Chapter 6: Two Should Be Enough
I woke up with that damned withered bear animatronic's words still stuck in my head.
"C-come back… t-tomorrow."
Slowly getting out of bed, I decided to get ready for the day. I showered, did my skincare routine, and then finally got dressed in a timely matter. Today's outfit consisted of a light green linen collared short-sleeved shirt, a white tee that had a colorful jungle graphic on it, a pair of light green linen shorts, and a rose gold parrot necklace. I headed downstairs to be greeted by both the smells of breakfast and the sight of Tess, Hannah, and Raymond sitting together at the kitchen table. They all turned towards me as I entered the kitchen.
"Good morning, Carlos! I've made waffles for everyone!" Hannah smiled brightly while gesturing towards the plate that was on the kitchen island. It was holding two waffles with chocolate chips and sausage on the side.
"Why thanks, Hannah!" I smiled while my stomach grumbled.
"Sounds like the princess is hungry", I heard Tess snicker playfully while I grabbed my plate of food.
"Haha very funny Tess", I rolled my eyes and smiled after I sat down at the table.
"So, what should we do today?" Hannah asked as she went to go wash her plate in the sink.
"What about that big and luxurious mall that's in the next town over?" Tess suggested after finishing her waffle.
"I'm down", I replied before taking a bite of my own stack of waffles.
"Same here", Raymond agreed with a nod.
"Then it's settled. Once Carlos is done eating we'll go", Hannah smiled and put a hand on her hip.
By the time we piled into Tess's car, the energy was high. Tess blared music while Raymond half-heartedly complained from the passenger seat. Hannah and I were squished in the back, singing along loudly and off-key.
When we arrived at the mall, the sheer size of it was overwhelming. Glittering storefronts stretched as far as the eye could see, displaying everything from sleek designer handbags to neon "Sale" signs. It was like walking into another world, one filled with endless possibilities—and expensive price tags.
"Where to first?" Hannah asked, eyes wide as she looked around.
"Obviously Tiffany & Co.," Tess said with a dramatic flip of her hair. "I want to see something shiny before we start the real shopping."
The day passed in a whirlwind. We wandered through stores like Chanel, Zara, and Lush, where Hannah spent way too long sniffing every bath bomb. Raymond, unsurprisingly, made a beeline for GameStop, while Tess dragged me into Sephora to "help" her pick out lipsticks—though we both knew she'd just buy what she always did.
We grabbed pretzels from Auntie Anne's, smoothies from Clean Juice, and finished with burgers at Red Robin. My arms were weighed down with bags from places like Urban Outfitters, Hot Topic, and Nike, while Tess proudly flaunted a Chanel shopping bag like it was a trophy.
"I forgot how fun this was," Hannah said as we collapsed onto a bench near the mall's grand fountain.
"We all needed this," Raymond agreed, popping a fry into his mouth.
I nodded, but my mind wasn't entirely there. As we walked earlier, I'd noticed a man wearing a strange black and purple mask. He'd been lingering near the fountain at first, then again outside the Lego Store. I didn't mention it to the others—it was probably just some eccentric shopper—but something about him felt… off.
By the time we left the mall, the sun had dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the parking lot.
That night, the house was quiet. Too quiet. I paced around my room, Freddy's voice echoing in my mind. "C-come back… t-tomorrow."
I couldn't ignore it anymore.
Grabbing my jacket, I crept down the stairs and out the front door. Tess's car keys were in their usual spot, hanging by the door, and I reached for them silently.
"What the hell are you doing?"
I froze. Tess was standing at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed, wearing an oversized hoodie and gym shorts. Her raised eyebrow told me she wasn't about to let this slide.
"I need to borrow your car," I whispered, hoping she wouldn't press further.
"Yeah, no kidding. Where are you going?"
"It's… complicated."
She sighed, grabbing her keys off the hook. "Complicated means I'm coming with you."
"Tess, no. It's dangerous."
"Even more reason not to let you go alone. Let's go."
I groaned, but there was no point arguing. She'd already slipped on her sneakers. "Fine. But stay close to me, and don't touch anything once we get there."
The drive to the pizzeria felt longer than usual, and the quiet tension in the car was heavier than it should have been. Tess didn't ask questions, but I could feel her eyes on me as I gripped the wheel.
When we arrived, the place looked even more run-down than I remembered. Vines snaked up the crumbling brick walls, and the once-bright " Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria" sign now hung lopsided, barely clinging to its frame.
As I parked the car, something in the woods caught my eye. A figure—tall, motionless—was standing just beyond the tree line. My heart skipped a beat.
"Tess," I whispered, nodding toward the forest.
She followed my gaze and frowned. "Is that…?"
It was him. The man from the mall. Same black and purple mask, the same unnerving stillness. He didn't move, didn't even seem to notice us. He just stood there, watching the pizzeria like he was waiting for something.
"What the hell?" Tess muttered, her voice low.
"We need to go inside," I said quickly, my voice trembling slightly.
"And leave him out here?"
I didn't answer. I couldn't. There was something deeply unsettling about the masked man, and I didn't want to stick around long enough to find out what he was doing. Grabbing Tess's arm, I pulled her toward the pizzeria's entrance.
The door creaked as it opened, revealing the familiar dark and musty interior. I turned back once, glancing at the forest. The man was still there, unmoving, his eerie presence burning into my mind as Tess and I stepped inside.
Inside the abandoned pizzeria, the air was thick with the smell of dust and mildew. Dim moonlight filtered through cracks in the boarded-up windows, casting eerie shadows across the broken tables and faded posters.
"Tess, stay close," I whispered as we stepped further inside.
From the corner of my eye, movement caught my attention. A low, metallic whir filled the air, followed by the familiar, uneven sound of footsteps. Freddy was the first to appear, his hulking, withered frame emerging from the shadows. His faded blue eyes lit up faintly when he saw me.
"Y-you… c-came b-back," Freddy stuttered, his voice box crackling with static. His words were slow and deliberate as if each syllable took great effort.
Behind him, Chica and Bonnie peeked out from behind the stage curtains, their battered exteriors illuminated in the faint light. Foxy's claw scraped against the floor as he limped into view, his glowing yellow eye narrowing.
"I told you I would," I said, smiling despite the knot of unease still lingering in my chest from the masked man outside.
Freddy's jaw twitched, a broken approximation of a smile. "T-thank y-you… C-Carlos."
Before I could reply, Tess stepped into view. The moment she did, the atmosphere shifted. Freddy froze, his eyes flickering toward her. Chica let out a distorted chirp and backed up slightly, her exposed endoskeleton creaking. Bonnie and Foxy exchanged wary glances, their movements stiff with unease.
"It's okay," I said quickly, raising my hands to calm them. "This is Tess. She's a friend. She won't hurt you."
Freddy's eyes locked onto mine, scanning me as if searching for the truth in my words. "F-friend?" he rasped.
"Yes," I said firmly. "Tess is with me. You can trust her."
Tess, who had been silent until now, stepped forward cautiously, her hands raised in a gesture of peace. "Hi, uh… It's nice to meet you all. Carlos talks about you guys a lot," she said, her voice soft but steady.
The animatronics didn't move at first. Chica's head tilted, her cracked beak twitching as if she were trying to process Tess's words. Foxy growled low, his claw scraping against the floor again.
"She's not going to hurt anyone," I repeated, glancing at Freddy. "I wouldn't have brought her here if I thought she would."
Freddy let out a low, mechanical hum, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "O-okay… C-Carlos."
Over the next hour, the tension in the room began to ease. It started small—Chica tentatively approaching Tess, her broken fingers twitching as if trying to wave. Tess smiled warmly, extending her hand but keeping her distance. Foxy stayed back for a while, his glowing eye fixed on Tess like a hawk watching prey, but eventually, he let out a soft huff and leaned against the wall.
We sat together in what was left of the dining area, the animatronics gathered around like we were at some bizarre campfire. Freddy and Bonnie listened intently as Tess and I told stories, their flickering eyes fixed on us.
"So, y-you lived… h-here?" Freddy asked his voice box sputtering.
I hesitated, glancing at Tess. She gave me a slight nod as if to say it was okay to answer.
"Yeah, we did," I admitted. "A long time ago. We grew up here until we graduated high school. Then we moved to New York City for college."
Chica let out a curious chirp. "N-New… York?"
"It's a big city," Tess said, smiling. "Lots of tall buildings, busy streets, and way too many people."
"Why… d-did you l-leave?" Bonnie asked, his voice crackling.
Tess and I exchanged another glance. It wasn't something we liked to think about.
"We...had to go to college," I said vaguely.
Freddy's eyes flickered again. "D-did you… kn-know… F-Fazbear's?"
I shook my head. "Not really. The pizzeria closed down when we were kids, around the age of five. I remember seeing it once or twice, but we never went inside."
"That's true," Tess added. "It was already shut down by the time we were old enough to understand what it was."
The animatronics seemed to process this for a moment, their expressions—or what passed for them—somber.
"W-we… w-were l-left b-behind," Freddy said quietly, his broken voice filled with sadness.
I swallowed hard, guilt creeping up my spine. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Chica let out a soft, warbling sound like she was trying to comfort Freddy. Foxy grumbled something under his breath, though I couldn't make out the words.
As the night went on, the tension gave way to something lighter. Tess and I shared more stories from our childhood—getting lost in corn mazes, playing hide-and-seek in the woods, and sneaking into the neighbor's pool. Tess even made the animatronics laugh (or at least the closest equivalent they could manage) with her over-the-top impression of our old neighbor Mrs. Lathrop and her yappy Chihuahua.
"You know, for a pirate, you don't say 'Arrr' enough," Tess joked, nudging Foxy with her elbow.
The withered fox let out a low chuckle, a garbled sound that might have been a laugh. "N-not… m-me s-style."
Freddy's gaze softened as he looked between Tess and me. "T-thank… y-you," he said slowly. "F-for… c-coming b-back."
I smiled. "I promised, didn't I?"
Freddy nodded, his broken jaw twitching again. "Y-you… k-keep… y-your w-word."
Tess glanced at me, her expression softer than I'd seen all night. "Yeah, he does."
As the hours passed, the abandoned pizzeria didn't feel so eerie anymore. It felt like… a reunion. Like I was reconnecting with something I didn't even realize I'd lost.
It was 4 AM when the first yawn slipped out. I covered my mouth quickly, glancing around to see if anyone noticed.
"Getting tired, Carlos?" Tess teased, though her own voice was softer now, her energy clearly waning too. She was seated cross-legged on the floor, leaning back on her hands as Chica sat nearby, humming broken melodies that echoed gently through the pizzeria.
"I'm fine," I mumbled, though the heaviness in my eyelids betrayed me.
Freddy's voice crackled to life, startling me. "Y-you… l-look t-tired," he said, his tone strangely warm despite the mechanical distortion.
I shook my head, trying to fight it. "I'm not—" Another yawn cut me off, and Tess smirked knowingly.
Freddy shifted slightly, his massive, worn frame creaking as he adjusted his position. "R-rest… i-is o-okay."
I wanted to protest, but the warmth radiating from Freddy's metal exterior was oddly comforting. Before I realized it, I had leaned against him, my head resting against his scratched chest plate. The faint hum of his internal mechanisms was strangely soothing, like a lullaby I hadn't heard before.
"C-Carlos…" Freddy's voice rumbled gently, but I didn't hear the rest.
My eyes fluttered shut, and for the first time in what felt like days, I let the weariness take over.
I stirred awake, blinking groggily at the faint glow of the dashboard lights. My neck ached from the awkward position I had been sleeping in. The soft hum of the car's engine mixed with the sound of tires rolling along the empty road. Tess was in the driver's seat, her gaze focused on the quiet streets ahead, though she glanced over when she noticed I was awake.
"Morning, sleeping beauty," she teased, her voice light but tinged with exhaustion.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to piece everything together. "What… happened? How did we get here?"
"You passed out back there," Tess said, smiling slightly. "Freddy had to carry you to the car. Dude's strong for being all rusted and busted, I'll give him that."
"Freddy… carried me?" I asked, blinking at the image of the giant animatronic gently lifting me up.
"Yup," Tess said, her tone casual, but her eyes flicked toward me with warmth. "I told them you were wiped out from our mall adventure. They didn't seem upset. Actually, they understood."
I slumped back in my seat, still trying to shake the haze of sleep. "Wait… you talked to them?"
"Yeah," Tess said, her grin widening slightly. "While you were in dreamland, I figured I'd explain things. Told them we'd had a long day and that you didn't mean to fall asleep on them. They seemed to take it pretty well, though I think Chica was the most understanding. Freddy, too. He nodded a lot."
My brow furrowed as I tried to imagine Tess chatting with the animatronics, but she wasn't done.
"Oh, and get this—I showed them pictures from our mall trip," she said, her tone almost gleeful.
"You… showed them mall pictures?" I asked incredulously.
She shrugged, clearly enjoying my bafflement. "They were curious! I mean, they've been stuck in that rundown pizzeria for, what, decades? I figured I'd give them a little taste of the modern world. Showed them store photos, some of the stuff we bought, even a couple of fashion trends. Freddy seemed fascinated. Chica loved it. Foxy, though…" She let out a laugh. "He wasn't impressed. He muttered something like, 'F-fancy rags, no p-point.' But Bonnie? Total sweetheart—he asked a bunch of questions."
Despite my lingering tiredness, I couldn't help but smile. "And they were okay with you being there?"
"They were skeptical at first," Tess admitted. "But once I told them I was your friend and showed them the photos, they eased up. By the time Freddy carried you to the car, they were fine with me."
I exhaled slowly, relief washing over me. The image of Freddy carefully lifting me still felt surreal, but knowing they had trusted Tess enough to let her stay helped.
"Did you see that fucking guy again?" I asked hesitantly, the memory of the masked man lingering like a shadow in the back of my mind.
Tess's smile faded slightly, and she shook her head. "No. By the time we left, he was gone. I looked around when Freddy carried you out, but there was nothing. Whoever—or whatever—that guy was, he wasn't there anymore."
Her words didn't entirely settle my nerves, but I nodded. There wasn't much else we could do about it now.
"What do we tell Hannah and Raymond?" I asked after a moment.
"Nothing," Tess said firmly. Her voice was quiet but decisive. "Not yet, anyway. We don't even fully understand what's going on. Let's keep this between us for now."
I stared out the window, watching as familiar streets came into view. She was right. Whatever this was, it was too strange, too big to explain. "Okay. We won't tell them."
By the time we pulled into the driveway, the first hints of dawn were creeping into the sky, painting the horizon with a faint bluish hue. The house was dark and quiet, everyone still asleep inside. Tess turned off the car, and we both stepped out as silently as we could, careful not to wake anyone.
"Goodnight, Carlos," Tess whispered as we reached the stairs, her voice softer now.
"Goodnight," I murmured back, feeling the weight of the night pressing down on me.
As I collapsed onto my bed, the events of the night swirled in my mind like a chaotic dream. I could still hear Freddy's voice, low and broken but kind. I could still see the wary but curious glint in Chica's eyes and Bonnie's gentle, thoughtful movements. Even Foxy's gruff demeanor stuck with me.
And then there was the man. The way he had just stood there, watching. I shivered at the thought, though my exhaustion quickly pushed it away.
Tess's words lingered as I drifted off. "Not yet."
For now, the questions could wait.