Chapter Text
Working at a dead-end pizza job at the age of 30 would be a sign to anyone that their luck is down in drain, but Dave isn’t anyone. In fact, walking up to Freddy’s Pizzeria, Dave is overcome with a sense of joy, and a sensation that his luck is finally changing for the better.
The pizzeria itself is made up of red and yellow brick, and has the title of the restaurant printed on it with red letters. Directly above it, is a giant cardboard cut-out of the pizza’s chain mascot, Freddy Fazbear. A brown grizzly bear that has blue eyes, a black bow, and a black top- Dave immediately looks to the ground to avoid a panic attack.
He goes into his pocket, and pulls out a shiny silver key. He unlocks the door and goes inside the restaurant. He turns on a company given flashlight with and looks around. He sees the stage on his left that is concealed by purple curtains with white stars on it. The area itself is the dinning room, that has all the chairs folded up, and tablecloth removed. There are also arcade cabinets everywhere. Makes sense, since one of the reasons the company survived this long despite it’s reputation, were its original games. The other is reason is the mascots. Dave made sure he knows all their names before taking this shift.
He walks forward to the office for his nightshift, and gags at a horrid smell coming from the parts-in-service room. To get away from it, he sprints past and into his office.
The office is…decent. Dave has a chair, a nice-looking grandfather clock on the back of the wall, and- that’s pretty much all the good things he can say about. The whole office is gray and lacks the colorful features of the rest of restaurant. It’s covered in junk, presumably left there by the person who is in charge of the dayshift. There’s a fan that making irritable sound, which reminds Dave of the airship. Try as he might, he can’t seem to turn it off, so he gives up and decides to tolerate it; however, it isn’t the worst part of the office. In Dave’s opinion, the worst attribute is the office is way too small. Unfortunately, he can’t make the room bigger, so he takes a deep breathe, and walks inside.
As he walks in, he notices that the office has two exits, which both lead into the hallways, and those exits have electric doors that Dave can pull up by a click of a button on the wall, along with a light that lights up the area outside of the door. Both are connected to a very old battery with a screen that says it’s at 100%. Fortunately, Dave believes he will at most use the doors once a week, so he doesn’t need to worry about the battery failing on him. Also, he figures that he can use his own flashlight instead of the built-in lights to save power.
The security guard then wonders why on Earth would a pizza joint of all things need these types of doors, but then again, why would a pizza joint want a security guard? He decides not to look the gift horse in the mouth, and sits down in his chair, places his backpack beside it, grabs a tablet that’s also connected to the old battery, and turns the tablet on.
The screen loads, and shows the footage of the dinning room’s camera, with the added bonus of a simple map with a bunch of buttons that when click switches to one of the other cameras in the building. All except the kitchen for some reason. It isn’t working right, so it’s only picking up audio. Better than nothing.
The grandfather clock behind Dave chimes for 12 am to start his shift, and boy is he excited for his new job. Sure, it’s not the best and it’s certainly not one Dave pictures himself staying in; however, after losing everything, this job is the best one Dave could ever ask for to help him get himself back on his feet. Plus, they give their employees free pizza, what’s not to love-
Where’s Bonnie?
Dave is flipping through the cameras, when he notices that the stage is missing the purple rabbit. The camera is inside of the stage, so Dave can see all the animatronics, whom are all old and moldy. Currently, Freddy the mascot who looks like a stitched-up version of the sign outside, and Chica a yellow ‘chicken’ that wears a white bib, and holds a cupcake with a different shade of yellow hands are standing deactivated on the stage, with no sign of their guitarist Bonnie. Except- the curtain is open.
A chill goes down Dave’s spine. He then changes the camera and sees Bonnie standing in the dinning room, staring at the camera. Dave jumps. Bonnie is a purple bunny with a guitar, which is nowhere to been seen. He wears a red bow tie, and his face looks like it’s about to come off, along with his left arm.
The security guard then remembers there is a tape recorder in office, and how an old employee recorded training tapes on it to help future night guards. Dave then quickly dives off his chair, and searches the office. Eventually, he finds the tape recorder, and plays the first message, as he sits back down.
“…Hello? Hello! Hey um I recorded some messages for you to help you with your night shift! This is actually my last week here, and I wanted to give you some help when you take over my shift. But first I have to go over company policy…legal stuff you know? Ehm… ‘Freddy Fazbear Pizza: a magical place for children and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun comes to life,”
Didn’t realize how literal the life part of that statement was Dave thinks to himself,
“The company is not responsible for damage of property, injuries or death onto a person,”
Dave bites his lip at that,
“If a death is to occur or someone goes missing. It will immediately be filed to the police after the premise and property has been clean and blah, blah, blah… Now, I know that sounds bad,”
Yeah it does,
“But there’s really nothing to worry about…except,”
“?”
“The animatronics get a bit…quirky…at night. I don’t blame them. If I had to sing the same song every single day, in the same location, and had no baths for twenty years. And at one point got replaced, and then got un-replaced,” Dave feels a bit of sympathy for the animatronics, but then snaps out of it because the characters aren’t alive, “I’d be a bit cranky at night too. Just remember that these characters hold a special place in our hearts, and vandalism or tampering with them will cause immediate termination,”
Dave decides it’s in his best interest to stay away from the animatronics then. Knowing himself, he’ll somehow trip, and spill something on the animatronics which will cause them to explode,
“So show them a little respect. Also, just so you are aware, the animatronics go into a free-roam mode at night,”
Oh so that’s what it is. I’m fine then. Dave is about to turn off the tape, since it answered his question, but gets a gut-feeling that he needs to keep listening,
“It’s something about their servos locking up; whatever that means. Fun fact! They used to be able to walk around in the day, but…I’m sure you saw it in the news of what happened” Dave nods, “…I’m glad Jeremy is okay. Anyways, now concerning your risks. An intruder might break in and hurt you, but that’s unlikely,”
The memory of Dave being kidnap almost appears in his mind, but as soon as the guy on the tape recorder says, ‘might’ Dave had already suppressed it. He’s not going to have a panic attack on his first day at his new job!
“But that’s not the only thing. If the animatronics see you after hours, they won’t recognize you as a human; instead, they’ll see you as an endo skeleton without its costume on and well- will then try to stuff you into one of the spare suit, since it’s against the rules for an endo to not be in a costume,”
Dave feels a bit uneasy at that. If the office is too small for him, then a suit meant for robots would be a hundred times worse “It wouldn’t be too bad if the suits weren’t filled with crossbeams, wires, springlocks, and other metal stuff. So, if you were to be forceful stuffed in there, you’d probably feel mild discomfort if you’re lucky, but you will most likely…die, with your eyes and teeth being the only things sticking out of it. Probably a painful way to go,”
“EXCUSE ME WHAT!” Dave shouts. Deciding he’s heard enough, Dave turns off the tape, and opens the cameras. Bonnie’s ears are perked up, and his eyes are now completely black with only white dots remaining. His head turns to the side, and his jaw loosens enough that his mouth is now wide open. The security guard feels his hands shake.
“Come on Dave! You were once a police officer, and escaped a criminal base! Some homicidal robots are nothing compared to that! You got this!” Dave says and looks at the cameras again- Bonnie’s gone. Quickly, Dave shines his flashlight into the darkness outside of both doors. Fortunately, nobody is there, yet. Then Dave frantically looks through the cameras again, and finds Bonnie in parts-in-service room.
The room itself has a table with a blue plastic version of Bonnie laying on it. There’s also a shelf in the room which is covered with spare parts for the animatronics. Bonnie is pointing to the blue version of himself, and stares directly at the camera. He gives out a childish laugh, and appears to be smiling in some sort of sadistic way, even though his expression hasn’t changed. Dave grips his tablet, and the room he’s in feels smaller.
“D-Don’t worry, Dave. He’s no where near you, as long as-” Dave begins, and then checks the dining room again, where he sees Chica with same black eyes as Bonnie stare at the camera with her beak wide open. Dave curses. The clock chimes for 1 am.
He switches the cameras from the parts-in-service area to the dinning room then to the stage, and then back again. Bonnie props up his blue version, and then carefully takes off its head. Like he’s prepping it for Dave. Freddy stays put thankfully, but occasionally he casts a glance over the cameras, without moving his head. Dave doesn’t notice this at first, but when he does- it gives him a scare. Chica moves into the kitchen, and makes some noises with pots and pans. It’s loud enough to irate Dave, and he grips the tablet harder.
The most eerie thing about this whole ordeal is that the animatronics rarely move when the camera is on them. They usually move when Dave’s off camera, so when they are in a different position it gives him a little scare. After a while of watching the animatronics, the clock chimes 2 am.
“There’s nothing to be scared about, Dave. They are just robots. Sure, they might…kill you…but how many people have actually died here?” Dave says to himself. He remembers the foul odor, but it has to be from an unused animatronic. The ones roaming seem to be made out of fabric, and cotton. That animatronic just got old, and it started smelling! No one’s dead back there…Right?
Dave looks at the cameras again, and barely notices a tuff of Chica’s hair at the corner of the camera in the dining room. He smiles. Thought you could hide huh?! The moment of triumph flees, when Dave checks the parts-n-service room, and finds Bonnie isn’t there anymore.
He checks the dinning room again, and nobody is there. Once again, Dave flips through the cameras to find where they went. He finds Bonnie standing ominously in the left hallway. He’s far away from the camera, so Dave can only see his silhouette. He checks the right hallway, and sees a yellow robotic hand peeking out from a break room that leads off cameras.
Seeing how bad his luck is, he checks the dining room again to see if Freddy moved. In there, he doesn’t see Freddy but a little kid, who appears to be eight, standing in the room. He’s wearing a Foxy mask, and is wearing a dark brown leather jacket, that open up to reveal a white shirt with light blue stripes. He’s also wearing some tan cargo pants, with brown shoes, and a pirate’s hat. For some reason he’s covered in strange scars. The kid stares at the cameras.
“…What?” Dave asks himself and watches the little kid. Where did he come from, and why is he here? The security guard ponders about going into the dinning room to safely escort the kid off the premises, but decides he rather not face off against the killer robots, without the doors. He reaches for a mic, so he can call the kid to come over to office, but suddenly he hears a low groan.
The security guard puts down the cameras, and shines his flashlight towards the source. Bonnie is standing right outside. He gives Dave a death glare, and the security guard rushes over to slam the door shut. Dave then sighs in relief, and then looks over at his power. It’s down 95%, and is going down fast. Dave curses again.
He checks the other door with his flashlight, and no one’s there, yet. He looks over at the old battery, and wonders what would happen if all the power goes out. He then decides that he doesn’t want to find out. Dave checks the cameras again, and now Bonnie has moved to a corner. He is glaring at the cameras.
Gathering all his courage, Dave slowly opens the door, and checks again. No Bonnie. The security guard then checks back up on that kid he saw earlier, and he’s gone. Fearing the worst, Dave checks parts-n-service. Nobody’s there. Frantically, he checks all the cameras, but just like how he came, the kid is gone without a trace.
“…I hope that kid’s okay,” Dave says.
“He isn’t” a voice says on the right side of Dave. He shines his flashlight over to the right door. Chica is standing there with her mouth open wide, and is holding a sharp knife. Once again, Dave flies over to the door button and slams it shut. The clock chimes for 3 am.
Dave flips to the cameras to see where Chica moved. She hasn’t. Dave then checks the right door, and Bonnie’s there again. Quickly, he closes the door.
Oh, he hates this. If the room wasn’t small enough, it feels that way now. The doors being closed makes it seem like Dave’s in a tight box. It uncomfortably reminds him of his old prison room. The familiar memory causes Dave to curl up into a ball and try to appear smaller. Although there’s still ventilation in the room, he feels like he can’t breathe.
“You don’t look so well, buddy! Why don’t you come outside, and give o’ Bonnie a hug,” a voice says.
“Don’t bother fighting. It’s easier for all of us for you to give up,” another voice
“No…No I won’t. I didn’t give up then, and I won’t give up now,” Dave says, then looks down, and adds “Dave, you shouldn’t be responding to your auditory hallucinations,” Then again, there’s nobody here except the animatronics and that kid, to call me crazy.
He then hears footsteps. He carefully opens the doors, and checks them. Nobody is there anymore. Dave feels like he’s able to breathe again. He goes back to checking the cameras. Bonnie’s right outside a camera named Pirates Cove, which has a smaller rounder version of the main stages, even including the purple curtains with white stars. Chica, meanwhile, is back in the kitchen. Presumably to get another knife. Dave checks the stage again, and Freddy is still there. The clock chimes for 4 am.
A soft cheerful music starts playing in the background, which gets on Dave’s nerves. It’s like an irritating orchestra in here. He flips through the cameras, and barely anything has changed. Chica eventually gets out of the kitchen, and goes to the bathroom for some reason. A shadow whips by the camera, and Dave gets a feeling of dread. He tries following it on the cameras, and then- a bit of the roof falls down to the ground, causing Dave’s heart to leap into his mouth.
“Look at the pathetic dog. Cowering in fear over the tiniest of things,” a voice says.
“Shush,” Dave says.
The security guard perks up, and then checks the doors. He finds Bonnie staring at him from the door frame once again. He must have missed him because of the cheerful music. Dave quickly closes the door.
After a bit, Dave hears footsteps. He opens the door, and checks again. Bonnie is no longer there. The cameras tell Dave that Bonnie went back to his corner, and his head is freaking out.
“I don’t think they’re supposed to do that…” Dave mumbles to himself, and dots that down his brain to tell his boss Mr. Emily about that…along with the whole, mistaking a nightguard for an endoskeleton and stuffing them in a suit thing. However, he figures that there’s no point in doing that, since they would’ve fixed both of those quirks by now, and who would believe him? The room once again feels smaller.
He checks the cameras again, and sees Chica in the dining room. Dave hears laughter in the halls. His grip of his cameras tightens. At this point, he’s going to break it.
Dave once again checks the left hallway, and nobody’s there, but it sure feels like it. The clock chimes for 5 am.
The security guard checks the left door once again, and predictably Bonnie’s there; although, he still looks incredibly unnerving. Dave shuts the door once again, and checks the cameras for Chica. Through his search, he sees a shadowy figure with a top hat walk into the bathrooms. He attempts to follow it, but no one’s there, except Chica.
He checks pirate’s cove to see if Bonnie’s back there, but instead sees a silver hook peaking out of the curtains. Thank goodness my shift is almost over… He then finds Bonnie in the hallway, which causes him to lower the door, and Freddy is still on the stage.
Suddenly, the room gets colder, and Dave notices clouds forming right at his mouth. Weird, it’s July. Maybe air conditioning?
Dave doubts that’s how air conditioning works, but it’s most logical explanation that he has.
The security guard takes a deep breathe, and flips through the cameras. Bonnie’s in the dining room, and Chica’s in the hallway. He then suddenly hears laughter. Dave takes a deep breath, and checks on Bonnie and Freddy again.
Dave closes the right door as he shines a flashlight onto Chica. She’s holding a bigger knife, and has some sort of grin expression on her face. After another moment, he hears footsteps. He then opens the door and checks it. Chica’s gone.
The clock chimes for 6 am, which ends Dave’s shift. Surprisingly, the animatronics reboot with a jolt, and walk back to their stage. The security guard flips through the cameras, but all the animatronics are deactivated back on their stage. After waiting a few minutes to make sure they didn’t move, Dave leaves the safety of the office with his backpack and the tape recorder to listen to the remaining tapes outside of work, and carefully he walks out of the building like a mouse waiting for a cat to jump out at any moment. He also searches the building for the kid he saw earlier, but could find no trace of him; not even an open door or window to show that a kid left…
The sunrise greets Dave as he walks out, and he relaxes a bit. He tries not thinking about the fact he’s going to be keeping dangerous, malfunctioning robots at bay for the next few years.
“At least here, I’m the one in control of the door…” Dave comforts himself with, as he walks away from the building.
“Really, Jeremy? Give o’ Bonnie a hug?”
“SHUT IT, GABE! It was supposed to be scary”
“The only scary thing about you, is your terrible puns,”
“Oh, come on! The face puns were hilarious. I mean, Susie laughed at them,”
“Hey, don’t drag me into this!”
“E-yarg! Stop bickering like a bunch of cowardly sea gulls! We are all a crew here,”
“Fritz, please stop talking like a pirate. You’ve been doing that for twenty years”
“And I’m not stopping-”
“Fritz pleas-”
“E-yarg!”
An angry scream echoes through the building.