Chapter Text
The job was simple. Go under your childhood house and find a hidden evil lair where your evil father did evil things to innocent people. Michael stood at the door to his old home, working up the courage to insert the key into the lock. His father always kept spares inside the potted plants sparsely strewn about the property, so it wasn’t hard for Michael to find a new key to replace the one he’d thrown away years ago.
Michael knew he had to go in–he had been planning this excursion for about 6 months now–but being faced with his actual, real life house glued him to the “Home, Sweet Home” mat guarding the entrance. This place was where he teased his brother years prior. This place was where he planned out different bullying tactics to appease his father. This place was the home he mournfully trudged back to after a too long stay at the hospital. This place was where he and Elizabeth had their final fight. And this was the place he would spend as long as he could searching for any remnant of his late siblings.
Michael took a deep breath and unlocked the door.
The inside looked the same as ever. Michael wondered how long it took for his father to realize he had left. He wondered if his father even cared. According to the papers, Michael’s father hadn’t been seen since those kids went missing. Michael tried so hard to distance himself from the man, but no matter what he did he couldn’t stop himself from peering over customers’ shoulders when Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria appeared in headlines. Jeremy always wondered why he didn’t just buy a newspaper for himself. Stupid Jeremy just doesn’t get it.
As Michael wandered around the house, he thought about how everyone must be doing back at work. He took off for a week claiming he was going on a family vacation, knowing if he told the truth he’d just be looked at like a crazy person.
‘Yeah Mrs. Manager, could I pretty please get a week off so I can find my dead siblings? I promise it won’t take long!’
He hoped Jeremy wouldn’t be too bored without him. They worked the day shift together at the new (and improved!) Freddy’s location. Michael wasn’t too good with kids but he would never turn down a job from Henry. That’s probably what got him into this situation in the first place.
Michael remembered hearing something about Jeremy moving to the night shift while he was “on vacation”. He really hoped it wouldn’t be for too long, but you never knew with Freddy’s. Michael sighed, hoping Jeremy would be able to survive the all consuming boredom that came with the night shift. He heard from another employee that the workload included staying completely still in the main security office for 6 hours. Michael knew Jeremy wouldn’t be able to sit still for that long. He couldn’t imagine why any normal person would choose to work the night shift.
Michael felt the floors and walls for any sign of a trap door or some kind of medieval hatch. He didn’t exactly know what to be searching for (Uncle Henry’s letter was NOT specific in the slightest) but his mental image of his father made him believe the hidden lab had to resemble some sort of 14th century torture chamber. Michael paused when he felt a strange lump under the carpet in front of where his TV used to be. He lifted the carpet to reveal a small lever. Michael guessed he wasn’t too far off with the whole torture chamber idea. He flicked the lever and stumbled back as the floor in front of him collapsed to reveal a set of metal stairs. He nervously checked behind him, wishing that someone would stop him.
After a few moments of silence, Michael braced himself. He wanted so desperately to find his brother and sister. He needed to give them the proper rest they deserved. Michael would do anything to make it up to them, even if it meant venturing into the place his father banned him from entering as a child. A part of him still held onto that fear of his father’s words. His threats. Michael took another deep breath to calm his nerves. He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking under the nervous pressure. He was stepping into the unknown, and God knows there’s no way he’ll come out of this alive.