Chapter Text
you didn’t know how it happened. for as long as you worked in walmart ( like, 2 months, ) there was never this much.. Tomfoolery going on. in the past week alone, you had found at least 6 grown adults with cameras trying to hide in poorly constructed forts for some “ overnight challenge. “
so you now take to google for your answer. not that you don’t keep up with the trends, but this one was aimed towards children, and you frankly, don’t care enough to know the trends of kids. especially because you have a job and are in college. anyhow, a whole trend popped up that involved trying to spend 24 hours in some retail store. and film it, for views.
it sounds like a fun concept, you won’t lie. like something you had wanted to do when you were a child. so no wonder why it blew up like it did. although, it was annoying having to comb the store for to-be famous youtubers. their reactions were always so funny, though, when they got caught.
a more of a joking thought comes upon you. you live near this.. sort of, decrepit amusement park with the name of " castle of nations. " you remember how it got really popular during the fnaf craze, for its “ living statues. “ of course, they weren’t living. but, you do remember, specifically, how understaffed the place was, since it got swamped when all the fnaf kids tried to prove the statues were alive.
and then, what made it worse, were the three missing girls. they were all on their way to the park, when they unexpectedly went missing. since the park operated on wristbands, not pre-reserved tickets, the authorities had no way of knowing if they had actually made it in the park. most assumed, including you, that they had gotten kidnapped, or something, on the way down. it’s not like the park was in the most safe part of town. or maybe they all ran away.
the point is, the place has a spooky reputation and too little staff. and, from what you had been seeing, the overnight challenges that went viral, had millions of views. you’re sure that you could probably get that many, if you just filmed it. maybe start a youtube career, and be able to quit your dumb walmart job. but, you weren’t going to do this alone.
obviously, you hit up your best friend and ask if they want to try and do it. you’re the more cautious one, but this situation really didn’t have any downsides. what were you going to lose ?
they agree, however, they’re going to actually arrive at 8, since they have some family dinner, or something. you, on the other hand.. well. you’re gonna experience the entire park, since you haven’t gone in years. the park closes at 9pm, so you both agree to meet up at 8 by the ferris wheel, and find a hiding spot from there.
…
today is the big day. the day you are totally going to become youtube famous. your friend says that they are going to bring a video camera, so all you have with you currently is a water bottle and your Iphone SE ( 2016 ) in hand. and your outfit, which was a t-shirt with cloth shorts and a hoodie over it. you approach the front gate, pay for your wristband ( without access to the pirate island, but, whatever. when you’re famous and rich you’ll buy it, ) and begin exploring. the park is a lot smaller than you remember, but that’s probably because you were younger, last time you were here.
it has two themed attractions on the main island — jack derippe’s creepy crypt ( which you are pretty sure is a play on ‘ jack the ripper, ‘ ) and some.. mountain climber thing. which is currently shut down and taped off. huh.
asking around, apparently the whole mountain was made with asbestos, or something. awesome. pretty in character for the park, though. the creepy crypt attraction is a worn down castle with some .. metal robot that is missing an arm. on purpose or not, you legitimately can’t tell. on the second floor of the castle, there is a cool dragon statue. that's nice.
the crown jewel of the whole park is the castle of nations itself, which is .. a large castle. there’s a glass screen down the middle, which cycles through trippy patterns. right of the castle, one of those slingshot rides. you would have gone on it, if not for being alone. but you did go on the ferris wheel, which provides you a view of that expensive pirate island.
from where you sit in the cart, it looks.. way more sleek than the rest of the park. a lighthouse, sunken pirate ship, and some mountain can be seen. looks like they dumped the whole budget into that singular part of the park. once you were off the ferris wheel, it became really apparent that most of the park was like an add-on to that island. most of the guests went there, anyways.
you walked towards the dock, where the paying customers could take a pirate themed ferry to the island. if you were a kid right now, you would have been crying-screaming to be allowed on it. even though the majority of the park’s guests funneled themselves through to the island, that didn’t stop the lines from being obnoxiously long. you get bored quite easily so.. your Iphone SE ( 2016 ) was keeping you entertained. unfortunately, it lost battery a bit quicker than expected so.. it was dead by 7pm. but at least it was 7pm.
you had looked for any shops with chargers, but they just seemed non-existent. not like you’d have the money, anyways, because you spent it on food. and a lot of it, too, to prepare for the little challenge. for the remainder of the hour, you spent your time re-riding the ferris wheel over and over again. because there wasn’t much else to do there. you were jealous of the pirate kids.
the loud clock in the creepy crypt attraction clanged loudly, and that finally meant it was 8. which meant your friend should be here. so you walked over to the ferris wheel, sat on a bench, and waited.
and waited. not that you could tell the time but.. it seemed like it had to be at least 20 minutes waiting. you wish you didn’t use the last of your battery walking around and hatching your pokemon go eggs. ( that was another thing this park was good for. )
you could leave now but.. you decided to search around for your friend. by the time you had made your rounds, they were nowhere to be found. and it was late, apparently. because a lot of families were leaving. did they go to the pirate island, or something ?
there’s a growing anxiety in your chest .. and there wasn’t really a reason for it. other than looking like an idiot because you had been alone the entire day. but a lot of people come alone, don’t they ?
whatever. before you go, you might as well use the bathroom. you probably have time, right ? you jog over to it, locking yourself in the room. yes, the entire theme park had only 5, single-roomed bathrooms. so you couldn’t use it the entire day. and you really had to go.
you turn the light on, and it is surprisingly clean. and warm. and it smells nice. and half of the lights are out.. which makes it dim. you go do your business..
turns out, you didn’t have time. the reason why they were so clean ? the custodians already cleaned them. because they clean them 10 minutes early. and you probably actually went at around 8:58. oops. you run out of the bathroom. maybe your body was trying to warn you with anxiety.
the whole park is empty. HOW. you know that they were EXTREMELY strict about the park closing at 9.. and that everyone had to be out at 9.. and that if you got stuck they wouldn’t come for you until morning.
until morning. it opened at 9 am. god. this was all your friend’s fault. because why didn’t they show up ??? you planned it out like, 3 days ago, or something. maybe it was also your fault for letting your phone die. but it’s not your fault that your Iphone SE ( 2016 ) has the worst battery life probably known to mankind. and you had to have it on max brightness too, just to see the screen.
you decide to wander around the park, to try and find anyone. because at this point, you don’t care if you are charged with trespassing, or something. unfortunately, there is absolutely nobody. they didn’t even care enough to hire nightguards ?? why ?? you guess it’s because the only valuable part of the park is on an island, and swimming over there would be too much of a chore. but you’d be willing to do it.. only because you had the time. and because you can swim.
being alone for so long, you start to think of the moving statue rumors. well, you can find out now, can’t you ? you walk over to the creepy crypt place, and poke at the metal thing missing an arm. nope. not alive.
nothing even interesting to do, except wait it out. at least it was summer, so it wasn’t cold. most of the lights are off. but enough are still on just to make sleeping difficult. how polite. you could probably sleep in the bathroom, though, if you wanted to. and you had a water bottle to fill. and if you got hungry enough, you could just eat toilet paper, or something.
okay. living situation is pretty much solved. awesome. this shoddy theme park is.. not too bad of a place to get stuck in. it could be worse. if you had your phone.. you would be calling someone. but it would also be a really good place to hatch your pokemon eggs. you keep thinking about that.
one thought leads to another, so you start thinking about the people that got ran over because they were on pokemon go. and then, because they’re dead, you think about the 3 missing girls. what if they were here in the park ? possessing the statues ?? making real life five nights at freddy’s ? oh god. not that.
well, you did feel bad for making a sort of joke about that. because it’s not that funny. but it’s not like you’re not really scared of the five nights at freddy’s animatronics. like, if one appeared right now —
as if right on cue, there’s a clang somewhere near the ferris wheel. oh no. you look over at the source of the noise.. which reveals itself to be a red-eyed raven. not a good sign.
it perches on the bench you were sitting on earlier, and tilts its head at you. you tilt your head back, so it can see how it likes it. it turns its head the other way.
you approach it, and it doesn’t take off immediately. you’re able to actually touch the thing.. which doesn’t feel as if it’s made of feathers. or blood. or anything that an animal should be made of. maybe it’s some super fancy drone animatronic from that pirate island ? you hope so. because.. if not.
you don’t want to think about that. you’re sure it's some robot. or maybe, the ravens here have developed a different feather texture due to dietary differences, or something. you pull away from the bird, and it nods at you before flying towards the island.
that basically confirmed it’s a robot. and that it belongs in the pirate island. and not a possessed bird. awesome. you sort of want to follow it.. to see if you could swim to the island.
but you had to see how far it was, first. you walk towards the dock, sitting on the edge and measuring the distance. it was .. well, kind of far. you think you could maybe do it.. but that would also mean swimming back. and that could mean guards on the island, too. since they were apparently not present in the main park.
you tighten your hoodie strings nervously. what you’re doing right now is very illegal, you’re pretty sure. maybe you should lay low and hide for a bit. but they hadn’t found you yet. the only thing you’ve seen here was that weird raven. you’re just working yourself up too much, that’s all. you watch the waters for awhile, before turning around and deciding to sleep in the bathroom. since you had been here, the clock had rang 2 times, which meant it was around 11. and you usually go to sleep then, since you have a job. so now your body is tired.
you begin your journey to the nice bathrooms, before another noise catches your attention. thinking it’s the raven again, you turn around with a “ you’re back ? “ escaping your lips.
but you quickly realize that the noise is not the raven. and it’s coming from the water. it’s obviously a splashing sound. you stare at it for a moment more before deciding mentally whether you should run or sneak away slowly. well, whatever it was, it was making a ton of noise. which either meant it didn’t know you were there, or that it had some sort of authority. sneaking away is a better choice.. since it made less noise and it was dark anyways. of course, a few lights were still on, but they had started to progressively dim and shut off throughout the night. you wonder why the park keeps them on at all.
you steal one last look at the noise’s source before you creep into some plants, and you see a figure, with one white eye that reflects the moon. and that eye happens to be staring directly at you. uh oh.
as if it couldn’t get worse, your fears are confirmed. because the thing actually talks.
“ oh, dearie me, arma ! “ the voice starts up, sounding male, “ you were right ! it seems there is someone new at the park tonight ! and a human, too ! “
fuck. no. hell he means “ and a human, too ! “ isn’t everyone here a human ??
maybe the statues were real, or something. the fnaf kids were right. unbelievable.
you waste no time sitting there, and take off into the deeper reaches of the park. you hear your stupid Iphone SE ( 2016 ) fall out of your hoodie pocket and skid on the brick path, but you don’t have time to go back for it. it was dead anyways but.. it left a trail.
you keep running, and look behind you to see if you could rest. unknowingly, you smack into one of the metal gates closing off the mountain climber area. you flop on the ground as the wind gets knocked out of you. maybe whoever was pursuing you didn’t hear..
nope. you sit up, weakly, hearing footsteps. and now sighting someone.
he seemed tall, at least, from what you could tell. blonde hair, pale yellow skin.. and a weird hat which could have been a bandana or a hard hat. the man was dressed in strange attire, which sort of looked like a pirate’s. well, obviously, you saw him come from the waters of that island.
oh yeah, HE JUST WALKED OUT OF THE WATER. LIKE HE DIDN’T EVEN SWIM.
it just keeps getting worse.
as he approaches, you can make out a scar on his right eye, which is in the shape of a claw mark. however, the scar tissue seems to be gray. which.. isn’t natural. immediately you are about to start crying. you hold it in.
he finally reaches you, and looms over your body. on his shoulder, that bird from earlier. he looks at it, and it looks at him at the same time. the blonde scans you over with his eyes before speaking.
“ now, what do we have here ? a trespasser ? “
see, it made sense now why they didn’t hire nightguards. because all you need is THIS GUY. you were already scared out of your mind. and you didn’t even know who he was.
you spring up, shoving his head forward into the metal, and take off again. hell, you know you said you didn’t care if you got caught trespassing, but this guy made you care.
because what the fuck.
you maybe get like, 6 seconds of running in until a large black spear comes out of god-knows-where and slams into the ground in front of you. you whip around, terrified, and you think about running again. but maybe he’ll actually kill you if you try another time. you don’t even have the brainpower to try and think of where the hell he got that from, or how he threw that big of a spear so accurately. this guy was NOT playing.
“ OKAY I’M REALLY SORRY FOR TRESPASSING AND SHOVING YOU INTO A GATE PLEASE DON’T KILL ME, “ you slur out in a panicked state, backing up until your body is pinned against the spear.
the blonde laughs. HE LAUGHS AT YOU. hell naw.
“ what makes you think i’m going to kill you ? “
your eyes widen, and you make a huge arm gesture.
“ THE GIANT ASS SPEAR THAT YOU THREW AT ME ?? “
“ oh, that was arma ! the wretched bird.. she thought you were a thief. “
he spits the last word like he isn’t a pirate.. who is a thief. because that’s who pirates are.
“ arma ? “ you echo, looking at his shoulder to find the bird missing, “ how did a bird throw a spear at me ? “
“ she is the spear, silly ! “ he tells you, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
you turn around just in time to see the spear behind you form into the raven, and you watch it fly back on his shoulder.
“ did i inhale chemicals in the bathroom ??? what the fuck is going on ??? “ you ask him, and he again laughs at you.
“ no, you didn’t. didn’t anyone ever tell you ? this place is magic ! “
the blonde says this with a weird tone. you can’t really tell if he’s happy about it being magic.
“ the.. moving statue rumors are REAL !? “ you shout at him, backing up more now, “ no.. that can’t be true. i’m asleep right now, in the bathroom. “
“ more than real, human. one of them is standing in front of you right now. “
“ oh god. “
“ don’t worry ! i don’t intend to harm you ! “ he says, all too cheerfully, holding his hands up.
you breathe a sigh of relief.
“ however.. “
yep, there it is.
“ do you mind telling me why you’re here, after hours ? “
“ oh um.. i went to the bathroom for too long.. “
“ hm, “ he looks at the raven, “ and, by the way.. you dropped your little device. “
he takes your Iphone SE ( 2016 ) out of his coat pocket. weird thing is, he turns it on.
after it’s been well dead for 4 hours straight now.
“ how — how is it charged ? did you charge it ? oh, thank you ! “
“ you have it locked with a thumbprint, “ he notes, ignoring you.
“ oh, yeah. for privacy. “
you really aren’t going to wonder how he even knows how to operate a phone.
“ give it here, “ he speaks, looking up from the phone and now at you.
“ huh ? “
“ your print. “
“ uh, no. sorry, but you don’t have the right to do that. “
“ it’s actually park property now ! “
“ no it’s not. “
“ give me your print, please, “ he insists, getting annoyed.
“ no thanks, “ you politely refuse.
he rushes forward, yanking your arm forward with much more force than needed. the statue presses your thumb into the phone until it unlocks.
“ DUDE ! WHAT THE FUCK ! “ you shout at him, shaking your arm.
he ignores you again.
you watch him start smiling at the screen. what, your pokemon go account ? your pokemon did have some pretty funny names.
“ looks like your little friend couldn’t make it with you tonight, huh ? “ he asks you, smiling wider, “ the dinner went on longer than expected ? “
“ what. “
“ you would have known that if you hadn’t wasted the battery, now would you ? tell me this, why did you decide to lie to me when i asked you why you were here ? “
you watch him set your phone on the ground. the bitch is going to smash it. he’s going to break your only escap . your eyes meet his, and you start speaking in quick pace, spewing the words out as fast as you could. yet, there is something that tells you that you’re not getting out of here unharmed.
“ i wasn’t lying ! yes, i originally was going to stay overnight with my friend but.. as you saw.. they couldn’t make it, apparently ! “
“ why wouldn’t you just say so ? “ he asks, as you watch his bird start turning into a hammer.
“ i — because it sounded worse ?? please don’t smash my Iphone SE ( 2016. ) “
he looks disappointed, and grins a boyish grin.
“ aw, why ? everyone else let me do it ! “
you stare at him, uneasy.
“ who’s.. everyone else ? “
the statue looks over to the side, hoisting the hammer behind him.
“ you might have heard of them.. or not.. “
huh ?
“ three of them.. on the news. “
your heart drops in your chest. he’s not talking about..
“ the.. missing girls ? “ you ask him, stepping back and preparing to start bolting.
he looks back at you, smiling again. he does that a lot.
“ smart human. “
the hammer is brought down on your Iphone SE ( 2016, ) and he even slams it so hard it breaks the brick below. you flinch from the noise, frozen in place. maybe he was just trying to be creepy. maybe it’s a gag. your brain grasped for any logical explanation.
“ armaa ! “ he laughs, “ why’d you hit it so haardd ? i was only joking ! “
the hammer turns back into the bird, and she picks up a chunk of your phone. you swear you can hear her snickering. he tilts his body in your direction, grinning at your horrified expression.
“ i think she wants to give you something, “ the statue taunts you, as you see the raven flutter towards you.
that’s ENOUGH OF THIS DAMN FUCKING BIRD.
you grab the thing firmly with both your hands, and slam it as hard as you can on the brick. you can hear cracks and bits of stone falling to the ground, which you assume come from the bird itself. the statue’s cocky mood immediately disappears, and his face drops.
“ ARMA ! “ he shouts, showing actual emotion for the first time. he skids forward to check on her, and you start running again. you have to hide somewhere. you can’t outrun him, you already learned that. the clock chimes — it’s midnight. almost all the lights are off.
you slam your shoes against the brick, propelling yourself over and under yellow tapes and metal gates, towards the asbestos mountain. who gives a damn if you get cancer, you’d rather live long enough to actually GET IT.
as you squeeze through the last barrier stopping entry into the mountain, you hear the statue’s voice.
“ SO THAT’S HOW YOU WANT TO BE, HUMAN ? RUNNING LIKE A COWARD ? NO MATTER. I HAVE ALLLL NIGHT ! WE’LL HAVE FUN, WON’T WE ? “
no, we will NOT have fun. not if you had anything to say about it. you scamper deeper into the weird mountain, ending up in a small room with a few windows. you can tell you’re pretty high up. the room is completely dark, though, and you can’t make out much of it.
from the dark, a soft tap lands on your shoulder. you swivel around, almost shrieking. what stands before you is a mannequin dressed in climber gear, with a face made of mud.
“ oh, sorry ! “ it says, sounding genuine, “ i didn’t mean to scare you.. “
“ i’m the climber !! who are you ?? “