《Five nights at Freddy's: Nightwatch》


 12AM

    I pulled the handbrake with a loud screech typical to old cars and looked down at the radio clock, which indicated that it was already twenty minutes until midnight. I still had some time to burn before starting my first big boy job, but I quickly realized that sitting in a car without any heaters during a late autumn night wasn¡¯t a good idea. With a sigh I double checked if I had all the necessary documents and left the car, closing it tightly. White fog came out of my mouth and my eyes started to water. It must have been below freezing, because the little droplets of water soon turned into ice on my cheeks.


    I looked around one last time, noticing only two other cars in an otherwise empty parking lot, one being an old model purple mustang and the other some green smart without a tire. ¡°God what I¡¯ve gotten myself into¡± I laughed under my nose, thinking how in reality I was really lucky to get this job. All I had to do was to make sure no one broke into the place for a couple of hours, what would be surprising to happen a short walk from a police station, and sleep rest of the time, for a quite hefty (at least to a broke student) paycheck.


    I started to walk towards the building. It was painted white, with the color already peeling off in stripes. It wasn¡¯t like I remembered, it used to be clean and welcoming, now it only looked dead and a product of its time. Coming back here still felt nostalgic, but the feeling quickly tarnished and all I saw before me was a failing family business. And I do mean literally failing. The old wooden planks holding up the giant banner seemed like they were about to break in half, just asking for an accident.


    I wiped my nose on the sleeve of my jacket and finally approached the door. It seemed pretty solid up close, and had two big locks visible. ¡°Great¡± - I thought. - ¡°I¡¯ll be able to just close myself in and there won¡¯t be any problem¡±. I pulled on the handle and opened the door. I was invited inside by warmth and the smell of pizza. For a second I once again felt like a kid, but that illusion was quickly broken by beer bottles laying everywhere.


    ¡ª Who there? ¡ª Yelled a voice from inside, it sounded like it belonged to someone after sixty, who smoked cigarettes his whole life.


    ¡ª The new one! ¡ª I yelled back while closing the doors behind me.


    ¡ª Ahh! Y/N? ¡ª I heard a creaking chair and the sound of footsteps belonging to my new coworker.


    ¡ª Yep! It¡¯s me! ¡ª I answered and the door in front of me opened, showing an older guy with grayish skin and a nearly bald head. As I suspected, he was around sixty, and the strong smell of tobacco attacking my nose confirmed what his favorite pastime activity was. Despite his grim appearance he smiled at me kindly, reaching out to grab my hand.


    ¡ª I¡¯m Henry. ¡ª We shook hands. His grip was strong. ¡ª How are you feeling kid? Ready for the first night?


    ¡ª Honestly I can¡¯t wait to start! ¡ª I smiled, finally letting go of his hand.


    ¡ª I like the spirit! ¡ª Henry reached for his jacket. ¡ª Don¡¯t burn anything and you¡¯re golden. There should be a packet of unopened chips from yesterday somewhere around here. And the tokens are still in the arcades, just open them with the keys I left on the desk. I don¡¯t think you will get bored quickly.


    ¡ª Thank you very much! ¡ª I said and took off my jacket, hanging it on the coat hanger that just a moment before housed Henry¡¯s coat, who just disappeared behind the door.


    ¡ª Oh! One more thing! ¡ª He peeked inside once more ¡ª Remember about the office¡¯s doors. They aren¡¯t built like that for no reason. If anyone or anything would want to get to you just close them. This place could withstand a bombing. ¡ª His laugh felt genuine, but there was something off about it. ¡ª No, but seriously. Don¡¯t get yourself eaten. ¡ª He disappeared behind the door with a wink.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Well, that was odd¡± I thought to myself and went deeper into the pizzeria. I found myself in a long corridor, with my new office to the right and the dining hall at the end of it. I looked at my wristwatch which displayed ¡°23:55¡±. I was instructed to clock in exactly at midnight so I still had five minutes to spare and the dining hall seemed very enticing. ¡°I¡¯ll just take a look¡± I thought, as I walked forward.


    I knew this place like the back of my hand. It sent me down a memory lane, bringing back the thoughts of my old friends I probably won¡¯t ever see again. Birthdays I had here since I was five, right until the twelfth anniversary of jumping out of my mother¡¯s womb. After that Freddy stopped being cool. I¡¯m not surprised I thought so, this place was terribly designed, dirty and with extremely cheap decorations seemingly randomly placed on the walls and a complete lack of windows. But despite all those problems, everyone visited this place for one reason only.


    ¡ª Freddy. ¡ª I whispered, feeling the soft but somewhat sticky fur of the animatronic under my fingertips. He was far bigger than I remembered him. And in the dimly lit pizzeria he looked almost scary. Next to him stood Chica - a chicken or a duck, me and my friends always argued on that point, and a purple bunny called imaginatively - Bonnie. Those machines, programmed twenty years ago bringed a lot of memorable moments and hours of fun to countless children. And now this place has fallen from grace.


    ¡°Oh well, time comes for everything¡± I summed up while patting Freddy on the shoulder and made my way back to the office. 11.59 - displayed my clock. I took out my worker¡¯s card and sat behind the desk and just as the time changed to midnight I clocked in, confirming my arrival to work today.


    ¡°Well. Welcome to your first job¡± I congratulated myself and looked around the office. It was just a small back room with two desks, some shelves and a ventilator. I was kind of afraid of the upcoming hours. The chair was uncomfortable and crooked and even though I saw a sofa in the room behind me, it was covered in beer cans and pieces of cigarettes, successfully making the chair a more favorable option. I sighed quietly along with the monotonically spinning fan and reached for the security tablet. It turned on fairly quickly and I could finally look around the whole location. I instantly regretted it because the dark pizzeria looked rather ghastly. Without the buzzling of human voices and laughter of children running around places like this one look wrong.


    ¡°Just staying here gives me hallucinations¡± I thought to myself while looking at the place where Freddy was supposed to be. I rubbed my eyes a couple of times and looked again. Chica and Bonnie stood in their proper places but the main star of the show was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Maybe the shadows are playing a trick on me?¡± I tried to explain this situation to myself. That¡¯s when I realized that the noise I heard for a while, stopped. That quiet hum of the fan. I looked up from the tablet to the second desk. The ventilator wasn¡¯t on.


    Suddenly the hum of a fan started to my right. I slowly turned my head but there was nothing behind the door. But I clearly heard felt padded legs stepping on the wet floor and a quiet screech of pistons. Something was walking this way, and I was just sitting here doing nothing. How did I not notice that before? ¡°Shit. I¡¯ll die in five minutes after starting my new job.¡± I thought and then I remembered what Henry said about the doors. I slowly reached towards the button, trying to make as little noise as possible. I hoped that while it doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m aware of its presence it won¡¯t attack me. Then I felt the cold and dead plastic under my finger and held in my breath.


    The button quietly clicked and the engine started moving. The doors were closing far slower than I¡¯d hoped to, seconds felt like minutes until the engine screeched and stopped. Brown hand of Freddy didn¡¯t allow the doors to close completely. I saw him slowly duck down and look at me with his cold silver eyes. We both stared at each other, waiting for opponent''s move. It didn¡¯t last long and Freddy¡¯s mechanisms buzzed quietly and the door opened. He had done it so effortlessly I instantly started doubting their effectiveness, even if I were able to close them completely


    He slowly entered the office, and all I could do was closes my eyes in terror, hoping for it all to be a bad dream. He creeped closer, moving slower and slower. Suddenly he stopped on the other side of the desk, with a hiss of pistons and screech of cogs suggesting him moving his hand.


    *Zzziiip* I heard a sound akin to some kind of spring or¡­ a zipper? I knew my death was getting closer.


    ¡ª Are you ready for Freddy? ¡ª The speaker inside of the animatronic lagged a bit while saying ¡°ready¡± and ¡°Freddy¡±.


    *Thump* the desk shook when something heavy hit it.


    I slowly opened my eyes¡­

 1AM

    Light coming from a flashlight blinded me. I blinked a couple of times trying to adjust and looked around. I was still in my office, but something was different - the fan was on despite me not turning it on, and my desk was wet in a couple of spots. ¡°God am I drooling?¡± I turned off the flashlight that woke me up. It was exactly 1 am. I stretched in my chair and yawned. Suddenly shivers went down my spine.


    I remembered what happened before I fell asleep, but it couldn¡¯t have happened in reality. Animatronics can¡¯t move on their own, cables barely allow them to move on stage, let alone to make their way to the office - at least that¡¯s what I got from the handbook I received in mail a couple of days ago. They did mention some newer animatronics that were able to walk around, but I was aware that Fazbear Entertainment wasn¡¯t able to afford these machines in this location (fnaf fp reference B)). ¡°Besides, if that were true, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep for the past hour¡±


    I got up from the chair, deliberately delaying looking at the cameras. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t need them. I can just walk up to the stage¡± - I thought while turning the flashlight back on. Unsure of what to expect I peeked into the corridor, through the left door. The entire place was completely dark, despite me not turning off the lights. Slowly I moved forward, listening to the echo of my own footsteps. My breath got faster the closer I got to my goal - the main Dining area. But on my way there, there was one more door that I felt the need to check out.


    I pulled on the handle and opened the door. Small room was filled with multiple bottles of cleaning supplies, a lot of old and new rags and a couple of empty buckets. It didn¡¯t seem like there was anything interesting in it. Despite that I felt like something wasn¡¯t okay with this place. I felt hair on my back starting to get up while the temperature seemed to fall down. I felt creeped out and quickly left the broom storage, lighting up the corridor with my flashlight. I almost felt relieved not seeing anything in it. Almost as if I expected to see some terrible creature.


    ¡°I should just turn on the lights instead of using this trashy flashlight¡± - I thought to myself when the light blinked a little. I turned around towards the dining area, blankly staring at the scratched door. After a moment I pushed the fake wood, entering the next room.


    The dining area without the lights on looked even scarier than before, and my dollar-store flashlight couldn¡¯t reach enough to show me what¡¯s on the stage. I took a couple of breaths to calm down my mind and walked ahead. The main area at Freddy¡¯s pizzeria was quite big, filled with rows of tables decorated with cheap paper hats and plates. There were many doors around it, which sometimes caused confusion among the guests.


    Two of them lead to the office, storeroom and the kitchen - one of these was directly behind me. To my right there was the main entrance and the toilet and to the left was a solid looking door hiding secrets of the parts and service section of the restaurant. Suddenly I stepped on something made out of paper. I reached down for the little hat and put it back on the nearest table, finally, almost accidentally, looking at the stage.


    I was avoiding the stage with my eyes, because from the moment I entered, I knew that even though my flashlight was terrible, it would show at least the silhouettes of the characters on stage. But it did not. The stage was empty aside of a couple of speakers, a microphone stand and the background made up of badly cut clouds and a wooden sun. The lack of animatronics made my heartbeat faster. I wanted to run as far as possible but my legs stayed in place like frozen. I heard sounds around me. Something was creeping closer, something I couldn¡¯t yet see. Something¡­ ¡°Oh fucking shut up¡± I reprimended myself in my mind and instantly calmed down.


    ¡°They are not on stage. So what? This can mean that I was mistaken and that the animatronics here are advanced enough to walk on their own. But does that explain that event an hour ago? If yes then those machines are capable of opening heavy doors with just one hand, and this means they are strong enough to easily crush me.¡± - I took another breath. - ¡°But why would they want to hurt me?¡± - My mind instantly gave me the answer in the form of a passage from the instructional handbook. - ¡°Because they think I am an endoskeleton¡±.


    ¡°The handbook mentioned that animatronics could try to hide naked endoskeletons into proper suits, and that there is technically a possibility of an animatronic mistaking a human being for an endoskeleton. Or at least that¡¯s what the >experts< think, cause this never happened. Supposedly¡­¡± - finished the pessimistic voice in my head ¡°In short - I¡¯m right now alone in a pizzeria with three or possibly four animatronics walk around nearly noiselessly on their felt padded paws and could kill me at any point, which they have proven already if the events of the last hour weren¡¯t a dream.¡± A soft screech of metal ripped me away from my thoughts.


    Based on the direction of the sound I assumed it came from the kitchen. I started to walk ahead slowly, hoping that it¡¯s just some rat knocking over pans, which was highly probable knowing the history of this pizzeria and numerous incidents with rodents and not so high sanitary standards in the location. Step after step I got closer to the door leading into the ¡°east¡± corridor. I myself didn¡¯t understand what I was so afraid of. An animatronic attack was highly unlikely, but on the other hand - the robots could walk around, so maybe they wouldn¡¯t have to attack me to kill me. Hundreds kilograms of metal and servos running down at me could probably rearrange my insides to outside in a matter of seconds.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Finally I stood before the door. I pushed it gently and entered the corridor. I saw the right entrance to my office in front of me, and to the left there was, hanging on old hinges, without any locks or even a knob, a door to the kitchen. Quickly I turned off the flashlight and moved towards the door on my fingers, trying to not cause any noise.


    I peeked through the gap between the doors but I couldn¡¯t see any movement inside. But only then I realized that the kitchen is lit. I pushed the door softly, scanning the kitchen, tightening my grip on my flashlight to the point of it causing me pain. ¡°God I¡¯m fucking blind.¡± I thought to myself as I saw him. Almost two meters tall bear stood there, holding some long and round object in his paw. My muscles tensed up and legs redied up to running, but because of the way I stood, the sudden movement of my body caused my leg to cramp up. I lost my balance. The door creaked loudly and Freddy straightened up, noticing my presence. Suddenly he turned around and I finally could get a good look at it.


    Freddy seemed to be somewhat shorter than an hour ago, maybe because of the perspective but he seemed to have more human proportions. His eyes also lacked that silvery glint and his movement seemed more fluid. All of this gave him a bit of a surreal aura. Animatronic tilted his head, looking at me with visible interest, slowly turning the thing he held in his hand.


    The kitchen¡¯s light wasn¡¯t good enough for me to realize what he was holding, but it seemed rigid like a metal pipe. And yet he was moving it with such ease. Suddenly he stopped and I heard a weird noise. It felt like laughter, not exactly robotic, not exactly human. The creature made a step in my direction. His movement was weirdly natural. I shuddered at the thought of how strong he had to be to move in this manner. As if he weren¡¯t a giant bear.


    But there was a certain beauty in his appearance. His steps filled me with dread but also didn¡¯t make me run away. My mind didn¡¯t know what to do so I just stood like a pillar of salt looking at the beast approaching me closer and closer. He was constantly playing with the long object, while the darkness of his empty eyes stared at me, just like I stared at it. ¡°If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you¡± I remembered a quote I heard a while ago. And only then the machine finally stopped, sighing with something I could mistake for a human breath if I didn¡¯t know better. It slowly reached its hand out towards the bottom end of the thing it held, I saw as he grabbed something, barely able to hold onto it with the thick fingers of his paws. Then he pulled the pin.


    ¡ª Welcome to your new job! ¡ª I heard a manly voice. Freddy, now covered in confetti, stared at me, not doing anything for a little bit too long.


    ¡ª Oh, oh my, I¡¯m sorry! I scared you? ¡ª He laughed softly and covered the face of his mask with his hand. ¡ª We have this custom here to welcome every new worker in Freddy''s suit! I hope I wasn''t too terrifying! ¡ª He sounded genuinely worried.


    ¡ª I¡­ ¡ª Not able to find the right word, I paused. ¡ª I just didn¡¯t expect this.


    ¡ª Yeah, makes sense! ¡ª He laughed. ¡ª Not everyone expects a giant bear in the kitchen at this early hour. Especially because I¡¯m not supposed to be here.


    ¡ª Which means?


    ¡ª Well¡­ ¡ª He seemed nervous. ¡ª Only you are allowed to stay at the pizzeria¡¯s grounds after midnight till around six o¡¯clock. I¡¯m here illegally, don¡¯t tell anyone! ¡ª He put a finger to his lips in a silencing motion.


    ¡ª OH Yeah! I heard about it. ¡ª I answered, finally relaxing a little and taking a big breath.


    ¡ª Yeah¡­ ¡ª He shook his head slowly. ¡ª Oh well, if I¡¯m already here I might as well accompany you for a while.


    ¡ª If you want.


    ¡ª Of course I want to! I scared you a fair bit, so it¡¯s only fair I pay it back in some way.


    ¡ª You don¡¯t have to. ¡ª I blurted out, despite actually wanting for him to stay.


    ¡ª Well, now it¡¯s too late for that anyway. ¡ª He said when a tabletop alarm rang behind his back. ¡ª I made a pizza! Want some?


    ¡ª I¡­ ¡ª He interrupted me.


    ¡ª Well. You did fall asleep while at work, and I am here despite you supposedly guarding the place. And one of the rules is to not use the kitchen supplies after closing. ¡ª He laughed softly. ¡ª I won¡¯t tell anyone about that if you stay quiet about my little fun!


    ¡ª I didn¡¯t intend to! ¡ª I started, but soon realized that he was right.


    ¡ª Oh, by the way I am Freddy! ¡ª He grabbed my hand and shook it. ¡ª Work here was written in my stars it seems.


    ¡ª Y/N. ¡ª I answered. The suit was very cold, but his grip seemed human.


    ¡ª Okay so since we aren¡¯t strangers anymore - what do you say about eatin¡¯ that damn pizza?


    ¡ª Sure! ¡ª I stepped into the kitchen.


    ¡ª Oh, no, you don¡¯t have to do anything. ¡ª He blocked my way carefully. ¡ª I will take care of everythin¡¯, you just go sit in the dining area. Think of it as a date!


    ¡ª A what?! ¡ª I blushed a little, but Freddy just chuckled and pointed me towards the door out of the kitchen.


    I quickly left, trying to avoid further dialogue. I sat at the first table and started thinking. ¡°He is a weird fella, but seems to be kind of cool¡±. I started my staring match with the starry tablecloth. I heard him walking around the kitchen, he was banging on plates and knives, he seemed to be in his element. At least that¡¯s how it sounded. I knew I had to ask him about one thing.


    Soon after I heard his steps just behind my back. I didn¡¯t look at him because I still felt that my face was red from embarrassment. When he got closer I finally spoke up.


    ¡ª So, where are the animatronics? ¡ª I pointed at the stage. ¡ª Where is Freddy?


    He instantly stopped in his tracks. ¡°Maybe he doesn¡¯t know?¡± - I thought to myself.


    ¡ª Here. ¡ª I heard his voice, once again it sounded weird. ¡°Why does he keep changing it? It¡¯s not very funny.¡± I got irritated.


    ¡ª Here, meaning where? ¡ª I hoped that he wouldn''t hear my mocking tone.


    His paw strongly grabbed my arm and effortlessly turned me around. I was looking right into the metalic eyes of Freddy, who had bent down to be on the same level as me. I felt the sickening stench of decay and pizza. Confetti was still pouring from his jaws in a surreal scene where a murderous machine was only pretending to be a soft and friendly teddy bear.


    ¡ª Behind you. ¡ª A robotic voice screeched from the spe


    aker inside his chest. ¡ª Just behind you.

 2AM

    I stared into the darkness of his empty eyes, the floor was cold and uncomfortable, and I felt some thick and warm fluid flowing down my cheek. With a shaky hand I reached towards my face and rubbed the blood off. All this time we were looking deep into each other¡¯s eyes, the dark abysses in his face seemed to call me to them for something. But I couldn¡¯t have known for what. For a staring duel? Or a fight till death. Either way if it was the first option - I just lost by closing my eyes. I blinked a couple of times and finally got a good look at the empty bear head.


    I let it go and it fell to the floor with a quiet clang of metal - these were the wires that were holding the bear¡¯s jaw in place that cut me when the mask fell at me from a high shelf. I didn¡¯t even remember when this could have happened, but I wasn¡¯t too surprised. Not many things made real sense tonight. I quickly dusted off my knees and the place where the back loses its noble name and stood up.


    The digital clock indicated that it¡¯s already 2AM. ¡°So I slept for two hours since I came here¡± - I thought with my hand just above the work tablet. ¡°Wait, I did wake up earlier¡­¡± - I reached for the tablet and started to look through cameras. ¡°I remember that I woke up at first AM, and before that¡­¡± - I shook my head while looking at the broken Kitchen camera. ¡°I woke up, went to the dining area and then¡± - I finally clicked the button labeled ¡®main stage¡¯ - ¡°Freddy¡± - Almost out loud I called to the animatronic, one of the three that were once again absent from the stage. ¡°Wait, they were there where I came, right?¡± I questioned myself, trying to remember any articles suggesting Fazbear Entertainment got rid of their animatronics.


    I heard a weird noise just behind the door. I quickly threw the tablet which stopped just on the edge of the desk, balancing as if it were wondering whether to fall down and break on the cold tiles, or lie down safely on the fake wooden desk. I didn¡¯t see what decision it came to, the darkness of the hallway had my whole attention. But by the lack of a crushing electronics sound I relaxed a little, realizing that it won¡¯t be taken off my paycheck. I reached behind me in search of the flashlight. But it wasn¡¯t where I saw it recently.


    I looked behind and in the corner of my eye I noticed it on the floor just under the second desk. Slowly walking backwards, still staring at the empty doorway, I didn¡¯t understand what I was so afraid of. I felt it could have something to do with the dreams I had but I couldn¡¯t recollect them. The shakiness of my hands and the strong need to run away just made me more confused. Finally I felt it. The cold hard plastic calmed me down. While still squatting I quickly turned on the flashlight and looked at the corridor. It was empty, looking almost as if it lacked something.


    Sigh of relief sounded in the office when I realized that the source of the weird noise was some round decoration - as suggested by the circular shape of dust on the wall - that fell off the wall and hit a bucket below it. I quickly got up, laughing at myself inside, thinking just how stupid and vulnerable to suggestions I was. I don¡¯t know how I did not notice it earlier. Maybe it was the fear or the fact that I was crouching before, but now I felt perfectly clear. Warm air blew through my neck, again and again, like human breath. A shiver ran down my spine, my muscles tensed up and I held my breath. But soon it all passed when I finally heard his voice.


    ¡ª O Hey! ¡ª Said to me Freddy. ¡ª Something¡¯s wrong? ¡ª He sounded clearly worried.


    ¡ª No, no! I¡¯m alrrigh¡­ ¡ª I stopped mid sentence, seeing him for the first time without his suit.


    ¡ª Are you sure you are okay? ¡ª His smile seemed almost shy.


    Before me stood a man, a couple of years older than me. His brown and long hair came down in waves on the sides of his handsome, although unshaved face. He was wearing a light-brown shirt with star-shaped patches sewn onto it, and dark-brown dungarees with colorful suspenders. His outfit was complemented by many pins and a black bowtie with a bear-head shaped pin. I had to lean back on the desk while I admired him.


    ¡ª Something¡¯s on my face? ¡ª He wiped off something from his forehead, and I had to quickly turn around to hide blushing.


    ¡ª No, no! You look great! ¡ª I couldn¡¯t stop myself in time. ¡ª I mean in that sense that you¡­ well you don¡¯t have anything on your face. ¡ª Freddy looked at me with a warm smile.


    ¡ª That¡¯s good. It would be a little awkward if I came dirty to our first meeting. ¡ª ¡°First?¡± I thought to myself a little surprised. ¡°But we¡¯ve met already, haven¡¯t we?¡±. I frowned while trying to separate the dreams from my memories. ¡ª Huh? ¡ª He looked at me, visibly interested. ¡ª What are you thinking about?


    ¡ª Me? Oh, no, nothing, I¡¯ve just misremembered something! ¡ª I smiled at him, which clearly calmed him down.


    ¡ª That¡¯s great! ¡ª He clapped his hands and sat down on the desk. ¡ª So, how do you feel here?


    ¡ª Oh it¡¯s pretty nice! ¡ª I answered, matching his positive energy. ¡ª It¡¯s warm, I can sleep a little, the perfect job!


    ¡ª See? ¡ª He smiled. ¡ª But beware! That¡¯s how they got me here too! And now look at me, walkin¡¯ around in a bear suit! ¡ª I laughed along with him.


    ¡ª Well as long as I don¡¯t get myself eaten by the bear I¡¯ll be alright ey?


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡ª Huh? ¡ª He raised an eyebrow, a little confused ¡ª Aaaa! Yes yes, you just have to not get eaten. Henry warned you, ey?


    ¡ª Yeah, a pleasant type. ¡ª I answered and hid my hands in my pockets. ¡ª Actually, I had no idea you would be here. No one mentioned that.


    ¡ª Oh, right, I shouldn¡¯t be here! ¡ª He laughed awkwardly.


    ¡ª What? ¡ª I stopped smiling. ¡ª So how did you get here?


    ¡ª Oh you know. ¡ª He shined his perfectly white teeth. ¡ª It¡¯s my little secret! I hope you keep my presence to yourself, cause I won¡¯t be the only one having troubles ¡ª He winked. ¡ª But maybe don¡¯t sleep on the work next time.


    I laughed nervously and made a gesture of locking my mouth with a padlock and throwing the key away. Freddy smiled at me and stretched a little. Just then I finally noticed how well built he is. I saw his muscles working under the clothes, beautifully visible through a little too small shirt. I felt a weird warmth in my stomach.


    I started to think I might not be perfectly hetero while in high school, when at a party I kissed some friend of a friend. Since then I was dating only girls, probably mostly because of my bigoted parents. Since I moved out of the house though I started to fantasize more and more about dating other men. I was hiding those fantasies deeply and this made me even more confused now that I felt a weird attraction to my new coworker. His body made me want him, and his voice sent weird shivers down my body.


    ¡°Oh god, I¡¯m gay¡± screamed a quiet voice in my head, making my skin turn more and more red. ¡°Calm down¡± I shook my own self just in time for that handsome man who was just around one and a half meters away from me finally looked back at me. Our glances met for a hundredth of a second, I saw his deep blue eyes, happily glistening in the light of a barely working light bulb. I wanted this moment to last ages, but it ended as quickly as it stopped when he turned his sight away. He seemed a little flustered.


    I turned my head away, angry at myself for making him feel uncomfortable.


    ¡ª So¡­ ¡ª He started while taking in a fresh breath of air. ¡ªY/N¡­ maybe we¡¯ll go for a round? ¡ª I thanked him in my inside voice for that proposition and quickly stood up, smiling at him apologetically.


    Empty corridors of the Freddy¡¯s pizzeria got filled by the echoes of our steps, his metal nosed work boots and my sneakers. I was just a little shorter than him so we quickly found a rhythm good for both of us. The dialogue was very awkward at the beginning, but soon it turned out that we had quite a lot in common. We both studied in the same city and we were quite literally neighbors. I lived in a block and he was in the house just behind mine. We both loved the animatronic band when we were growing up and both him and me - found our first job here. He decided to stay for longer, I didn¡¯t know what to do yet.


    I barely even noticed that weird smell coming from the broom closet in the east corridor, but I didn¡¯t press the matter, cause our discussion went so well.


    We made a couple of rounds, making sure that everything was how it was supposed to be, and finally ended up in the service room. Empty costumes and parts of their endoskeletons seemed quite unnerving, but somehow, being here with him, I felt safe. We were just sitting on the table, reminiscing about our youth.


    ¡ª Have you ever kissed someone? ¡ª He asked suddenly.


    ¡ª What? ¡ª I looked at him perplexed, not understanding if he is suggesting something or if he is genuinely just curious.


    ¡ª Well.. um. ¡ª He hesitated. ¡ª Did you ever kiss a girl?


    ¡ª Oh, well, yeah, happened a couple of times, nothing serious. ¡ª I waved my hand dismissively. ¡ª And you?


    ¡ª No¡­ ¡ª He looked down and started playing with his hands.


    ¡ª And with a man? ¡ª I smiled seeing his surprised expression.


    ¡ª Once. ¡ª He almost whispered. ¡ª I wasn¡¯t ever really interested in other people, so that one time was enough for me. It was special, ya know?


    A deep silence fell between us. Neither of us knew what to say, or in which direction to push our conversation. He seemed to think about something intensively and looked a little scared. As if he was afraid I would judge him for who he was. I cleared my throat to get his attention. He looked at me with his beautiful eyes, covered under long lashes.


    ¡ª Me too. ¡ª I answered, without turning my head away. ¡ª I kissed a man¡­ once, at some party, ages ago.


    ¡ª Drunk? ¡ª He chuckled.


    ¡ª No. ¡ª I shook my head. ¡ª I was sober, I think it was something¡­ real¡­ But we haven''t met since then, and I was afraid to search for him through our mutual friends. You know, not everyone tolerates people like us.


    He nodded, confirming his words, and frowned his eyebrows.


    ¡ª Do you at least know his name? Maybe you can search for him now, through the internet? Or maybe I know him, considering that we are from the same city.


    ¡ª Sorry, I don¡¯t know it¡­ ¡ª I answered. ¡ª Besides, it was ages ago, he probably changed a lot, I doubt I¡¯d be able to recognise him, and it¡¯s kind of weird to just be asking randomly.


    ¡ª I suppose you right, but it¡¯s still worth a try, right? ¡ª He looked right into my eyes, and my heartbeat quickened. ¡ª You know what? I just thought of something.


    ¡ª Yeah? ¡ª I leaned forward, looking at his glimmering eyes. Time seemed to slow down, I was able to hear the blood coursing through my veins. This moment felt magical, like something I was used to seeing in movies and bad TV series. But this time it was real.


    ¡ª You said you kissed for the first time at a party. ¡ª He started, visibly Nervous. ¡ª James¡¯s birthday? He got that fun RC helicopter then, all the boys forgot about drinking and played with it like kids.


    Our faces were barely centimeters away. Something pushed us towards each other, some power beyond our comprehension. I felt I could be peaceful at last, because I found my own place on this planet. Just then, together, we closed our eyes. I felt his warm, mint scented breath on my face, and then melted with pleasure.


    His lips were soft, warm and a little wet. I felt them shake. ¡°Or maybe¡± - I thought ¡°is it me who is shaking?¡±. My heart was beating fast, seemingly trying to escape my chest, and fly itself to meet Freddy¡¯s lips.


    It ended as quickly as it started. I wanted this moment to last longer, but he moved back. I stared into his blue eyes, a little surprised and fearful, that I might have pushed things too quickly for him. The silence could have been cut with a knife, but he finally changed it with his calming voice.


    ¡ª So it was you? ¡ª I raised my eyebrows. ¡ª Back at that party. It was you.


    Only then did everything that he said click, I was too distracted to understand before but now I knew. We were meant for each other, and now once more we were together, and nothing could change that.


    ¡ª Yes. ¡ª That¡¯s all I was able to mutter, trying to hold my emotions back.


    We sat in silence for the rest of the hour, cuddling and thinking about the future.

 3AM

    The soft hum of the fan kept me on the verge of waking and dreaming. From under my closed eyelids, I could see the warm light of an old light bulb hanging from the ceiling. I was back in the office, lying on the ground, cuddled with my sweatshirt. "Again?" I was surprised by my own thoughts. I knew this had already happened, something strange would happen, and then I would wake up in my office.


    ¡ª Something. ¡ª I whispered, barely opening my mouth at all. ¡ª I think? ¡ª I wasn¡¯t so sure of it all of a sudden. Did anything actually happen? Was I just dreaming? Or maybe I was just influenced by the atmosphere in the location and made myself think that something was wrong?


    Slowly I sat on the ground, letting my blouse fall to the ground noiselessly. I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. The air was warm and full of the scent of burnt pizza and dust, nothing special. My office looked exactly like when I came here, full of stuff just laying about. And from the top shelf a pair of masks - Freddy¡¯s and Bonnie¡¯s looked at me with their empty eye sockets. I got up, while trying to recall what I was doing for the past three hours here. My mind seemed to grab pieces of memories, but they all dissolved like candle smoke as quickly as they appeared.


    Feeling the effects of laying on the cold tiles, I sat in the chair, which creaked under my weight. Like asleep I was staring at the scratched tablet¡¯s screen that lay in front of me on the desk. It reflected the digital clock¡¯s greenish light. Three in the morning. Something about this scene didn¡¯t sit right with me. I tried to think of a reason for this feeling but I couldn¡¯t find a definitive answer. Mindlessly I moved the tablet to the edge of the desk and without moving any muscles looked as it balanced over the hard floor which meant snuffing out the candle light of its life.


    I took a deep breath, rubbing off the rest of sleep from my eyes. Doing that awoke me enough to remember that I was in my job and not on some really weird vacation.


    ¡ª Step one. ¡ª I muttered to myself, saving the tablet from the edge of its life and death and clicking its power on button. It didn¡¯t work. I held the button a little longer, frowning. It hummed softly, getting back to life and I put it back in its place and leaned back in the chair. Before it showed me its desktop I had already done the second task on the list. ¡ª Keeping the office clean. ¡ª I commented, scratching off the paraffin wax of the tabletop. Rest of the office was in the same condition as I met it when I came here so I didn¡¯t feel a need of cleaning up hundreds of loosely thrown Freddy merch and other trash.


    ¡°Less than 4 percent of battery¡± said the dialog option on the screen gathering my attention. ¡ª Ah so that¡¯s why you turned off. Great, just wait a moment longer. ¡ª I looked around for some charger, hoping that it wouldn''t die before I checked every camera.


    ¡ª Kitchen. Isn¡¯t working. ¡ª I started looking through the cameras one by one. ¡ª Corridors, empty, the broom closet in a pristine condition. ¡ª The sound of my voice echoed around in the empty pizzeria. It somehow sounded almost pleasant, making me feel a bit better. ¡ª No one¡¯s behind the stage and near the tables. ¡ª I commented while almost putting back my tablet. ¡°What about the stage?¡± asked a quiet voice in my brain, imitating the echo I got so used to at this point. I froze with the tablet just over the table. I forgot to check the main stage, even though my main objective was to guard the animatronics. If any single one of them had any accidents or started to work weirdly after my shift, I would never be able to pay it off.


    ¡ª Damn it ¡ª I cursed under my breath, looking blankly at a rotating circle and a text: ¡°shutting off¡±. The battery had run off. I could have just plugged the tablet in and then look again, but I felt that every second wasted on searching for the charger got me closer and closer to my demise. My only way of monitoring the pizzeria without the need of leaving the only place I felt safe in just failed. Forcing me to leave my shelter or lose the job. ¡°Or life¡±. I shuddered despite not having any reason to be afraid of being alone here. I wasn¡¯t scared of the darkness and the doors were locked tight and solid. No one would be able to break in without making a sound and I was pretty sure I didn¡¯t hear any intruders.


    And yet I was afraid of something. Something that could have been out there in the darkness. Waiting for me to leave the office. I looked into the darkness behind the door. It was far too dark considering the fact that the light in the room should at least light up a bit of the corridor. But there was nothing. Despite that the abyss before me was complete and without any sign of light. It called for me. I stood up, leaving the tablet in the middle of the table.


    Slowly I looked out on the corridor. Nothing. Empty. I looked back into the office trying to figure out where I had left my flashlight, but I felt as if I couldn¡¯t just go back and try to find it, as if me leaving the safe desk was a death sentence that I could not go back on. I made a decision.


    First steps brought nothing. The darkness was impenetrable, and with each step seemed to get just darker and darker. The cold wall under my fingers also seemed to lose temperature with every passing second. I felt as if my senses were covered with a thick black veil. I reached out in front of me, my hand touching a spider¡¯s web. I pushed delicately and my ears were attacked by a sound of metal scratching metal. I grabbed it strongly.


    The curtain I had mistaken for a spider¡¯s web moved aside, showing me the west corridor, leading up to the dining area. At the end of it was the door leading to my goal, it was closed. My way to it was well lit. I looked at the floor.


    Rows of lit candles, with fires flickering with every step made the space look eere like from some kind of a movie. I felt like a tomb raider, entering abandoned chambers of some ancient king, left completely alone for thousands of years. I rubbed my eyes which started to stung from the powerful scent of roses and an oily smoke filling up the air. I walked forward, on the path of fairy tale-like lights in the middle of barely standing location, with dust particles floating lazily ahead of me like some tiny animals. My steps seemed to slow down, the closer to the exit I got.


    The doors leading to the closet on my left opened agap, I felt something staring at me. Something just outside of my field of vision, hiding in the blind spot of my eyes. Before I decided what to do - the door closed with a bang and the candles flickered. That wasn¡¯t the right way.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The dining area caused me to make a step back. It wasn¡¯t at all like I remembered it, it was filled with rose petals and candles. ¡°It can¡¯t possibly be safe to have so many petals near candles¡±. From the speakers on the stage a soft, romantic music started playing.


    The Stage. I held my breath. In the dimly candlelit area it was clearly cutting off out the background with a strong light hidden behind the curtain and a giant shadow of a over two meters tall bear. It stood without moving and yet I felt as if he was twisting with every blink of my sore eyes. ¡°This has to be a dream.¡± I encouraged myself while backing away. The doors didn¡¯t let me go back. ¡°Closed?¡± I turn around and noticed that both wings were held together by a chain and a big padlock. It didn¡¯t seem very sturdy but just the fact of it existing in the place where there was nothing just seconds before, scared me to my very core. I moved back, trying to make sense of this situation, when the music stopped.


    I froze, seeing as the dining area got darker. The darkness reached its tentacles for me, spinning around me, holding me, trying to choke me.


    ¡ª Y/N. ¡ª I heard a whisper behind me. Shocked, I blinked and turned around suddenly. I stood just before the stage, looking at a giant silhouette of a bear above me. He was a little tilted, making me think as if the tophat was about to fall down from the giant robot¡¯s head. I made a step back, and this thing moved up its hands without any noise. The shadow made it look as if its limbs were thin and long, like weird sticks. I held my breath when the beast grabbed its head and tore it clean off. A scream grew in my chest but I couldn¡¯t make a noise. I was glad for that because just a second later I sighed a sigh of relief.


    ¡ª Is everything all right Y/N? ¡ª Freddy asked me from behind the curtain. He was holding the animatronic head in his hands.


    ¡ª I¡­ oh¡­ I thought¡­ ¡ª I didn¡¯t know how to answer.


    ¡ª What, you didn¡¯t expect me here? ¡ª He chuckled, putting down the mask. He reached out his hand to me in between the folds of the fabric. It looked so real and yet made me feel uneasy. Just a disembodied hand from behind a thick purple veil, calling for me. ¡ª Come on, I was waiting for you and almost thought you weren¡¯t coming. You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago already! ¡ª His voice sounded a little hurt.


    ¡ª Really?


    ¡ª Being late to a date isn¡¯t very nice, you know? ¡ª He ignored my questioning and without even letting me think about his words I felt a strong pull. I jumped behind the curtain, barely keeping balance. He was strong.


    I found myself on a light-filled stage, at the center of which stood a big bed, covered in red fabric and rose petals, with bottles of champagne or some other alcohol underneath it. Behind the bed was an old fashioned phonograph, the source of the slow music which I wasn¡¯t able to identify. And behind me stood him. Smelling pleasantly of sweat and perfumes.


    ¡ª You look stressed, is everything okay? ¡ª I heard his worried voice. ¡ª Come here, I have an idea what to do.


    He pushed me gently towards the bed, I didn¡¯t want to turn around cause he would have noticed how red I was at this point, but finally as I reached the bed I had to sit down and finally look at him.


    ¡ª Woah! Didn¡¯t know people can get so red! Do you like what you see? ¡ª He drilled his eyes into me, chuckling, while I was dying inside. Because right in front of me stood a tall, well built man, with nothing but a pair of boxer briefs with the logo of Fazbear Entertainment on. His ripped muscles moved as he breathed. He looked like one of those firemen from the calendars that I used to stash in my room to look at from time to time. I didn¡¯t think I was gay but holy shit.


    ¡ª Yes. ¡ª I answered in a blink of an eye ¡°SHUT UP¡±. ¡ª I mean, you are well built and well, I''m sure you are proud of it.. must have been a lot of work and¡­ ¡ª ¡°YOU ARE NOT HELPING!¡± Yelled my inside-voice, desperately trying to save the situation while my heart started to come to terms with the fact of me being gay.


    He smiled at me charismatically, bending his knees, to get on the level of my face. ¡ª My eyes are here, handsome. ¡ª His eyes finally freed me from this transe.


    ¡ª Do¡­ Do I know you? ¡ª Despite how handsome his face looked, I couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that I saw him for the first time in my life and definitely did not get invited to a date with. Freddy looked disappointed with my answer, hurt even.


    ¡ª Um¡­ Yeah, we talked an hour ago¡­ ¡ª He answered bewildered. ¡ª I am Freddy, your coworker. ¡ª I blinked a couple of times ¡°Oh right, I did know his name when I saw him, but why don¡¯t I remember anything from the past hour?¡±. I was searching my mind for any kind of answer, still looking at his beautiful unshaven face. Suddenly his expression lit up. ¡ª Oh, you don¡¯t remember?


    I nodded my head, still a bit shy in the presence of such a hot cake.


    ¡ª Yeah, that makes sense¡­ ¡ª He sighed and sat next to me, cuddling me delicately. ¡ª It was a nasty accident, should be more careful next time.


    ¡ª Accident?


    ¡ª Yeah, when I asked you out on a date, you agreed at first and then ran out on me, face completely red! Next thing I heard was some rumble and I found you on the floor.


    ¡ª Did I Pass out? ¡ª I asked, completely not understanding how this could have happened.


    He just nodded his head in answer and leaned onto me. ¡ª Yeah, for a second there I thought you died, but luckily you were breathing. Then I just took you to the office and um, well¡­ Anyway, it doesn''t matter. ¡ª He straightened up and I heard some sadness in his voice. ¡ª I¡¯m sorry for this.. situation. I¡¯ll just put on my clothes and please, forget about this.


    ¡ª No, wait! ¡ª ¡°AND WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?¡± Asked my inside voice, completely shocked by what I just said. Freddy looked at me almost as surprised. ¡ª Well uh, if I agreed before, I agree now too¡­ I have this weird feeling like I know you already. Like an old friend! ¡ª ¡°That¡¯s a bunch of bullshit and you know it¡± commented the little voice, completely done with my bullshit.


    ¡ª Really?


    I just nodded my head, hesitantly touching his cheek. He instantly lit up and delicatly moved his head to rub against my fingers, lifting up his own hand. Slowly he moved his long fingers along my arm, until he got to the shirt I got from my new employer a couple of days ago in the mail.


    ¡ª You can¡¯t be comfortable in this cheap thing, maybe you should take it off?


    I once again froze, turning completely red.


    ¡ª Apologies, I misspoke. ¡ª He smiled while reaching for the bottom of my stomach. ¡ª Maybe I should take it off?


    I didn¡¯t protest. Everything happened so quickly and in the next second I found myself underneath him in only my pants. He seemed to admire me from above, but I just felt trapped. I didn¡¯t know what to do, just sinking in the soft mattress under the weight of his chiseled body. He was touching me, going lower and lower and I liked that. I liked that a lot. But something was wrong¡­


    Lights turned off. I stared into the darkness right where his face used to be. A pair of silver points stared back. The silence fell around us, only me, mattress, strong scent of roses and sweat. And him. Getting bigger, heavier.


    ¡ª Stop¡­ ¡ª I gasped for air. But it was a mistake, I started to choke under the weight of this thing. I couldn¡¯t lift up my chest to get another breath, I just kept losing oxygen and my consciousness, crushed by a heavy machine covered in sticky fur. I was helpless.


    ¡°Help¡±

 4AM

    He seemed more human. Every hour he changed more and more from a robot to a man. But he wasn¡¯t. He was completely different. Not a robot, not a human. Then what?


    I spent a long while thinking about it, listening to a ticking clock. Which clock? None. This place had only those LCD displays, because no one wanted to make sure the clocks ran properly, so everything was electronic. But I needed that ticking now to measure time. So it just appeared. Could I control this place? I didn¡¯t know.


    I knew that I came here yesterday, at least that¡¯s how I remembered it. But I felt less and less sure the more time I spent thinking. Nothing seemed normal or as one would suspect it to be. I remembered that¡­


    ¡°Exactly. I remember. Why?¡±


    Every hour things just became weirder and weirder, more hostile, and yet in some way friendly. Like a fly trap, tempting with its smell, only to suddenly close over an unsuspecting fly, causing it to die in its acid.


    ¡°But I never could have escaped. I¡¯ve been melting since I came here.¡± I thought, looking at the ceiling, doors, floor. The world was spinning. ¡°No¡±. I saw everything at once, while still having closed eyes. Nothing was the way it should be.


    ¡°Why do I remember everything now?¡±. My memories came flooding back, no longer dissolving into the abyss. They were lasting. It made me worried. This could mean only one thing: that those hours had succeeded in whatever their task was. And now this place, this nightmare was laughing in my face, showing me what it can do. Proud, showing off events of this night, mocking my trusting nature, in the depths of my watery grave.


    ¡°WATERY?¡± Yelled my brain, jolting me back to the real world. I couldn¡¯t breathe under the surface of the water. Quickly I opened my eyes and got up from the ground, choking and coughing.


    ¡ª What the hell was that? ¡ª The floor was flooded. Water reached only my knees but it was enough to drown me, had I stayed on the ground for a minute longer. I couldn¡¯t understand it. It had to be a dream, yet everything seemed so real, so physical. ¡ª My nightmare. ¡ª I muttered.


    A slow laughter reached my ears from afar. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. With each tick of the clock it approached its goal, my death. And all I could do was stand in the middle of the room, like a kid lost in a shopping mall, waiting for his parents to finally find him. But I didn¡¯t want to act like a child. I wanted to show what I¡¯m capable of. I wanted to show this nightmare, that it hasn''t yet broken me, that I will fight. I gathered the full strength of my mind and took a step back. It was a mistake, my leg didn¡¯t hit the hard floor, it went further, down the abyss, and it took me with it.


    The light of three lightbulbs blinded me. Once more I was in the office, this time though everything was dry and different. Clean and perfectly white tiles, cupboards and shelves full of medical supplies and in between all of that, me. Strapped to an operating table with belts, like one of those emotionless murderers I¡¯ve seen on TV. I tried to get out but the restraints were too strong. I closed my eyes, trying to listen to the imaginary clock.


    ¡ª Tick tock, tick tock. ¡ª I whispered between breaths, feeling up my nose with the smell of a sterilization fluid. I tried to think about something else. Anything. ¡°My parents¡±. In my mind I got back to the times when I used to run around the house, I tried to bring back the details of it, imagine myself inside. Safe. Substituting the thought of murderers and operations with a smell of fresh apple pies.


    I had opened my eyes, shocked, standing straight up in some small space. My nose was attacked by the smell of hot pie, freshly vacuumed carpets and spring with its flowers and melting snow. I laughed triumphantly exiting the closet in the living room. Everything was as I remembered it, red walls, a big table in the middle of the room, a window leading out to my grandparent¡¯s pastures, right to me the door to our kitchen - always closed so as to not disturb my mother when she was inside. To my left was a corridor leading to the rest of the house. ¡°I won¡± I thought, falling down to my knees, tired. This thing couldn¡¯t get to me, and even if it managed to do so, I finally realized I have control over this¡­ ¡°Dream?¡±


    I still had no idea where I was really, but I was sure I had the upper hand, at least for a bit. I could control it, make things happen, change them. But I had to make sure. I dipped my hands into the soft and fluffy carpet, unmistakably coming from my childhood. Before we moved to the city. ¡°Well then, it¡¯s time to touch the whole house¡± I smiled to myself and took to work, checking how real everything around me was.


    ¡ª Y/N? Is that you? ¡ª I froze hearing a female voice. It came from the kitchen and sounded exactly like¡­


    ¡ª Mom? ¡ª I asked quietly. ¡ª MOM?! ¡ª I got excited, finally letting go of the table that I made sure to touch thoroughly and moving in the direction of the kitchen.


    ¡°But, what if it¡¯s a trick?¡± I stood as if glued to the floor. My inner voice was right. It could have just been a fake, made to catch me. I stared at the doors that emanated the intoxicating smell of the apple pie. There was silence behind them, quickly broken by the sound of a moving chair. ¡ª And who else? Wait for me, I¡¯ll bring us a piece of the pie!


    She couldn¡¯t have been a lie, right? She isn¡¯t even enticing me to come closer, sounds perfectly like her and goes my way with a piece of a pie! Either way my heart told me to take a step back.


    Bonnie destroyed the door, sending pieces of wood my way. His slow laughter filled the house, echoing among the empty walls, which seemed to dissipate like made out of paper mache, tearing and bubbling, slowly revealing the well known texture of Freddy pizzeria¡¯s walls. My first reflex was to jump farther away and cover my head with my hand, but I quickly regained composure and lowered my hands to see the enemy. A giant bunny, or rather a room high faceless beast stared at me with a mocking smile on its plushy muzzle and a pair of red eyes, protruding as if two diodes from his torn up head.


    We were back in the pizzeria, my body was shaking while this thing kept twisting more and more. Creature¡¯s body vibrating and melting from shape to shape while slowly lowering its head to my level, getting ready to spring into running, still smiling and laughing in its jittery, deep voice. But I didn¡¯t let it transform fully and ran out into the corridor.


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    It somehow seemed endless. I ran and ran, for a minute, two, turning from corridor to corridor. It took a moment for me to realize that I was walking around a giant labyrinth. I was gasping for air quietly, leaning against a wall, feeling the tears coming out of my eyes. It all was so unreal, just yesterday I was living peacefully and now, just a few hours later here I stood eye to eye with a beast. ¡°Beasts,¡± said the voice in my head. Yes it was right, I had to stop in place, not allowing myself to let a single noise out, not because I couldn¡¯t run longer, but because I heard this thing. It was walking differently than Bonnie. Using all four legs, it sounded like bones hitting the hard floor, and now it was looking for me just behind this wall.


    ¡°The ticking. It comes from them.¡± noticed the logical side of my brain. And it was right, the sound of the clock was the loudest just when near them. Some kind of mechanism like a heart dictated the rhythm inside them, and now it was getting quieter with every tap of the beast¡¯s legs.


    I started to run the moment I heard the clock get silent. Instantly I heard steps behind me. Something more was after me. ¡°Great, absolutely fucking amazing! As if you couldn¡¯t wait a moment longer, what are you trying to get to? Your death? Cause if so - you are on your best way!¡± Said the voice in my head. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time for talking, I have to run.¡± I answered while taking turns into more twisted and thinner corridors. ¡°You never have the time to talk. I¡¯m pretty sure this is the first time you answered me!¡± I nearly slipped, trying to make sense of what just happened ¡°So who am I talking to?¡± I asked mentally.


    ¡°Yourself. People went to psychic wards for less.¡± Commented the snarky voice. ¡°You are going mad Y/N. You don¡¯t even realize that, but this thing, LEFT!¡± I turned just as the voice asked, the wall behind me exploded in a cloud of dust, splinters of wood and pieces of drywall, revealing Bonnie and something with it. The smaller beast turned into a blur when it jumped my way. ¡°Foxy¡± assessed the voice in my head, once again forcing me to the side. I felt my strength leaving me but I couldn¡¯t stop running. I was fighting for my own life.


    ¡°Run Y/N! Run!¡±


    Before I was able to answer, I felt a strong jerk to the side. Foxy ran just past me and I fell to the cold floor, ready to fistfight whatever grabbed me. Quickly I got up on my legs but there was no one or nothing there. I was in the office once more. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me.¡± Said the voice, seemingly more quiet than before. ¡°Where are they?¡± I asked. ¡°They will be here shortly, but you have a bit of time¡­¡± The voice seemed to fade. ¡°What¡¯s happening, is everything alright?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to yourself¡± answered the voice, just like his mother used to tell him when he was worried and talked to himself. Before he died. The next moment he was gone. I felt the lack of his presence in me, just as if a part of me died, got severed. Maybe it was the case? But I couldn¡¯t think about it too much. I had to do something or I risked not seeing the light of day ever again. I grabbed a stool and hit the wall with it. It crumbled, telling me how much money Fazbear Entertainment put into the construction of this building. The chair wasn¡¯t too strong either and it broke after the third hit, leaving me with its leg as an improvised weapon.


    Left - so called west - corridor was longer than I remembered it to be, but I moved forward somewhat confidently. ¡ª Stop. ¡ª I heard Freddy¡¯s voice. Not slowing down I moved towards the beast, whatever it was.


    ¡ª I¡¯ve had enough. ¡ª I answered loudly, getting closer to the doors.


    ¡ª We can¡¯t let you go. ¡ª I heard voices. They came from the walls, whispering to me in dozens of different intonations, dozens of voices, dozens of people. Dead? Trapped? Locked in the walls of Freddy Fazbear¡¯s Pizzeria? Looking for something. Peace? ¡°No¡­¡± ¡ª Death.


    ¡ª Ah, so that¡¯s how it is, now you can read my mind? ¡ª Shivers went down my spine just thinking about it.


    ¡ª I always could do that. ¡ª I didn¡¯t even notice when Freddy, a handsome man dressed in a mandatory pizzeria¡¯s worker suit, stood in front of me, at the end of the corridor. ¡ª We are merely waiting for you to die.


    ¡ª Well you are pretty bad at it! I¡¯m still here in one piece! ¡ª I yelled while swinging around the piece of wood, which seemed to get heavier and heavier with every moment.


    ¡ª You are wrong Y/N. ¡ª He answered. ¡ª And I am here to show your error.


    Before I was able to properly register Freddy¡¯s words, his face fell in on itself showing the bone underneath. Or was it steel? Freddy bent in half, the lights started blinking like crazy and he¡­ he began to change. His bones were breaking with a dull noise, the floor got covered by a thick fluid and all I could do was stand and look. Something held me from behind, pushing me forward, towards him. I started to scream, finally letting go of my only weapon. The beast was twisting and elongating like caramel in pain with protruding teeth, spines and body parts along its massive body. His pores were exploding, ripping apart the creature, allowing thick cables to finally sprout from inside looking like some weird kind of worms.


    The whole corridor twisted. Dozens, maybe hundreds of voices screamed out, showing up and hiding in the gurgling mass of bodies that used to be the walls of Freddy¡¯s Pizzeria. The moving mass pushed me towards my demise, spewing blood and oozing at me, slowing down my movements, binding me. Leading towards the giant bear, standing in front of me, as if my nemesis, my nightmare. With a twisted face, wriggling in a mad smile. He was waiting for me, savoring the moment, and all I could do was scream like never before.


    Finally, in the middle of the corridor I was able to reach the broom closet¡¯s door handle. This place gave me creeps from the moment I came here, but now it was my last lifesaver. The wet handle became my only anchor in the flowing, living and breathing river. But even it didn¡¯t help. The doors soon became decaying, crumbling and turning into more goo soon to join the mass of staring and reaching towards me in an accusatory gesture, corpses.


    All I found behind the door was my terrified face, it was wounded and dirty, looking back at me from a mirror. I was finally able to look behind me. The wriggling pile of corpses was dominated by something yellow, purple and red. The Freddy¡¯s gang.


    My feet were slipping on the wet and crumbling floor, revealing only more and more victims. ¡ª Who are you?! ¡ª I yelled, trying to understand anything from what was happening, but the mass of corpses yelled out together, making it impossible to make out what they said. My trying was futile, I was unable to move even for a single millimeter. I wasn¡¯t able to stop my own death. I felt completely lost, without any hope to run away from this place, all I could hope for is for the end to be painless.


    But the whirling body of Freddy didn¡¯t leave much to imagination. In just a couple of seconds I was about to feel all those teeth and nails digging into me, those hands and claws ripping me apart. Trying to get to my insides, mindless in their brutality but smart enough to keep me alive just a while longer, so I could endure everything. Feel everything.


    There was only one last thing in my life. The only thing I could control. The knowledge. I had to know:


    ¡ª Why?


    My mouth got filled by the mass. I felt how cold and long fingers of the half decayed bodies got inside me, choking me from the inside.

 5AM

    My answer came in the form of silence. I hesitated to open my eyes, but I was also glad to not feel anything in my mouth. I blinked a couple of times and realized that I am in the ¡®Parts and service¡¯ section of the building. Sitting on the table where just a couple of hours ago I was talking with Freddy, pretending to be someone I knew a long time ago. The room was well lit and gone was the mess of animatronic parts and suits. The shelves were empty, showing me naked bricks. In front of me, just over the door was a mechanical clock.


    ¡ª Why? ¡ª I heard my own voice, attacking me like an echo and yet not distorted. It was clear, just as if I said it myself. The clock¡¯s hand moved forward for a minute.


    ¡ª Why? ¡ª Echo repeated the question, moving the clock forward once more.


    A couple of seconds later I entered the dining area. Time seemed to slow down when I was moving, but it rushed forward the moment I stopped, because during those couple of seconds I heard my own voice eight more times. But since I stood up, the voice was silent.


    The dining area was drowning in darkness, obscuring the twisted mess crawling on the floor, decaying humans reaching out and pulling their bloated corpses, making a clearly hearable noise. On shaky legs I got closer to the stage.


    The lights blinked.


    I was sitting in a chair, looking at a closed curtain. Sudden noise to my right made me look that way. It was some woman in a red dress, with a dried flower in her thin hair staring at me. ¡ª Why? ¡ª She whispered as if through me and slowly looked back at the stage. ¡ª Why? ¡ª Repeated someone in the sea of corpses behind me.


    I felt like I was about to vomit. The smell of decay and the knowledge that I was surrounded by hundreds of dead people leading me to the edge of my own sanity. I covered up my mouth. ¡ª It¡¯s starting. ¡ª I heard dozens of voices, each somewhat unique failing to say it exactly at the same time. ¡ª Why is it starting?


    The curtain started to stretch and melt, soon it tore up and disappeared into the air like an old corpse, crumbling in the hands of a discoverer, revealing the stage, which was upside down, and a little cat standing on it. It looked up at us, at the rows of chairs standing on the ceiling. ¡ª Why? ¡ª It asked me in my own voice, and soon it too crumbled, leaving nothing but a wet stain.


    In its place came a tall woman, wearing a beautiful green and white suit with thick red hair flowing down her back. She looked at me. My mom. I wanted to scream, call out to her but all I could do was stare. And she stared back, with a look in her eyes that she used for when I¡¯ve done something bad as a kid. Seeming slightly disappointed, but never angry. ¡ª Why? ¡ª She asked in a quiet voice. My voice.


    Soon she lowered her head and waited. A couple of the viewers stood up and started clapping as if after a touching show in a theater. But soon they stopped, breaking away from the ceiling and plummeting up, towards the ground. Three silhouettes: Bonnie, Chica, Foxy. Slowly they stood up and marched towards the woman and from the darkness came out more and more creatures, joining the grim reapers in a morbid dance of twisted faces and limbs. They surrounded my mother, who disappeared into the crowd. Not looking at me. Disappointed.


    I screamed when she was gone, with tears streaming up my face and higher till splattering on the floor above me. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes away from the terrifying spectacle even though I really wanted to. But soon from the twisted forest of bodies a little girl appeared. She couldn¡¯t have been older than eleven. In a blue dress, white as a wall, without any signs of decay, she looked like a porcelain doll, with her beautiful green eyes looking up at me.


    ¡ª Why? ¡ª She simply asked, while my chair started to slowly get lower. She was repeating my words time and time again, while the bodies around her reacted to her soft voice by dancing a twisted dance, whirling and pulsing with undead life, just like some bloated single organism. Suddenly all the bodies stopped and fell to the ground, decaying, turning to bones and ash. ¡ª Only a quarter left.


    I was hanging upside down with my face in front of her. ¡ª Remember? ¡ª She asked, getting down from the stage, and closer to me. ¡ª You remember. ¡ª She frowned, while I tried to recall where I could have seen her. Finally she stopped, about a meter away from me. ¡ª You don¡¯t remember. ¡ª Her voice expressed disappointment.


    ¡ª I¡¯m¡­ sorry. I have no idea who you are. ¡ª I answered truthfully and the girl took a step back.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t lie to yourself. You won¡¯t remember her. ¡ª I heard a voice just behind me. I tried to turn around but the muscles wouldn¡¯t let me, just as if I were only a guest in my body, which was currently trying to choke me to death. But I knew that voice well: ¡°Freddy¡±. ¡ª Yes Y/N, me. ¡ª He chuckled, crawling out of the darkness in front of me, his coiling and stretched body looked like a snake with randomly placed limbs sprouting from it and wriggling in pain.


    The beast showed me its ugly teeth in a smile while embracing the girl in a clumsy hug. ¡ª And yet she never forgot You. ¡ª He continued. ¡ª Why? ¡ª The clock ticked once more. ¡ª Come on Y/N. You know it!


    ¡ª She is dead because of me. ¡ª I answered after a drawn out silence.


    ¡ª Why? ¡ª She asked me, once again pushing forward the invisible hand of time.


    I stood under an improvised roof of a bus stop, in the rain, right in front of Freddy''s Pizzeria. I was around fourteen or fifteen. It was cold and just a couple of minutes ago my friend told me that he won¡¯t be meeting me today. So I was alone and without enough money to get a bus home. I had already made peace with the thought of going back on foot but I preferred to wait out the terrible weather, or at least the heaviest part of it, so I tried to warm myself up by walking in place.


    I didn¡¯t know how much time had passed but the rain finally got a bit more manageable. I was muttering to myself under my breath, and unhappy I made my way towards the house, I didn¡¯t look where I was going, I knew the way like the back of my hand, looking up only sometimes on the pedestrian crossings. But that day I changed my route.


    ¡ª Yes, now you remember. You saw them that day.


    Donny and Billy, they stayed in one class three times. And even though they were my age, they were in a completely different class. I saw them that day. They were walking in the rain while I was waiting in front of the pizzeria, they seemed odd, with their faces hidden under hoods. I instantly recognised them by the way they walked and their backpacks. Suddenly they stopped a couple of meters away from me, frozen in time, while Freddy crawled out from behind them like some kind of a shadow.


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    ¡ª Why? ¡ª They whispered and fell down like sacks of potatoes, splattering mud and water around which quickly stopped mid air as if stopped by an invisible hand of master clocksmith.


    Raindrops were viciously hitting against the glass, it was a storm of a magnitude the city hadn''t seen in a while. And a younger version of me was sitting in the middle of the carpet, surrounded by notebooks. I felt bitter. But it wasn¡¯t my real emotion, it came from the body that I was now locked inside, unable to interact, still just forced to witness everything that was happening around me. Not able to change anything.


    She was in the kitchen, behind the closed door. I was angry at her, because she told me to do my homework and didn¡¯t even care enough to help. She just sat there and was cooking something. Or smoking.


    I knew it for a while - that my mum was addicted to drugs. Everyone knew, sometimes they even tried to help her, but she always had to turn back to the blunt. She wasn¡¯t aggressive, didn¡¯t smoke at work, never hit me or anyone else, she was a good mum. All we had to do was to not interrupt her while she was in the kitchen. Just pretend like nothing is happening.


    ¡ª Why? ¡ª I had always wondered that. She had a loving family: three sisters, my father, a son. Everyone had always been with her, so what pushed her towards drugs? Was she selfish? I couldn¡¯t understand that. Maybe she just wanted more, as if we weren¡¯t enough. I always felt angry when she prioritized the smoke for a couple of hours rather than being with us, as a family.


    It was the same way today. She didn¡¯t want to help me, even though she knew I had trouble with math, because she preferred getting high, while my father was working very hard so she could continue doing it, and so we could live in peace.


    A loud bang caused by something falling snapped me out of my thoughts. I stood in front of Freddy Fazbear¡¯s Pizzeria. Donny and Billy were headed in my direction, they held some girl by her hands. She seemed similar enough to the taller one that someone could think that she was his sister or a cousin. She seemed excited and was talking to the bigger boys, who were answering her questions with short words.


    They didn¡¯t look my way while passing me, But she locked her big, green eyes right in my face, she seemed a little lost. I turned away, not wanting to have any troubles with the two boys, who despite being my age, were far stronger, and known to be brutal.


    I have known them since I was little. Our parents were friends.


    ¡ª Why? ¡ª I didn¡¯t react. The voice faded in the air, distorting the world before my eyes.


    I was at the bottom of a well, looking at a distant point of light, submerged in the shallow water. I knew I had no way of escaping my fate, I knew how this will end. I was just evidence, easy to be disposed of. But I was still alive, I felt my strength slowly leaving me. The fall was a death sentence. But he didn¡¯t have to.


    I looked down the well once more and closed the lid, taking a big breath of fresh air.


    ¡ª You washed your bike thoroughly that day. ¡ª Said a disembodied voice. ¡ª Why? ¡ª Accusatory tones came from around me, pushing on my body with their ghastly presence. I knew ¡ª Why? ¡ª I had to get rid of the blood.


    ¡ª It¡­ It ran out in front of me! ¡ª I tried to defend myself, while falling to my knees, trembling. ¡ª I couldn¡¯t steer in time. ¡ª The voice snorted, disappointed. The ground crumbled underneath me, I fell down into the clock counting down the last minutes of my life.


    ¡ª Why? ¡ª The cogs moved under the influence of that word, grabbing for the material of my clothes, pulling me into it¡¯s mechanical jaw, wanting nothing but my pain and blood. The springs were clicking and cracking. There was an alarm in the distance.


    I sat on a chair in the living room. The lights of the ambulance throwing deep shadows on my face. Glistening in the tears flowing down my face. I felt alone, without anyone to cheer me up. Everyone as always was jumping around her, ignoring me. I tightened my hand into a fist. She was always the important one. Nobody cared that she was ruining this family, with her addictions, her fake illnesses.


    And it finally catched up to her. She fell down, alone, in the kitchen.


    ¡ª I always said that I wasn¡¯t home when it happened. They believed me. ¡ª I said to myself, while looking at the raindrops flowing down the window, racing each other, forming bigger droplets, trying to be the first one down. ¡ª I didn¡¯t kill her. ¡ª I refused to accept the accusations forming in the air around me. ¡ª She did it to herself.


    Freddy¡¯s was closed that day. Out of limits to guests, to kids and their laughter, empty. It reopened after a couple of years, when the investigation was closed due to the lack of evidence. There were no witnesses or DNA at the scene. They never locked up anyone, and it always remained a mystery. ¡ª Why? ¡ª Asked everyone in the area. For a while they all were talking just about the death of some girl. No one actually knew her name.


    ¡ª Why? ¡ª I heard a voice behind me. I couldn¡¯t turn around, I was unable to move. Completely immobilized by a steel made skeleton, locked up in something that reeked of pizza and sweat. All I could see through the little eye holes was the clock, with its hands getting closer and closer to six o clock. ¡ª Why? ¡ª The hand twitched and along with it the walls swayed, with silhouettes locked under the paint, waiting for a sign. Twisting in their agony, reaching with their hands and empty faces towards me.


    ¡ª Why? ¡ª I heard someone¡¯s touch on my shoulder. It was Freddy, he was sitting next to me on the table. His voice was calm, almost friendly. He was waiting for my answer, encouraging me with his strong grip.


    ¡ª I¡­ didn¡¯t want this to end like that¡­ I couldn¡¯t have known that it would happen. ¡ª I answered, closing my eyes.


    ¡ª Then why do you feel responsible? ¡ª He asked me. He waited for an honest answer, for testimony proving my guilt. I didn¡¯t know what he wanted to achieve in this way, but I was completely within his grasp, he could control me like a marionette.


    ¡ª I¡­ ¡ª My eyes opened, we stood in front of the broom closet in the west corridor. He still held his hand on my shoulder, giving me some scraps of courage. ¡ª I feel that I could have stopped that¡­ I feel that if I had done something differently, none of this would have happened.


    ¡ª Why didn¡¯t you do anything? ¡ª The door opened showing the inside of the room. It was filled with different cleaning supplies, buckets, trash, empty boxes and bottles but despite its name there wasn¡¯t even a single broom inside.


    ¡ª I didn¡¯t know I could have done anything¡­ I didn¡¯t realize that any of this mattered. ¡ª I said quietly. Then I noticed it. Something that kept slipping from my sight. Something that sat in the closet since I first fell asleep. The reason I was scared of the closet. Myself, holding a clock with just a minute left until six am. ¡ª I¡¯m telling the truth. ¡ª I looked at freddy.


    The robot stood there, looking at me impassively. His silver eyes shined ghastly in the weak light of the lamp. He wouldn¡¯t answer.


    I once again looked at myself, sitting limp in the corner of the closet.


    ¡ª Am I dead? ¡ª I asked him, not expecting any answer. My eyes teared up, just one minute until six am.


    Hundreds of noises whispered together, the victims, the accusers, the perpetrators. Everyone who got through this place and was tied to Freddy¡¯s. ¡ª Why?

 6AM (Epilogue)

    Freddy Fazbear¡¯s Pizzeria was a source of controversy quite often. It wasn¡¯t unusual for a place filled with kids and adults in equal measures. It was far too popular for no accidents to be taking place in its walls from time to time.


    ¡ª But to die just like that? ¡ª Asked his helper the detective, waving his hand to ventilate himself from the smell of a corpse decaying for a couple of hours in a warm broom closet. ¡ª No visible signs on the body?


    ¡ª Nothing yet, they will have to make an autopsy, but it really does seem like he went down with some sort of a myocardial infarction. ¡ª Commented the younger policeman.


    The detective nodded his head, finally getting away from the door, letting the technicians gather evidence and take the body of a young man away. With a slow step he moved towards the dining area of the pizzeria.


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    ¡ª Terrible place, it always gave me the creeps. ¡ª He said, while looking at the three animatronics standing silently on the stage. ¡ª Who the fuck thought of making a children¡¯s restaurant completely without windows and in this part of the town? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if everyone who ever came here grew up to be claustrophobic.


    His companion nodded.


    The decision to close the restaurant came rather quickly, but soon another Freddy¡¯s location opened just a few hundred meters away from the already threatening collapse building. Without any repairs and anyone inside, it took only a couple of months for the roof of the pizzeria to fail and the walls to start crumbling. The old location seemed to literally deteriorate in the eyes of the nearby residents and passerbyers, taking everything that happened within its walls with it. Burying every mysterious disappearance, every unsolved death. Forever resting in the memory of the people as the place where their childhood took place and inevitably ended.


    They all agreed that the spirit of this place should finally be put to rest and die, without help of any people, becoming nothing more than a memory.


    They all thought the same thing about the newly opened Freddy¡¯s Pizzeria: ¡°Why?¡±