Chapter Text
Tonight’s weather seemed like it was going to be pleasant. It was a little windy, so the heat shouldn’t be as annoying as usual. However, there was the issue of the dreaded ambient smog that hung around in the air..
He checked to make sure his fog lights were on.
In hindsight, moving to Utah wasn’t his greatest idea… especially for a heat hater despiser. But then again, the summers in Ohio back in the early 2020s weren’t exactly anything great to behold either. Now, things have gotten a little bit worse, what with all the excessive pollution still hanging around.
“Tsk.. So much for all of humanity’s efforts.. ” He quipped.
There went that pessimism of his again. He needs to keep it in check, lest he’ll slip back into his old habits.
For most of his twenties, he’d been working on improving his attitude and general outlook on life. Nothing groundbreaking, of course. He still has a job to do and taxes to pay. Can’t go giving your mental health all the attention, now, can we?
Thinking about his job seemed to snap him out of his meandering thoughts, spurring him to drive a little faster. That minor traffic jam on the freeway five minutes ago screwed him over a little. He knew he should have left earlier..
Whatever, there’s no use in chastising himself. Vanessa will do that for him. Not too much, though. She has always been more of a sweetheart than a drill sergeant. Vanessa has gotten hard-faced a few times, but it’s mostly been for looks and proving to management that she’s an adequate security guard.
Thinking about her put a faint smile on his face. She always seemed to make him feel better, even if just a little bit. He wasn’t one for much social interaction or mingling, even now in his late twenties, so he never had many friends. But he had Vanessa at the very least, and that was the important bit.
Time seemed to fly by as he finally entered the huge parking lot of the Mega PizzaPlex. Now mostly devoid of cars, as all the families were leaving for the night, he could safely punch it to the designated employee parking on the side of the building’s porte-cochère.
He wasn’t about to be any more late than he already was, damn it!
He checked the time on his phone as he exited the vehicle.
[23:47]
“ Shit , almost twenty minutes late…” He gruffed, running over to the main entrance. He pushed past a few stragglers still in the lobby. His shift started about an hour after Vanessa’s.
When he got into the elevator, the PA system kicked on, blabbering on with the typical Fazbear brand legal disclaimers. He spoke in time with the voice, in a mocking tone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for visiting and we hope you enjoyed the show! Freddy and the gang are pretty tired, but they’ll be back again next week after a few days of scheduled maintenance! Please make your way to the front of the building where you will be given novelty glasses, a voucher for one free soda refill, and where you will sign a legal disclaimer releasing us of all liability for anything that might have happened during your visit. Have an awesome night, and we’ll see you again soon!”
“Oh, how these guys are still in business positively mystifies me..” He said in an amused tone, chuckling to himself.
Hey, no one else was in this elevator, he could afford to goof around if he wanted to!
As the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, his phone pinged.
“Hm.. now I wonder who that might be.” He said, dreading whatever the message had to say.
From Vanessa. All caps. Uh, oh .
[I JUST SAW YOU ON THE CAMERAS! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?!? YOU’VE NEVER BEEN THIS LATE BEFORE!!]
Oh great, now he’s gotten her upset. Maybe he will chastise himself..
The few times he’s caused her distress has felt like an onslaught of knives through his.. well.. everything .
She’s always been caring and she’s never had him feel like this, so it hurts him a great deal to see how much she has to put up with.
[I’m really sorry, Vanessa. I got stuck on the freeway. I would have called, but I never use my phone when driving.]
Hopefully, that short explanation will calm her down a little.
[Alright, alright.. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to freak out, you’re right. Driving while using your phone is a bad idea. Thank you for not doing anything stupid like that.]
Oh, bless her soul. She always knows how to tug at his heartstrings.
[You have absolutely nothing to apologise for, ’Ness. I’ll be up in a minute.]
[I’ll apologise if I want to, damn it! C R E A M B O I]
He barely suppressed his laugh at that. Her nicknaming antics never fail to get a rise out of him.
[Oh, you’re real funny, ain’t ya? I’ll give you a round of applause.. with your own arms!]
[Come get me, then! Biznatch!]
A challenge? Oh, the chase is on, now.
As he stepped out of the elevator with a dumb grin plastered on his face, a Map Bot rushed into his path.
“GOD..... Bllllless you..! Seriously, what is your major malfunction!? Blimey, every time, man!” He raised his voice at the Map Bot, regaining his composure.
The bot tilted its head slightly to the side and offered him a map.
“Free map.” It said, in its usual monotone voice.
He snatched the folded paper out of its hand, not bothering to tell it off. Those buckets of bolts are like Terminators. Relentless and persistent.
He tossed the map into a nearby refuse bin as he walked up to the escalators. He’s worked here for quite some time, he knows how to get around the place. That measly map won’t tell him anything he doesn’t already know.
When he finally got to the security office Vanessa was holed up in, he opened the door only to have his face assaulted with a crumpled piece of paper.
“Pfft, really..? That’s what you go with?” He chuckled, unfazed by the pathetic piece of paper now lying on the floor. He kicked it to the side as he entered the small room lit by a single bulb in the centre of the ceiling. The huge monitor with its bright LED colours produced more light.
Vanessa kicked her feet up onto the desk in a nonchalant posture. And a smug grin.
“Go get into your Fazbear uniform. You’re late, you.. Faz-Bitch! ” Vanessa said, trying not to laugh and failing miserably.
“Heh.. yeah, I’ll make sure to plough right through traffic next time.” He said, with an amused look.
He opened one of the lockers sitting at the back of the room and searched for the uniform with his name tag pinned on it.
“Spare clothes.. nope.. Ah, what are you doing back there?” He mumbled as he found his name tag on the Fazbear guard uniform.
[Karim]
“Are you talking to your clothes?” The blonde guard asked.
“ Maybe ...” Karim said, in an exaggerated deep voice.
“Oh, God, don’t do that voice! It’s weird!” She pleaded with a smile on her face.
Karim went off to change into his uniform.
When he came back into the office, the distinct sound of the PA system notifying of the complex closing was heard in the distance.
“Well, looks like our shift has… officially started .” He said, in a dramatic voice looking down at Vanessa with wide eyes, as he put his street clothes in the locker.
“Psshh, don’t make it sound so grand. It’s just another night. And another… fright? ” Vanessa tried to think of a better word to rhyme.
“Hm, that could have applied to that weird Fazbear’s Fright place about ten years back. Not here. At least, not really..” Karim replied.
His mind wandered back to before..
“Hey, about earlier.. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to get you so worried.” He said, his deep brown eyes meeting Vanessa’s brilliant green ones.
Vanessa’s features softened. She straightened herself out in her chair and turned fully towards him.
“It’s not your fault. Like you said, you were in a jam. If anything, it’s me who should be sorry. My mind tends to wander and.. overthink. Bad things, y’know? I was just scared that something might have happened..” She leaned back in her chair when something on the monitors drew her attention.
There went the knives again.
“And it’s perfectly normal to think that. Some people are just natural worriers, heh... But hey, I’m here now, so you don’t need to eat your head up with your thoughts.” He hoped his reasoning would satisfy her in some way.
Seeing that she didn’t respond, he moved over to the desk to see what she was looking at.
“Is there something wro-”
“Karim, everything’s locked down, right?” She inquired, concern on her face.
“Y-yeah.. the PA system went off just a minute ago.” He replied, the sudden interruption throwing him off.
“Oh, no... This isn’t good.” She bit her lip.
“Look. On the right, by the main entrance.” Vanessa pointed to the lobby camera feed.
“Is that a.. kid? ” Karim asked, wanting to make sure he was seeing correctly.
“Yeah.. looks like it.” Came her reply.
“Damn... We do not need this right now. Uh, okay.. I’ll see if I can escort the kid out. The last thing management needs to know is that a guest got stuck in here under our watch..” He said.
“True that... Here, I just charged your walkie. I’ll let you know where the kid moves.” Vanessa said as she handed the now-grumpy man a two-way radio.
“Thanks. See if you can send a query to the S.T.A.F.F. Security Bots’ Intranet. Maybe they can pull up a guest profile. It’ll make contacting the kid’s idiotic parents a lot easier.” He said in a tone with a hint of anger.
He may not like children all that much and might not be the best with them, but he would never abandon or forget one. Especially not in a place like this. Haven’t these poor excuses for parents seen the news recently? Those " disappearances "? Everyone with a brain knows those kids didn’t get lost . Even Vanessa knows this and she doesn’t watch the news anymore!
Karim made his way over to the lobby, where the little boy, he was informed, was last seen.
“Hey, one of the Security Bots spotted the boy. He ran off into the Faz-Pad.” Vanessa’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Wait, shouldn’t the stores be locked during nighttime protocols?” He inquired.
"I don’t know.. you would think, huh?” She replied.
As he was about to put his radio back on his belt, Vanessa’s voice came through again.
“Hey, uhh.. the Glamrocks are… They’re gone.” Vanessa said, her voice laced with worry.
“ Gone? Wh- They can’t just be gone! They’re supposed to be on lockdown! Especially Freddy! Are you sure you’re looking at the live feed?” He asked, brows scrunched in confusion and concern.
“I’m completely sure, Karim. Rockstar Row, the green rooms.. Nothing. This is getting weird… I’ll see if I can find them.” Vanessa mumbled.
“Yeah, please do. Things are starting to get out of hand and I want to keep this under wraps. I’ll bring the kid back to you when I find him.” Karim grumbled.
“Oh, yeah, speaking of the kid..” Vanessa began.
“... Yeah ..?” He asked in anticipation.
“Turns out.. there’s no record of him. No guest profile of any kind.” She finished.
"Not even a temporary one?” He asked.
“ Rien .” She replied curtly.
“So, we’ve got a little intruder, is what you’re saying?” He asked for clarification.
“Pretty much.. Finding his parents will have to wait until we sort everything else out. I doubt he’ll tell us if he thinks he’s in trouble.” Vanessa stated.
“Damn it. Well, there goes the easy way… Anyway, I’m almost at the Faz-Pad. Has he moved from his position?” Karim asked.
“Negative. Maybe he’s getting himself a sip of coffee?” Vanessa joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
“Uh-huh, sure. One thing I know about adolescent kids is their love for dirty bean water.” He replied dryly.
Vanessa’s giggle came over the radio. That helped lift his spirits.
He walked up to the entrance to the Faz-Pad. Despite the annoying over-usage of "Faz" in everything, it was quite a cosy name for a small coffee shop. And Karim didn’t even like coffee. But they did also sell tea.
He sure could go for a cup right about now. His nerves were frazzled enough as is..
Maybe he’ll get Vanessa one, too.
He stepped into the fair-sized room, looking at the Security Bot patrolling in a circle with distaste.
“Come on.. even I could evade your line of sight..”
For all the money this company has, of course, it’s the security and logistics division that gets understaffed and has a low budget…
His attention snapped over to a faint bang and shuffling that came from a refrigerated container next to the kitchen door.
Karim frowned.
“I’m not that scary. No need to hide from me..” He whispered to himself.
He changed into a friendly demeanour, in an attempt to not scare and make the boy think he was in trouble.
Technically , he was. Trespassing on private property causes nothing but trouble. His lack of a guest profile indicates he was never supposed to be here. But to blame a poor little kid? No. That would take a certain kind of man. A man that Karim was not. He likely just wandered in before everything closed down and got lost. That’s not his fault.
No, it was Fazbear Entertainment’s fault for not providing a better budget to tighten security protocols and routines.
He heard faint panicked whispering coming from within the container. Is he claustrophobic? Or maybe he’s gotten himself trapped inside? There should be emergency latches within everything a child could crawl inside of…
This company has already had enough reports of children getting trapped inside things they shouldn’t be around. No need for more.
He cautiously walked up to the container and slowly opened the lid.
Scared honey brown eyes met darker, warm ones. The boy had slightly greasy long brown hair and a cut on his right cheek. It looks recent. He must have gotten injured by something here.
Of course …
Something clicked in the guard.
The boy’s features seemed to twist in slight confusion as if he was expecting someone else.
Was there an unannounced third party in the building looking for the kid, too? No, no, he must have thought it was the Security Bot opening the lid.
The boy stood still. Just waiting for the tired guard’s move.
“Hey there, uhh..” Karim faltered. The boy seemed to be about.. ten? Eleven? Something like that. He wasn’t the best at determining age.
“.. Little man .” He decided to go with that. That’s what friendly adults said, right?
“What are you doing in there all alone? It’s awfully cold in there.” The boy didn’t say anything. He just kept staring. Unmoving.
He noticed a Fazwatch on the boy’s wrist. He probably found it in one of those gift boxes lying around the place. Glamrock Gifts was on the opposite side of the lobby, after all.
Upon closer inspection of the boy, he noticed he was relatively small for what he thought was his age range. Maybe it was just from the odd angle? His clothes seemed a little dirty, though.
He made a mental note to find him something clean to wear from the gift shop. He has a feeling the kid is going to be sticking around for a while.
The guard moved to grab his radio.
The little boy flinched and hugged his knees closer to himself.
That is not the usual way a kid acts. Even when they think they’re in trouble.
No.. this kid is scared . He’s seen something he shouldn’t have. But what?
Okay, Plan B. Be as kind and patient as possible.
Karim’s expression was friendly, but there was a pain etched on there.
“He-hey, it’s alright! I’m not gonna hurt ya. I-it’s just my radio. My friend is in the security office. I just want to let her know that you’re safe. Is that okay?”
The scared boy seemed to relax a little at that, taking a moment to think.
“..O-okay.” The boy said in a small voice.
“Come in, Vanessa. I found the kid.” He talked into the radio.
“Oh, thank God. Is he hurt?” Vanessa asked.
“He’s okay. A minor cut on his cheek. Nothing a band-aid can’t fix.” He explained.
“Okay, good. Now we have to deal with the Glamrocks.”
“Oh, right.. where are they?”
“Monty is.. wandering around in Monty Golf, figures .. Roxanne.. in the Daycare, for some reason, and Chica is near your position. Just by the big Freddy statue.”
He walked over to the window and saw Chica roaming around down there. She moved like a drunken zombie. Damn, something internal must have gotten damaged. Great.
“And Freddy?” He asked.
“No sign of him yet. I’ll keep looking.” She answered.
“Copy that.”
He walked back over to the kid, surprised he was still in the container and didn’t bolt out.
He crouched down to meet him at eye level.
“What’s your name? If you don’t mind, I’d rather call you something other than "kid", heh..”
“G-Gregory, sir.”
“Hah, no need to be so formal, Gregory.” The guard smiled at the boy’s good manners.
“I’m Karim. It’s nice to meet you.” He put out his hand to shake.
Gregory stiffened at the sudden movement at first, but quickly relaxed.
He hesitated for a moment, but lightly shook his hand.
“Karim?” The boy inquired. His head tilted to the side slightly.
“Yeah, like.. uh.. Karim Benzema. The.. French soccer player. I think .” He replied.
“I-I don’t.. really know sports.” Gregory said meekly.
“Yeah, me neither. I’ve never had a taste for it.” He chuckled.
Gregory warily eyed the Security Bot behind him.
Karim turned over to look at it. Same patrol pattern. Just as clueless. Nothing new.
He shifted his attention back to the boy.
“Hey, don’t worry about that useless segway with hands. I can disable it if you want.” Karim offered.
Gregory thought about it for a moment, then nodded.
He straightened himself out and distracted the bot, going behind it and flipping a small switch on the base of its neck.
The bot’s wheel brakes clicked on as its joints locked up. It was now looking like a centrepiece for the Faz-Pad.
“Et voilà!” He smiled, casually placing his hands in his pockets.
He turned over to look at the menu up on the wall, giving the boy time to run off, in case he wanted to. If he was going to get Gregory to trust him, he’ll just need to have faith in him, as well.
Besides, he really wanted a cup of tea.
He pulled out his radio again.
“Hey, we’re still at the Faz-Pad, do you want anything?”
“Ooh, ooh! Uhh.. Green tea! With mint! Yeah, yeah, mint.” Vanessa eagerly responded.
“Minty green tea it is.” He chuckled.
Karim opened a can of individually sealed tea bags, grabbing a packet of Vanessa’s green tea.
Considering his favourite tea is not very common, he decided to go with an Irish Breakfast.
He heard Gregory clambering out of the chilly container. He looked over and saw him standing by the small steps leading to the elevated seating area, trying to keep himself warm.
So it definitely wasn’t the perspective. He actually is that small..
Maybe he could give him his long sleeve shirt? It’s not warm in the PizzaPlex. The temperatures are kept between 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Probably for the sake of the machines.
“Gregory, do you want my shirt? It’s not much, but it’ll heat you up a little.” He offered with a kind smile.
Gregory tentatively walked over, rubbing at his arms.
He supposed that was a ‘yes, please, I’m dying over here’..
He quickly put the tea bags to steep in a couple of mugs, then untucked and unbuttoned his shirt to hand it over to Gregory.
The boy timidly accepted the fabric, wrapping it around himself.
He sniffed the cologne on the shirt. It seemed to remind him of something.
“Do you want something hot to drink? The shirt alone can only do so much.”
He hopped up onto a bar stool. His growling stomach seemed to like that idea.
“Heh, alright then.” Karim chuckled. The boy’s taciturn behaviour reminded him of himself. He’s probably still a little shaken up.
He needs to find out what’s caused that. Should he tell Vanessa?
“Here, you can pick a flavour of tea.” He pushed the small container over to Gregory.
Yes, he should tell Vanessa. Now is not the time for keeping secrets. They need to work together.
His gut is telling him something is wrong here. He hopes it’s just his minor paranoia kicking in.
Gregory picked a simple chamomile tea.
The mild tranquillising effect should help him conk out. Right now, he needs to keep him in a secured area and ensure he doesn’t run off and get lost anywhere.
He got Gregory a thermos instead, so it won’t break if he drops it.
As the two trekked back to the security office, Karim noticed the timid boy kept prodding at his Fazwatch. Were there games on there or something? He seemed too preoccupied with the watch to realise he was staring.
The security door opened with a loud clang, and Vanessa shouted in surprise.
“ Whaah! Wha- Oh.. God, you scared me.” Vanessa chuckled.
“Getting tunnel vision yet?” Karim asked as he gave her the mug of tea.
“Pff, yeah, just about.” She replied tiredly.
She noticed he wasn’t wearing his long sleeve shirt, only the black T-shirt underneath.
“What happened to your shirt?” She asked as she took a sip of her beverage.
“I found the boy hiding in the refrigerated container at the back. He got a little cold.” He replied.
Gregory emerged from behind him, walking into the room as he slowly sipped from the thermos.
“Aww- Oh, hey! I didn’t see you there. I’m Vanessa.” She greeted the boy in a friendly manner.
“Gregory, m-miss.” He awkwardly put out his hand to shake.
“What a little gentleman! But you can call me Vanessa. Looks like your parents have raised you well.” She admired and heartily shook his hand.
Gregory stiffened and took on a mild grimace at that remark.
That seems to have set off a bit of a nerve. Maybe things aren’t so good back home?
The boy took a seat on the other chair, fiddling with the container with a face that looked too similar to a thousand-yard stare for Karim’s comfort.
Vanessa noticed this as well.
The two guards exchanged concerned looks.
Karim gestured in the door’s direction, wanting to talk in private. Vanessa followed him out of the small office into the adjoining hallway.
“You saw that, right? The way he kind of tensed up at what you said?” He asked his friend.
“Yeah, and that weird look on his face? I’m guessing the kid doesn’t want to talk about his parents. Or think of them, even. But that begs the question..” She paused to think.
“What’s going on between them?” Karim finished her thought.
Vanessa rubbed at her temples in exhaustion. This shift has been a mess so far, and it’s not even one o’clock yet.
Karim held her drink as she tried to relieve her tension headache. He drank what was left in his mug and left it on a nearby shelving unit. He’ll clean it later.
He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to offer some comfort.
“Tea is good for headaches. Drink up. Doctor’s orders.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“Ah, that hurts.” She winced a little.
“What, your neck?” He asked.
“No, closer to my shoulder.” She replied.
“Yeah, I feel it now. You have a knot right there.” He stated.
“ A knot? It feels like an entire noose..” She exaggerated.
“You were slouching in your seat again, weren’t you?” He accused somewhat jokingly.
“Maybe..” She replied sheepishly.
He cocked his eyebrow up.
“That’s a yes.” He stated bluntly.
“Here, sit down. Sideways, if you can.” He told Vanessa.
She sat down perpendicular to a bench, folding one leg.
“Just a warning: this’ll probably hurt a bit.” Karim noted.
Vanessa acknowledged with a nod.
He pressed his elbow deeply into her left trapezius muscle, moving it across the knot.
“Argh, jeez! You weren’t kidding about the pain!” Vanessa whinged, keeping a firm hold on the side of the bench.
“Yeah, that’s typically how deep tissue massages are.” He explained. He moved closer to the base of her neck.
“I don’t know how anyone could enjoy this.” She said flatly.
“I’m not so sure it’s the massage itself that people enjoy, but rather the feeling of relief afterwards.” He explained.
“Did you learn this from getting massaged? You’ve never struck me as the masseur type.” She joked.
“Oh, God , no. I can’t stand massages. I’d rather just live with the pain or try to relieve it myself. Trial and error is my mentor.” He replied, moving over to the other shoulder.
“Well, there’s only so many types of massages you can practise on yourself. How’d you learn this particular one?” She inquired.
“Just good old-fashioned elbow grease. Nothing fancy.” He responded.
“Heh, well, fancy or not, it’s starting to feel good!” She complimented him.
“Yeah, those are your endorphins kicking in. The Feel-Good™ Juice , pretty much.” He explained.
“You sound like a doctor.” She chuckled.
“Eh, that’s as far as I know about the physiological response to massages.” He said. Running his elbow over both shoulders to end the session.
“Well, I learned something interesting today, so there’s that.” She remarked.
“Yeah, I’ll do up your back later on. I noticed it was a little tense.” He said.
That sudden response caught her off guard.
She attempted to give a nonchalant thumbs up, trying to keep her face hidden.
Karim looked at her pitiful attempt at concealing her flushed face with amusement.
“Well, when you’re done acting like a little schoolgirl, come finish your tea.”
At that, her face somehow burned a deeper shade of red. She pulled her cap down to cover her face.
“Good God, you’re as red as UY Scuti!” He gawked.
Vanessa burst into laughter, leaning back against the wall. Her dishevelled hair and tomato-red face made her look like a drunkard.
As her laughing fit passed, Karim handed her the mug he was holding.
“I could heat it up for you if you want.” He offered.
She gently shook her head as she drank the contents in one big chug.
“Wow, that massage really made you thirsty, huh?” He asked.
Vanessa looked at him with wide eyes, her face daring to turn into VY Canis Majoris.
“That sounded so wrong..” She said with barely concealed laughter.
“It’s not my fault your mind is still in the gutter.” He quipped.
“Isn’t it, though?
Really?
” She fired back in an exaggerated voice.
When they returned to the security office, they found Gregory asleep on a stack of boxes in the corner, using Karim’s shirt as a blanket.
“ Ohh, my GOD.. that is so precious ..” Vanessa whispered, quietly walking over to sit on her chair.
“Yeah, looks like the chamomile did the trick.” He responded in a hushed voice.
He took off his cap and gently placed it over the boy’s head to keep any bright lights out of his face.
Vanessa looked on with an endearing smile. His caring nature was something she liked about him. He often struggled to show it, but that just made it that much more special when he did.
“ At this rate, he’ll be wearing your whole uniform before the night is out! ” She jokingly whispered.
He responded with a fond smile.
Suddenly, he remembered how shaken up Gregory was earlier.
“Hey, have you seen anything.. out of the ordinary on the cameras at all?” Karim asked.
“Besides the kid and the Glamrocks? Hmm..” She paused to think.
“Well, there was.. some odd glitching on the feed when I was tracking Gregory’s movement.” She replied.
He didn’t like the sound of that.
“Where? Which camera?” He asked.
“Uhh, two of them, actually. The one covering the main doors, and the other by the elevators, facing the Daycare entrance.” Vanessa informed.
“Was it recorded?” He inquired.
“Uh, let me check.” She replied.
She checked all the recent recordings in the database. Nothing regarding the glitched cameras.
“Huh.. it doesn’t look like it’s here. Okay.. that’s weird. Did you find something earlier? Is that why you asked?” She wondered.
“No, uh.. not really. Gregory.. when I found him, he, uh… He was pretty scared. And not like the type when you think you’re in trouble for being somewhere you’re not supposed to be. I think it might be real danger.” He explained, looking at the sleeping boy with concern.
“Wh- whoa, whoa.. what– real danger?” She questioned.
Karim nodded wordlessly.
“When I opened the lid to his little hiding spot, he looked at me like he was expecting someone else. At first, I assumed that he just thought it was the Security Bot. But now…” He struggled to put his thoughts into words.
“So, what.. you think the.. bug in the cameras might have something to do with it?” She tried to guess where he was getting at.
“Considering how strange tonight has been so far.. I don’t think we should just write it off as a coincidence.” He replied.
“Well.. it’s worth looking into. I think we should save the Glamrocks for last. The way they’ve been acting gives me the creeps.” Vanessa admitted.
“You saw the way Chica moved? All zombie-like… Something’s up with them, that’s for sure. I think the best we can do is monitor them and keep them out of places where they might get damaged. We’re not paid or qualified to deal with animatronic maintenance.” He stated.
“Oh, yeah, definitely not. I’m not going to mess around with something more expensive than my car.” She chuckled.
Gregory stirred in his sleep. Tossing and turning in the corner and whimpering quietly. The cap fell off his head.
“Oh, I think he’s having a nightmare.” Vanessa said. She frowned.
Karim quickly and quietly moved over to comfort the boy, sitting next to him on the floor.
He placed a gentle hand on his head, slowly caressing the boy into a calmer state.
“Shh, shh.. it’s alright, Gregory. Whatever you’re seeing is not real. You’re okay. You’re safe.” He whispered.
He rubbed small circles on the boy’s back as he relaxed again.
Vanessa looked like her heart was going to bleed. A few tears made their way down her face.
Karim noticed, eyebrows furrowing.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked in a low, compassionate voice.
She sniffled quietly, wiping at her eyes.
“If his parents actually cared about him, they would be here by now. It just hurts to see that someone could abandon their child..” She pointed out.
He had a feeling. But maybe he just didn’t want to see it. He stared at the floor with pensive, sombre eyes.
“Come here. You need a hug, too.” He said with a sad but warm look.
Vanessa wasn’t one to decline free affection. And right now, she felt like she needed some.
She sat on the ground and scooted next to him. He draped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her in close.
The two just shared the silence, reflecting on everything that’s happened thus far while enjoying each other’s company.