Welcome to Gaia! ::

We were on the road for a little while before the adrenaline began settle and I started getting sleepy. I can’t handle stress very well without my body and mind running down and I quickly fell asleep in the car. I didn’t dream… At least, I don’t remember dreaming. I don’t even remember passing out. The next thing I knew, I was in a bed and I felt something warm tight up against me. Carefully, my hand felt around. My fingers met soft fur as the object shifted a little before moving into my sight. It was a little black lab and terrier mix. It was then I figured I was at our friend’s house, since it was his dog. She stared at me, her tail wagging happily as she licked my face. Smiling, I reached up and rubbed her head and ears, then sat up, looking at the clock. It was 3 in the afternoon and I sighed in relief, thinking last night was just a dream.

That was until I looked down and realized that I still wore the security guard’s uniform. I sat there for a moment as it sunk in before groaning. “It wasn’t a dream.” Sighing, I sat on the edge of the bed. You’re over thinking again. You heard the sick prank of a recording and your mind ran with it as you did your shift then passed out in the car. No way that purple rabbit chased after us or it, the bear and the chicken were going to kill us. They are just robots to entertain kids. NOT freaking terminators! I told myself as I rubbed my face with both my hands.

Just then, I heard a familiar voice from the doorway. Looking up, I saw my bed partner’s owner. He had asked if I was okay. I just nodded. How I wanted to ask about last night but I didn’t want him to think I was mental.

He then smiled at me. “Feel free to use the shower. It might make you feel better.”

“Kay. Thanks.”

I smiled back as he went to leave but just before doing so, he looked at me, smirking. ”Care for some company? “ I felt my face get hot at his question right before I grabbed the pillow and chucked it at him. He quickly caught it though and laughed at my reaction. While still smirking, he continued. “What? I’m just asking.” I growled and was about to throw something else when he quickly closed the door.

I waited a few moments before relaxing, my face as red as a tomato. He always does this me and my brother just adds to it, teasing me about it. With another frustrated growl, I went into the bathroom to take a long, relaxing shower.




We pulled into the parking spot in front of the pizzeria at around 9 o’clock and my brother grabbed the duffle bag that was on the seat beside him before getting out. What was in it, I did not know. They just told me not to worry about it which annoyed me the living crap out of me, but I knew I would find out soon enough.

Once we were inside, my brother handed our friend the bag then went into the kitchen to see if he can fix the camera. I stayed behind, looking at the animatronics as the other two separated down the East hall and kitchen. Stepping on stage, I placed my hands on my hips, as if scolding them for last night.

“If you guys were allowed to interact with customers, you should be able to tell we’re human. So why do you try stuffing us in costumes?” I asked. I probably looked like an idiot talking to mascots as if expecting an answer, but the question seemed legit. “Are you malfunctioning o something?” Just then, I heard a faint sound. It sounded sort of like breathing and it was coming from Chica. I moved in closer to investigate and the closer I got to the chicken, the more it sounded like moaning as if someone was gasping their final breaths.

Before I could react, I heard giggling as if a child was playing hide and seek. I quickly turned around and called out. “Hello?” I scanned the room while stepping of the stage. “Is someone else here?”

“What’s going on?” I heard my friend ask coming from the west hall.

“You didn’t hear a kid laughing just now?” I asked, looking at him.

“No. I just heard you.“

My brother came out of the kitchen just as my question was being answered with a curious expression on his face. “Did either one of you checked on me in the kitchen a moment ago?” We both looked at him and shook our heads no. His expression turned to confusion as he looked back to the kitchen, scratching his head. “I thought I saw the door opened then closed as if someone was peeking in…”

“I heard someone laughing so maybe a kid got in here somehow.”

“Weird. I’ll help you look before our shift starts. I need to finish setting up these alarms, anyway.” Our friend held up several types of crafting bells tied to fishing lines. He then reached back into his pants’ pocket before handing my brother a walkie then handed me one after retrieving it from his side pocket. “Oh! How’d it go with the cam?”

My brother shook his head. “The video input wire is shot. Easily fixed, but I’ll need a new one. Shouldn’t be too expensive, though.”

“Good. Now, let’s find this kid.”

My brother and I nodded before we split up. He went to the office, using the cameras while they still pulled from the main electric source to see if whoever is in here would slip by us while our friend went into Pirates Cove while I checked the back room.

The room where the keep the spare heads was a little bit creepy but I swallowed and shoved the eerie feeling of being watched to the far corners of my mind as I continued.. Until the 2-way came to life with static as my brother’s voice echoed from it, causing me to jump. Clutching my chest to steady my heart beat.

“Broom closet’s clear.”

Sighing once my nerves called, I knelt down beside the table which a ‘skinless’ and deactivated endoskeleton sitting on it and looked under it, before continuing looking around.

Along the back wall, just out of sight of the camera, there seemed to be metal doors, almost like lockers, but big enough for a person to walk in . I reached my hand out and tugged on one. It was locked. I soon tested them all and everyone were like the first: Locked. The room was empty of human life besides my own, unless they somehow got in a sealed locker. I grabbed the radio. “Back stage is clear.” I turned and a thought struck me as I stared at the endoskeleton. Besides the bear, rabbit and chicken spare heads, I never saw spare suits, Foxy heads or even a new character. There were boxes of spare mechanical parts but nothing that seemed to go with this naked bot. “Hey guys? If these characters think we are out of costume, why aren’t they stuffing this endo?”

“Don’t know. Maybe cause it is back stage?” said my brother’s voice over the walkie.

“But even still. Why is it here? Unless the extra costumes are locked away, there’s nothing here for it. There aren’t even any fox heads. Was it a new character or something?”

“Probably a spare in case one of them broke down. And there has to e spare suits. You heard the guy last night.”

“Then why not use it for Foxy instead of closing him down?”

“You ask way too many questions.” Our friend’s voice came over the radio in a joking manner. “Be careful or they will get rid of you for being too curious.”

“Our boss is that shady after all, so they just might.”

My eye twitched in annoyance. “That is so not funny…” I felt like they were laughing before their apologies came across. I sighed and walked back to the door, setting up a makeshift alarm, putting enough slack so when the door opens the bells would ring. I tested it to make sure it could be heard. With a confirmation, I left, moving on to the next room.

All the rooms were checked and rechecked, but no one was found and we chalked it up to be our imagination as we finished preparing for the night.

The three of us were in the office, putting on our uniforms just when the electricity went out. A few seconds passed before the backup generator kicked on and our watches began beeping, signaling midnight. Like the night before, the phone rang and I picked it up as my brother walked over to the left door. Our friend took a seat in the only chair in the tiny room to monitor the cameras. The call was just another recording, this time, warning us about the fox.

Uhh, Hello? Hello? Uh, well, if you're hearing this and you made it to day two, uh, congrats! I-I won't talk quite as long this time since Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses. Uhh, it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone's in their proper place. You know...

My brother did a mock cheered at the congratulations for surviving while our friend scanned the cameras as the recording continued.

Uh... Interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often. I heard he becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so, hey, I guess that's one more reason not to run out of power, right? I-I also want to emphasize the importance of using your door lights. There are blind spots in your camera views, and those blind spots happen to be right outside of your doors. So if-if you can’t find something, or someone, on your cameras, be sure to check the door lights. Uh, you might only have a few seconds to react…

“You don’t say! This would have been helpful to know last night!” My brother huffed and I just chuckled. Seemed like him and the man leaving us the tips had something in common. They both are a day late and a dollar short with their information.

Uh, not that you would be in any danger, of course. I'm not implying that.

Of course not, I thought to myself. Why would we be in danger by such kid friendly bots?

Also, check on the curtain in Pirate Cove from time to time. The character in there seems unique in that he becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. I guess he doesn't like being watched. I don't know. Anyway, I'm sure you have everything under control! Uh, talk to you soon.

Once the recording ended, I looked over to our friend who had turned off the monitor for the time being to save power.

“Don’t worry. With the bells, we should be able to hear the bunny and duck when they get close and we only have to check on the coyote once in a while, so we won’t have to use that much power tonight,” he said, smiling at me. I nodded and prayed that our preparations would work. All that was left to do now was wait..

An hour had passed without a sound. We chanced a look at the screen and found that no one had moved from their spots, the main three stared out over the dining room while Pirates Cove’s curtains remain closed. Did we confuse them? Maybe we did something the other guards didn’t do and the animatronics didn’t know what to do? Or was last night was all in our heads and the guy leaving the messages was trying to scare us? That couldn’t be. If it was just me, then maybe, but, I had the guys here with me and they witnessed everything that I did.

Another hour had passed, then another and still nothing but silence, which was worse in this creepy atmosphere.
It was around 5 in the morning, just an hour left and I was starting to doze off. Our friend had crashed two hours ago. I was leaning against the wall by the buttons for the light and door so I could peek out the hall and be quick to react, slipping into the transition phase where everything was like a waking dream. In this state, I heard a faint melody. Something like a music box or something close to it, along with soft ringing of bells. I then felt like I was falling only to start awake to see our friend slouched in the office chair and my brother beckoning me over to his door.

“How the hell can you two fall asleep in a time like this?” he asked in a whisper as I drew closer, rubbing my eyes to get them to focus. I apologized and he just shrugged. “Luckily, they haven’t bothered us. Duck’s been staying in the dining room and the closest the bunny’s got was at the first alarm at the end of the hall. He’s now in the room with the heads. But you need to see this.” He pointed down the hall where we had the line of bells. I stuck my head out and…

There stood Foxy the Pirate, staring down at the makeshift alarm. He brought up a bare, metal foot to the line and it chimed before he leaned down, taking the fishing twine up in his hook and stared at for a long moment. The bot then dropped it after and began backing up.

“What’s he doing?” I asked.

My brother just shook his head. “Don’t know. Maybe return- OH SHI-!”

Both of our eyes widened at the sight as we scrambled back inside. Foxy had hopped the bells like a field jumper without even disturbing them or breaking his run towards us, his broken jaw snapping at the air. We barely closed the door in time to hear banging followed by a hardy, yet glitchy mechanical laugh which caused our friend to jump.

“What the hell?” He said, his heart pounding from the rude awakening

“He jumped the line!” Both my brother and I said in unison.

“Who? The rabbit?”

“No!” my brother explained, trying to control his breathing. ”The freaking fox! The freaking fox jumped the freaking bells!”
He took his inhaler out of his pants pocket and breathed in a dose of the medication as I heard what sounded like bells being ripped from the wall in the right hall. I ran to shut the door in time to hear the other set we had placed higher so their heads would hit the line only to see Chika giving us her best ‘Rape Face’ through the window seconds later.

My brother, who had gain control of his breathing, peeked out the window to see if it was safe to open the door to find Bonnie waiting. “Well, damn.”

Our friend checked the time and power. 45 minutes left and 34%. As long as we don’t touch the lights or monitor, we had enough to camp out from now on. We that in mind, all three of us got comfortable. Me grabbing my PSP from the duffle bag, you friend did the same with his DS and my brother retrieved his phone from his pocket. Soon, the room filled with faint music from the various video games that were being played while Bonnie and Chica waited at the doors, peeking into the windows.

Victory music played from my game at the exact same time our alarms went off and the guy looked at me for a moment then began laughing at the irony and timing. Saving our games or getting to a save point, as we waited to make sure everyone were back in their place. I got up once the backup power kicked off and the main kicking on seconds later. We barely made it with 2% power left. If we had check to see if they had left, we could have had more power, but we didn’t want to risk it. If we had and they were still there, the power would most likely be drained, leaving us vulnerable like the night before.

Once the lights turned on, we began packing our things, leaving our uniforms on as we worked on our make-shift alarms. For the most part, they had worked. The bells in the hallways were surprisingly still intact, in spite of one getting ripped from the wall. My brother went to check on the kitchen and parts room. The set in the kitchen was also intact. He shut off the light and turned to leave when he heard crying coming from behind him. He quickly flicked the switch on.

“Who’s in here?” he called out. There was a startled gasp followed y running footsteps. He grabs the walking. “Guys? Could you check the camer-“

There was a sudden, blood curdling scream, causing all three of us to jump and run to the dining room to meet up with each other. All of us were out of breath and our hearts pounding.

“Y-you okay?” I asked my brother. He nodded, trying to keep from using his pump again.

“W-what the hell w-was that?” he gasped.

I shook my head as I rubbed his back to settle him down. Our friend looked around the entire pizzeria to try to find the source, but both exits were locked. The staff lockers in the parts room were as well. The building was empty save for us and the animatronics, but they were turned off for the rest of the day. Or so our fellow guard that’s been leaving the messages. Without finding anything, we decided not to stick around. We quickly got in the car and left.

Chapter 4

Two weeks had passed since that meeting with Scott. My brother and I kept working at the restaurant despite the strange happenings and our family and friends' warnings. We have been filling out job applications else where but like before, no one was hiring so we were s**t out of luck... We were stuck working there until something came up.

Just like Scott had warned us about, Freddy became more active from the third night on and all four animatronics became more aggressive. More relentless, which in turn caused my brother's asthma to flare up more than normal due to the stress. Knowing the danger, Jack refused to quit and let me survive against these things alone. But, with school starting, the boy took the weekend shift.

Not all were bad, though. We weren't alone. There was another night guard with the name Mike Schmidt. The man looked to be in his early to mid 30's with messy, dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was employed back in the mid - late 90's while he was finishing up his senior year in high school, but was fired for tampering with the bots despite not having the knowledge to do so, but was rehired a few years later. Between the three of us, our schedules crossed so we were only alone two nights each a week. The only exception was Jack who had me one night and Mike the next. Neither of us trusted him alone with the animatronics since he always brought a bat with him.... That sounds terrible out loud. Worrying about the machines' well being over our own, but we didn't need to be sue for damages. We couldn't afford it.

It was Monday, which meant Mike was with me. It was 4 in the morning and I was on camera duty while Mike was guarding the doors. My leg was tapping the floor as I constantly looked at the clock. I whimpered as cramps from holding myself got worse.

"Stupid chicken..." I groaned, looking at Cam 7. Chica stood near the restrooms. Mike had heard and noticed my actions.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded, trying to ignore the building pressure. We then heard humming for the fifth time that night.

"Foxy seems to be talkative tonight," I said while checking Pirate's Cove. I could see yellow eyes peeking out from behind the curtain. That was all Mike and I had seen of the fox tonight. Other than his humming, he was relatively quiet. I flipped back to the camera overlooking the bathrooms. It was clear. "Hey, Mike? Care to keep watch? I really have to go."

"Chica moved?"

I nodded, answering Mike's question while picking up one of the walkie-talkies after standing up. He took my place in the chair as I peaked out into the hall. It was clear. Looking back at Mike, we gave each other the okay and I slipped out as Mike watched over the monitors.

Reaching the end of the hall, I could make out Freddy's silhouette on stage but no sign of Bonnie or Chica. I carefully activated the radio.

"Mike?"

"Bonnie's in the Parts room and Chica's in the kitchen," came the male guard's voice. "I always wondered what they did in there. Seems like she's bumping into things."

I offered my thanks and hurried as quickly and as quietly as I could, running into the girls' room, passing the kitchen.

I don't know how long it was. All I can remember was the feeling of relief before my co-worker's voice sounded over the walkie again.

"You may want to hurry. Chica's stopped and Freddy's looking towards you."

"I'm going as fast as I can!" I shot back at the man. "You try holding yourself for 4 plus hours."

"I have," Mike returned in a bit of an annoyed tone.

"Oh.. Right. Sor-"

I was suddenly cut off with "They're moving towards you. Get out of there!"
My heart stopped as my breath got stuck in my throat. I quickly finished and cracked the stall's door just in time for the restroom's door to open...





Mike clutched the radio as he focused on Cam 7. He had been standing once Freddy begun moving. While keeping tabs on the others, he had forgotten about Pirate's Cove. He hadn't even noticed that the humming had stopped. But, he did catch the chiming of crafting bells and stomps of running feet.

"s**t!" Mike exclaimed as he rushed to shut the left door just in time to hear Foxy's glitchy voice laughing as if mocking him. He let out a sigh of relief before returning to the screen and frantically flipped through the cameras, but couldn't find me. Should he dare try the radio?




I heard heavy footsteps as the bear and chicken entered the bathroom. Their scratchy voice boxes skipping with nearly every word as they looked for me, opening each and every stall. I had to hold my breath to keep from making a sound when I saw their foreheads approaching just above the walls and door as I stood on the toilet, pushing up on the ceiling tile. I lifted it up and back enough for me to squeeze through. I hopped up off my perch, causing the seat to shift just as the animatronics reached my stall and pushed open the door like the others. I had issues getting enough of a hold to pull myself up fully. I had to use a pipe or beam or whatever the dust and cobweb covered structure was, for support just to feel something grab at my foot. I screamed and kicked at it, hearing fabric tearing as I finished pulling myself up into the crawl space.

The space was tiny. My back was hitting the top as I crawled on my hands and knees. I couldn't see anything, not even my hand in front of my face. I could only feel the decades of dust. Getting to where I felt safe enough to stop and catch my breath, I searched for the walkie-talkie. Thankfully, it wasn't damaged or lost.

"Mike? Are you still there?"

"Serenity? Where are you, what happened?"

I could hear the concern in his voice I tried my best to reassure him. "I'm in the ceiling. I can't see cause of how dark it is, but I'm fine."

My heart was pounding as if I had ran a Triathlon. My lungs stung as well. But, I was finally calming down.. That was until I felt something furry crawl over my hand. I lifted it and heard a squeak as the rodent ran off.

"Freaking rat. You're the least of my worries. How do I get out of here?"

I began moving, crawling forward while carefully feeling around to find a loose tile. The further I went, I heard creaking and froze in place. After what felt like an eternity, I carefully shifted my weight to start moving again, causing the old support to give away, sending me along with wood and ceiling tiles crumbling onto the dining room below. All the air was forced from my chest as I landed on a table. The weight of the collapsing ceiling caused the table to buckle and fold inward, breaking the locks and bending the legs.

I was dazed for a moment, my back and arms ached as I slowly pushed myself up. With a groan, I looked up... I was surrounded. All four of the mascots loomed over me. I was terrified. So many things racing through my mind. My friends. My family. Was this my end?

There was a voice along with a bright light... It was Mike. He had drawn their attention but they weren't moving. It took me a second, but I soon realized he was shining a flashlight at them.

"Serenity!" I heard him call. I glanced up at the bots for a second before scrambling to my feet and rushed over to Mike who took my hand and pulled me along as he ran back into the room, closing the door behind us.

Once inside the office, I doubled over, leaning on the filing cabinet for support while clutching my chest.

"Are you alright?" I heard Mike ask, rubbing my back to help calm me. I slowly nodded my head.

"I HATE THIS JOB!" I screamed once my body allowed me to.

Mike smiled hopelessly as he set the flashlight on the desk. He then looked over me to make sure I wasn't hurt. I was white with dust, my hair was matted with cobwebs while my uniform was torn and my sneaker missing. I had a few scrape and my muscles ached, but he couldn't find any serious injuries.

"Once our shift is over, I'm taking you to the hospital. You might have broken something in the fall."

I shook my head while straightening up. "How would we explain this? No. I'm fine. Only my sanity is brok-" I heard giggling and I caught a glimpse of yellow out of the corner of my eye. Turning my attention to the desk, I screamed. There sat a golden bear, slouched on the floor as if an empty suite with white pin pricks in the black, empty sockets.

Mike swiftly looked where I was staring as I covered my eyes before returning his gaze back at me.

"It's okay," he whispered, holding me in a tight hug. "There's nothing there. They didn't get in. You're safe."

Chapter 6

I collapsed in the office chair, heavily. Despite the nearly 11 hours of sleep, I was still exhausted. Mike had picked me up from home like he promised. The family invited him in and chatted with him to -- as they put it -- get to know him better as I got ready for work. With my uniform in the process of being replaced after tearing the night before, I had to improvise. I didn't have anything purple or remotely close to the shade my jacket was, but I did pick a dark hoodie that didn't clash with my security cap. I then pinned my badge to the front of my hoodie and hurried down stairs where everyone awaited. I quickly apologized for being late and thanked Jack for waking me.

With concern in both his voice and eyes, Mike kept asking if I would be alright alone. It took a lot of convincing but I managed to convince him that I would be okay. I wasn't going to let events like that, despite how terrifying it was keep me from working. I couldn't afford to lose this job after all. The brunette reluctantly drove off after telling me to call if I needed to. I nodded then made my way to the office where I now sit. I may have convinced Mike, but I could not convince myself. Alone, heart pounding like a war drum as my mind replayed last night. I dreaded what was to come and asked myself "Why am I here?" Continuously. Over and over again. I felt insane. Was this what Scott and Mike go through every night they come in for their shift?

I leaned forward, elbows on the litter covered desk and hands gripping my head in an attempt to stop the headache. The doors suddenly slammed shut once the main power kicked off, causing me to jump up from the chair in fright. In doing so, I had made it crash to the floor with a bang almost as loud as the metal doors. I soon relaxed a moment later when the generator turned on. Sighing, I checked the camera feeds to make sure the animatronics hadn't moved in that short time span. Everyone was still in place, so I pressed the buttons that released the magnetic locking mechanism so the doors slid open and bolt-locked in place to save power. Once up, the bolts will not release until the button was pushed again, even without power.

With both doors open and the chair returned to it's original position, I sat back down and began my shift.

I mentally prepared myself the best I could. The bells Jack, James and I had set up two weeks ago were back in place to help me keep better track of the mascots. I kept the monitor closed, relying mostly on the chimes, heavy stomps, and laughter. All seemed quiet. Too quiet. Freddy, wasn't laughing, Foxy wasn't humming, Chica wasn't banging pots. Everything was so still that you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly, but very faintly, I heard something.. a music box? I opened the laptop and flipped through the cameras. They all were staring up at me. Even Foxy was peaking out. His golden eyes locked onto the camera. I switched between the stage and Pirate's Cove. There were no pin-pricks. I could actually see their eye color. Freddy's bright blue, Chica's lavender and Bonnie's red. I went back to Pirate's Cove, Foxy was still staring. Going back to the trio, I noticed the rabbit was missing. I quickly stood to hit the lights and there he stood. In the office, just a few feet from me. When did he get here? I heard no bells, no footsteps. I held my breath as the purple bunny and I locked eyes. I didn't know what to do. Was I going to get stuffed? Crushed? He just stood there. A look of confusion in his glass eyes. He then slowly turned and left the room. I stayed frozen. Did that really happen? I failed to keep them out and survived? Was I even awake? I could still be at home, sleeping and all of this was a dream for all I knew.

I waited a few moments, my head still trying to figure out what just happened. I slowly pushed away from the desk and gingerly peeked out into the hall. With no sign of the animatronic, I punched the button, closing the door and did the same to the right side. No signs of Freddy or Chica. Once the room was secured, I hid under the deck. I knew it was stupid, but I was scared and had no idea what else to do. I pulled my phone from my pocket and stared at it. Oh how badly I wanted to call Mike, but I didn't want to worry him. I suddenly heard giggling. When I looked up from my phone, a child, on their hands and knees while gripping a stuffed, yellow bear to their chest, gazing at me. I couldn't make out if the child was a boy or girl. I just saw blackness in their eyes as if the sockets were empty save for the white dots, glaring deep into my soul.

"You are not him." I heard them say, their voice sent a shiver down my spine as I sucked in my breath. The child adjusted, growing closer. I pressed tighter to the wall, trying to get away from them, but I knew I was trapped. The place I thought I would be safe ended up being my cage. "Beware the purple man," they said, grabbing my arm. All the heat suddenly left my body. Their hand burnt through the sleeve of the hoodie as if I was getting branded by liquid Nitrogen.

The sensation only lasted a moment until I found myself huddled in the middle of a diner. It didn't look like the pizzeria I was just in moments ago. Although I could see shadows of a bear and a rabbit on a small stage in one room. Sounds of pinball and other games in another. I slowly stood. People were around me. I saw, felt and heard them, but something was off. Their fashion were something from the 70's, maybe 80's. Their cologne and perfume were different than what I'm used to smelling. I looked behind me and saw a wooden table by the door with cash registers and bar stools.
Everything around me soon dulled down and I heard crying. I followed the noise, carefully going through the crowd until I reached the arcade room. Children played at the cabinets, tables and pinball machines. Passed them though, was a little kid, no more than 5 if that. They were crying, calling a name. I continued to approach. My eyes darted up once I saw a shadow behind them. A yellow bear knelt down to the kid's level

"What's wrong little buddy?" the bear asked.
"I lost my sister," said the child. "I can't find her anywhere."
"Don't worry. We'll find her together."
The kid nodded and the bear stood, picking the child up in one swoop. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach as they walked away.
"Hey!" I screamed. I felt like whoever was in that costume was going to do something to that kid and I had to stop them. I tried to. I ran as fast as I could, yelling for them to stop. Even standing in front of them. They just walked through me like I wasn't even there. Like I was a ghost. I frantically scanned around, hoping someone would see them. Hoping they would get the feeling something was wrong. Nothing. No one paid any mind. I quickly gave chase. I found them in a dark room. The bear set the kid down and locked the door. The little one looked around, sniffling.

"I thought we were looking for my sister?"
The bear looked at them before reaching a finger to it's lips. "After we play a little game."

I heard the voice. It was male, no longer with a cartoony pitch. He slowly approached the child. Then, after a moment of silence, there were sounds of bone crunching, blood curdling screams of agony, blood splattering onto the floor, creating pools. I tried again and again to stop him, but it was all in vain. The child had been placed in a spring lock suit and the bear released the mechanism. Gurgles of dying breaths were all that remained to be heard as blood stained the fur, flowing freely from the seams.
That poor child. I thought, tears welling up as I covered my mouth. It took everything to keep me from breaking down. I then remembered the man. I looked and found him taking off the head of the costume. I couldn't see his face, the shadows concealing it. All I could see was a smile. That all too sweet and twisted smile.

<><><><>

The sound of someone calling my name was distant and warped. I felt as if being shaken gently. The voice grew louder and familiar. Mike? My eyes slowly opened to see the guard along with Scott hovering above me, concern filled their eyes. I carefully lifted myself into a sitting position with his help. I was on the office floor.

"Are you okay, Serenity?" Mike asked. I was dazed, trying to wrap my mind around the dream I had. I turned my gaze to the brunette and nodded.
"Y-yeah. What time is it? Why are you here?"
"It's 5:30. You called me and I drove as fast as I could. Surprised I didn't run into any cops coming here."
"5:30? I called?" I asked, looking around for my phone. I found it under the desk.I reached for it, grabbing it and brought it close for me to see. It had Mike's number and the minutes spent. My eyes then widens in realization. "Freddy and the others?"
Mike shook his head. "They are still on stage. We had no problems, surprisingly. I just felt like they were staring at me." He held out his hand and helped me to my feet.
"The power's out too," said Scott. "Been out for about an hour. I'm surprised Freddy hasn't played his tune or opened the door. Why did you lock yourself in here?"

I looked between Scott and Mike, not knowing how to explain.
"They.. They didn't move.. Just stared up at the cameras. Even Foxy. No humming or laughing. J-just silence. I checked then Bonnie was in here. T-t-then a kid with a stuffed.. I don't know. "

"It's okay, Serenity. Everything's okay."
"I'm not crazy, Mike!" I screamed, taking his calming tone as he didn't believe me. He palmed my cheek and smiled as Scott looked away as if deep in though.
"I know you're not. Remember, we've been here a long time not to believe you. Scott may not admit it, but this place is haunted."
"They won't let me admit it.." Scott said under his breath. He rubbed the back of his neck as he kept an ear out for movement, flashlight in hand.
Mike glanced over at him then returned his attention to me.
"The voice? What did they mean about the 'Purple Man'?"

Chapter 8

Sleep didn't bless me after returning home. Hours passed with me staring up at the ceiling or cuddling my tortoise-shell cat, Chloe. Every time I closed my eyes, I was met with images of the ghostly child. The skin on my wrist growing cold and numb. The crunching of bone, splattering of blood and gurgling screams invaded my ears. I tossed and turned, but still no rest before I decided to give up on sleep.

Half the day dragged by as I stayed silent. My family saw the exhaustion displayed upon my face, yet I couldn't tell them why. Who would believe me after all? Everyone would think I'm insane! And maybe I am? Mike did reassured me that I wasn't.. Still didn't help the feeling of I'm going nuts. Stories of ghost children and killer mascots of a family restaurant would definitely score me a padded room.

The only one I could talk to was Jack. James even looked at me as if I had a third eye when I explained over a trip to the mall. Things between us changed after the first week of work. It felt like James became smug and argumentative while I grew irritative and distant. We were growing apart. I saw it, I was pushing my best friend and crush away, but I was too tired. Too stressed for the drama that I didn't care to stop it from happening. I was regretting every life decision at this point. I felt lost.

Night fell and exhaustion finally overcame me. I don't know how long I was out before my cellphone woke me. Jolting upright, I grab the device, looking at the caller id with blurred vision. Mike? I answered.
"Serenity," he said in a panic. "Scott's in the hospital!"
"what?"





Jack and Mike sat in chairs of the waiting room of the hospital as I paced in front of them.
"Seri, you need to calm down." My brother stood and patted the chair. "Here, sit. I'll go get us some coffee."
I slowly nod and took his seat while he walked down the hall towards the elevator. Mike gently squeezed my hand.
"He'll be okay."
"Let's hope so," said a voice I didn't recognized. Mike and I look up at a man wearing a baggy Fazbear uniform.
"Oh! Hi, Dave." Mike said, his voice had a hint of displeasure before looking at me. "Serenity, this is Dave Miller. He was with Scott when... They got in." His gaze returned to the security guard. "This is Serenity Carter."
Dave nods his head in greeting as Mike's grip on my hand tightened.
"Pleasure, miss Carter. Maybe we'll see more of each other while Scott recovers?"

He sat down beside me and smiled. A chill shot up my spine and I felt uneasy.
"Excuse me.." I said, trying to keep my voice calm. I stood up and felt Mike's hand slip off mine before walking across the room towards the vending machine. I took a moment to take a deep breath, then withdrew some change from my pocket. I looked over the contents of the vending machine before making my choice. Bending down and retrieving the chocolate donuts, I stood back up in time for a tall, thin figure with a white mask glide by. I gasped and spun around. Everyone in the waiting room stared at me. Embarrassed, I smiled sheepishly and walked back to my seat while keeping my head down, deep in thought.