Chapter 4: Night Three, and a Past to See
"We can reminisce, reflectively."
Jack came in on his third night half an hour early again, this time with a little pep in his step. Admittedly, his albeit narrow victory over Bonfie and Chiku got him in a good mood.
He came to a halt in front of Braxton, who was facing the main stage with a neutral expression. One glance downward, and he immediately noticed the handheld tape recorder in his hand.
"That for me?" Jack pointed, awaiting Braxton to hand him the tape with a smile.
But when he looked back up at Braxton, the man was frowning, still facing forward.
Jack lost his smile. "Something wrong?" Braxton turned his head to look at Jack. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Braxton looked back at the animatronics.
Jack awkwardly stood beside Braxton and turned to face the three mascots. He wasn't sure what the guy was staring at, he just hoped the animatronics didn't look at him.
After a minute of standing there, Jack glanced at Braxton, noticing his nametag once more. "What's the middle initial stand for?" He asked, figuring starting a conversation was better than just standing there fiddling with his thumbs.
"Benedict," Braxton answered nonchalantly.
Jack couldn't tell if Braxton was angry about something or if he was always like this. He clearly wanted to talk, seeing as he didn't give Jack the tape right away.
"Let me ask you something," Braxton started, "When you look at them, what do you see?"
Jack looked at Braxton weirdly, then back at the three animatronics. He resisted the urge to call them sex dolls again. "Machines." Braxton hummed at his answer, leaving him unsure if he liked the response or not. "What do you see?" Jack shot back.
"Something more." He answered cryptically. Jack couldn't see what the old dude saw in these robots. Sure, they were advanced—probably the most advanced machines on Earth. But they were just that: machines.
"You know, they used to speak with me." Jack looked at Braxton with a raised brow. "Not in the same way they speak to our patrons, mind you." He clarified. Before Jack could ask what he meant, he continued. "They used to tell me some disturbing things... like how they could recall awful stuff happening to them."
"Recall? Like, they could remember?"
Braxton nodded.
"I thought they were malfunctioning. Until..." For the first time since he's known him, Braxton actually had a look of... horror. It was brief, but the expression was unmistakable. He quickly shook his head and regained his neutral look. "They stopped talking about their past after a while. I tried to talk to them about it, but every time I did, they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about. Like they couldn't remember their own history."
Braxton looked up, staring directly at Fredina. "Then they lost the ability to recognize me. They couldn't remember who I was, my name, or what I looked like. Now it's like I'm not even there..."
Jack turned back to the animatronics, noticing how they hadn't reacted to anything Braxton was saying. Were they offline right now, or...
"Why are you telling me this?" He wondered, realizing this was the most talkative Braxton had ever been to him.
"To fuck with you."
Jack whipped his head to Braxton, seeing the tiniest smirk on the asshole's face. Dammit.
Jack lowered his head, cursing himself for almost believing that story. He should've known it was bull from the start. They're nothing but nuts and bolts; The only thing they know how to do is please others.
"Seriously though, I do have a genuine question," Braxton murmured.
"Go on."
"The girls have a history here. You have some history, too."
"Yeah, but not here."
"And that's the problem." Jack furrowed his brows, unsure what he was getting at. "I see the disdain in your eyes every time you look at them. You're never happy to see them, unlike the others who have worked here. In fact, it's almost like you hate them."
"That's 'cause I do."
"Why? You barely have a past with them, to my knowledge. What could you possibly have against them?"
"Everything." Jack snarled. Braxton looked surprised, which made him ease up. "Sorry, that came out the wrong way."
"Sorry I pressed." He apologized before handing the tape to Jack.
Jack accepted, only for Braxton to nod and walk towards the exit. It was his third night here, and he was no closer to making a good impression with the veteran security guard. He had to change that, even if it meant opening up a little—not that he minded.
"Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex," Jack called out, stopping Braxton in his tracks. "You familiar with it?"
"You referring to that pizza joint that opened back in 2030?" He turned to face Jack, who nodded.
"Yeah, but it wasn't just a pizza joint." He looked at the main stage, imagining it was the Pizzaplex's stage. The fluorescent spotlights and cheering crowd enveloped his mind. It felt so real... "It was the best goddamn place on Earth." Braxton came up to Jack's side. "Dad used to take me and Adam there all the time when we were kids. I don't have a single bad memory of that place. Hell, it was partially the reason I even started tinkering with machines to begin with."
There was a pause in the conversation before Braxton crossed his arms and asked, "Who was your favorite animatronic?"
"Montgomery Gator, obviously!" Jack said with a smile. "What I wouldn't give to see him again..." His smile disappeared almost as fast as it had formed.
Braxton gave an understanding nod. "Yeah, a shame what happened to the place."
"Y'know, even after the place was destroyed, I still had hope that it might get rebuilt someday. Kinda like the other Fazbear establishments back in the nineteen hundreds." Jack's frown worsened. "Then Fazbear vs Fazclaire happened." Braxton groaned expectedly.
Could he really blame Jack, though? That was the only reason Freddy Fazbear was gone. Jack didn't spend much time with Fazbear Entertainment, but from what he knew, that company survived lawsuits, missing children cases, multiple failed restaurants, and even the death of both its founders—one of which was proven to be a child serial killer.
...In hindsight, maybe Fazbear Entertainment had its permanent shutdown coming. It seemed like everything bad that could happen in their establishments did. Still, did it really have to happen over a court case as ridiculous as Fazbear vs Fazclaire? And don't even get Jack started on the fact that Fazbear lost their intellectual and physical property to a company as shameless as Fazclaire's, which was most clearly a rip-off of Freddy.
The whole thing reeked of bullshit.
"I figured that had something to do with it," Braxton mumbled.
"It had everything to do with it! I still don't know how Fazclaire won."
"To be fair, they did go after Fazbear Enterprises, which is probably what did them in. I doubt those missing children cases and the death of that chairman was helping them either."
"I mean, yeah. But come on! Fazclaire Entertainment? All they did was replace 'bear' with 'claire.'"
Jack gestured to the three mascots on stage. "Look at 'em, for Pete's sake. They completely stole their looks, practically their names, and just made everything about them for adults only!" He huffed angrily, glaring at the Fredina animatronic specifically. "And in turn, they killed whatever chance there was of Freddy's coming back."
Jack looked at Braxton with a scowl. "So, you wanna know why I hate Fazclaire and her merry band of bimbos so much? That's why."
Braxton stared for a long second, then hummed to himself before turning back to the animatronics. "Well, you might see it that way. But they didn't cause Fazbear's to run out of business. Not directly, anyway. If you think about it, they're victims in this too."
"Bah!" Jack scoffed, waving his hand at Braxton. "They're machines; Machines can't be victims. A victim has to be hurt. Machines can't be hurt. They can't feel anything!"
"Hm, well when you put it like that, I suppose you're right. But that applies to the Glamrocks too, y'know."
Jack stumbled on his words, unable to come up with a good counterargument. While these more modernized animatronics didn't look like it, they were somewhat the same as the Glamrocks that rose to fame all those years ago. The double standard he had was laughable, even to himself.
"All I'm saying is, there's more to these girls than you realize. Don't write them off." Jack frowned again, but not because he was angered by what Braxton was saying. Deep down, he knew the old man to be right. He had been so blinded by his bias that he couldn't see what these newer animatronics had to offer... even if it was just lap dances and blowjobs.
He looked up, seeing Braxton about to turn and walk away. "Wait a second," Jack called out, grabbing his attention. "Speaking of there being more to those girls, what's up with that one animatronic?"
Braxton raised a brow. "Which one?"
"Shoot, what was her name again? Adam mentioned her last night. The one that's in Lustful Cove. The fox. I think her name was Fexy? Fexma?"
"Fexa." Braxton corrected. "What about her?"
"Well, on the tape, Adam was giving me tips on how to handle each animatronic. But when he got to her, he sounded... nervous."
Braxton snorted. "Not surprising."
Jack tilted his head. "Not surprising?"
Braxton opened his mouth, probably about to say something along the lines of 'He didn't tell you?', but nothing left his lips. Instead, he sighed and said, "Guess I ought to tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"The investigation that's going on is because of her." Before Jack could ask the obvious, Braxton raised a hand to stop him from speaking. "The night guard that worked here before you? She murdered him."
Jack stared at Braxton, blinking a few times as the sentence processed in his mind. Then his eyes widened. "WHAT?!" He couldn't even begin to describe the shock surging through him. Sure, Adam literally warned him, but Jack honestly thought he was just over-exaggerating, as he often did.
Braxton flinched, rubbing his ears. "I'm like three feet away from you. There's no need to shout..."
Jack covered his mouth. "Sorry, sorry. It's just..." He lowered his hand. "That fucking fox killed somebody?"
"Unfortunately," Braxton grumbled. "It was entirely his fault. I told him not to get too handsy with her, but he didn't listen."
"Y-You're just fine with the fact that happened?"
"Who said that?"
"Well, you're acting like it's no big deal!"
Braxton grumbled, only to grab Jack by the shoulder. He pulled him in close and spoke quietly. "Listen, you're not supposed to know this, but the truth is we aren't watching the girls to make sure nobody hurts them. We're here to make sure nobody gets hurt."
Jack thought about his words, and honestly, it made sense. Despite their dainty and soft appearance, these animatronics were probably stronger than any heavyweight bodybuilder.
"And like I said, it was his fault anyway."
"How? Isn't Fexa the most aggressive one?!"
"Yes, but there are systems in place to keep the girls from getting too rowdy with people."
Jack thought for a moment. "Oh, I think Adam mentioned that. Something about being a patron?"
Braxton nodded. "Being designated a patron gives you access to the basic stuff. Paying for the VIP treatment allows you to do more...exotic things with them. But see, being registered as a Fazclaire employee means there are no restrictions."
"Oh, so that's what Adam meant."
"Right. And since there's no restrictions, that means the girls have no filters for employees. If you let 'em, they'll have their way with you for a long time. One poor bastard went a full twenty-four hours with Bonfie. Without any breaks."
"That sounds like a lot of discomfort..."
"And death," Braxton stated bluntly. "The human body can't handle long-term activities like that. So a failsafe was installed into them." He pointed to the middle of his chest. "Each mascot has a heating component in the center of their chest. The more they move, the hotter they get. Once they reach a certain temperature, their bodies become lethargic."
"So basically, they shut down when they get hot?"
"Correct." Braxton snapped his fingers. "It's for the girls' and the patron's safety."
"That doesn't make sense. If they overheat anyway, how does buying the VIP pass allow someone to do more with them?"
"To my knowledge, we can moderate the heating component."
Jack narrowed his eyes, giving Braxton a suspicious glare. "To your knowledge?"
"That's what I said." Braxton glared back at him before sighing. "Look, I've never done it. Only the higher-ups have access to that. But they can change how much heat the component produces. Our basic patrons get the default setting, while our VIPs get the lower heat."
Jack lost the suspicious glint in his eyes. "Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense then."
"Unfortunately, it doesn't work all that well on Fexa."
"Huh?"
"She's more resistant to heat than the others. It's why she can run for longer periods." Jack looked at Braxton, confused; the latter shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't make her. She was probably made differently from the others. It would explain why she's much faster than them."
"So how does the heating work for her then?"
"Well, usually, for our VIP patrons, we increase how much heat her component produces. If we didn't, someone would be leaving with a sore back, and it wouldn't be her." Braxton crossed his head, a more disappointing look befalling his face. "It's why we tell our employees not to mess with the girls until they've gotten comfortable with them. Otherwise, they'll put their strength to use, and not in a good way." Jack solemnly nodded his head, still not sure if he was comfortable working in an establishment where someone apparently died. "But surprisingly, you've done well so far. I'm sure you'll be fine." Braxton patted Jack's back.
"Thanks." He responded gratefully. Braxton looked at the time and nodded one last time before moving to the exit. Jack's head then shot up. "Wait, surprisingly?!" Braxton had already left the building.
Jack mumbled some curses under his breath before checking the time, seeing he had only five minutes left before his shift started. With a quiet, "Shit!" he made his way to the office.
After settling in, he realized he hadn't listened to the tape yet. He groaned, feeling like Adam was going to talk his ears off again. At least this time he'd multitask and actually pay attention to the cameras. He didn't want Chiku sneaking up on him like last time.
"Hey, hey! Jacky! Welcome to your third night! I didn't get any panicked phone calls from you last night, so I assume everything went smoothly."
"More or less," Jack grumbled as he checked the cameras, starting with the Tipsy Bar.
"So, hey, listen. Remember how I said you'll be watching the mascots and also fixing anything in the place that needs fixing? Well, I'm now realizing I never actually gave you the tools for that. So here I am, rectifying it!" Jack rolled his eyes and flipped screens, now checking the hall full of VIP rooms. "If you look behind you, you'll see a toolkit on the back desk. Everything in there is for you to use as you see fit."
Upon turning around, Jack was met with a small gray box full of bolts, nails, wrenches, hammers, screwdrivers, and everything in between. "That'll do." He said with a satisfied hum before turning around, this time checking the main stage. Unsurprisingly, Bonfie and Chiku were gone.
"Well, I don't really have much else to say this time around. Just remember what I told you the previous night, and you'll be fine. Alright, talk to you later!"
"At least he didn't ramble this time," Jack mumbled, switching through the cams to find the two missing mascots.
He ended up spotting Chiku near the bathrooms. "So, there's one..." Right before he switched cameras, a light thud came from the left hall. "And there's the other." He closed the left door quickly.
"Dang nabbit!" A familiar voice shouted. Seconds later, a bunny girl appeared at the window. "I almost had ya that time."
"Too bad your ears weigh you down. You might've actually made it in here."
Bonfie pouted. "It ain't my ears that's slowin' me down."
Jack chuckled. "Lemme guess, it's your ass, huh?"
"I been tryna give ya a closer look, but you playin' hard to get."
"Sorry, I prefer my girls muscular, thank you very much."
Bonfie scoffed before crossing her arms. "Hey now, at least I'm big where it counts!" Jack waved her off, then leaned back in his seat.
His small smile soon evaporated. What the hell am I doing? He realized he was conversing with Bonfie as if she were a person. He's only been here for two full nights. Had he really grown that accustomed to her already?
"Hey," Bonfie called out, snapping Jack from his thoughts. "We never got properly introduced. I betcha already know our names, so why not tell me yours? It's only fair."
"What makes you think I know your names?"
"You knew Chiku's, didn't ya?"
Jack paused, remembering he did say it out loud last night. He considered what to do for a moment, but decided to comply. Maybe if he cooperated, she would leave the door faster. "Jack."
Bonfie's ear twitched. "Just Jack?"
Jack sighed in annoyance before pushing his glasses up. "Jack Harper."
Bonfie smiled softly. "Well, Mista Harper, I just wanted to say sorry."
"You already apologized."
"Not for that." Jack looked up at her in confusion, seeing her smile had never left her face. She was serious about being sorry, but if not for their first interaction, then for what?
As if reading his mind, she continued. "I heard you talkin' earlier, and well, I ain't realize we made you feel that way." Her eyes lowered to the ground. "I'm sorry I can't relate. But... I guess if I had grown up with somethin' precious, and then seen it get replaced with cheap knock-offs, I'd be angry at the cheap knock-offs too."
Jack's face contorted strangely. A flurry of emotions hit up all at once. He didn't know what to say. Bonfie was clearly talking about what he had said to Braxton earlier. He didn't realize they were listening in like that.
What caught him off guard the most was how genuine she was. It was hard to fake an emotion such as guilt. She really felt bad about something that happened in the past. The fact that she could even show emotion... Just how advanced were these robots?
Jack stared at Bonfie's face, really taking in her features. Though she was smiling, the sadness in her eyes was undeniable. He looked down, remembering what Braxton said.
"Eh... It's not your fault." He admitted, causing Bonfie to look at him. "It's not like you asked to be made with the sole purpose of tearing down my childhood. In a way, I guess you're a victim too." She didn't respond, but her smile brightened.
There was a long pause, one Jack thoroughly enjoyed. He couldn't explain it, but reaching that point of understanding with Bonfie brought him peace. This is actually pretty nice. Maybe I could get used to—
"Maybe if I gave you a blowie, you'll feel a whole lot betta!" Bonfie offered cheerfully.
And the moment's ruined... Jack let out a frustrated sigh before pointing elsewhere. "Bonfie, get the hell outta here and find something to do!"
"Fine, fine. Have it your way." Bonfie backed away from the window. "I'll be back later to see if you're in the mood for it!"
"Never gonna happen."
"That's what ya say now. Maybe I should ask when you're horny."
"Go!" Jack demanded. Bonfie obliged with a giggle before bouncing away.
He sighed again before turning back to the cameras. Chiku was gone. "Of fucking course."
Jack adjusted his glasses once more before getting the eerie feeling he was being watched. He turned to the darkness of the right door, then shined his flashlight down the hall.
"Eep!" Chiku yelped the second the light hit her eyes. The next second, the door came down.
"How are you quieter than Bonfie?" Jack muttered to himself, dumbfounded. Chiku had much bigger body proportions compared to the bunny, and yet he didn't even hear her coming.
"W-Why'd you shut the door on me?" Chiku asked while pressing her face against the glass window.
"Why? Don't think I forgot what you did last night."
Her cheeks flushed red. "I-I'm sorry. You j-just looked so mesmerizing in that chair. I promise it won't happen again!"
"I don't believe that." Jack crossed his arms.
"P-Please! I'll be a good girl! I-I promise!" Chiku pressed her face harder against the glass.
Jack gulped, unsure if she'd leave as easily as Bonfie did.
Before he could do anything, he found himself subconsciously switching the camera to Lustful Cove. Adam's warning flashed through his mind, and he was about to switch off when something caught his eye. Sticking out of the wall was... something. He couldn't really tell because of how grainy the footage was.
"P-Please!" Chiku whined, breaking his concentration.
Jack groaned in annoyance. "You wanna come back in here? Take a lap around the club, think about what you did, then come back and apologize sincerely."
Chiku made a surprised facial expression, which quickly morphed into a look of defeat. "Okay..." she whimpered before moving away from the window.
"Well, that was easier than I thought," Jack commented, then turned his attention back to whatever was on the wall.
Unfortunately for Jack, no amount of squinting helped him identify whatever the hell was on the wall. As much as he wanted to chalk it up to the camera's feed being glitched, he had a gut feeling he should investigate.
He turned back to the right door, thinking about opening it. Then again, Chiku was probably still within earshot. If she heard the door open, she would certainly come running back. Jack turned to the left door. It had been some time since Bonfie left... Hopefully exiting through the west hall would be safe.
With his path set, he grabbed his items of necessity, which included his toolkit and Reboot Remote, then left through the left door.
He walked through the club, taking care to avoid Bonfie and Chiku, who were roaming around. Somehow, he managed to sneak all the way to Lustful Cove without being spotted.
Jack stopped just short of the cove's entrance, where he saw a lamented sign taped to the door that read, 'Fexa Fritz is currently out of order! We apologize for the inconvenience.' The sign seemed to imply the fox wasn't in working condition, which made Jack tilt his head as he wondered why she was out of order, but the others weren't.
After a moment of thinking, he shrugged his shoulders and cracked the door open, peeking inside.
Inside was a gray room dimly lit by red and blue lights. At the center was a mini-stage with a pole erected in the middle. A strange smell wafted into his nose. He couldn't tell what it was, but it came from the four couches surrounding the front of the mini-stage.
Jack looked around from the doorway, not seeing anything else. More importantly, he didn't see the pirate fox anywhere. He did notice the mini-stage was connected to a walkway that led to another part of the room in the back, which was blocked off by a bunch of purple star-patterned curtains. If the fox was anywhere, it was behind those curtains.
Eventually, Jack spotted the object that had caught his attention earlier, making him glad he came to investigate. It was a broken pipe jutting out from the wall. Why there were visible pipes in this part of the building was beyond him, but hopefully, it should be easy enough to fix.
Alright, let's make this quick, Jack. In and out.
Jack tiptoed his way into Lustful Cove, frequently looking at the curtains to make sure there was no movement. After reaching the broken pipe, he quietly set down his toolkit, took out the necessary equipment, and got to work.
This was technically work fit for a plumber rather than a mechanic, but Jack had dabbled in both fields during his time in engineering school, so it was no different to him. Besides, this was a simple fix. It only took long because he worked at a snail's pace, not daring to be loud. He was probably trying harder to be quiet than he was to fix the pipe. So much so, he was sweating despite it being cool in the cove.
Jack would eventually repair the broken pipe after an unknown amount of time. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed in relief. "Finally." He whispered to himself, then adjusted his glasses.
"Oi!" A loud feminine voice jolted Jack to his feet. He spun around to see a towering figure standing front and center on the mini-stage.
It was Fexa in all her glory, arms crossed and glaring at Jack with a death stare. Only one of her yellow feline eyes was visible. The other was covered by a black eye patch with a skull symbol. "Who the bloody hell are ye?" she barked, her voice having the dialect of a pirate and the accent of an Australian.
Oh, for fuck's sake. Why is she out here?! I didn't make any noise! Jack internally screamed, side-eyeing the camera that was on the ceiling in the corner of the room. Oh. He mentally face-palmed himself, realizing he forgot to switch his camera view off of Lustful Cove before he left.
"I'm talkin' to ya, ye slimy sea dog," Fexa growled—literally.
Like the other mascots, she also had a humanoid appearance with animal characteristics. She resembled a bright red fox with fluffy ears and a tail to boot. Her chest was an ample size, and she had nicely toned legs, much to Jack's surprise. Not to say the other mascots were unattractive when it came to below the waist. Far from it, in fact. It's just with Fexa it looked like she really used them.
Because of Fexa's get-up, the finely toned shape of her legs was quite noticeable. In fact, most of her body was visible due to her lack of proper attire. While the other girls had clothes that were made to be revealing, it looked as though Fexa found whatever and threw it on. The only real piece of clothing she wore was brown jean shorts, which were horribly shredded and held to her waist by a black belt. Her sleeves were covered by a black fishnet-type fabric, and her chest was wrapped in multiple layers of what appeared to be white cloth bandages. Similarly, her legs were covered in the same bandages from toe to thigh.
"Ye gon' use your words, or will I have ta rip 'em out yer fuckin' throat?" Fexa threatened, barring her sharp teeth at Jack, revealing that one of her canines was golden yellow.
Jack raised his hands defensively, taking a step back. "I'm just the night guard." He answered honestly.
Fexa squinted, then scowled. "Ohh, I see. Ye must think I'm dumb like the rest of the sluts here, aye?"
Jack shook his head. "No, I—"
Before he could explain himself, Fexa took one hard step forward. "Yer lyin'. I know ye be, cuz you ain't designated as an employee."
Shit. Jack cursed. Of course, the one time being registered as an employee would've helped him. He figured the other mascots knew he was a night guard without being in the system because of the uniform he wore, but he guessed Fexa wouldn't be all too trusting.
Before he could come up with a response, Fexa uncrossed her arms, revealing that one of them was a gleaming, sharp, white hook. They were really going for the pirate theme with her. "Now, I'll ask again. Who the fuck are ye?" She pointed her hook at him.
Jack desperately wished she hadn't uncrossed her arms. Not because he was afraid of the hook, which she was now threatening him with, but because he got a real good look at those abs she was sporting. His eyes had subconsciously drifted to them, and he couldn't pry them off.
Fexa must've noticed him staring, since she took another hard step forward and shouted, "And what the fuck do ye think yer starin' at?!"
Jack's eyes gazed back into Fexa's, which were narrowed in anger. At this point, he knew no amount of talking he did would get him out of this situation, so he did the only thing he could do: run.
Abandoning his precious toolkit, Jack bolted for the exit of Lustful Cove, barging out and hauling ass down the hall. He didn't even care how much noise he was making. He just wanted to get the fuck out of there.
He knew Adam told him not to try and outrun Fexa, considering she was fast. But what Adam probably forgot was that Jack used to run track in High School, and as it turned out, he was one of the fastest on the team.
...
Apparently, not fast enough.
When Jack looked over his shoulder to see how much distance was between him and Fexa, his eyes nearly popped right out of his skull. She was directly behind him with a hook reared back, ready to strike, and a hand outstretched, reaching out to grab him.
He thought quick, and his body moved quicker. Like a western gunslinger, he whipped out his Reboot Remote and spun around in a fraction of a second and stun her, then turned back around and kept running—all without losing momentum.
There was good news and bad news about doing that. The bad news was Fexa wasn't affected by the remote as much as Chiku was, evident by the fact she didn't go unconscious, but rather fell to one knee. Good news was it still drastically slowed her down, allowing Jack to put some distance between them.
He focused ahead of him, turning a corner and dashing straight down the hall. The open office door, his salvation, was at the end of the hall. He put everything into his legs at that point.
As Jack ran, he looked over his shoulder, not seeing Fexa anywhere in sight. Heh, guess she isn't all that fast. He smirked, turning back to look ahead of him. The door was still far away, but he was getting closer. A few seconds passed before he got the urge to look over his shoulder again, only this time, Fexa was there, and with a determined look in her eye. Not only that, but she was rapidly closing the distance between them.
I was wrong. Jack panicked, realizing he underestimated her speed.
When she got close enough, he used the Reboot Remote on her again, but she didn't fall onto one knee like before. She merely stumbled, which slowed here down by a fraction.
Fuck! At this point, Jack wasn't gonna make it to the office. Not before she caught him anyway. He needed to find an alternative hiding spot, and fast.
Instead of using the Reboot Remote, Jack whipped out his flashlight, shining it right into Fexa's eye. "Gah! You fuck!" She yelled, being forced to close her eye.
During her moment of blindness, Jack dipped into the hall on the left, causing Fexa to run right past. A few seconds later, he found himself in the Tipsy Bar, luckily, with Bonfie nowhere in sight.
Gotta hide. Gotta hide. Gotta hide. He repeated, hoping to drown out the thumping beats of his heart. After looking around, he spotted a door behind the bar counter. Jack debated if going into a room Braxton hadn't shown him was a wise idea, but after hearing the pounding footsteps of Fexa nearby, he decided to take his chances.
He vaulted over the counter and rushed inside, not paying any mind to his surroundings. Without a second thought, he slammed the door shut behind him and pushed his weight against it.
He heard Fexa's footsteps arrive at the bar moments later. "Where'd ye go?!" she practically roared. There was a pause before she growled. "I'll find ye. And when I do, I'll gut ya like the slimy sea dog ye are!"
After her declaration, bottles shattered, and chairs were tossed. Jack knew as much thanks to the racket Fexa was causing—she was absolutely uprooting the whole bar, looking for him.
It was only a matter of time before she spotted the door he fled through, so he waited and braced himself, hoping his body weight would be enough to hold off whatever ungodly strength this fox had.