Chapter Text
“Mamá! You’re taking this too far now!”
“Hija, don’t you understand? I’m doing this for the family, for the miracle!”
“Fuck the miracle Mamá! What miracle? With a monster like you in our family? I’m not letting you hurt another one Alma.”
“Don't you dare-”
“Well fuck you Alma! All you ever did was-”
“Pepa!”
Camilo Madrigal woke up to a jolt, his breathing uneven as he ran a hand through his hair. It was alright. Just…just another nightmare.
He buried his head into his hands. These kinds of things were more frequent as the week went by. Today was the day he took the shift at the pizzeria, first day on the job. Woohoo.
Camilo felt weird when he was buttoning up his white shirt. He knew that he was bound to get some looks, he was a Madrigal. To be specific, the only Madrigal.
Camilo Madrigal was the only surviving member of the family, after his family had been murdered during a long serial killer run. He didn’t know how he lucked out, but truth be told, he didn’t think it was any better. He was left with almost no help, and he was forced to survive in such a hellish world that he was bound to have some problems.
He got in a cab and went to the Fazbear building, where he had to check in. To be completely honest, Camilo was still suspicious of this company. He knew that things have gone down in the past and that…..this was the same company that was linked with his parent’s murder.
Rumours had it that he somehow had a right to the company, how his grandfather, Pedro had worked with his grandmother to make animatronic bodies, making a huge revelation. Although something tragic happened, no one knew if Pedro was still alive and well.
Camilo took a deep breath and went into the building. Oh how the state was horrible. Lights were flickering, the paint was peeling off the walls, and there was a pungent smell overall that seemed to cover the whole place. Camilo groaned and went to the director’s building to see him and have a briefing before he started his week long shift, but all he was met with was a locked door and a sign saying ‘Keep Out!’.
He begrudgingly made his way towards the taxi stand again, not even minding the fact as he shoved past people. Today has already started to be a bad day. His clothes were unkempt, with one side tucking out from the other side. He tried flagging a taxi, but it was as if no one was out around the area. People walking about were far and few, and even the streets looked considerably empty compared to the busier parts of town.
“Stupid, seriously, out of all things, why must it be today that-”
A blinding light captured his eyes as a yellow taxi pulled up to the stand. Camilo didn’t know why, but a shiver ran up his spine as he gripped the door handle and sat inside. The air conditioning was too cold, and the engine was too silent for a cab this old.
“Where to?”
Camilo snapped out of his daze and replied back with the address of the pizzeria, handing the guy a slip of crumpled paper that he got from his pocket. The driver looked at him in question before asking.
“The Fazbear pizzeria? Are you really sure you wanna go there? Place been run-down for years!”
Camilo nodded as the taxi began making his way to the pizzeria. The dreaded feeling still hadn't left his stomach as he tried to take a deep breath. He talked with the driver for a bit, who was a nice man, to ease his worries.
He got off and waved to the cab as it drove off into the distance, leaving a trail of dust. He turned around and came to face the big building.
He hated doing maintenance.
“Well, now or never i guess”,he said aloud as he opened the doors to the pizzeria with some difficulty, the doors creaking loudly as he coughed. The building was clearly in bad shape. There was so much dust everywhere-and was that a rat? Oh god, Camilo was already regretting it.
The door shut behind him with a bang, sealing him inside from the outside world, leaving him in complete darkness. He blinked around, trying to adjust to the darkness.
“Hello?”
His voice echoes through the building, and all he was met with was a cold gust of wind.
“Anyone there?”
Silence, it really looked like he was going to be all alone for-
“Camilo?”
Camilo felt his breath being taken away from him forcefully as he willed himself to take another step, one hand feeling along the walls to get to the main office and the other to find the spare flashlight he kept in his bag. He found it and took it out, immediately shining it around. Nothing.
“Hello? Is there anyone there?”
Must have been his imagination.
“Hijo? Is that really you?”
Camilo screamed. That was actually an understatement, he shrieked as he dropped to the floor, hands covering his head as if a monster was going to bite into his head and rip it off. He took a few deep breaths before getting up.
“This isn’t funny guys. If it’s a prank, just come out right now alright?”
Nothing else came after, so Camilo deemed it as just a figment of his imagination and continued on the long hallways, pushing aside some overgrown vines that had grown in the walls. He was just about to take another step when his flashlight flickered once, twice, and went out.
He shook it again and it came back on, and he was just about to push another vine when a coldness wrapped around him, going inside his body as he felt his consciousness drift. It felt as if ice poured into him continuously as he tried to take another step, closer to the office to where he might find solace.
Even in the dark, you could see Camilo’s hazel eye’s flicker to those of green, flickering back and forth before they flickered back to green. And he blinked.
“Wow, this place changed a lot, it’s so…rundown-”
“Who are you…Get out from me right now!”
Camilo couldn’t hear himself speak, but when the other person, she, or whoever it was spoke, he felt scared. The voice was his, but the thought was those of a woman, much older.
And much familiar.
Camilo couldn’t do anything, it was like he was peering out into the world from inside his body, and not his eyes. He saw his body move, looking around, feeling his hands.
“I must say, the place is in very bad shape.”
“What do you mean?”Camilo mustered out in curiosity. The lady didn’t answer him back, but after a few seconds of silence she snapped her fingers.
“I’ll show you.”
Suddenly a transformation of the place took place before his very eyes, the walls now clean and white, as if coated with a fresh new coat of paint, the fluorescent lights shining as bright as daylight outside, the floors are scrubbed clean, and the furniture was all in good condition too.
“The magic gave us this, although in my opinion i-”
The lady was interrupted by an animalistic scream that seemed to fill the whole pizzeria. Camilo could feel the connection flicker abruptly as his body stopped in his tracks.
He wasn’t doing it, but he could feel his body breathing faster, as if he had encountered something deadly.
“I’m sorry hijo, I really am, but if Julieta is awake, I need to get out of here. You should too, it’s not safe here-”
And with that he felt the presence left his body, and his eyes flickered back to hazel as he collapsed to the floor. Camilo breasted in gulps of air, working his muscles as he felt himself in his own body. What was that? Whatever it was, he wanted none of it.
Camilo got up and turned around, only to see that the old rusted door was no longer behind him. All that was left was a while wall staring back at him.
He thought to himself. Hijo? What was that supposed to mean to him? And who was Julieta? Never in his life did he encounter someone named-
Julieta.
Tía Julieta.
No. That wasn’t possible. They died years ago, there was no way that they were still alive, right?
“Not really”, Camilo said aloud. Whatever he had just encountered certainly felt more supernatural than alive. And that lady who had just possessed him. What right did she have? Calling him her son and knowing the name of Camilo’s dead aunt-
No.
It can’t be.
Camilo turned back and sprinted to the main area, near the stage and looked around. Where did she disappear to? Camilo sweared aloud.
So they were here! All this time, Camilo was trying to solve the case of his family’s murder, for years, and they were all here. Camilo laughed to himself, maybe as a form of relief, maybe as a coping mechanism to ease the incoming insanity.
So, does that mean the rest of his family is here too? His siblings? His aunt and uncles? His father?
Camilo looked around, expecting someone to emerge but to no avail. That was when he heard it.
The soft scraping of metal to the floor, as if someone, or something was going to come. Camilo stopped in his tracks, covering his mouth so that no one could hear his breathing. He still had to worry. His mamá sounded scared when that scream came about, and he had to be wary.
The footsteps got louder and Camilo could now tell from which direction the sound was coming from, the metal door behind the east wing.
Camilo knew he couldn’t stay there in the spot much longer, not if he wanted to live there. And so he ran, not knowing where he was heading too, but as far away from the animal now pounding at the metal door. The lights began to flicker, and there was beginning to have an odd smell coming from one of the rooms.
He ran past pirate cove and ran into the west hall, trying to find the office. Where was it?
Even a distance away, Camilo could hear the scraping get louder and louder, as if it knew where he was. Camilo’s eyes darted about, trying to find a sign or something that would help him.
Camilo was just about to run back when he heard a sound. Something that sounded like a phone ringing.
That could help him.
Camilo traced the sound of the phone and finally turned left into the office, running for his life as if he could feel the presence of the monster right behind him. He ducked into the office and pressed a button, sealing the door shut behind him as he gasped for air. The animal pounded at the door, and Camilo didn’t dare to make a sound. Only when he was certain the monster had left, did he get up again. He should be safe here.
The phone was still ringing behind him. And he gulped and took the red cord phone.
“"Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night.”
“Hi? I wanted to inquire about the weird activity that has been going around here, supernatural things maybe?” Camilo answered back to the other person on the phone, who sounded like a girl about his age. Another co-worker here maybe?
Camilo waited for an answer but realised that this supposed phone call was just another stupid recording. But it didn’t hurt to talk right? Maybe if he asked the questions, the person on the other side would be playing the recordings given for different questions.
“Are you a fellow co-worker here?”
“Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine.”
Camilo turned his head to the phone and frowned. That response was awfully quick.
“Are you sure this is a recording?”
“Why would it be? So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?”
Yeah, whoever it was on the other side, it was definitely not some recording
“Look, whoever is there, I need help. Apparently my dead family is here and some weird metal monsters were trying to get me. Was it animatronic?”Camilo pleaded.
“Hold on Camilo I need to get this done-”
“So you do know me!”Camilo shouted as he ran a hand through his locks. What relation was she to him?
Camilo heard the girl sigh from the other end of the phone, and the weird sound of plastic gloves being put on.
“Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced."
Camilo looked at the phone in disbelief. What kind of protocol was that?
“Hold on, you’re telling me a missing person report will only be filed after everything has been cleaned?.”
“Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too.”
Camilo knew that the company was infamous for its mysteries surrounding the same animatronics. But to think that his family had been in there, watching him from all the times he stepped into the pizzeria, it’s saddening to say the least.
“So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay.”
“That’s easy enough”, Camilo replied back. “I can just talk to them right? Although they do seem to be wary of me-”
“Whoa whoa Camilo, get that thought out of your mind. Yes, our family members are still there, but they have changed over the years, changed because of the trauma and abuse abuela put them through. They may be nice outside of their animatronic form, but it's rare they do so.”, the girl ended with a tone that Camilo knew that she saw first hand.
“Can I get your name? Relation? Please, it’s been years, and knowing that my family is here…”, Camilo pleaded.
“What even makes you think I'm related to you? Hold on-”.The girl said as Camilo heard some buffering from the other side, and the sound of metal hitting metal.
“Easy to say, you’ve got that Madrigal spirit in your voice.”
The girl huffed. “You did not just say that I've got ‘madrigal spirit’. Fine. I’m Mirabel.”
“Great! Mirabel. so you’re my…”
Mirabel sighed from the other end of the phone and banged her head against the wall. “Cousin. We were supposed to be the same age before I..you know.”
Camilo nodded. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be, if anything, blame it on our freak of an abuela. Now, back to the topic. So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Let’s see here…,they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh... Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. They used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?” Mirabel paused before she shuddered.
Camilo felt like bile rising in his throat. One of the animatronic’s bit a worker? He did of course hear of the bite of 87’, but he didn’t know it would have been that messed up!
“Now Camilo, you have to listen to me, and listen really carefully. Now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, so, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll pr- they'll most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. They will think that you, Camilo, was the killer.”
“What?,” Camilo shouted into the phone. “Killer? But they have seen me outside the pizzeria correct? Why would they think I am the killer?”
Mirabel sighed as she poured a cup of coffee for herself, balancing the phone on her right shoulder. “Camilo, the magic’s different here. Uh, how do I say it? They never really progressed to the place after they got killed. The place is still run down. The magic is keeping the state of this place new. That’s why there’s no doors out. And no way in.”
Camilo had to sit down for this one, searching for a notepad and a pen to write down his notes on the situation.
“You gotta remember, you are not the first to stumble in here. People have died. You might have no memory Camilo, but you just have to remember. It’ll come back. That this is not the first time.”
“Alright then…I won’t question it,'' Camilo said.
“Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit. Now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death.”
Camilo gulped as he looked outside the shut door, the face of the monster was still there. Freddy was it?
Mirabel continued as she shut a door, managing her attention to the piece of torn fabric in her hand and the phone. “Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh.’’
Camilo wrote a few more things and propped his feet up the desk.
Mirabel looked through her list of things as the pounding on the door behind her got louder.
“Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, the first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night."
“Wait hold on!-”
But before Camilo could ask any further, the line was cut off and all Camilo could hear was the static from the other side.
“Damn it.”
He remembered Mirabel’s advice, to save the power, and he opened the door yet again. It was creepy as hell, knowing that one of the animatronics could just lunge out, but as long as he kept an eye on the cameras he would be fine.
Camilo spent the next hour or so flicking through the camera, shutting the doors now and then to ensure they wouldn’t come to him. He was just taking his cap off for what felt like the thousandth time, when he was looking at the left door.
Bonnie was it?
He checked the flashlight at the door and shut the door, just in time to see Bonnie’s eyes peering right at hin. He stood up and peered closer, seeing how the eyes flickered abit between the animatronic eyes and those of green.
Just like his mother.
After a while, Bonnie disappeared, and Camilo looked outside the long doorway, and flashed his flashlight. Nothing there.
Camilo bit his lip. He knew that Mirabel told him not to venture out of the safety of the office, but the mischievous and curious side of him wanted to know what else was out there. He had to learn, to know what happened.
With soft careful steps, he made his way to the main stage area, flashing at the animatronics. Freddy and Chica were still there, but Bonnie wasn’t. Camilo felt his heartbeat sped up, but he calmed himself down, knowing that the soul inside Bonnie was just his mother.
He walked by the stage, staring at the animatronics as their mechanical eyes followed him. He gulped and sped by.
He went by and made his way to Foxy Cove.
The place was dark, and the curtains were still drawn. Camilo wondered who was in the soul of Foxy.
So far, he knew that Tia Julieta and his mama were Freddy and Bonnie respectively. Mirabel was the phone guy he talked to, and that was about it.
“Hello? Is anyone there? I’m Camilo, Camilo Madrigal. Last born survivor of-”
A cold brush of air went behind him as he stopped talking. He flashed his flashlight around the room, but found nothing.
He peered closely, and there it was, right before his eyes, the warm orange glow of-
Pepa Madrigal.