped closer to the girl.

"You are ungrateful. I don't like ungrateful girls," he uttered through clenched teeth.

He placed his hands on her throat.

"Here's your gift."

And squeezed.

"Happy Birthday."

It was roughly 11 AM. I was delving through the newspaper archive of the library.

The articles that would interest me could be found in the 1983-1985 range. Considering the crime and all the parties involved, it was no wonder that the judicial process took so long to complete.

After some digging, I found what I was looking for. It was published in September of 1985 from the local press.

Man Behind The 'Missing Children' Incident Gets Life Sentence

After over two years since the horrific incident that took place at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Dave Miller, the 28 year old man responsible for the murder of five children, was found unanimously guilty by the judges and the jury and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

The penalty has sparked numerous debates among citizens and politicians who support the reinstitution of capital punishment, and those who oppose it. One of the relatives of the victims was willing to share his thoughts in regards to the outcome.

"It is simultaneously relieving and depressing to hear this news.

I have wanted justice to be delivered for far too long, and I know the other parents have as well. It's good that no other child will ever suffer at the hands of that monster.

But it's only now that I understand that this did not bring the solace I'd been longing for.

The past cannot be changed. The loss of life and the loss of innocence cannot be undone, and the tragedy cannot be erased.

There is nothing I can do that will ever bring my family back. I can only pray that no other parent ever goes through what we're going through."

-Henry Baker, father of victim

…

I felt a pit in my stomach after reading. The article went on to include statements from lawyers, the mayor, and Fazbear Entertainment.

Regardless, this was what Cassidy wanted to see. I copied the article onto a sheet of paper, which I stored in my pocket.

The staff had told me that newspapers weren't for lending, but I could take a photograph of it if I wanted, so long as it wasn't for commercial purposes. I snapped a clear enough picture for good measure, and went on my way.

This was it. The fifth night. This marked the end of my first work week. It felt like an important milestone.

When I first took the job, I didn't have particularly high hopes I'd get anything of value out of it. I couldn't have imagined what followed. I found the answers I wanted, and then some. Not only that, I also found Cassidy, and the rest of the missing children.

It was undoubtedly good that I learned all this, and yet, I felt almost as lost as I did when I first started.

I just couldn't figure out what to do going forward. What I should work towards. Freddy's was going to close sooner or later, so I couldn't keep this job forever.

But what about the children? There had to be a way to set them free, or at least, help them in some form.

…

I was going to have to think of something. For now, the thing that mattered most was surviving the night.

I took the last tape from the drawer, and put it into the cassette player. I didn't know what to expect. Had the phone guy survived, after all?

Once I hit play, instead of hearing his signature voice and greeting, all I got was a ghastly message.

I heard a deep, distorted voice, mixed with garbled static. The most disturbing thing about the recording was the fact that I could make out what appeared to be words. I couldn't recognise the language that was being spoken. Maybe it wasn't any of the languages known to man. Was there any meaning to it?

In any case, I wasn't in the mood to listen. I hit the eject button, grabbed the tape, and shoved it back to the depths of the drawer where it belonged.

"Huh. Usually people get freaked out by that," Cassidy suddenly mused, causing me to jump in my chair.

"...Let me guess. A prank of yours?" I asked, eyeing the yellow bear.

"Yeah! Me and the others did it. Did you not get scared?"

I couldn't hold myself from laughing.

"...Maybe a little. It's just that I've seen some pretty scary things already, so I'm kinda used to it. Besides, things seem a lot less scary now that I have you by my side."

For some reason, she didn't show any sort of reaction. I couldn't figure out what sort of thoughts were running through her mind.

"Something wrong?"

"...No… I'm just… glad you aren't scared of me anymore. It makes me feel better."

I nodded and turned my attention to the matter at hand. I checked the monitors to make sure I wasn't minutes away from dying, and then grabbed the note I had written earlier, along with the photo for proof.

"Hey. I got what you asked. Want me to hold it while you read?"

"Yes, please."

Her not being able to move around in her body, or rather, her vessel definitely complicated matters, but it couldn't be helped.

I stepped closer to her. It felt weird. This was the closest I'd ever been to her. I could clearly see the foamy texture of the suit. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I were to touch her? Would my hand phase through her?

I sat next to her against the wall so that we'd be on the same height, which reminded me of how bulky these animatronics were.

I held out the note in front of her.

"Can you read it?"

"Did you write this?"

"Yeah. I've got a photo of the original article if you want. I just did this to make it easier for you."

"Wow… Your handwriting is pretty bad. It's okay, though."

She silently started reading. Almost immediately, she asked me a question.

"What does parole mean?"

"In plain terms? He will rot in jail."

"Okay…"

As Cassidy kept reading, my mind kept wandering back to the animatronics. I really hoped they wouldn't try to ambush me at that moment. There wouldn't have been much I could do about it.

…

After some time passed, I realized that Cassidy should have finished reading. Yet, she hadn't said anything.

"Cass…"

"Dad…" she said, mostly to herself. "You were right. He didn't forget me," she told me wistfully.

"..."

"Thank you. I'll tell the others after you leave. Hope that will soothe them."

I got up, and continued my work. Freddy hadn't moved yet, but Bonnie and Chica were in the halls. Foxy was peeking out. If only they knew they were chasing ghosts… I thought back to what Mr Baker had said. Obviously the past couldn't be changed, but… were these souls really beyond repair?

…

"I think it's about time I spoke to Mrs White," Cassidy said. "I didn't want to, at first. I was too afraid she'd get scared, but… I think she has to know the truth."

"I agree."

"Good… I want you to be with her this morning. It'll be easier that way."

"Alright."

…

The rest of the night, in contrast to the previous, hardly had any conversation worth noting.

Whenever I'd start one, it would usually end after a single response. In the end, I just gave up.

I couldn't blame Cassidy for not wanting to talk. She certainly had her own worries to deal with. So did I, for that matter.

This essentially forced my mind to focus on defending myself. The animatronics were only marginally more aggressive than last night, but the added movement forced me to keep track of them more frequently, which in turn consumed more of my power.

In the end, 6 AM did arrive, just minutes before the building went dark. After a quick visit to the fusebox, all was well.

…

Me and Cassidy moved over to the dining area, just so that we'd be closer to both the entrance and the animatronics.

Lucy hadn't made it yet. She was going to be in for quite the surprise.

My gaze slowly gravitated towards the yellow bear next to me. I couldn't exactly describe it, but I felt…something in her aura. Something off.

"Are you nervous?"

"...A little."

Not surprising. This wasn't going to be easy for anyone involved.

"C'mon. Don't be scared. I'm here with you."

"..."

The front door opened, and Lucy walked in. I don't know why it felt as though we were about to inform her that somebody died, but that's just the vibe this scenario was giving me.

"Good morning, Lucy."

She seemed ready to greet me back, but it was probably my tone that made her hesitate. She must've felt that something was off, and it didn't take long for her to notice the elephant in the room. Or the bear, in this case.

Her eyes widened, and flickered back and forth from me to Freddy. She seemed at a loss for words, but I couldn't blame her.

"How did you manage to find it?" she asked. I looked to the side, as I tried to think of the best response.

"Well… I didn't. She found me."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Lucy… I'd like to introduce you to my friend. Her name is Cassidy. She's the one I told you about yesterday."

Lucy was looking at me as if I were insane. I briefly began wondering if I actually were insane. What if I had been hallucinating this entire week?

Was Cassidy just a figment of my imagination, caused by the stressful working conditions and my unresolved grief?

What if none of this was real? What if it were all just a dream?

"...Hello, Mrs White."

She reacted to that. Seemed like I wasn't going to the asylum any time soon.

"My name is Cassidy. Cassidy Baker."

She was frozen solid, and her face was pale. I stepped closer, so that I'd catch if she were to faint.

The two hadn't broken eye contact once. I could tell that Cassidy wanted to say more, but didn't. She probably didn't want Lucy to break down the same way I did.

"Lucy…" I said in an attempt to snap her out of it. The results were moderate.

"...This whole time… you were here?"

"Yes, Mrs White. We are all here."

Lucy tried to start a sentence, but failed each and every time. I felt bad.

"Please look at me," I told her. She complied in an almost mechanical manner. She looked up at me. Confusion and loss were painted in her eyes.

"I need you to take a deep breath, okay? Follow along."

It took a while, but I eventually managed to calm her down to the point of stability. I gave her space, and she focused on Cassidy again.

"Are you really… Baker's kid?"

"Yes. It's me."

"...But… how?"

"They're ghosts," I said gently.

"...They?"

Lucy scanned the animatronics on the stage.

"...All of them…?"

Cassidy vanished and reappeared atop the stage. She was sitting in front of Bonnie, and said the name of the child that possessed each animatronic.

With each name said, I could see Lucy's eyes widen further.

"And lastly, here's Grace," Cassidy said from Pirate Cove.

"...I can't believe… Can they hear me?"

Cassidy reappeared closer to us.

"...I don't know. I'm sorry, but I don't think they understand… It's like they're confused all the time. I'm the only one they listen to."

"But how?" Lucy asked in exasperation. "You can hear me. Why can't they?"

I looked at Cassidy with interest. I had asked her a similar question, but she didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want her to feel pressured, but I was curious to see if things would be different this time around.

Her pupils were slowly moving; a telltale sign that she was contemplating. To my surprise, Cassidy answered, albeit, with hesitation.

"Because…"

She looked at me for a moment, which made me worry a little. Just how bad could the answer be?

"Because… I don't exist," she said slowly, her voice in pain.

"..."

"...When… when the company found… us inside the suits… they got rid of the evidence.

I was inside this one. They destroyed it. They destroyed me…

I'm not real. I'm just a ghost. But they're not. They're still trapped."

…

I couldn't process what I had just heard.

The reason the bodies were never found… the reason I and all these families never got answers… was because of Fazbear Entertainment. My hands were shaking. I clenched my fists to hold them steady. Lucy wasn't too keen on keeping calm.

"W-What!? That can't be true!" she yelled in desperation. "I can't accept it! I won't!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs White."

No matter what Cassidy would say, Lucy couldn't be consoled. I took her in my arms and let her cry on my shoulder.

In the meantime, Cassidy addressed the animatronics.

"Guys, guys, I want you all to listen to me."

Whether they heard her or not, they displayed no reaction from what I could see.

"I want to tell you that the killer is in jail. He got a life sentence. Please, stop attacking Mike. He didn't do anything wrong."

"..."

"There's no point in going after anyone," she added. "It won't help us. Just… We should all just move on, alright? There's nothing else we can do."

I looked at each of them, but the result was still the same. How were we supposed to figure out if this got through to them?

"Someone's coming," Cassidy suddenly said. "Mike, I hope you'll come back tomorrow."

She faded away. Lucy left as well, still sniveling. She headed towards the restrooms.

Just before I could be alone, the CEO suddenly walked in, hands in his pockets.

"Mr. Schmidt! It's been a while."

"...Good morning, sir."

"Glad to see you're okay. Did anything happen?"

An acronym then popped into my mind, but I did not say it outloud. SNAFU.

"No, sir. Everything is under control."

"Really?" he asked, somewhat impressed. He pulled out a checkbook and a pen from the pocket of his coat, and took a seat on one of the tables. I joined him.

"I must say, I wasn't expecting much from you when you first started," he commented while writing.

"But, you managed to prove me wrong. Good job, sport. You've earned this."

He handed me a check for $120. There was a memo on the bottom left corner that wrote 'Valued Employee'.

I held it in my hands, and a voice inside my head told me to tear it to shreds. I didn't want this company's scraps. I wanted to listen to my conscience, but unfortunately, I wasn't in the position to be throwing money away.

"Thank you, sir."

He looked at me strangely.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded, and that seemed like a good enough response for him.

"Be sure to get yourself some pizza, alright? It's on the house," he said with a smile.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'd rather save my appetite."

"Alright. You know better. See you tomorrow!"

With that, he went over to his office. Before I could leave, I wanted to check on Lucy, to see how she was fairing.

I got to the restrooms right as she was leaving. I noticed how her eyes were still puffy. In any case, she seemed surprised to see that I was still here.

"Are you alright?"

"Mike… I…"

"..."

She was having a hard time. I wished there was something I could do to help her, but I came up short.

I pulled out the sheet of paper I had copied the article onto, and flipped it around. On it, I wrote down my phone number.

"Here. Call me whenever you want. If you want to talk about anything, I'll listen."

She took the note without a word.

"Do you want me to stay a little while?"

Her eyes, which had been dull and unfocused since that conversation started, finally met mine.

A ghost of a smile formed in her lips, but she shook her head.

"Thank you, but I need space, and you need to rest. We'll talk again, Mike."

…

I didn't want to leave her alone. It may sound paranoid, but if there was even a slim chance of her doing what Cassidy's mom did, I didn't want to risk it. There wasn't a whole lot I could do at that moment, though…

"Stay strong for me, okay?"

She nodded idly, and I left with a heavy heart.