Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Pages lined the hallways, scattered at random with the twisted scrawlings of children's linework. Red, yellow, purple, and brown crayon wax taking forms of robotic animals that supposedly breathed. Footsteps neared the scathed wallpaper, heels of worn-in sneakers a dull, dark red in the dim light. Nearly soundless on the checkered floor, tired feet skimming over cracks in the black and white tiles. Drawing in a breath, widowed blue eyes stared at the hastily drawn animals, their figures boring over each stick-drawn child. Their faces either contorted with fear or stilled in withdrawn laughter. Pinpricks for eyes, lively yet lifeless compared to the glowing eyelights of the actual mascots. The girl heaved a faint sigh, humorless as her worn sneakers shuffled together in the hallway. Complexion darkened from the light of dusk shifting towards night in the distant window. There was no white glow outside, indicating a new moon. The stars in the night sky were washed out from the tall lamps lighting up the parking lot, headlights of cars already long gone. The day shift worker stepped out of the hallway and gazed out the smudged window pane. There were a few traces of leftover snow from last week, the recent rainfall having rinsed most of it out.
As her unrelenting gaze continued to bore upon the front of the building, shaded blue eyes suddenly blinked in realization. Scanning over the parking lot, she let out a huff. There was only her car left, meaning that the boss was already gone. Mrs. Bilough must have assumed that she had already left the building, and took the keys with her. Ashlyn moved towards the entrance, fingertips lacing around the silver handle of the front door and jostling it. Locked. Blowing out a breath through gritted teeth, she checked her watch. The clock hands ticked and reeled, showcasing the time as Ashlyn squinted to see. 11:56 PM. Her brows furrowed. No wonder her boss assumed she was already gone, if it was this late. With a click of her tongue, she remembered that the nightguard was out of commission temporarily. For unknown reasons, of course. The boss kept everything a secret. If the nightguard was still working, then she wouldn't be locked inside. Nor would she, a day shift worker, be forced to do an impromptu night shift. Despite the shift being sudden and rather out of the blue, she reeled her shoulders back while loosening her muscles. Then, she stepped back into the dim hallway and into the office holding the security monitors.
There was a tablet on the desk, seemingly tossed rather than set neatly down. The two metal doors led to each hallway that the cramped office was nestled between. For some reason, each door had scratches etched into the metal. As if a sharp object deliberately scraped at the metallic coating in desperation and anger. No, anger didn't seem right. Vengeance was the word. Ashlyn parked herself in the dark gray office chair, the little scratched wheels and aged legs creaking a pitiful squeak. The air was dusty, just like the metal desk that held an iron-like appearance. Little television screens, three on the bottom and two stacked unevenly on top, were splayed across the metallic surface. Ashlyn's grip on the monitor became like a vice as she flicked it on and saw darkened eyes gleaming back at her. There was a hitch in her breath, lungs regaining air again once she realized it was the rabbit animatronic. Bonnie, was his name. The longer she looked, the more disgraceful mockery the shadowed eyes held. A hardened magenta gaze on the violet-coated rabbit, tacky fur covering the metal limbs and hard wiring inside. Ashlyn steeled herself, nervous blue eyes flickering towards the other animals on stage.
Except there was only the brown bear standing next to the rabbit animatronic. Her eyes widened in realization at the sight of the missing yellow chicken. From the tell-tale sign of the robotic twitching from Bonnie, she really should have noticed sooner. The animatronics could move at night too, not just during the day. Why wouldn't they be shut off, so their gears won't get stuck? Dismissing the reason as insignificant, Ashlyn went to the more important matter at hand. Quickly, the day shift worker tapped her fingers every which way on the screen of the monitoring tablet. The missing animatronic, Chica, was standing in the kitchen. Breathing out a sigh of relief, unsteady hands gripped the sides of the tablet like a sudden lifeline. She switched back to the security camera showing the stage, her previous relief becoming very short-lived at the disappearance of another animatronic. Flicking back through the cycle of different cameras, she paused at the supply closet. Shoulders slumped at the sight of Bonnie inside, before tensing up with renowned knowledge. The supply closet is in the left hallway leading to the office. The rabbit animatronic was nearby, too close for comfort in Ashlyn's opinion.
Hearing a devastating thump, the chair squealed in protest as the girl quickly wheeled herself over to the left door. Flashing the button that shone light out in the hallway, catching sight of the towering animatronic rabbit. The light was turned off immediately as she pounded the other button with a trembling fist. Stone cold was the shocked expression on Ashlyn's face as the left door closed itself shut with a resounding slam. Heaving labored breaths, she forced herself to remain as steady as possible. There were still other animatronics out there, and a slowly draining battery level bar in the top corner of the tablet screen. The battery percentage only went down faster after closing that door. Jaw clamped and eyes hyper focused, the tablet hovered above her lap as she checked the other cameras. Chica was no longer in the kitchen. The sound of her own teeth scraped against each other as she dropped the tablet into her lap. Ashlyn rose to her feet, chair reeling back with a squeak of little wheels. This time slamming the door shut first, with a force hiding her spiraling nerves. Heartbeat rapid, she checked the light and saw the missing chicken animatronic outside the right door.
The light flicked off as soon as it had turned on, her tapered knuckles white as they curled tightly into a quivering palm. She flicked on the other light, shoulders slumping in relief at the vacant hallway. Opening the left door again before grasping the hastily dropped monitor on the chair. She didn't sit back down, knowing that her knees would buckle and collapse if she gave herself that luxury. Flicking through cameras, a thought struck her as she kept check of the whereabouts of the animatronics, almost absentmindedly. She wasn't sure if the animatronics were dangerous at night, but if they were it would explain why the nightguard is in the hospital. Considering how their eyes burned with a raging fire, a hint of red within those eerie pupils as they bore down at her, she wouldn't be surprised. If she hadn't known they were animatronics and just saw their eyes, Ashlyn would have been certain they were alive. Who knows, maybe they were dead on the outside and alive on the inside. She held back the shudder that threatened to rip past her spine. After Chica had wandered back through the hallways and into the dining area, the day shift worker went to reopen the door. The metal clanked, a gradual screech of rusted hinges as the door wrenched itself open at the press of a white button.
After seeing Bonnie and Chica in the large dining room and confirming that the brown bear remained on stage, her tight-nerved grip on the tablet loosened. There was a daunting silence hanging in the still air, crisp with looming fear and hollow hope. If the wandering animatronics with their vengeful eyes and the hospitalized nightguard were a sign, this place held not an ounce of safety. A wallowing sigh escaped chapped lips, tongue gone slack and throat went dry. She dared not to utter any words, letting her shallow breaths fill the haunted silence. The kindness that always seemed to linger in her rounded eyes was absent, diminished from the bitterness that clutched her steadfast heart. Wrapping it's unruly claws around her soul and turning it as dark and eerily quiet as this building. The girl allowed no time to calm or steady herself, knowing the attempt would prove fickle and pointless in the long-run. Uneven breaths gradually winding down at the lack of action, her tapping fingers paused at one camera. Curiosity was a daze inside nerve-ridden blue, gaze hardening at an out-of-order sign in front of the small rounded stage tucked into a corner of the room. The purple curtains were drawn open, littered with silver stars that revealed another animatronic behind the cloth.
Ashlyn tensed, her chest a swollen bundle of tight-knitted nerves. She had nearly forgotten about that one, supposedly a pirate fox that went by the name Foxy. Forcing herself to breathe, she sucked in a larger intake of air than necessary. A black eyepatch always covered one eye, the other left visible as a golden hue. The bright gold eye was no longer there now, the socket holding a silver pin prick as a pupil, surrounded by darkness. Staring directly into the glass-lined rim of the security camera. Holding back a shudder, Ashlyn was quick to snap her fingertips to check the other cameras. Only to find silver pinpointing back at her. The rabbit's singular eyelights were the same as the fox, as well as the chicken. Only one pair of eyes glowed a different color, the hateful red that belonged to the bear, Freddy. Whose gaze bore into the camera lens with striking precision. As if they were alive. She fumbled with the tablet nervously, fingers tapping back to another camera. It was only after she stared at the screen with a mixture of dread and shock that she heard loud screeching echoing past the hallway. The girl wasted no time, diving towards the button and letting the left door slam shut. She held her breath as an excruciating bang sounded harshly against the metal surface.
The girl had not moved, her body frozen still and stiff-limbed. Eyes blown wide. Breathing ragged. There was the scraping of a hook, a rough silver glint catching the corner of her eye as it moved jaggedly across the floor below. She recognized that offending weapon immediately, the hook replacing one of the fox's hands. The one thing Ashlyn hadn't known was how fast that pirate animatronic could run. Foxy's speed was unrelenting, how quick the screech drew nearer and the loud bang of the red-furred animatronic clashing against the metal door. She was surprised the floor hadn't shaken from the sheer amount of devastating brute force. Her forehead pressed against the button again to open the door, once she could no longer hear the screeching of metallic limbs and a sharp-tipped silver hook. The day shift worker heaved a worn-out sigh, before gasping and running towards the other door. Closing the metal door and then checking the light. Chica stood in the right hallway again. Fortunately, the silver eyelights were now gone, replaced with the chicken's typical pink eyes and black pupils. Yet a hint of red still flashed inside them. The animatronic cocked their head to the side, the robotic function akin to a drawn out, shaky glitch in the system. The hall light flickered off as Ashlyn pressed the right door's other button on the shadowed gray wall.
Metal clanking faded away, back into the dining area in front of the large center stage. The door opened at the press of the second button, and shaded blue eyes briefly closed before darting back to the tablet, fully aware of every passing second. Chica had wandered towards the kitchen again, and Bonnie was inside his corner of the storage closet, eyes back to their usual magenta. Brows furrowed, she narrowed her gaze at the purple rabbit. Knowing the animatronic would soon step out and lurk down the hallway in front of the left door. The girl was beginning to memorize their patterns, her breathing growing more regular as she adapted to the new situation. The brown bear had remained on center stage this entire time, whether that be fortunate or not. Regardless, she would continue keeping a close eye on all of the animatronics. No matter how long they stayed in one place. She had to be cautious at all times, inside these walls. Just as she flashed the button to reveal Bonnie's glowering eyes, a loud chime startled her. The sound came from the desk, but Ashlyn ignored it in favor of shutting the door. Except the button didn't work. Growing tense, she quickly slammed her fist on the button. The door refused to close, and the rabbit… was gone? Bonnie had left, rounding the corner of the hallway and into the dining area. Back to the main stage with Freddy and Chica.
Confusion bubbling inside her, Ashlyn turned and faced the desk. The chiming sound had stopped, coming from a digital clock that read the time in a white glow. 6:00 AM. The night shift was over. All at once, her lungs gave a half-hearted wheeze. A faulty smile curling on her bitten lips, that would later bleed. Shutting her eyes tightly in relief, she blinked hard when they opened again. Ashlyn swallowed dryly. She stepped out of the office through the right door, unable to glance back at the left hallway, where one of the deadly animatronics was standing a mere two minutes ago. Shaking her head, partly in confusion and half in sweltering relief, tired eyes gazed ahead at the dawn sky through the front window, past a less haunted dining area. Streaks of sunlight would soon light up the building. Ashlyn halted, feet slowing to a sudden stop in their tracks as the front door swung open. Sunlight hitting the cherry red surface. Her boss stepped through, pocketing a set of keys with deft fingers. Fluttering milky-brown eyes darted up to Ashlyn and grew wide in surprise. Lips parted agape, Mrs. Bilough blinked twice as if to double check her vision. Only then, did her lips close shut before moving. "You're not supposed to come in until 10:00 AM today, why are you here?" Her brows furrowed, lips drawn together as those flaming eyes hardened, gaze serious.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone