Chapter Text
Running
You found yourself running away again despite what you had promised yourself. The realization of it made you feel dirty, nauseated, and angry.
Of course, anyone who witnessed would have called you brave - 'an impossible choice, soo hard' you mocked yourself. You knew better. Everything had driven you away from your old life, had given you no choice and you were running because the alternative was unbearable. Because you were weak with all bridges burnt
As if on cue your luggage dug itself into your shoulder forcing you to readjust in your seat.. Broken from your thoughts you peered at your surroundings.
The bus was eerily quiet with other passengers ready for a long voyage to a new state - the overhead lights felt cold with their luring buzzing noise, a faded contrast to the night sky beyond your window, absolutely still.
It was going to be an extremely long ride - several hours and you were anxious to begin.
"Last call -" came the nasally voice of the driver, after a moment of silence he huffed and pulled the lever that shut the door, the vehicle came to life with a heavy lurch forward, just like that you were off.
Nausea came back with a force that stole your breath away, you weren't sure if it was from the motions of the bus or your out-of-control emotions. Quietly, trained even, you felt your fingertips brush against the surface of the rubber band bracelet secured around your wrist.
Tentatively you hooked your nail under the band and pulled back hard - when you released the material bit back into your flesh with almost no sound.
You whimpered down into the fabric of your bag to not rouse attention, the pain was sharp but it grounded you and you were grateful...
It took less than three days to get yourself set up in your new life. With the modest savings that you had hidden away, you were able to afford a one-bed apartment that was better described as a closet with a bathroom. When you first walked in you wanted to cry in frustration and anger but you convinced yourself it was a stepping stone rather than an end destination.
Next on your list was to find work - luckily in such a large city job listings were not hard to come by and you soon found the perfect listing online:
WORKERS NEEDED!! $25.75 Hourly - Positions need immediately filling, NO experience needed *Expected to sign non-disclosure agreement and understands employer does not take responsibility for any workplace injuries/ casualties while working shift
The starting pay was enough to have you interested, you were in no position to turn something that lucrative down. And, you thought to yourself, whatever OSHA violations they are trying to hide you’d be willing to overlook. You filled out the online application and almost immediately you got a notice that you’d been hired and were to be contacted shortly…
Once the email had come through with options for shifts you were elated to see a closing-to-midnight spot available.. Details of the work included duties like assisting departing customers, clean-up detail, and general repairs. The fine print highlighted that human personnel during the latter half of this shift were rare. All of it was almost too good to be true, but you wanted to take the win and actively decided to ignore the obvious red flags.
You wasted no time in writing back with your choice - just as you hit 'SEND' you moved to close the application when an automatic 'Welcome email' appeared.
|
'Dear NEW EMPLOYEE #U23771,
We are excited to have you join our team! You will be a crucial part of the process of keeping our customers satisfied. Some specific responsibilities come with your position, but you'll be taken care of along the way. Please be aware that the space can be hazardous during closing hours, and we ask that you do not interact with 'The Night Security' animatronic. Always remember to keep track of your location, and stay in well-lit areas at all times after 12AM. Welcome to the Fazbear Family ! |
The email itself raised another red flag but at this price point, you couldn't see yourself arguing with the strange warning. If they had wanted you to do three cartwheels at the end of each shift you would gladly comply. So long as you were paid. Yet, you felt yourself scowl as you re-read over the word 'Animatronic', your eyes lingered - it brought up images of half-broken down metal contraptions that made large jerking motions to preset beats or cues. Not my idea of safety but bet it scares whoever it comes across
The phone in your hand turned off at the lack of interaction casting your room with darkness that flooded into every corner - it had not felt like home yet and the lack of comfort was gnawing at you. You sighed, rolling your tense shoulders back into the firm padding of your mattress - a gentle release of stress and anxiety from the prior last days slipped downward with you.
You shoved your phone unceremoniously beneath your pillow and turned onto your side to find some comfort. 'Get to sleep... Gotta get up at a reasonable time... Please ' you actively begged your body to calm down, with each minute you felt the dawn approaching as if to mock you - It stayed like that for a few more hours, rotating left to right, forward and backward until a restless unconscious finally enveloped you.
Dull pain pulsed in your ears as you slowly awakened, you felt drained and the cheerful tune of your alarm was sending your stomach turning with each uplifting chime. You groaned as you wrestled your phone free from under your pillow and stared at the time 3:00 PM . So much for being awake at a 'reasonable hour' you inwardly bemoaned as you will yourself to sit up. You had three full hours to prepare yourself for your first day.
The muscles of your arms and legs felt heavy as you stood - To pull yourself forward you reached for your wrist and with a sigh you snapped the rubberband again. There was a soft click, just as quickly as it happened it ended leaving you with a sharp, brief pain that sent shivers up your spine and refocused your eyes. Now you could begin your morning.
The secondary email from your new employer had given basic instructions on what to wear as a uniform. Luckily due to the fact you were going to be seen only briefly by customers you just had to follow a color scheme more or less rather than the full uniform.
A red button-down shirt and black pants it is then , you mused as you prepared for the day. You managed through your typical activities, showered, and cleaned the apartment but forgo eating as you were trying to be cost-effective. The dull pain was still ringing through your ears but was drowned out by the growing anxiousness balling itself in your stomach due to the work ahead.
The Pizza plex was Gigantic. You had taken several hours to review the map online to get yourself prepared but even doing that, did nothing to compare to the real thing. No wonder the pay is so good especially if you were expected to clean, and do repairs for the entire building.
Customers in large droves were already exiting the doors when you arrived, flooding their way into the parking lot. Your breath halted in your throat as you peered at your feet, urging yourself to walk against them into the large building. Crowds were never your favorite. As a child, in a bid to escape you often found yourself in such crowds as a haven but with time you felt too vulnerable as this also meant too many faces to keep track of – people hide their intentions too well in public afterall.
You were awestruck by the inside of the building. The wide areas were even more impressive than the outside which you had just thought impossible. Aesthetic wise, it reminded you of a bad 80s movie. Purples, greens, deeply saturated colors never allowed the eyes to linger anywhere too long - the lack of windows made time feel still; you were suddenly aware of how cold it felt.
Everywhere you looked you saw neon signs, and flashing lights, and dotted across the crowd were robots of different kinds. You stood dumbfounded for what felt like a minute before a sharp robotic voice broke your trance and sent your heart rate skyrocketing.
"Please take a MAP!"
The manikin-like robot gestured toward you, a folded glossy paper in its hand extended in your direction. It had eyes, though they looked unresponsive and forever staring - for a moment you could have sworn you saw a look of impatience flash across its expression before you spoke.
"Oh... Thank you" You took the map and as quickly as the robot came, it turned upon its wheels and disappeared back into the crowd. 'What the...'
"Once we get you into the employee registry tonight, they'll stop doing that." Came a voice.
You turned and spotted a man wearing similar colors to your own. He was much older than you, you’d guessed early fifties, late forties, his salt-and-peppered hair parted down the middle, his thick mustache extended into a short beard that gave him a gruff (if not cliché) customer service look. He looked exhausted…
"You must be the one taking over for me. Right on time! I respect that, kiddo" he boomed over the noise of the crowd, motioning for you to come off to the side away from the traffic.
You inwardly winced at the nickname, it made you feel naïve but you smiled back at him while avoiding eye contact as much as possible.
"Thank you. I'm excited to be here," you say confidently in your best retail voice.
You learn the man is Thomas (he asks you to call him Tom), your co-worker. He has a polite attitude and easy-going personality that gives you some comfort as he began explaining your role at length.
He escorts you through the labyrinth of hallways and exhibits - giving some trivia as he goes, giving him an almost fatherly vibe.. He explains along your way that he was the night attendant before you, and he will be moved to the day shift after your first night so best to learn everything you could while you had him.
You were bothered you would be left alone to your tasks so quickly, worried you would make mistakes that could lead you to being fired right outta the gate but Thomas was quick to quell your fears with reassurance and corny jokes.
As the first-hour ticks by the overhead speakers announce the closure of the park which caused Thomas to smile and mouth word for word the cheery farewell.
‘Thank you for coming to Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex! The Park is closed for the night.
Please make for the front exits and get your complimentary free drink coupon good for only tomorrow! Come again soon! ’
"After a while, you'll be able to do that too" he smiled and continued on with his tour. "And here are the Bands' rooms. They are supposed to be in there till opening time..." Thomas pauses in front of each window.
The first was dimly lit but you could see the star attraction Freddy Fazbear moving about in his room. It was easy to see why he was the star; his design was approachable and his mannerisms were kind - even when just being observed. His movements were very fluid, if you did not know any better you would call them human but that could not be right. You almost jump out of your skin when Freddy catches your gaze and does a small wave; had he acknowledged you or was this some motion sensor setup?
"Best to wave back or you might come off as rude." Thomas, sensing your shock said, waving back at Freddy.
You wave back but you must have seemed confused because Thomas spoke up in response. "You'll learn quickly that these guys are... different than what you may have come across before."
You turn to Thomas to question that but he had already begun to move on to the next room, this one for Roxanne Wolf.
The curtain had already been dropped but Thomas offered more advice, "She's nicer than she seems, give this one some time. She's become more aware of herself, you could even say she's an aware wolf..."
You huff at his humor and wave at the air between you in mock protest. "Ohh... that was bad." you say back.
The third was draped with heavy curtains and darkened from the inside, but you did take note of the heavy claw marks that scattered across the surface of the internal glass.
"Salty Gator" Thomas grumbled under his breath and continued "Now Chica!... she's a’real sweetheart. I think she'll like you," he remarked, grinning ear to ear.
The last window was partially open like Freddy's and inside you could see the back of Chica practicing on her guitar - oblivious to your existence.
"You’ll be properly introduced soon I am sure. No pressure,” he walked off as if what he said was completely normal.
Thomas goes on to point out the security bots (not to be mistaken for the Security Animatronic), the concession bots, and smaller sign bots that scuttered about. He leads you back to the ground floor, you stare at the neon signs as you walk, almost in a daze until you nearly walk directly into Thomas as he turns suddenly and peers down at you, the atmosphere visibly changing.
"Now. I need you to remember this, it's important ," his voice was serious which was a stark difference from his prior tone all night. "The Day Care is special. The Animatronic there is mostly designed for the kids, I don't think there'll be much of a reason you'll ever need to go into that zone during this shift - but if you do... NEVER go in when the lights are off." Thomas was practically hovering over you now, like a stern parent more than a co-worker.
"Why?..." you asked before he had a chance to move on like he had all night.
"W-Well didn't you read the welcome email?" Thomas breaks the tension and smiles again "It's against company policy. ‘Remember to always be in well-lit areas at all times’ - security rules and all that..." his words came a bit too quickly for your liking.
He begins his tour again not leaving more opportunity to question (you were beginning to sense a pattern with that), walking down a wide hallway that had a sun and moon theme - you think to yourself it was rather lovely when he paused at a wide glass window that stretched from one side of the room to the other like a viewing balcony. He gestured for you to look.
You feel uncomfortable going directly up to the glass so you slide your feet just close enough to crane your neck and peer down into the brightly lit area.
Inside you see a plethora of colors - tubes that extended into different mazes, a large ball pit at the end of a curved slide, playmats scattered across the floor, and more details that at this height were almost impossible to make out. This was the Daycare.
You had to admit if you were a child, you would have loved this area - You smiled at the thought, shifting your weight between your feet in a giddy display of excitement — hoping it wasn’t too obvious.
"This place usually goes lights out at 10:00 PM so three hours before your shift is up."
You nod without looking back at him, you were more interested in scanning the Daycare looking for the animatronic you had to assume was somewhere in there. After a few minutes, you are forced to give up and turn back to Thomas, shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"NOW the fun part.” Thomas, sensing the mood, rang out happily. “Let's get cleaning!" He fakes a taunting cheer pose and begins back down the sun and moon themed hallway.
You laugh at his admittedly funny display and begin to follow back down into the main area but catch yourself mid-step; an all too familiar feeling settles itself upon you. It felt like you were being… watched. You stare after Tom who is still talking to himself as he turned the corner thinking you were close behind - you wait for a moment tile he was out of earshot before turning back to stare down at the Daycare.
On alert now you take a small step closer to the glass - your eyes survey the different assortment of jungle gyms, craft tables, tunnels and slides. You were not sure what it was you were looking for but you would know it once you saw it. You nip down onto your bottom lip, focused, you convince yourself you saw something in the ball pit and scan for anything that seems outta place. A minute goes by til you frown at yourself for being so silly - here you were on the FIRST night of your new job and you were already shrugging off your responsibilities. Too impulsive you reprimand yourself..
It was then you saw it - a waving figure, leaping from one foot to the other in the dead center of the Daycare.
You step backward in shock - you know for a fact that it was not there just a moment ago... right?
It had to be the Daycare attendant. The animatronic was designed as the Sun you saw leading up to the area, dressed in yellow and orange jester attire - a wide grin painted on its face but from this distance you could faintly see anything else. It continued to wave in large, fast sweeping motions to (you assumed) get your attention.
You feel a bit flustered at this and point to yourself as if to ask 'Me?' - the animatronic nods dramatically, its arms coming down to its sides but not necessarily still - you smile politely and wave back. This must have pleased it because the rays around its head spun around quickly; you imagined a soft whirl noise to go along with the motion.
It gestured for you to come closer, animatedly pointing to the spot next to it with what you had to guess was glee. You took a sharp intake of air and shook your head, pointing to your shirt to say 'I'm working. Sorry', the jester physically played out its disappointment, all dramatic silent sighs and slumped shoulders but gave a half-hearted thumbs up... you laughed.
You feel tempted to get closer looking around for an option but a sharp whistle quickly pulls your attention away.
Tom was standing with his arms crossed along his chest at the edge of the hallway, he tsked at you “Gotta stay with me, it's important.” he made his way back next to you as you shied away in embarrassment.
“Sorry…” you heard your voice murmur.
Tom took a look over your shoulder and with a flat tone spoke, “Sun. Yeah…” his voice sounded a bit too stoic “He is in charge of the Daycare. That’s all you needa know. Like I said, best to avoid this place on your shift.” Tom did a small wave at Sun and without anything else turned back toward the hallway “Come on, Newbie, can’t be late.”
You turn with a sad expression down to Sun, who was waving again but this time with a noticeable lack of energy, and mouth the word ‘Sorry…' before reluctantly returning to Thomas - “I..” you began but thought better of it.
Thomas shrugged and with that immediately shifted back into his polite, kind demeanor, “Don’t worry about it, kid. It's a new place to ya’. I’m sure I was just as impressed with my first walk through too!”
You are grateful for the reassurance but you felt a twinge of guilt as you stole glances back down the hallway toward the Daycare - you could only hope that Sun understood.
'What am I saying?’ you thought immediately after ‘It's a machine. It probably already forgot I was even there… right?’ you questioned yourself, Tom’s prior words lingering that they, the animatronics, were different from what you had come across before…
The rest of your night was spent learning which cleaning solution worked best on different greases, which arcade machines were often on the fritz and how to assess what may be needed before opening tomorrow.
Despite the gross messes you were expected to scrub away at you enjoyed the mental break, enjoyed that only your hands needed to be busy giving your mind a much-needed pause. The hours felt like they flew by till the soft ping of an alarm went off startling you.
Thomas, who, up to this point, was very carefree and open suddenly went rigid(though you could tell he tried his best to hide it from you), “12AM already huh?” his voice was almost painfully cheerful.
You nodded at him and brought your phone’s clock up to confirm ~ .
“Yes. Only one more hour to go!” you tried your best to sound assuring, his distress triggering something in you that wanted to comfort him. He had been so nice to you, even though he really didn’t have to be- you appreciated that kindness.
“We gotta do our own patrol now, it's practically a cake walk. All you need to remember is to follow the light.” Thomas pointed down the wide corridors. As if on cue the neon signs and lights began shutting down in rows, there was only a second of inky darkness before a softer set of white LEDs flickered on at the very edge of either wall giving a perfect row of light back and forth. “Easy right?”
You laughed a bit, obviously your co-worker had been here quite a while in this role if he could predict these changes like clockwork, you were impressed. “Always this much of a show off, Tom?” you felt the confident light hearted tease leave you, hoping to ease his distress further you smile.
Thomas laughed. The dreaded mood that had lingered before felt like it had lifted just enough for him to rebound back into his corny jokes and tips. He motioned for you to follow and began to detail your path to be taken each night for the remaining hour. Pleased with yourself you followed after - the occasional tension building and edging off as if someone was watching from the shadows.
“So..” you perked up wanting to break the silence, “Why do they turn off all the lights anyway?”
Tom whistled lowly “Hm..” he grumbled, “Suppose to save money. Big companies are always cutting alotta corners. With it being Fazbear entertainment, well you could say its pretty unbearable… ” he smirked at his own pun as you outwardly groan.
It stayed that way till the end of your shift, Thomas making distracted light talk while carefully guiding you through the building in what felt like a straight path up and down. You were confident you’d be able to handle the job on your own without any incidents tomorrow… but what you were worried about was the way Thomas kept on high alert without telling you why - the only guess you had was what the email from earlier.
Still nothing happened so you quelled your own uncertainty… As you reached the front doors Thomas opened the shutters and let you duck under first before following you into the chilled night air. He handed you the keys without his trademark smile… It suddenly felt uncomfortable.
“Good luck, kiddo…” Thomas spoke up after a moment. He had already turned around with a wave.. You think you hear him say ‘sorry..’ under his breath but it could have also been the wind.
“Thank you again!” you shout at him, waving before starting on the trek back home- time to get ready for your first night alone in the Pizzaplex.